28 NCA Parameter Dependencies

PKNCA resolves parameter dependencies automatically: when you request aucinf.obs, PKNCA internally ensures lambda.z is computed first because aucinf.obs depends on it. These dependencies are declared at registration time — every NCA parameter is registered via add.interval.col() with a depends vector naming the parameters that must be computed before it, and the full registry is accessible via get.interval.cols(). The graph below makes the whole dependency network explicit. It shows depends only: a secondary parameter’s inputs from its reference interval (declared with pknca_ref() in its formalsmap, such as the auclast that ratio.auclast reads from the reference interval) are not edges here.

28.1 Interactive dependency graph

# Get all registered interval columns (parameters)
cols <- get.interval.cols()

# Build edge list from the 'depends' field
edges <- lapply(names(cols), function(param) {
  deps <- cols[[param]]$depends
  if (length(deps) == 0) return(NULL)
  data.frame(from = deps, to = param, stringsAsFactors = FALSE)
}) |>
  bind_rows()

# All unique nodes
all_nodes <- unique(c(edges$from, edges$to, names(cols)))

# Assign category for coloring
categorize <- function(name) {
  case_when(
    grepl("^auc",       name) ~ "AUC",
    grepl("^lambda|half\\.life|r\\.squared", name) ~ "Half-life / λz",
    grepl("^cl\\.|^vz\\.|^vss|^kel", name) ~ "CL / Volume",
    grepl("^mrt",       name) ~ "MRT",
    grepl("^c(max|min|0|last|first)|^t(max|min|last|first|lag)|^clast", name) ~ "Cmax / Tmax",
    grepl("^f\\.|^ratio\\.|^ae|^fe|^clr|^er|^volpk", name) ~ "Secondary / Excretion",
    grepl("^tss",       name) ~ "Steady-state",
    TRUE ~ "Other"
  )
}

category_colors <- c(
  "AUC"                    = "#4e79a7",
  "Half-life / λz"         = "#f28e2b",
  "CL / Volume"            = "#e15759",
  "MRT"                    = "#76b7b2",
  "Cmax / Tmax"            = "#59a14f",
  "Secondary / Excretion"  = "#edc948",
  "Steady-state"           = "#b07aa1",
  "Other"                  = "#aaaaaa"
)

nodes <- data.frame(
  id    = all_nodes,
  label = all_nodes,
  group = categorize(all_nodes),
  stringsAsFactors = FALSE
)

graph <- visNetwork(nodes, edges,
           width = "100%", height = "700px",
           main = "PKNCA NCA Parameter Dependencies") |>
  visNodes(shape = "dot", size = 14,
           font = list(size = 12),
           borderWidth = 2) |>
  visEdges(arrows = "to",
           color  = list(color = "#aaaaaa", highlight = "#333333"),
           smooth = list(type = "cubicBezier")) |>
  visOptions(
    highlightNearest = list(enabled = TRUE, degree = 2, hover = TRUE),
    nodesIdSelection = list(enabled = TRUE, main = "Select parameter")
  ) |>
  visLegend(useGroups = TRUE, position = "right") |>
  visPhysics(stabilization = list(iterations = 200)) |>
  visLayout(randomSeed = 42)

# Register each category as a visNetwork group: nodes and legend swatches both
# take their color from the group definition, so they always match
for (grp in names(category_colors)) {
  graph <- visGroups(graph, groupname = grp, color = category_colors[[grp]])
}
graph

How to use this graph:

Click a parameter node to highlight its immediate dependencies and dependents
The “Select parameter” dropdown jumps to a specific node
Drag nodes to rearrange; scroll to zoom
Colors indicate parameter family (see legend)

28.2 Dependency table

For a text-based reference:

dep_table <- lapply(names(cols), function(param) {
  data.frame(
    parameter = param,
    depends_on = if (length(cols[[param]]$depends) == 0) "(none)"
                 else paste(cols[[param]]$depends, collapse = ", "),
    stringsAsFactors = FALSE
  )
}) |>
  bind_rows() |>
  arrange(parameter)

knitr::kable(dep_table, col.names = c("Parameter", "Depends on"))

