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Microcomputer-based system for registration of oxygen tension in peripheral muscle.

For registration of oxygen tension fields in peripheral muscle a microcomputer based system was designed on the M6800 microprocessor. The system was designed to record the signals from a multiwire oxygen electrode, MDO, which is a multiwire electrode for measuring oxygen on the surface of an organ. The system contained patient safety isolation unit built on optocopplers and the upper frequency limit was 0.64 Hz. Collected data were corrected for drift and temperature changes during the measurement by using pre- and after calibrations and a linear compensation technique. Measure drift of the electrodes were proved to be linear and thus the drift could be compensated for. The system was tested in an experiment on pig. To study the distribution of oxygen statistically mean, standard deviation, skewness and curtosis were calculated. To see changes or differences between histograms a Kolmogorv-Smirnov test was used.

Animals↗

Evaluating control of breathing utilizing an on-line microcomputer.

This paper describes a system that was designed to evaluate ventilatory responses to hypercapnia, airway occlusion pressure (P100), as well as measuring ventilatory drive and timing. Parameters measured include minute ventilation (VE), breathing rate (f), tidal volume (VT), inspiratory time (TI), fractional inspiratory time (TI/TTot), mean inspiratory flow (VT/TI), and end tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PETCO2). These measurements allow for a thorough analysis of abnormalities of neural and neuromuscular ventilatory drive. The system's architecture was based primarily on currently available microcomputer components designed for the IEEE 696 bus.

Computers↗

A microcomputer-based software interface for automatic acquisition of fetal monitoring data.

At University Hospital, interfaces are being designed to link-stand-alone patient care devices to Hospital Information System (HIS). The objective is to have an integrated HIS comprising of data from bedside patient monitors and from stand-alone devices such as infusion pumps, fetal monitors, and pulse oximeters. Interfaces are implemented with standard hardware and software design tools. The feasibility of designing a general purpose interface hardware based on a common microprocessor has been demonstrated for an IMED model 960 infusion pump. The present paper describes the implementation of the software component of the interface using standard microcomputer software packages. The device of choice was the Corometrics model 115 fetal monitor for implementing the software because it is used extensively at University Hospital and has built-in data communication hardware. The Corometrics model 115 fetal monitor was interfaced to an IBM Personal Computer (PC) model XT. Data acquired from the fetal monitor was used to provide data tables and graphs. The feasibility of designing and implementing a software interface capable of acquiring and processing data received from a stand-alone device (fetal monitor) was demonstrated. A description of the important aspects of the interface software design is presented in this paper. This design will eventually be part of the HIS. A brief discussion about the design modifications necessary to acquire data from multiple devices simultaneously is also included.

Fetal Monitoring↗

A new microcomputer-controlled neutron activation and analysis system. Description and applications for the analysis of bioenvironmental specimens.

A microcomputer-controlled irradiation and measurement system and a microprocessor-controlled sample changer have been installed at the SLOWPOKE-2 Facility at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC). These systems can provide the gamut of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) techniques for the analyst. Custom software has been created for system control, data acquisition, and off-line spectral analysis using programs that incorporate Gaussian peak-fitting methods of analysis. The design and use of the equipment is discussed, and the performance is illustrated with results obtained from the analysis of marine sediment and biological reference materials.

Microcomputers↗

A simple expert system shell for microcomputer-aided radiographic diagnosis.

A simple microcomputer-based expert system shell for radiographic diagnosis is described. The system interrogates the user by means of a simple question--and-answer approach on the radiographic findings in a given case and proffers a differential diagnosis from a database. The system also allows listing of both the radiographic findings pertinent to a specific diagnosis and all diagnoses in which a particular finding or combination of findings occur. The system database can be easily updated or modified by the user. The demonstration application for the expert system shell is the plain film diagnosis of osseous dysplasia.

Expert Systems↗

The use of a patient-interactive microcomputer system to obtain histories in an infertility and gynecologic endocrinology clinic.

