Monday 5 – Tuesday 6 October 2020
Organisers:
Michael Tipton, University of Portsmouth, UK
Igor Mekjavic, Insitut Jozef Stefan, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Humans, other animals and engineering systems exhibit a wide range of individual responses to different stressors. Variability is ubiquitous, but we often choose to ignore it, hide it or delete it. Outliers are frequently removed from data sets and variability is hidden or ignored by use of summary statistics such as mean and mode.
The aim of this symposium was to consider when and how individual variability should be embraced as an important source of information. On the mornings of Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 October, physiologists, clinicians, statisticians and mathematicians gave examples of variability in data from a wide range of human, animal and engineering investigations. They then provided recommendations regarding research design and analytical methods that allow researchers to better understand, interpret, and learn from the variation in their data.
In addition to this online symposium, the organisers plan to run an in-person workshop in September 2021 where attendees will have the opportunity to work through their data sets with expert statisticians. Further information about this will be provided soon.
09:00 Individual variability in physiological responses to an intervention
Igor B. Mekjavic, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia and Michael J. Tipton, University of Portsmouth, UK
Chair: Igor B. Mekjavic, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
09:10 Individual variability in human performance under various stressors: The interplay of genes and environment
Maria Koskolou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
Co-authors: Panagiotis Miliotis1, Alexandros Sotiridis1 and Vassilis Klissouras1
1National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
09:30 Individual response to exercise training: Obvious and elusive
Anne Hecksteden, Saarland University, Germany
09:50 Individual variability in the response to heat and hypoxic adaptation, with particular reference to combined stressor approaches
Rebecca Rendell, Bournemouth University, UK
Co-authors: Alexandros Sotiridis1, Jo Corbett2, Michael J. Tipton2 and Igor B. Mekjavic3
1National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; 2University of Portsmouth, UK; 3Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
10:00 Q&A
Chair: Igor B. Mekjavic, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Session underpinned by ESA contract no. 4000124642/18/NL/PG/gm
10:10 A meta-analysis from Planica bed rest studies to investigate individual variability in skeletal muscle outcomes
Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalo, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Co-authors: Eric Rullman1, Adam C. McDonnell2, Liz Simpson3, Ian Macdonald3 and Igor B. Mekjavic2
1Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; 2Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3University of Nottingham, UK
10:30 Individual variability in the effect of hypoxic confinement on sleep architecture
Olivier Mairesse, Vrije University, Belgium
Co-authors: Helio Fernandez Telios1, Igor B. Mekjavic2 and Leja Dolenc-Grošelj3
1iMec, Belgium; 2Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia
10:40 Heterogeneity in the responses of oxidative function in vivo and ex vivo to normoxic and hypoxic bed rest
Desy Salvadego, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Co-authors: Bruno Grassi1, Michail E. Keramidas2, Ola Eiken2 and Igor B. Mekjavic3
1University of Udine, Italy; 2KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden; 3Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
10:50 Psychological status during hypoxic and normoxic inactivity/bed rest: Applying Bayesian statistics to the analysis of individual variability
Kunihito Tobita, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan and Adam C. McDonnell, Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia
Co-authors: Nektarios Stavrou1 and Igor B. Mekjavic2
1National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; 2Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
11:10 Q&A
Chair: Igor B. Mekjavic, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
11:20 Individual variation in the vascular response of individuals to thermal challenges
Jennifer Wright, University of Portsmouth, UK
Co-authors: Michael J. Tipton1, Heather Massey1 and Clare Eglin1
1University of Portsmouth, UK
11:30 Individual variation in an animal model of non-freezing cold injury
Clare Eglin, University of Portsmouth, UK
Co-authors: Lisa Martin1, Frank Golden1 and Michael J. Tipton1
1University of Portsmouth, UK
11:40 Q&A
Chair: Hugh Montgomery, University College London, UK
09:00 It’s a feature not a bug – Variability and machine learning
Lindsay Edwards, Astra Zeneca, UK
09:20 Heterogeneity in cancer and mortality outcomes among UK oil refinery and petroleum distribution workers
Clare Frobisher, University of Birmingham, UK
09:30 Adaptation to hypoxia: Variability is the key to life
Dan Martin, University of Plymouth, UK
09:40 Patient heterogeneity in the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 infection
Hugh Montgomery, University College London, UK
09:50 Q&A
Chair: Michael J. Tipton, University of Portsmouth, UK
10:00 Managing heterogeneity in the perception of thermal discomfort of workers in the manufacturing industry
Urša Ciuha, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Janez Žibert, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and Leonidas Ioannou, Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia
Co-authors: Andreas Flouris1 and Igor B. Mekjavic2
1University of Thessaly, Greece; 2Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
10:10 Quantifying the variation of measurement variability in fuel characteristics
Chris Gray, Energy Institute, UK
10:20 Q&A
Chair: Gordon Drummond, The University of Edinburgh, UK
10:30 Quantifying treatment response heterogeneity in parallel group trials
Alan Batterham, University of Teesside, UK
11:00 Quantifying treatment response heterogeneity in replicated crossover trials
Greg Atkinson, University of Teesside, UK