The Online Elicitation of Personal Utility Functions (OPUF) tool: a new method for valuing health states

Introduction Standard valuation methods, such as TTO and DCE are inefficient. They require data from hundreds if not thousands of participants to generate value sets. Here, we present the Online elicitation of Personal Utility Functions (OPUF) tool; a new type of online survey for valuing EQ-5D-5L health states using more efficient, compositional elicitation methods, which even allow estimating value sets on the individual level. The aims of this study are to report on the development of the tool, and to test the feasibility of using it to obtain individual-level value sets for the EQ-5D-5L. Methods We applied an iterative design approach to adapt the PUF method, previously developed by Devlin et al., for use as a standalone online tool. Five rounds of qualitative interviews, and one quantitative pre-pilot were conducted to get feedback on the different tasks. After each round, the tool was refined and re-evaluated. The final version was piloted in a sample of 50 participants from the UK. A demo of the EQ-5D-5L OPUF survey is available at: https://eq5d5l.me Results On average, it took participants about seven minutes to complete the OPUF Tool. Based on the responses, we were able to construct a personal EQ-5D-5L value set for each of the 50 participants. These value sets predicted a participants' choices in a discrete choice experiment with an accuracy of 80%. Overall, the results revealed that health state preferences vary considerably on the individual-level. Nevertheless, we were able to estimate a group-level value set for all 50 participants with reasonable precision. Discussion We successfully piloted the OPUF Tool and showed that it can be used to derive a group-level as well as personal value sets for the EQ-5D-5L. Although the development of the online tool is still in an early stage, there are multiple potential avenues for further research.

Linking post-translational modifications and protein turnover by site-resolved protein turnover profiling

Proteome-wide measurements of protein turnover have largely ignored the impact of post-translational modifications (PTMs). To address this gap, we employ stable isotope labeling and mass spectrometry to measure the turnover of >120,000 peptidoforms including >33,000 phosphorylated, acetylated, and ubiquitinated peptides for >9,000 native proteins. This site-resolved protein turnover (SPOT) profiling discloses global and site-specific differences in turnover associated with the presence or absence of PTMs. While causal relationships may not always be immediately apparent, we speculate that PTMs with diverging turnover may distinguish states of differential protein stability, structure, localization, enzymatic activity, or protein-protein interactions. We show examples of how the turnover data may give insights into unknown functions of PTMs and provide a freely accessible online tool that allows interrogation and visualisation of all turnover data. The SPOT methodology is applicable to many cell types and modifications, offering the potential to prioritize PTMs for future functional investigations.

Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling: Practical Guidelines and Tutorial With a Convenient Online Tool for Mplus

Critics of positive psychology have questioned the validity of positive psychological assessment measures (PPAMs), which negatively affects the credibility and public perception of the discipline. Psychometric evaluations of PPAMs have shown that various instruments produce inconsistent factor structures between groups/contexts/times frames, that their predictive validity is questionable, and that popular PPAMs are culturally biased. Further, it would seem positive psychological researchers prioritize date-model-fit over measurement quality. To address these analytical challenges, more innovative and robust approaches toward the validation and evaluation of PPAMs are required to enhance the discipline's credibility and to advance positive psychological science. Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) has recently emerged as a promising alternative to overcome some of these challenges by incorporating the best elements from exploratory- and confirmatory factor analyses. ESEM is still a relatively novel approach, and estimating these models in statistical software packages can be complex and tedious. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide novice researchers with a practical tutorial on how to estimate ESEM with a convenient online tool for Mplus. Specifically, we aim to demonstrate the use of ESEM through an illustrative example by using a popular positive psychological instrument: the Mental Health Continuum-SF. By using the MHC-SF as an example, we aim to provide (a) a brief overview of ESEM (and different ESEM models/approaches), (b) guidelines for novice researchers on how to estimate, compare, report, and interpret ESEM, and (c) a step-by-step tutorial on how to run ESEM analyses in Mplus with the De Beer and Van Zy ESEM syntax generator. The results of this study highlight the value of ESEM, over and above that of traditional confirmatory factor analytical approaches. The results also have practical implications for measuring mental health with the MHC-SF, illustrating that a bifactor ESEM Model fits the data significantly better than any other theoretical model.

