Local polynomial regression is a useful non-parametric regression tool to explore fine data structures and has been widely used in practice. We propose a new non-parametric regression technique called local composite quantile regression smoothing to improve local polynomial regression further. Sampling properties of the estimation procedure proposed are studied. We derive the asymptotic bias, v...

This paper considers Closest Moment (CM) estimation with a general distance function, and avoids the assumption of nonsingular quadratic local behavior. The results of Manski (1983), Newey (1988), Pötscher and Prucha (1997), and de Jong and Han (2002) are obtained as special cases. Consistency and a root-n rate of convergence are obtained under mild conditions on the distance function and on th...

A local limit theorem is proved for partial sums of a hidden Markov chain, assuming global asymptotic normality for a related sum, a fairly weak mixing condition, and a non-lattice condition. The proof proceeds by a study of the conditional characteristic functions, the analysis of which relies heavily on a theorem from Breiman (1968). The paper concludes with a Cesaro type limit theorem for th...

OBJECTIVES To explore patients' perceptions and experiences of 'normality' and the influences on this at three time points post-transplant. METHODS In-depth interviews with 25 patients at three months, one year and more than three years following kidney transplant. Patients' accounts were compared with Sanderson et al.'s typology of types of normality. FINDINGS Post-transplant, patients wor...

We study the local geometry of the pullback of a variety via a finite holomorphic map. In particular, we are looking for properties of V = F(W ) such that if V has the property A, then W must have the property A. We show that A can be the property of normality or prefactoriality. We also show that A can be the property of smoothness, under extra assumptions.

Strong local minimizers with surfaces of gradient discontinuity appear in variational problems when the energy density function is not rank-one convex. In this paper we show that stability of such surfaces is related to stability outside the surface via a single jump relation that can be regarded as interchange stability condition. Although this relation appears in the setting of equilibrium el...