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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Free flap monitoring using a microcomputer linked to a laser Doppler flowmeter.

The problems of free flap monitoring using the Periflux PF108D laser Doppler flowmeter (PLDF) are discussed, as are the indices of flap perfusion that the laser Doppler flowmeter can provide. The use of a microcomputer linked to a laser Doppler flowmeter by a suitable interface and using an appropriate monitoring program is described together with details of the system and program. It is suggested that linkage with a microcomputer offers a relatively simple, low cost method of improving the ease and reliability of free flap monitoring with the laser Doppler flowmeter.

Forearm↗
PubMed1979

EEG data acquisition and preprocessing by microcomputer satellite system.

Recent development in computer technology allows already medium scale EEG data processing to be performed within the clinical neurophysiology department, if a fast minicomputer with adequate mass storage and graphical output facilities is used. Data acquisition, however, should be delegated to a microcomputer which also should take over as much preprocessing as possible. A system is presented, where one or several microcomputer-based satellite units perform analog-digital conversion, Fourier transformation (FFT), calculation of power spectra and crossproducts, as well as event related averaging or other preprocessing procedures. The units are connected to a fast central minicomputer, where a supervisor program loads the microprocessors with their programs, supervises their activity, receives preprocessed data and activates appropriate postprocessing programs to produce the final results.

Analog-Digital Conversion↗
PubMed1986

A rapid, flexible method for biochemical assays using a microtiter plate reader and a microcomputer. Application for assays of protein, Na,K-ATPase and K-p-nitrophenylphosphatase.

A computerized system which greatly accelerates and eases the collection, storage, and analysis of data has been applied to several standard biochemical assays. The system uses a commercially available microtiter plate reader connected to an Apple IIe microcomputer via a standard serial port. Data are transmitted automatically from the reader to the microcomputer, where they can be viewed, printed, further analyzed immediately, or stored on a diskette for later retrieval and processing. Some or all of the data may be entered manually. The program calculates a linear least squares best fit to a standard curve after correcting all data for blanks, then determines the quantities of substrate or product contained in each well of a microtiter plate. Data from two plates may be combined, enabling calculation of enzyme specific activities. This system can be adapted to any assay whose final step can be performed by a microtiter plate reader. Its use is described for determination of protein concentration, Na,K-ATPase activity, and K-stimulated p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity.

4-Nitrophenylphosphatase↗
PubMed1988

Microcomputer application of Bayesean probability testing for the identification of bacteria.

A computer program (BACTID) is described which facilitates the identification of bacteria based on a priori data and Bayesean probability testing. The program is not limited to a specific format, has a short execution time, can be easily applied to a variety of situations, and can be run on almost any microcomputer system operating under either 8-bit CP/M or 16-bit MS-DOS/PC-DOS. Additionally, BACTID (1) is not limited to one type of computer (hardware independent), (2) is not limited by size of the computer's random access (RAM independent), (3) can recognize various data bases matrices (format independent), (4) is able to compensate for missing data and (5) allows for various methods of data entry. The efficacy of the program was checked against a commercially available test system and a 99.34% agreement was obtained. Also, the execution time for a 46 x 21 element data matrix was as little as 3.5 s. These results show that microcomputer identification programs are not only viable alternatives to code book registers, but also offer flexibility which is not found in commercial systems.

Bacteria↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Application of a microcomputer-based system in the analysis of infection data at the emergency units of a large hospital.

After three years of retrospective study in four emergency units from a large hospital (2000 beds) and analysis of 6283 positive cultures, a microcomputer database system was built to store information concerning nosocomial infections in order to help the clinical staff from those units to study the incidence of 20 bacterial species and their sensitivity pattern evolutions for 27 antibiotics (from samples in 15 different collecting sites). This system was developed as an alternative to the hospital mainframe computer microbiological reports. It put emphasis on graphical outputs instead of the coded tables generated by the bigger system. This orientation and the possibility of sectorial infection data analysis were responsible for the general acceptance of the microcomputer-based system by the clinical staff. As the first practical results, the system was able to detect a particular increase in the incidence of Staphylococcus aureus in surgical emergency units (up to 21.6% in 1982) as well as the dissemination of the antimicrobial resistance patterns of S. aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae from the surgical units to the clinical ones. The time evolution behaviour of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and other nonfermentative Gram negative bacilli was also studied to complete the analysis of the most pathogenic bacterial species found in our emergency units.