Parameter	Depends on
adj.r.squared	half.life
adj_tobit_residual	half.life
ae	(none)
aucabove.predose.all	cstart
aucabove.trough.all	ctrough
aucall	(none)
aucall.dn	aucall
aucall_df	aucall
aucall_se	aucall
aucinf.obs	lambda.z, clast.obs
aucinf.obs.dn	aucinf.obs
aucinf.obs_df	aucinf.obs
aucinf.obs_se	aucinf.obs
aucinf.pred	lambda.z, clast.pred
aucinf.pred.dn	aucinf.pred
aucint.all	(none)
aucint.inf.obs	lambda.z, clast.obs
aucint.inf.pred	lambda.z, clast.pred
aucint.last	(none)
aucivall	aucall, c0
aucivall_df	aucivall
aucivall_se	aucivall
aucivinf.obs	aucinf.obs, c0, lambda.z, clast.obs
aucivinf.obs_df	aucivinf.obs
aucivinf.obs_se	aucivinf.obs
aucivinf.pred	aucinf.pred, c0, lambda.z, clast.pred
aucivint.all	aucint.all, c0
aucivint.last	aucint.last, c0
aucivlast	auclast, c0
aucivlast_df	aucivlast
aucivlast_se	aucivlast
aucivpbextall	aucall, aucivall
aucivpbextinf.obs	aucinf.obs, aucivinf.obs
aucivpbextinf.pred	aucinf.pred, aucivinf.pred
aucivpbextint.all	aucint.all, aucivint.all
aucivpbextint.last	aucint.last, aucivint.last
aucivpbextlast	auclast, aucivlast
auclast	(none)
auclast.dn	auclast
auclast_df	auclast
auclast_se	auclast
aucpext.obs	auclast, aucinf.obs
aucpext.pred	auclast, aucinf.pred
aumcall	(none)
aumcall.dn	aumcall
aumcall_df	aumcall
aumcall_se	aumcall
aumcinf.obs	lambda.z, clast.obs
aumcinf.obs.dn	aumcinf.obs
aumcinf.obs_df	aumcinf.obs
aumcinf.obs_se	aumcinf.obs
aumcinf.pred	lambda.z, clast.pred
aumcinf.pred.dn	aumcinf.pred
aumcint.all	(none)
aumcint.inf.obs	lambda.z, clast.obs
aumcint.inf.pred	lambda.z, clast.pred
aumcint.last	(none)
aumcivall	aumcall, c0
aumcivall_df	aumcivall
aumcivall_se	aumcivall
aumcivinf.obs	aumcinf.obs, c0, lambda.z, clast.obs
aumcivinf.obs_df	aumcivinf.obs
aumcivinf.obs_se	aumcivinf.obs
aumcivinf.pred	aumcinf.pred, c0, lambda.z, clast.pred
aumcivint.all	aumcint.all, c0
aumcivint.last	aumcint.last, c0
aumcivlast	aumclast, c0
aumcivlast_df	aumcivlast
aumcivlast_se	aumcivlast
aumclast	(none)
aumclast.dn	aumclast
aumclast_df	aumclast
aumclast_se	aumclast
c0	(none)
cav	auclast
cav.dn	cav
cav.int.all	aucint.all
cav.int.inf.obs	aucint.inf.obs
cav.int.inf.pred	aucint.inf.pred
cav.int.last	aucint.last
ceoi	(none)
cl.all	aucall
cl.int.all	aucint.all
cl.int.inf.obs	aucint.inf.obs
cl.int.inf.pred	aucint.inf.pred
cl.int.last	aucint.last
cl.iv.all	aucivall
cl.iv.last	aucivlast
cl.iv.obs	aucivinf.obs
cl.iv.pred	aucivinf.pred
cl.ivint.all	aucivint.all
cl.ivint.last	aucivint.last
cl.last	auclast
cl.obs	aucinf.obs
cl.pred	aucinf.pred
cl.sparse.last	sparse_auclast
clast.obs	(none)
clast.obs.dn	clast.obs
clast.pred	half.life
clast.pred.dn	clast.pred
clr.last	ae
clr.last.dn	clr.last
clr.obs	ae
clr.obs.dn	clr.obs
clr.pred	ae
clr.pred.dn	clr.pred
cmax	(none)
cmax.dn	cmax
cmin	(none)
cmin.dn	cmin
count_conc	(none)
count_conc_measured	(none)
cstart	(none)
ctrough	(none)
ctrough.dn	ctrough
deg.fluc	cmax, cmin, cav
end	(none)
erint	ae
erlst	(none)
ermax	(none)
ertlst	(none)
ertmax	(none)
f.int.all	totdose, aucint.all
f.int.last	totdose, aucint.last
f.int.obs	totdose, aucint.inf.obs
f.int.pred	totdose, aucint.inf.pred
f.last	totdose, auclast
f.obs	totdose, aucinf.obs
f.pred	totdose, aucinf.pred
fe	ae
