************************************************************************ TreeAge Pro 2006 -- CANDIDATE Release 1.1 -- Notes 20 November 2006 ************************************************************************ Changes in v2006 release 1.1 (candidate, not final): * Extra payoff calculations -- If "Calc Extra Payoffs" setting was active, would use weights entered in preferences even if calculation method was not set to Multi-Attribute or Cost-Effectiveness with weighted costs. Fixed. * Influence Arc Edit dialog -- Influences menus partially hidden. Fixed. * Numeric Formatting dialog -- Save As Default button was not enabled. Also, influence diagram numeric formatting dialog not enabled. Fixed. * Add or Update Table/Excel module -- Table window not refreshing after updating from Excel's TreeAge menu. Fixed. * Excel exports -- Under some regional settings, TreeAge sometimes was not starting Excel or create temporary worksheets. Fixed. * Application window -- Double-clicking on a tree in Windows Explorer (e.g., on your desktop) will make the TreeAge window visible if it is minimized. * Formula Editor dialog -- Accepts "#" when editing probability field. ************************************************************************* Changes in v2006 release 1.0: (from v2006 release 0.4) * Custom payoff names -- A new calculation method preference allows custom names to be used for the 9 available payoff/rewards. The custom names are only used in the Enter Payoff, Markov Rewards, and Multi-Attribute Weights windows. (See EDIT > Preferences..., Calculation Method) * Variable categories -- New options are available for formatting (or hiding) separators between categories in the main tree window. (See VALUES > Variable Categories...) * Application window -- Double-clicking on a tree or other TreeAge document in Windows Explorer (e.g., on your desktop) no longer automatically opens a new TreeAge Pro application window. An existing TreeAge Pro window will be used, if available. * Properties grid -- If a node comment is entered for a node, it can be edited in the Properties grid. Also, the Properties grid handles navigation, scrolling, and EDIT > Copy/Paste Text commands better. * Debug pane -- An Actions menu has been added, including Clear, Find, Save, Copy, Font, and other commands. * Roll back columns -- A new preference allows a custom note to be displayed above rollback columns, if they are used. (See EDIT > Preferences..., Terminal Nodes) * Monte Carlo EVPI -- Changes in cost-effectiveness simulations: an EVPI curve can be generated in cost-effectiveness simulations (where EVPI or partial EVPI are reported in terms of Net Benefits) showing the sensitivity of the EVPI or pEVPI to a range of willingness- to-pay values; EVPI chart handles negative bars (e.g., if all strategies have negative Net Benefits; EVPI or pEVPI can be reported as either NHB or NMB. * Monte Carlo scatterplot -- Holding down the CTRL key while moving the mouse over either the CE or ICE scatterplot graph area will report the proportion of simulation results within a square centered on the mouse pointer. This is useful, for example, when trying to determine whether many identical results are stacked on the same point (e.g., the origin in the ICE scatterplot, where two strategies are equal). The size of the capture square can be changed in the Options dialog. Also, the text report can report a 7th component, for indifferent outcomes within a specified tolerance (default IC=0, IE=0). * Monte Carlo seeding options -- The "Independent" seed option works during simulations on multi-processor computers. Also, a fourth seeding option is added ("Start microsimulation loops with same seed...") which allows for variation/error reduction during 2- and 3-dimensional simulations (e.g., probabilistic sensitivity analysis or partial EVPI) which use microsimulation rather than EV calculations. This is in contrast to the other seeding options, where the position in the random number sequence changes from one set of trials to the next (and is only consistent between decision strategies in a single trial). Like the "Independent" method, the new microsimulation seeding method is also independent of the number of processors, strategies, and distributions. * Monte Carlo statistics -- The statistics report appends an additional statistic in one- dimensional microsimulations, reporting the sum of the reported tracker variables values. For example, if 5 iterations report T = 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, then the Sum statistic = 2. * Excel module -- Excel module’s TreeAge menu shows the name of the current tree, and can convert a text outline to tree (without creating/opening a text file in TreeAge Pro). Exporting values, reports and graphs provides an option to utilize an existing worksheet in the current workbook if it has the correct name. * Markov details report -- A new space-saving option in the Markov details report allows event trees to be turned off completely (still displays initial and final data for each state and stage). Also, if the Calculate extra payoffs tree preference is used, columns are displayed for extra reward sets. * Tracker variables -- Added a preference to enable tracker modifications for expected value calculations in regular trees. (Only works from right to left, in non-Markov tree calculations. Modifications will not be remembered from previous cycles in expected value Markov cohort calculations.) * Memory-intensive trees -- Large tree optimization preferences are collected in a new Preferences category, including a new preference for turning off variable calculation/search optimization in extremely large, memory-intensive models. (See EDIT > Preferences) * Clones -- One of the memory-intensive tree options enables some analyses to run without first unsuppressing/updating all clone copies, instead attempting to selectively unsuppress and resuppress parts of the tree during analysis to avoid exceeding available memory (and slowing down analysis). This now works for Markov microsimulations. Also, improvements made to the speed of some clone updates in large trees. * Text documents -- Text document window includes Find command for simple text searches. * Miscellanous changes -- Copying clipboard text (avoid adding extra carriage returns when copying/pasting within TreeAge labels, note boxes, etc.); Copy Special (better copying pictures of partial subtrees, for example to the right of Markov nodes or within clones); Tables (better text handling when pasting tab-delimited data into a table window, e.g. handles extra spaces after and between values); Markov termination (the Values > Markov Termination... command can be used with multiple nodes selected); Define Variable (define new or existing variable at multiple selected nodes, or default for tree if none selected, via the Variable Definitions window's Actions menu).