Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Microcomputers”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Microcomputer-assisted filing system of cardiac catheterization records using a relational database management system.

To efficiently store and retrieve cardiac catheterization records, we have developed a computer-assisted database, which comprises a 16-bit microcomputer with dual floppy disk drives, a 20 MB random-access memory, hard disk drive, and a line printer. All programmings were accomplished using a relational database management system (R:base 5000, Microrim, Inc.). Data inquiry procedures could be performed with direct operational commands of the system as well as with preprogrammed command files, and final results of searches were printed out with a line printer. The major advantages of the present system described in this report include: (1) the relatively easy and rapid creation of the database, (2) ease of modification of the database structures even after the system design is finished, (3) operational commands in combination with conditional operator(s) are flexible and powerful enough to allow the end user to retrieve data based on various kinds of criteria, (4) a high-level programming language provided by the R:base automates a series of database procedures with relative ease, (5) relational capabilities of the database management system can enhance the possibility of reconstruction of a new data file from a single or several preexisting data files, and (6) the system can be realized at reasonable cost.

Cardiac Catheterization↗
PubMed1986

Programming for the DNA analysis of FCM data on an IBM microcomputer.

The analysis of data generated on a flow cytometer (FCM) is often performed on a computer obtained especially for dedicated use with the flow cytometer. This computer component can be expensive and also presents the FCM user with the added burden of mastering specialized programming language or of accepting the secret analytical processes of protected proprietary program routines. We believe that the evolution of more accurate and efficient FCM analyses that have the power to consider complex signal distributions can be assisted by the availability of analysis programs written in languages common to many users. DNA analysis routines written for a relatively inexpensive microcomputer (IBM PC/XT) in Basic and Pascal are described here. The routines can automatically process multiple FCM data files and can provide high-resolution graphic hardcopy. A foreground/background utilization is also described that allows the computer to be available for other uses in the laboratory.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Quantitative evaluation of coat-color patterns in artificially produced chimeras of the mouse by means of a microcomputer-based video-image analysis system.

The possible application of microcomputer-based video-image analysis systems for the quantitative description of coat-color patterns in artificially produced chimeras and genetic mosaics of mice was investigated using a program developed by the author. This system is capable of extracting, from sampled images of pelts, the morphometric image features as defined by Pratt [1978] that are essential to the quantitative description of coat-color patterns in these animals. It does so with reasonable accuracy and speed and at low cost. No description of any similar system has been published in the literature. Performance of our system is described using C3H/HeJ----BALB/c chimeras as examples. The complex phenotypic expression of hair pigmentation in mice makes the use of a video-image analysis system like this one essential to evaluate the morphometric parameters of the patterns (e.g., the mixing ratios between the two components, the number of different-colored stripes, etc.) more precisely and reproducibly than has been done yet in the literature. The results indicate that the number of melanoblast clones in mice, as estimated from the number of minimal recognizable stripes (MRS), might be considerably larger than previously indicated; the figure presently obtained, i.e., 22.3 +/- 2.16 unilaterally in terms of the hypothetical maximum number of stripes (HMNS) (28.73 +/- 1.55, after correction for the random clumping) in the thoracicolumbar region of the mouse closely approximates the number of the somites in that region. Concerning the degree of mixing between the two components, it was proposed that the unmixed portion of the components derived from one strain increases in proportion to the second power of the increase in the relative total content of the same components. Work is in progress in our laboratory to analyze a large number of the chimeric pelts using the system described in this paper.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

AMESFIT: a microcomputer program for fitting linear-exponential dose-response models in the Ames Salmonella assay.

