Biostatistics and Epidemiology: A Primer for Health and Biomedical Professionals

Book Description

Contents
Preface To The Third Edition
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. The Scientific Method
1.1 The Logic of Scientific Reasoning
1.2 Variability of Phenomena Requires Statistical Analysis
1.3 Inductive Inference: Statistics as the Technology of the Scientific Method
1.4 Design of Studies
1.5 How to Quantify Variables
1.6 The Null Hypothesis
1.7 Why Do We Test the Null Hypothesis?
1.8 Types of Errors
1.9 Significance Level and Types of Error
1.10 Consequences of Type I and Type II Errors

Chapter 2. A Little Bit Of Probability
2.1 What Is Probability?
2.2 Combining Probabilities
2.3 Conditional Probability
2.4 Bayesian Probability
2.5 Odds and Probability
2.6 Likelihood Ratio
2.7 Summary of Probability

Chapter 3. Mostly About Statistics
3.1 Chi-Square for 2 x 2 Tables
3.2 McNemar Test
3.3 Kappa
3.4 Description of a Population: Use of the Standard Deviation
3.5 Meaning of the Standard Deviation: The Normal Distribution
3.6 The Difference Between Standard Deviation and Standard Error
3.7 Standard Error of the Difference Between Two Means
3.8 Z Scores and the Standardized Normal Distribution
3.9 The t Statistic
3.10 Sample Values and Population Values Revisited
3.11 A Question of Confidence
3.12 Confidence Limits and Confidence Intervals
3.13 Degrees of Freedom
3.14 Confidence Intervals for Proportions
3.15 Confidence Intervals Around the Difference Between Two Means
3.16 Comparisons Between Two Groups
3.17 Z-Test for Comparing Two Proportions
3.18 t-Test for the Difference Between Means of Two Independent Groups: Principles
3.19 How to Do a t-Test: An Example
3.20 Matched Pair t-Test
3.21 When Not to Do a Lot of t-Tests: The Problem of Multiple Tests of Significance
3.22 Analysis of Variance: Comparison Among Several Groups
3.23 Principles
3.24 Bonferroni Procedure: An Approach to Making Multiple Comparisons
3.25 Analysis of Variance When There Are Two Independent Variables: The Two-Factor ANOVA
3.26 Interaction Between Two Independent Variables
3.27 Example of a Two-Way ANOVA
3.28 Kruskal-Wallis Test to Compare Several Groups
3.29 Association and Causation: The Correlation Coefficient
3.30 How High Is High?
3.31 Causal Pathways
3.32 Regression
3.33 The Connection Between Linear Regression and the Correlation Coefficient
3.34 Multiple Linear Regression
3.35 Summary So Far

Chapter 4. Mostly About Epidemiology
4.1 The Uses of Epidemiology
4.2 Some Epidemiologic Concepts: Mortality Rates
4.3 Age-Adjusted Rates
4.4 Incidence and Prevalence Rates
4.5 Standardized Mortality Ratio
4.6 Person-Years of Observation
4.7 Dependent and Independent Variables
4.8 Types of Studies
4.9 Cross-Sectional Versus Longitudinal Looks at Data
4.10 Measures of Relative Risk: Inferences From Prospective Studies: the Framingham Study
4.11 Calculation of Relative Risk from Prospective Studies
4.12 Odds Ratio: Estimate of Relative Risk from Case-Control Studies
4.13 Attributable Risk
4.14 Response Bias
4.15 Confounding Variables
4.16 Matching
4.17 Multiple Logistic Regression
4.18 Confounding By Indication
4.19 Survival Analysis: Life Table Methods
4.20 Cox Proportional Hazards Model
4.21 Selecting Variables For Multivariate Models
4.22 Interactions: Additive and Multiplicative Models
Summary:

Chapter 5. Mostly About Screening
5.1 Sensitivity, Specificity, and Related Concepts
5.2 Cutoff Point and Its Effects on Sensitivity and Specificity