Brazil↗
PubMed1992

Development of an above-knee prosthesis equipped with a microcomputer-controlled knee joint: first test results.

The shortcomings of conventional above-knee prostheses are due to their lack of adaptive control. Implementation of a microcomputer controlling the knee joint in a passive way has been suggested to enhance the patient's gait comfort, safety and cosmesis. This approach was used in the design of a new prosthetic system for the above-knee amputee, and tested on one patient. The knee joint of a conventional, modular prosthesis was replaced by a knee joint mechanism, equipped with a controllable brake on the knee joint axis. Sensors and a microcomputer were added, keeping the system self-contained. The modularity of the design permits the use of an alternative, external, PC-based control unit, emulating the self-contained one, and offering extended data monitoring and storage facilities. For both units an operating environment was written, including sensor/actuator interfacing and the implementation of a real-time interrupt, executing the control algorithm. A double finite state approach was used in the design of the control algorithm. On a higher level, the mode identification algorithm reveals the patient's intent. Within a specific mode (lower level), the relevant mode control algorithm looks for the current phase within the gait cycle. Within a particular phase, a specific simple control action with the brake replaces normal knee muscle activity. Tests were carried out with one prosthetic patient using a basic control algorithm for level walking, allowing controlled knee flexion during stance phase. The technical feasibility of such a concept is illustrated by the test results, even though only flexion during early stance phase was controlled during the trials.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Artificial Limbs↗
PubMed1987

Acquisition and analysis of fast single channel kinetic data on an Apple IIe microcomputer.

We describe a method for acquisition and analysis of single channel kinetic data, that uses a ubiquitous microcomputer, the Apple IIe (and is thus cheap), and is yet sensitive and powerful (analysis of up to 6000 events per run of the program; event detection only limited by the amplifier bandwidth). For data acquisition, the original record is converted into an idealized record of open and closed times, using half amplitude threshold analysis or a two-cursor window discriminator. A Time Interval Meter (TIM) has been developed that measures the durations of the TTL-signal from the window discriminator and stores up to 256 intervals in a FIFO-buffer. Each cycle of the TIM is completed within 1 microsecond. The, largely Pascal, software reads the intervals from the FIFO-buffer and stores them in the main memory of the microcomputer (cycle time 70 microseconds). The package is completed with Pascal programs for statistical analysis, including histogram construction of open and closed times, non-linear fit of up to 3 exponentials and correlation analysis.

Computers↗
PubMed1989

Microcomputer-controlled laboratory system for field potential experiments.

A microcomputer-controlled laboratory system for hippocampal field potential experiments was constituted. This system realized the quasi-simultaneous processing of execution of stimulation, data acquisition, data display and data analysis by means of a microcomputer for the first time. To attain this quasi-simultaneous processing, a new algorithm for drawing a tangent on the wave-form of the potential was contrived, which enabled rapid analysis of an arbitrary population spike even in the case of generation of double spikes. The system has the following functions: (1) execution of the programmed stimulation paradigm, (2) analog/digital (A/D) conversion of the evoked field potential with a sampling interval of more than 50 microseconds per channel, (3) display of the A/D converted wave-form data on a CRT and storage of the data on a floppy disk, (4) on-line analysis of the population excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) and population spike, (5) more detailed off-line analysis of the field potentials, and (6) output of the wave-form data and measured values through a printer and an X-Y plotter.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1989

Enhancing high-speed digitization of single-unit neuronal activity on a microcomputer using a hybrid software-hardware technique.

