MethodsXPub Date : 2024-08-16DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102915
Getahun Bekele Debele , Kassahun Ture Beketie
{"title":"Modeling the spatially varying effects of biophysical factors on land surface temperature","authors":"Getahun Bekele Debele , Kassahun Ture Beketie","doi":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102915","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102915","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A growing number of studies have investigated how land surface temperature (LST) is influenced by a variety of driving factors; however, little effort has been made to identify the dominant ones. The suggested method used the Upper Awash Basin (UAB), Ethiopia, as an example to explore the spatial heterogeneity and factors affecting LST, which is critical for selecting effective mitigation strategies to manage the thermal environment. The study employed two models: ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR). The OLS model was first used to capture the overall relationship between LST and some biophysical factors. The GWR was then utilized to investigate the spatial non-stationary relationships between LST and its influencing biophysical factors. Although the method was tested in UAB, Ethiopia, it can be applied in similar agroecosystems, to identify the dominant factors that influence LST and develop site-specific LST mitigation strategies.</p><ul><li><span>•</span><span><p>The OLS and GWR models investigated the spatial heterogeneities of the influencing factors and LST.</p></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><p>Biophysical parameters such as enhanced vegetation index (EVI), modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI), normalized difference built-up index (NDBI), normalized difference bareness index (NDBaI), albedo and elevation were used as potential driving environmental factors of LST</p></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><p>The models performance was computed using the adjusted coefficient of determination (adj. R<sup>2</sup>), Akaike Information Criterion (AICc), and residual sum of squares (RSS).</p></span></li></ul></div>","PeriodicalId":18446,"journal":{"name":"MethodsX","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 102915"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215016124003662/pdfft?md5=bfdbbd52cb65a0eaddb443543fee41f6&pid=1-s2.0-S2215016124003662-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142012332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Optimal interpolation approach for groundwater depth estimation","authors":"Kalid Hassen Yasin , Tadele Bedo Gelete , Anteneh Derribew Iguala , Erana Kebede","doi":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102916","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102916","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In arid and semi-arid regions where surface water resources are scarce, groundwater is crucial. Accurate mapping of groundwater depth is vital for sustainable management practices. This study evaluated the performance of three spatial interpolation techniques – inverse distance weighting (IDW), ordinary kriging (OK), and radial basis functions (RBF) – in predicting groundwater depth distribution across Dire Dawa City, Ethiopia. The results demonstrated the superiority of the RBF method, exhibiting the lowest RMSE (3.21 m), MAE (0.16 m), and the highest R<sup>2</sup> (0.99) compared to IDW and OK. The IDW method emerged as the next best performer (RMSE = 4.68 m, MAE = 0.16 m, R<sup>2</sup>= 0.97), followed by OK (RMSE = 5.32 m, MAE = 0.42 m, R<sup>2</sup>= 0.95). The RBF's superior accuracy aligns with findings from other semi-arid regions, underscoring its suitability for data-scarce areas like Dire Dawa. This comparative evaluation provides valuable insights for selecting the optimal interpolation method for groundwater depth mapping, supporting informed decision-making in local water resource management.</p><p>The methodological approach comprised:</p><ul><li><span>•</span><span><p>Implementation of three interpolation techniques, namely, inverse distance weighting (IDW), ordinary kriging (OK), and radial basis functions (RBF), utilizing 56 groundwater depth measurements from locations dispersed throughout the study area.</p></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><p>Cross-validation through randomly withholding 20 % of the data for validation purposes.</p></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><p>Comparison of the techniques based on statistical measures of accuracy, including root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and the coefficient of determination (R<sup>2</sup>).</p></span></li></ul></div>","PeriodicalId":18446,"journal":{"name":"MethodsX","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 102916"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215016124003674/pdfft?md5=59bf641cfc567c651f1a94e4e4fb8134&pid=1-s2.0-S2215016124003674-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142040682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MethodsXPub Date : 2024-08-15DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102918
E. Martínez-Bautista , D. Ibarra-González , J. Arzúa , M.A. González-Fernández , L.R. Alejano
