Letter
Nutrition & Dietetics
Nobuyuki Horita, Shingo Kato, Daisuke Utsunomiya
Summary: The obesity paradox refers to the phenomenon where obese individuals have better life expectancy or fewer cardiovascular events in certain diseases. Collider bias is a plausible explanation, but its controversy remains. The use of appropriate analytical techniques is crucial in unraveling the nature of the obesity bias.
Review
Computer Science, Information Systems
Nicole G. Weiskopf, David A. Dorr, Christie Jackson, Harold P. Lehmann, Caroline A. Thompson
Summary: This article introduces collider bias, a common threat to internal validity in clinical research, and its relevance in the retrospective analysis of electronic health record (EHR) data. The tutorial is aimed at informaticians and other EHR data consumers without an epidemiological background, emphasizing the potential bias that may arise from conditioning on forms of healthcare utilization. Directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) are introduced as a tool for identifying potential sources of bias during study design and planning.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL INFORMATICS ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Chongyang Duan, Anca D. Dragomir, George Luta, Lutz P. Breitling
Summary: The study demonstrates the use of DAG-based data simulation to understand bias and compare data analytical strategies, using examples of classical confounding situations and M-DAG. It introduces basic concepts and features of regression analysis, as well as exploring potential uses of DAG-based data simulations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Siyang Cai, April Hartley, Osama Mahmoud, Kate Tilling, Frank Dudbridge
Summary: Genome-wide association studies have provided genetic markers that help adjust for confounding in epidemiological studies. This principle has also been applied to other forms of bias in observational studies, especially collider bias. Weak instrument bias is critical in this context, and a corrected weighted least-squares procedure is proposed to reduce this bias. Two data examples are used to illustrate the available methods.
GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Md Mobashir Hasan Shandhi, Peter J. Cho, Ali R. Roghanizad, Karnika Singh, Will Wang, Oana M. Enache, Amanda Stern, Rami Sbahi, Bilge Tatar, Sean Fiscus, Qi Xuan Khoo, Yvonne Kuo, Xiao Lu, Joseph Hsieh, Alena Kalodzitsa, Amir Bahmani, Arash Alavi, Utsab Ray, Michael P. Snyder, Geoffrey S. Ginsburg, Dana K. Pasquale, Christopher W. Woods, Ryan J. Shaw, Jessilyn P. Dunn
Summary: Mass surveillance testing is important for controlling infectious disease outbreaks, but there is a shortage of diagnostic tests globally. Researchers have developed an Intelligent Testing Allocation (ITA) method that uses continuous digital biomarkers to increase the positivity rate of COVID-19 diagnostic testing. They found that resting heart rate features can distinguish between positive and negative cases earlier than steps features.
NPJ DIGITAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Karen Fidanyan, Guoyuan Liu, Mariana Rossi
Summary: In this paper, the authors investigate the effects of molecular-electrode surface interactions on electrochemical processes. Specifically, they examine the water dissociation reaction on a Pd(111) electrode surface under an external electric field. Using density-functional theory and the nudged-elastic-band method, they calculate energy barriers and find that the lowest dissociation barrier occurs when two different geometries of the water molecule in the reactant state have equal stability. Surprisingly, they also find that the zero-point energy contributions to the reaction remain constant across different electric field strengths.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Ruth E. Mitchell, April E. Hartley, Venexia M. Walker, Apostolos Gkatzionis, James Yarmolinsky, Joshua A. Bell, Amanda H. W. Chong, Lavinia Paternoster, Kate Tilling, George Davey Smith
Summary: Genetic studies of disease progression can identify factors influencing survival and prognosis, while studies of disease incidence inform prevention strategies. However, disease progression studies are prone to collider bias. This paper reviews statistical methods to detect and adjust for this bias, applicable to genetic and Mendelian randomisation studies with both individual and summary-level data. Examples illustrate the application of these methods to investigate the effects of blood lipid traits on coronary heart disease mortality and the genetic associations with breast cancer mortality.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
P. Sturgis, J. Kuha
Summary: Recent general population surveys in Great Britain have provided highly variable estimates of problem gambling, ranging from 0.4% to 2.7% of adults. Differences in sampling and measurement methods between surveys contribute to this variability, with online surveys tending to produce higher estimates compared to in-person interviews.
