Can dogs smell cancer? To answer this question, an experiment was conducted in w
ID: 2976487 • Letter: C
Question
Can dogs smell cancer? To answer this question, an experiment was conducted in which 80 dogs were each presented with seven urine samples. The dogs were taught to indicate a cancer sample by lying down besides it. Six of the seven samples used in the experiment were from healthy (non-cancer) patients and one sample came from a patient with bladder cancer. 19 of the dogs in the experiment correctly identi ed the cancer sample. The other dogs picked a sample from a healthy patient. (a) The experiment was designed to nd out whether dogs can smell cancer. De- scribe the population and the sample involved in this experiment. Can you think of any potential problems with how the sample may have been picked? (b) If dogs could not smell cancer, but would randomly pick a sample to lie next to, what proportion of dogs would you expect to pick the cancer sample? Formulate a null hypothesis and alternative (using both words and symbols, such as p for proportion) to test whether dogs can smell cancer. Clearly de ne each symbol you use. (c) Find a 95% con fidence interval for the proportion of dogs that can smell cancer based on this experiment. (d) Use a large sample test for a single population proportion to test the hypothesis you have formulated in (b) at level = 0:05. Please explain clearly. Thank you!Explanation / Answer
yes
BECAUSE
Of course it would, but how and where? This week I was invited to visit the most amazing establishment. Housed in a very unassuming building on a business park near Milton Keynes is the headquarters of The Medical Detection Dogs.
This organisation is divided into three parts. First is the training of Medical Alert Dogs, who are trained to "sniff and detect" a change in blood sugar levels for a child or adult with Type 1 Diabetes. A minute change in body odour alerts the dog, who not only warns the owner or parents – by licks, nudges or stares – but also collects the necessary pack of medication. These dogs live with their owners, just like Guide Dogs. They become a vital part of their existence by saving, not only hundreds of visits by paramedics, but also the owners' lives. For parents of diabetic children, it means the difference between a check on their child every 30 minutes – 24 hours a day – and a decent night's sleep, knowing that the dog will wake them if necessary. These dogs accompany their "charges" to school, to work even on aeroplanes – they are the real-life equivalent of J. M. Barrie's "Nana" in Peter Pan. It is no wonder that there is a four year waiting list for one of these "Nanas".
Second is the bed bug sniffing dogs. Midas and Lizzie work with their handler to detect early bed bug infestations – Midas can detect a single bed bug in a room, or even bed bug eggs. In recent years, there has been a 500 per cent increase in bed bugs – found in hotels, trains and aeroplanes and now finding their way into private homes. Midas and Lizzie are going to earn their keep and will be employed by corporate clients or pest control companies for early detection of infestation. Any money earned by Midas and Lizzie will be ploughed straight back into the Medical Detection Dogs charity.