Appologies for cross-posting



Dear  R  users,

I am using R2WinBUGS to call WinBUGS from R. After loading data, model, and initial values I call this command

res <- bugs(data = dfile, inits = list(ifile), parameters.to.save = c("beta"), model.file = mfile, working.directory = tdir, n.thin = nthin, n.chains = 1, n.iter = niterations*nthin, n.burnin = 0, DIC = F, debug = T, save.history=F)

which opens WinBUGS and executes the following log file:



display(log)

check(C:/Documents and Settings/sbadamakis/Desktop/model_4/model_4.txt)

model is syntactically correct

data(C:/Documents and Settings/sbadamakis/Desktop/model_4/output1/data.txt)

data loaded

compile(1)

model compiled

inits(1,C:/Documents and Settings/sbadamakis/Desktop/model_4/output1/inits1.txt)

model is initialized

gen.inits()

command #Bugs:gen.inits cannot be executed (is greyed out)

thin.updater(1)

update(0)

set(beta)

update(20)

coda(*,C:/Documents and Settings/sbadamakis/Desktop/model_4/output1/coda)

stats(*)

Node statistics

node mean sd MC error 2.5% median 97.5% start sample

beta[1] 1.588 0.009812 0.003936 1.579 1.584 1.607 1 20

beta[2] -0.04272 0.00263 0.001137 -0.04592 -0.0433 -0.03688 1 20

beta[3] -0.07878 8.531E-4 2.829E-4 -0.07962 -0.07833 -0.07699 1 20

beta[4] -0.3035 0.01016 0.004509 -0.3194 -0.3028 -0.2841 1 20

beta[5] 1.241 0.00854 0.002739 1.228 1.242 1.258 1 20

beta[6] -4.155 0.01242 0.005405 -4.174 -4.152 -4.132 1 20

beta[7] 0.08322 0.001485 6.379E-4 0.08201 0.0824 0.08608 1 20

beta[8] -3.001 0.009335 0.003318 -3.013 -3.004 -2.981 1 20

beta[9] 0.07953 7.547E-4 3.198E-4 0.07777 0.07932 0.08035 1 20

save(C:/Documents and Settings/sbadamakis/Desktop/model_4/output1/log.odc)

save(C:/Documents and Settings/sbadamakis/Desktop/model_4/output1/log.txt)



So far so good. After the end of the last line of the log file, WinBUGS should close and the bugs function in R should return the Markov chain values of the "beta" parameters. The problem is that it doesn't and WinBUGS stays infinitely open. This is a big problem as I have written a code in R and I want to call the bugs function several times. Do you know if there's an option in the bugs function in R to FORCE WinBUGS to close?

Furthermore, some other times (the same code!!!) produces the following TRAP message

