Tutorial 2: An Overview of the X-META Package
In this tutorial, we briefly introduce the xmeta package and its main functions.
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X-meta denotes “a toolbox for multivariate meta-analysis”.
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This package includes a collectin of functions:
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The mmeta function: making inference in multivariate meta-analysis. The aim of the function is to estimate the underlying pooled effects and the components of the between-study covariance matrix for multivariate random-effects meta-analysis.
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The SSE function: detecting and quantifying small study effects (SSE), which include publication bias, in multivariate meta-analysis. This function implementing the multivariate Egger’s regression test and multivariate trim and fill method for detecting SSE, as well as a novel method to quantify SSE.
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The galaxy function: visualizing features of multivariate meta-analysis. This function implementing the the commonly used visualization tools for meta-analysis, including the forest plot, the bubble plot, the SROC curve, the cross-hairs plot, and the galaxy plot. The galaxy plot is a novel visualization tool for MMA, which preserves all information contained in two separate funnel plots in a two-dimentional space.
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We are going to talk about more details about the three main function in later tutorials.
Tutorial 3: Using the mmeta Function