CircaCompare

CircaCompare estimates and compares mesor, amplitude, and phase of 24-hour circadian rhythms by parametrizing and fitting cosinusoidal curves to observed data.

Key Features:

• Parametrization of Cosinusoidal Curves: Employs a parametrization to model 24-hour circadian data and explicitly estimate three rhythmic parameters: mesor (rhythm-adjusted mean), amplitude (extent of variation), and phase (timing of peak expression).
• Statistical Significance Testing: Provides a framework for simultaneous statistical testing of mesor, amplitude, and phase differences by calculating P-values.
• Comparison with Existing Methods: Has been evaluated on publicly available datasets and compared against DODR (Detection of Oscillations in Data using Regression), demonstrating enhanced sensitivity in detecting differences in rhythmic parameters.

Scientific Applications:

• Comparative Studies: Facilitates comparison of circadian rhythms across different biological samples or experimental conditions.
• Longitudinal vs. Cross-sectional Data Analysis: Applies to both longitudinal and cross-sectional data by providing statistical tools tailored for rhythmic analysis.
• Enhanced Sensitivity in Detection: Enables detection of subtle differences in circadian patterns that may have biological significance.

Methodology:

Parametrizes and fits cosinusoidal curves to observed 24-hour data to estimate mesor, amplitude, and phase, computes P-values for simultaneous testing of these parameters, and evaluates performance against DODR using publicly available datasets.