Chapter 6. Mostly About Clinical Trials
6.1 Features of Randomized Clinical Trials
6.2 Purposes of Randomization
6.3 How to Perform Randomized Assignment
6.4 Two-Tailed Tests Versus One-Tailed Test
6.5 Clinical Trial as "Gold Standard"
6.6 Regression Toward the Mean
6.7 Intention-to-Treat Analysis
6.8 How Large Should the Clinical Trial Be?
6.9 What Is Involved in Sample Size Calculation?
6.10 How to Calculate Sample Size for the Difference Between Two Proportions
6.11 How to Calculate Sample Size for Testing the Difference Between Two Means

Chapter 7. Mostly About Quality Of Life
7.1 Scale Construction
7.2 Reliability
7.3 Validity
7.4 Responsiveness
7.5 Some Potential Pitfalls

Chapter 8. Mostly About Genetic Epidemiology
8.1 A New Scientific Era
8.2 Overview of Genetic Epidemiology
8.3 Twin Studies
8.4 Linkage and Association Studies
8.5 LOD Score: Linkage Statistic
8.6 Association Studies
8.7 Transmission Disequilibrium Tests (TDT)
8.8 Some Additional Concepts and Complexities of Genetic Studies

Chapter 9. Research Ethics And Statistics
9.1 What does statistics have to do with it?
9.2 Protection of Human Research Subjects
9.3 Informed Consent
9.4 Equipoise
9.5 Research Integrity
9.6 Authorship policies
9.7 Data and Safety Monitoring Boards
9.8 Summary

Postscript A Few Parting Comments On The Impact Of Epidemiology On Human Lives
Appendix A. Critical Values Of Chi-square, Z, And T
Appendix B. Fisher'S Exact Test
Appendix C. Kruskal-wallis Nonparametric Test To Compare Several Groups
Appendix D. How To Calculate A Correlation Coefficient
Appendix E. Age-adjustment
Appendix F. Confidence Limits On Odds Ratios
Appendix G. "J" Or "U" Shaped Relationship Between Two Variables
Appendix H. Determining Appropriateness Of Change Scores
Appendix I. Genetic Principles
References
Suggested Readings
Index

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Chemosphere, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and other organic micropollutants were determined in dated sediment/soil cores collected from the flood-plain of the river Elbe near Pevestorf (PT), approximately 125km upstream of Hamburg, and Heuckenlock (HL) in southeast of Hamburg. Concentrations of PCDD/Fs peaked sharply at PT in the 1950s and at HL at the end of the 1940s. Cluster analyses provide evidence that the region of Bitterfeld-Wolfen (about 350-400km upstream of Hamburg) could be the source of the PCDD/F contamination existing in the cores PT and HL since the 1940s. Obviously it is caused by sediments of the river Elbe of a similar composition. Whereas the PCDD/Fs, HCHs (hexacyclohexane isomers), DDX (DDT, DDD, DDE), and tetrachlorinated ethers in PT and HL presumably originated predominantly from the Bitterfeld-Wolfen region, organotin compounds in HL and dichlorinated haloethers in HL during the 1940s and 1950s can probably largely be attributed to emissions from the Hamburg region. Although they are separated by a large distance, in both sediment cores PT and HL concentrations and composition patterns of most organic micropollutants analyzed widely match. Inductively it can be concluded that similar contaminations will be found in many of the river bank soils between the Bitterfeld-Wolfen region and Hamburg. Excavation of top soils may uncover highly contaminated materials. Since the dated sediment cores show the variation in contaminants in the Elbe sediments over a defined time period, it is possible to make an approximate assessment of the actual degree of contamination to be expected in areas where in previous decades contaminated dredged sediments from the Elbe and from the Port of Hamburg have been deposited on land and used for building plots or for agricultural purposes.

