Set Preferences
Set Preferences
Various options to set preferences for Program MARK are available from the File | Preferences menu choice.
Display BIC instead of AICc in Results Browser
This option uses the BIC (or QBIC) model selection method instead of AICc (or QAICc) in the Results Browser. Model weights and model likelihood are also computed using BIC instead of AICc.
Display QAICc Weights in Results Browser
This option is to display the QAICc weight in the Results Browser Window. If this option is checked, the Results Browser window will display a column labeled AICc Weight (or QAICc Weight if c-hat > 1). If this option is not checked, then the model weight column will not be displayed.
If you change this option while the Results Browser window is open, you will have to close the window (click the X box at the upper right corner), and then reopen the Results Browser from the Browser menu option.
Display Model Likelihood Column in Results Browser
This option is to display the model likelihood for each of the models in the Results Browser Window. The model likelihood is the ratio of the AICc Weight (or QAICc Weight if c-hat > 1) of the model divided by the weight of the minimum AICc model.
If you change this option while the Results Browser window is open, you will have to close the window (click the X box at the upper right corner), and then reopen the Results Browser from the Browser menu option.
Display -2log(L) in Results Browser
This option adds a column to the Results Browser where the -2log(Likelihood) value is reported.
Display Time Stamp in Results Browser
This option adds a column to the Results Browser where a time stamp for the model is reported. The time stamp consists of YY:MM:DD:HH:MM:SS, i.e., the last 2 digits of the year, month, day, hour, minute, and seconds when the job was run.
Name first column of design matrix Beta0 instead of Beta1
The purpose of this option is to allow the first column of the design matrix to be numbered zero instead of 1.
Make first row of a time effect the reference row
The purpose of this option is to make the first row of a time effect in the design matrix the reference row, rather than the previous default of the last row of the time effect corresponding to the intercept. This option affects the Full Design Matrix and Pre-defined Models that use a design matrix.
No page separators in the numerical estimation file
This option makes the numerical estimation file one continuous list of output, with no page separators. That is, there are no page headings or numbers that break up the output for printing.
Show Tip of the Day when starting the program
This option causes MARK to display a “Tip of the Day” when the program is started. At this point, not enough Tips are available to make you want to use the option.
Show message when model is retrieved
This purpose of this option is to display a message when model is retrieved from the Results Browser window. This option is useful for novices because retrieval of models that do not have a design matrix don’t show any response on the screen. That is, the PIMs are changed, but none of this is obvious to the user if no PIM windows are open. Hence, novice users like to see a message that tells them a model was retrieved. If the model has a design matrix, then a design matrix window is opened, so a obvious response is noticed. Once a user becomes familar with the operation of the program, the lack of a message is a benefit.
Turn off color for non-zero values of the desing matrix to show patterns
The Design Matrix defaults to using background colors to make non-zero values stand out. This coloring of the design matrix can be time consuming, particularly for large matrices. Hence, to turn this option off, click this option.
Set number of characters in a design matrix cell
The Design Matrix has only a limited number of characters in each cell. The maximum can be increased, with details in design matrix cell size. Large values for this variable can significantly slow down the processing of large design matrices.
Turn off warning of using identity design matrix if no design matrix window is open
If the Design Matrix Window is not open, you will be asked whether you want to use an identity design matrix. This option turns off this warning.
Do not save deleted models for later undeleting
Program MARK normally saves models that are deleted from the Results Browser. However, for large data sets with complicated models, saving the model can cause memory problems that cause MARK to abort. This option turns off the saving of models when they are deleted from the Results Browser.
Use non-interactive model averaging parameter specification window
For data types that have a large number of PIMs, or when the number of occasions is large and the PIMs will not display completely on the screen, the specification of parameters for model averaging becomes problematic. This option allows parameters to be specified for model averaging in a dialog window that is not as interactive as the default, but works for large problems.
Add 1 to K when computing QAICc with c-hat > 1
Some people feel that every model should have one additional parameter included if a value of c is estimated for the set of models. This option automatically adds 1 to K, the number of parameters estimated, for each model. However, the effect on model selection results is typically extremely small, and can result in errors in the value of K. Thus, I do not generally recommend this option.
Do not ask user about exiting MARK when RED Exit Box Clicked
Experienced users find it annoying to continually be asked to verify something that they want to do. This option turns off the request to be sure you want to exit out of MARK.
Use Excel 2007 for spreadsheet output
When Microsoft released Excel 2007, there were some incompatibilites that showed up. So, if you are having trouble with dumping values into Excel from MARK, either check or uncheck this option to see if these procedures now work.
Number of Integration Nodes
Specify the number of integration nodes for Gaussian-Hermite quadrature.that is used for the individual heterogeneity models. The minium allowed is 15, maximum 505, with the recommended default of 101.
Number of Threads
Specify the number of threads to use for numerical processing.
Editor Location
The default text editor in MARK to list text output in is NotePad. If you prefer a different editor, you can specify the location in this box. The Browse push box allows you to find the location of your favorite editor and place this location in the text box.
Set design matrix colors
This option allows the user to change the colors of the text and background of cells in the design matrix. That is, 3 types of cells are distinguished in the design matrix: those containing zeros, those containing ones, and those containing other values. This option allows you to change these colors to suit your individual tastes. See Design Matrix Colors for more information.