half.life	tmax, tlast
kel.all	mrt.all
kel.int.all	mrt.int.all
kel.int.inf.obs	mrt.int.inf.obs
kel.int.inf.pred	mrt.int.inf.pred
kel.int.last	mrt.int.last
kel.iv.all	mrt.iv.all
kel.iv.last	mrt.iv.last
kel.iv.obs	mrt.iv.obs
kel.iv.pred	mrt.iv.pred
kel.ivint.all	mrt.ivint.all
kel.ivint.last	mrt.ivint.last
kel.last	mrt.last
kel.obs	mrt.obs
kel.pred	mrt.pred
kel.sparse.last	mrt.sparse.last
lambda.z	half.life
lambda.z.corrxy	half.life
lambda.z.n.points	half.life
lambda.z.n.points_blq	half.life
lambda.z.time.first	half.life
lambda.z.time.last	half.life
mrt.all	aucall, aumcall
mrt.int.all	aucint.all, aumcint.all
mrt.int.inf.obs	aucint.inf.obs, aumcint.inf.obs
mrt.int.inf.pred	aucint.inf.pred, aumcint.inf.pred
mrt.int.last	aucint.last, aumcint.last
mrt.iv.all	aucivall, aumcivall
mrt.iv.last	auclast, aumclast
mrt.iv.obs	aucinf.obs, aumcinf.obs
mrt.iv.pred	aucinf.pred, aumcinf.pred
mrt.ivint.all	aucivint.all, aumcivint.all
mrt.ivint.last	aucivint.last, aumcivint.last
mrt.ivmd.obs	auclast, aumclast, aucinf.obs
mrt.ivmd.pred	auclast, aumclast, aucinf.pred
mrt.last	auclast, aumclast
mrt.md.obs	auclast, aumclast, aucinf.obs
mrt.md.pred	auclast, aumclast, aucinf.pred
mrt.obs	aucinf.obs, aumcinf.obs
mrt.pred	aucinf.pred, aumcinf.pred
mrt.sparse.last	sparse_auclast, sparse_aumclast
ptr	cmax, ctrough
r.squared	half.life
ratio.aucinf.obs	aucinf.obs
ratio.aucinf.pred	aucinf.pred
ratio.aucint.all	aucint.all
ratio.aucint.last	aucint.last
ratio.auclast	auclast
ratio.cmax	cmax
span.ratio	half.life
sparse_auc_df	sparse_auclast
sparse_auc_se	sparse_auclast
sparse_auclast	(none)
sparse_aumc_df	sparse_aumclast
sparse_aumc_se	sparse_aumclast
sparse_aumclast	sparse_auclast
start	(none)
swing	cmax, cmin
tfirst	(none)
thalf.eff.iv.last	mrt.iv.last
thalf.eff.iv.obs	mrt.iv.obs
thalf.eff.iv.pred	mrt.iv.pred
thalf.eff.last	mrt.last
thalf.eff.obs	mrt.obs
thalf.eff.pred	mrt.pred
time_above	(none)
tlag	(none)
tlast	(none)
tmax	(none)
tmin	(none)
tobit_residual	half.life
totdose	(none)
volpk	(none)
vss.all	cl.all, mrt.all
vss.int.all	cl.int.all, mrt.int.all
vss.int.inf.obs	cl.int.inf.obs, mrt.int.inf.obs
vss.int.inf.pred	cl.int.inf.pred, mrt.int.inf.pred
vss.int.last	cl.int.last, mrt.int.last
vss.iv.all	cl.iv.all, mrt.iv.all
vss.iv.last	cl.last, mrt.iv.last
vss.iv.obs	cl.obs, mrt.iv.obs
vss.iv.pred	cl.pred, mrt.iv.pred
vss.ivint.all	cl.ivint.all, mrt.ivint.all
vss.ivint.last	cl.ivint.last, mrt.ivint.last
vss.ivmd.obs	cl.last, mrt.ivmd.obs
vss.ivmd.pred	cl.last, mrt.ivmd.pred
vss.last	cl.last, mrt.last
vss.md.obs	cl.last, mrt.md.obs
vss.md.pred	cl.last, mrt.md.pred
vss.obs	cl.obs, mrt.obs
vss.pred	cl.pred, mrt.pred
vss.sparse.last	cl.sparse.last, mrt.sparse.last
vz.all	cl.all, lambda.z
vz.int.all	cl.int.all, lambda.z
vz.int.inf.obs	cl.int.inf.obs, lambda.z
vz.int.inf.pred	cl.int.inf.pred, lambda.z
vz.int.last	cl.int.last, lambda.z
vz.iv.all	cl.iv.all, lambda.z
vz.iv.last	cl.iv.last, lambda.z
vz.iv.obs	cl.iv.obs, lambda.z
vz.iv.pred	cl.iv.pred, lambda.z
vz.ivint.all	cl.ivint.all, lambda.z
vz.ivint.last	cl.ivint.last, lambda.z
vz.last	cl.last, lambda.z
vz.obs	cl.obs, lambda.z
vz.pred	cl.pred, lambda.z
vz.sparse.last	cl.sparse.last, kel.sparse.last

