Linking Medical Disciplines with Theories of the Small-World

1
Linking Medical Disciplines with Theories of the
Small-World

• Renée G. Rubin

2
Research Method

• Introduction
• Data Acquisition
• 45 Combinations of Medical Disciplines

3
Kevin Bacon

• Six degrees of Kevin Bacon
• 1. Think of an actor or actress.
• 2. If they have ever been in a film with Kevin
  Bacon, then they have a Bacon Number of one.
• 3. If they have never been in a film with Kevin
  Bacon but have been in a film with somebody else
  who has, then they have a Bacon Number of two,
  and so on.

4
Stanley Milgram Small World Experiment

• What is the probability that any two people,
  selected arbitrarily from a large population,
  such as that of the United States, will know each
  other?

5
Migrams Experiment

• Experiment to link arbitrary individuals to a
  pre-selected target.
• Experiment Rules

Send postcard to Harvard
The cycle continues until the target in Boston is
reached.
If target is unknown send to someone who may
know the target
If target is known mail to him/her
6
Milgram Results

• Chain Length
• Mean number of links 5.2
• Mean from Boston 4.4
• Mean from Nebraska 5.7
• Initial Assumtion Stockholders in Nebraska have
  a lower chain length.
• Nebraska Stockholder 5.4
• Nebraska Control 5.7
• Conclusion

Not significantly different
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Nifty Bush Cartoon
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Average Path Length Clustering Coefficient
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Data
Combination Shared Lines 1st discipline lines 2nd discipline lines Total Percent shared
cardio dentistry 34342 37742 186492 224234 15.32
cardio geriatrics 19307 37742 66953 104695 18.44
cardio neonatalogy 119560 37742 510384 548126 21.81
cardio neurology 15638 37742 46631 84373 18.53
cardio nutrition 96142 37742 409046 446788 21.52
cardio obstetrics 30266 37742 107507 145249 20.84
cardio oncology 50696 37742 206438 244180 20.76
cardio opthalmology 6440 37742 27061 64803 9.94
cardio osteopathy 88341 37742 380175 417917 21.14
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Data
Cardio Percent Neonatology Percent Osteopathy Percent Nutrition Percent Oncology Percent
Neonatalogy 21.81 Cardiology 21.81 Cardiology 21.14 Cardiology 21.52 Cardiology 20.76
Nutrition 21.52 Nutrition 15.72 Neonatology 14.67 Neonatalogy 15.72 Osteopathy 11.18
Osteopathy 21.14 Osteopathy 14.67 Nutrition 12.20 Osteopathy 12.20 Neonatalogy 9.32
Obstetrics 20.84 Obstetrics 11.32 Oncology 11.18 Oncology 8.73 Nutrition 8.73
Oncology 20.76 Oncology 9.32 Dentistry 9.91 Dentistry 7.70 Dentistry 6.12
Neurology 18.53 Dentistry 6.63 Obstetrics 6.06 Obstetrics 6.89 Obstetrics 5.83
Geriatrics 18.44 Geriatrics 4.02 Geriatrics 4.70 Geriatrics 5.48 Neurology 5.10
Dentistry 15.32 Neurology 3.57 Neurology 4.29 Neurology 3.39 Geriatrics 5.04
Ophthalmology 9.94 Ophthalmology 1.97 Ophthalmology 2.25 Ophthalmology 1.69 Ophthalmology 2.17
18.70 9.89 9.60 9.26 8.25
Obstetrics Percent Dentistry Percent Geriatrics Percent Neurology Percent Ophthalmology Percent
Cardiology 20.84 Cardiology 15.32 Cardiology 18.44 Cardiology 18.53 Cardiology 9.94
Neonatology 11.32 Osteopathy 9.91 Nutrition 5.48 Oncology 5.10 Neurology 4.06
Nutrition 6.89 Nutrition 7.70 Oncology 5.04 Osteopathy 4.29 Geriatrics 2.64
Osteopathy 6.06 Neonatalogy 6.63 Dentistry 4.97 Geriatrics 4.28 Osteopathy 2.25
Oncology 5.83 Oncology 6.12 Osteopathy 4.70 Ophthalmology 4.06 Obstetrics 2.24
Dentistry 4.63 Geriatrics 4.97 Obstetrics 4.62 Obstetrics 3.66 Oncology 2.17
Geriatrics 4.62 Obstetrics 4.63 Neurology 4.28 Neonatology 3.57 Dentistry 2.01
Neurology 3.66 Neurology 3.11 Neonatology 4.02 Nutrition 3.39 Neonatalogy 1.97
Ophthalmology 2.24 Ophthalmology 2.01 Ophthalmology 2.64 Dentistry 3.11 Nutrition 1.69
7.34 6.71 6.02 5.55 3.22
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Graph

• Vertices represent medical disciplines
• Thickness of edges represent the number of
  connections between vertices.

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Conclusion

• Findings
• Data Difficulties
• Accents
• é, ö, ñ, ç etc.
• Typos/Transpositions
• Vanatakin N
• Vaantakin N
• The elusive middle initial
• Vanatakin N
• Vanatakin NA

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Acknowledgements

• Dr. Ed Harcourt
• Dr. Patti Frazer Lock
• Dr. Collen Knickerbocker
• Jamie Perconti