Hello Everyone,

I am using PsN enabled SCM option in Pirana to analyze selection of covariates 
in the PK 2- Comp model. As long as I am using just linear and exponential 
covariate model, everything runs fine. However, as soon as I add power-model in 
the mix, "some" power models involving continuous covariates on parameters fail 
to run and it gives me the following error:
"HESSIAN OF POSTERIOR DENSITY IS NON-POSITIVE-DEFINITE DURING SEARCH"
I understand that individual PK parameter search might be moving into 0 or 
negative territory. I am trying to fix it but didn't have much success. I have 
set lower bounds, removed lower bounds, changed order of model in valid states 
option in scm configuration file, dataset doesn't contain any 0 or negative 
value, but nothing is working. FYI: I don't need to test hockey-stick relation 
as literature and data doesn't support it, power model can only be used on 
continuous covariates and I have turned on parallel states option.
This is how part of my scm results, followed by scm configuration file, 
followed by base model for PK 2-Comp looks like:

MODEL            TEST     BASE OFV     NEW OFV         TEST OFV (DROP)    GOAL  
   dDF    SIGNIFICANT PVAL
CLAGE-2          PVAL   2618.02603   2616.67228              1.35375  >   
3.84150    1              0.244620
CLAGE-5          PVAL   2618.02603   2616.36273              1.66330  >   
3.84150    1              0.197160
CLAGE-4          PVAL   2618.02603   2616.65232              1.37371  >   
3.84150    1              0.241180
CLBMI-2          PVAL   2618.02603   2612.96657              5.05946  >   
3.84150    1        YES!  0.024492
CLBMI-5          PVAL   2618.02603     FAILED                 FAILED  >   
3.84150    1                    999

SCM FILE:
"
search_direction=both
p_forward=0.05
p_backward=0.01
continuous_covariates=BMI,AGE
categorical_covariates=USER,SEX
parallel_states=1
retries=2
threads=6
tweak_inits=1
;;1-NotIncluded, 2-LINEAR, 3-Hockey Stick Relation, 4-Exponential, 5-Power
[test_relations]
CL=AGE,SEX,BMI,USER
V1=AGE,SEX,BMI,USER
V2=AGE,SEX,BMI,USER
Q=AGE,SEX,BMI,USER
[valid_states]
continuous = 1,2,5,4
categorical = 1,2
"
NONMEM Control Stream:

$SUBROUTINE ADVAN3 TRANS4

$PK

TVV1 = THETA(1)                             ;Central Volume of distribution in L
V1 = TVV1*EXP(ETA(1))
TVCL = THETA(2)
CL = TVCL*EXP(ETA(2))   ; Clearance L/h
TVQ = THETA(3)
Q = TVQ*EXP(ETA(3))     ;Intercompartment Clearance
TVV2 = THETA(4)
V2 = TVV2*EXP(ETA(4))   ;Peripheral volume in L
S1=V1

$ERROR
IPRED=F
Y= F + F*ERR(1); Proportional Error

$THETA
(0, 16); [V1] based on PK 2 Comp
(0, 255); [CL] based on PK 2 Comp
(0, 33.5); [Q]  based on PK 2 Comp
(0, 29.7); [V2] based on PK 2 Comp

$OMEGA
(0, 0.08); [P] omega(1,1)
(0, 0.159); [P] omega(2,2)
(0, 0.140); [P] omega(3,3)
(0, 0.19); [P] omega(4,4)

$SIGMA
(0, 0.06) ;sigma1

$EST METHOD=1 PRINT=5 MAXEVAL=9999 SIG=3 NOABORT


Regards,

Sumeet K. Singla
Ph.D. Candidate
Division of Pharmaceutics and Translational Therapeutics
College of Pharmacy | University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
sumeet-sin...@uiowa.edu<mailto:sumeet-sin...@uiowa.edu>
518.577.5881

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