This doctoral dissertation is composed of three projects and four chapters. Chapter 1 presents the background theories and models in the field of population genetics that are related to these projects.In Chapter 2, I develop a composite likelihood ratio test (CLRT) for detecting genes and...

Spatial or spatio-temporal data are frequently encountered in many scientific disciplines. One major challenge in modeling these processes is the high dimensionality of such data; that is, the number of observations is usually enormous. The first part of the dissertation proposes an efficient...

Diese empirische Arbeit untersucht Determinanten des Renteneintritts. Sie basiert auf einem Optionswertmodell, um die Bedeutung finanzieller Überlegungen für ein Aufschieben des Renteneintritts zu analysieren. Zusätzlich wird der Einfluss institutioneller Rahmenbedingungen betrachtet. Ein neu...

Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Untersuchung der Bedeutung der Spezifikation für Ratingmodelle zur Prognose von Kreditausfallwahrscheinlichkeiten. Ausgehend von dem in der Bankenpraxis etablierten Logit-Modell werden verschiedene Modellerweiterungen diskutiert und hinsichtlich ihrer Eigenschaften...

Spatial and social dependence shape human activity-travel pattern decisions and their antecedent choices. Although the transportation literature has long recognized the importance of considering spatial and social dependencies in modeling individuals’ choice behavior, there has been less...

Mixed model estimation methods were used to fit individual-tree basal area growth models to tree and stand-level measurements available from permanent plots established in naturally regenerated shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) even-aged stands in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma in the...

The alleged privacy paradox states that individuals report high values for personal privacy, while at the same time they report behavior that contradicts a high privacy value. This is a misconception. Reported privacy behaviors are explained by asymmetric subjective beliefs. Beliefs may or may...

In many studies, lattice or area data are observed and spatial analysis is performed. A spatial process observed over a lattice or a set of irregular regions is usually modeled using a conditionally autoregressive (CAR) model. The neighborhoods within a CAR model are generally formed using only...