Meta-Analysis for Explanation

Social science research often yields conflicting results: Does juvenile delinquent rehabilitation work? Is teenage pregnancy prevention effective? In an effort to improve the value of research for sha

The main purpose of this book is to address the statistical issues for integrating independent studies. There exist a number of papers and books that discuss the mechanics of collecting, coding, and p

A practical guide to network meta-analysis with examples and code In the evaluation of healthcare, rigorous methods of quantitative assessment are necessary to establish which interventions are effective and cost-effective. Often a single study will not provide the answers and it is desirable to synthesise evidence from multiple sources, usually randomised controlled trials. This book takes an approach to evidence synthesis that is specifically intended for decision making when there are two or more treatment alternatives being evaluated, and assumes that the purpose of every synthesis is to answer the question "for this pre-identified population of patients, which treatment is 'best'?" A comprehensive, coherent framework for network meta-analysis (mixed treatment comparisons) is adopted and estimated using Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods implemented in the freely available software WinBUGS.Each chapter contains worked examples, exercises, solutions and code that may be adapt

Offering pragmatic guidance for planning and conducting a meta-analytic review, this book is written in an engaging, nontechnical style that makes it ideal for graduate course use or self-study. The a

Meta-Analysis for Public Management and Policy is a groundbreaking book that includes a proven set of tools for making sense of mountains of sometimes inconsistent conclusions from original research.

Offering pragmatic guidance for planning and conducting a meta-analytic review, this book is written in an engaging, nontechnical style that makes it ideal for graduate course use or self-study. The a

With meta-analysis methods playing a crucial role in health research in recent years, this important and clearly-written book provides a much-needed survey of the field. Meta-analysis provides a fra

Meta-Analysis shows concisely, yet comprehensively, how to apply statistical methods to achieve a literature review of a common research domain. It demonstrates the use of combined tests an

Meta-analysis, decision analysis, and cost-effectiveness analysis are the cornerstones of evidence-based medicine. These related quantitative methods have become essential tools in the formulation of

How did Bitcoin price increase 1,200 times in only a decade? Why can a virtual image be sold for as high as HK$500 million? How did Dogecoin once become the fourth largest digital asset in terms of market cap, after being created for fun? Understanding the development of blockchain and crypto assets and how to make good use of its decentralized technology can protect individual wealth effectively and be an edge against the inflation caused by central banks, and sometimes also be a shortcut to get rich. Cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many others, have been mushrooming in recent years. Blockchain technology has also evolved from 1.0 to 3.0. How can you identify and seize these new opportunities? This book gives a brief explanation of the development course of blockchain and crypto assets, an analysis of the industry ecosystem, a framework for institutional investors to manage their portfolios, and an outlook on the development direction of this industry in the coming

Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis: A Handbook for Healthcare Research provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental principles and methods that healthcare researchers need when cons

Meta-Analytics: Consensus Approaches and System Patterns for Data Analysis presents an exhaustive set of patterns for data science to use on any machine learning based data analysis task. The book vir

This book provides an overview of meta-analysis methodology to prepare students and researchers to conduct high quality meta-analyses of public health and medical studies. The methods are supported by

In 1611 Francisco Mart璯ez Monti隳, chef to Philip II, Philip III, and Philip IV of Spain, published what would become the most recognized Spanish cookbook for centuries: Arte de cocina, pasteler燰, vizcocher燰 y conserver燰. This first English translation of The Art of Cooking, Pie Making, Pastry Making, and Preserving will delight and surprise readers with the rich array of ingredients and techniques found in the early modern kitchen. Based on her substantial research and hands-on experimentation, Carolyn A. Nadeau reveals how early cookbooks were organized and read and presents an in-depth analysis of the ingredients featured in the book. She also introduces Mart璯ez Monti隳 and his contributions to culinary history, along with an assessment of taste at court and an explanation of regional, ethnic, and international foodstuffs and recipes. The 506 recipes and treatises reproduced in The Art of Cooking, Pie Making, Pastry Making, and Preserving outline everything from rules for kitchen clea

This concise, easy-to-read pocket guide offers medical trainees, researchers, and clinicians at every level the perfect resource on Evidence Based Medicine (EBM). Based on the author's many years of experience teaching EBM to medical students and medical residents at Columbia University, this handy title addresses not only all the basic concepts and issues in EBM, but also takes an example-based approach and is replete with numerous illustrations. This brief book provides readers with all the tools needed to tell the good from the bad in healthcare research. It discusses every type of study design, from the assessment of diagnostic tests to clinical trials and meta-analysis. The work also introduces readers to novel methods, such as the Bayesian analysis of clinical trials. In addition, to help readers better retain the information, the guide includes thought-provoking review questions and answers in an appendix. In all, Pocket Evidence-Based Medicine: A Survival Guide for Clinicians a

This compact course is written for the mathematically literate reader who wants to learn to analyze data in a principled fashion. The language of mathematics enables clear exposition that can go quite deep, quite quickly, and naturally supports an axiomatic and inductive approach to data analysis. Starting with a good grounding in probability, the reader moves to statistical inference via topics of great practical importance – simulation and sampling, as well as experimental design and data collection – that are typically displaced from introductory accounts. The core of the book then covers both standard methods and such advanced topics as multiple testing, meta-analysis, and causal inference.