In silico ADME/Pharmacokinetic and Target Prediction Studies of Ethambutol as Drug Molecule

Background: The conventional approach for the development of any pharmaceutically active molecule is a time-consuming and costly process because the synthesis is followed by laboratory tests which are then followed by long clinical trials. Hence a faster approach is desired. This article discusses Ethambutol, a frontline anti-tubercular drug that has its properties predicted by the SwissADME tool and the results would be compared with the findings published in the literature. Objective: The main objective is to study the predicted and experimental ADME properties, compare them. As well as study the predicted targets and understand the use of SwissADME for designing other drug molecules. Method: SwissADME, an online tool for ADME prediction was used along with Swiss Target Prediction to understand the targets of the drug. Further, experimental data was obtained from the available scientific literature. Results: We found certain similarities between the predicted and experimental data. However, there were some variations, depending on the testing conditions. The results are interpreted ahead in the article. Conclusion: Ethambutol’s predicted ADME properties are discussed and as per findings from results, it can be concluded that other drug molecules can be similarly predicted using these tools. Also, based on predicted data we can reformulate and prepare some different preparations of the drug.

BioInfograph: An Online Tool to Design and Display Multi-Panel Scientific Figure Interactively

Many fit-for-purpose bioinformatics tools generate plots to interpret complex biological data and illustrate findings. However, assembling individual plots in different formats from various sources into one high-resolution figure in the desired layout requires mastery of commercial tools or even programming skills. In addition, it is a time-consuming and sometimes frustrating process even for a computationally savvy scientist who frequently takes a trial-and-error iterative approach to get satisfactory results. To address the challenge, we developed bioInfograph, a web-based tool that allows users to interactively arrange high-resolution images in diversified formats, mainly Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), to produce one multi-panel publication-quality composite figure in both PDF and HTML formats in a user-friendly manner, requiring no programming skills. It solves stylesheet conflicts of coexisting SVG plots, integrates a rich-text editor, and allows creative design by providing advanced functionalities like image transparency, controlled vertical stacking of plots, versatile image formats, and layout templates. To highlight, the sharable interactive HTML output with zoom-in function is a unique feature not seen in any other similar tools. In the end, we make the online tool publicly available at https://baohongz.github.io/bioInfograph while releasing the source code at https://github.com/baohongz/bioInfograph under MIT open-source license.

An Online Tool for Estimating Return-on-investment for Water Recycling at Nurseries

Water availability, quality, and management, particularly under climate change constraints and fierce competition for water resources, are challenging the sustainability of intensively irrigated nursery crops. We created an online tool to estimate costs and benefits of a water recycling investment at a commercial nursery, given data on the operation input by the user. The online tool returns a “regulatory risk score” based on the user’s drought and pollution risk. Then, using a partial budget approach, it returns net present value of the investment, upfront capital cost, and expected change in annual cash flow. The present article seeks to cross-validate this computer model with results reported in the case study literature. We aggregated data on 38 nurseries and greenhouses profiled in five published studies into a meta study dataset. These data validated the computer tool’s assumptions about the relationship of operation size to total capital cost. Separate simulations on the profitability effects of varying public water rates and price premia due to green marketing corroborated the findings of earlier studies. A major finding of the simulation analysis not previously emphasized in the literature is that capital cost and profit vary significantly with the precise method that is used to size the recapture pond. A “minimalist” approach to this decision is likely to be the most cost-effective, but growers should also keep stormwater runoff and other issues of environmental best practices in mind.

PARTICIPACE STUDENTŮ NA TVORBĚ PODPŮRNÝCH VÝUKOVÝCH MATERIÁLŮ V PŘEDMĚTU NĚMČINA PRO BANKOVNICTVÍ

The students of bachelor’s degree programmes at the Faculty of Economics of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and skills acquired in specialized subjects through additional specialized courses taught in German. The language courses in question aim to prepare students adequately for their professional career as well as to provide them with practical competences. This paper focuses on the students’ participation in creating the support materials in the German for Banking course. The graphics online tool called Canva was chosen to present the students’ projects. The individual students’ presentations were created in the form of interactive videos using EdPuzzle, another online tool. The popularity of online tools was also verified using a questionnaire.

Development of an Online Tool for Pasteurella multocida Genotyping and Genotypes of Pasteurella multocida From Different Hosts

Pasteurella multocida is a versatile zoonotic pathogen. Multiple systems have been applied to type P. multocida from different diseases in different hosts. Recently, we found that assigning P. multocida strains by combining their capsular, lipopolysaccharide, and MLST genotypes (marked as capsular: lipopolysaccharide: MLST genotype) could help address the biological characteristics of P. multocida circulation in different hosts. However, there is still lack of a rapid and efficient tool to diagnose P. multocida according to this system. Here, we developed an intelligent genotyping platform PmGT for P. multocida strains according to their whole genome sequences using the web 2.0 technologies. By using PmGT, we determined capsular genotypes, LPS genotypes, and MLST genotypes as well as the main virulence factor genes (VFGs) of P. multocida isolates from different host species based on their whole genome sequences published on NCBI. The results revealed a closer association between the genotypes and pasteurellosis rather than between genotypes and host species. With the advent of high-quality, inexpensive DNA sequencing, PmGT represents a more efficient tool for P. multocida diagnosis in both epidemiological studies and clinical settings.