28.3 Parameter-to-function mapping

Every interval parameter is computed by a function registered alongside it — usually named pk.calc.*() — and the registry entry returned by get.interval.cols() records that function name in its $FUN field, together with the parameter’s unit type and description. Where $FUN is NA, the parameter has no dedicated dense function: it is produced as part of another function’s output (for example, r.squared and lambda.z.time.first are returned by the same half-life fit that produces half.life, and auclast_se by the sparse estimator of auclast), it is calculated only by a sparse estimator in $FUN_sparse, or it is an interval boundary (start, end). Parameters with a sparse-specific estimator (≥ 0.13.0) record it in $FUN_sparse, shown in its own column below.

The table below is the complete index of the calculation API: every registered parameter, the functions that compute it, its unit type, and its description. To add your own parameter to this registry, see the Writing Custom Parameters chapter and the vignette Writing PKNCA Parameter Functions.

cols <- get.interval.cols()

fun_map <- data.frame(
  parameter = names(cols),
  # $FUN is a character function name, or logical NA when the parameter has no
  # dedicated function; as.character() coerces both to character
  fun       = vapply(cols, function(x) as.character(x$FUN), character(1)),
  fun_sparse = vapply(cols, function(x) as.character(x$FUN_sparse), character(1)),
  unit_type = vapply(cols, function(x) x$unit_type, character(1)),
  desc      = vapply(cols, function(x) x$desc, character(1)),
  stringsAsFactors = FALSE
) |>
  arrange(parameter)

knitr::kable(
  fun_map,
  row.names = FALSE,
  col.names = c("Parameter", "Function", "Sparse function", "Unit type", "Description")
)

