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At least 793 records · Page 44Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Evaluation of Web-based computer-aided instruction in a basic science course.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate the applicability of server statistics, in combination with user surveys, to evaluate utilization of Web-based computer-aided instruction (CAI) in the undergraduate medical curriculum. METHOD: Individual user surveys with students' names provided information about computer literacy prior to the course and use of CAI during the course. Utilization of specific web-based CAI developed for the course was recorded by server software and the daily logs correlated with course content. Regression analyses were used to measure correlation of server access logs of individual students versus information from user surveys and performances in the course based on in-course examinations. RESULTS: There was no correlation between computer literacy of students at matriculation and their subsequent levels of use of CAI in the curriculum. Utilization of CAI developed for specific course objectives coincided closely with course content, which is an indication of the effectiveness of the applications in achieving their curricular objectives. In contrast, student use of tutorials coincided most closely with in-course examinations. Students' responses to surveys were generally substantiated by server statistics, but discrepancies were sufficiently large (10% to 20%) to call into question the validity of these surveys. Significant differences in CAI utilization correlated with the performances of students in the course. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates an important advantage of web-based applications to collect and evaluate CAI utilization efficiently and objectively at both the level of the class and the level of the individual student.

Computer Literacy↗
PubMed1999

Students' attitudes towards computer testing in a basic science course.

OBJECTIVES: The introduction of computerized testing offers several advantages for test administration, however, little research has examined students' attitudes toward computerized testing. This paper, reports the attitudes of 202 students in a first year cell biology and histology course toward computerized testing and its influence on their study habits over a three year period. DESIGN AND METHODS: Multiple choice and image-based extra credit examinations and summative image-based examinations have been successfully administered in the course. The results indicate that students readily accept computer exams and that their study habits were influenced in a positive manner by the computer administered extra-credit examinations. RESULTS: Our results provide further evidence that medical students like the use of computer administered examinations and that the examinations may actually accentuate the learning experience.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1979

Computing in the bio-sciences with hypernumbers: a survey.

A survey of higher types of number, with more sophisticated arithmetics than square root -1, is presented. Such powerful embodiments of the number concept are capable of representing entities and operations in the bio-sciences, where phenomena are characteristically more recondite than in naively reductionist, mechanistic physics or chemistry, which today even quantum theory (which itself deploys two kinds of hypernumber) has shown to be inadequate to explain observed phenomena. When the bio-sciences enter the picture, four other kinds of hypernumber are needed, one of them (w) relating also to the frontiers of quantum theory, in terms of the resolution of problems such as the breakdown of parity conservation and of time reversal, and the concomitant elimination of unwanted divergences (infinities). A brief statement of the relevance of each of the additional kinds of hypernumbers in bio-scientific computing is furnished, as an introduction to an approach that is not only viable in terms of digital computing, but is fraught with new implications for bio-scientific research.

Computers↗
PubMed2002

Phenomics: fiction or the future?

The ease with which genetic mutations can be induced in or introduced into mammalian organisms, such as the mouse, has created a significant need for phenotypic analysis. Developments in computer technology, instrumentation and bioinformatics, as well as in numerous neuroscience disciplines, will help to meet the demands set by the molecular revolution. As a result, the field of 'phenomics' is being born. This will integrate multidisciplinary research, with the goal of understanding the complex phenotypic consequences of genetic mutations at the level of the organism. This paper focuses on one of the disciplines that show promising developments, behavioral science.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Cognitive science and behaviourism.

In this paper it is argued that cognitive scientists, claiming the support of brain science and computer simulation, have revived a traditional view that behaviour is initiated by an internal, autonomous mind. In doing so, they have misused the metaphor of storage and retrieval, given neurology a misleading assignment, frequently replaced controlled experimental conditions with mere descriptions of conditions and the assessment of behaviour with statements of expectations and intentions, given feelings and states of mind the status of causes of behaviour rather than the products of the causes, and failed to define many key terms in dimensions acceptable to science.