{"title":"An improvement in the method of correcting indirect radial strain measurements during triaxial strength tests in rocks","authors":"E. Martínez-Bautista , D. Ibarra-González , J. Arzúa , M.A. González-Fernández , L.R. Alejano","doi":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102918","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102918","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The present article provides an improvement in the method to correct indirect strain measurements in triaxial compressive strength tests through axial displacement and hydraulic fluid volume change measurements. The improvement focused on reducing the parameters of the formula proposed for indirect volumetric strain in the original method, thereby facilitating the development of a simpler formula in which the radial strain depends on only two parameters: the initial volume of the rock specimen and the volume changes of the hydraulic fluid for each instant. The comparison between the improvement proposed, and original method resulted in a mean absolute difference of 0.003.</p><ul><li><span>•</span><span><p>This improvement does not depend on the axial strain, unlike the original method, which requires correcting the indirect axial strain measurements before correcting the indirect radial strain measurements.</p></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><p>This improvement can be useful for research on the stress-strain behavior of intact rock under laboratory conditions, such as in the study of the post-peak state.</p></span></li></ul></div>","PeriodicalId":18446,"journal":{"name":"MethodsX","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 102918"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215016124003698/pdfft?md5=2f700416fd22c7d5b540f6b6ffbfe4ff&pid=1-s2.0-S2215016124003698-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142012329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MethodsXPub Date : 2024-08-14DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102914
Nipapan Kanjana , Muhammad Afaq Ahmed , Zhongjian Shen , Yuyan Li , Lisheng Zhang
{"title":"Optimization of the determination of volatile organic compounds in plant tissue and soil samples: Untargeted metabolomics of main active compounds","authors":"Nipapan Kanjana , Muhammad Afaq Ahmed , Zhongjian Shen , Yuyan Li , Lisheng Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102914","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102914","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This review critically assesses the determination of low molecular weight volatiles by different methods, providing context for the development of suitable techniques to determine volatile content in plant tissue and soil samples as well as the associated analytical challenges. Although sensitive analytical methods have been reported in recent decades, studies on their application in modern investigative techniques are lacking. Herein, the latest sampling methods in volatile biochemistry, current advancements in the understanding of these analytes, and the significance of these findings for other types of volatiles are summarized. Gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, ion chromatography, thin-film microextraction, and real-time monitoring techniques are discussed and critically determined. This review concerns the methods most suitable for future research in this area.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":18446,"journal":{"name":"MethodsX","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 102914"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215016124003650/pdfft?md5=1413f92a0099cb08df182dfad7c33de2&pid=1-s2.0-S2215016124003650-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142040030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MethodsXPub Date : 2024-08-14DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102887
Sushma R B , Manjula G R , Manjula C. Belavagi
{"title":"A Mellin transform based video steganography with improved resistance to deep learning steganalysis for next generation networks","authors":"Sushma R B , Manjula G R , Manjula C. Belavagi","doi":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102887","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102887","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the era of 5 G network advancements, the potential for extremely robust, less-latency, and huge-capacity communication opens up new perspective for multimedia. Steganography enables embedding of sensitive data within multimedia files, making it unreadable to unauthorized third parties. Notably, when using videos as cover, the capacity for data embedding is substantially increased. Recent developments in steganography have largely revolved around modified versions of transform domain techniques. Due to this repetitiveness, it becomes easier for steganalytic tools in detecting concealed data. Addressing this issue, our paper introduces an innovative data embedding approach MARVIS based on the Mellin transform. The superiority of the proposed approach is exhibited using the metrics, MSE, PSNR, and SSIM. MARVIS has achieved PSNR of 50–60 dB and SSIM of 0.9998 for embedding 4 bits of secret data, outperforming other methods that achieve 40 dB for 1 bit. By quadrupling stego capacity, we can embed more secret data per pixel without compromising the integrity of the cover object.</p><ul><li><span>•</span><span><p>MARVIS utilizes phase modulation for data embedding, offering advantages beyond traditional frequency domain techniques which use frequency domain for data embedding.</p></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><p>The effectiveness of the proposed data embedding approach is validated through Y-Net, a deep learning-based steganalysis tool<em>.</em></p></span></li></ul></div>","PeriodicalId":18446,"journal":{"name":"MethodsX","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 102887"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221501612400339X/pdfft?md5=6634e5561f0e2e51c29e4d7c4a13954e&pid=1-s2.0-S221501612400339X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142083489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MethodsXPub Date : 2024-08-13DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102895