Book Description

This reference provides detailed information which enables you to quickly understand the physics and modeling of mainstream devices. Packed with nearly 1,000 equations and 396 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Great content, some typos, could use some formatting........2000-04-24

This book is very rich in content, covers in great detail a lot of very important and current concepts in semiconductor devices, it has some typos, though. I don't know exactly what kind of word processor Dr. Liou used to type this book, but any current word processor would've made a better job in typing equations, and giving a better format to this book. Anyway this is a very good reference for any person who is serious about semiconductor devices.

Book Description

Cooper's epic of the western course of the American frontier follows the exploits of Natty from the French and Indian Wars to the early nineteenth century. The five novels are presented in their order of composition. Volume 1: The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie. Volume 2: The Pathfinder, The Deerslayer.

Customer Reviews:

A Tribute to Virtue.......2006-09-19

The Pathfinder and The Deerslayer are great stories well told. Natty Bumppo (a.k.a. Pathfinder, Deerslayer and Hawkeye) is the archtypical American hero. He is brave, honest and selfless, yet still humble. He is a model for us all. Young people in particular should read about him as an antidote to the rampant braggadocio that too many modern "heros" exhibit.

Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses.......2006-03-22

There is one, and only one reason to read Fenimore Cooper's books.
That reason is so you can fully appreciate Mark Twain's critique of Cooper's writing.
See:
"Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses"
[...]

For this reason only I recommend to read this book or others by Cooper. It will have made all that pain greatly worthwhile.

CAPTIVATING STORIES INTIMATLY TANGLED WITH ART.......2001-07-23

Cooper is too good to be true! I love reading his books because he creates such beautiful pictures while he binds you to an imaginative story line. His stories bring you to the battlefront and into the very mind of the hero.

Book Description

The deadly crack of a long rifle and the piercing cries of Indians on the warpath shatter the serenity of beautiful lake Glimmerglass. Danger has invaded the vast forests of upper New York State as Deerslayer and his loyal Mohican friend Chingachgook attempt the daring rescue of an Indian maiden imprisoned in a Huron camp. Soon they are caught in the crossfire between a cunning enemy and two white bounty hunters who mercilessly kill for profit. The last of the Leatherstocking tales to be written, though first in the chronology of the hero's life, The Deerslayer is James Fenimore Cooper's masterpiece. A fine combination of romance, adventure, and morality; this classic novel of the frontier is an eloquent beginning for Cooper's great wilderness saga--and an unforgettable introduction to the famous character who has said to embody the conscience of America: the noble woodsman Deerslayer.

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The deadly crack of a long rifle and the piercing cries of Indians on the warpath shatter the serenity of beautiful lake Glimmerglass. Danger has invaded the vast forests of upper New York State as Deerslayer and his loyal Mohican friend Chingachgook attempt the daring rescue of an Indian maiden imprisoned in a Huron camp. Soon they are caught in the crossfire between a cunning enemy and two white bounty hunters who mercilessly kill for profit. The last of the Leatherstocking tales to be written, though first in the chronology of the hero's life, "The Deerslayer" is James Fenimore Cooper's masterpiece. A fine combination of romance, adventure, and morality; this classic novel of the frontier is an eloquent beginning for Cooper's great wilderness saga--and an unforgettable introduction to the famous character who has said to embody the conscience of America: the noble woodsman Deerslayer.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful saga.......2007-09-13

Kent Rasmussen's editorial review is best left to the literists who cannot publish or write themselves. This was a wonderful tale full of adventure and is highly recommended to be read with the complete 5-book set of the Leatherstocking Tales. Enjoy.

Coming of Age in the Garden of Eden.......2007-08-07

James Fenimore Cooper wrote his Leatherstocking tales out of chronological order. The Deerslayer or The First Warpath was the last of the Natty Bumppo novels and because Cooper had matured both in age and artistic ability it is perhaps the best.

From the beginning we know this is a darker novel than the preceding tales. In the first few pages Deerslayer's companion, Hurry Harry, asks the young man, "...Did you ever hit any thing human, or intelligible: did you ever pull trigger on an inimy that was capable of pulling one upon you?"