Parameter	Function	Sparse function	Unit type	Description
adj.r.squared	NA	NA	unitless	Adjusted R-sq of half-life fit
adj_tobit_residual	NA	NA	unitless	Adjusted Tobit residual SD
ae	pk.calc.ae	NA	amount	Amount excreted (urine/feces)
aucabove.predose.all	pk.calc.aucabove	NA	auc	AUC above predose, floor at 0
aucabove.trough.all	pk.calc.aucabove	NA	auc	AUC above trough, floor at 0
aucall	pk.calc.auc.all	pk.calc.aucall_sparse	auc	AUClast plus triangle, 0 at BLQ
aucall.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	auc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized aucall
aucall_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUCall (sparse PK only)
aucall_se	NA	NA	auc	SE of AUCall (sparse PK only)
aucinf.obs	pk.calc.auc.inf.obs	pk.calc.aucinf.obs_sparse	auc	AUC start to inf, obs Clast extrap
aucinf.obs.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	auc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized aucinf.obs
aucinf.obs_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUCinf,obs (sparse PK only)
aucinf.obs_se	NA	NA	auc	SE of AUCinf,obs (sparse PK only)
aucinf.pred	pk.calc.auc.inf.pred	NA	auc	AUC start to inf, pred Clast extrap
aucinf.pred.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	auc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized aucinf.pred
aucint.all	pk.calc.aucint.all	NA	auc	AUC from T1 to T2 (AUCall extrap)
aucint.inf.obs	pk.calc.aucint.inf.obs	NA	auc	AUC from T1 to T2 (AUCinf,obs extrap)
aucint.inf.pred	pk.calc.aucint.inf.pred	NA	auc	AUC from T1 to T2 (AUCinf,pred extrap)
aucint.last	pk.calc.aucint.last	NA	auc	AUC from T1 to T2 (zero extrap)
aucivall	pk.calc.auciv	pk.calc.aucivall_sparse	auc	AUCall, IV back-extrap C0
aucivall_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUCall IV (sparse PK only)
aucivall_se	NA	NA	auc	SE of AUCall IV (sparse PK only)
aucivinf.obs	pk.calc.auciv	pk.calc.aucivinf.obs_sparse	auc	AUCinf,obs, IV back-extrap C0
aucivinf.obs_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUCinf,obs IV (sparse PK only)
aucivinf.obs_se	NA	NA	auc	SE of AUCinf,obs IV (sparse PK only)
aucivinf.pred	pk.calc.auciv	NA	auc	AUCinf,pred, IV back-extrap C0
aucivint.all	pk.calc.auciv	NA	auc	AUCint,all, IV back-extrap C0
aucivint.last	pk.calc.auciv	NA	auc	AUCint,last, IV back-extrap C0
aucivlast	pk.calc.auciv	pk.calc.aucivlast_sparse	auc	AUClast, IV back-extrap C0
aucivlast_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUClast IV (sparse PK only)
aucivlast_se	NA	NA	auc	SE of AUClast IV (sparse PK only)
aucivpbextall	pk.calc.auciv_pbext	NA	%	Back-extrap %, IV, AUCall
aucivpbextinf.obs	pk.calc.auciv_pbext	NA	%	Back-extrap %, IV, AUCinf,obs
aucivpbextinf.pred	pk.calc.auciv_pbext	NA	%	Back-extrap %, IV, AUCinf,pred
aucivpbextint.all	pk.calc.auciv_pbext	NA	%	Back-extrap %, IV, AUCint,all
aucivpbextint.last	pk.calc.auciv_pbext	NA	%	Back-extrap %, IV, AUCint,last
aucivpbextlast	pk.calc.auciv_pbext	NA	%	Back-extrap %, IV, AUClast
auclast	pk.calc.auc.last	pk.calc.auclast_sparse	auc	AUC start to last conc above LOQ
auclast.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	auc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized auclast
auclast_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUClast (sparse PK only)
auclast_se	NA	NA	auc	SE of AUClast (sparse PK only)
aucpext.obs	pk.calc.aucpext	NA	%	% AUCinf extrap after Tlast, obs
aucpext.pred	pk.calc.aucpext	NA	%	% AUCinf extrap after Tlast, pred
aumcall	pk.calc.aumc.all	pk.calc.aumcall_sparse	aumc	AUMClast plus triangle moment, 0 at BLQ
aumcall.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	aumc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized aumcall
aumcall_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUMCall (sparse PK only)
aumcall_se	NA	NA	aumc	SE of AUMCall (sparse PK only)
aumcinf.obs	pk.calc.aumc.inf.obs	pk.calc.aumcinf.obs_sparse	aumc	AUMC start to inf, obs Clast extrap
aumcinf.obs.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	aumc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized aumcinf.obs
aumcinf.obs_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUMCinf,obs (sparse PK only)
aumcinf.obs_se	NA	NA	aumc	SE of AUMCinf,obs (sparse PK only)
aumcinf.pred	pk.calc.aumc.inf.pred	NA	aumc	AUMC start to inf, pred Clast extrap
aumcinf.pred.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	aumc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized aumcinf.pred
aumcint.all	pk.calc.aumcint.all	NA	aumc	AUMC from T1 to T2 (AUMCall extrap)
aumcint.inf.obs	pk.calc.aumcint.inf.obs	NA	aumc	AUMC from T1 to T2 (AUMCinf,obs extrap)
aumcint.inf.pred	pk.calc.aumcint.inf.pred	NA	aumc	AUMC from T1 to T2 (AUMCinf,pred extrap)
aumcint.last	pk.calc.aumcint.last	NA	aumc	AUMC from T1 to T2 (zero extrap)
aumcivall	pk.calc.aumciv	pk.calc.aumcivall_sparse	aumc	AUMCall, IV back-extrap C0
aumcivall_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUMCall IV (sparse PK only)
aumcivall_se	NA	NA	aumc	SE of AUMCall IV (sparse PK only)
aumcivinf.obs	pk.calc.aumciv	pk.calc.aumcivinf.obs_sparse	aumc	AUMCinf,obs, IV back-extrap C0
aumcivinf.obs_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUMCinf,obs IV (sparse PK only)
aumcivinf.obs_se	NA	NA	aumc	SE of AUMCinf,obs IV (sparse PK only)
aumcivinf.pred	pk.calc.aumciv	NA	aumc	AUMCinf,pred, IV back-extrap C0
aumcivint.all	pk.calc.aumciv	NA	aumc	AUMCint,all, IV back-extrap C0
aumcivint.last	pk.calc.aumciv	NA	aumc	AUMCint,last, IV back-extrap C0
aumcivlast	pk.calc.aumciv	pk.calc.aumcivlast_sparse	aumc	AUMClast, IV back-extrap C0
aumcivlast_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUMClast IV (sparse PK only)
aumcivlast_se	NA	NA	aumc	SE of AUMClast IV (sparse PK only)
aumclast	pk.calc.aumc.last	pk.calc.aumclast_sparse	aumc	AUMC start to last conc above LOQ
aumclast.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	aumc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized aumclast
aumclast_df	NA	NA	count	DF for AUMClast (sparse PK only)
aumclast_se	NA	NA	aumc	SE of AUMClast (sparse PK only)
c0	pk.calc.c0	NA	conc	Initial conc after IV bolus
cav	pk.calc.cav	NA	conc	Avg conc in interval (AUClast)