An inexpensive microcomputer has been programmed to obtain histories from patients attending an infertility and gynecologic endocrinology clinic. The system is directly interactive; patients enter their answers on a specially designed keyboard containing only "yes," "no," and "don't know" buttons and the numbers 1 to 5. A neatly formatted summary of the history is then provided by an interfaced printer. The history follows a branching pattern: Of the 330 questions incorporated in the program only 76 are asked in the course of the average history. The program contains numerous features which make it easy to use. For example, patients are provided with more detailed explanations of questions they find difficult to answer. These are produced either on command or automatically if the response time is prolonged. Crossover comparison with manual histories showed that the computer produces an accurate and exhaustive record containing many additional significant items. This system was designed to facilitate and not replace the physician interview. A confidential questionnaire revealed a high degree of consumer acceptance.

Computers↗

An inexpensive, microcomputer-based, video densitometer for quantitating thin-layer chromatographic spots.

An inexpensive video densitometer based on an Apple II microcomputer using commercially available components was developed. The device was used to quantitate charred lipid and colored spots on thin-layer chromatography plates. The method is useful for lipid samples weighing 0.1 to 4 micrograms on high-performance plates and 1 to 20 micrograms on ordinary plates. The software automatically corrects for baseline drift due to dirt or nonuniformity in the plate.

Ceramides↗

An optical comparator for measuring two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis records using an on-line microcomputer.

A comparator which makes it possible to compare two wet gels or photographic negatives or autoradiograms through a flickering light system has been built. The system consists of two special-purpose projectors which combine the images on a digitizing platform. When the lights are switched On and off out of phase, the positions of the common components remain unchanged, whereas those that are spatially displaced appear to jump from side to side and those present in one image but not the other switch on and off. This produces a flickering image in which differences are readily seen. Commercial camera lenses were used to construct the projectors and the overall specifications for the system are given. The coordinates of both the displaced components, as well as the selected standards from the two images, are digitized and entered automatically into an on-line microcomputer. By using an iterative procedure for collecting records from several superimposable records of the gel, it is possible to compensate for the lack of total reproducibility over the whole gels. These coordinates are then normalized and superimposed on a master map through a television display using a curser to adjust the coordinates. The whole procedure can be repeated for many gels using a common reference gel in the comparator, and the result is a set of normalized coordinates which can be plotted on a single map to provide a final record of the experiments.

Computers↗

An inexpensive computerized enzyme kinetics system based on a Gilford spectrophotometer and an Apple IIe microcomputer.

A microcomputer-controlled data acquisition system for spectrophotometric enzyme kinetics measurements has been assembled. The system uses an Apple IIe computer which is interfaced to the binary coded decimal output of a Gilford spectrophotometer. No analog-to-digital converter had to be purchased. A BASIC program which collects timed absorbance readings every 500 ms, plots the data in real time, performs a linear regression of the data to measure the reaction rate, and calculates the enzyme activity concentration is given in full. Details describing the interfacing of the computer to the spectrophotometer are presented which will permit other laboratories to readily assemble their own systems using this hardware. Kinetic data acquired by the system are highly reproducible and agree well with data processed much more slowly by manual techniques from strip chart recordings.

Autoanalysis↗

Microcomputer interface for computer-controlled enzyme kinetic studies with the monolayer technique.

A microcomputer interface for computer-assisted monolayer experiments was developed, tested, and used for analysis of the enzymatic hydrolysis by pancreatic phospholipases A2 (EC 3.1.1.4) of 1,2-didodecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-sulfate monitored under constant surface pressure. The interface described multiplexes two different analog signals onto one set of 12 data input lines to the computer. One signal is obtained from an electromicrobalance which measures surface pressure of a monomolecular substrate layer in a two-compartment trough. The second signal comes from a 10-turns precision potentiometer which measures the position of a surface barrier. Both signals together determine a velocity value which is output via four data lines to a DC motor that drives the barrier. Software developed specifically to drive the interface, to store data, and to keep pressure constant is described.

Animals↗

Application of microcomputers to the interpretation of high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides: evaluation of high-mannose structures.

A microcomputer program for determining primary oligosaccharide structures by high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance is reported. The program uses the data base obtained from spectra of model compounds reported in the literature. A number of high-mannose-type asparagine-linked glycopeptide spectra containing tabulated chemical shifts measured at room temperature were tested to determine the ability of the computer to correctly assign carbohydrate units into a complete structure. High-mannose structures ranging from five to nine oligomannosyl units were completely and unambiguously analyzed to give complete structural assignments. The computer program will also resolve glycopeptide mixtures. The method provides investigators with a useful tool for accurately evaluating nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and should greatly facilitate the complicated and time-consuming evaluation of microheterogeneity in samples commonly isolated from biological systems.

