Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models using lme4

Maximum likelihood or restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimates of the parameters in linear mixed-effects models can be determined using the lmer function in the lme4 package for R. As for most model-fitting functions in R, the model is described in an lmer call by a formula, in this case including both fixed- and random-effects terms. The formula and data together determine a numerical representation of the model from which the profiled deviance or the profiled REML criterion can be evaluated as a function of some of the model parameters. The appropriate criterion is optimized, using one of the constrained optimization functions in R, to provide the parameter estimates. We describe the structure of the model, the steps in evaluating the profiled deviance or REML criterion, and the structure of classes or types that represents such a model. Sufficient detail is included to allow specialization of these structures by users who wish to write functions to fit specialized linear mixed models, such as models incorporating pedigrees or smoothing splines, that are not easily expressible in the formula language used by lmer.Comment: 51 pages, including R code, and an appendi

Production of multicomponent thin films by rf cosputtering

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Semigroup approach to birth-and-death stochastic dynamics in continuum

We describe a general approach to the construction of a state evolution corresponding to the Markov generator of a spatial birth-and-death dynamics in $\mathbb{R}^d$. We present conditions on the birth-and-death intensities which are sufficient for the existence of an evolution as a strongly continuous semigroup in a proper Banach space of correlation functions satisfying the Ruelle bound. The convergence of a Vlasov-type scaling for the corresponding stochastic dynamics is considered.Comment: 35 page

Date 2013-02-18

Description Auxiliary functions and data sets for _Ecological Models and Data_, a book presenting maximum likelihood estimation and related topics for ecologists (ISBN 978-0-691-12522-0