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Simulation-based methods and simulation-assisted estimators have greatly increased the reach of empirical applications in econometrics. The received literature includes a thick layer of theoretical studies, including landmark works by Gourieroux and Monfort (1996), McFadden and Ruud (1994), and Train (2003), and hundreds of applications. An early and still influential application of the method is Berry, Levinsohn, and Pakes's (1995) (BLP) application to the U.S. automobile market in which a market equilibrium model is cleared of latent heterogeneity by integrating the heterogeneity out of the moments in a GMM setting. BLP's methodology is a baseline technique for studying market equilibrium in empirical industrial organization. Contemporary applications involving multilayered models of heterogeneity in individual behavior such as that in Riphahn, Wambach, and Million's (2003) study of moral hazard in health insurance are also common. Computation of multivariate probabilities by using simulation methods is now a standard technique in estimating discrete choice models. The mixed logit model for modeling preferences (McFadden & Train, 2000) is now the leading edge of research in multinomial choice modeling. Finally, perhaps the most prominent application in the entire arena of simulation-based estimation is the current generation of Bayesian econometrics based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. In this area, heretofore intractable estimators of posterior means are routinely estimated with the assistance of simulation and the Gibbs sampler.

We derive marginal conditions of optimality (i.e., Euler equations) for a general class of Dynamic Discrete Choice (DDC) structural models. These conditions can be used to estimate structural parameters in these models without having to solve for approximate value functions. This result extends to discrete choice models the GMM-Euler equation approach proposed by Hansen and Singleton (1982) for the estimation of dynamic continuous decision models. We first show that DDC models can be represented as models of continuous choice where the decision variable is a vector of choice probabilities. We then prove that the marginal conditions of optimality and the envelope conditions required to construct Euler equations are also satisfied in DDC models. The GMM estimation of these Euler equations avoids the curse of dimensionality associated to the computation of value functions and the explicit integration over the space of state variables. We present an empirical application and compare estimates using the GMM-Euler equations method with those from maximum likelihood and two-step methods.

The Laplace-type estimator (LTE) is a simulation-based alternative to the classical extremum estimator that has gained popularity in applied research. We show that even though the estimator has desirable asymptotic properties, in small samples the point estimate provided by LTE may not necessarily converge to the extremum of the sample objective function. Furthermore, we suggest a simple test to verify if the estimator converges. We illustrate these results by estimating a prototype dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model widely used in macroeconomics research.

A major stumbling block in multivariate discrete data analysis is the problem of evaluating the outcome probabilities that enter the likelihood function. Calculation of these probabilities involves high-dimensional integration, making simulation methods indispensable in both Bayesian and frequentist estimation and model choice. We review several existing probability estimators and then show that a broader perspective on the simulation problem can be afforded by interpreting the outcome probabilities through Bayes’ theorem, leading to the recognition that estimation can alternatively be handled by methods for marginal likelihood computation based on the output of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms. These techniques offer stand-alone approaches to simulated likelihood estimation but can also be integrated with traditional estimators. Building on both branches in the literature, we develop new methods for estimating response probabilities and propose an adaptive sampler for producing high-quality draws from multivariate truncated normal distributions. A simulation study illustrates the practical benefits and costs associated with each approach. The methods are employed to estimate the likelihood function of a correlated random effects panel data model of women's labor force participation.

Actual costs frequently deviate from the estimated costs in either favorable or adverse direction in construction projects. Conventional cost evaluation methods do not take the uncertainty and correlation effects into account. In this regard, a simulation-based cost risk analysis model, the Correlated Cost Risk Analysis Model, previously has been proposed to evaluate the uncertainty effect on construction costs in case of correlated costs and correlated risk-factors. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the detailed evaluation of the Cost Risk Analysis Model through scenario and sensitivity analyses.

The evaluation process consists of three scenarios with three sensitivity analyses in each and 28 simulations in total. During applications, the model’s important parameter called the mean proportion coefficient is modified and the user-dependent variables like the risk-factor influence degrees are changed to observe the response of the model to these modifications and to examine the indirect, two-sided and qualitative correlation capturing algorithm of the model. Monte Carlo Simulation is also applied on the same data to compare the results.