cav.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	conc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized cav
cav.int.all	pk.calc.cav	NA	conc	Avg conc in interval (AUCint,all)
cav.int.inf.obs	pk.calc.cav	NA	conc	Avg conc in interval (AUCint,inf,obs)
cav.int.inf.pred	pk.calc.cav	NA	conc	Avg conc in interval (AUCint,inf,pred)
cav.int.last	pk.calc.cav	NA	conc	Avg conc in interval (AUCint,last)
ceoi	pk.calc.ceoi	NA	conc	Concentration at the end of infusion
cl.all	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	Clearance, AUCall
cl.int.all	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	Clearance, AUCint,all
cl.int.inf.obs	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	Clearance, AUCint,inf,obs
cl.int.inf.pred	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	Clearance, AUCint,inf,pred
cl.int.last	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	Clearance, AUCint,last
cl.iv.all	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	IV clearance, AUCall
cl.iv.last	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	IV clearance, AUClast
cl.iv.obs	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	IV clearance, AUCinf,obs
cl.iv.pred	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	IV clearance, AUCinf,pred
cl.ivint.all	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	IV clearance, AUCint,all
cl.ivint.last	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	IV clearance, AUCint,last
cl.last	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	Clearance, AUClast
cl.obs	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	Clearance, observed Clast
cl.pred	pk.calc.cl	NA	clearance	Clearance, predicted Clast
cl.sparse.last	NA	pk.calc.cl	clearance	Clearance, sparse AUClast
clast.obs	pk.calc.clast.obs	NA	conc	Last conc observed above LOQ
clast.obs.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	conc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized clast.obs
clast.pred	NA	NA	conc	Predicted Clast from half-life
clast.pred.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	conc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized clast.pred
clr.last	pk.calc.clr	NA	renal_clearance	Renal clearance, AUClast
clr.last.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	renal_clearance_dosenorm	Dose-normalized clr.last
clr.obs	pk.calc.clr	NA	renal_clearance	Renal clearance, AUCinf,obs
clr.obs.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	renal_clearance_dosenorm	Dose-normalized clr.obs
clr.pred	pk.calc.clr	NA	renal_clearance	Renal clearance, AUCinf,pred
clr.pred.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	renal_clearance_dosenorm	Dose-normalized clr.pred
cmax	pk.calc.cmax	NA	conc	Maximum observed concentration
cmax.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	conc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized cmax
cmin	pk.calc.cmin	NA	conc	Minimum observed concentration
cmin.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	conc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized cmin
count_conc	pk.calc.count_conc	NA	count	Count of non-missing conc
count_conc_measured	pk.calc.count_conc_measured	NA	count	Count of measured, non-BLQ conc
cstart	pk.calc.cstart	NA	conc	The predose concentration
ctrough	pk.calc.ctrough	NA	conc	Trough (end of interval) conc
ctrough.dn	pk.calc.dn	NA	conc_dosenorm	Dose-normalized ctrough
deg.fluc	pk.calc.deg.fluc	NA	%	Degree of fluctuation
end	NA	NA	time	End time of the interval (may be Inf)
erint	pk.calc.erint	NA	amount_time	Excretion rate from T1 to T2
erlst	pk.calc.erlst	NA	amount_time	Last measurable excretion rate
ermax	pk.calc.ermax	NA	amount_time	Maximum excretion rate
ertlst	pk.calc.ertlst	NA	time	Midpoint time of last excr rate
ertmax	pk.calc.ertmax	NA	time	Midpoint time of max excr rate
f.int.all	pk.calc.f	NA	fraction	Bioavailability from AUCint,all
f.int.last	pk.calc.f	NA	fraction	Bioavailability from AUCint,last
f.int.obs	pk.calc.f	NA	fraction	Bioavailability from AUCint,inf,obs
f.int.pred	pk.calc.f	NA	fraction	Bioavailability from AUCint,inf,pred
f.last	pk.calc.f	NA	fraction	Bioavailability from AUClast
f.obs	pk.calc.f	NA	fraction	Bioavailability from AUCinf,obs
f.pred	pk.calc.f	NA	fraction	Bioavailability from AUCinf,pred
fe	pk.calc.fe	NA	amount_dose	Fraction of dose excreted
half.life	pk.calc.half.life	NA	time	The (terminal) half-life
kel.all	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, MRTall
kel.int.all	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, MRTint,all
kel.int.inf.obs	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, MRTint,inf,obs
kel.int.inf.pred	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, MRTint,inf,pred
kel.int.last	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, MRTint,last
kel.iv.all	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, IV MRTall
kel.iv.last	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, IV MRTlast
kel.iv.obs	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, IV MRTobs
kel.iv.pred	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, IV MRTpred
kel.ivint.all	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, IV MRTint,all
kel.ivint.last	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, IV MRTint,last
kel.last	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, MRT via AUClast
kel.obs	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, MRT w/ obs Clast
kel.pred	pk.calc.kel	NA	inverse_time	Elim rate, MRT w/ pred Clast
kel.sparse.last	NA	pk.calc.kel	inverse_time	Elim rate, sparse MRTlast
lambda.z	NA	NA	inverse_time	Terminal elim rate (lambda.z)
lambda.z.corrxy	NA	NA	unitless	Corr(time,log-conc) for lambda.z
lambda.z.n.points	NA	NA	count	Number of points used, lambda.z
lambda.z.n.points_blq	NA	NA	count	BLQ points in Tobit lambda.z
lambda.z.time.first	NA	NA	time	First time point for lambda.z
lambda.z.time.last	NA	NA	time	Last time point for lambda.z
mrt.all	pk.calc.mrt	NA	time	MRT, AUCall/AUMCall
mrt.int.all	pk.calc.mrt	NA	time	MRT, interval AUCall/AUMCall
mrt.int.inf.obs	pk.calc.mrt	NA	time	MRT, interval AUCinf,obs/AUMCinf,obs