Affect↗
PubMed1980

Computers, health care, and medical information science.

The clinical laboratory is examined as a microcosm of the entire health care delivery system. The introduction of computers into the clinical laboratory raises issues that are difficult to resolve by the methods of information science or medical science applied in isolation. The melding of these two disciplines, together with the contributions of other disciplines, has created a new field of study called medical information science. The emergence of this new discipline and some specific problem-solving approaches used in its application in the clinical laboratory are examined.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗
PubMed1999

George A. Miller, language, and the computer metaphor of mind.

This article asks why the analogy between humans and computers was understood by cognitive psychologists to mean that "minds exist and that it is our job as psychologists to study them". Earlier psychologists, such as Clark Hull, used analogies between humans and complex machines such as telephone switchboards to defend a rigorous behaviorism. How, then, did the computer metaphor of mind come to be seen as the root concept underlying a paradigm shift from behaviorism to cognitivism? To answer this question, this article examines the life and work of George A. Miller, one of the most prominent of a generation of psychologists who began their careers as "good behaviorists" but later came to embrace cognitivism.

Behaviorism↗
PubMed2001

Conflict monitoring and cognitive control.

A neglected question regarding cognitive control is how control processes might detect situations calling for their involvement. The authors propose here that the demand for control may be evaluated in part by monitoring for conflicts in information processing. This hypothesis is supported by data concerning the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain area involved in cognitive control, which also appears to respond to the occurrence of conflict. The present article reports two computational modeling studies, serving to articulate the conflict monitoring hypothesis and examine its implications. The first study tests the sufficiency of the hypothesis to account for brain activation data, applying a measure of conflict to existing models of tasks shown to engage the anterior cingulate. The second study implements a feedback loop connecting conflict monitoring to cognitive control, using this to simulate a number of important behavioral phenomena.

Cognition↗
PubMed2001

What do computer models of cognition explain: a reply to Gobet.

The differences between Gobet's views and ours call attention to some points concerning the argumentative status of computational models. If we have two fundamentally different models which reasonably accurately simulate a phenomenon, we must ask, what is the argumentative status of the models in psychological terms. Moreover, if it is possible to present different models of same phenomena, what is the general argumentative power of models in psychology? As the kind of differences between our views and the ones of Gobet's are common in modelling, we briefly call attention to these foundational issues in our paper.

Cognition↗
PubMed2006

Theodor Bücher Lecture. Metabolomics, modelling and machine learning in systems biology - towards an understanding of the languages of cells. Delivered on 3 July 2005 at the 30th FEBS Congress and the 9th IUBMB conference in Budapest.

The newly emerging field of systems biology involves a judicious interplay between high-throughput 'wet' experimentation, computational modelling and technology development, coupled to the world of ideas and theory. This interplay involves iterative cycles, such that systems biology is not at all confined to hypothesis-dependent studies, with intelligent, principled, hypothesis-generating studies being of high importance and consequently very far from aimless fishing expeditions. I seek to illustrate each of these facets. Novel technology development in metabolomics can increase substantially the dynamic range and number of metabolites that one can detect, and these can be exploited as disease markers and in the consequent and principled generation of hypotheses that are consistent with the data and achieve this in a value-free manner. Much of classical biochemistry and signalling pathway analysis has concentrated on the analyses of changes in the concentrations of intermediates, with 'local' equations - such as that of Michaelis and Menten v=(Vmax x S)/(S+K m) - that describe individual steps being based solely on the instantaneous values of these concentrations. Recent work using single cells (that are not subject to the intellectually unsupportable averaging of the variable displayed by heterogeneous cells possessing nonlinear kinetics) has led to the recognition that some protein signalling pathways may encode their signals not (just) as concentrations (AM or amplitude-modulated in a radio analogy) but via changes in the dynamics of those concentrations (the signals are FM or frequency-modulated). This contributes in principle to a straightforward solution of the crosstalk problem, leads to a profound reassessment of how to understand the downstream effects of dynamic changes in the concentrations of elements in these pathways, and stresses the role of signal processing (and not merely the intermediates) in biological signalling. It is this signal processing that lies at the heart of understanding the languages of cells. The resolution of many of the modern and postgenomic problems of biochemistry requires the development of a myriad of new technologies (and maybe a new culture), and thus regular input from the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics and computer science. One solution, that we are adopting in the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (http://www.mib.ac.uk/) and the Manchester Centre for Integrative Systems Biology (http://www.mcisb.org/), is thus to colocate individuals with the necessary combinations of skills. Novel disciplines that require such an integrative approach continue to emerge. These include fields such as chemical genomics, synthetic biology, distributed computational environments for biological data and modelling, single cell diagnostics/bionanotechnology, and computational linguistics/text mining.

