Making Complex Prediction Rules Applicable for Readers: Current Practice in Random Forest Literature and Recommendations

Ideally, prediction rules (including classifiers as a special case) should be published in such a way that readers may apply them, for example to make predictions for their own data. While this is straightforward for simple prediction rules, such as those based on the logistic regression model, this is much more difficult for complex prediction rules derived by machine learning tools. We conducted a survey of articles reporting prediction rules that were constructed using the random forest algorithm and published in PLOS ONE in 2014-2015 with the aim to identify issues related to their applicability. The presented prediction rules were applicable in only 2 of 30 identified papers, while for further 8 prediction rules it was possible to obtain the necessary information by contacting the authors. Various problems, such as non-response of the authors, hampered the applicability of prediction rules in the other cases. Based on our experiences from the survey, we formulate a set of recommendations for authors publishing complex prediction rules to ensure their applicability for readers

Modelling the impact of spatial proximity on scientific collaboration networks

Busen H, Fuchs C. Modelling the impact of spatial proximity on scientific collaboration networks. In: Proceedings of the 35th International Workshop on Statistical Modelling (IWSM) 2020. 2020

Modeling of radon exhalation from soil influenced by environmental parameters

Yang J, Busen H, Scherb H, Hürkamp K, Guo Q, Tschiersch J. Modeling of radon exhalation from soil influenced by environmental parameters. Science of The Total Environment. 2018;656:1304-1311

Making complex prediction rules applicable for readers: Current practice in random forest literature and recommendations

Boulesteix A‐L, Janitza S, Hornung R, Probst P, Busen H, Hapfelmeier A. Making complex prediction rules applicable for readers: Current practice in random forest literature and recommendations. Biometrical Journal. 2018;61(5):1314-1328

Publisher Correction: Significant association of cutaneous adverse events with hydroxyurea: results from a prospective non-interventional study in BCR-ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) - on behalf of the German Study Group-MPN

Stegelmann F, Wille K, Marchi H, et al. Publisher Correction: Significant association of cutaneous adverse events with hydroxyurea: results from a prospective non-interventional study in BCR-ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) - on behalf of the German Study Group-MPN. Leukemia. 2021

Altered relaxation times in MRI indicate bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Förster K, Ertl-Wagner B, Ehrhardt H, et al. Altered relaxation times in MRI indicate bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Thorax. 2019;75(2):184-187.We developed a MRI protocol using transverse (T2) and longitudinal (T1) mapping sequences to characterise lung structural changes in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). We prospectively enrolled 61 infants to perform 3-Tesla MRI of the lung in quiet sleep. Statistical analysis was performed using logistic Group Lasso regression and logistic regression. Increased lung T2 relaxation time and decreased lung T1 relaxation time indicated BPD yielding an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.80. Results were confirmed in an independent study cohort (AUC 0.75) and mirrored by lung function testing, indicating the high potential for MRI in future BPD diagnostics.Trial registrationDRKS00004600.</jats:sec