Lenka Filová

• PhD
• Comenius University Bratislava

Consider the problem of constructing an experimental design, optimal for estimating parameters of a given statistical model with respect to a chosen criterion. To address this problem, the literature usually provides a single solution. Often, however, there exists a rich set of optimal designs, and the knowledge of this set can lead to substantiall...

Positive matrix factorisation (PMF) is a receptor model, which is frequently used in environmental geochemistry for metal(loid)s’ source apportionment in various matrices. In this study, concentration data for As, Cu, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, V and Zn in urban soils of two land uses (playground and roadside soils) from the city of Bratislava (Sl...

For many statistical experiments, there exists a multitude of optimal designs. If we consider models with uncorrelated observations and adopt the approach of approximate experimental design, the set of all optimal designs typically forms a multivariate polytope. In this paper, we mathematically characterize the polytope of optimal designs. In parti...

We extend the equivariance and invariance conditions for construction of optimal designs to multiple-group mixed models and, hence, derive the support of optimal designs for first- and second-order models on a symmetric square. Moreover, we provide a tool for computation of D- and L-efficient exact designs in multiple-group mixed models by adapting...

Community gardens are “green oases” of recent cities with many benefits for human society. From a human health perspective, these benefits can be damaged by chemical contamination of soil and cultivated vegetables. Using geochemical approaches, this study characterised (i) total metal(loid) concentrations in soils and two commonly grown vegetables...

Combustion of fossil fuels is the most important source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment. Cities are typical of many human activities which are dependent on fossil fuels (road and railway transport, heat generation, waste incineration and industry) on a small area, leading to high concentrations of PAHs in urban air, du...

We propose an algorithm for computing efficient approximate experimental designs that can be applied in the case of very large grid-like design spaces. Such a design space typically corresponds to the set of all combinations of multiple genuinely discrete factors or densely discretized continuous factors. The proposed algorithm alternates between t...

For computing efficient approximate designs of multifactor experiments, we propose a simple algorithm based on adaptive exploration of the grid of all combinations of factor levels. We demonstrate that the algorithm significantly outperforms several state-of-the-art competitors for problems with discrete, continuous, as well as mixed factors. Impor...

It is well known that road transport emits various trace elements into the environment, which are deposited in soils in the vicinity of roads, so-called roadside soils, and thus contributes to the deterioration of their chemical state. The aim of this work was to determine concentrations of some metals and metalloids (arsenic (As), cobalt (Co), chr...

Today, it is proven that the contaminated urban soils are hazardous for the human health. Soil substrates of playgrounds call for special research as they are places where children are directly exposed to soil contaminants. Therefore, the objective of this work was to measure the pseudo-total contents and bioaccessibility of several metals and meta...

In the area of statistical planning, there is a large body of theoretical knowledge and computational experience concerning so-called optimal approximate designs of experiments. However, for an approximate design to be executed in practice, it must be converted into an exact, i.e., integer, design, which is usually done via rounding procedures. Alt...

The aims of this study were to investigate the occurrence and distribution of total mercury (Hg) and other trace elements of environmental concern, such as arsenic (As), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and vanadium (V), in soils from the abandoned Merník cinnabar mine in eastern Slovakia. For this purpo...

Aim To assess the quality of self‐assessment and the attitude of healthcare workers (HCWs) to hand hygiene (HH) as possible factors of unsatisfactory HH compliance in clinical practice. Background Non‐compliance of hand hygiene causes healthcare‐acquired infections (HAI) in patients. It is assumed that hand hygiene‐related infections make up appro...

In this study, playground soils of kindergartens and green recreational zones in Bratislava were investigated for the occurrence and gastric bioaccessibility of arsenic (As) in the < 150 μm soil size fraction. Eighty topsoil (0–10 cm) samples were collected from playgrounds in kindergartens and green recreational zones throughout the urban area. Bi...

Supplementary data for article.

In the area of statistical planning, there is a large body of theoretical knowledge and computational experience concerning so-called optimal approximate designs of experiments. However, for an approximate design to be executed in practice, it must be converted into an exact, i.e., integer, design, which is usually done via rounding procedures. Alt...

We propose a class of subspace ascent methods for computing optimal approximate designs that covers both existing as well as new and more efficient algorithms. Within this class of methods, we construct a simple, randomized exchange algorithm (REX). Numerical comparisons suggest that the performance of REX is comparable or superior to the performan...

We propose a class of subspace ascent methods for computing optimal approximate designs that covers both existing as well as new and more efficient algorithms. Within this class of methods, we construct a simple, randomized exchange algorithm (REX). Numerical comparisons suggest that the performance of REX is comparable or superior to the performan...

A total of eighty surface soil samples were collected from public kindergartens and urban parks in the city of Bratislava, and the <150 µm soil fraction was evaluated for total concentrations of five metals, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn, their oral bioaccessibilities, non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks to children, and lead isotopic compositio...

During the discharge of a two-dimensional silo, the flow of grains through an opening is arrested if the size of the outlet is not large enough. In the outpouring of grains, jamming occurs due to the formation of an arch at the outlet. After breaking the arch, the grains fall until a new arch is formed. Several models have been proposed to explain...

For computing exact designs of experiments under multiple resource constraints, we developed a heuristic method related to the Detmax procedure. To illustrate the performance of the heuristic, we computed D-efficient designs for a block model with limits on the numbers of blocks, for a quadratic regression model with simultaneous marginal and cost...

Consider the quadratic regression model on the q-dimensional cube [−1, 1]q. The purpose of this article is to exhibit designs for the quadratic regression that are criterion robust in the sense of maximin efficiency within the class of all orthogonally invariant information functions. For the case of the standard quadratic regression on an interval...

A new method for computing exact experimental designs for linear regression models by integer quadratic programming is proposed. The key idea is to use the criterion of DQ-optimality, which is a quadratic approximation of the criterion of D-optimality in the neighbourhood of the approximate D-optimal information matrix. Several numerical examples a...

In the paper we consider the linear regression model of the first degree on the vertices of the d-dimensional unit cube and its extension by an intercept term, which can be used, e.g., to model unbiased or biased weighing of d objects on a spring balance. In both settings, we can restrict our search for approximate optimal designs to the convex com...

In the paper, we solve the problem of computing the maximin efficient design with respect to the class of all orthogonally invariant criteria. It turns out that on a finite experimental domain, the maximin efficient design can be computed by the methods of semidefinite programming. Using this approach, we can deal with the non-differentiability inh...

The present paper analyzes the linear regression model with a nonzero intercept term on the vertices of a d-dimensional unit cube. This setting may be interpreted as a model of weighing d objects on a spring balance with a constant bias. We give analytic formulas for E-optimal designs, as well as their minimal efficiencies under the class of all or...