Power-enhanced multiple decision functions controlling family-wise error and false discovery rates

Improved procedures, in terms of smaller missed discovery rates (MDR), for performing multiple hypotheses testing with weak and strong control of the family-wise error rate (FWER) or the false discovery rate (FDR) are developed and studied. The improvement over existing procedures such as the \v{S}id\'ak procedure for FWER control and the Benjamini--Hochberg (BH) procedure for FDR control is achieved by exploiting possible differences in the powers of the individual tests. Results signal the need to take into account the powers of the individual tests and to have multiple hypotheses decision functions which are not limited to simply using the individual $p$-values, as is the case, for example, with the \v{S}id\'ak, Bonferroni, or BH procedures. They also enhance understanding of the role of the powers of individual tests, or more precisely the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) functions of decision processes, in the search for better multiple hypotheses testing procedures. A decision-theoretic framework is utilized, and through auxiliary randomizers the procedures could be used with discrete or mixed-type data or with rank-based nonparametric tests. This is in contrast to existing $p$-value based procedures whose theoretical validity is contingent on each of these $p$-value statistics being stochastically equal to or greater than a standard uniform variable under the null hypothesis. Proposed procedures are relevant in the analysis of high-dimensional "large $M$, small $n$" data sets arising in the natural, physical, medical, economic and social sciences, whose generation and creation is accelerated by advances in high-throughput technology, notably, but not limited to, microarray technology.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOS844 the Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

How nurses behave online?

Registered nurses constitute the largest group of healthcare professionals with a rather distinctive and crucial role in healthcare services provision. For keeping up with their professional advances and follow the rapid and multifaceted scientific advances of medical practices they constantly require high quality of information. Internet and the online information resources play an important role towards the satisfaction of continual online information needs of nurses. This paper aims to investigate the online information needs of nurses and their internet seeking behaviour. Moreover, their perceptions for the role of information in nursing profession are studied. A survey informed by the Wilsons macro-model for information seeking behaviour is developed and included 87 registered nurses working at a public hospital. Data analysis involves descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests of correlation and differences between groups

Exploring the relationship between the Engineering and Physical Sciences and the Health and Life Sciences by advanced bibliometric methods

We investigate the extent to which advances in the health and life sciences (HLS) are dependent on research in the engineering and physical sciences (EPS), particularly physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering. The analysis combines two different bibliometric approaches. The first approach to analyze the 'EPS-HLS interface' is based on term map visualizations of HLS research fields. We consider 16 clinical fields and five life science fields. On the basis of expert judgment, EPS research in these fields is studied by identifying EPS-related terms in the term maps. In the second approach, a large-scale citation-based network analysis is applied to publications from all fields of science. We work with about 22,000 clusters of publications, each representing a topic in the scientific literature. Citation relations are used to identify topics at the EPS-HLS interface. The two approaches complement each other. The advantages of working with textual data compensate for the limitations of working with citation relations and the other way around. An important advantage of working with textual data is in the in-depth qualitative insights it provides. Working with citation relations, on the other hand, yields many relevant quantitative statistics. We find that EPS research contributes to HLS developments mainly in the following five ways: new materials and their properties; chemical methods for analysis and molecular synthesis; imaging of parts of the body as well as of biomaterial surfaces; medical engineering mainly related to imaging, radiation therapy, signal processing technology, and other medical instrumentation; mathematical and statistical methods for data analysis. In our analysis, about 10% of all EPS and HLS publications are classified as being at the EPS-HLS interface. This percentage has remained more or less constant during the past decade

Is there a link between technical advances and the number of obese people in the United States?

Obesity is defined medically as having a BMI of over 30kg/m2. BMI is body mass index which is calculated by (weight in kg)/height in meters) 2. Obesity is an ongoing problem throughout the United States with over half the states having 20% to 24% of their population being classified as obese. In 2003 more than 300,000 people in this nation died from an illness that was related to being overweight or obese. Obesity affects many aspects of life including social skills, job opportunities, financial issues, and most importantly, health. What is causing these increasing statistics for obese Americans? There are multiple possible causes for obesity including genetics, culture, and medical history, but another factor to consider is technology. Over the years the American culture has adapted too many new technical advances. Through statistics for America and a survey taken by Pace University students, a link between technical advances and the number of obese people in the United States was concluded. Surveys have been done by the Center of Controlled Disease about the number of obese people in the country for multiple age groups. Pace University students were questioned about their TV, computer, video game, habits along with dietary habits and exercise routines. This data compared with the trends in new technical advances shows that with each new game system, TV sitcom, or new computer game Americans add on the pounds. Technology has shown to be both beneficial to a person\u27s health but also can increase the laziness which leads to weight gain

Obesity as a multidimensional problem in the health care system - literature review

