Download or read book Selection Bias and Covariate Imbalances in Randomized Clinical Trials written by Vance Berger and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2007-10-22 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Selection bias can, and does, occur, even in randomized clinical trials. Steps need to be taken in order to ensure that this does not compromise the integrity of clinical trials; hence “Selection Bias and Covariate Imbalances in Randomized Clinical Trials” offers a comprehensive treatment of the subject and the methodology involved. This book: Provides an overview of the hierarchy of study designs, and justifies the position of randomised trials at the top of this hierarchy. Discusses the strengths and defects of randomisation, and provides real evidence to justify concern regarding its defects. Outlays the damaging consequences that selection bias causes when it does occur. Considers courses of action that can be taken to manage/ contain the problem. Presents methods that can be used to detect selection bias in randomised trials, and methods to correct for selection bias. Concludes by providing a comprehensive plan for managing baseline imbalances and selection bias in randomised trials, and proposing open problems for future research. Illustrated with case studies, this book introduces groundbreaking ideas and research that will be invaluable to researchers and practitioners who design and analyse clinical trials. It will also be of interest to graduate students within the field of biostatistics.
Download or read book Anthropic Bias written by Nick Bostrom and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-10-11 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Anthropic Bias explores how to reason when you suspect that your evidence is biased by "observation selection effects"--that is, evidence that has been filtered by the precondition that there be some suitably positioned observer to "have" the evidence. This conundrum--sometimes alluded to as "the anthropic principle," "self-locating belief," or "indexical information"--turns out to be a surprisingly perplexing and intellectually stimulating challenge, one abounding with important implications for many areas in science and philosophy. There are the philosophical thought experiments and paradoxes: the Doomsday Argument; Sleeping Beauty; the Presumptuous Philosopher; Adam & Eve; the Absent-Minded Driver; the Shooting Room. And there are the applications in contemporary science: cosmology ("How many universes are there?", "Why does the universe appear fine-tuned for life?"); evolutionary theory ("How improbable was the evolution of intelligent life on our planet?"); the problem of time's arrow ("Can it be given a thermodynamic explanation?"); quantum physics ("How can the many-worlds theory be tested?"); game-theory problems with imperfect recall ("How to model them?"); even traffic analysis ("Why is the 'next lane' faster?"). Anthropic Bias argues that the same principles are at work across all these domains. And it offers a synthesis: a mathematically explicit theory of observation selection effects that attempts to meet scientific needs while steering clear of philosophical paradox.
Download or read book Econometrics written by John Eatwell and published by Springer. This book was released on 1990-02-23 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an excerpt from the 4-volume dictionary of economics, a reference book which aims to define the subject of economics today. 1300 subject entries in the complete work cover the broad themes of economic theory. This extract concentrates on econometrics.
Download or read book Applying Quantitative Bias Analysis to Epidemiologic Data written by Timothy L. Lash and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-04-14 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bias analysis quantifies the influence of systematic error on an epidemiology study’s estimate of association. The fundamental methods of bias analysis in epi- miology have been well described for decades, yet are seldom applied in published presentations of epidemiologic research. More recent advances in bias analysis, such as probabilistic bias analysis, appear even more rarely. We suspect that there are both supply-side and demand-side explanations for the scarcity of bias analysis. On the demand side, journal reviewers and editors seldom request that authors address systematic error aside from listing them as limitations of their particular study. This listing is often accompanied by explanations for why the limitations should not pose much concern. On the supply side, methods for bias analysis receive little attention in most epidemiology curriculums, are often scattered throughout textbooks or absent from them altogether, and cannot be implemented easily using standard statistical computing software. Our objective in this text is to reduce these supply-side barriers, with the hope that demand for quantitative bias analysis will follow.
Download or read book Microeconometrics written by Steven Durlauf and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-06-07 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Specially selected from The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics 2nd edition, each article within this compendium covers the fundamental themes within the discipline and is written by a leading practitioner in the field. A handy reference tool.
