scholarly journals A Predictive Analytics Approach to Building a Decision Support System for Improving Graduation Rates at a Four-Year College

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-62
Author(s):  
Xuan Wang ◽  
Helmut Schneider ◽  
Kenneth R. Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Graduation Rates ◽  
Predictive Analytics ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
False Negative ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
State Colleges ◽  
High School Gpa ◽  
The Usa

Although graduation rates have interested stakeholders, educational researchers, and policymakers for some time, little progress has been made on the overall graduation rate at four-year state colleges. Even though selective admission based on academic indicators such as high school GPA and ACT/SAT have widely been used in the USA for years, and recent statistics show that less than 40% of students graduate from four-year state colleges in four years in the US. The authors propose using an ensemble of analytic models that considers cost as a better form of analysis that can be used as input to decision support systems to inform decision makers and help them choose intervention methods. This article uses ten years of data for 10,000 students and applies ten analytical models to find the best predictor of at-risk students. This research also uses the receiver operating characteristic curve to help determine the most cost-effective trade-off between false positive and false negative levels.

The role of serum periostin in the diagnosis of asthma: A meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 240-247
Author(s):  
Lei Yang ◽  
Qingtao Zhao ◽  
Shuyu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
False Negative ◽  
Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽  
True Negative ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Noninvasive Biomarker ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Serum Periostin

Background: Serum periostin has been proposed as a noninvasive biomarker for asthma diagnosis and management. However, its accuracy for the diagnosis of asthma in different populations is not completely clear. Methods: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of periostin level in the clinical determination of asthma. Several medical literature data bases were searched for relevant studies through December 1, 2019. The numbers of patients with true-positive, false-positive, false-negative, and true-negative results for the periostin level were extracted from each individual study. We assessed the risk of bias by using Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2. We used the meta-analysis to produce summary estimates of accuracy. Results: In total, nine studies with 1757 subjects met the inclusion criteria. The pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratios for the detection of asthma were 0.58 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38‐0.76), 0.86 (95% CI, 0.74‐0.93), and 8.28 (95% CI, 3.67‐18.68), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.79‐0.85). And significant publication bias was found in this meta‐analysis (p = 0.39). Conclusion: Serum periostin may be used for the diagnosis of asthma, with moderate diagnostic accuracy.

scholarly journals Haemoconcentration as a predictor of severity in acute pancreatitis

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-7
Author(s):  
Tanka Prasad Bohara ◽  
Dimindra Karki ◽  
Anuj Parajuli ◽  
Shail Rupakheti ◽  
Mukund Raj Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Acute Pancreatitis ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Receiver Operator Characteristic Curve ◽  
First Episode ◽  
P Value ◽  
Receiver Operator Characteristic ◽  
Chi Square

Background: Acute pancreatitis is usually a mild and self-limiting disease. About 25 % of patients have severe episode with mortality up to 30%. Early identification of these patients has potential advantages of aggressive treatment at intensive care unit or transfer to higher centre. Several scoring systems are available to predict severity of acute pancreatitis but are cumbersome, take 24 to 48 hours and are dependent on tests that are not universally available. Haematocrit has been used as a predictor of severity of acute pancreatitis but some have doubted its role.Objectives: To study the significance of haematocrit in prediction of severity of acute pancreatitis.Methods: Patients admitted with first episode of acute pancreatitis from February 2014 to July 2014 were included. Haematocrit at admission and 24 hours of admission were compared with severity of acute pancreatitis. Mean, analysis of variance, chi square, pearson correlation and receiver operator characteristic curve were used for statistical analysis.Results: Thirty one patients were included in the study with 16 (51.61%) male and 15 (48.4%) female. Haematocrit at 24 hours of admission was higher in severe acute pancreatitis (P value 0.003). Both haematocrit at admission and at 24 hours had positive correlation with severity of acute pancreatitis (r: 0.387; P value 0.031 and r: 0.584; P value 0.001) respectively.Area under receiver operator characteristic curve for haematocrit at admission and 24 hours were 0.713 (P value 0.175, 95% CI 0.536 - 0.889) and 0.917 (P value 0.008, 95% CI 0.813 – 1.00) respectively.Conclusion: Haematocrit is a simple, cost effective and widely available test and can predict severity of acute pancreatitis.Journal of Kathmandu Medical College, Vol. 4(1) 2015, 3-7

scholarly journals Computer-supported Detection of M-Components and Evaluation of Immunoglobulins after Capillary Electrophoresis

2001 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Jonsson ◽  
Joyce Carlson ◽  
Jan-Olof Jeppsson ◽  
Per Simonsson
Keyword(s):  
Capillary Electrophoresis ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Protein Separation ◽  
Serum Proteins ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Computerized Decision Support ◽  
Cost Effective Method ◽  
Mathematical Algorithms

