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Hypothesis testing

Typical Research Proposal

Summary (one paragraph)

What, Why, How [who, when, where]

Specific Aims (one page)

Goals, objectives, aims, hypotheses, research questions Hypothesis simple, testable (falsifiable) statement

Background and Significance

Set up your aims Convince reviewer of your know-how

Preliminary Studies/Progress Report

Demonstrate feasibility of experiments and your know-how

Research Design and Methods

Experimental plan to test hypotheses Alternative plans if unexpected results Specific methods enough detail to be convincing

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Characteristics of hypotheses
Clear, unequivocal statement Testable
An experiment naturally follows with a predicted outcome

Predictive
Fruitful

Risky
Not obvious, not trivial (not wimpy) Important

Falsifiable

Research questions
Goals, objectives, aims = targets Question is expression of uncertainty what happens when/if? Re-express as a hypothesis
Hypothesis should encapsulate the uncertainty in the project

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Experiments and hypotheses

An experiment (with an appropriate control group) should naturally follow from a hypothesis Check that proposed experiments follow from hypothesis What are expected results and given those results, have we tested hypothesis
What do we learn from experiment? Lots of possible experiments not all are necessarily worth doing Just because something hasnt been measured before, doesnt mean it should be

MVS example 1
Specific Aim 1: Demonstrate that blood perfused through g [a [ vascularized can be p tissue] construct and assess [clotting] in a [dog]. Hypothesis: [Endothelial cell coated].. modules inhibit thrombosis and so enable perfusion through a [vascularized] construct [Endothelial cell] seeded constructs will be inserted in a test section [in dogs] to compare [clotting] to control constructs without endothelial cells.

Adapted from NIH proposal, ~ 2005

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Falsifiable (Karl Popper)

Inductive inference
This F is G, G that F is G; therefore all F are G Infer a general law from the particular
But may find an exception

Need empirical evidence not to justify but to falsify Hypothesis = best guess
Finding that hypothesis is wrong, means that you have learned more than when your hypothesis is confirmed

Development of a meaningful "dictionary" of proteins (a proteome t taxonomy) t ) will ill require i many simultaneous measures to yield sufficient descriptors from protein behaviour analysis
CSChe, Vancouver, October 2002

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Rapid slicing ("jetcutting") of a semi-solid, continuous free stream of polymer entrapped live animal cells is a practical means of producing large numbers of cylindrical rods suitable for building tissue engineering constructs.
M.V.Sefton, NSERC Application, 2002

The Hay Ricks; Late Summer, Giverny - 1891, Claude Monet