Download or read book Confounding and Selection Bias in Case Control Studies written by Roderick J. A. Little and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Developing a Protocol for Observational Comparative Effectiveness Research A User s Guide written by Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (U.S.) and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 2013-02-21 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This User’s Guide is a resource for investigators and stakeholders who develop and review observational comparative effectiveness research protocols. It explains how to (1) identify key considerations and best practices for research design; (2) build a protocol based on these standards and best practices; and (3) judge the adequacy and completeness of a protocol. Eleven chapters cover all aspects of research design, including: developing study objectives, defining and refining study questions, addressing the heterogeneity of treatment effect, characterizing exposure, selecting a comparator, defining and measuring outcomes, and identifying optimal data sources. Checklists of guidance and key considerations for protocols are provided at the end of each chapter. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews. More more information, please consult the Agency website: www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov)
Download or read book Methods in Social Epidemiology written by J. Michael Oakes and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2006-05-11 with total page 507 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social epidemiology is the study of how social interactions—social norms, laws, institutions, conventia, social conditions and behavior—affect the health of populations. This practical, comprehensive introduction to methods in social epidemiology is written by experts in the field. It is perfectly timed for the growth in interest among those in public health, community health, preventive medicine, sociology, political science, social work, and other areas of social research. Topics covered are: Introduction: Advancing Methods in Social Epidemiology The History of Methods of Social Epidemilogy to 1965 Indicators of Socioeconomic Position Measuring and Analyzing 'Race' Racism and Racial Discrimination Measuring Poverty Measuring Health Inequalities A Conceptual Framework for Measuring Segregation and its Association with Population Outcomes Measures of Residential Community Contexts Using Census Data to Approximate Neighborhood Effects Community-based Participatory Research: Rationale and Relevance for Social Epidemiology Network Methods in Social Epidemiology Identifying Social Interactions: A Review, Multilevel Studies Experimental Social Epidemiology: Controlled Community Trials Propensity Score Matching Methods for Social Epidemiology Natural Experiments and Instrumental Variable Analyses in Social Epidemiology and Using Causal Diagrams to Understand Common Problems in Social Epidemiology. "Publication of this highly informative textbook clearly reflects the coming of age of many social epidemiology methods, the importance of which rests on their potential contribution to significantly improving the effectiveness of the population-based approach to prevention. This book should be of great interest not only to more advanced epidemiology students but also to epidemiologists in general, particularly those concerned with health policy and the translation of epidemiologic findings into public health practice. The cause of achieving a ‘more complete’ epidemiology envisaged by the editors has been significantly advanced by this excellent textbook." —Moyses Szklo, professor of epidemiology and editor-in-chief, American Journal of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University "Social epidemiology is a comparatively new field of inquiry that seeks to describe and explain the social and geographic distribution of health and of the determinants of health. This book considers the major methodological challenges facing this important field. Its chapters, written by experts in a variety of disciplines, are most often authoritative, typically provocative, and often debatable, but always worth reading." —Stephen W. Raudenbush, Lewis-Sebring Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Chicago "The roadmap for a new generation of social epidemiologists. The publication of this treatise is a significant event in the history of the discipline." —Ichiro Kawachi, professor of social epidemiology, Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard University "Methods in Social Epidemiology not only illuminates the difficult questions that future generations of social epidemiologists must ask, it also identifies the paths they must boldly travel in the pursuit of answers, if this exciting interdisciplinary science is to realize its full potential. This beautifully edited volume appears at just the right moment to exert a profound influence on the field." —Sherman A. James, Susan B. King Professor of Public Policy Studies, professor of Community and Family Medicine, professor of African-American Studies, Duke University
Download or read book Modern Epidemiology written by Kenneth J. Rothman and published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. This book was released on 2008 with total page 776 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The thoroughly revised and updated Third Edition of the acclaimed Modern Epidemiology reflects both the conceptual development of this evolving science and the increasingly focal role that epidemiology plays in dealing with public health and medical problems. Coauthored by three leading epidemiologists, with sixteen additional contributors, this Third Edition is the most comprehensive and cohesive text on the principles and methods of epidemiologic research. The book covers a broad range of concepts and methods, such as basic measures of disease frequency and associations, study design, field methods, threats to validity, and assessing precision. It also covers advanced topics in data analysis such as Bayesian analysis, bias analysis, and hierarchical regression. Chapters examine specific areas of research such as disease surveillance, ecologic studies, social epidemiology, infectious disease epidemiology, genetic and molecular epidemiology, nutritional epidemiology, environmental epidemiology, reproductive epidemiology, and clinical epidemiology.
Download or read book Selection Bias in Evaluating Treatment Effects written by Arthur Stanley Goldberger and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Research Design in Political Science written by T. Gschwend and published by Springer. This book was released on 2007-10-23 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When embarking on a new research project students face the same core research design issues. This volume provides readers with practical guidelines for both qualitative and quantitative designs, discusses the typical trade-offs involved in choosing them and is rich in examples from actual research.
Download or read book Corrections for Sample Selection Bias written by Stephen Barnes Dunbar and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions written by Julian P. T. Higgins and published by Wiley. This book was released on 2008-11-24 with total page 672 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Healthcare providers, consumers, researchers and policy makers are inundated with unmanageable amounts of information, including evidence from healthcare research. It has become impossible for all to have the time and resources to find, appraise and interpret this evidence and incorporate it into healthcare decisions. Cochrane Reviews respond to this challenge by identifying, appraising and synthesizing research-based evidence and presenting it in a standardized format, published in The Cochrane Library (www.thecochranelibrary.com). The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions contains methodological guidance for the preparation and maintenance of Cochrane intervention reviews. Written in a clear and accessible format, it is the essential manual for all those preparing, maintaining and reading Cochrane reviews. Many of the principles and methods described here are appropriate for systematic reviews applied to other types of research and to systematic reviews of interventions undertaken by others. It is hoped therefore that this book will be invaluable to all those who want to understand the role of systematic reviews, critically appraise published reviews or perform reviews themselves.