This compact course is written for the mathematically literate reader who wants to learn to analyze data in a principled fashion. The language of mathematics enables clear exposition that can go quite deep, quite quickly, and naturally supports an axiomatic and inductive approach to data analysis. Starting with a good grounding in probability, the reader moves to statistical inference via topics of great practical importance – simulation and sampling, as well as experimental design and data collection – that are typically displaced from introductory accounts. The core of the book then covers both standard methods and such advanced topics as multiple testing, meta-analysis, and causal inference.

Fairfield and Charman provide a modern, rigorous and intuitive methodology for case-study research to help social scientists and analysts make better inferences from qualitative evidence. The book develops concrete guidelines for conducting inference to best explanation given incomplete information; no previous exposure to Bayesian analysis or specialized mathematical skills are needed. Topics covered include constructing rival hypotheses that are neither too simple nor overly complex, assessing the inferential weight of evidence, counteracting cognitive biases, selecting cases, and iterating between theory development, data collection, and analysis. Extensive worked examples apply Bayesian guidelines, showcasing both exemplars of intuitive Bayesian reasoning and departures from Bayesian principles in published case studies drawn from process-tracing, comparative, and multimethod research. Beyond improving inference and analytic transparency, an overarching goal of this book is to reva

Fairfield and Charman provide a modern, rigorous and intuitive methodology for case-study research to help social scientists and analysts make better inferences from qualitative evidence. The book develops concrete guidelines for conducting inference to best explanation given incomplete information; no previous exposure to Bayesian analysis or specialized mathematical skills are needed. Topics covered include constructing rival hypotheses that are neither too simple nor overly complex, assessing the inferential weight of evidence, counteracting cognitive biases, selecting cases, and iterating between theory development, data collection, and analysis. Extensive worked examples apply Bayesian guidelines, showcasing both exemplars of intuitive Bayesian reasoning and departures from Bayesian principles in published case studies drawn from process-tracing, comparative, and multimethod research. Beyond improving inference and analytic transparency, an overarching goal of this book is to reva

In countries around the world, politicians distribute patronage jobs to supporters in exchange for a wide range of political services – such as helping with campaigns and electoral mobilization. Patronage employees (clients) engage in these political activities that support politicians (patrons) because their fates are tied to the political fate of their patrons. Although conventional wisdom holds that control of patronage significantly increases an incumbent's chance of staying in power, we actually know very little about how patronage works. Drawing on in-depth interviews, survey data, and survey experiments in Argentina, Virginia Oliveros details the specific mechanisms that explain the effect of patronage on political competition. This fascinating study is the first to provide a systematic analysis of the political activities of mid and low-level public employees in Latin America. It provides a novel explanation of the enforcement of patronage contracts that has wider implications

Lorenzo Lotto's Portrait of Andrea Odoni is one of the most famous paintings of the Italian Renaissance. Son of an immigrant and a member of the non-noble citizen class, Odoni understood how the power of art could make a name for himself and his family in his adopted homeland. Far from emulating Venetian patricians, however, he set himself apart through the works he collected and the way he displayed them. In this book, Monika Schmitter imaginatively reconstructs Odoni's house – essentially a 'portrait' of Odoni through his surroundings and possessions. Schmitter's detailed analysis of Odoni's life and portrait reveals how sixteenth-century individuals drew on contemporary ideas about spirituality, history, and science to forge their own theories about the power of things and the agency of object. She shows how Lotto's painting served as a meta-commentary on the practice of collecting and on the ability of material things to transform the self.

Julius Caesar was no aspiring autocrat seeking to realize the imperial future but an unusually successful republican leader who was measured against the Republic's traditions and its greatest heroes of the past. Catastrophe befell Rome not because Caesar (or anyone else) turned against the Republic, its norms and institutions, but because Caesar's extraordinary success mobilized a determined opposition which ultimately preferred to precipitate civil war rather than accept its political defeat. Based on painstaking re-analysis of the ancient sources in the light of recent advances in our understanding of the participatory role of the People in the republican political system, a strong emphasis on agents' choices rather than structural causation, and profound scepticism toward the facile determinism that often substitutes for historical explanation, this book offers a radical reinterpretation of a figure of profound historical importance who stands at the turning point of Roman history f

Do you need to understand feedback? Perhaps you're a little rusty on theory basics? Dig in to this self-contained guide for an accessible and concise explanation of the fundamentals. Distills the relevant essence of linear system theory, calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, basic physics, numerical methods, and complex analysis, and links them back to an explanation of feedback theory. Provides a tight synthesis of analytical and conceptual understanding. Maintains a focus on common use cases. Whether you are a struggling undergraduate, a doctoral student preparing for your qualifying exams, or an industry practitioner, this easy-to-understand book invites you to relax, enjoy the material, and follow your curiosity.

