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Computer system and software of POSITOLOGICA II: a whole body positron emission tomograph.

Since a whole body PET-scanner POSITOLOGICA II was installed at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in 1982, improvements of the computer system and developments of new software have been continuously made to correspond to clinical requirements. As the result, POSITOLOGICA II possesses one of the most powerful systems and sophisticated software in Japan. This report describes the present status of the computer system and software of POSITOLOGICA II. It also discusses problems which still exist and proposes a future computer system for the PET study.

Brain↗

Computer visualisation of patient safety in primary care: a systems approach adapted from management science and engineering.

Patient safety and medical errors in ambulatory primary care are receiving increasing attention from policy makers, accreditation bodies and researchers, as well as by practising family physicians and their patients. While a great deal of progress has been made in understanding errors in hospital settings, it is important to recognise that ambulatory settings pose a very large and different set of challenges and that the types of hazards that exist and the strategies required to reduce them are very different. What is needed is a logical theoretical model for understanding the causes of errors in primary care, the role of healthcare systems in contributing to errors, the propagation of errors through complex systems and, importantly, for understanding ambulatory primary care in the context of the larger healthcare system. The authors have developed such a model using a formal 'systems engineering' approach borrowed from the management sciences and engineering. This approach has not previously been formally described in the medical literature.This paper outlines the formal systems approach, presents our visual model of the system, and describes some experiences with and potential applications of the model for monitoring and improving safety. Applications include providing a framework to help focus research efforts, creation of new (visual) error reporting and taxonomy systems, furnishing a common and unambiguous vision for the healthcare team, and facilitating retrospective and prospective analyses of errors and adverse events. It is aimed at system redesign for safety improvement through a computer-based patient-centred safety enhancement and monitoring instrument (SEMI-P). This model can be integrated with electronic medical records (EMRs).

Ambulatory Care↗

Web-based tailored nutrition education: results of a randomized controlled trial.

There is ample evidence that printed, computer-tailored nutrition education is a more effective tool for motivating people to change to healthier diets than general nutrition education. New technology is now providing more advanced ways of delivering tailored messages, e.g. via the World Wide Web (WWW). Before disseminating a tailored intervention via the web, it is important to investigate the potential of web-based tailored nutrition education. The present study investigated the immediate impact of web-based computer-tailored nutrition education on personal awareness and intentions related to intake of fat, fruit and vegetables. A randomized controlled trial, with a pre-test-post-test control group design was conducted. Significant differences in awareness and intention to change were found between the intervention and control group at post-test. The tailored intervention was appreciated better, was rated as more personally relevant, and had more subjective impact on opinion and intentions to change than the general nutrition information. Computer literacy had no effect on these ratings. The results indicate that interactive, web-based computer-tailored nutrition education can lead to changes in determinants of behavior. Future research should be aimed at longer-term (behavioral) effects and the practicability of distributing tailored interventions via the WWW.

Adult↗

Painting with pixels.

Two decades ago the subject of computer graphics was regarded as pure science fiction, more within the realms of Star Trek fantasy than of everyday use, but today it is difficult to avoid its influence. Television programmes abound with slick moving, twisting, distorting images, the printing media throws colourful shapes and forms off the page at you, and computer games explode noisily into our living rooms. In a very short space of time computer graphics have risen from being a toy of the affluent minority to a working tool of the cost-conscious majority. Even the most purist of artists have realized that in order to survive in an increasingly competitive world they must inevitably take the plunge into the world of electronic imagery.

Computer Graphics↗

Evaluation of computer-assisted instruction in histology: effect of interaction on learning outcome.

The purpose of this study was to determine better strategies for the design and use of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in health science subjects that require visual learning. Evaluation of current use of CAI was focused on three CD-based modules developed to teach histological images to beginning medical students at multiple sites. For internal control, students' learning outcomes and perceived effectiveness were analyzed with their demographic characteristics, computer attitude, computer experience, and learning behaviors being considered. Results indicated that students who used at least two different CAI programs scored significantly higher on the final examination than those who used only the CAI tool designed by their site's instructor. Further investigation indicated that students might have benefited from the interactive features of a specific CAI tool. Such scaffolds could have successfully supported encoding processes while students were restructuring their mental models. In addition, students perceived the CAI programs to be more effective when the tools were fully integrated into the curriculum. Perceived module effectiveness was significantly correlated with examination performance, suggesting a well-designed and appropriately used CAI tool may help students achieve not only learning efficiency, but also better learning outcome.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

Performance evaluation of the CellaVision DM96 system: WBC differentials by automated digital image analysis supported by an artificial neural network.

We evaluated the CellaVision DM96 (CellaVision AB, Lund, Sweden), an automated digital cell morphology and informatics system for peripheral blood smears. Technologists agreed with 82% of the instrument's preclassifications. Correlation coefficients between final results released from the CellaVision and results obtained by direct microscopy were 0.96 (all neutrophils), 0.94 (lymphocytes), 0.88 (segmented neutrophils), 0.73 (eosinophils), 0.69 (bands), and 0.67 (monocytes). After correction for statistically and clinically insignificant variations, the CellaVision DM96 had 95% sensitivity and 88% specificity for immature myeloid cells. It was 100% sensitive and 94% specific for blasts, and 100% sensitive and 97% specific for unusual WBCs and nucleated RBCs. Advantages of the CellaVision DM96 over direct microscopy include the ability to review slides from a remote location, consultation and quality control on a cell-by-cell basis, and potential labor savings.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

The first vector-graphics-aided computer tooth model and its animation.

