R help - Mar 2013 - Choosing nlme or lme4?

Hi List, 
 
I’ m analysing the selectivity of
resting site use by forest carnivores through mixed modelling techniques and I
wonder which will be the best r package to deal with several aspects
simultaneously:
-          binomial
variable response;
-          possible
spatial and/or temporal correlation;
I have tried nlme (lme function) and
lme4 (lmer function) packages, however I realize that the results were different
concerning regression coefficients estimates and p-values!

In nlme package, despite I can add
easily a variance structure and/or temporal and spatial correlations structures,
the choice of the “family = binomial” is not allowed. On the other hand, with
lme4
I can choose the binomial familty, but no structures can be added!

 
Am I wrong with these statements?
Zuur et al. 2009 always used lme4 (Mass or glmmML) with binomial data but never
nlme! 
Can anyone help me? There is other options
in R ?

 
Thanks a lot!
Best regards!
 
Filipe Carvalho
 
Filipe Carvalho, MSc, PhD student.
Unidade de Biologia da Conservação (UBC) e
Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e 
Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO),
Universidade de Évora,
Casa Cordovil, 2º Andar, Rua Dr. 
Joaquim Henrique da Fonseca, 
7000-890 Évora, (PORTUGAL)
Telefone: + 351266759350


Filipe Carvalho, MSc, PhD student.
Conservation Biology Unit (UBC) and
Research Center in Biodiversity and 
Genetic Resources (CIBIO),
University of Évora,
Casa Cordovil, 2º Andar, Rua Dr. 
Joaquim Henrique da Fonseca, 
7000-890 Évora, (PORTUGAL)
Phone: + 351266759350

	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

1. You are right with your statements.

2. You should address all further discussion to the r-sig-mixed-models
list, not here.

-- Bert

On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 9:06 AM, Filipe Carvalho
<filipescpcarvalho at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi List,
>
> I? m analysing the selectivity of
> resting site use by forest carnivores through mixed modelling techniques
and I
> wonder which will be the best r package to deal with several aspects
simultaneously:
> -          binomial
> variable response;
> -          possible
> spatial and/or temporal correlation;
> I have tried nlme (lme function) and
> lme4 (lmer function) packages, however I realize that the results were
different
> concerning regression coefficients estimates and p-values!
>
> In nlme package, despite I can add
> easily a variance structure and/or temporal and spatial correlations
structures,
> the choice of the ?family = binomial? is not allowed. On the other hand,
with lme4
> I can choose the binomial familty, but no structures can be added!
>
>
> Am I wrong with these statements?
> Zuur et al. 2009 always used lme4 (Mass or glmmML) with binomial data but
never
> nlme!
> Can anyone help me? There is other options
> in R ?
>
>
> Thanks a lot!
> Best regards!
>
> Filipe Carvalho
>
> Filipe Carvalho, MSc, PhD student.
> Unidade de Biologia da Conserva??o (UBC) e
> Centro de Investiga??o em Biodiversidade e
> Recursos Gen?ticos (CIBIO),
> Universidade de ?vora,
> Casa Cordovil, 2? Andar, Rua Dr.
> Joaquim Henrique da Fonseca,
> 7000-890 ?vora, (PORTUGAL)
> Telefone: + 351266759350
>
>
> Filipe Carvalho, MSc, PhD student.
> Conservation Biology Unit (UBC) and
> Research Center in Biodiversity and
> Genetic Resources (CIBIO),
> University of ?vora,
> Casa Cordovil, 2? Andar, Rua Dr.
> Joaquim Henrique da Fonseca,
> 7000-890 ?vora, (PORTUGAL)
> Phone: + 351266759350
>
>         [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
>
> ______________________________________________
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> PLEASE do read the posting guide
http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>


-- 

Bert Gunter
Genentech Nonclinical Biostatistics

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Phone: 467-7374
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