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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↗
PubMed1987

A microcomputer interface for a digital audio processor-based data recording system.

An inexpensive interface is described that performs direct transfer of digitized data from the digital audio processor and video cassette recorder based data acquisition system designed by Bezanilla (1985, Biophys. J., 47:437-441) to an IBM PC/XT microcomputer. The FORTRAN callable software that drives this interface is capable of controlling the video cassette recorder and starting data collection immediately after recognition of a segment of previously collected data. This permits piecewise analysis of long intervals of data that would otherwise exceed the memory capability of the microcomputer.

Biophysical Phenomena↗
PubMed1987

Microcomputer system for data acquisition and software handling in chromatography.

A complete, powerful yet simple and inexpensive microcomputer system for chromatography is described. It consists of an electronic interface card and an exploiting software, both controlled by an independent microcomputer. The interface includes all necessary circuits for digitizing the chromatographic signal and for controlling the actuators and the sensors connected with the chromatograph. The software, clock-interrupted, allows simultaneous data acquisition, mathematical treatment, connected plotting, and printing, and drives injection valves and gradient elution pumps. This system is both suitable for high-speed capillary gas chromatography and for high-performance liquid chromatography.

Chromatography↗
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↗
PubMed1986

Diagnosis of complex acid-base disorders: physician performance versus the microcomputer.

Patients with acid-base disturbances that are often complex frequently present to the emergency department. The sometimes hectic nature of the ED can preclude the appropriate quantitative analysis required by these disorders, especially when mixed disturbances are present. A computer program using generally accepted acid-base and electrolyte formulae was developed for use on the Apple II+ or IBM-PC microcomputer. Each of a series of 35 acid-base disturbances incorporating single, double, and triple disorders was correctly identified by the computer in less than 45 seconds. Problem sets based on the same 35 disturbances were presented to 21 physician-subjects at various levels of training from the emergency medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, and family practice specialties. Although the physicians were given unlimited time and the necessary formulae to reach a diagnosis, they were requested to perform their analyses in the same fashion used in the ED. Although times varied widely, no physician spent more than five minutes on any problem. The physician correct response rates were 86%, 49%, and 17% for single, double, and triple disorders, respectively. The primary disorder correct response rate was 89% for double disorders and 94% for triple disorders. The primary and secondary disorder correct response rate was 58% for triple disorders. The data suggest that the microcomputer may be beneficial in the rapid assessment of complex disorders.

Acid-Base Imbalance↗
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↗
PubMed1985

A microcomputer-based wearable biofeedback device to improve transfer of treatment in parkinsonian dysarthria.

Achieving transfer of treatment outside the clinic is a problem for almost all individuals with speech disorders but has been particularly difficult in the treatment of patients with Parkinsonism. Given this situation and the frequency of vocal intensity problems in this population, we developed a wearable biofeedback device that could provide a patient with information about speech intensity outside the clinic. Auditory-perceptual and acoustic analyses were performed on audiotaped samples of reading and spontaneous speech recorded in the clinic pre- and posttreatment and at 10- and 20-week follow-ups. Visual feedback of intensity was integrated with auditory cues from a microcomputer that was then worn outside the clinic. The results indicated that the subject did transfer a substantial portion of clinic improvement to the outside environment while wearing the feedback device and suggest the utility of a microcomputer-based wearable device for assessing treatment effects as well as for improving transfer.

Aged↗
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↗
PubMed1986

A microcomputer-based real-time system for measurement and analysis of umbilical flow velocity waveforms obtained by Doppler ultrasound.

A microcomputer-based system for real-time acquisition and analysis of umbilical arterial blood flow velocity waveforms is described. The spatial peak umbilical flow velocity is transduced by a pulsed Doppler flowmeter and digitized by the microcomputer. The computer allows for coherent averaging of flow velocity over several heart cycles in order to minimize noise that is uncorrelated with the fetal heart beats. In addition, it can compute flow velocity indices that do not require knowledge of the angle of beam incidence or umbilical arterial cross-sectional area. The averaged waveform as well as the computed indices may be displayed in real time. Further, these results may be saved on disk along with other relevant clinical information to be subsequently merged into a relational data base covering all patients monitored. Not only does the system facilitate accurate measurement of umbilical flow velocity waveforms, but the relational data base may also be used to evaluate the clinical significance of these measurements in a patient population.

Blood Flow Velocity↗
PubMed1987

A microcomputer-based system for the management of vascular surgical references.

