Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Bayesian Inferences For Beta Semiparametric Mixed Models To Analyze Longitudinal Neuroimaging Data, Xiaofeng Wang, Yingxing Li

Xiaofeng Wang

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a quantitative magnetic resonance imaging technique that measures the three-dimensional diffusion of water molecules within tissue through the application of multiple diffusion gradients. This technique is rapidly increasing in popularity for studying white matter properties and structural connectivity in the living human brain. The major measure derived from the DTI process is known as fractional anisotropy, a continuous measure restricted on the interval (0,1). Motivated from a DTI study of multiple sclerosis, we use a beta semiparametric mixed-effect regression model for the longitudinal neuroimaging data. This work extends the generalized additive model methodology with beta …

Bayesian Nonparametric Regression And Density Estimation Using Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations, Xiaofeng Wang

Xiaofeng Wang

Integrated nested Laplace approximations (INLA) are a recently proposed approximate Bayesian approach to fit structured additive regression models with latent Gaussian field. INLA method, as an alternative to Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques, provides accurate approximations to estimate posterior marginals and avoid time-consuming sampling. We show here that two classical nonparametric smoothing problems, nonparametric regression and density estimation, can be achieved using INLA. Simulated examples and \texttt{R} functions are demonstrated to illustrate the use of the methods. Some discussions on potential applications of INLA are made in the paper.

An L-Moment Based Characterization Of The Family Of Dagum Distributions, Mohan D. Pant, Todd C. Headrick

Todd Christopher Headrick

This paper introduces a method for simulating univariate and multivariate Dagum distributions through the method of 𝐿-moments and 𝐿-correlations. A method is developed for characterizing non-normal Dagum distributions with controlled degrees of 𝐿-skew, 𝐿-kurtosis, and 𝐿-correlations. The procedure can be applied in a variety of contexts such as statistical modeling (e.g., income distribution, personal wealth distributions, etc.) and Monte Carlo or simulation studies. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate that 𝐿-moment-based Dagum distributions are superior to their conventional moment-based analogs in terms of estimation and distribution fitting. Evaluation of the proposed method also demonstrates that the estimates of 𝐿-skew, 𝐿-kurtosis, …

Sberia: Set Based Gene Environment Interaction Test For Rare And Common Variants In Complex Diseases, Shuo Jiao, Li Hsu, Stéphane Bézieau, Hermann Brenner, Andrew T. Chan, Jenny Chang-Claude, Loic Le Marchand, Mathieu Lemire, Polly A. Newcomb, Martha L. Slattery, Ulrike Peters

Shuo Jiao

Identification of gene-environment interaction (GxE) is important in understanding the etiology of complex diseases. However, partially due to the lack of power, there have been very few replicated GxE findings compared to the success in marginal association studies. The existing GxE testing methods mainly focus on improving the power for individual markers. In this paper, we took a different strategy and proposed a Set Based gene EnviRonment InterAction test (SBERIA), which can improve the power by reducing the multiple testing burdens and aggregating signals within a set. The major challenge of the signal aggregation within a set is how to …

Mixtures Of Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves, Mithat Gonen

Mithat Gönen

Rationale and Objectives: ROC curves are ubiquitous in the analysis of imaging metrics as markers of both diagnosis and prognosis. While empirical estimation of ROC curves remains the most popular method, there are several reasons to consider smooth estimates based on a parametric model.