mrt.int.inf.pred	pk.calc.mrt	NA	time	MRT, interval AUCinf,pred/AUMCinf,pred
mrt.int.last	pk.calc.mrt	NA	time	MRT, interval AUClast/AUMClast
mrt.iv.all	pk.calc.mrt.iv	NA	time	IV MRT, AUCall/AUMCall
mrt.iv.last	pk.calc.mrt.iv	NA	time	IV MRT, AUClast/AUMClast
mrt.iv.obs	pk.calc.mrt.iv	NA	time	IV MRT, AUCinf,obs/AUMCinf,obs
mrt.iv.pred	pk.calc.mrt.iv	NA	time	IV MRT, AUCinf,pred/AUMCinf,pred
mrt.ivint.all	pk.calc.mrt.iv	NA	time	IV MRT, interval AUCall/AUMCall
mrt.ivint.last	pk.calc.mrt.iv	NA	time	IV MRT, interval AUClast/AUMClast
mrt.ivmd.obs	pk.calc.mrt.md.iv	NA	time	IV MRT, multi-dose, AUCinf,obs
mrt.ivmd.pred	pk.calc.mrt.md.iv	NA	time	IV MRT, multi-dose, AUCinf,pred
mrt.last	pk.calc.mrt	NA	time	MRT, AUClast/AUMClast
mrt.md.obs	pk.calc.mrt.md	NA	time	MRT, multi-dose AUCinf,obs/AUMCinf,obs
mrt.md.pred	pk.calc.mrt.md	NA	time	MRT, multi-dose AUCinf,pred/AUMCinf,pred
mrt.obs	pk.calc.mrt	NA	time	MRT to inf, observed Clast
mrt.pred	pk.calc.mrt	NA	time	MRT to inf, predicted Clast
mrt.sparse.last	NA	pk.calc.mrt	time	MRT, sparse AUClast/AUMClast
ptr	pk.calc.ptr	NA	fraction	Peak-to-trough ratio
r.squared	NA	NA	unitless	R-squared of half-life fit
ratio.aucinf.obs	pk.calc.ratio	NA	fraction	Ratio of AUCinf,obs to reference
ratio.aucinf.pred	pk.calc.ratio	NA	fraction	Ratio of AUCinf,pred to reference
ratio.aucint.all	pk.calc.ratio	NA	fraction	Ratio of AUCint,all to reference
ratio.aucint.last	pk.calc.ratio	NA	fraction	Ratio of AUCint,last to reference
ratio.auclast	pk.calc.ratio	NA	fraction	Ratio of AUClast to reference
ratio.cmax	pk.calc.ratio	NA	fraction	Ratio of Cmax to reference
span.ratio	NA	NA	fraction	Ratio of lambda.z time span to half-life
sparse_auc_df	NA	NA	count	DF for sparse AUC to last conc above LOQ
sparse_auc_se	NA	NA	auc	SE of sparse AUC to last conc above LOQ
sparse_auclast	NA	pk.calc.sparse_auclast	auc	Sparse AUC to last conc above LOQ
sparse_aumc_df	NA	NA	count	DF for sparse AUMClast
sparse_aumc_se	NA	NA	aumc	SE of sparse AUMC to last conc above LOQ
sparse_aumclast	NA	pk.calc.sparse_aumclast	aumc	Sparse AUMC to last conc above LOQ
start	NA	NA	time	Starting time of the interval
swing	pk.calc.swing	NA	%	Swing relative to Cmin
tfirst	pk.calc.tfirst	NA	time	Time of first conc above LOQ
thalf.eff.iv.last	pk.calc.thalf.eff	NA	time	Effective half-life, IV MRTlast
thalf.eff.iv.obs	pk.calc.thalf.eff	NA	time	Effective half-life, IV MRTobs
thalf.eff.iv.pred	pk.calc.thalf.eff	NA	time	Effective half-life, IV MRTpred
thalf.eff.last	pk.calc.thalf.eff	NA	time	Effective half-life, MRTlast
thalf.eff.obs	pk.calc.thalf.eff	NA	time	Effective half-life, MRTobs
thalf.eff.pred	pk.calc.thalf.eff	NA	time	Effective half-life, MRTpred
time_above	pk.calc.time_above	NA	time	Time above a given concentration
tlag	pk.calc.tlag	NA	time	Lag time
tlast	pk.calc.tlast	NA	time	Time of last conc above LOQ
tmax	pk.calc.tmax	NA	time	Time of maximum observed conc
tmin	pk.calc.tmin	NA	time	Time of minimum observed conc
tobit_residual	NA	NA	unitless	Tobit fit residual SD, log-conc
totdose	pk.calc.totdose	NA	dose	Total dose given in interval
volpk	pk.calc.volpk	NA	volume	Sum of urine volumes for interval
vss.all	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	Vss, calc from AUCall
vss.int.all	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	Vss, calc from interval AUCint,all
vss.int.inf.obs	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	Vss, calc from interval AUCint,inf,obs
vss.int.inf.pred	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	Vss, calc from interval AUCint,inf,pred
vss.int.last	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	Vss, calc from interval AUCint,last
vss.iv.all	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	IV Vss, calc from AUCall
vss.iv.last	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	IV Vss, calc from AUClast
vss.iv.obs	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	IV Vss, observed Clast
vss.iv.pred	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	IV Vss, predicted Clast
vss.ivint.all	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	IV Vss, calc from interval AUCint,all
vss.ivint.last	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	IV Vss, calc from interval AUCint,last
vss.ivmd.obs	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	IV Vss, multi-dose, obs
vss.ivmd.pred	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	IV Vss, multi-dose, pred
vss.last	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	Vss, calc from AUClast
vss.md.obs	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	Vss, multi-dose, obs
vss.md.pred	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	Vss, multi-dose, pred
vss.obs	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	Vss, observed Clast
vss.pred	pk.calc.vss	NA	volume	Vss, predicted Clast
vss.sparse.last	NA	pk.calc.vss	volume	Vss, calc from sparse AUClast
vz.all	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	Vz, AUCall-based CL
vz.int.all	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	Vz, interval AUCint,all
vz.int.inf.obs	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	Vz, interval AUCint,inf,obs
vz.int.inf.pred	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	Vz, interval AUCint,inf,pred
vz.int.last	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	Vz, interval AUCint,last
vz.iv.all	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	IV Vz, AUCall
vz.iv.last	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	IV Vz, AUClast
vz.iv.obs	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	IV Vz, observed AUCinf
vz.iv.pred	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	IV Vz, predicted AUCinf
vz.ivint.all	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	IV Vz, interval AUCint,all
vz.ivint.last	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	IV Vz, interval AUCint,last
vz.last	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	Vz, AUClast-based CL
vz.obs	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	Vz, observed Clast
vz.pred	pk.calc.vz	NA	volume	Vz, predicted Clast
vz.sparse.last	NA	pk.calc.vz	volume	Vz from sparse sampling