Article
Thermodynamics
Lok Shun Chan
Summary: This study explores the potential of using condensate from an air-conditioning system to reduce heat gain and electricity consumption in buildings. The results show that this system can effectively lower the surface temperature of glazing panes and offer better thermal performance compared to conventional windows. It has promising prospects for real applications in commercial buildings.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Raju Kumar, Avinash Parashar
Summary: A hydrogel is a 3D cross-linked polymer network that can absorb water or biological fluid, and its thermal conductivity can be enhanced by increasing water content and optimizing the degree of polymerization. Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the thermal conductivity of PEGDA hydrogel, and the results showed that PEGDA-9 hydrogel with a lower degree of polymerization has a higher thermal conductivity than PEGDA-13 and PEGDA-23 hydrogels. Increasing water content improves the structural stability and compactness of polymer chains, leading to enhanced phonon transfer in PEGDA hydrogels.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Paul Brendel, Aracelis Torres, Onyebuchi A. Arah
Summary: Traditional multiple-bias adjustment involves adjusting for biases one at a time, while a novel alternative approach is to simultaneously adjust for all biases using imputation and/or regression weighting. A simulation study showed that using correct bias parameters can yield unbiased effect estimates, and even incorrect specification of bias parameters still resulted in less bias compared to observed biased effects. Simultaneous multi-bias analysis is a useful method to investigate and understand how multiple biases can affect initial effect estimates, enhancing the validity and transparency of real-world evidence obtained from observational, longitudinal studies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Magali Collonnaz, Marie-Line Erpelding, Francois Alla, Francois Goehringer, Francois Delahaye, Bernard Iung, Vincent Le Moing, Bruno Hoen, Christine Selton-Suty, Nelly Agrinier
Summary: This study used data from a French population-based cohort to compare the characteristics, survival rates, and prognostic factors between patients admitted directly to tertiary hospitals and those referred to tertiary hospitals. The results showed that referred patients were more likely to be males, have surgical indications, and had higher one-year survival rates, while prognostic factors and hazard ratios estimates varied across groups.
ANNALS OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Maija Walta, Heikki Laurikainen, Reetta-Liina Armio, Tiina From, Arvi Tolvanen, Raimo K. R. Salokangas, Jarmo Hietala
Summary: This study aimed to assess the representativeness of a sample in a first-episode psychosis study and found that the differences in clinical outcomes and treatment characteristics between non-participants and participants were relatively modest.
SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Theresa Henn, Oliver Posegga
Summary: This study analyzes the relationship between violence portrayed in digital news coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement and user attention on the social media platform Reddit. The results suggest that violent images do not significantly affect user attention, but negative article titles, the news outlet's political leanings and level of factual reporting, and platform affordances do.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zongwei Han, Da Xue, Haotian Wei, Qiang Ji, Xiaoqing Sun, Xiuming Li
Summary: This article proposes a composite air conditioning system to address the high energy consumption issue in data center cooling systems. Through establishing a simulation platform and verifying it with experiments, optimal operation control parameters are determined. The system can adjust condenser wind speed and refrigerant pump frequency to meet cooling requirements, and improve the working range and upper limit of outdoor temperature through evaporative cooling in the heat pipe mode.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Eiko I. Fried, Faidra Papanikolaou, Sacha Epskamp
Summary: A study on Dutch undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic found that anxiety, loneliness, and COVID-19-related concerns decreased initially, while depressive symptoms increased. Despite social-distancing measures, students did not change their frequency of in-person social activities.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
J. Jongerling, S. Epskamp, D. R. Williams
Summary: In the network approach to psychopathology, psychological constructs are conceptualized as networks of interacting components. This study compares estimation methods for symptom networks and finds that the Bayesian GLASSO performed better than the frequentist GLASSO in several measures of bias and specificity.
MULTIVARIATE BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Laura F. Bringmann, Casper Albers, Claudi Bockting, Denny Borsboom, Eva Ceulemans, Angelique Cramer, Sacha Epskamp, Markus Eronen, Ellen Hamaker, Peter Kuppens, Wolfgang Lutz, Richard J. McNally, Peter Molenaar, Pia Tio, Manuel C. Voelkle, Marieke Wichers
Summary: Network approaches to psychopathology have had a significant impact on how mental disorders are perceived in clinical psychology. This article brings together different perspectives from methodologists and clinicians to provide a critical overview of the challenges in integrating theory, empirical research, and clinical practice. The focus is on methodological issues related to temporal networks, including selecting and assessing network nodes, distinguishing between-and within-person effects, relating items measured at different time scales, and managing changes in network structures.
BEHAVIOUR RESEARCH AND THERAPY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Adela-Maria Isvoranu, Sacha Epskamp
Summary: This study compares the performance of different estimation algorithms for Gaussian and skewed ordered categorical data in various settings through large-scale simulation, and provides guidelines for empirical researchers in choosing estimation methods.
PSYCHOLOGICAL METHODS
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Alessandra C. Mansueto, Reinout W. Wiers, Julia C. M. van Weert, Barbara C. Schouten, Sacha Epskamp
Summary: Recent times have seen an increasing demand for personalized psychotherapy and tailored communication during treatment. This has led to the need to model the complex dynamics of mental disorders in individual patients. Time-series data can be collected through ecological momentary assessment and analyzed using the graphical vector autoregressive model to estimate personalized networks. These networks can be used to customize psychotherapy and provide personalized feedback to clients, making them a promising tool for clinical practice. However, it remains unclear whether these networks can be reliably estimated in clinical settings. A large-scale simulation study was conducted, and the results showed that sensitivity is low with sample sizes feasible for clinical practice. While the global network structure can be retrieved, the full network may not be recoverable. Estimating temporal networks is particularly challenging, and it is recommended to reduce the number of nodes to around six variables when using 75 and 100 observations. Full information maximum likelihood and the Kalman filter are effective in handling missing data, with planned missingness being a valid method. Methodological and clinical solutions to the challenges raised in this study are discussed.
