It is possible to determine a value of this factor that minimises the sampling variance of the estimator, but this value will be variable specific.
The last analysis in our study showed that there are optimal follow-up times which minimise the sample size needed per group if all infectious parameters and the fraction developing PID are fixed (Fig. 5).
This would be especially useful for studies of novel agents (where little is known about the treatment) or for rare disorders, where it is appropriate to minimise the sample size.
We minimised the sample consumption by using a microfluidic flow cell which enables to record multiple co-additions to improve the signal-to-noise ratio while keeping the sample consumption at realistic levels of milligram amounts of protein for a full step-scan experiment.
On the other hand, the number of plots included in V will increase directly with the value chosen for M, so minimisation of the value of M will minimise the sampling effort.
The size of the population of clinician-scientists made it possible to maximise the response rate and minimise the sampling error by surveying the entire study population in a fast and cost-effective manner.
The conventional optimal design, for given type 1 and type 2 error rates, is the one which minimises the expected sample size under the null hypothesis.
The first one minimises the expected sample size under the null hypothesis and is referred to as the 'optimal' design.
We assessed the method and design section of each paper, what the study was about, whether the systematic bias was avoided or minimised, and whether the sample was large enough and the study continued for a sufficient length of time to make the results credible.
