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Penalized splines can be viewed as BLUPs in a mixed model framework, which allows the use of mixed model software for smoothing. Thus, software originally developed for Bayesian analysis of mixed models can be used for penalized spline regression. Bayesian inference for nonparametric models enjoys the flexibility of nonparametric models and the exact inference provided by the Bayesian inferential machinery. This paper provides a simple, yet comprehensive, set of programs for the implementation of nonparametric Bayesian analysis in WinBUGS. Good mixing properties of the MCMC chains are obtained by using low-rank thin-plate splines, while simulation times per iteration are reduced employing WinBUGS specific computational tricks.

Smoothing methods that use basis functions with penalization can be formulated as fits in a mixed model framework. One of the major benefits is that software for mixed model analysis can be used for smoothing. We illustrate this for several smoothing models such as additive and varying coefficient models for both S-PLUS and SAS software. Code for each of the illustrations is available on the Internet.

We provide several illustrations of Bayesian semiparametric regression analyses in the BRugs package. BRugs facilitates use of the BUGS inference engine from the R computing environment and allows analyses to be managed using scripts. The examples are chosen to represent an array of non-standard situations, for which mixed model software is not viable. The situations include: the response variable being outside of the one-parameter exponential family, data subject to missingness, data subject to measurement error and parameters entering the model via an index.