An outlier or anomaly is typically defined as a case that is markedly distant or different from the bulk of the data. Our July 28 blog on outliers and anomaly detection reported on one unusual case in which the outlier might lie fully within the…
"The hype around Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science is enormous, so it’s tempting to be skeptical of the return on investment (ROI) claimed. Still, most of the results are real. Organizations may suspect there is value in their data assets but not be…
The risks of large-scale testing, and the potential for false discovery, can be seen in the “discovery” of the genetic basis for anxiety and depression. Specifically, serotonin transporter gene 5-HTTLPR. Color Genomics sells a genetic testing product that supposedly can predict which anti-depressant drug works…
Here is a preliminary paper that suggests that RNA extraction kits, one of the main bottlenecks to Covid-19 testing in the US, can be skipped altogether and the next part of the assay (RT-qPCR) still works. If confirmed, this result would have a major impact…
In recent years, under the influence of statisticians, the medical profession has dialed back on screening tests. With relatively rare conditions, widespread testing yields many false positives and doctor visits, whose collective cost can outweigh benefits. Coronavirus advice follows this line - testing is limited…
Google recently announced that it would further limit its election ads to audience targeting based on age, gender, and general location (postal code level) context targeting (i.e. showing ads based on the content being viewed) Up to this point, the application of predictive modeling to…
Older urban sewer systems are not sealed, dedicated route networks leading to sewage treatment plants. Rather, to save money when they were built decades ago, in some places they shared pipes with storm water drainage systems that lead to creeks, rivers and bays. As a…
Last week, the Trump administration announced a forthcoming ban on e-cigarettes, following news stories of a spate of deaths from vaping. The Wall Street Journal, on Friday the 13th, published both an editorial and an op-ed piece suggesting that any harm from e-cigarettes is minor…
“Islands in Search of Continents” is the subtitle of an article by Michael Clarke and Iain Chalmers in the Journal of the American Medical Association (1998; 280: 280-282). It refers to the fact that many studies are conducted and reported in isolation from other studies on the…
“Superusers” of medical services are the small fraction of patients that account for huge consumption of medical services. An article published August 14, 2019 in JAMA Surgery (online) reports on the application of machine learning methods to Medicare data on 1,049,160 Medicare patients who underwent surgery,…
