Advances in computers and biotechnology have had a profound impact on biomedical research, and as a result complex data sets can now be generated to address extremely complex biological questions. Correspondingly, advances in the statistical methods necessary to analyze such data are following closely behind the advances in data generation methods. The statistical methods required by bioinformatics present many new and difficult problems for the research community.
This book provides an introduction to some of these new methods. The main biological topics treated include sequence analysis, BLAST, microarray analysis, gene finding, and the analysis of evolutionary processes. The main statistical techniques covered include hypothesis testing and estimation, Poisson processes, Markov models and Hidden Markov models, and multiple testing methods.
The second edition features new chapters on microarray analysis and on statistical inference, including a discussion of ANOVA, and discussions of the statistical theory of motifs and methods based on the hypergeometric distribution. Much material has been clarified and reorganized.
The book is written so as to appeal to biologists and computer scientists who wish to know more about the statistical methods of the field, as well as to trained statisticians who wish to become involved with bioinformatics. The earlier chapters introduce the concepts of probability and statistics at an elementary level, but with an emphasis on material relevant to later chapters and often not covered in standard introductory texts. Later chapters should be immediately accessible to the trained statistician. Sufficient mathematical background consists of introductory courses in calculus and linear algebra. The basic biological concepts that are used are explained, or can be understood from the context, and standard mathematical concepts are summarized in an Appendix. Problems are provided at the end of each chapter allowing the reader to develop aspects of the theory outlined in the main text.
Warren J. Ewens holds the Christopher H. Brown Distinguished Professorship at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of two books, Population Genetics and Mathematical Population Genetics. He is a senior editor of Annals of Human Genetics and has served on the editorial boards of Theoretical Population Biology, GENETICS, Proceedings of the Royal Society B and SIAM Journal in Mathematical Biology. He is a fellow of the Royal Society and the Australian Academy of Science.
Gregory R. Grant is a senior bioinformatics researcher in the University of Pennsylvania Computational Biology and Informatics Laboratory. He obtained his Ph.D. in number theory from the University of Maryland in 1995 and his Masters in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999.
Comments on the First Edition. "This book would be an ideal text for a postgraduate courseâ¦[and] is equally well suited to individual studyâ¦. I would recommend the book highly" (Biometrics). "Ewens and Grant have given us a very welcome introduction to what is behind those pretty [graphical user] interfaces" (Naturwissenschaften.). "The authors do an excellent job of presenting the essence of the material without getting bogged down in mathematical details" (Journal. American Staistical. Association). "The authors have restructured classical material to a great extent and the new organization of the different topics is one of the outstanding services of the book" (Metrika).
Product Description: Focusing on an integral part of pharmaceutical development, Sample Size Calculations in Clinical Research, Second Edition presents statistical procedures for performing sample size calculations during various phases of clinical research and development. It provides sample size formulas and procedures for testing equality, noninferiority/superiority, and equivalence.
A comprehensive and unified presentation of statistical concepts and practical applications, this book highlights the interactions between clinicians and biostatisticians, includes a well-balanced summary of current and emerging clinical issues, and explores recently developed statistical methodologies for sample size calculation. Whenever possible, each chapter provides a brief history or background, regulatory requirements, statistical designs and methods for data analysis, real-world examples, future research developments, and related references.
One of the few books to systematically summarize clinical research procedures, this edition contains new chapters that focus on three key areas of this field. Incorporating the material of this book in your work will help ensure the validity and, ultimately, the success of your clinical studies.
Product Description: This book provides a comprehensive treatment of linear mixed models for continuous longitudinal data. Next to model formulation, this edition puts major emphasis on exploratory data analysis for all aspects of the model, such as the marginal model, subject-specific profiles, and residual covariance structure. Further, model diagnostics and missing data receive extensive treatment. Sensitivity analysis for incomplete data is given a prominent place. Several variations to the conventional linear mixed model are discussed (a heterogeity model, condional linear mid models). This book will be of interest to applied statisticians and biomedical researchers in industry, public health organizations, contract research organizations, and academia. The book is explanatory rather than mathematically rigorous. Most analyses were done with the MIXED procedure of the SAS software package, and many of its features are clearly elucidated. How3ever, some other commercially available packages are discussed as well. Great care has been taken in presenting the data analyses in a software-independent fashion. Geert Verbeke is Assistant Professor at the Biostistical Centre of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. He received the B.S. degree in mathematics (1989) from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the M.S. in biostatistics (1992) from the Limburgs Universitair Centrum, and earned a Ph.D. in biostatistics (1995) from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Dr. Verbeke wrote his dissertation, as well as a number of methodological articles, on various aspects of linear mixed models for longitudinal data analysis. He has held visiting positions at the Gerontology Research Center and the Johns Hopkins University. Geert Molenberghs is Assistant Professor of Biostatistics at the Limburgs Universitair Centrum in Belgium. He received the B.S. degree in mathematics (1988) and a Ph.D. in biostatistics (1993) from the Universiteit Antwerpen. Dr. Molenberghs published methodological work on the analysis of non-response in clinical and epidemiological studies. He serves as an associate editor for Biometrics, Applied Statistics, and Biostatistics, and is an officer of the Belgian Statistical Society. He has held visiting positions at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Product Description: Today, mathematics, biology, medicine, and statistics are closing the interdisciplinary gap in an unprecedented way and many of the important unanswered questions now emerge at the interface of these disciplines. Now in its Second Edition, this user-friendly guide on biostatistics focuses on the proper use and interpretation of statistical methods. This textbook does not require extensive background in mathematics, making it user-friendly for all students in the public health sciences field. Instead of highlighting derivations of formulas, the authors provide rationales for the formulas, allowing students to grasp a better understanding of the link between biology and statistics. The material on life tables and survival analysis allows students to better understand the recent literature in the health field, particularly in the study of chronic disease treatment. Biostatistics now includes a companion website to demonstrate the different applications of computer packages for performing the various analyses presented in this text.