PSYCHOLOGICAL METHODS
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Katarina Prnjak, Eiko Fried, Jonathan Mond, Phillipa Hay, Kay Bussey, Scott Griffiths, Nora Trompeter, Alexandra Lonergan, Deborah Mitchison
Summary: Desire for muscularity and desire for leanness are associated with both positive and negative aspects of body image disturbance, suggesting a multifaceted assessment of these concepts. Internalizing muscular and/or lean body ideals is more strongly related to eating disorder symptoms in males. Some components of drive for muscularity show negative associations with body image disturbance.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
(2022)
Review
Psychology, Clinical
Maarten W. J. van den Ende, Sacha Epskamp, Michael H. Lees, Han L. J. van der Maas, Reinout W. Wiers, Peter M. A. Sloot
Summary: This paper reviews and categorizes formal models of addiction, including psychological and social models. The authors argue that these models are too disjointed and recommend integrating intra- and inter-individual factors to unravel the complexities of addiction.
ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Julian Burger, Adela-Maria Isvoranu, Gabriela Lunansky, Jonas M. B. Haslbeck, Sacha Epskamp, Ria H. A. Hoekstra, Eiko I. I. Fried, Denny Borsboom, Tessa F. F. Blanken
Summary: Statistical network models for multivariate dependency structures in psychological data are gaining popularity, but there is little guidance on reporting standards for these techniques. This lack of reporting standards may lead to questionable reporting practices and a lack of transparency. In this article, the authors introduce reporting standards for network analyses in cross-sectional data and provide a tutorial and examples. These guidelines are aimed at researchers, reviewers, and journal editors to improve the reporting and transparency of network analyses.
PSYCHOLOGICAL METHODS
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Maj Hansen, Cherie Armour, Emily McGlinchey, Jana Ross, Sophie Lykkegaard Ravn, Tonny Elmose Andersen, Nanna Lindekilde, Mette Elmose, Sidsel Karsberg, Eiko Fried
Summary: This study is the first to investigate the combined network structure of PTSD symptoms according to both the DSM-5 and ICD-11 diagnostic systems. The results show that five symptoms hold central positions across two trauma samples and may be crucial for treatment.
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA-THEORY RESEARCH PRACTICE AND POLICY
(2023)
Letter
Environmental Studies
Claudio D. Rosa, Eiko I. Fried, Lincoln R. Larson, Silvia Collado
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Michael E. Aristodemou, Rogier A. Kievit, Aja L. Murray, Manuel Eisner, Denis Ribeaud, Eiko I. Fried
Summary: Mental disorders are a major contributor to the global disease burden, and understanding the structure of psychopathology is crucial for effective response. This study empirically compared two competing frameworks, dynamic-mutualism theory and common-cause theory, in explaining the development of psychopathology. Statistical models were applied to investigate changes in the general factor of psychopathology and depression. The results supported a multicausal approach to understanding psychopathology and highlighted the importance of translating theories into testable statistical models in clinical sciences.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Education & Educational Research
Ceren S. Abacioglu, Sacha Epskamp, Agneta H. Fischer, Monique Volman
Summary: Having positive and meaningful social connections is crucial for students, and it directly affects their engagement and educational achievement. However, interethnic tension still exists in schools, leading to lower educational attainment for ethnically-minoritized students. This study focused on the impact of multicultural curriculum and instruction on student outcomes, specifically considering the mediating role of peer relationships. The findings showed that, in classrooms with a low minoritized student concentration, peer relationships can mediate the effects of multicultural education on student engagement.
LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Educational
Jill de Ron, Marie Deserno, Donald Robinaugh, Denny Borsboom, Han L. J. van der Maas
Summary: This study presents an integrated formal model of typical and atypical development based on mutualism and resource competition mechanisms. The model extends the mutualistic network model by incorporating the dynamics of competition for limited resources, such as time and environmental factors. The proposed model generates patterns that resemble established phenomena in cognitive development, and provides avenues for future research.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Orla McBride, Jelle van Bezooijen, Steven H. Aggen, Kenneth S. Kendler, Eiko I. Fried
Summary: Large-scale mental health surveys often use a skip-out procedure, which limits the usefulness of the resulting data for research. In this study, the skip-out procedure was suspended to assess the impact on diagnosing major depressive disorder (MDD). Analyses revealed important differences in the associations between diagnostic criteria and symptoms, challenging the traditional approach. The study proposes alternative methods for future surveys to improve data quality.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND CLINICAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Jan Stochl, Eiko I. Fried, Jessica Fritz, Tim J. Croudace, Debra A. Russo, Clare Knight, Peter B. Jones, Jesus Perez
Summary: This study evaluated the multidimensionality and temporal measurement invariance of common measures of depression and anxiety, showing that while they are multidimensional instruments, sum scores can still be used as measures of severity. Researchers can compare sum scores across different time points with confidence.