Bumppo's answer is, of course, no. He is at the beginning of his career. He is known as Deerslayer by the Delawares because that's what he does. He has yet to take a human life. As soon as we read this we know this novel, above all else, is a coming-of-age story and someone's life is ticking away....

In the interim Deerslayer meets Tom Hutter and his two daughters, the dark-haired Judith and the feeble-minded Hetty. The family lives on a castle-on-piers in the middle of Lake Glimmerglass, a secluded spot akin to the Garden of Eden -- the perfect setting for a coming-of-age story. Except things are not what they seem. This area is actually more of a haunt of savagery, with not a little of it supplied by both Hurry Harry and Tom Hutter against the local Native American tribe, the Hurons.

Judith Hutter, however, is the engine that drives this story. She's a woman with questionable morals, and though she's somewhat older than Deerslayer she falls in love with his open honesty and his natural way of looking at the world. In a telling exchange she asks him if he has a sweetheart. He answers:

"She's in the forest, Judith--hanging from the boughs of the trees, in a soft rain--in the dew on the open grass--the clouds that float about in the blue heavens--the birds that sing in the woods--the sweet springs where I slake my thirst...."

Judith perseveres. Has he never heard the laugh of a girl he loves? Deerslayer remains true to form:

"...To me there's no music so sweet as the sighing of the wind in the treetops, and the rippling of a stream from a full, sparkling, natyve fountain of fresh water, unless...it be the open mouth of a sartain hound, when I'm on the track of a fat buck."

In the pages that follow Deerslayer kills a man, a Native American attempting to take his life by deceit. He earns the reputation as "Hawkeye" for his deft shooting and helps Chingachgook secure the safety of his future wife, Hist. (She will be mother to the Last of the Mohicans, Uncas.) Further violence and treachery abound as Deerslayer is captured by the Hurons and tortured. Tom Hutter dies in an extremely gruesome manner and there's the mystery of Judith's past --even down to her parentage-- to be solved. But her love for Deerslayer is true and in the end she gives him her father's gun, a weapon of exquisite manufacture and excellent bore, which he will make famous--the long rifle, Killdeer.

In the end Deerslayer leaves Judith after yet more tragedy ensues. The novel ends fifteen years later with Hawkeye returning with Chingachgook and a stripling Uncas to Lake Glimmerglass. Everything has changed. The castle is abandoned and in disrepair, and the graves can no longer be found. Hawkeye tries to find out what happened to Judith, and we are awarded a glimpse of her fate, but no more.

As I said earlier this is a fairly dark book in the Leatherstocking Tales, but well-written. It's a good story and the characters really do come to life. There are the usual elements of humor and long-winded conversations but they don't detract too much from the overall enjoyment of this tale. Cooper also doesn't hold back in showing that violence, both necessary and ignoble, can come from anyone for any reason...at anytime.

This is one great book and I highly recommend it.

Cooper Knew America.......2006-07-20

Race relations, environmental concerns, independent womanhood, the importance of personal character, survivalism, heroism, religion, cultural relativism, nature v. nurture, independence v. inter-dependency--sound like the latest hot topics in American TV, movies, and magazines? Actually, these constitute the bevy of themes that James Fenimore Cooper explored as foundational to the American experience when he wrote *Deerslayer* in 1841, setting it even farther back at the time of the French and Indian War, 1754-63. Some readers, not surprisingly, are put off by the ornate writing style of the early nineteenth century, but it doesn't hurt us post-moderns to turn off the TV and take a slower pace, interacting slowly with the writer and his thoughts. In Natty Bumppo, we find the first--and definitive--delineation of the American hero: selfless, dependable, restrained, tolerant, cagey, and moral. A generation raised on anti-heroes sometimes has a bit of a problem with the morality of Bumppo, but since 9/11, we have seen a revival of the American ideal that Cooper first defined in his Leatherstocking Tales. Don't give up on this one because of the language. Sit a bit and mull it over. You'll find Cooper will deliver remarkably well.

