A Discrete Density Approach to Bayesian Quantile and Expectile Regression with Discrete Responses

For decades, regression models beyond the mean for continuous responses have attracted great attention in the literature. These models typically include quantile regression and expectile regression. But there is little research on these regression models for discrete responses, particularly from a Bayesian perspective. By forming the likelihood function based on suitable discrete probability mass functions, this paper introduces a discrete density approach for Bayesian inference of these regression models with discrete responses. Bayesian quantile regression for discrete responses is first developed, and then this method is extended to Bayesian expectile regression for discrete responses. The posterior distribution under this approach is shown not only coherent irrespective of the true distribution of the response, but also proper with regarding to improper priors for the unknown model parameters. The performance of the method is evaluated via extensive Monte Carlo simulation studies and one real data analysis.

A Flexible Skewed Link Model for Ordinal Outcomes: An Application to Infertility

BACKGROUND: An important issue in modeling categorical response data is the choice of the links. The commonly used complementary log-log link is inclined to link misspecification due to its positive and fixed skewness parameter. AIM: The objective of this paper is to introduce a flexible skewed link function for modeling ordinal data with some covariates. METHODS: We introduce a flexible skewed link model for the cumulative ordinal regression model based on Chen model. RESULTS: The main advantage suggested by the proposed links is the skewed link provide much more identifiable than the existing skewed links. The propriety of posterior distributions under proper and improper priors is explored in detail. An efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm is developed for sampling from the posterior distribution. CONCLUSION: The proposed methodology is motivated and illustrated by ovary hyperstimulation syndrome data.

A Markov chain representation of the multiple testing problem

The problem of multiple hypothesis testing can be represented as a Markov process where a new alternative hypothesis is accepted in accordance with its relative evidence to the currently accepted one. This virtual and not formally observed process provides the most probable set of non null hypotheses given the data; it plays the same role as Markov Chain Monte Carlo in approximating a posterior distribution. To apply this representation and obtain the posterior probabilities over all alternative hypotheses, it is enough to have, for each test, barely defined Bayes Factors, e.g. Bayes Factors obtained up to an unknown constant. Such Bayes Factors may either arise from using default and improper priors or from calibrating p-values with respect to their corresponding Bayes Factor lower bound. Both sources of evidence are used to form a Markov transition kernel on the space of hypotheses. The approach leads to easy interpretable results and involves very simple formulas suitable to analyze large datasets as those arising from gene expression data (microarray or RNA-seq experiments).