* Includes access to a companion website with further examples and a full explanation of computer packages * Over 40% new material with modern real-life examples, exercises and references * New chapters on Logistic Regression; Analysis of Survey Data; and Study Designs * Introduces strategies for analyzing complex sample survey data * Written in a conversational style more accessible to students with real data
David Spiegelhalter has recently joined the ranks of Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking by becoming a fellow of the Royal Society. Originating from the Medical Research Council’s biostatistics unit, David has played a leading role in the Bristol heart surgery and Harold Shipman inquiries.
Order a copy of this author’s comprehensive text TODAY!
The Bayesian approach involves synthesising data and judgement in order to reach conclusions about unknown quantities and make predictions. Bayesian methods have become increasingly popular in recent years, notably in medical research, and although there are a number of books on Bayesian analysis, few cover clinical trials and biostatistical applications in any detail. Bayesian Approaches to Clinical Trials and Health-Care Evaluation provides a valuable overview of this rapidly evolving field, including basic Bayesian ideas, prior distributions, clinical trials, observational studies, evidence synthesis and cost-effectiveness analysis. Covers a broad array of essential topics, building from the basics to more advanced techniques.
Illustrated throughout by detailed case studies and worked examples
Includes exercises in all chapters
Accessible to anyone with a basic knowledge of statistics
Authors are at the forefront of research into Bayesian methods in medical research
Accompanied by a Web site featuring data sets and worked examples using Excel and WinBUGS - the most widely used Bayesian modelling package
Bayesian Approaches to Clinical Trials and Health-Care Evaluation is suitable for students and researchers in medical statistics, statisticians in the pharmaceutical industry, and anyone involved in conducting clinical trials and assessment of health-care technology.
Download Description: The Bayesian approach involves collecting data from past experience in order to reach conclusions about future events. Bayesian methods have become increasingly popular in recent years, notably in medical research. There are a large number of books on Bayesian analysis, but very few that cover clinical trials and biostatistical applications in any capacity. There is no book available that is introductory in nature and covers such a broad array of essential topics. This book provides a valuable overview of this rapidly evolving field, not only for statisticians in the pharmaceutical industry, but also to anyone involved in conducting clinical trials and HTA work. Comprehensive coverage of Bayesian methods in medical research
Illustrated throughout by case studies and worked examples
Authors are at the forefront of research into Bayesian methods in medical research
Suitable for those with a limited statistical background
Accompanied by a Web site featuring data sets and worked examples in WinBUGS - the most widely accepted Bayesian modelling package
Product Description: What do juggling, old bones, criminal careers and human growth patterns have in common? They all give rise to functional data, that come in the form of curves or functions rather than the numbers, or vectors of numbers, that are considered in conventional statistics. The authors' highly acclaimed book Functional Data Analysis (1997) presented a thematic approach to the statistical analysis of such data. By contrast, the present book introduces and explores the ideas of functional data analysis by the consideration of a number of case studies, many of them presented for the first time. The two books are complementary but neither is a prerequisite for the other. The case studies are accessible to research workers in a wide range of disciplines. Every reader, whether experienced researcher or graduate student, should gain not only a specific understanding of the methods of functional data analysis, but more importantly a general insight into the underlying patterns of thought. Some of the studies demand the development of novel aspects of the methodology of functional data analysis, but technical details aimed at the specialist statistician are confined to sections which the more general reader can safely omit. There is an associated web site with MATLAB and S-PLUS implementations of the methods discussed, together with all the data sets that are not proprietary. Jim Ramsay is Professor of Psychology at McGill University, and is an international authority on many aspects of multivariate analysis. He was elected President of the Statistical Society of Canada for the term 2002-3 and is a holder of the Society's Gold Medal for his work in functional data analysis. His statistical work draws on his collaborations with researchers in speech articulation, biomechanics, economics, human biology, meteorology and psychology. Bernard Silverman is Professor of Statistics at Bristol University. He was President of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics in 2000-1 and has held various offices in the Royal Statistical Society. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of Academia Europaea. His main specialty is computational statistics, and he is the author or editor of several highly regarded books in this area. He has also published widely in theoretical and applied statistics, and in many other fields, including law, human and veterinary medicine, earth sciences and engineering.
