Analytical solution and meaning of feasible regions in two-component three-way arrays

- New theoretical data-modelling result: the development of an analytical solution.
- Direct (non-iterative) calculation of feasible regions for two-component three-way arrays.
- Self-modelling curve resolution techniques can exploit the micro details.
- The fine structure(s) of the chemical data can be interpreted.

Although many efforts have been directed to the development of approximation methods for determining the extent of feasible regions in two- and three-way data sets; analytical determination (i.e. using only finite-step direct calculation(s) instead of the less exact numerical ones) of feasible regions in three-way arrays has remained unexplored. In this contribution, an analytical solution of trilinear decomposition is introduced which can be considered as a new direct method for the resolution of three-way two-component systems. The proposed analytical calculation method is applied to the full rank three-way data array and arrays with rank overlap (a type of rank deficiency) loadings in a mode. Close inspections of the analytically calculated feasible regions of rank deficient cases help us to make clearer the information gathered from multi-way problems frequently emerged in physics, chemistry, biology, agricultural, environmental and clinical sciences, etc. These examinations can also help to answer, e.g., the following practical question: “Is two-component three-way data with proportional loading in a mode actually a three-way data array?” By the aid of the additional information resulted from the investigated feasible regions of two-component three-way data arrays with proportional profile in a mode, reasons for the inadequacy of the seemingly trilinear data treatment methods published in the literature (e.g., U-PLS/RBL-LD that was used for extraction of quantitative and qualitative information reported by Olivieri et al. (Anal. Chem. 82 (2010) 4510-4519)) could be completely understood.

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