The Ames Salmonella/microsome assay remains the most widely used microbial test for genotoxicity. In this article, we describe a microcomputer program developed to fit a linear-exponential dose-response model to Ames assay data for established mutagens. The model includes a linear term to describe the mutagenic effects of the test agent at low to moderate doses and an exponential attenuation factor to accommodate downturns at high doses due to cytotoxicity. Quasi-likelihood methods are used to obtain estimates of the unknown model parameters, thereby avoiding the need to fully specify the distribution of the experimental data. This method of estimation also allows for extra-Poisson variation that is characteristic of counts of mutant colonies of bacteria observed in the Ames assay. The particular linear-exponential model used here was developed for use in the analysis of a recent large-scale collaborative trial using the Ames assay sponsored by the International Programme on Chemical Safety. The use of our program is illustrated using sample data sets taken from that collaborative study.

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Portable obstetrical ultrasound calculation and analysis using an inexpensive laptop microcomputer and simple basic program.

This paper describes the use of a commercially available inexpensive portable laptop microcomputer and a simple user-friendly software package that allows rapid, portable obstetrical ultrasound calculation in the reading room, delivery suite, office setting, or over the telephone. The program is written in BASIC and may be modified by the user. The programming philosophy is described and a variety of BASIC subroutines and formulae useful to the obstetrical sonologist are listed. All fetal parameter formulae are referenced.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed1990

Evaluation of a microcomputed tomography system to study trabecular bone structure.

A new microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) system and thresholding procedure was evaluated as a tool for nondestructive analysis of trabecular bone. Images of 6-mm trabecular bone cubes acquired from the micro-CT system were compared with optical images of corresponding histologic sections to determine the accuracy of representation. The stereologic measures of bone volume fraction (PP) and trabecular plate density (PL) were used to quantify the comparisons. The results showed that the micro-CT measures of PP were not significantly different from those measured from histologic sections and therefore were very accurate. Measures of PL were different by approximately 14%, which translated into discrepancies in trabecular plate thicknesses of about 19 microns. This difference was significantly correlated to the microstructural characteristics of the specific specimen scanned. The precision of both measurements was excellent.

Bone and Bones↗
PubMed1982

Clinical data management and analysis using a microcomputer.

In the clinical setting, it is imperative that the medical staff as well as certain support staff have ready access to patients' records and on-study data. Computerization of the clinical data must not deter non-computer-oriented data users from getting at the information they need. In fact, the computer system should be designed for ease of operation by all potential users so that it becomes a valuable and unobtrusive aid to the clinical environment. This paper describes the workings of a microcomputer system at the Vermont Regional Cancer Center.

Computers↗
PubMed1983

Improving the medical record for clinical oncology research by adaptation to a microcomputer.

In clinical oncology, much of the research is conducted in the milieu of patient care and the traditional medical record is used for collection of data. A clinical study manager reviewing medical records is frequently faced with problems such as omissions of data, illegible notes, and inconsistent locations of data within the various formats. At the Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, we developed a microcomputer-based medical record system in an attempt to improve the quality of clinical research. Our system is based within our division and provides for a single point of transcription of clinical data when the patient is initially seen. Our entire practice is managed on the system, with numerous reports available that range from individual patient information to summary reports on protocol studies.

Computers↗
PubMed1980

The use of an inexpensive, general purpose microcomputer in quantitative cytochemistry.

A 32K Commodore Pet microcomputer has been interfaced with two Vickers microdensitometers. This system allows for the simultaneous logging of data from two densitometers being operated independently of each other. Software for the statistical analysis of data generated by the densitometers, and for use with the cytochemical bioassay of hormones, is described. The densitometer/Pet system is relatively cheap, reliable, and readily adaptable to other applications.

Computers↗
PubMed1996

A microcomputer program for calculating cell population doubling time in vitro and in vivo.