A new data acquisition technique allows a microcomputer simultaneously to digitize spikes at high rates, analyze spike waveforms for computer-based spike separation and manage other control tasks. The technique has two key features: a software scheduling routine written in a high-level language and a hardware analog delay of neuronal signals using simple hardware external to the computer. The technique provides an alternative for real-time data acquisition and can be used on microcomputers without requiring interrupt processing and assembly language programming.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1990

On-line acquisition, analysis and presentation of neurophysiological data based on a personal microcomputer system.

A microcomputer based system is described for the acquisition, averaging, displaying, analysis and storage of electrophysiological (EPSP and post-stimulus histogram) data. The system consists of commercially available hardware (IBM-PC AT compatible, 80286 or 80386 based microcomputer, Burr-Brown analog-to-digital (A/D) converter), a custom built interface module, and a combination of commercially available and custom built software packages. The software operates within a Microsoft Windows environment and is comprised of custom built data acquisition and review modules which are linked to Microsoft's Excel program. The system is capable of four channel A/D conversion of EPSP's at a sampling frequency of up to 10 KHz (50 KHz single channel), the averaging of data including the addition and subtraction of various channels, the graphical display of data, the extraction of various data parameters, and the transfer of data to an Excel spreadsheet. The spreadsheet allows for the development of mathematical formulas for statistical analysis of data and presentation of the results in graphical form. Finally, data can easily be output to a laser printer or plotter. A sample experiment, illustrating system operation, is presented.

Electronic Data Processing↗
PubMedDate not supplied

BACTID: a microcomputer implementation of a PASCAL program for bacterial identification based on Bayesean probability.

A computer program (BACTID) is described which enables the identification of bacteria based on a priori data and Bayesean probability testing. The program is not limited to a specific format, has a short execution time, can be easily applied to a variety of situations, and can be run on almost any microcomputer system operating under either 8-bit CP/M or 16-bit MS-DOS or PC-DOS. Additionally, BACTID is not limited to one type of computer (hardware independent); is not limited by size of the computer's random access memory (RAM independent); can recognize various database matrices (format independent); is able to compensate for missing data; and allows for various methods of data entry. The efficacy of the program was checked against a commercially available test system and a 99.34% agreement was obtained. Also, the execution time for a 46 x 21 data matrix was as little as 3.5 seconds. These results show that microcomputer identification programs not only are viable alternatives to code-book registers, but also offer flexibility which is not found in commercial systems.

Bacteria↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Microcomputer-assisted univariate survival data analysis using Kaplan-Meier life table estimators.

We describe a microcomputer program (KMSURV) for exploratory univariate statistical analysis of survival data which is directly applicable to the evaluation of clinical trials and to retrospective epidemiological studies of hospital registry-based data. The program calculates life-table-like information based on Kaplan-Meier's product-limit estimators of the survivorship function S(t) and provides summary measures of average survival times. In addition, two non-parametric tests for the comparison of survival distributions are performed. A report-quality, high resolution plot of the S(t) estimates for all groups being compared complements each set of analyses. KMSURV is not a simple adaptation of a mainframe statistical analysis package and, thus, it utilizes efficiently the interactive environment which is inherent in microcomputing.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

RIAPC: a microcomputer program for the analysis of radioimmunoassay data.

A microcomputer program for analysis of radioimmunoassays has been developed for use on microcomputers which operate under MS-DOS system software. The program messages are contained in an ASCII text file in French, English, and Spanish and can be modified by the user. The parameters and data can be entered manually into screen tables, or read from external files. An unweighted log/logit transformation is used for regression analysis of the standard curve. Provision is made for correction of the sample measurements for procedural losses (recovery). All results are written to an ASCII text file which can printed and/or reduced in order to pass the sample concentrations to other programs.

Humans↗
PubMed1987

Prevalence survey of infection in a Hong Kong hospital using a standard protocol and microcomputer data analysis.