Holds Your Interest!.......2006-06-12

"The Deerslayer" is the sequentially first in the Leatherstocking series of America's first, great, professional novelist, James Fenimore Cooper. I read it in preparation for a trip to Cooperstown, New York and I am glad that I did. Set in upstate New York in the 1740s, it provides the reader with an idolized introduction to the society of white and red of this colonial frontier.

The criticisms that the dialogue and actions are totally unbelievable, while justified, do not detract from the story. While the simple, faith-filled actions of the "Feeble Minded Hetty" and the dialogue between Deerslayer and Chingachgook seem highly improbable, the do hold the readers' interest. While I am generally not one to pick up readily on character development, this novel is an exception. The contrast between Deerslayer and Chingachgook, the romance between Chingachgook and Wah-ta-Wah, the romantic web among Judith, Hurry Harry and Deerslayer, and the varying responses to changes in circumstance coming from sisters Judith and Hetty all contribute to the persistent popularity of this work.

Despite all the criticisms directed against Cooper as to form, the one thing that cannot be denied is that this book is very difficult to put down. I found myself always wondering what would come next and what would happen to the characters whom I had come to know. Whether you are looking for an insight into early American literature or just a good story, your search should lead to "The Deerslayer".

Pretty good novel, if you.......2005-08-01

Can get past all the verbage. I found myself skipping sentences or paragraphs because of the way the auther keeps going on and on about the same thing without a puase or even carrying through with the same thought in the same sentence (kind of like I'm doing now!).
I really enjoyed the scenery images he paints, and the simple way of life portrayed. I also like the values the author held dear.
The first few chapters and the anti-climax were horrible. I didn';t think I was going to finish the book because of the non-sensical talking that occur in the first few chapters. And the book ended in such a goofy non-realistic morose way, that I wish I had stopped reading a few chapters before the end and imagined the ending happen the way I would have liked it to.
So I was dragging through the beginning, loving the middle, and depressed when I finished. Very odd sensation to read a book and get those kinds of feelings...

The Leatherstocking saga: being those parts of The Deerslayer, The last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder, The pioneers, and The prairie which specially ... prairies in Jefferson's administration

Average customer rating:

The Leatherstocking saga: being those parts of The Deerslayer, The last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder, The pioneers, and The prairie which specially ... prairies in Jefferson's administration
James Fenimore Cooper
Manufacturer: Pantheon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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The Deerslayer
James Fenimore Cooper
Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1402198949
Release Date: 2000-06-06

Book Description

This first of the Leather-Stocking Tales takes us to Lake Otsego in the beginning of the French and Indian Wars. Natty Bumppo, now called Deerslayer, and the Mohican chief Chingachook fight against the Iroquois and discover hidden identities.

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Legendary Deerslayers
Robert Wegner
Manufacturer: Krause Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0873496671

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The Deerslayer
James Fenimore Cooper
Manufacturer: Signet Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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The Deerslayer
James Fenimore Cooper
Manufacturer: Heritage Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

The Deerslayer or The First War-Path (The Leather-Stocking Tales)

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The Deerslayer or The First War-Path (The Leather-Stocking Tales)

Manufacturer: Butler Brothers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

Red embossed cloth cover. One of a series of adventure tales of a man, Leather-Stocking, in the post-revolutionary period of the United States.

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get the cliffs notes instead
it gave me a graphic picture of the French war

The Deerslayer (Cliffs Notes)
Lawrence Hadfield Klibbe
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0822003872

Book Description

The Deerslayer is part of Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, set in the mid-1700s, and tells a wild, savage story about nature and man. It is an adventure story, to be sure, but also a perspective of how America was formed.

Customer Reviews:

get the cliffs notes instead.......1999-10-13

what a big book. didn't understand a wor

it gave me a graphic picture of the French war.......1998-11-03

the book was good...read i

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The Deerslayer
Cooper
Manufacturer: Dodd Mead & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HNPF96

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