Materials and Methods: A mixture model is considered for modeling the distribution of the marker in the diseased population motivated by the biological observation that here is more heterogeneity in the diseased population than there is in the normal one. It is shown that this model results in an analytically tractable ROC curve which is itself …

Penalized Regression Procedures For Variable Selection In The Potential Outcomes Framework, Debashis Ghosh, Yeying Zhu, Donna L. Coffman

Debashis Ghosh

A recent topic of much interest in causal inference is model selection. In this article, we describe a framework in which to consider penalized regression approaches to variable selection for causal effects. The framework leads to a simple `impute, then select' class of procedures that is agnostic to the type of imputation algorithm as well as penalized regression used. It also clarifies how model selection involves a multivariate regression model, and that these methods can be applied for identifying subgroups in which treatment effects are homogeneous. Analogies and links with the literature on machine learning methods, missing data and imputation …

A Data-Adaptive Strategy For Inverse Weighted Estimation Of Causal Effects, Yeying Zhu, Debashis Ghosh, Bhramar Mukherjee, Nandita Mitra

Debashis Ghosh

In most nonrandomized observational studies, differences between treatment groups may arise not only due to the treatment but also because of the effect of confounders. Therefore, causal inference regarding the treatment effect is not as straightforward as in a randomized trial. To adjust for confounding due to measured covariates, the average treatment effect is often estimated by using propensity scores. In this article, we focus on the use of inverse probability weighted (IPW) estimation methods. Typically, propensity scores are estimated by logistic regression. More recent suggestions have been to employ nonparametric classification algorithms from machine learning. In this article, we …

Using Methods From The Data-Mining And Machine-Learning Literature For Disease Classification And Prediction: A Case Study Examining Classification Of Heart Failure Subtypes, Peter C. Austin

Peter Austin

OBJECTIVE: Physicians classify patients into those with or without a specific disease. Furthermore, there is often interest in classifying patients according to disease etiology or subtype. Classification trees are frequently used to classify patients according to the presence or absence of a disease. However, classification trees can suffer from limited accuracy. In the data-mining and machine-learning literature, alternate classification schemes have been developed. These include bootstrap aggregation (bagging), boosting, random forests, and support vector machines.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We compared the performance of these classification methods with that of conventional classification trees to classify patients with heart failure (HF) …

Predictive Accuracy Of Risk Factors And Markers: A Simulation Study Of The Effect Of Novel Markers On Different Performance Measures For Logistic Regression Models, Peter C. Austin

Peter Austin

The change in c-statistic is frequently used to summarize the change in predictive accuracy when a novel risk factor is added to an existing logistic regression model. We explored the relationship between the absolute change in the c-statistic, Brier score, generalized R(2) , and the discrimination slope when a risk factor was added to an existing model in an extensive set of Monte Carlo simulations. The increase in model accuracy due to the inclusion of a novel marker was proportional to both the prevalence of the marker and to the odds ratio relating the marker to the outcome but inversely …

Nbr2 Errata And Comments, Joseph Hilbe

Joseph M Hilbe

Errata and Comments for Negative Binomial Regression, 2nd edition

Piscine Myocarditis Virus (Pmcv) In Wild Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar, Torstein Tengs Dr.

Dr. Torstein Tengs

Cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS) is a severe cardiac disease of sea-farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L., but CMS-like lesions have also been found in wild Atlantic salmon. In 2010 a double-stranded RNA virus of the Totiviridae family, provisionally named piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV), was described as the causative agent of CMS. In the present paper we report the first detection of PMCV in wild Atlantic salmon. The study is based on screening of 797 wild Atlantic salmon by real-time RT-PCR. The samples were collected from 35 different rivers along the coast of Norway, and all individuals included in the study were …

Generalized Estimating Equations, Second Edition.Pdf, James W. Hardin, Joseph M.. Hilbe

Joseph M Hilbe

Generalized Estimating Equations, Second edition, updates the best-selling previous edition, which has been the standard text on the subject since it was published a decade ago. Combining theory and application, the text provides readers with a comprehensive discussion of GEE and related models. Numerous examples are employed throughout the text, along with the software code used to create, run, and evaluate the models being examined. Stata is used as the primary software for running and displaying modeling output; associated R code is also given to allow R users to replicate Stata examples. Specific examples of SAS usage are provided in …

A Doubling Technique For The Power Method Transformations, Mohan D. Pant, Todd C. Headrick