Abstract Background: Electrophoresis of serum samples allows detection of monoclonal gammopathies indicative of multiple myeloma, Waldenström macroglobulinemia, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, and amyloidosis. Present methods of high-resolution agarose gel electrophoresis (HRAGE) and immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) are manual and labor-intensive. Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) allows rapid automated protein separation and produces digital absorbance data, appropriate as input for a computerized decision support system. Methods: Using the Beckman Paragon CZE 2000 instrument, we analyzed 711 routine clinical samples, including 95 monoclonal components (MCs) and 9 cases of Bence Jones myeloma, in both the CZE and HRAGE systems. Mathematical algorithms developed for the detection of monoclonal immunoglobulins (MCs) in the γ- and β-regions of the electropherogram were tested on the entire material. Additional algorithms evaluating oligoclonality and polyclonal concentrations of immunoglobulins were also tested. Results: CZE electropherograms corresponded well with HRAGE. Only one IgG MC of 1 g/L, visible on HRAGE, was not visible after CZE. Algorithms detected 94 of 95 MCs (98.9%) and 100% of those visible after CZE. Of 607 samples lacking an MC on HRAGE, only 3 were identified by the algorithms (specificity, 99%). Algorithms evaluating total gammaglobulinemia and oligoclonality also identified several cases of Bence Jones myeloma. Conclusions: The use of capillary electrophoresis provides a modern, rapid, and cost-effective method of analyzing serum proteins. The additional option of computerized decision support, which provides rapid and standardized interpretations, should increase the clinical availability and usefulness of protein analyses in the future.

scholarly journals NESTROFT—A Cost-Effective Mass Screening Tool for the Detection of β-Thalassemia Carrier Status in Anemic Pregnant Women: A Step Toward Reducing the National Disease Burden

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manasi Gosavi ◽  
Ramesh Chavan ◽  
M. B. Bellad
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Effective Mass ◽  
Mass Screening ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Hematological Parameters ◽  
False Negative ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin ◽  
Carrier Status

Abstract Introduction β-Thalassemias are inherited hemoglobinopathies commonly encountered in practice. With chances of a promising cure being rare, the prevention of births with this disorder should assume priority, especially in low-resource countries. This can be achieved by the implementation of a mass screening program that is reliable and, at the same time, cost-effective. Objectives This study focuses on the utility of Naked Eye Single Tube Red Cell Osmotic Fragility Test (NESTROFT) as a mass screening tool to detect thalassemia carriers. Hematological parameters that may predict carrier status were also evaluated. Materials and Methods Hemoglobin estimation was performed on all consented pregnant women. If the patient was found to have hemoglobin < 11 g/dL, the blood sample was subjected to other routine hematological tests along with peripheral smear examination. NESTROFT was performed using 0.36% saline solution. Confirmation was done using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Statistical Analysis Data obtained were tabulated using version 21 of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Means, standard deviations, and percentages were used to describe the sample. Chi-square test and Students’ “t” test were used to identify differences between the groups. Results Of 441 pregnant women enrolled, 206 were found to be anemic. Nineteen (9.2%) of the anemic pregnant women were detected to be carriers of hemoglobinopathies. Among the hematological parameters, mean red blood cell count and reticulocyte count were higher, while mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration was lower in carriers. Also, carriers were more likely to present with microcytic hypochromic anemia. NESTROFT showed a sensitivity of 84.21%, specificity of 96.25%, a positive predictive value of 69.56%, and a negative predictive value of 98.36%. A false-positive result was seen in 3.74% of the tests, while a false negative result was seen in 15.78% of the tests. Conclusions NESTROFT (0.36%) can be used as a simple and cost-effective mass screening tool for the detection of carrier status. This should be followed by confirmation using HPLC or hemoglobin electrophoresis.

Estimating the area under a receiver operating characteristic curve using partially ordered sets

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Zamanzade ◽  
Xinlei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Roc Curve ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Partially Ordered Sets ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Ordered Sets ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Partially Ordered ◽  
Receiver Operating

AbstractRanked set sampling (RSS), known as a cost-effective sampling technique, requires that the ranker gives a complete ranking of the units in each set. Frey (2012) proposed a modification of RSS based on partially ordered sets, referred to as RSS-t in this paper, to allow the ranker to declare ties as much as he/she wishes. We consider the problem of estimating the area under a receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve using RSS-t samples. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) is commonly used as a measure for the effectiveness of diagnostic markers. We develop six nonparametric estimators of the AUC with/without utilizing tie information based on different approaches. We then compare the estimators using a Monte Carlo simulation and an empirical study with real data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The results show that utilizing tie information increases the efficiency of estimating the AUC. Suggestions about when to choose which estimator are also made available to practitioners.

Geopolitical Factors of U.S. Energy Security System Formation

2013 ◽  
pp. 42-48
Author(s):  
E. Telegina ◽  
M. Tadzhiev
Keyword(s):  
Energy Security ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Alternative Energy Sources ◽  
Global Demand ◽  
The World ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Energy Products ◽  
American Economy

According to judgemental forecasts, in the next few years the revolutionary changes in the energy complex both in the USA and in the world in general are hardly possible, considering the enormous inertia of the energetic system and high expenses coming from the infrastructure supersession, even in case of cost-effective alternatives to the existing energy commodities. At the same time, the sharpening of energy security problems resulting from the growth of a global demand on energy products leads to perceprion of necessity for a new approach to forming the global energy market, and to development of new stability and reliability strategies maintenance for assured supplies of energy products. In recent years, the USA as the biggest consumer of energy resources in the world worked out a new national strategy of energy security provision. Its main targets are: meeting the requirements of the American economy of its own resources, lowering the import-dependence level, high use of innovation technologies, significant increase of investments in alternative energy sources, as well as of resource-and energy-saving.

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