Awareness among medical professionals and patients about the impact of obesity on health is currently at a good level. Medical recommendations often include the recommendation of weight reduction, and there are increasing numbers of dieticians on wards educating patients about a healthy diet and physical activity. Special programs are also being developed to provide pharmacological and surgical treatment for obesity. New drugs that reduce body fat are becoming available. Unfortunately, as statistics show, the problem is still global and the number of obese people is increasing over the years. Currently, there is a huge emphasis on treating and reversing the effects of obesity, rather than preventing it. Scientific and technological advances are lagging behind in the face of the challenges posed by the large obese population.  In this work, we present the radiological, anesthesiological and surgical problems and limitations associated with obesity, which may not be obvious to those who do not deal with obese patients on a daily basis as well as the patients themselves

Evaluation of the Level and Distribution of Articles on Electronic-learning in Medical Sciences in the Iranian Journals of Medical Education

Background: Today, information technology and communications play an important role in the promotion of education quality. Some pedagogical studies have been conducted with a focus on electronic learning. This study aims to evaluate the level and distribution of articles on electronic-learning of medical sciences in the Iranian journals of medical sciences. Methods: To collect data, English- and Persian-language scientific-research journals in medical sciences published from 2011 to the end of 2015 were evaluated. Titles, keywords, and methods were searched in the most reliable journals to extract articles in line with the study objectives. The data were analyzed based on descriptive statistics using Excel software. Results: According to the results of the current study, only 1 journal allocated more than 10% (14.6% of all evaluated articles) of its published articles to e-learning in medical sciences (totally 14.6%). The highest ratio of articles on e-learning in medical education to the total articles was found in the Iranian Bimonthly of Education Strategies in Medical Sciences (0.146) and strides in development of Medical Education (0.094); and the lowest ratio was found in the Journal of Advances in Medical Education and Professionalism (0.31). Conclusions: Limitations such as hardware and software infrastructures, as well as lack of interest and time by professors were considered as barriers to study electronic skills and technology sciences and their institutionalization within the curriculum. Keywords: Education, Medical Sciences, Electronic Learning, Journal

Awareness About Various Newer Technologies Applied in The Field of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Odontology in India Among Health Care Workers and Medical Experts

Background Crime rate has been reported to rise drastically from the year 2017-2019 according to police sources. Forensic odontology is a branch of forensic science which helps in investigating and identification of corpses found in natural disasters and homicide conditions.New developments on technology have made milestone achievements in various fields, likewise even in forensic medicine and forensic odontology the new developments have broken the lab controlled limitation by creating scientific measurements, improving efficacy of the judicial system. Aim: This study aims to determine the awareness about newer technologies over the field of forensic science and odontology among healthcare workers and medical experts. Materials and methods: A set of self evaluable questions were prepared, validated by the principal investigator and guide. The questionnaire was approved by the institutional review board, saveetha dental college, chennai. The questionnaire prepared was then circulated among the healthcare workers and medical experts in the south indian population. The response data was collected, documented and tabulated. The data was analysed using SPSS statistics and results obtained. Results and discussion: The percentage distribution of the selected population based on the awareness questions asked were analysed and tabulated. The correlation between their years of practice and their awareness were studied. The statistics from previous studies were compared with the present study findings to enhance the quality of our findings. Conclusion: There exists a significant level of awareness among the healthcare workers and medical experts. The participants with 0-5 years of practice showed maximum level of awareness and their associations were found to be statistically significant.(p<0.05). Many awareness camps should be held and conducted to increase the knowledge about the recent advances in technologies in the field of forensic sciences and odontology.Saveetha Dental Colleg

Estimating causes of death where there is no medical certification: evolution and state of the art of verbal autopsy

Over the past 70 years, significant advances have been made in determining the causes of death in populations not served by official medical certification of cause at the time of death using a technique known as Verbal Autopsy (VA). VA involves an interview of the family or caregivers of the deceased after a suitable bereavement interval about the circumstances, signs and symptoms of the deceased in the period leading to death. The VA interview data are then interpreted by physicians or, more recently, computer algorithms, to assign a probable cause of death. VA was originally developed and applied in field research settings. This paper traces the evolution of VA methods with special emphasis on the World Health Organization's (WHO)'s efforts to standardize VA instruments and methods for expanded use in routine health information and vital statistics systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These advances in VA methods are culminating this year with the release of the 2022 WHO Standard Verbal Autopsy (VA) Toolkit. This paper highlights the many contributions the late Professor Peter Byass made to the current VA standards and methods, most notably, the development of InterVA, the most commonly used automated computer algorithm for interpreting data collected in the WHO standard instruments, and the capacity building in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that he promoted. This paper also provides an overview of the methods used to improve the current WHO VA standards, a catalogue of the changes and improvements in the instruments, and a mapping of current applications of the WHO VA standard approach in LMICs. It also provides access to tools and guidance needed for VA implementation in Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems at scale