Mohan Dev Pant

Power method polynomials are used for simulating non-normal distributions with specified product moments or L-moments. The power method is capable of producing distributions with extreme values of skew (L-skew) and kurtosis (L-kurtosis). However, these distributions can be extremely peaked and thus not representative of real-world data. To obviate this problem, two families of distributions are introduced based on a doubling technique with symmetric standard normal and logistic power method distributions. The primary focus of the methodology is in the context of L-moment theory. As such, L-moment based systems of equations are derived for simulating univariate and multivariate non-normal distributions with …

A Pooled Analysis Of Smoking And Colorectal Cancer: Timing Of Exposure And Interactions With Environmental Factors

Shuo Jiao

Background:Considerable evidence suggests that cigarette smoking is associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer. What is unclear, however, is the impact of quitting smoking on risk attenuation and whether other risk factors for colorectal cancer modify this association. Methods:We performed a pooled analysis of 8 studies, including 6,796 colorectal cancer cases and 7,770 controls to evaluate the association between cigarette smoking history and colorectal cancer risk, and to investigate potential effect modification by other risk factors. Results:Current smokers (OR=1.26, 95% CI=1.11-1.43) and former smokers (OR=1.18, 95% CI=1.09-1.27), relative to never smokers, showed higher risks of colorectal cancer. Former smokers …

Statistical Methods For Social Network Analysis With Applications In Economics, Carlo Drago

Carlo Drago

No abstract provided.

International Astrostatistics Association, Joseph Hilbe

Joseph M Hilbe

Overview of the history, purpose, Council and officers of the International Astrostatistics Association (IAA)

Prevalence Of Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus In Tick Nymphs In Relation To Climatic Factors On The Southern Coast Of Norway, Torstein Tengs Dr.

Dr. Torstein Tengs

BACKGROUND

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is among the most important vector borne diseases of humans in Europe and is currently identified as a major health problem in many countries. TBE endemic zones have expanded over the past two decades, as well as the number of reported cases within endemic areas. Multiple factors are ascribed for the increased incidence of TBE, including climatic change. The number of TBE cases has also increased in Norway over the past decade, and the human cases cluster along the southern coast of Norway. In Norway the distribution and prevalence of TBE virus (TBEV) in tick populations …

Global Optimization Of Some Difficult Benchmark Functions By Cuckoo-Host Co-Evolution Meta-Heuristics, Sudhanshu K. Mishra

Sudhanshu K Mishra

This paper proposes a novel method of global optimization based on cuckoo-host co-evaluation. It also develops a Fortran-77 code for the algorithm. The algorithm has been tested on 96 benchmark functions (of which the results of 32 relatively harder problems have been reported). The proposed method is comparable to the Differential Evolution method of global optimization.

An L-Moment-Based Analog For The Schmeiser-Deutsch Class Of Distributions, Todd C. Headrick, Mohan D. Pant

Mohan Dev Pant

This paper characterizes the conventional moment-based Schmeiser-Deutsch (S-D) class of distributions through the method of L-moments. The system can be used in a variety of settings such as simulation or modeling various processes. A procedure is also described for simulating S-D distributions with specified L-moments and L-correlations. The Monte Carlo results presented in this study indicate that the estimates of L-skew, L-kurtosis, and L-correlation associated with the S-D class of distributions are substantially superior to their corresponding conventional product-moment estimators in terms of relative bias—most notably when sample sizes are small.

諸外国のデータエディティング及び混淆正規分布モデルによる多変量外れ値検出法についての研究(高橋将宜、選択的エディティング、セレクティブエディティング), Masayoshi Takahashi

Masayoshi Takahashi

No abstract provided.

Technical Factors Utilised By Elite Archers: Towards Setting An Agenda For Archery, Andrew J. Callaway, Shelley A. Broomfield

Andrew J Callaway

Archery, in one form or another, has been around for thousands of years yet research into what makes an archer 'good' is still in its infancy. There are several variations over bow type and different competitions which can be competed, previous works have focused on Recurve (Olympic) bow types whilst Compound have generally been ignored. Research in the area has tended to focus on muscle activation patterns using Electromyography (EMG) and aiming based studies, where generally scores are used as a factor to correlate to.

