BIOSZEN is an application for data analysis and visualization based on Excel input files. It can generate boxplots, bar plots, curve plots, violin plots, stacked plots, and correlation plots between parameters. The app includes normality tests such as Shapiro–Wilk, Kolmogorov–Smirnov, and Anderson–Darling, as well as significance tests including ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis, Student’s t-test, and the Wilcoxon test. In addition, BIOSZEN can extract microbial growth curve parameters:

• uMax: maximum specific growth rate estimated from the exponential phase.
• max_percap_time: mean time across the exponential-phase window used for uMax.
• doub_time: doubling time (ln(2) / uMax).
• lag_time: estimated lag phase duration before exponential growth.
• ODmax: maximum observed optical density (or measurement value).
• max_time: time at which ODmax occurs.
• AUC: area under the growth curve.

• R >= 4.1 (required; RStudio recommended for opening and reviewing scripts).
• Internet connection to install dependencies the first time.

• For new/basic users who do not already have the required software, open the bundled Download_R_and_RStudio.html to get the latest R (Windows/macOS/Linux) and RStudio Desktop links before running BIOSZEN.
• If you already downloaded R from the OS-specific buttons on that page (or directly from CRAN), jump straight to step 2 on the page to download RStudio.

1. Make sure R and RStudio are installed on your system (see links below if needed).
2. Download BIOSZEN-vX.Y.Z-bundle.zip from the Releases page and unzip it.
3. Inside the unzipped folder you will find two files:
   • BIOSZEN-vX.Y.Z.tar.gz (do not unpack this file).
   • App.R (launcher). Keep them together in the same folder.
4. To run with RStudio (recommended):
   • Open App.R in RStudio and click Source.
5. To run from the terminal:
   • Open Terminal/PowerShell in that folder and run Rscript App.R.
6. The app opens at http://127.0.0.1:4321.

The first time you launch BIOSZEN, it will download and install the required R packages and save them in a local folder called R_libs inside the BIOSZEN directory. Do not delete this folder. If R_libs is removed, BIOSZEN will need to download the dependencies again the next time you run it.

After this initial setup, BIOSZEN can run offline, as long as the R_libs folder remains in place.

• BIOSZEN-vX.Y.Z.tar.gz: BIOSZEN package used by the launcher (keep it next to App.R; do not unpack).
• App.R: cross-platform launcher for macOS and Windows.
• inst/app/www: user guides in English and Spanish.

Key app screens (full set in Gallery/screenshots/app):

• Home overview:
  
• Plot setup and layers:
  
• Correlation and statistics setup:
  
• Normality and significance options:
  
• Growth parameter extraction:
  

Plot examples (full set in Gallery/screenshots/plots):

• Boxplot:
  
• Growth curves:
  
• Correlation heatmap:
  

• Rscript not found: use the full path to Rscript or add R to PATH.
• Missing packages: check Internet access and review bioszen_r.log in the folder.
• macOS Gatekeeper: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine <folder>.
• Port 4321 in use: edit App.R and change shiny.port.

Szenfeld, B. (2026). BIOSZEN (1.0.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18217522

GPL-3.0.