Violin Plots as Visual Tools in the Meta-Analysis of Single-Case Experimental Designs

Despite the existence of sophisticated statistical methods, systematic reviews regularly indicate that single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) are predominantly analyzed through visual tools. For the quantitative aggregation of results, different meta-analytical techniques are available, but specific visual tools for the meta-analysis of SCEDs are lacking. The present article therefore describes the use of violin plots as visual tools to represent the raw data. We first describe the underlying rationale of violin plots and their main characteristics. We then show how the violin plots can complement the statistics obtained in a quantitative meta-analysis. The main advantages of violin plots as visual tools in meta-analysis are (a) that they preserve information about the raw data from each study, (b) that they have the ability to visually represent data from different designs in one graph, and (c) that they enable the comparison of score distributions from different experimental phases from different studies

Assessing Consistency in Single-Case Data Features Using Modified Brinley Plots

The current text deals with the assessment of consistency of data features from experimentally similar phases and consistency of effects in single-case experimental designs. Although consistency is frequently mentioned as a critical feature, few quantifications have been proposed so far: namely, under the acronyms CONDAP (consistency of data patterns in similar phases) and CONEFF (consistency of effects). Whereas CONDAP allows assessing the consistency of data patterns, the proposals made here focus on the consistency of data features such as level, trend, and variability, as represented by summary measures (mean, ordinary least squares slope, and standard deviation, respectively). The assessment of consistency of effect is also made in terms of these three data features, while also including the study of the consistency of an immediate effect (if expected). The summary measures are represented as points on a modified Brinley plot and their similarity is assessed via quantifications of distance. Both absolute and relative measures of consistency are proposed: the former expressed in the same measurement units as the outcome variable and the latter as a percentage. Illustrations with real data sets (multiple baseline, ABAB, and alternating treatments designs) show the wide applicability of the proposals. We developed a user-friendly website to offer both the graphical representations and the quantifications

The assessment of consistency in single-case experiments: Beyond A-B-A-B designs

Quality standards for single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) recommend inspecting six data aspects: level, trend, variability, overlap, immediacy, and consistency of data patterns. The data aspect consistency has long been neglected by visual and statistical analysts of SCEDs despite its importance for inferring a causal relationship. However, recently a first quantification has been proposed in the context of A-B-A-B designs, called CONsistency of DAta Patterns (CONDAP). In the current paper, we extend the existing CONDAP measure for assessing consistency in designs with more than two successive A-B elements (e.g., A-BA-B-A-B), multiple baseline designs, and changing criterion designs. We illustrate each quantification with published research

A proposal for the assessment of replication of effects in single-case experimental designs

In science in general and in the context of single-case experimental designs, replication of the effects of the intervention within and/or across participants or experiments is crucial for establishing causality and for assessing the generality of the intervention effect. Specific developments and proposals for assessing whether an effect has been replicated or not (or to what extent) are scarce, in the general context of behavioral sciences, and practically null in the singlecase experimental designs context. We propose an extension of the modified Brinley plot for assessing how many of the effects replicate. To make this assessment possible, a definition of replication is suggested, on the basis of expert judgment, rather than on statistical criteria. The definition of replication and its graphical representation are justified, presenting their strengths and limitations, and illustrated with real data. A user-friendly software is made available for obtaining automatically the graphical representation

Assessing Consistency in Single-Case Alternation Designs

Consistency is one of the crucial single-case data aspects that are expected to be assessed visually, when evaluating the presence of an intervention effect. Complementarily to visual inspection, there have been recent proposals for quantifying the consistency of data patterns in similar phases and the consistency of effects for reversal, multiple-baseline, and changing criterion designs. The current text continues this line of research by focusing on alternation designs using block randomization. Specifically, three types of consistency are discussed: consistency of superiority of one condition over another, consistency of the average level across blocks, and consistency in the magnitude of the effect across blocks. The focus is put especially on the latter type of consistency, which is quantified on the basis of partitioning the variance, as attributed to the intervention, to the blocking factor or remaining as residual (including the interaction between the intervention and the blocks). Several illustrations with real and fictitious data are provided in order to make clear the meaning of the quantification proposed. Moreover, specific graphical representations are recommend for complementing the numerical assessment of consistency. A freely available user-friendly webpage is developed for implementing the proposal

Safe and effective use of lithium

Lithium has proven efficacy in the treatment of bipolar disorder, both for acute mania and long-term mood stabilisation and prophylaxis. It is also useful in combating treatment-resistant depression. Compared to other mood stabilisers, lithium has a favourable efficacy-tolerability balance. Lithium is underused due to active marketing of alternatives and concerns regarding adverse effects, tolerability, and the perception that regular monitoring is difficult

Ethyl 1-sec-butyl-2-(4-methoxy­phen­yl)-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxyl­ate

In the title mol­ecule, C21H24N2O3, the dihedral angle between the benzene and imidazole rings is 66.33 (13)°. The imidazole ring is essentially planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.004 (2) Å. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules are connected by weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the b axi

Direct inhibition of the DNA-binding activity of POU transcription factors Pit-1 and Brn-3 by selective binding of a phenyl-furan-benzimidazole dication

The development of small molecules to control gene expression could be the spearhead of future-targeted therapeutic approaches in multiple pathologies. Among heterocyclic dications developed with this aim, a phenyl-furan-benzimidazole dication DB293 binds AT-rich sites as a monomer and 5′-ATGA sequence as a stacked dimer, both in the minor groove. Here, we used a protein/DNA array approach to evaluate the ability of DB293 to specifically inhibit transcription factors DNA-binding in a single-step, competitive mode. DB293 inhibits two POU-domain transcription factors Pit-1 and Brn-3 but not IRF-1, despite the presence of an ATGA and AT-rich sites within all three consensus sequences. EMSA, DNase I footprinting and surface-plasmon-resonance experiments determined the precise binding site, affinity and stoichiometry of DB293 interaction to the consensus targets. Binding of DB293 occurred as a cooperative dimer on the ATGA part of Brn-3 site but as two monomers on AT-rich sites of IRF-1 sequence. For Pit-1 site, ATGA or AT-rich mutated sequences identified the contribution of both sites for DB293 recognition. In conclusion, DB293 is a strong inhibitor of two POU-domain transcription factors through a cooperative binding to ATGA. These findings are the first to show that heterocyclic dications can inhibit major groove transcription factors and they open the door to the control of transcription factors activity by those compounds

Ethyl 2-(4-meth­oxy­phen­yl)-1-[3-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)prop­yl]-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxyl­ate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C24H27N3O4, contains two mol­ecules, A and B. The benzimidazole rings are essentially planar [maximum deviations = 0.0144 (10) and 0.0311 (8) Å in A and B, respectively]. The dihedral angle between the benzimidazole mean plane and its attached benzene ring is 36.90 (5) ° for mol­ecule A and 51.40 (5) ° for mol­ecule B. In both mol­ecules, the pyrrolidine ring adopts an envelope conformation with a C atom as the flap. In molecule B, the flap C atom is disordered over two positions in a 0.711 (6):0.289 (6) ratio. In the crystal, C—H⋯O inter­actions link the mol­ecules, generating [100] chains. The crystal packing also features weak π–π inter­actions between the imidazole and benzene rings [centroid–centroid distances = 3.8007 (7) and 3.8086 (7) Å] and between the benzene rings [centroid–centroid distance = 3.7001 (7) Å] and C—H⋯π inter­actions involving the benzene rings