Gaussian process regression (GPR) is a non-parametric Bayesian technique for interpolating or fitting data. The main barrier to further uptake of this powerful tool rests in the computational costs associated with the matrices which arise when dealing with large datasets. Here, we derive some simple results which we have found useful for speeding up the learning stage in the GPR algorithm, and ...

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 smoot...

Since Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae isolation in appropriate media is a difficult task and impractical for daily routine diagnostics, Nested-PCR (N-PCR) techniques are currently used to improve the direct diagnostic sensitivity of Swine Enzootic Pneumonia. In a first experiment, this paper describes a N-PCR technique optimization based on three variables: different sampling sites, sample transport m...

Single frequency acoustic scattering from an uncertain surface (with sinusoidal components) admits an efficient Fourier-polynomial chaos (FPC) expansion of the acoustic field. The expansion coefficients are computed nonintrusively, i.e., by functional sampling from existing acoustic models. The structure of the acoustic decomposition permits sparse selection of FPC orders within the framework o...

Skilling (2007) previously identified that the number of steps required to reach a given set is Poisson distributed. Huber and Schott suggest making this special case central, recasting all computations as finding the mass of a distribution on a set. Additional contributions are a theoretical analysis, two general ways of reducing problems to the required form and a link to annealing. The resul...

BACKGROUND The nested case-control design can be a very efficient approach to an epidemiological investigation. In order to obtain unbiased estimates of relative risk, controls should be selected by incidence density sampling, which involves matching each case to a sample of those who are at risk at the time of case occurrence. METHODS This paper presents a simple computer program for inciden...

2 Computing the Partition Function From Nested Sampling The μVT system enforces a constant chemical potential, constant volume, and constant temperature. Unlike the the canonical or isothermal-isobaric systems the μVT system is allowed to exchange particles with the external bath, i.e. the number of particles within the constant volume of our system is allowed to change. The partition function ...

Nested iteration is an important technique for query evaluation. It is the default way of executing nested subqueries in SQL. Although decorrelation often results in cheaper non-nested plans, decorrelation is not always applicable for nested subqueries. Nested iteration, if implemented properly, can also win over decorrelation for several classes of queries. Decorrelation is also hard to apply ...

Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (EBV-PTLD) is a known and serious condition for the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This study evaluated the prevalence of EBV in umbilical cord samples of healthy pregnant women in Baghdad, Iraq.  Methods: 800 umbilical cord blood (UCB) samples were collected from healthy pregnant women. The ...

1. The structure of ecological interactions is commonly understood through analyses of interaction networks. However, these analyses may be sensitive to sampling biases in both the interactors (the nodes of the network) and interactions (the links between nodes), because the detectability of species and their interactions is highly heterogeneous. These issues may affect the accuracy of empirica...