In order to detect whether the data conforms to the given model, it is necessary to diagnose the data in the statistical way. The diagnostic problem in generalized nonlinear models based on the maximum Lq-likelihood estimation is considered. Three diagnostic statistics are used to detect whether the outliers exist in the data set. Simulation results show that when the sample size is small, the values of diagnostic statistics based on the maximum Lq-likelihood estimation are greater than the values based on the maximum likelihood estimation. As the sample size increases, the difference between the values of the diagnostic statistics based on two estimation methods diminishes gradually. It means that the outliers can be distinguished easier through the maximum Lq-likelihood method than those through the maximum likelihood estimation method.
The nonlinear mixed-effects model with stochastic differential equations (SDEs) is used to model the population pharmacokinetic (PPK) data that are extended from ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by adding a stochastic term to the state equation. Compared with the ODEs, the SDEs can model correlated residuals which are ubiquitous in actual pharmacokinetic problems. The Bayesian estimation is provided for nonlinear mixed-effects models based on stochastic differential equations. Combining the Gibbs and the Metropolis-Hastings algorithms, the population and individual parameter values are given through the parameter posterior predictive distributions. The analysis and simulation results show that the performance of the Bayesian estimation for mixed-effects SDEs model and analysis of population pharmacokinetic data is reliable. The results suggest that the proposed method is feasible for population pharmacokinetic data.