Robust Regression Techniques for Multiple Method Comparison and Transformation.

A generalization of Passing-Bablok regression is proposed for comparing multiple measurement methods simultaneously. Possible applications include assay migration studies or interlaboratory trials. When comparing only two methods, the method boils down to the usual Passing-Bablok estimator. It is close in spirit to reduced major axis regression, which is, however, not robust. To obtain a robust estimator, the major axis is replaced by the (hyper-)spherical median axis. This technique has been applied to compare SARS-CoV-2 serological tests, bilirubin in neonates, and an in vitro diagnostic test using different instruments, sample preparations, and reagent lots. In addition, plots similar to the well-known Bland-Altman plots have been developed to represent the variance structure.

Enhancing the Diagnostic Yield of Esophageal Manometry Using Distension Contraction Plots of Peristalsis & Artificial Intelligence.

BACKGROUND: Our prior study reveal that the distension-contraction profiles using high-resolution manometry impedance (HRMZ) recordings can distinguish patients with dysphagia symptom but normal esophageal function testing ("functional dysphagia") from controls. AIMS: To determine the diagnostic value of the recording protocol used in our prior studies (10cc swallows with subjects in the Trendelenburg position) against the standard clinical protocol (5cc swallows with subject in the supine position). We used advanced machine learning techniques and robust metrics for the classification purposes. METHODS: Studies were performed in 30 healthy subjects and 30 patients with functional dysphagia. A custom-built software was used to extract the relevant distension-contraction features of esophageal peristalsis. Ensemble methods, i.e., gradient boost, support vector machines (SVM), and logit boost were used as the primary machine learning algorithms. RESULTS: While the individual contraction features were marginally different between the two groups, the distension features of peristalsis were significantly different. The ROC curves values for the standard recording protocol, for the distension features ranged from 0.74 to 0.82; they were significantly better for the protocol used in our prior studies, ranged from 0.81-0.91. The ROC curve values using 3 machine learning algorithms were far superior for the distension than the contraction features of esophageal peristalsis, revealing value of 0.95 for the SVM algorithm. CONCLUSIONS: Current patient classification based on the contraction phase of peristalsis misses large number of patients who have abnormality in the distension phase of peristalsis. Distension contraction plots should be the standard of assessing esophageal peristalsis in clinical practice.

Tree inventory data from permanent plots in French forest reserves.

We present a data set resulting from the first round of a national monitoring program of forest reserves. It contains 9538 permanent plots, distributed across 111 study sites in mainland France (including Corsica). Notably focusing on dead wood measurement, this protocol has primarily been applied in strict forest reserves and special nature reserves (sensu Bollmann & Braunisch 2013), with 68% (6494) of the plots being currently located in strict forest reserves (unmanaged) and 24.7% (2363 plots) in forests unmanaged for at least 50 years. Sites cover a large variety of ecological conditions, from lowland to subalpine forests, but with an underrepresentation of Mediterranean forests (Table 1). The protocol assesses all the stages of a tree's life cycle, from seedling to decomposed lying dead wood. On each plot, a combination of three sampling techniques was used: (1) fixed-area inventory for regeneration, standing dead trees, living trees, and coarse woody debris (CWD) with diameter over 30 cm; (2) transect lines for CWD with diameter <30 cm; and (3) fixed-angle plot method for living trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) >30 cm (using a relascopic angle of 3%). Measurements include exact tree location (azimuth, distance), species, diameter(s), tree-related microhabitats, decay stage and bark cover, and seedling cover. With ongoing climate change, the program network can also provide important information to monitor changes in forest ecosystems. It can also be used as forest management monitoring or conservation status assessment. These data are freely available for noncommercial scientific use (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 CC BY SA 4.0) with attribution, and this paper must be cited if this material is reused.

The use of nonlinear analysis in understanding postural control: A scoping review.