Product Description: Holistic approach to understanding medical statistics
This hands-on guide is much more than a basic medical statistics introduction. It equips you with the statistical tools required for evidence-based clinical research.
Each chapter provides a clear step-by-step guide to each statistical test with practical instructions on how to generate and interpret the numbers, and present the results as scientific tables or graphs.
Showing you how to:
analyse data with the help of data set examples (Click here to download datasets)
select the correct statistics and report results for publication or presentation
understand and critically appraise results reported in the literature
Each statistical test is linked to the research question and the type of study design used. There are also checklists for critically appraising the literature and web links to useful internet sites.
Clear and concise explanations, combined with plenty of examples and tabulated explanations are based on the authors’ popular medical statistics courses. Critical appraisal guidelines at the end of each chapter help the reader evaluate the statistical data in their particular contexts.
Product Description: Researchers and students who want a less mathematical alternative to the EQS manual will find exactly what they're looking for in this practical text. Written specifically for those with little to no knowledge of structural equation modeling (SEM) or EQS, the author's goal is to provide a non-mathematical introduction to the basic concepts of SEM by applying these principles to EQS, Version 6.1. The book clearly demonstrates a wide variety of SEM/EQS applications that include confirmatory factor analytic and full latent variable models. Analyses are based on a wide variety of data representing single and multiple-group models; these include data that are normal/non-normal, complete/incomplete, and continuous/categorical. Written in a "user-friendly" style, the author "walks" the reader through the varied steps involved in the process of testing SEM models. These include model specification and estimation, assessment of model fit, description of EQS output, and interpretation of findings. Each of the book's applications is accompanied by: a statement of the hypothesis being tested, a schematic representation of the model, explanations and interpretations of the related EQS input and output files, tips on how to use the associated pull-down menus and icons, and the data file upon which the application is based. Beginning with an overview of the basic concepts of SEM and the EQS program, the book carefully works through applications starting with relatively simple single group analyses, through to more advanced applications, such as a multi-group, latent growth curve, and multilevel modeling. The new edition features: many new applications that include a latent growth curve model, a multilevel model, a second-order model based on categorical data, a missing data multigroup model based on the EM algorithm, and the testing for latent mean differences related to a higher-order model; a CD enclosed with the book that includes all application data; vignettes illustrating procedural and/or data management tasks using a Windows interface; description of how to build models both interactively using the BUILDULEQ interface and graphically using the EQS Diagrammer.
Book Description:
Readers who want a less mathematical alternative to the EQS manual will find exactly what they're looking for in this practical text. Written specifically for those with little to no knowledge of structural equation modeling (SEM) or EQS, the author's goal is to provide a non-mathematical introduction to the basic concepts of SEM by applying these principles to EQS, Version 6.1. Written in a "user-friendly" style, the author "walks" the reader through the steps involved in the process of testing SEM models: model specification and estimation; assessment of model fit; description of EQS output; and interpretation of findings. Each application is accompanied by a statement of the hypothesis being tested, interpretations of the input and output files, tips on using the pull-down menus, and the data file. The book carefully works through applications starting with single group analyses through to a multi-group, latent growth curve, and multilevel modeling.
The new edition features many new application, a CD that includes all application data; and description of how to build models both interactively using the BUILDULEQ interface and graphically using the EQS Diagrammer.
Product Description: Examining the principles and methods of research on the evaluation of factors affecting the outcome of illness, this book emphasizes diagnostic and therapeutic interventions--the factors most readily modified by health care providers. The author discusses various ways of structuring observations on patient groups, and appraises the nature and strength of inferences drawn from those observations. He also demonstrates how the results of this type of research--clinical epidemiologic research--can be incorporated into the decision-making process utilized in clinical medicine. This book contains a concise account of topics such as the assessment of the use of diagnostics and screening tests and their role in improving the outcome of illness, the evaluation of therapeutic efficacy through experimental and nonexperimental studies, and a particularly useful chapter on assessment of therapeutic safety. It is an essential reference and guide to the quantitative assessment of the consequences of illness for clinicians in training or in practice.The new edition of Clinical Epidemiology greatly expands the chapter on randomized control trials, and includes a whole new chapter on meta-analysis, authored by Peter Cummings. Meta-analysis, the statistical synthesis of data from comparable studies, was unheard of 30 years ago, but with the advent of increased computer technology, the method has been steadily growing in importance in the epidemiology community.