The findings have shown that the Correlated Cost Risk Analysis Model is capable of capturing the correlation between the costs and between the risk-factors, and operates in accordance with the theoretical expectancies.

Correlated Cost Risk Analysis Model can be preferred as a reliable and practical method by the professionals of the construction sector thanks to its detailed evaluation introduced in this paper.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and implement a structural fatigue life estimation framework that includes laser‐peened (LP) residual stresses and then experimentally validates these fatigue life estimations.

A three‐dimensional finite element analysis of an Al 7075‐O three‐point bending coupon being LP was created and used to estimate the fatigue life when loaded. Fatigue tests were conducted to validate these estimations.

The framework developed for fatigue life estimation of LP‐processed coupons yielded estimates with goodness‐of‐fit between the log‐transformed experimental and analytical data of R²=0.97 for the baseline coupons and R²=0.94 for the LP‐processed coupons.

Approximated ε‐life fatigue parameters were used to calculate the fatigue life resulting from the complex residual stress fields due to the simulated LP process.

A fatigue life estimation framework that considers LP residual stress fields has been developed for use on structural components.

Work‐zone delay is very costly to the movement of goods and people. It is increasingly problematic for logistics management if the travel time or delay information cannot be estimated in an accurate way. This paper describes a study to investigate the effects of work zones, enhance computer‐based capability to estimate the associated work‐zone delays, assess the interrelationship of significant factors that affect work‐zone delays and develop a user‐friendly tool to assist transportation operations and logistics planning. A computerized information system, called lane‐occupancy‐delay estimation system (LODES), is developed to assess work‐zone delays that may affect short‐ or long‐term logistic activities. The results from trials and their implications are discussed and, finally, areas of further research are proposed.

In empirical research, panel (and multinomial) probit models are leading examples for the use of maximum simulated likelihood estimators. The Geweke–Hajivassiliou–Keane (GHK) simulator is the most widely used technique for this type of problem. This chapter suggests an algorithm that is based on GHK but uses an adaptive version of sparse-grids integration (SGI) instead of simulation. It is adaptive in the sense that it uses an automated change-of-variables to make the integration problem numerically better behaved along the lines of efficient importance sampling (EIS) and adaptive univariate quadrature. The resulting integral is approximated using SGI that generalizes Gaussian quadrature in a way such that the computational costs do not grow exponentially with the number of dimensions. Monte Carlo experiments show an impressive performance compared to the original GHK algorithm, especially in difficult cases such as models with high intertemporal correlations.

This study aims to improve the availability of regenerative braking for urban metro vehicles by introducing a sensorless operational temperature estimation method for the braking resistor (BR) onboard the vehicle, which overcomes the vulnerability of having conventional temperature sensor.

In this study, the energy model based sensorless estimation method is developed. By analyzing the structure and the convection dissipation process of the BR onboard the vehicle, the energy-based operational temperature model of the BR and its cooling domain is established. By adopting Newton's law of cooling and the law of conservation of energy, the energy and temperature dynamic of the BR can be stated. To minimize the use of all kinds of sensors (including both thermal and electrical), a novel regenerative braking power calculation method is proposed, which involves only the voltage of DC traction network and the duty cycle of the chopping circuit; both of them are available for the traction control unit (TCU) of the vehicle. By utilizing a real-time iterative calculation and updating the parameter of the energy model, the operational temperature of the BR can be obtained and monitored in a sensorless manner.

In this study, a sensorless estimation/monitoring method of the operational temperature of BR is proposed. The results show that it is possible to utilize the existing electrical sensors that is mandatory for the traction unit’s operation to estimate the operational temperature of BR, instead of adding dedicated thermal sensors. The results also validate the effectiveness of the proposal is acceptable for the engineering practical.

The proposal of this study provides novel concepts for the sensorless operational temperature monitoring of BR onboard rolling stocks. The proposed method only involves quasi-global electrical variable and the internal control signal within the TCU.