Impact Explorer & Heliogram™

The outer ring of the Heliogram™ visualizes statistical comparisons (one group compared to another) for each metabolite in the Discovery Panel. Select which comparison(s) to view by using the “Select Comparison” drop-down menu. Here you will see the group comparisons defined by your study design. You can select up to six comparisons to view at once, arranged and ordered by the sequence of their selection.

This slider allows you to adjust the limit of statistical significance (p-value) shown in the visualization and classification tables. Sliding to the right will widen the range of significance, while sliding to left will narrow the range to only the most statistically significant metabolites for the chosen comparison.

p-values for each comparison are derived from the natural log-transformed data using the corresponding statistical analysis (e.g., t-Test, ANOVA, etc.).

Use this drop-down to find or search for a particular metabolite or association from within the Discovery Panel. Once selected, the metabolite or association will be highlighted within the visualization.

Hovering over any heatmap square or metabolite circle brings that metabolite into view. A border appears around the heatmap squares, while all other squares fade into the background. A line (or set of lines) is drawn to connect the metabolite to its association(s). The center shows the name of the metabolite. Additionally, a table appears in the center that lists out the associations related to the selected metabolite. The table includes a percent significant (% sig) metric. This is calculated by taking all the metabolites related to the association (and not just the one hovered over) and all the comparisons within view and counting how many are significant. For example, if the association of ‘pathway a’ was associated with 2 metabolites and 6 comparisons were selected, the denominator would be 12 (2 x 6). The numerator would be calculated by taking how many of the 12 comparisons were significant, such as 3. This means the metric would show 3 / 12 or 25%. The purpose of this metric is to see if the metabolite hovered over has similar results to other related metabolites.

Hovering over an association circle or bar brings that association into view. A set of lines are drawn from the association to the related metabolites. The related metabolites are left full opacity, while everything else fades. The names of the metabolites are added around the outside of the visualization. The name of the association appears in the center. Additionally, a table appears listing out the associated metabolites. The table includes a ‘total significant’ metric. This is calculated by counting how many of the comparisons in view are significant (p-value less than p-value threshold). For example, if 3 of 6 were significant, the total significant would show 3.