Nonlinear analyses have emerged as an approach to unraveling the intricate dynamics and underlying mechanisms of postural control, offering insights into the complex interplay of physiological and biomechanical factors. However, achieving a comprehensive understanding of the application of nonlinear analysis in postural control studies remains a challenge due to the various nonlinear measurement methods currently available. Thus, this scoping review aimed to identify existing nonlinear analyses used to study postural control in both dynamic and quiet tasks, and to summarize and disseminate the available literature on the use of nonlinear analysis in postural control. For this purpose, a scoping review was conducted and reported following the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist and Explanation. Searches were conducted up to July 2023 on PubMed/Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, resulting in the inclusion of 397 unique studies. The main classes employed among the studies were entropy-based, fractal-based, quantification of recurrence plots, and quantification of stability, with a total of 91 different algorithms distributed among these classes. The most common condition used to study postural control was quiet standing, followed by dynamic standing and gait tasks. Although various algorithms were utilized for this purpose, sample entropy was employed in 43% of studies to explore mechanisms related to postural control. Among them, 28% were in quiet standing, 3.27% were in dynamic standing, and 4.78% to study postural control during the gait. The results also provide insights into nonlinear analysis for future studies, concerning the complexity and interactions within the postural control system across various task demands.

Recombination and polarity effects of Farmer chambers in a strong magnetic field.

PURPOSE: Ionisation chamber based reference dosimetry in magnetic resonance linear accelerators (MRL) aimed for radiotherapy requires correction for recombination losses. Published studies have found that such corrections can be carried out using the two-voltage method. These studies have, however, not included comparison with recombination corrections based on the Niatel method, which can be seen as a robust reference method due to its clear separation of initial and volume recombination and its explicit account of the pulsed nature of the dose delivery. The primary objective of this work therefore was to carry out such a comparison. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four Farmer-type chambers (PTW-30006 and PTW-30013) were placed in a water phantom in 1.5 T Elekta Unity MRL. The chambers were oriented antiparallel or perpendicular to the static magnetic field B0 and irradiated at a source-to-surface distance of 133.5 cm with a 10 × 10 cm2 field size. RESULTS: The two-voltage method gave results in agreement (within 0.1%) with the recombination corrections derived from the Niatel method. The recombination corrections from three Niatel parameter sets (one based on a Varian Truebeam and two obtained directly in the MRL) deviated less than 0.1% from each other. A systematic shift in the recombination correction of less than 0.05% was observed if polarity corrections were not applied. CONCLUSIONS: The study supports the use of the two-voltage method in MRLs based on its excellent agreement with the Niatel method. This work, therefore, complements existing knowledge as previous studies have not included a comparison with the Niatel method.

Photochemical Action Plots Map Orthogonal Reactivity in Photochemical Release Systems.

The wavelength-by-wavelength resolved photoreactivity of two photo-caged carboxylic acids, i. e. 7-(diethylamino)-coumarin- and 3-perylene-modified substrates, is investigated via photochemical action plots. The observed wavelength-dependent reactivity of the chromophores is contrasted with their absorption profile. The photochemical action plots reveal a remarkable mismatch between the maximum reactivity and the absorbance. Through the action plot data, the study is able to uncover photochemical reactivity maxima at longer and shorter wavelengths, where the molar absorptivity of the chromophores is strongly reduced. Finally, the laser experiments are translated to light emitting diode (LED) irradiation and show efficient visible-light-induced release in a near fully wavelength-orthogonal, sequence-independent fashion (λLED1 = 405 nm, λLED2 = 505 nm) with both chromophores in the same reaction solution. The herein pioneered wavelength orthogonal release systems open an avenue for releasing two different molecular cargos with visible light in a fully orthogonal fashion.

Proactive reward in conflict tasks: Does it only enhance general performance or also modulate conflict effects?

