Comparison of statistical software packages for finding a threshold limiting value in a dose-response relationships (Q1297840)

Abilities of four software packages (MANET, LispStat, S-Plus and XploRe) were investigated on data of relationships between dust concentration at the workplace and the occurrence of chronic bronchitis. The problem was to assess the threshold limiting value (TLV), i.e. the maximum concentration of the dust under which no negative impact is expected. MANET and LispStat were used for interactive exploratory analysis of the data, S-Plus and XploRe for fitting of a generalized logistic model. All the used methods provided similar values of TLV. The authors conclusion is that ``the four software packages augment each other for exploring and modeling data. All of them provide interactive features which enable the user to get insights into the data from different viewpoints.''.