false positive

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false positive

The erroneous identification of a threat or dangerous condition that turns out to be harmless. False positives often occur in intrusion detection systems. See IDS. Contrast with false negative.

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If a false positive is suspected, results can be confirmed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Urine drug screens: when might a test result be false-positive?

Although we must exercise caution when interpreting novel findings in scientific publications, we must also be vigilant not to become stifled or crippled by the fear of false positives and end up hampering scientific progress.

Handling false positives in the genomic era

Suppose now that the costs of a false negative are taken to be three times the costs of a false positive.

Balancing the costs of forecasting errors in parole decisions

27%) of all 166,058 oral fluid rapid HIV tests performed during March 2005-May 2008 were false positive and demand for rapid HIV testing in NYC DOHMH STD clinics remains high, test operators and counselors have expressed a lack of confidence in oral fluid rapid HIV testing since the abrupt and sustained increase in false-positive test results during November 2007-April 2008.

False-positive oral fluid rapid HIV tests--New York City, 2005-2008

However, the cost may become significant if either the pretest likelihood of the impairment is low and/or the false positive rate is high.

Reassessing underwriting strategies: protective-value studies can help assess mortality risks as well as value the possible cost of losing good business

Clearly, what is needed is the ability to accept as much information from sensors in real time to reduce false negatives, and then use threat-management technology to filter out the false positives, integrate data together to track professional-grade "blended" threats, and map the output to vulnerability databases.

Move beyond patch management: correlation threat-management engines can reduce the time needed to check syslog files

For example, universal screening (as opposed to targeting high-risk groups or individuals) for AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) would be futile in North America because of the preponderance of false positives that would be generated among the entire population where AIDS is still relatively rare.

Risk management and precaution: insights on the cautious use of evidence

This, of course, produces more false positives - but it also results in the detection of more actual cancers, thus saving more lives.