In the present study, we investigated the influence of performance-contingent reward prospects on task performance across three visual conflict tasks with manual responses (Experiments 1 & 2: Simon and Stroop tasks; Experiment 3: Simon and Eriksen flanker task) using block-wise (Experiment 1) and trial-wise (Experiments 2 & 3) manipulations to signal the possibility of reward. Across all experiments, task performance (in reaction time and/or error rates) generally improved in reward compared with no-reward conditions in each conflict task. However, there was, if any, little evidence that the reward manipulation modulated the size of the mean conflict effects, and there was also no evidence for conflict-specific effects of reward when controlling for time-varying fluctuations in conflict processing via distributional analyses (delta plots). Thus, the results provide no evidence for conflict-specific accounts and instead favor performance-general accounts, where reward anticipation leads to overall performance improvements without affecting conflict effects. We discuss possible implications for how proactive control might modulate the interplay between target- and distractor-processing in conflict tasks.

Visualization strategies to aid interpretation of high-dimensional genotoxicity data.

This article describes a range of high-dimensional data visualization strategies that we have explored for their ability to complement machine learning algorithm predictions derived from MultiFlow® assay results. For this exercise, we focused on seven biomarker responses resulting from the exposure of TK6 cells to each of 126 diverse chemicals over a range of concentrations. Obviously, challenges associated with visualizing seven biomarker responses were further complicated whenever there was a desire to represent the entire 126 chemical data set as opposed to results from a single chemical. Scatter plots, spider plots, parallel coordinate plots, hierarchical clustering, principal component analysis, toxicological prioritization index, multidimensional scaling, t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding, and uniform manifold approximation and projection are each considered in turn. Our report provides a comparative analysis of these techniques. In an era where multiplexed assays and machine learning algorithms are becoming the norm, stakeholders should find some of these visualization strategies useful for efficiently and effectively interpreting their high-dimensional data.

A machine learning framework for interpretable predictions in patient pathways: The case of predicting ICU admission for patients with symptoms of sepsis.

Proactive analysis of patient pathways helps healthcare providers anticipate treatment-related risks, identify outcomes, and allocate resources. Machine learning (ML) can leverage a patient's complete health history to make informed decisions about future events. However, previous work has mostly relied on so-called black-box models, which are unintelligible to humans, making it difficult for clinicians to apply such models. Our work introduces PatWay-Net, an ML framework designed for interpretable predictions of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) for patients with symptoms of sepsis. We propose a novel type of recurrent neural network and combine it with multi-layer perceptrons to process the patient pathways and produce predictive yet interpretable results. We demonstrate its utility through a comprehensive dashboard that visualizes patient health trajectories, predictive outcomes, and associated risks. Our evaluation includes both predictive performance - where PatWay-Net outperforms standard models such as decision trees, random forests, and gradient-boosted decision trees - and clinical utility, validated through structured interviews with clinicians. By providing improved predictive accuracy along with interpretable and actionable insights, PatWay-Net serves as a valuable tool for healthcare decision support in the critical case of patients with symptoms of sepsis.

Probabilistic Scatter Plots for visualizing carbohydrate and lipid metabolism states in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by dysregulated carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, which are its primary features. However, traditional biochemical markers pose challenges for accurate quantification and visualization of metabolic states. This study introduces a novel states-based approach for accurate NAFLD assessment. METHODS: Joint probabilistic distributions of triglycerides and glycemia were constructed using dual-indicator Probabilistic Scatter Plots based on clinical data (healthy controls: n = 1978; NAFLD patients: n = 471). Patterns of metabolic dysregulation were revealed through comparison against healthy profiles. Self-organizing feature mapping (SOFM) clustered the distributions into four dominant states. RESULTS: Healthy scatter plots demonstrated a distinct progression of sub-states ranging from very healthy to sub-healthy. In contrast, NAFLD plots exhibited shifted probability centers and outward divergence. SOFM clustering classified the states into: mild; moderate and severe lipid metabolism disorders; and carbohydrate metabolism disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Probabilistic Scatter Plots, when combined with SOFM clustering, facilitate a states-based quantification of NAFLD metabolic dysregulation. This method integrates multi-dimensional biochemical indicators and their distributions into a cohesive framework, enabling precise and intuitive visualization for personalized diagnosis and monitoring of prognostic developments.

