Tests for Down syndrome. Currently, there are three diagnostic tests available for chromosome abnormalities in a developing
Question:
Tests for Down syndrome. Currently, there are three diagnostic tests available for chromosome abnormalities in a developing fetus: triple serum marker screening, ultrasound, and amniocentesis. The safest (to both the mother and fetus) and least expensive of the three is the ultrasound test. Two San Diego State University statisticians investigated the accuracy of using ultrasound to test for Down syndrome (Chance, Summer 2007). Let D denote that the fetus has a genetic marker for Down syndrome and N denote that the ultrasound test is normal (i.e., no indication of chromosome abnormalities). Then, the statisticians desire the probability P1D0N2. Use Bayes’s rule and the following probabilities (provided in the article)
to find the desired probability: P1D2 = 1/80, P1DC2
=
79/80, P1N0D2 = 1/2, P1NC 0D2 = 1/2, P1N0DC2 = 1, and P1NC 0DC2 = 0.
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