Distributed lag linear and non-linear models in R: the package dlnm

Distributed lag non-linear models (dlnms) represent a modeling framework to flexibly describe associations showing potentially non-linear and delayed effects in time series data. this methodology rests on the definition of a crossbasis,a bi-dimensional functional space expressed by the combination of two sets of basis functions,which specify the relationships in the dimensions of predictor and lags,respectively. this framework is implemented in the r package dlnm,which provides functions to perform the broad range of models within the dlnm family and then to help interpret the results,with an emphasis on graphical representation. this paper o ers an overview of the capabilities of the package,describing the conceptual and practical steps to specify and interpret dlnms with an example of application to real data.