Physiognomy datasets across two sub-montane tropical forests: Bakossi National Park and Mt. Nlonako in the continental Cameroon mountains.

The submontane forests in the Congo Basin have not been studied sufficiently in terms of floristic diversity, biomass, and geographic distribution. The region's lack of resources and rugged terrain are among the barriers to sampling biodiversity. This study focuses on two understudied submontane forest areas, Bakossi National Park (BNP) and Mt. Nlonako (MN), which form part of the continental Cameroon Mountains and are believed to have high species diversity and endemism. However, significant gaps exist in biodiversity data across the continental Cameroon Mountains. This study is the first detailed quantitative survey of forests in the BNP and MN through permanent plot sampling. The results of this study can be used to guide policies for managing montane ecosystems in Cameroon and enhancing conservation efforts. The study also provides an opportunity for long-term monitoring of forest health and REDD+ status.

Stimulus-Response Plots as a Novel Bowel-Sound-Based Method for Evaluating Motor Response to Drinking in Healthy People.

Constipation is a common gastrointestinal disorder that impairs quality of life. Evaluating bowel motility via traditional methods, such as MRI and radiography, is expensive and inconvenient. Bowel sound (BS) analysis has been proposed as an alternative, with BS-time-domain acoustic features (BSTDAFs) being effective for evaluating bowel motility via several food and drink consumption tests. However, the effect of BSTDAFs before drink consumption on those after drink consumption is yet to be investigated. This study used BS-based stimulus-response plots (BSSRPs) to investigate this effect on 20 participants who underwent drinking tests. A strong negative correlation was observed between the number of BSs per minute before carbonated water consumption and the ratio of that before and after carbonated water consumption. However, a similar trend was not observed when the participants drank cold water. These findings suggest that when carbonated water is drunk, bowel motility before ingestion affects motor response to ingestion. This study provides a non-invasive BS-based approach for evaluating motor response to food and drink, offering a new research window for investigators in this field.

Soft gliadin nanoparticles at air/water interfaces: The transition from a particle-laden layer to a thick protein film.

HYPOTHESIS: Protein-based soft particles possess a unique interfacial deformation behavior, which is difficult to capture and characterize. This complicates the analysis of their interfacial properties. Here, we aim to establish how the particle deformation affects their interfacial structural and mechanical properties. EXPERIMENTS: Gliadin nanoparticles (GNPs) were selected as a model particle. We studied their adsorption behavior, the time-evolution of their morphology, and rheological behavior at the air/water interface by combining dilatational rheology and microstructure imaging. The rheology results were analyzed using Lissajous plots and quantified using the recently developed general stress decomposition (GSD) method. FINDING: Three distinct stages were revealed in the adsorption and rearrangement process. First, spherical GNPs (∼105 nm) adsorbed to the interface. Then, these gradually deformed along the interface direction to a flattened shape, and formed a firm viscoelastic 2D solid film. Finally, further stretching and merging of GNPs at the interface resulted in rearrangement of their internal structure to form a thick film with lower stiffness than the initial film. These results demonstrate that the structure of GNPs confined at the interface is controlled by their deformability, and the latter can be used to tune the properties of prolamin particle-based multiphase systems.

How well global dietary intake estimates agree: a case of sodium consumption.

Global dietary data repositories are key components of nutrition surveillance. The two most comprehensive databases, the Global Dietary Database (GDD) and the Global Burden Disease (GBD), provide national dietary intake estimates but use different data sources and models to generate estimates. To explore the agreement between GDD and GBD estimates, we compared country-specific average daily sodium intakes in 169 countries over a 28-year period using descriptive statistics, the Bland-Altman method, and prevalence exceeding the intake reference level of 2.3 g/day. We detected a staggering 36% difference between GDD and GBD estimates of global mean intakes (2.68 ± 0.74 vs. 3.88 ± 1.15 g/day, respectively; p < 0.0001). As 104 (61.5%) countries reported to have over-consumed sodium by both databases, the development of standardized approaches for national dietary intake estimation is critical for monitoring global sodium intake in a systematic and comprehensive way and for implementing global strategies to reduce sodium intake.

