Explaining prediction models and individual predictions with feature contributions

We present a sensitivity analysis-based method for explaining prediction models that can be applied to any type of classification or regression model. Its advantage over existing general methods is that all subsets of input features are perturbed, so interactions and redundancies between features are taken into account. Furthermore, when explaining an additive model, the method is equivalent to commonly used additive model-specific methods. We illustrate the method’s usefulness with examples from artificial and real-world data sets and an empirical analysis of running times. Results from a controlled experiment with 122 participants suggest that the method’s explanations improved the participants’ understanding of the model.     

Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of ReliefF and RReliefF

Relief algorithms are general and successful attribute estimators. They are able to detect conditional dependencies between attributes and provide a unified view on the attribute estimation in regression and classification. In addition, their quality estimates have a natural interpretation. While they have commonly been viewed as feature subset selection methods that are applied in prepossessing step before a model is learned, they have actually been used successfully in a variety of settings, e.g., to select splits or to guide constructive induction in the building phase of decision or regression tree learning, as the attribute weighting method and also in the inductive logic programming.A broad spectrum of successful uses calls for especially careful investigation of various features Relief algorithms have. In this paper we theoretically and empirically investigate and discuss how and why they work, their theoretical and practical properties, their parameters, what kind of dependencies they detect, how do they scale up to large number of examples and features, how to sample data for them, how robust are they regarding the noise, how irrelevant and redundant attributes influence their output and how different metrics influences them.     

On the applicability of the sessile drop method to quality assessment of surface layer of thermoplastic polymer materials

The paper addresses the application of a sessile drop method for the study of surface quality of thermoplastic polymer materials—polystyrene and polymethyl methacrylate—upon edge cutting machining. A correlation has been found between the thermal-physical state of their surface layer and the surface wettability. The method is demonstrated to be suitable for the assessment of thermodynamic stability of the surface layer structure of polymers during finishing operations in the manufacture of optical products.     

Dietary correction of nutrition status in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

Hygienic and dietology estimation of cereal breakfast (oat muesli and crispbread) were carried out on 137 irritable colon syndrome (SRK) patients with functional chronic constipation. It is established that inclusion of cereal breakfast in a diet of such patients positively influences on motor-evacuation function of digestive tract and promotes improvement of indicators of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. It is important for patients with overweight and type 2 diabetes. Positive improvements of research allow making a cereal breakfast use recommendations: muesli in number of 50 g/days (with milk or kefir), crispbread and crunchy snacks in number of 100 g/days in SRK patients with functional chronic constipation dietary nutrition.     

Relationship between pectin sorption on a MA-40 anion-exchange membrane and its structural characteristics

The sorption of pectins of different origin on a MA-40 anion-exchange membrane has been studied. It has been revealed that the dependence of specific sorption on equilibrium pectin concentration is step-like. A relationship between the structural characteristics of the membrane and the concentration of pectin sorbed on it in the solution and the molecular weight of pectin has been determined. The sorption process has been found to be most intense in the region of small nanopores of the membrane. The possibility in principle of regenerating the membranes from the sorbed pectin molecules has been shown.     

Coprecipitation of microamounts of cesium with precipitates of transition metal ferrocyanides in alkaline solutions

Experiments on coprecipitation of microamounts of Cs with precipitates of copper, nickel, and cobalt ferrocyanides in alkaline solutions showed that the dependences of the distribution coefficients (K _d) of ¹³⁷Cs on pH of the liquid phase have a pronounced maximum at pH 10.0 ± 0.2 (K _d ≈ 8 × 10⁵), 10.5 ± 0.2 (K _d ≈ 2 × 10⁶), and 10.6 ± 0.3 (K _d ≈ 5 × 10⁵), respectively. This phenomenon is associated with the formation of mixed precipitates of transition metal ferrocyanides and hydroxides, surpassing in the sorption characteristics the phases of the corresponding ferrocyanides. The mechanism of coprecipitation of microamounts of cesium with precipitates of transition metal ferrocyanides in alkaline solutions and the conditions of maximum recovery of cesium from solutions of various compositions were determined.     

The use of a primary culture of liver cells from rat embryos subjected to transplacental exposure to N-nitrosodiethylamine for the study of hepatocarcinogenesis promoters

Primary culture of rat embryonic liver cells subjected to transplacental effect of N-nitrosodiethylamine can be used for studying the influence of hepatocarcinogenesis promoters on different types of mixed culture cells.