No Arabic abstract
We explore the use of a sufficient statistic based on the identified members that are obtained for samples that are selected under the $M_0$ capture-recapture closed population model (Schwarz and Seber, 1999). A Rao-Blackwellized version of the estimator based on a sufficient statistic is then presented. We explore the efficiency of the improved estimator via a simulation study. The R code for the simulation is provided in the appendix.
We explore the use of a sufficient statistic based on the data of samples that are selected under the M_0 capture-recapture closed population model (Schwarz and Seber, 1999). A Rao-Blackwellized version of the estimator based on a sufficient statistic is then presented. Though the improvements made on the preliminary capture-recapture estimates are likely to be negligible, this body of work is primarily intended to contribute to the theory around the capture-recapture models. The code for a simulation is provided in the appendix.
Estimation of population size using incomplete lists (also called the capture-recapture problem) has a long history across many biological and social sciences. For example, human rights and other groups often construct partial and overlapping lists of victims of armed conflicts, with the hope of using this information to estimate the total number of victims. Earlier statistical methods for this setup either use potentially restrictive parametric assumptions, or else rely on typically suboptimal plug-in-type nonparametric estimators; however, both approaches can lead to substantial bias, the former via model misspecification and the latter via smoothing. Under an identifying assumption that two lists are conditionally independent given measured covariate information, we make several contributions. First, we derive the nonparametric efficiency bound for estimating the capture probability, which indicates the best possible performance of any estimator, and sheds light on the statistical limits of capture-recapture methods. Then we present a new estimator, and study its finite-sample properties, showing that it has a double robustness property new to capture-recapture, and that it is near-optimal in a non-asymptotic sense, under relatively mild nonparametric conditions. Next, we give a method for constructing confidence intervals for total population size from generic capture probability estimators, and prove non-asymptotic near-validity. Finally, we study our methods in simulations, and apply them to estimate the number of killings and disappearances attributable to different groups in Peru during its internal armed conflict between 1980 and 2000.
Population size estimation based on two sample capture-recapture type experiment is an interesting problem in various fields including epidemiology, pubic health, population studies, etc. The Lincoln-Petersen estimate is popularly used under the assumption that capture and recapture status of each individual is independent. However, in many real life scenarios, there is an inherent dependency between capture and recapture attempts which is not well-studied in the literature of the dual system or two sample capture-recapture method. In this article, we propose a novel model that successfully incorporates the possible causal dependency and provide corresponding estimation methodologies for the associated model parameters based on post-stratified two sample capture-recapture data. The superiority of the performance of the proposed model over the existing competitors is established through an extensive simulation study. The method is illustrated through analysis of some real data sets.
Capture-recapture (CRC) surveys are widely used to estimate the size of a population whose members cannot be enumerated directly. When $k$ capture samples are obtained, counts of unit captures in subsets of samples are represented naturally by a $2^k$ contingency table in which one element -- the number of individuals appearing in none of the samples -- remains unobserved. In the absence of additional assumptions, the population size is not point-identified. Assumptions about independence between samples are often used to achieve point-identification. However, real-world CRC surveys often use convenience samples in which independence cannot be guaranteed, and population size estimates under independence assumptions may lack empirical credibility. In this work, we apply the theory of partial identification to show that weak assumptions or qualitative knowledge about the nature of dependence between samples can be used to characterize a non-trivial set in which the true population size lies with high probability. We construct confidence sets for the population size under bounds on pairwise capture probabilities, and bounds on the highest order interaction term in a log-linear model using two methods: test inversion bootstrap confidence intervals, and profile likelihood confidence intervals. We apply these methods to recent survey data to estimate the number of people who inject drugs in Brussels, Belgium.
Minimizing the scatter between cluster mass and accessible observables is an important goal for cluster cosmology. In this work, we introduce a new matched filter richness estimator, and test its performance using the maxBCG cluster catalog. Our new estimator significantly reduces the variance in the L_X-richness relation, from sigma_{ln L_X}^2=(0.86pm0.02)^2 to sigma_{ln L_X}^2=(0.69pm0.02)^2. Relative to the maxBCG richness estimate, it also removes the strong redshift dependence of the richness scaling relations, and is significantly more robust to photometric and redshift errors. These improvements are largely due to our more sophisticated treatment of galaxy color data. We also demonstrate the scatter in the L_X-richness relation depends on the aperture used to estimate cluster richness, and introduce a novel approach for optimizing said aperture which can be easily generalized to other mass tracers.