28.4 Dependency resolution

When you call pk.nca(), PKNCA sorts the registry internally with PKNCA:::sort_interval_cols() (unexported) to produce a topologically sorted execution order — parameters with no dependencies run first, then those that depend on already-computed values.

# Count the direct dependencies of each parameter
cols <- get.interval.cols()
dep_counts <- sapply(cols, function(x) length(x$depends))
all_deps <- data.frame(
  parameter  = names(dep_counts),
  n_depends  = unname(dep_counts)
) |>
  arrange(n_depends, parameter)

cat(sprintf("%d parameters have no dependencies (base parameters).\n", sum(all_deps$n_depends == 0)))

33 parameters have no dependencies (base parameters).

cat(sprintf("%d parameters have at least one dependency (derived parameters).\n\n", sum(all_deps$n_depends > 0)))

204 parameters have at least one dependency (derived parameters).

# Show only derived parameters
all_deps |>
  filter(n_depends > 0) |>
  knitr::kable(
    col.names = c("Parameter", "N dependencies"),
    caption   = "Derived parameters ordered by number of direct dependencies"
  )

Derived parameters ordered by number of direct dependencies
Parameter	N dependencies
adj.r.squared	1
adj_tobit_residual	1
aucabove.predose.all	1
aucabove.trough.all	1
aucall.dn	1
aucall_df	1
aucall_se	1
aucinf.obs.dn	1
aucinf.obs_df	1
aucinf.obs_se	1
aucinf.pred.dn	1
aucivall_df	1
aucivall_se	1
aucivinf.obs_df	1
aucivinf.obs_se	1
aucivlast_df	1
aucivlast_se	1
auclast.dn	1
auclast_df	1
auclast_se	1
aumcall.dn	1
aumcall_df	1
aumcall_se	1
aumcinf.obs.dn	1
aumcinf.obs_df	1
aumcinf.obs_se	1
aumcinf.pred.dn	1
aumcivall_df	1
aumcivall_se	1
aumcivinf.obs_df	1
aumcivinf.obs_se	1
aumcivlast_df	1
aumcivlast_se	1
aumclast.dn	1
aumclast_df	1
aumclast_se	1
cav	1
cav.dn	1
cav.int.all	1
cav.int.inf.obs	1
cav.int.inf.pred	1
cav.int.last	1
cl.all	1
cl.int.all	1
cl.int.inf.obs	1
cl.int.inf.pred	1
cl.int.last	1
cl.iv.all	1
cl.iv.last	1
cl.iv.obs	1
cl.iv.pred	1
cl.ivint.all	1
cl.ivint.last	1
cl.last	1
cl.obs	1
cl.pred	1
cl.sparse.last	1
clast.obs.dn	1
clast.pred	1
clast.pred.dn	1
clr.last	1
clr.last.dn	1
clr.obs	1
clr.obs.dn	1
clr.pred	1
clr.pred.dn	1
cmax.dn	1
cmin.dn	1
ctrough.dn	1
erint	1
fe	1
kel.all	1
kel.int.all	1
kel.int.inf.obs	1
kel.int.inf.pred	1
kel.int.last	1
kel.iv.all	1
kel.iv.last	1
kel.iv.obs	1
kel.iv.pred	1
kel.ivint.all	1
kel.ivint.last	1
kel.last	1
kel.obs	1
kel.pred	1
kel.sparse.last	1
lambda.z	1
lambda.z.corrxy	1
lambda.z.n.points	1
lambda.z.n.points_blq	1
lambda.z.time.first	1
lambda.z.time.last	1
r.squared	1
ratio.aucinf.obs	1
ratio.aucinf.pred	1
ratio.aucint.all	1
ratio.aucint.last	1
ratio.auclast	1
ratio.cmax	1
span.ratio	1
sparse_auc_df	1
sparse_auc_se	1
sparse_aumc_df	1
sparse_aumc_se	1
sparse_aumclast	1
thalf.eff.iv.last	1
thalf.eff.iv.obs	1
thalf.eff.iv.pred	1
thalf.eff.last	1
thalf.eff.obs	1
thalf.eff.pred	1
tobit_residual	1
aucinf.obs	2
aucinf.pred	2
aucint.inf.obs	2
aucint.inf.pred	2
aucivall	2
aucivint.all	2
aucivint.last	2
aucivlast	2
aucivpbextall	2
aucivpbextinf.obs	2
aucivpbextinf.pred	2
aucivpbextint.all	2
aucivpbextint.last	2
aucivpbextlast	2
aucpext.obs	2
aucpext.pred	2
aumcinf.obs	2
aumcinf.pred	2
aumcint.inf.obs	2
aumcint.inf.pred	2
aumcivall	2
aumcivint.all	2
aumcivint.last	2
aumcivlast	2
f.int.all	2
f.int.last	2
f.int.obs	2
f.int.pred	2
f.last	2
f.obs	2
f.pred	2
half.life	2
mrt.all	2
mrt.int.all	2
mrt.int.inf.obs	2
mrt.int.inf.pred	2
mrt.int.last	2
mrt.iv.all	2
mrt.iv.last	2
mrt.iv.obs	2
mrt.iv.pred	2
mrt.ivint.all	2
mrt.ivint.last	2
mrt.last	2
mrt.obs	2
mrt.pred	2
mrt.sparse.last	2
ptr	2
swing	2
vss.all	2
vss.int.all	2
vss.int.inf.obs	2
vss.int.inf.pred	2
vss.int.last	2
vss.iv.all	2
vss.iv.last	2
vss.iv.obs	2
vss.iv.pred	2
vss.ivint.all	2
vss.ivint.last	2
vss.ivmd.obs	2
vss.ivmd.pred	2
vss.last	2
vss.md.obs	2
vss.md.pred	2
vss.obs	2
vss.pred	2
vss.sparse.last	2
vz.all	2
vz.int.all	2
vz.int.inf.obs	2
vz.int.inf.pred	2
vz.int.last	2
vz.iv.all	2
vz.iv.last	2
vz.iv.obs	2
vz.iv.pred	2
vz.ivint.all	2
vz.ivint.last	2
vz.last	2
vz.obs	2
vz.pred	2
vz.sparse.last	2
deg.fluc	3
mrt.ivmd.obs	3
mrt.ivmd.pred	3
mrt.md.obs	3
mrt.md.pred	3
aucivinf.obs	4
aucivinf.pred	4
aumcivinf.obs	4
aumcivinf.pred	4

28.5 Querying dependents: `get.parameter.deps()`

get.parameter.deps() is the reverse lookup: given a parameter name, it returns that parameter and every parameter downstream of it — the ones whose results would be affected if you excluded or modified it.

get.parameter.deps("auclast")

 [1] "aucivall_df"       "aucivall_se"       "aucivinf.obs_df"  
 [4] "aucivinf.obs_se"   "aucivlast"         "aucivlast_df"     
 [7] "aucivlast_se"      "aucivpbextlast"    "auclast"          
[10] "auclast_df"        "auclast_se"        "auclast.dn"       
[13] "aucpext.obs"       "aucpext.pred"      "cav"              
[16] "cav.dn"            "cl.iv.last"        "cl.last"          
[19] "deg.fluc"          "f.last"            "kel.iv.last"      
[22] "kel.last"          "mrt.iv.last"       "mrt.ivmd.obs"     
[25] "mrt.ivmd.pred"     "mrt.last"          "mrt.md.obs"       
[28] "mrt.md.pred"       "ratio.auclast"     "thalf.eff.iv.last"
[31] "thalf.eff.last"    "vss.iv.last"       "vss.ivmd.obs"     
[34] "vss.ivmd.pred"     "vss.last"          "vss.md.obs"       
[37] "vss.md.pred"       "vz.iv.last"        "vz.last"

With recursive = TRUE (≥ 0.13.0) it goes the other way, following each dependency back to the raw inputs (conc, time, dose, …) and the arguments of the calculation functions along the way:

get.parameter.deps("cl.last", recursive = TRUE)

[1] "conc"    "dose"    "options" "time"

pkgdown reference: get.interval.cols() · add.interval.col() · get.parameter.deps()

28.1 Interactive dependency graph

28.2 Dependency table

28.3 Parameter-to-function mapping

28.4 Dependency resolution

28.5 Querying dependents: get.parameter.deps()

28.5 Querying dependents: `get.parameter.deps()`