In this paper we introduce a smooth version of local linear regression estimators and address their advantages. The MSE and MISE of the estimators are computed explicitly. It turns out that the local linear regression smoothers have nice sampling properties and high minimax efficiency-they are not only efficient in rates but also nearly efficient in constant factors. In the nonparametric regression context, the asymptotic minimax lower bound is developed via the heuristic of the" hardest onedimensional subproblem" of Donoho and Liu. Connections of the minimax risk with the modulus of continuity are made. The lower bound is also applicable for estimating conditional mean (regression) and conditional quantiles for both fixed and random design regression problems.

Consider two random vectors $\wt{\bx} \in \R^p$ and $\wt{\by} \in \mathbb R^q$ of the forms $\wt{\bx}=A \mathbf z + \bC_1^{1/2}\mathbf x $ and $\wt{\by}=B \mathbf z + \bC_2^{1/2}\mathbf y $, where $\mathbf x \in \R^p$, $\mathbf y \in \R^q$ and $\mathbf z\in \R^r$ are independent random vectors with i.i.d. entries of zero mean and unit variance, $\bC_1$ and $\bC_2$ are $p \times p$ and $q\times q$ deterministic population covariance matrices, and $A$ and $B$ are $p \times r$ and $q\times r$ deterministic factor loading matrices. With $n$ independent observations of $(\wt{\mathbf x},\wt{\mathbf y})$, we study the sample canonical correlations between $\wt{\bx} $ and $\wt{\by}$. We consider the high-dimensional setting with finite rank correlations, that is, ${p}/{n}\to c_1$ and ${q}/{n}\to c_2$ as $n\to \infty$ for some constants $c_1\in (0,1)$ and $c_2\in (0,1-c_1)$, and $r$ is a fixed integer. Let $t_1\ge t_2 \ge \cdots\ge t_r\ge 0$ be the squares of the nontrivial population canonical correlation coefficients between $\wt {\bx}$ and $\wt{\by}$, and let $\wt\lambda_1 \ge \wt\lambda_2\ge \cdots \ge \wt\lambda_{p\wedge q}\ge 0$ be the squares of the sample canonical correlation coefficients. If the entries of $\mathbf x$, $\mathbf y$ and $\mathbf z$ are i.i.d. Gaussian, then the following dichotomy has been shown in \cite{CCA} for a fixed threshold $t_c \in(0, 1)$: for any $1\le i \le r$, if $t_i < t_c$, then $\wt\lambda_i$ converges to the right-edge $\lambda_+$ of the limiting eigenvalue spectrum of the sample canonical correlation matrix, and moreover, $n^{2/3}(\wt\lambda_i-\lambda_+)$ converges weakly to the Tracy-Widom law; if $t_i>t_c$, then $\wt\lambda_i$ converges to a deterministic limit $\theta_i \in (\lambda_+, 1)$ that is determined by $c_1$, $c_2$ and $t_i$. In this paper, we prove that these results hold universally under the sharp fourth moment conditions on the entries of $\mathbf x$, $\mathbf y$ and $\mathbf z$. Moreover, we prove the results in full generality, in the sense that they also hold for near-degenerate $t_i$'s and for $t_i$'s that are close to the threshold $t_c$. Finally, we also provide almost sharp convergence rates for the sample canonical correlation coefficients under a general $a$-th moment assumption.

We demonstrate how path integrals often used in problems of theoretical physics can be adapted to provide a machinery for performing Bayesian inference in function spaces. Such inference comes about naturally in the study of inverse problems of recovering continuous (infinite dimensional) coefficient functions from ordinary or partial differential equations, a problem which is typically ill-posed. Regularization of these problems using L2 function spaces (Tikhonov regularization) is equivalent to Bayesian probabilistic inference, using a Gaussian prior. The Bayesian interpretation of inverse problem regularization is useful since it allows one to quantify and characterize error and degree of precision in the solution of inverse problems, as well as examine assumptions made in solving the problem—namely whether the subjective choice of regularization is compatible with prior knowledge. Using path-integral formalism, Bayesian inference can be explored through various perturbative techniques, such as the semiclassical approximation, which we use in this manuscript. Perturbative path-integral approaches, while offering alternatives to computational approaches like Markov-Chain-Monte-Carlo (MCMC), also provide natural starting points for MCMC methods that can be used to refine approximations. In this manuscript, we illustrate a path-integral formulation for inverse problems and demonstrate it on an inverse problem in membrane biophysics as well as inverse problems in potential theories involving the Poisson equation.

A decisive question in nonparametric smoothing techniques is the choice of the bandwidth or smoothing parameter. The present paper addresses this question when using local polynomial approximations for estimating the regression function and its derivatives. A fully-automatic bandwidth selection procedure has been proposed by Fan and Gijbels (1995a), and the empirical performance of it was tested in detail via a variety of examples. Those experiences supported the methodology towards a great extend. In this paper we establish asymptotic results for the proposed variable bandwidth selector. We provide the rate of convergence of the bandwidth estimate, and obtain the asymptotic distribution of its error relative to the theoretical optimal variable bandwidth. These asymptotic properties give extra support to the proposed bandwidth selection procedure. It is also demonstrated how the proposed selection

This article considers experimental design based on the strategy of rerandomization to increase the efficiency in experiments. Two aspects of rerandomization are addressed. First, we propose a two-stage allocation sample scheme for randomization inference to the units in experiments that guarantees that the difference-in-mean estimator is an unbiased estimator of the sample average treatment effect for any experiment, conserves the exactness of randomization inference, and halves the time consumption of the rerandomization design. Second, we propose a rank-based covariate-balance measure which can take into account the estimated relative weight of each covariate. Several strategies for estimating these weights using pre-experimental data are proposed. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the proposed strategies are compared to complete randomization and Mahalanobis-based rerandomization. An empirical example is given where the power of a mean difference test of electricity consumption of 54 households is increased by 99%, in comparison to complete randomization, using one of the proposed designs based on high frequency longitudinal electricity consumption data. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.