Through the remarkable progress in technology, it is getting easier and easier to generate vast amounts of variables from a given sample. The selection of variables is imperative for data reduction and for understanding the modeled relationship. Partial least squares (PLS) regression is among the modeling approaches that address high throughput data. A considerable list of variable selection methods has been introduced in PLS. Most of these methods have been reviewed in a recently conducted study. Motivated by this, we have therefore conducted a comparison of available methods for variable selection within PLS. The main focus of this study was to reveal patterns of dependencies between variable selection method and data properties, which can guide the choice of method in practical data analysis. To this aim, a simulation study was conducted with data sets having diverse properties like the number of variables, the number of samples, model complexity level, and information content. The results indicate that the above factors like the number of variables, number of samples, model complexity level, information content and variant of PLS methods, and their mutual higher‐order interactions all significantly define the prediction capabilities of the model and the choice of variable selection strategy.

Din, J. U., H. Ali, A. Ali, M. Younus, T. Mehmood, Y. Norma-Rashid, and M. A. Nawaz. 2017. Pastoralist-predator interaction at the roof of the world: Conflict dynamics and implications for conservation. Ecology and Society 22(2):32. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-09348-220232

This research work was carried out to assess the variations in the chemical composition, yield, antibacterial and haemolytic activities of hydro-distilled peel essential oils from unripe and ripened limon [Citrus limon(L.) Osbeck] fruit. The extracted essential oil yield from unripe fruit peel (1.79 %) is slightly lower as compared to the ripened fruit peel oil (1.81 %). By GC/MS analysis, 14 compounds were identified in unripe while 11 components in ripened lemon peel essential oil (LPEO). The major components identified in unripe lemon peel essential oil were caryophyllene oxide (16.791 %) followed by 3-cyclohexene-1-methanol (11.463 %), 2-isoprpenyl-5-metyhlhex-4-enal (10.174 %), limonene (9.649 %) and β-citral (8.323 %) whereas ripened LPEO contained α-Terpineol as major compound (38.497 %) followed by 2,6-octadienal-3,7-dimethyl (9.981 %) and limonene (9.195 %). Both the isolated lemon peel essential oils (LPEOs) exhibited considerable antibacterial activity against E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus with no cytotoxic effects. Overall, a significant variation in the yield, volatiles composition and biological activities of LPEOs were observed that can be linked to lemon fruit ripening stages.