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Francesco Bartolucci

Other affiliations: University of Urbino
Bio: Francesco Bartolucci is an academic researcher from University of Perugia. The author has contributed to research in topics: Latent class model & Expectation–maximization algorithm. The author has an hindex of 31, co-authored 214 publications receiving 2629 citations. Previous affiliations of Francesco Bartolucci include University of Urbino.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a latent Markov model with covariates was used for the analysis of data collected in this way, which relies on a not directly observable Markov process, whose states represent different levels of the health status.
Abstract: Performance evaluation of nursing homes is usually accomplished by the repeated administration of questionnaires aimed at measuring the health status of the patients during their period of residence in the nursing home. We illustrate how a latent Markov model with covariates may effectively be used for the analysis of data collected in this way. This model relies on a not directly observable Markov process, whose states represent different levels of the health status. For the maximum likelihood estimation of the model we apply an EM algorithm implemented by means of certain recursions taken from the literature on hidden Markov chains. Of particular interest is the estimation of the effect of each nursing home on the probability of transition between the latent states. We show how the estimates of these effects may be used to construct a set of scores which allows us to rank these facilities in terms of their efficacy in taking care of the health conditions of their patients. The method is used within an application based on data concerning a set of nursing homes located in the Region of Umbria, Italy, which were followed for the period 2003--2005.
Posted Content
TL;DR: A decomposition of the h-index is introduced, which is nowadays the leading criterion to assess the relevance of a scientist in his/her research field, and is illustrated by an application based on data concerning a group of top level economists.
Abstract: I introduce a decomposition of the h-index, which is nowadays the leading criterion to assess the relevance of a scientist in his/her research field. According to the proposed decomposition, the h-index is the product of two indicators, the first of which measures the impact of the scientist on the research community and the second may be seen as a measure of concentration of the citations in correspondence of a reduced number of papers. The decomposition is illustrated by an application based on data concerning a group of top level economists.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that the h-index and the g-index may be seen as concentration indices and propose transformations that make them always ranging between two known limits, which correspond to the situation of null concentration and to that of high concentration.
Abstract: We show that the h-index and the g-index, which are commonly used to measure the research productivity of a scientist, may be seen as concentration indices. For these indices we also propose transformations that make them always ranging between two known limits, which correspond to the situation of null concentration and to that of high concentration. The approach is illustrated by an application to data coming from the bank sector in USA.
Posted Content
TL;DR: In this article, a bivariate mixture growth model with concomitant variables was proposed to study the time profiles of international remittances sent by first-generation migrants in Germany from 1996 to 2012.
Abstract: We propose a bivariate mixture growth model with concomitant variables to study the time profiles of international remittances sent by first-generation migrants in Germany from 1996 to 2012. The latent class approach allows us to identify homogeneous sub-groups of migrants associated with different trajectories for their remitting behavior, which can be interpreted in the light of the theoretical economic background. In addition, the latent class model combined with the concomitant variable approach allows us to uncover whether the assignment of migrants to a specific sub-group can be ascribed to their observable characteristics, namely their return intention, as conjectured by the theoretical models.
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a model for clustered binary panel data is presented, which is based on the representation of the behavior of a subject (individual panel member) in a given cluster by means of a latent process that is decomposed into a cluster-specific component, which follows a first-order Markov chain, and an individual specific component which is time invariant and is represented by a discrete random variable.
Abstract: Computational aspects concerning a model for clustered binary panel data are analysed. The model is based on the representation of the behavior of a subject (individual panel member) in a given cluster by means of a latent process that is decomposed into a cluster-specific component, which follows a first-order Markov chain, and an individual-specific component, which is timeinvariant and is represented by a discrete random variable. In particular, an algorithm for computing the joint distribution of the response variables is introduced. The algorithm may be used even in the presence of a large number of subjects in the same cluster. Also an Expectation-Maximization (EM) scheme for the maximum likelihood estimation of the model is described showing how the Fisher information matrix can be estimated on the basis of the numerical derivative of the score vector. The estimate of this matrix is used to compute standard errors for the parameter estimates and to check the identifiability of the model and the convergence of the EM algorithm. The approach is illustrated by means of an application to a dataset concerning Italian employees' illness benefits.

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TL;DR: A theme of the text is the use of artificial regressions for estimation, reference, and specification testing of nonlinear models, including diagnostic tests for parameter constancy, serial correlation, heteroscedasticity, and other types of mis-specification.
Abstract: Offering a unifying theoretical perspective not readily available in any other text, this innovative guide to econometrics uses simple geometrical arguments to develop students' intuitive understanding of basic and advanced topics, emphasizing throughout the practical applications of modern theory and nonlinear techniques of estimation. One theme of the text is the use of artificial regressions for estimation, reference, and specification testing of nonlinear models, including diagnostic tests for parameter constancy, serial correlation, heteroscedasticity, and other types of mis-specification. Explaining how estimates can be obtained and tests can be carried out, the authors go beyond a mere algebraic description to one that can be easily translated into the commands of a standard econometric software package. Covering an unprecedented range of problems with a consistent emphasis on those that arise in applied work, this accessible and coherent guide to the most vital topics in econometrics today is indispensable for advanced students of econometrics and students of statistics interested in regression and related topics. It will also suit practising econometricians who want to update their skills. Flexibly designed to accommodate a variety of course levels, it offers both complete coverage of the basic material and separate chapters on areas of specialized interest.