Sudip Samanta , Sandip Sarkar , Kaushik Kayal
{"title":"Cancer model and its possible control—A Z-type control approach","authors":"Sudip Samanta , Sandip Sarkar , Kaushik Kayal","doi":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102895","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102895","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper investigates the dynamics of a three-dimensional nonlinear cancer model involving interactions among cancer cells, normal cells, and immune cells. By performing a linear stability analysis of the equilibria and investigating the Hopf bifurcation in relation to the immune cell growth rate, we reveal the possibility of chaotic behavior when radiation is absent. However, with the appropriate implementation of radiotherapy, the cancer model demonstrates stable solutions, transitioning from chaotic oscillations through period-halving bifurcation. Additionally, we propose and examine an indirect Z-control mechanism within the cancer model. Our findings indicate that using the indirect Z-controller on the immune population successfully manages chaos and adjusts the cancer cell density to a desired level. Through extensive investigation, we demonstrate the robustness of the Z-controller in managing oscillations and provide insights into determining the minimum number of immune cells needed to achieve a predetermined cancer cell density. This study underscores the importance of control mechanisms in mitigating cancer progression and highlights the potential of Z-control for therapeutic intervention strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":18446,"journal":{"name":"MethodsX","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 102895"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215016124003479/pdfft?md5=adedd04bb666e0dd90157528122478a3&pid=1-s2.0-S2215016124003479-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142040686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MethodsXPub Date : 2024-08-13DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102909
Jonas Röttger, Rick Aalbers
{"title":"DisclosuR: Advancing firm communication analysis through an innovative R package for enhanced textual insights","authors":"Jonas Röttger, Rick Aalbers","doi":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102909","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102909","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Firm and executive written communication allows researchers to explore firm strategy and executive personality. Two data sources have received increased interest in this matter: firm press releases and earnings call transcripts. However, while researchers can obtain these data sources through services like LexisNexis, they often come in unstructured formats that do not directly allow fine-grained quantitative analysis through statistical software. To address this challenge, we developed <em>disclosuR</em>, an innovative R package that transforms unstructured PDF press releases and earnings call transcripts into structured data frames, facilitating advanced text analysis. disclosuR stands out by providing unique features such as speaker-level language analysis and identifying temporal communication patterns within press releases. These functionalities empower researchers to conduct granular and reproducible quantitative analyses, significantly advancing the management literature. By enabling the seamless integration of text data into R, our package not only enhances the reproducibility of social science research but also opens new avenues for examining executive communication dynamics and strategic firm disclosures.</p><ul><li><span>•</span><span><p>Convert LexisNexis PDFs to structured R data frames</p></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><p>Standardize text analysis of firm communication</p></span></li></ul></div>","PeriodicalId":18446,"journal":{"name":"MethodsX","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 102909"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215016124003613/pdfft?md5=db26612514181bbeab6a151542970365&pid=1-s2.0-S2215016124003613-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142012330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MethodsXPub Date : 2024-08-13DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102908
Lobke P. De la Ruelle , Annemarie de Zoete , Raymond Ostelo , G. Ardine de Wit , Marianne H. Donker , Sidney M. Rubinstein
{"title":"The DECISION project: DiscrEte Choice experIment Spinal manipulative therapy for lOw back paiN: A study protocol","authors":"Lobke P. De la Ruelle , Annemarie de Zoete , Raymond Ostelo , G. Ardine de Wit , Marianne H. Donker , Sidney M. Rubinstein","doi":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102908","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102908","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The smallest worthwhile effect (SWE) is the smallest beneficial effect of an intervention that justifies the costs, risks, and inconveniences. The objective is to establish the SWE of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) for the treatment of low back pain (LBP), and to gain insight into how different attributes of the treatment are traded among each other when choosing SMT. Part 1. A mixed-methods study will be conducted to establish and prioritize a list of attributes influencing choices for those who consider SMT for the treatment of LBP. Individual interviews and consensus groups with chiropractors, manual therapists, and osteopaths and their patients will be conducted. Interviews and consensus groups will be voice-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Part 2. A Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) will be conducted among people with LBP who have limited to no experience with SMT. Participants will be recruited through an online independent panel company. The survey will consist of several choice sets with attributes and their levels established from Part 1. The DCE will be preceded by a short survey to understand the clinical aspects (i.e. presentation, history and previous treatment for LBP) as well as socio-demographic characteristics of the participants.