Asparagine↗

EZ-FIT: a practical curve-fitting microcomputer program for the analysis of enzyme kinetic data on IBM-PC compatible computers.

EZ-FIT, an interactive microcomputer software package, has been developed for the analysis of enzyme kinetic and equilibrium binding data. EZ-FIT was designed as a user-friendly menu-driven package that has the facility for data entry, editing, and filing. Data input permits the conversion of cpm, dpm, or optical density to molar per minute per milligram protein. Data can be fit to any of 14 model equations including Michaelis-Menten, Hill, isoenzyme, inhibition, dual substrate, agonist, antagonist, and modified integrated Michaelis-Menten. The program uses the Nelder-Mead simplex and Marquardt nonlinear regression algorithms sequentially. A report of the results includes the parameter estimates with standard errors, a Student t test to determine the accuracy of the parameter values, a Runs statistic test of the residuals, identification of outlying data, an Akaike information criterion test for goodness-of-fit, and, when the experimental variance is included, a chi 2 statistic test for goodness-of-fit. Several different graphs can be displayed: an X-Y, a Scatchard, an Eadie-Hofstee, a Lineweaver-Burk, a semilogarithmic, and a residual plot. A data analysis report and graphs are designed to evaluate the goodness-of-fit of the data to a particular model.

Enzymes↗

Control of pulsed field gel electrophoresis at short switching intervals by a microcomputer.

Pulsed field gel electrophoresis allows not only the separation of very large DNA molecules (up to 10 megabase pairs) but also gives an enhanced resolution in separations of DNA in the size range of 10-100 kilobase pairs (kbp). For this application, rapid alternation of the electrical field polarity is required. Here we describe equipment for the delivery of short switching pulses that is easy and inexpensive to build and is controlled by a standard microcomputer. It has proved to be useful in the separation of lambda DNA and its fragments. Parameters for enhanced separation of 23- and 48-kbp DNA molecules at high voltage gradients (15 V/cm) are presented and shown to provide superior resolution when compared to those for conventional electrophoresis at both high and low voltage gradients.

DNA, Viral↗

Coping with test stress: microcomputer software for treatment of test anxiety.

Test anxiety, described as "the most virulent impediment to effective role functioning in an educational setting" (Myers, R. A. 1986, Research on educational and vocational counseling; Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change, pp. 728), is readily treatable through use of relaxation and desensitization strategies. To reduce clinician involvement, and thus potentially reduce costs to clients, a microcomputer program, Coping with Test Stress, was developed and tested. Initial case findings suggest that the Coping with Test Stress program may be useful in treating test anxiety among college graduate students.

Achievement↗

A microcomputer-based image analyzer for quantitating neurite outgrowth.

An automated device that recognizes and quantitates neurite outgrowth from goldfish retinal explants is described. The system components include a video camera-inverted microscope and an Apple II microcomputer with an attached Motorola 68000 coprocessor. Values for neurite outgrowth were generated within 30 s, required no user input other than defining the microscopic field, and correlated well with a subjective measure, the nerve growth index.

Animals↗

A data analysis microcomputer package (DAMP) for biomedical signals.

The advent of cheap, powerful microcomputer systems makes the analysis of data via sophisticated techniques available to the personnel who are non-specialists in computing systems. The DAMP package described here is intended for use on personal computers and has therefore been written in BASIC for portability. The analysis techniques are powerful, comprising algorithms to perform sample-data generation, plotting displays, digital data filtering, auto-correlation functions, fast Fourier transforms and autoregressive modelling. The last technique contains a number of options including the display of z-plane plots, frequency response of the model, residual plotting and auto-correlation of the residuals. Illustrative results are shown from psychological mood data and rat locomotor activity. The package is designed both to instruct a user in the techniques of spectral analysis, and also to provide a range of methods for investigating time and frequency behaviour of biomedical data.

Biomedical Engineering↗