Determination of the doubling time for a population of cells can involve tedious calculations. We have developed computer software for MS-DOS microcomputers to expedite the analysis of tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. This program, DOUBLE-TIME, assists in the collection of cell numbers into a database and calculates the doubling time for a population of cells from the plot of cell growth over time. For experiments where tumor mass is measured in vivo, the software collects measurements of tumor size, calculates tumor volume (mass), generates growth curves for tumor volume change over time, and determines the doubling time of the tumor and the mean for multiple tumors. DOUBLE-TIME plots both total and viable cell numbers over time, calculates standard error of the doubling time, and the doubling time for a selected portion of a growth curve. This software also automates the cell counting process with a software-generated cell counter that allows cell counts to be tallied directly into the computer via a mouse.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

The microcomputer as a community mental health public information tool.

A discussion of the role of public information programs in community mental health is followed by a review of various traditional public information techniques. A microcomputer system is described as a tool for public information. A field study of the system is reported in which the results indicate the system's success in creating interest in mental health information and assessing consumer awareness of mental health services and principles. The computer's capability for teaching this information is not substantiated, but appears promising.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed1985

ARMIS: a microcomputer-based hospital risk management information system.

Information processing is a major element of hospital risk management programs. A microcomputer-based information system has been designed and implemented in a medium-size university hospital. The design principles and the functional capabilities of the system are described here, followed by an evaluation based on the first year of operation.

Computers↗
PubMed1986

Evaluating the contribution to a hospital of specific physicians through the use of a financial and social weighting criterion developed on a microcomputer.

This paper will address how a hospital was able to utilize a microcomputer to determine weighting criteria to allocate Medicaid patient days to certain physicians when the State reduced the allowable days by 59 percent. The allocation basis had to address the following: the hospital's mission, financial viability, the impact on its teaching programs and university affiliations and antitrust and anticompetition laws and regulations.

Chicago↗
PubMed1986

The impact of microcomputers on program excellence.

The following criteria were used to document program enhancement after the implementation of a microcomputer laboratory: faculty and student attitudes toward computer-assisted instruction (CAI); student anxiety scores toward state board examinations; increased visibility of the college (number of authored CAI modules, CAI grants, computer committee memberships, faculty attendance at computer courses); and relationship involving learning style, attitude, and student learning. Ninety-two of 112 students and 39 of 55 faculty responded to the request for data collection. Postimplementation, both faculty and students showed mean increases in their attitude toward CAI, although not statistically significant. Senior students had significantly decreased anxiety scores toward the state RN licensure examination after using Mosby's NURSESTAR for review (p less than .001). Increased visibility was also documented, but data collection continues regarding the relationship involving learning style, attitude, and student learning. It was concluded that the innovation of computers in an established nursing curriculum served to enhance program excellence.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1987

Utilizing a microcomputer-based physician incentive compensation program to increase inpatient hospital utilization and improve cost management.

This paper will address the complex issues of effective cost management and declining inpatient volume. Utilizing a microcomputer-based physician incentive compensation program, it will show how a hospital developed a plan to increase inpatient hospital utilization and improve cost management. It will discuss the Internal Revenue, HCFA, and legal implications of the plan.

Chicago↗
PubMed1983

Developments and implementations of microcomputer MUMPS systems.

The accelerating pace of improvement and innovation in today's microprocessors offers a real challenge to the software industry. MUMPS, a language well suited to take advantage of this technology, has already been introduced on 8-bit microcomputers, and 16-bit versions are under development. The long-term results of the availability of MUMPS on new generations of microprocessors will have an impact on the visibility of the language, its evolution, and its use on existing minicomputers. These implications are discussed in depth in this paper.

Computers↗
PubMed1988

Computerized newborn screening in Texas--a multiple microcomputer approach.

The Texas Department of Health expanded its newborn screening program to include four disorders in February of 1980. Because of the large volume of specimens being processed (approximately 2500 daily), it was essential that laboratory aspects of this program be computerized. Currently, both laboratory and follow-up activities are linked by computer. The modular, microcomputer approach employed has provided the necessary capabilities to ensure accurate and efficient tracking of newborns from specimen submission through diagnosis and treatment. Continual program evaluations are also possible through statistical tabulations of various types of data collected and maintained in the system.

Computers↗