4,284 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work considers approximate Bayesian inference in a popular subset of structured additive regression models, latent Gaussian models, where the latent field is Gaussian, controlled by a few hyperparameters and with non‐Gaussian response variables and can directly compute very accurate approximations to the posterior marginals.
Abstract: Structured additive regression models are perhaps the most commonly used class of models in statistical applications. It includes, among others, (generalized) linear models, (generalized) additive models, smoothing spline models, state space models, semiparametric regression, spatial and spatiotemporal models, log-Gaussian Cox processes and geostatistical and geoadditive models. We consider approximate Bayesian inference in a popular subset of structured additive regression models, latent Gaussian models, where the latent field is Gaussian, controlled by a few hyperparameters and with non-Gaussian response variables. The posterior marginals are not available in closed form owing to the non-Gaussian response variables. For such models, Markov chain Monte Carlo methods can be implemented, but they are not without problems, in terms of both convergence and computational time. In some practical applications, the extent of these problems is such that Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling is simply not an appropriate tool for routine analysis. We show that, by using an integrated nested Laplace approximation and its simplified version, we can directly compute very accurate approximations to the posterior marginals. The main benefit of these approximations is computational: where Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms need hours or days to run, our approximations provide more precise estimates in seconds or minutes. Another advantage with our approach is its generality, which makes it possible to perform Bayesian analysis in an automatic, streamlined way, and to compute model comparison criteria and various predictive measures so that models can be compared and the model under study can be challenged.

4,164 citations

Journal ArticleDOI

3,152 citations

BookDOI
10 May 2011
TL;DR: A Markov chain Monte Carlo based analysis of a multilevel model for functional MRI data and its applications in environmental epidemiology, educational research, and fisheries science are studied.
Abstract: Foreword Stephen P. Brooks, Andrew Gelman, Galin L. Jones, and Xiao-Li Meng Introduction to MCMC, Charles J. Geyer A short history of Markov chain Monte Carlo: Subjective recollections from in-complete data, Christian Robert and George Casella Reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo, Yanan Fan and Scott A. Sisson Optimal proposal distributions and adaptive MCMC, Jeffrey S. Rosenthal MCMC using Hamiltonian dynamics, Radford M. Neal Inference and Monitoring Convergence, Andrew Gelman and Kenneth Shirley Implementing MCMC: Estimating with confidence, James M. Flegal and Galin L. Jones Perfection within reach: Exact MCMC sampling, Radu V. Craiu and Xiao-Li Meng Spatial point processes, Mark Huber The data augmentation algorithm: Theory and methodology, James P. Hobert Importance sampling, simulated tempering and umbrella sampling, Charles J.Geyer Likelihood-free Markov chain Monte Carlo, Scott A. Sisson and Yanan Fan MCMC in the analysis of genetic data on related individuals, Elizabeth Thompson A Markov chain Monte Carlo based analysis of a multilevel model for functional MRI data, Brian Caffo, DuBois Bowman, Lynn Eberly, and Susan Spear Bassett Partially collapsed Gibbs sampling & path-adaptive Metropolis-Hastings in high-energy astrophysics, David van Dyk and Taeyoung Park Posterior exploration for computationally intensive forward models, Dave Higdon, C. Shane Reese, J. David Moulton, Jasper A. Vrugt and Colin Fox Statistical ecology, Ruth King Gaussian random field models for spatial data, Murali Haran Modeling preference changes via a hidden Markov item response theory model, Jong Hee Park Parallel Bayesian MCMC imputation for multiple distributed lag models: A case study in environmental epidemiology, Brian Caffo, Roger Peng, Francesca Dominici, Thomas A. Louis, and Scott Zeger MCMC for state space models, Paul Fearnhead MCMC in educational research, Roy Levy, Robert J. Mislevy, and John T. Behrens Applications of MCMC in fisheries science, Russell B. Millar Model comparison and simulation for hierarchical models: analyzing rural-urban migration in Thailand, Filiz Garip and Bruce Western

2,415 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: A detailed review of the education sector in Australia as in the data provided by the 2006 edition of the OECD's annual publication, 'Education at a Glance' is presented in this paper.
Abstract: A detailed review of the education sector in Australia as in the data provided by the 2006 edition of the OECD's annual publication, 'Education at a Glance' is presented. While the data has shown that in almost all OECD countries educational attainment levels are on the rise, with countries showing impressive gains in university qualifications, it also reveals that a large of share of young people still do not complete secondary school, which remains a baseline for successful entry into the labour market.

2,141 citations