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Area‐level unmatched sampling and linking models have been widely used as a model‐based method for producing reliable estimates of small‐area means. However, one practical difficulty is the specification of a link function. In this paper, we relax the assumption of a known link function by not specifying its form and estimating it from the data. A penalized‐spline method is adopted for estimating the link function, and a hierarchical Bayes method of estimating area means is developed using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method for posterior computations. Results of simulation studies comparing the proposed method with a conventional approach based on a known link function are presented. In addition, the proposed method is applied to data from the Survey of Family Income and Expenditure in Japan and poverty rates in Spanish provinces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which evaluates the safety indications of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in Korea and Japan. The study demonstrates that an increased risk of lymph node metastasis is carried by extending indications of EMR and ESD according to the guidelines of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association. It notes that a mucosal cancer without ulceration can be considered as an extended indication for EMR or ESD.