AIM: The aim of this research is to offer a development from the use of …

Data Mining Of Portable Eeg Brain Wave Signals For Sports Performance Analysis: An Archery Case Study, Matthew Casey, Alan Yau, Andrew J. Callaway, Keith Barfoot

Andrew J Callaway

No abstract provided.

A Strain Of Piscine Myocarditis Virus (Pmcv) Infecting Argentina Silus (Ascanius), Torstein Tengs Dr.

Dr. Torstein Tengs

No abstract.

Towards Better Estimation Of Jump Diffusion Models, Richard H. Serlin

Richard H. Serlin

I discuss in-depth modern techniques for the estimation of Jump Diffusion models with suggestions for improvements. There is a heavy focus on intuition. I also point out examples of the use of improper techniques (biased and inconsistent) in the top tier finance literature.

Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation For Dynamic Treatment Regimes In Sequential Randomized Controlled Trials, Paul Chaffee, Mark J. Van Der Laan

Paul H. Chaffee

Sequential Randomized Controlled Trials (SRCTs) are rapidly becoming essential tools in the search for optimized treatment regimes in ongoing treatment settings. Analyzing data for multiple time-point treatments with a view toward optimal treatment regimes is of interest in many types of afflictions: HIV infection, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children, leukemia, prostate cancer, renal failure, and many others. Methods for analyzing data from SRCTs exist but they are either inefficient or suffer from the drawbacks of estimating equation methodology. We describe an estimation procedure, targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE), which has been fully developed and implemented in point treatment settings, …

Comparing Years Of Healthy Life, Measured In 16 Ways, For Normal Weight And Overweight Older Adults, Paula Diehr

Paula Diehr

Introduction. The traditional definitions of overweight and obesity are not age specific, even though the relationship of weight to mortality is different for older adults. Effects of adiposity on aspects of health beside mortality have not been well investigated. Methods. We calculated the number of years of healthy life (YHL) in the 10 years after baseline, for 5,747 older adults. YHL was defined in 16 different ways. We compared Normal and Overweight persons, classified either by bodymass index (BMI) or by waist circumference (WC). Findings. YHL for Normal and Overweight persons differed significantly in 25% of the comparisons, of which …

On The Existence Of Constant Accrual Rates In Clinical Trials And Direction For Future Research, Byron J. Gajewski, Stephen D. Simon, Susan E. Carslon

Byron J Gajewski

Many clinical trials fall short of their accrual goals. This can be avoided with accurate accrual prediction tools. Past researchers provide important methodological alternative models for predicting accrual in clinical trials. One model allows for slow accrual at the start of the study, which eventually reaches a threshold. A simpler model assumes a constant rate of accrual. A comparison has been attempted but we wish to point out some important considerations when comparing these two models. In fact, we can examine the reasonableness of a constant accrual assumption (simpler model) which had data 239 days into a three- year study. …

Glme3_Ado_Do_Files, Joseph Hilbe

Joseph M Hilbe

GLME3 ado and do files (116 in total)

Glme3 Data And Adodo Files, Joseph Hilbe

Joseph M Hilbe

A listing of Data Sets and Stata software commands and do files in GLME3 book

Quantification Of Piscine Reovirus (Prv) At Different Stages Of Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar Production, Torstein Tengs Dr.

Dr. Torstein Tengs

The newly described piscine reovirus (PRV) appears to be associated with the development of heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) in farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. PRV seems to be ubiquitous among fish in Norwegian salmon farms, but high viral loads and tissue distribution support a causal relationship between virus and disease. In order to improve understanding of the distribution of PRV in the salmon production line, we quantified PRV by using real-time PCR on heart samples collected at different points in the life cycle from pre-smolts to fish ready for slaughter. PRV positive pre-smolts were found in about …