The primary aim of this thesis is the elucidation of covariate effects on the dependence structure of random variables in bivariate or multivariate models. We develop a unified approach via a conditional copula model in which the copula is parametric and its parameter varies as the covariate. We propose a nonparametric procedure based on local likelihood to estimate the functional relationship between the copula parameter and the covariate, derive the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimator and outline the construction of pointwise confidence intervals. We also contribute a novel conditional copula selection method based on cross-validated prediction errors and a generalized likelihood ratio-type test to determine if the copula parameter varies significantly. We derive the asymptotic null distribution of the formal test. Using subsets of the Matched Multiple Birth and Framingham Heart Study datasets, we demonstrate the performance of these procedures via analyses of gestational age-specific twin birth weights and the impact of change in body mass index on the dependence between two consequent pulse pressures taken from the same subject.

The primary aim of this thesis is the elucidation of covariate effects on the dependence structure of random variables in bivariate or multivariate models. We develop a unified approach via a conditional copula model in which the copula is parametric and its parameter varies as the covariate. We propose a nonparametric procedure based on local likelihood to estimate the functional relationship between the copula parameter and the covariate, derive the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimator and outline the construction of pointwise confidence intervals. We also contribute a novel conditional copula selection method based on cross-validated prediction errors and a generalized likelihood ratio-type test to determine if the copula parameter varies significantly. We derive the asymptotic null distribution of the formal test. Using subsets of the Matched Multiple Birth and Framingham Heart Study datasets, we demonstrate the performance of these procedures via analyses of gestational age-specific twin birth weights and the impact of change in body mass index on the dependence between two consequent pulse pressures taken from the same subject.

Cette thèse peut être divisée en trois parties.Dans la première partie, nous étudions des méthodes d'adaptation au niveau de bruit dans le modèle de régression linéaire en grande dimension. Nous prouvons que deux estimateurs à racine carrée, peuvent atteindre les vitesses minimax d'estimation et de prédiction. Nous montrons qu'une version similaire construite à parti de médianes de moyenne, peut encore atteindre les mêmes vitesses optimales en plus d'être robuste vis-à-vis de l'éventuelle présence de données aberrantes.La seconde partie est consacrée à l'analyse de plusieurs modèles de dépendance conditionnelle. Nous proposons plusieurs tests de l'hypothèse simplificatrice qu'une copule conditionnelle est constante vis-à-vis de son évènement conditionnant, et nous prouvons la consistance d'une technique de ré-échantillonage semi-paramétrique. Si la copule conditionnelle n'est pas constante par rapport à sa variable conditionnante, alors elle peut être modélisée via son tau de Kendall conditionnel. Nous étudions donc l'estimation de ce paramètre de dépendance conditionnelle sous 3 approches différentes : les techniques à noyaux, les modèles de type régression et les algorithmes de classification.La dernière partie regroupe deux contributions dans le domaine de l'inférence.Nous comparons et proposons différents estimateurs de fonctionnelles conditionnelles régulières en utilisant des U-statistiques. Finalement, nous étudions la construction et les propriétés théoriques d'intervalles de confiance pour des ratios de moyenne sous différents choix d'hypothèses et de paradigmes. / This thesis can be divided into three parts.In the first part, we study adaptivity to the noise level in the high-dimensional linear regression framework. We prove that two square-root estimators attains the minimax rates of estimation and prediction. We show that a corresponding median-of-means version can still attains the same optimal rates while being robust to outliers in the data.The second part is devoted to the analysis of several conditional dependence models.We propose some tests of the simplifying assumption that a conditional copula is constant with respect to its conditioning event, and prove the consistency of a semiparametric bootstrap scheme.If the conditional copula is not constant with respect to the conditional event, then it can be modelled using the corresponding Kendall's tau.We study the estimation of this conditional dependence parameter using 3 different approaches : kernel techniques, regression-type models and classification algorithms.The last part regroups two different topics in inference.We review and propose estimators for regular conditional functionals using U-statistics.Finally, we study the construction and the theoretical properties of confidence intervals for ratios of means under different sets of assumptions and paradigms.

[pt] Importante questão que se coloca atualmente é a capacidade de medição do volume de capital necessário, às sociedades seguradoras, para fazer frente aos diversos tipos de risco que tais companhias suportam no exercício de suas atividades. Esse volume de capital necessário deve ser tal que permita à companhia suportar variabilidades no negócio. As motivações para o desenvolvimento de modelos matemáticos visando à determinação desta necessidade de capital são tanto a preocupação das próprias companhias com a sua gestão de risco, como também aspectos relacionados ao estabelecimento de requerimentos de capital exigidos pelo regulador de seguro às sociedades seguradoras para fazer frente aos riscos suportados. Entre tais riscos, encontra-se a categoria dos riscos de subscrição, relacionados diretamente à operação central de uma seguradora (design de produto, precificação, processo de aceitação, regulação de sinistros e provisionamento). Esta dissertação apresenta uma proposta de modelo para determinação do volume necessário de capital para fazer frente aos riscos de subscrição, na qual tal categoria de riscos é segregada nos riscos de provisão de sinistros (relativos aos sinistros ocorridos e, assim, relacionados às provisões de sinistros) e nos riscos de emissão/precificação (relativos aos sinistros à ocorrer num horizonte de tempo de 1 ano, considerando novos negócios). Em especial, o modelo proposto utiliza processos de simulação que levam em consideração a estrutura de dependência das variáveis envolvidas e linhas de negócio, fazendo uso do conceito de cópulas condicionais. / [en] Important question that arises today is the ability to measure the amount of capital necessary to insurance companies, to cope with various types of risk that these companies support in performing their activities. This volume of capital required must be such as to enable the company to bear variability in business. The motivations for the development of mathematical models aimed at the determination of those capital needs are both the concern of companies with their own risk management, as well as aspects related to establishing capital requirements required by the insurance regulator to insurance companies to face the risks borne. Among such risks, is the category of underwriting risks, directly related to the core operation of an insurance company (product design, pricing, underwriting process, loss settlement and provisioning). This dissertation proposes a model for determining the appropriate amount of capital to cope with the underwriting risks, where such risk category is segregated in reserving risks (relative to incurred events) and pricing risks (relative to events occurring in the time horizon of 1 year, considering new businesses). In particular, the proposed model uses simulation processes that take into account the dependence structure of the variables involved and lines of business, making use of the concept of conditional copulas.