Artificial Intelligence↗
PubMed2001

Methods of cognitive analysis to support the design and evaluation of biomedical systems: the case of clinical practice guidelines.

This article provides a theoretical and methodological framework for the use of cognitive analysis to support the representation of biomedical knowledge and the design of clinical systems, using clinical-practice guidelines (CPGs) as an example. We propose that propositional and semantic analyses, when used as part of the system-development process, can improve the validity, usability, and comprehension of the resulting biomedical applications. The framework we propose is based on a large body of research on the study of how people mentally represent information and subsequently use it for problem solving. This research encompasses many areas of psychology, but the more important ones are the study of memory and the study of comprehension. Of particular relevance is research devoted to investigating the comprehension and memory of language, expressed verbally or in text. In addition, research on how contextual variables affect performance is informative because these psychological processes are influenced by situational variables (e.g., setting, culture). One important factor limiting the acceptance and use of clinical-practice guidelines (CPGs) may be the mismatch between a guideline's recommended actions and the physician-user's mental models of what seems appropriate in a given case. Furthermore, CPGs can be semantically complex, often composed of elaborate collections of prescribed procedures with logical gaps or contradictions that can promote ambiguity and hence frustration on the part of those who attempt to use them. An improved understanding of the semantics and structure of CPGs may help to improve such matching, and ultimately the comprehensibility and usability of CPGs. Cognitive methods of analysis can help guideline designers and system builders throughout the development process, from the conceptual design of a computer-based system to its implementation phases. By studying how guideline creators and developers represent guidelines, both mentally and in text, and how end-users understand and make decisions with such guidelines, we can inform the development of technologies that seek to improve the match between the representations of experts and practitioners. We urge informaticians to recognize the potential relevance of cognitive analysis methods and to begin more extensive experimentation with the their use in biomedical informatics research.

Cognition↗
PubMed2005

Humans can consciously generate random number sequences: a possible test for artificial intelligence.

Computer algorithms can only produce seemingly random or pseudorandom numbers whereas certain natural phenomena, such as the decay of radioactive particles, can be utilized to produce truly random numbers. In this study, the ability of humans to generate random numbers was tested in healthy adults. Subjects were simply asked to generate and dictate random numbers. Generated numbers were tested for uniformity, independence and information density. The results suggest that humans can generate random numbers that are uniformly distributed, independent of one another and unpredictable. If humans can generate sequences of random numbers then neural networks or forms of artificial intelligence, which are purported to function in ways essentially the same as the human brain, should also be able to generate sequences of random numbers. Elucidating the precise mechanism by which humans generate random number sequences and the underlying neural substrates may have implications in the cognitive science of decision-making. It is possible that humans use their random-generating neural machinery to make difficult decisions in which all expected outcomes are similar. It is also possible that certain people, perhaps those with neurological or psychiatric impairments, are less able or unable to generate random numbers. If the random-generating neural machinery is employed in decision making its impairment would have profound implications in matters of agency and free will.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Computed tomography in the Multidisciplinary Science and Technology Complex "Eye Microsurgery"].