Extracting thermodynamic properties from van 't Hoff plots with emphasis on temperature-sensing ion channels.

Transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels are among the most well-studied classes of temperature-sensing molecules. Yet, the molecular mechanism and thermodynamic basis for the temperature sensitivity of TRP channels remains to this day poorly understood. One hypothesis is that the temperature-sensing mechanism can simply be described by a difference in heat capacity between the closed and open channel states. While such a two-state model may be simplistic it nonetheless has descriptive value, in the sense that it can be used to compare overall temperature sensitivity between different channels and mutants. Here, we introduce a mathematical framework based on the two-state model to reliably extract temperature-dependent thermodynamic potentials and heat capacities from measurements of equilibrium constants at different temperatures. Our framework is implemented in an open-source data analysis package that provides a straightforward way to fit both linear and nonlinear van 't Hoff plots, thus avoiding some of the previous, potentially erroneous, assumptions when extracting thermodynamic variables from TRP channel electrophysiology data.

Pyrolysis of Euphorbia Rigida: A study on thermal characterizations, kinetics, thermodynamics via TG-FTIR analysis.

Euphorbia Rigida (E. Rigida), a lignocellulosic biomass with low ash content, is a suitable feedstock for pyrolysis. This work investigated the physicochemical characteristics and thermokinetic analysis of E. Rigida pyrolysis by using isoconversional and master plots methods. Ultimate and proximate analyses and oxygen bomb calorimeter were used to determine the physicochemical parameters. The activation energies were calculated using model-free methods (KAS, Friedman and Starink) and were found as 184, 178 and 185 kJ/mol, respectively. Using Fraser-Suzuki deconvolution, pseudo-components were also calculated and the active pyrolysis region was divided into three zones. The master plots showed that reaction order mechanisms (Fn) were effective in Zone I, and diffusion mechanisms (Dn) were well matched in Zone II and Zone III. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔG and ΔS) were calculated and according to these results, E. Rigida pyrolysis was an endothermic and non-spontaneous process.

Physiotyping of Plants and Modeling the Soil Plant Atmospheric Continuum (SPAC).

This chapter presents a holistic and quantitative approach to the carbon cycle in plant systems biology. It includes (rapid) phenotyping and monitoring of physiological key interactions of plants with its respective soil and atmospheric environment (soil plant atmospheric continuum-SPAC). The approach aims at qualifying and quantifying key components of this microhabitat as influenced by a single plant or a local group of plants in order to contribute to a flux-based modelling approach. The toolset consists of plant biometry, gas exchange, metabolomics, ionomics, root exudate characterization as well as soil biological and physical-chemical characterization. The results are presented as a basic interaction and input-output model aka conceptual system model employing H. T. Odum-style plots based on empirical data.