Download or read book Bias and Causation written by Herbert I. Weisberg and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-01-06 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A one-of-a-kind resource on identifying and dealing with bias in statistical research on causal effects Do cell phones cause cancer? Can a new curriculum increase student achievement? Determining what the real causes of such problems are, and how powerful their effects may be, are central issues in research across various fields of study. Some researchers are highly skeptical of drawing causal conclusions except in tightly controlled randomized experiments, while others discount the threats posed by different sources of bias, even in less rigorous observational studies. Bias and Causation presents a complete treatment of the subject, organizing and clarifying the diverse types of biases into a conceptual framework. The book treats various sources of bias in comparative studies—both randomized and observational—and offers guidance on how they should be addressed by researchers. Utilizing a relatively simple mathematical approach, the author develops a theory of bias that outlines the essential nature of the problem and identifies the various sources of bias that are encountered in modern research. The book begins with an introduction to the study of causal inference and the related concepts and terminology. Next, an overview is provided of the methodological issues at the core of the difficulties posed by bias. Subsequent chapters explain the concepts of selection bias, confounding, intermediate causal factors, and information bias along with the distortion of a causal effect that can result when the exposure and/or the outcome is measured with error. The book concludes with a new classification of twenty general sources of bias and practical advice on how mathematical modeling and expert judgment can be combined to achieve the most credible causal conclusions. Throughout the book, examples from the fields of medicine, public policy, and education are incorporated into the presentation of various topics. In addition, six detailed case studies illustrate concrete examples of the significance of biases in everyday research. Requiring only a basic understanding of statistics and probability theory, Bias and Causation is an excellent supplement for courses on research methods and applied statistics at the upper-undergraduate and graduate level. It is also a valuable reference for practicing researchers and methodologists in various fields of study who work with statistical data. This book was selected as the 2011 Ziegel Prize Winner in Technometrics for the best book reviewed by the journal. It is also the winner of the 2010 PROSE Award for Mathematics from The American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence
Download or read book Machine Learning and Knowledge Discovery in Databases written by Wray Buntine and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-09-03 with total page 787 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the joint conference on Machine Learning and Knowledge Discovery in Databases: ECML PKDD 2009, held in Bled, Slovenia, in September 2009. The 106 papers presented in two volumes, together with 5 invited talks, were carefully reviewed and selected from 422 paper submissions. In addition to the regular papers the volume contains 14 abstracts of papers appearing in full version in the Machine Learning Journal and the Knowledge Discovery and Databases Journal of Springer. The conference intends to provide an international forum for the discussion of the latest high quality research results in all areas related to machine learning and knowledge discovery in databases. The topics addressed are application of machine learning and data mining methods to real-world problems, particularly exploratory research that describes novel learning and mining tasks and applications requiring non-standard techniques.
Download or read book Anthropic Bias written by Nick Bostrom and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Anthropic Bias explores how to reason when you suspect that your evidence is biased by "observation selection effects"--that is, evidence that has been filtered by the precondition that there be some suitably positioned observer to "have" the evidence. This conundrum--sometimes alluded to as "the anthropic principle," "self-locating belief," or "indexical information"--turns out to be a surprisingly perplexing and intellectually stimulating challenge, one abounding with important implications for many areas in science and philosophy. There are the philosophical thought experiments and paradoxes: the Doomsday Argument; Sleeping Beauty; the Presumptuous Philosopher; Adam & Eve; the Absent-Minded Driver; the Shooting Room. And there are the applications in contemporary science: cosmology ("How many universes are there?", "Why does the universe appear fine-tuned for life?"); evolutionary theory ("How improbable was the evolution of intelligent life on our planet?"); the problem of time's arrow ("Can it be given a thermodynamic explanation?"); quantum physics ("How can the many-worlds theory be tested?"); game-theory problems with imperfect recall ("How to model them?"); even traffic analysis ("Why is the 'next lane' faster?"). Anthropic Bias argues that the same principles are at work across all these domains. And it offers a synthesis: a mathematically explicit theory of observation selection effects that attempts to meet scientific needs while steering clear of philosophical paradox.
Download or read book Big Data and Social Science written by Ian Foster and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2016-08-10 with total page 493 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Both Traditional Students and Working Professionals Acquire the Skills to Analyze Social Problems. Big Data and Social Science: A Practical Guide to Methods and Tools shows how to apply data science to real-world problems in both research and the practice. The book provides practical guidance on combining methods and tools from computer science, statistics, and social science. This concrete approach is illustrated throughout using an important national problem, the quantitative study of innovation. The text draws on the expertise of prominent leaders in statistics, the social sciences, data science, and computer science to teach students how to use modern social science research principles as well as the best analytical and computational tools. It uses a real-world challenge to introduce how these tools are used to identify and capture appropriate data, apply data science models and tools to that data, and recognize and respond to data errors and limitations. For more information, including sample chapters and news, please visit the author's website.