A 1-day prevalence survey of hospital infection was performed in June 1985 at a new general teaching hospital in Hong Kong. The 1980 British national survey protocol was used, and the results were analysed by microcomputer. The major part of the survey was carried out by nine people over a period of 3 days and was completed within 6 weeks. The rate of hospital-acquired infection was 8.9% and of community-acquired infection was 16.5%. Antibiotics were mainly used in infected patients. The British protocol is suitable for Hong Kong hospitals, and with microcomputer data analysis such surveys can be completed quickly and accurately even with limited resources.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

A microcomputer aided control system for visual tracking task of monkey.

A microcomputer aided control system for visual tracking tasks is described. A video monitor displays positions of target and pointer. In a handle task, the horizontal position of a pointer is coupled to the angular position of a manipulandum. The task involves alignment and maintenance of a pointer on the target. In a bar press task, the pointer moves incrementally after each preset number of bar presses. A microcomputer and video monitor afford system flexibility, while a panel of manual switches permits the setting up of a variety of experimental conditions without extensive keyboard inputs and has the added advantage of constant display of task details. The program is written in assembly language to meet requirements for program control speed and allow timing measurement in msec. This system may be useful in the behavioral study of physiological and neurophysiological functions.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

A microcomputer application curriculum for emergency medicine residents using computer-assisted instruction.

A microcomputer application curriculum using computer-assisted instruction was developed for emergency medicine residents. Other than introductory comments, the course was composed entirely of disk-based tutorials. No faculty time was necessary. Subjects covered included introduction to microcomputers, the disk operating system; word processing, data bases, and spread sheets. The entire course, including the tutorial floppy disks, was contained in one loose-leaf notebook. Residents who took the course were surveyed. The course took an average of three to six hours to complete. All found the course to be helpful, with word processing being the most useful module. The majority of residents thought that the course was so valuable that it should be given earlier in the residency. Thus, we have moved the course to the first postgraduate year, and the data base and spread-sheet modules have been made optional. The course is easily assembled, requires minimal faculty time, and can be modified to accommodate different hardware and software.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗
PubMed1989

Resolving multiple overlapping calorimetric transitions by use of a microcomputer: studies on erythrocyte membranes.

Buffer changes and certain drugs cause temperature shifts, amplitude changes, and transition broadening in the differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis of erythrocyte membranes. However, it has been difficult to interpret and quantitate these shifts and changes because the scans are composed of multiple overlapping transitions and because more than one transition may be simultaneously affected. An empirical approach has been developed by using Gaussian modeling to resolve these calorimetric transitions. Data analysis was carried out on a microcomputer using a nonlinear regression program (PCNONLIN) to fit the data scans. These results show that changes in the calorimetric scans of erythrocyte membranes due to alterations in the buffer environment, such as pH and osmolarity, can be resolved by fitting the data scans with the proposed mathematical model and optimizing the resolution parameters with PCNONLIN. In addition, resolution uncovered hidden characteristics that may not have been readily evident. Under certain conditions, for example, apparent transition shifts were shown to actually be amplitude changes and transition broadening. Determination of the limitations and validity of this method was accomplished with simulation studies. This technique offers a simple means for fitting overlapping DSC transitions by use of a commercially available nonlinear regression program that can be run on a microcomputer.

Buffers↗
PubMed1989

Tabletop versus microcomputer-assisted speech management: stabilization phase.

Few controlled data are available on the efficacy of microcomputers for speech management with children. The focus of this second report in a study series using microcomputers with speech-delayed children (Shriberg, Kwiatkowski, & Snyder, 1986) is on the response stabilization stage of speech management. Two repeated-measures designs were conducted with two samples of preschool children (n = 18) to compare tabletop management with comparable computer-assisted activities. Findings indicate that response stabilization tasks in the two intervention modes were equally effective, efficient, and engaging. Additional analyses suggest that the two modes engage the children in different ways, however, and that children may have individual needs for mode-specific features.

Age Factors↗