background: the increased concern for accountability and quality improvement is inducing universities throughout the world to evaluate and control performance. hence, this study was conducted to assess basic science department of sabzevar medical school to improve the quality of the department. methods: this study is a descriptive cross sectional study. we asked faculty members, managers, inter...

Data science has attracted a lot of attention, promising to turn vast amounts of data into useful predictions and insights. In this article, we ask why scientists should care about data science. To answer, we discuss data science from three perspectives: statistical, computational, and human. Although each of the three is a critical component of data science, we argue that the effective combina...

In the USA, where I live and work, it is well known that I have little love for structural genomics—the attempt to determine the structures of most or all of the proteins in an organism by some combination of high-throughput X-ray crystallo graphy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and homology modelling. My reasons are a matter of public record: structural genomics is based on an assumpt...

We show a lot of respect for science today. To back up our claims, we tend to appeal to scientific methods. It seems that we all agree that these methods are effective for gaining the truth. We can ask why science has its special status as a supplier of knowledge about our external world and our bodies. Of course, one should not always trust what scientists say. Nonetheless, epistemological jus...