Do you need to understand feedback? Perhaps you're a little rusty on theory basics? Dig in to this self-contained guide for an accessible and concise explanation of the fundamentals. Distills the relevant essence of linear system theory, calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, basic physics, numerical methods, and complex analysis, and links them back to an explanation of feedback theory. Provides a tight synthesis of analytical and conceptual understanding. Maintains a focus on common use cases. Whether you are a struggling undergraduate, a doctoral student preparing for your qualifying exams, or an industry practitioner, this easy-to-understand book invites you to relax, enjoy the material, and follow your curiosity.

An introduction to the theory and engineering practice that underpins the component design and analysis of radial flow turbocompressors. Drawing upon an extensive theoretical background and years of practical experience, the authors provide descriptions of applications, concepts, component design, analysis tools, performance maps, flow stability, and structural integrity, with illustrative examples. Features wide coverage of all types of radial compressor over many applications unified by the consistent use of dimensional analysis. Discusses the methods needed to analyse the performance, flow, and mechanical integrity that underpin the design of efficient centrifugal compressors with good flow range and stability. Includes explanation of the design of all radial compressor components, including inlet guide vanes, impellers, diffusers, volutes, return channels, de-swirl vanes and side-streams. Suitable as a reference for advanced students of turbomachinery, and a perfect tool for practi

A unique article-by-article commentary on the WTO Anti-Dumping Agreement, offering an essential and comprehensive insight into WTO case-law. This commentary is an indispensable reference tool for government officials, practitioners and academics working on anti-dumping issues. The commentary's structure allows the reader to identify immediately which disputes are relevant for the interpretation of each provision. It offers a clear analysis of the applicable rules and a comprehensive explanation of what, as a result of the WTO case-law, those rules mean. This commentary has been written by practitioners who have all been directly involved in a large number of WTO disputes and who have extensive experience in anti-dumping investigations and in challenging anti-dumping determinations before the WTO and before national courts.

Meta-analysis is the application of statistics to combine results from multiple studies and draw appropriate inferences. Its use and importance have exploded over the years as the need for a robust ev

Data-driven computational neuroscience facilitates the transformation of data into insights into the structure and functions of the brain. This introduction for researchers and graduate students is the first in-depth, comprehensive treatment of statistical and machine learning methods for neuroscience. The methods are demonstrated through case studies of real problems to empower readers to build their own solutions. The book covers a wide variety of methods, including supervised classification with non-probabilistic models (nearest-neighbors, classification trees, rule induction, artificial neural networks and support vector machines) and probabilistic models (discriminant analysis, logistic regression and Bayesian network classifiers), meta-classifiers, multi-dimensional classifiers and feature subset selection methods. Other parts of the book are devoted to association discovery with probabilistic graphical models (Bayesian networks and Markov networks) and spatial statistics with po

The one bad apple spoiling the whole barrel has become a common metaphor used with reference to risk culture in organisations. This “inside-out” perspective begins with the individual as the unit of analysis and follows with inferences to the broader environment. Since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008, risk culture for many has become the explanation for shortcomings, poor decisions, and moral failures in organisations. This volume presents an institutional perspective of the forces that shape risk culture, and culture more generally, in organisations through a multi-disciplinary examination from a variety of leading academics and subject specialists. The authors demonstrate that firms play a role as manufacturers and managers of risk and they challenge common conceptions that attribute risk to chance circumstances or rogue behaviours. The foundational concepts needed for an institutional view of risk culture are highlighted with subsequent links to significant developments wi

For policymakers, this book explains the ramifications under international humanitarian law of a major new field of weapon development with a focus on questions currently being debated by governments, the United Nations and other bodies. Based on a clear explanation of the principles of autonomous systems and a survey of technologies under active development as well as some that are in use today, it provides a thorough legal analysis grounded on a clear understanding of the technological realities of autonomous weapon systems. For legal practitioners and scholars, it describes the legal constraints that will apply to use of autonomous systems in armed conflict and the measures that will be needed to ensure that the efficacy of the law is maintained. More generally, it serves as a case study in identifying the legal consequences of use of autonomous systems in partnership with, or in place of, human beings.