undefined real result

 GraphStack.Node.Value   [00000C9AH]
 .i INTEGER 6
 .j INTEGER 2
 .k INTEGER 1
 .node GraphStack.Node [0138C5D0H]
 .op INTEGER 6
 .p GraphNodes.Node [01544D30H]
 .top INTEGER 0
 .work ARRAY 10 OF REAL
   [0] REAL inf
   [1] REAL inf
   [2] REAL inf
   [3] REAL 1.30212336033939
   [4] REAL 4.534462964264759
   [5] REAL 1.769649991139459E+167
   [6] REAL 1.792592453177908E-307
   [7] REAL 9.94060079432588E-321
   [8] REAL 5.474495960374562E+67
   [9] REAL 5.257527858867595E-308
 MonitorsSamples.StdMonitor.Update   [0000023DH]
 .blocks POINTER NIL
 .i INTEGER 1655837286
 .index INTEGER 7
 .monitor MonitorsSamples.StdMonitor [02155B50H]
 .numBlocks INTEGER 0
 .value REAL 1.0
 SamplesMonitors.Monitor.Update   [0000091BH]
 .chain INTEGER 0
 .i INTEGER 4480
 .monitor SamplesMonitors.Monitor [01C0A4E0H]
 .size INTEGER 6780
 SamplesIndex.Monitor.Update   [0000030CH]
 .chain INTEGER 0
 .cursor SamplesIndex.List [01AB2E30H]
 .monitor SamplesIndex.Monitor [01C59510H]
 .sampleMonitor SamplesMonitors.Monitor [01C0A4E0H]
 UpdaterActions.UpdateMonitors   [0000011CH]
 .chain INTEGER 0
 .monitor UpdaterActions.Monitor [01C59510H]
 BugsCmds.Action.Step   [00000BCAH]
 .a BugsCmds.Action [011D40C0H]
 .chain INTEGER 0
 .i INTEGER 8
 .j INTEGER 1000
 .numChains INTEGER 1
 BugsCmds.Action.Do   [00000C58H]
 .a BugsCmds.Action [011D40C0H]
 .elapsedTime LONGINT 62EC21F162EB0384H
 .profileList ARRAY 2024 OF CHAR ""   ...
 .res INTEGER 1635734111
 .s ARRAY 120 OF CHAR 3X   ...
 Services.Exec   [00000136H]
 .a Services.Action [011D40C0H]
 .t POINTER [62EB0384H]
 Services.IterateOverActions   [000002F4H]
 .p Services.Action [011D40C0H]
 .t POINTER NIL
 .time LONGINT 300843187
 Services.StdHook.Step   [0000034DH]
 .h Services.StdHook [0101E380H]
 HostWindows.Idle   [00004A86H]
 .focus BOOLEAN FALSE
 .tick Controllers.TickMsg Fields
 .w HostWindows.Window NIL
 HostMenus.TimerTick   [00003422H]
 .lParam INTEGER 0
 .ops Controllers.PollOpsMsg Fields
 .wParam INTEGER 1
 .wnd INTEGER 1770006
 Kernel.Try   [00003A61H]
 .a INTEGER 1770006
 .b INTEGER 1
 .c INTEGER 0
 .h PROCEDURE HostMenus.TimerTick
 HostMenus.ApplWinHandler   [00003841H]
 .Proc PROCEDURE NIL
 .hit BOOLEAN FALSE
 .lParam INTEGER 0
 .message INTEGER 275
 .res INTEGER 4243644
 .s ARRAY 256 OF SHORTCHAR "浮", 1X   ...
 .w INTEGER 2147348480
 .wParam INTEGER 1
 .wnd INTEGER 1770006
<system>   (pc=7E418733H,  fp=0022FB84H)
<system>   (pc=7E418815H,  fp=0022FBECH)
<system>   (pc=7E4189CCH,  fp=0022FC4CH)
<system>   (pc=7E4196C6H,  fp=0022FC5CH)
 HostMenus.Loop   [00003BDEH]
 .done BOOLEAN FALSE
 .f SET {0..5}
 .n INTEGER 0
 .res INTEGER 0
 .w HostWindows.Window NIL
 Kernel.Start   [00002B8CH]
 .code PROCEDURE HostMenus.Loop


Is there anyone who can explain what does this mean and how to understand trap messages? For me, it seems that the problem lies here:

 .work ARRAY 10 OF REAL
   [0] REAL inf
   [1] REAL inf
   [2] REAL inf
   [3] REAL 1.30212336033939
   [4] REAL 4.534462964264759
   [5] REAL 1.769649991139459E+167
   [6] REAL 1.792592453177908E-307
   [7] REAL 9.94060079432588E-321
   [8] REAL 5.474495960374562E+67
   [9] REAL 5.257527858867595E-308

where it says that it produces some inf parameter values. I do not understand why this happens as the program was working fine for 5*10^5 iterations. I tried to change the Seed values but there was no use.

A bit of background:
1) I am running multilevel models for small area estimation and the above problems seem to appear only with the spatial random effects model. The spatial+non-spatial random effects model seems to behave properly without any problems.

2) As mentioned above the program was working fine for more than 500000 iterations. This means that I got no trap messages and I called the bugs function for more than 10 times without any problems.

It's so frustrating...

Kind regards,
Sotiris




Dr. Sotiris Adamakis
Senior Statistician - Ipsos MORI

T  +44 20 7347 3828
s<mailto:ssotiris.adamakis@ipsos.com>otiris.adamakis<mailto:ssotiris.adamakis@ipsos.com>@ipsos.com<mailto:ssotiris.adamakis@ipsos.com>
www.ipsos-mori.com<http://www.ipsos-mori.com/>

79-81 Borough Road, London, SE1 1FY

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