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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Computational grids are promising next-generation computing platforms for large-scale problems in science and engineering. Grids are large-scale computing systems composed of geographically distributed resources (computers, storage etc.) owned by self interested agents or organizations. These agents may manipulate the resource allocation algorithm in their own benefit, and their selfish behavior may lead to severe performance degradation and poor efficiency. In this paper, we investigate the problem of designing protocols for resource allocation involving selfish agents. Solving this kind of problems is the object of mechanism design theory. Using this theory, we design a truthful mechanism for solving the static load balancing problem in heterogeneous distributed systems. We prove that using the optimal allocation algorithm the output function admits a truthful payment scheme satisfying voluntary participation. We derive a protocol that implements our mechanism and present experiments to show its effectiveness.
Computer systems and communication technologies are making a strong and influential presence in the different fields of medicine. The cornerstone of a functional medical information system represents the electronic health records management system. Due to a very sensitive nature of medical information, such systems are faced with a number of stringent requirements, like security and confidentiality of patients' related data, different media type's management, diversity of medical data that need to be processed etc. At present most clinical software systems are closed with little or no operability between them, and the medical information are locked in a variety of different incompatible databases. As the result of these facts, it is very hard for the developers to provide the solution for an integrated health computing environment, which would considerably improve the quality of medical care in general. This paper presents the framework for a functional EHR management system that meets these demands, but also follows the initiative taken by the Next Generation Network (NGN) approach, which includes user mobility, service transparency and common communication platform for transferring and serving different types of information, services and media.
We describe the implementation of a simple data interface between a radiology information system and a computed radiography system that uses personal computers and standard software. The radiology information system was developed in house and runs in a local area network of personal computers. The computed radiography system is connected to a picture archiving and communication system. We have implemented a software data interface on a microcomputer, allowing automated transfer of patient data from the radiology information system program to the computed radiography scheduling program. The interface adds essential information used by the picture archiving and communication system to handle work lists, routing, and archiving algorithms. We have improved the user interface, shortened the scheduling time, enabled coherence of data bases, and eased the use of computed radiography and examination routing in the picture archiving and communication system. We have been using this interface for more than 1 year without difficulties. This custom solution addresses the problem of interconnecting existing equipment, avoiding proprietary restrictions or the lack of effective standards. This approach can be applied to any radiology environment that uses personal computers.
Computers are a boon to personnel record-keeping, but the author warns us not to fall prey to these too-common errors in judgment which can prove fatal to an effective personnel data system.
We describe here a computer system for the analysis of high-resolution two-dimensional gel-electrophoresis patterns, with some initial applications. The system (called TYCHO) comprises programs for image acquisition, background subtraction and smoothing, spot detection, gaussian spot modeling, and pattern matching and comparison. It is based on a conventional minicomputer, but makes extensive use of a high-speed array processor in the image-processing and -modeling steps. Used in concert with the ISO-DALT two-dimensional electrophoresis system (Anal. Biochem. 85:331-354, 1978), TYCHO allows quantitative measurement of hundreds of proteins in complex biological samples, and constitutes the initial data-reduction system required for work towards a Human Protein Index.
BACKGROUND: Motility of cancer cells is a principal cellular parameter, essentially required in the invasion and formation of distant metastasis in human cancer. Measures to stimulate or inhibit motility of cancer cells may play an important part in the understanding of metastasis biology. The aim of this study was to develop a computer system to analyse and evaluate the movement of cells. METHOD: Software was developed which enabled cell boundary definition by specifying salient points around the cell. The position of the centre of area was calculated. Six human cancer cells treated with a motogen and cells without added motogen were analysed by the system. RESULTS: We observed higher velocities and greater variation in area and velocity of the cells treated with HGF/SF motogen compared with control cells. CONCLUSION: The system enables rapid analysis of cell area, velocity and movement, and may thus be of value in further understanding cell motility.
The ever-increasing specialization of nursing care may require nursing professionals to provide nursing care outside of their specialty. Nurses will have to familiarize themselves with a new specialization area at short notice. Fortunately, expert-systems technology can prove particularly helpful in achieving this familiarity. As such, this technology can prove a valuable tool for education and training of nursing professionals and students. This article describes the unique edge that expert systems technology provides in this context. Using VP-Expert, an expert system shell, the authors present two examples to illustrate the development of a computer aided instruction system and the unique benefits such a system offers.
Computer-driven systems for constructing composite faces of suspects (E-fit; Mac-a-Mug) have largely replaced mechanical systems (Photofit; the Identikit) in police use, yet little is known of their comparative effectiveness in rendering an accurate likeness. Participants (N = 24) constructed 2 of 4 familiar or unfamiliar faces, for one of which they used Photofit and for the other, E-fit. A likeness of each face was made first under target-absent conditions and then with photographs of the target present. The accuracy of the resulting composites was assessed by familiarity ratings, names elicited, and matching accuracy. The computer-driven system showed consistent superiority only when a familiar face was constructed in the presence of photographs; when participants worked from memory, E-fit was no better than Photofit. The implications of these findings for theories of face retrieval and the operational use of composites are discussed.
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Computational models are increasingly essential to systems neuroscience. Models serve as proofs of concept, tests of sufficiency, and as quantitative embodiments of working hypotheses and are important tools for understanding and interpreting complex data sets. In the olfactory system, models have played a particularly prominent role in framing contemporary theories and presenting novel hypotheses, a role that will only grow as the complexity and intricacy of experimental data continue to increase. This review will attempt to provide a comprehensive, functional overview of computational ideas in olfaction and outline a computational framework for olfactory processing based on the insights provided by these diverse models and their supporting data.
Clearly, the cost of double reading varies with the approach used. The Massachusetts General Hospital method can only lead to an increase in recalls and the costs that these engender (anxiety for the women recalled, trauma from any biopsies obtained, and the actual monetary costs of additional imaging and interventions). It is of interest that one potential cost, the concern that women recalled may be reluctant to participate again in screening, does not seem to be the case. Women who are recalled appear to be more likely to participate in future screening. Double interpretation where there must be a consensus between the interpreting radiologists, and if this cannot be reached a third arbiter, is the most labor intensive, but can reduce the number of recalls in a double reading system. Computer systems have been developed to act as a second reader. The films must be digitized and then fed through the reader, but studies suggest that the computer can identify cancers that may be overlooked by a human reader. The challenge is to do this without too many false-positive calls. If the radiologist finds the false-positives are too numerous and distracting, then the system is not used. As digital mammographic systems proliferate, and computer algorithms become more sophisticated, the second human reader will likely be replaced by a computer-aided detection system and double reading will become the norm.
A computer file system was used in our pediatric allergy clinic to assess the value of chest roentgenograms and hemoglobin determinations used in the examination of patients and to correlate exposure to pets and forced hot air with the severity of asthma. Among 889 children with asthma, 20.7% had abnormal chest roentgenographic findings, excluding hyperinflation and peribronchial thickening, and 0.7% had abnormal hemoglobin values. Environmental exposure to pets or forced hot air was not associated with increased severity of asthma, as assessed by five measures of outcome: number of medications administered, requirement for corticosteroids, frequency of clinic visits, frequency of emergency room visits, and frequency of hospitalizations.