As the number and diversity of contributions to the medical literature continue to grow at an astronomic rate, vascular surgeons are feeling increasingly frustrated in their efforts to remain current with the latest developments in their specialty. The introduction of powerful, inexpensive microcomputers and "user-friendly" programs for data base management has made it possible to organize large amounts of information for subsequent review. Using such a microcomputer-based system, we developed a practical approach to the storage and retrieval of vascular surgical references, which permits virtually unlimited numbers of articles to be catalogued and quickly retrieved with multiple search parameters. This system has been operational in our Division of Vascular Surgery for nearly a year and currently contains more than 3000 journal articles that are readily available for resident teaching, patient care, and research.

Information Systems↗
PubMed1987

Microcomputer-aided measurement of puff parameters during smoking of low- and medium-tar cigarettes.

A portable microcomputer-assisted flow transducer was developed for analysing puff parameters during smoking of low- and medium-tar cigarettes. Smoke flow was determined by measuring pressure difference between two sites within an orifice flowmeter. According to the Bernoulli equation, the pressure difference is proportional to the square of flow. For calibration of the method, various sizes of air volumes were puffed through the flowmeter by a piston syringe. The calibration curve, which consisted of the flow as a function of the square root of pressure difference, was linear (r = 0.98). The automatic microcomputer analysis consists of the following variables: mean flow and mean volume of inhaled smoke gas, puff duration, time interval between two puffs, number of puffs and total volume inhaled. Eight volunteers smoked 10 low- and 10 medium-tar cigarettes during the cross-over experiments. The investigation indicated that the total inhalation volume of smokers in the case of low-tar cigarettes is twice as large as in the case of medium-tar cigarettes.

Humans↗
PubMed1985

Computerized spirometry using a portable microcomputer.

The reliable conduct of pulmonary function studies, while in the field, is increasingly important as various standards mandate this activity. Versatile, portable and accurate equipment is required. A lightweight and computerized portable spirometer system is discussed, PSPIRO, which uses a standard volumetric spirometer and a briefcase-sized microcomputer. The system, compact enough to be easily moveable by one person, performs tests for FVC, FEV(1), FEV(3), the percentage of predicted pulmonary function for each, and the ratio of FEV(1)/FVC. Back extrapolation is used to establish the start of each forced expiratory maneuver, reproducibility checks are performed, and accuracy is within acceptable epidemiologic standards. A small, portable analog to digital interface (PLAD) was developed for performing A/D conversions through the RS-232C port of the portable microcomputer.

Humans↗
PubMed1987

Collection and analysis of complex ELISA data using a microcomputer.

A system for automatic Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) data collection and processing is described. Hardware for the system consists of a Dynatech microplate reader and Apple II series microcomputer. Software developed by the authors allows automatic configuration of the reader and direct data input from the microplate reader to the microcomputer. After optical density data is input through the interface, it can be printed out as either optical density values, or as scaled values (from 0 to 9) in a color-coded matrix. Data can be stored and later recalled in either format, allowing several sets of data to be merged into one large, color-coded chart. Results from several different microplates can be combined and sorted in a single printout to expedite interpretation of data.

Computers↗
PubMed1987

Optimised microcomputer-guided quantitative microradiography on dental mineralised tissue slices.

It is well realised that the contact microradiographic method is the most direct method that gives position-dependent information on the mineral content of calcified tissue and its loss. We developed a microcomputer-guided microradiographic system which features fast operation by the experimenter with a low appearance of errors. Tooth tissue slices of 75 micron thickness are cut with a sawing machine. Images (Cu K alpha radiation) of the tooth slice and an aluminium step wedge (exposure 10-15 s) are made on film (Kodak SO-253). The images of step wedge and tooth slice are scanned in a densitometer (1 micron X 30 microns slit), which is fitted with an XY table (0.5 micron steps). A microcomputer (Apple IIe) is programmed to control the XY table and to record the optical film transmission. Scans of the images are plotted on the computer screen. The calibration step optical film transmission values are determined by the operator by adjusting a computer-generated bar onto the individual steps shown on the screen. The dose-density relation of the film is approximated by the program by a fourth-degree polynomial using the step-wedge data. The resulting curve is used to convert the tooth-slice data into a mineral volume percentage. To enable the calculation of total mineral loss (in kg m-2) (loss integrated over depth), the operator adds the assumed diagram for sound enamel onto the display. This is done by adjusting computer-generated bars to the scan of the tooth slice shown on the screen. The resolving power in the image made by the microradiographic system is 3 microns X 30 microns. On the basis of the analysis of random errors and a comparison with chemical analysis of tooth slices we claim that the error in mineral volume percentage amounts to 4% of its value. Starting with a microradiographic image of a tooth slice 5 min are required to obtain a microradiographic curve on paper and to obtain a value for mineral loss.

Humans↗