The paper is devoted to analysis of the results of CT in 1000 patients examined in the Multibranch Research and Technology Complex "Eye Microsurgery". The specific feature of CT in this institution is that 52% of all investigations of ophthalmological patients fall to the share of eyeball abnormality and 40%--to a study of the other parts of the organ of vision. CT indications are extended for low tension glaucoma, complicated high myopia, and for monitoring the position of microsurgical implants. The use of CT in such a highly specialized medical institution as the MRTC "Eye Microsurgery" is considered indispensable.

Eye Diseases↗
PubMed2000

Mystery and meaning: a reply to Green (2000).

In "George A. Miller, Language, and the Computer Metaphor of Mind" (see Note 1), I sought to explain how and why Miller invested the computer metaphor of mind with such strongly revolutionary, antibehaviorist meanings. In reply, Christopher Green (see Note 2) has argued that the answer to this question has to do with the importance of mental representation was an important issue to cognitivists. In response, I argue that, though mental representation was an important issue to cognitivists, there were several other factors of equal or greater importance: specifically, the fascination of Miller and his cohort with language and communication, their frustration with the narrowness of the disciplinary vision of the behaviorists, and their involvement in a different experimental program than that of mainstream behaviorists.

Behaviorism↗
PubMed2005

Was Babbage's Analytical Engine intended to be a mechanical model of the mind?

In the 1830s, Charles Babbage worked on a mechanical computer he dubbed the Analytical Engine. Although some people around Babbage described his invention as though it had authentic mental powers, Babbage refrained from making such claims. He does not, however, seem to have discouraged those he worked with from mooting the idea publicly. This article investigates whether (1) the Analytical Engine was the focus of a covert research program into the mechanism of mentality; (2) Babbage opposed the idea that the Analytical Engine had mental powers but allowed his colleagues to speculate as they saw fit; or (3) Babbage believed such claims to be fanciful, but cleverly used the publicity they engendered to draw public and political attention to his project.

Cognitive Science↗
PubMed2001

Novice construction of chess memory.

Novice acquisition of skilled recall of chess positions was studied in an experiment in which two novices studied a series of five hundred chess positions during a period of several months. They spent fifteen minutes to half an hour a day teaching themselves these positions. As a result their skill in recalling chess positions rose from sixteen percent to somewhere between forty to fifty percent. The learning curve proved to have a shape which indicates that in the beginning learning is very fast but after some 100-150 studied positions the speed of learning decreases substantially. A computer simulation was used to model the results and analyse alternative explanations. Two alternative ways of thinking were tested. In the first, chunk construction was assumed to be based on the neighbourhood of associated pieces. The second model assumed a frequency-based correlative association process. Although the learning curves of the two models are very similar in shape to those of the subjects, the frequency-based associative model gave a better explanation for the data. This is why it is natural to suggest that common co-occurrence in addition to easily recognizable chess-specific characteristics, like colour and type of pieces, guide associative processes during chess players' learning of chess-specific chunks.

Association Learning↗
PubMed1993

Rhythms and blood pressure.

The time (chronos) structure of life (bios) is the topic of a computer-implemented science (logos), chronobiology. Chronobiologic methods for resolving physiologic time structure provide a more reliable mean, the MESOR, and other parametric dynamic measures of blood pressure variability. The amplitude is a measure of predictable extent of change and the acrophase a measure of timing of overall high values within each cycle of the rhythmic function. Such chronobiologic endpoints are often more sensitive than the mean for separating groups at different risk of developing high blood pressure. About 24-h (circadian) rhythms account for a sizeable part of predictable variability in blood pressure. Methodology to assess the characteristics of circadian blood pressure rhythms also provides time-varying reference limits for the interpretation of single measurements. Deviant blood pressures can be quantified by reference to such circadian-stage-dependent limits, derived from the automatically monitored blood pressure profiles of healthy peer groups. Excess or deficit in blood pressure can also be assessed as a hypertensive or hypotensive index integrated over 24 h. Chronobiologic monitoring has wide uses in practice as well as research, whether it is carried out by self- or automatic measurements, once the data are analyzed by appropriate computer methods that are now readily available.

Adult↗