Related papers: Boosting test-efficiency by pooled testing strateg…
The group testing problem concerns discovering a small number of defective items within a large population by performing tests on pools of items. A test is positive if the pool contains at least one defective, and negative if it contains no…
The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a pandemic. The current testing regime based on Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction for SARS-CoV-2 has been unable to keep up with testing demands, and also suffers from a relatively…
The spreading of virus infection is here simulated over artificial human networks. Here, the real-space urban life of people is modeled as a scale-free network with constraints. A scale-free network has been adopted for modeling on-line…
In the case of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic management, wastewater-based epidemiology aims to derive information on the infection dynamics by monitoring virus concentrations in the wastewater. However, due to the intrinsic random fluctuations of the…
We introduce new nonparametric predictors for homogeneous pooled data in the context of group testing for rare abnormalities and show that they achieve optimal rates of convergence. In particular, when the level of pooling is moderate, then…
Obtaining up to date information on the number of UK COVID-19 regional infections is hampered by the reporting lag in positive test results for people with COVID-19 symptoms. In the UK, for "Pillar 2" swab tests for those showing symptoms,…
Efficient personnel scheduling plays a significant role in matching workload demand in organizations. However, staff scheduling is sometimes affected by unexpected events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that disrupt regular operations.…
We propose a new statistic to improve the pooled version of the triangle test used to combat the fingerprint-copy counter-forensic attack against PRNU-based camera identification [1]. As opposed to the original version of the test, the new…
Testing is a crucial control mechanism for an epidemic outbreak because it enables the health authority to detect and isolate the infected cases, thereby limiting the disease transmission to susceptible people, when no effective treatment…
Group testing can help maintain a widespread testing program using fewer resources amid a pandemic. In a group testing setup, we are given n samples, one per individual. Each individual is either infected or uninfected. These samples are…
Testing individuals for pathogens can affect the spread of epidemics. Understanding how individual-level processes of sampling and reporting test results can affect community- or population-level spread is a dynamical modeling question. The…
We study the problem of identifying a small set $k\sim n^\theta$, $0<\theta<1$, of infected individuals within a large population of size $n$ by testing groups of individuals simultaneously. All tests are conducted concurrently. The goal is…
With the huge spike in the COVID-19 cases across the globe and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test remains a key component for rapid and accurate detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2…
This paper is based on the observation that, during Covid-19 epidemic, the choice of which individuals should be tested has an important impact on the effectiveness of selective confinement measures. This decision problem is closely related…
We propose new, optimal methods for analyzing randomized trials, when it is suspected that treatment effects may differ in two predefined subpopulations. Such sub-populations could be defined by a biomarker or risk factor measured at…
During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and lateral flow device (LFD) tests were frequently deployed to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Many of these tests were singleplex, and only tested for the presence of a…
We present an open source model that allows quantitative prediction of the effects of testing on the rate of spread of COVID-19 described by R, the reproduction number, and on the degree of quarantine, isolation and lockdown required to…
Understanding the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has been one of the most pressing problems of the recent past. Network models present a potent approach to studying such spreading phenomena because of their ability to represent complex social…
Pooling biomarker data across multiple studies enables researchers to get more precise estimates of the association between biomarker exposure measurements and disease risks due to increased sample sizes. However, biomarker measurements…
During an ongoing epidemic, especially in the case of a new agent, data are partial and sparse, also affected by external factors as for example climatic effects or preparedness and response capability of healthcare structures. Despite that…