Trajectory of anxiety/depressive symptoms and sleep quality in individuals who had been hospitalized by COVID-19: The LONG-COVID-EXP multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: To apply Sankey plots and exponential bar plots for visualizing the evolution of anxiety/depressive symptoms and poor sleep in previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors. METHODS: A sample of 1266 subjects who were hospitalized due to a SARS-CoV-2 from March-May 2020 were assessed at 8.4 (T1), 13.2 (T2) and 18.3 (T3) months after hospitalization. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to determine anxiety (HADS-A) and depressive (HADS-D) symptoms. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) evaluated sleep quality. Clinical features, onset symptoms and hospital data were collected from medical records. RESULTS: Sankey plots revealed that the prevalence of anxiety symptomatology (HADS-A ≥ 8 points) was 22.5% (n = 285) at T1, 17.6% (n = 223) at T2, and 7.9% (n = 100) at T3, whereas the prevalence of depressive symptoms (HADS-D ≥ 8 points) was 14.6% (n = 185) at T1, 10.9% (n = 138) at T2, and 6.1% (n = 78) at T3. Finally, the prevalence of poor sleep (PSQI≥8 points) decreased from 32.8% (n = 415) at T1, to 28.8% (n = 365) at T2, and to 24.8% (n = 314) at T3. The recovery curves show a decrease trend visualizing that these symptoms recovered the following years after discharge. The regression models did not reveal medical records associated with anxiety/depressive symptoms or poor sleep. CONCLUSION: The use of Sankey plots shows a fluctuating evolution of anxiety/depressive symptoms and poor sleep during the first years after the infection. In addition, exponential bar plots revealed a decrease prevalence of these symptoms during the first years after hospital discharge. No risk factors were identified in this cohort.

(1-x)(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3-xCaTiO3 ceramics: Investigating structural and microstructural features for enhanced dielectric properties.

(1-x)(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3-xCaTiO3 Lead-free piezoelectric systems, positioned near the morphotropic phase boundary, were synthesized for varying compositions (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20) using the solid-state reaction route. This study delves into the comprehensive investigation of the compositional effects on phase, structure, and electrical characteristics. Specifically, a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) involving rhombohedral (R3c) and orthorhombic (Pnma) structures was seen in a (1-x)NBT-xCT crystal structure close to the composition of x = 0.10. Information on the pure phase formation and grain size of the intended composite system has been obtained using Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) diagram as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The impact of the CT phase on the NBT lattice was investigated through an analysis of the charge density distribution. Using Williamson-Hall plots from XRD data, the average particle diameter was estimated to be between 131.87 nm and 136.54 nm. The relative permittivity increases with the addition of Ca2+, according to dielectric measurements. All ceramics exhibit a diffuse phase transition near (Tm) with a diffusivity range of 1.5-1.8, and a downward shift in depolarization temperature (Td). At the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), excellent dielectric properties were observed at x = 0.10, which are attributed to the presence of both rhombohedral and orthorhombic structures as well as an appropriate particle size. The conduction process at different temperatures is thermally activated, as determined by the frequency-dependent ac conductivity.

Interventions to promote health literacy among working-age populations experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage: systematic review.

Background: Experiencing financial insecurity and being underserved is often associated with low health literacy, i.e., the ability to identify, obtain, interpret and act upon health information, which may result in poor health outcomes. Little is known about effective interventions for promoting health literacy among underserved populations. The objective of this systematic review is to summarize the literature on such interventions and identify characteristics that differentiate more effective interventions. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines we searched the databases SCOPUS, Pubmed, Web of Science core collection and CINAHL. We included primary studies with a quantitative study design and control groups testing interventions to increase health literacy or health knowledge in underserved populations between 18 and 65 years. Where possible, we converted effect sizes into Cohen's d and compared mean differences of intervention and control groups. Albatross plots were created to summarize the results according to different health literacy and health knowledge outcomes. Results: We screened 3,696 titles and abstracts and 206 full texts. In total, 86 articles were analyzed, of which 55 were summarized in seven albatross plots. The majority of the studies (n = 55) were conducted in the United States and had a randomized controlled study design (n = 44). More effective intervention approaches assessed needs of participants through focus group discussions prior to conducting the intervention, used bilingual educational materials, and included professionals fluent in the first languages of the study population as intervention deliverers. Additionally, the use of educational materials in video and text form, fotonovelas and interactive group education sessions with role playing exercises were observed to be effective. Discussion: Although the outcomes addressed in the included studies were heterogeneous, effective intervention approaches were often culturally sensitive and developed tailored educational materials. Interventions aiming to promote health literacy in underserved populations should hence consider applying similar approaches.Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=323801, PROSPERO registration ID: CRD42022323801.