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":18446,"journal":{"name":"MethodsX","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 102908"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215016124003601/pdfft?md5=4c8367158fbdaee365e2a9441e6c2514&pid=1-s2.0-S2215016124003601-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142012333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MethodsXPub Date : 2024-08-13DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102891
Lucile Marty , Fanny Teil , Christine Lange , Valentin Bellassen , Michel Visalli
{"title":"Development and validation of a web application to collect food supply data associated with their nutritional composition and environmental impacts","authors":"Lucile Marty , Fanny Teil , Christine Lange , Valentin Bellassen , Michel Visalli","doi":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102891","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102891","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Measuring what people eat is a major methodological challenge. We developed and validated a new web-based method to record actual food supply data that would be less time consuming than the original method (i.e., food supply diary). Through the COD-Appro web application, participants can enter their food supplies by selecting a food item from a list based on items included in French food databases; thus automatically associated with nutrient composition and environmental impacts data. We recruited 102 participants who used COD-Appro during one month, among which 30 also used a classical paper-based food supply diary to be able to compare the two methods. A feedback questionnaire was completed by all the participants. The two methods showed no difference between the price and the quantity of food purchases when compared by food groups (<em>n</em> = 10) which confirms that the new method was robust compared to the original method. In addition, participants reported good usability of the COD-Appro web application and its use saved a considerable amount of time to the experimenters by integrating data entry and pairing with food databases (nutrient composition and environmental impacts) into the data collection step performed by the participants themselves.</p><ul><li><span>•</span><span><p>Web-based food supply data collection</p></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><p>Association with nutrient composition and environmental impacts</p></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><p>External validity compared to original method (i.e., food supply diary)</p></span></li></ul></div>","PeriodicalId":18446,"journal":{"name":"MethodsX","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 102891"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215016124003431/pdfft?md5=f1871510641f6b8e7facc8abbe25138d&pid=1-s2.0-S2215016124003431-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142040685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MethodsXPub Date : 2024-08-13DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102907
Joacim Näslund, Thomas A.B. Staveley, Erik Petersson
{"title":"Standardized intermittent shoreline boat electrofishing for slow-flowing rivers in Sweden","authors":"Joacim Näslund, Thomas A.B. Staveley, Erik Petersson","doi":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102907","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mex.2024.102907","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Electrofishing is a common method for sampling fish in rivers. In Sweden, electrofishing has a long history, dating back to the 1950s, but the vast majority of surveys have been conducted by wading in shallow river stretches, leaving a data gap for non-wadable rivers. Boat electrofishing allows for surveys in deeper river sections, but limited numbers of operational electrofishing boats have led to standardisation of methods not being prioritized within Swedish water management. This method protocol describes the first Swedish standardised method for boat electrofishing, based on intermittent shoreline sampling in larger slow-flowing rivers. The paper describes:</p><ul><li><span>•</span><span><p>General methodology for boat electrofishing operation</p></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><p>Data collection protocols</p></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><p>Discussion of current caveats for the method</p></span></li></ul>In the future, the methodology will be amended to cover a wider array of river types (e.g. faster flowing river sections). Hence, readers are advised to look for updates to the protocol.</div>","PeriodicalId":18446,"journal":{"name":"MethodsX","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 102907"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215016124003595/pdfft?md5=80e4c7edb6748080bcd2c40799d758a8&pid=1-s2.0-S2215016124003595-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141993832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}