Computer graphics is here to stay and spreading. This article intends to be nothing more than a brief introduction of this new tool in the field of dentistry. We hope that our colleagues will welcome this new development and recognize it as an opportunity to make contact with the basic sciences.

Algorithms↗

Computational tools for protein modeling.

Protein modeling is playing a more and more important role in protein and peptide sciences due to improvements in modeling methods, advances in computer technology, and the huge amount of biological data becoming available. Modeling tools can often predict the structure and shed some light on the function and its underlying mechanism. They can also provide insight to design experiments and suggest possible leads for drug design. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive introduction to major computer programs, especially on-line servers, for protein modeling. The review covers the following aspects: (1) protein sequence comparison, including sequence alignment/search, sequence-based protein family classification, domain parsing, and phylogenetic classification; (2) sequence annotation, including annotation/prediction of hydrophobic profiles, transmembrane regions, active sites, signaling sites, and secondary structures; (3) protein structure analysis, including visualization, geometry analysis, structure comparison/classification, dynamics, and electrostatics; (4) three-dimensional structure prediction, including homology modeling, fold recognition using threading, ab initio prediction, and docking. We will address what a user can expect from the computer tools in terms of their strengths and limitations. We will also discuss the major challenges and the future trends in the field. A collection of the links of tools can be found at http://compbio.ornl.gov/structure/resource/.

Algorithms↗

The interdisciplinary approach to laboratory medicine.

The clinical laboratory is a melting pot of diverse scientific experiences, perspectives, and approaches, all directed to the solution of particular medical problems. Integration of separate disciplines and areas of expertise is involved at serveral different levels of laboratory medicine. At the outset, one sees that any one area of the laboratory must depend upon all other laboratory areas for the proper interpretation of its data. Stated another way, all laboratory disciplines are involved in the integrated functioning of each individual area. Examination of the origin of analytical concepts fundamental to procedures and instruments utilized in the clinical laboratory leads one to realize that all areas of science contribute to laboratory medicine.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗

A practical toolkit for computational steering.

Computational steering refers to the real-time interaction of a scientist with their running simulation code. Despite the many benefits associated with computational steering, its uptake to date has been limited. In this paper we discuss the reasons for this and how the computational steering library and associated tools developed as part of the RealityGrid project aim to tackle them. We describe the functionality of the steering library and the use of Grid services in constructing a generic, dynamic architecture for discovering, steering and connecting visualization software to running simulations. The use of on-line visualization for providing feedback to the scientist is described, including the ways in which it may be enhanced through tools such as Chromium and Access Grid. Finally, we illustrate the flexibility of our approach by describing the functionality that has been added to various simulation codes as part of the RealityGrid project.

Computer Graphics↗

Steering UNICORE applications with VISIT.

The UNICORE (UNiform Interface to COmputing REsources) software provides a Grid infrastructure together with a computing portal for engineers and scientists to access supercomputer centres from anywhere on the Internet. While UNICORE is primarily designed for the submission and control of batch jobs, it is also feasible to establish an on-line connection between an application and the UNICORE user-client. This opens up the possibility of performing on-line visualization and computational steering of applications under UNICORE control while maintaining the security provided by this system. This contribution describes the design of a steering extension to UNICORE based on the steering toolkit VISIT (VISualization Interface Toolkit). VISIT is a lightweight library that supports bidirectional data exchange between visualizations and parallel applications. As an example application, a parallel simulation of a laser-plasma interaction that can be steered by an AVS/Express application is presented.

Computer Graphics↗

Summary recommendations for responsible monitoring and regulation of clinical software systems. American Medical Informatics Association, The Computer-based Patient Record Institute, The Medical Library Association, The Association of Academic Health Science Libraries, The American Health Information Management Association, and The American Nurses Association.

Clinical software systems are becoming ubiquitous. A growing literature documents how these systems can improve health care delivery, but concerns about patient safety must now be formally addressed. In 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called for discussions on regulation of software programs as medical devices. In response, a consortium of organizations dedicated to improving health care through information technology developed recommendations for the responsible regulation and monitoring of clinical software systems by users, vendors, and regulatory agencies. These recommendations were revised and approved by the American Medical informatics Association Public Policy Committee and Board. Other organizations reviewed, modified, and approved the recommendations, and the Boards of Directors of most of the organizations in the consortium endorsed the guidelines. The consortium proposes four categories of clinical system risk and four classes of monitoring and regulatory action that can be applied on the basis of the risk level. The consortium recommends that most clinical software systems be supervised locally and that developers of health care information systems adopt a code of good business practices. Budgetary and other constraints limit the type and number of systems that the FDA can regulate effectively; therefore, the FDA should exempt most clinical software systems and focus on systems that pose high clinical risk and provide limited opportunity for competent human intervention.

Clinical Medicine↗

Computer-aided tissue engineering: overview, scope and challenges.

Advances in computer-aided technology and its application with biology, engineering and information science to tissue engineering have evolved a new field of computer-aided tissue engineering (CATE). This emerging field encompasses computer-aided design (CAD), image processing, manufacturing and solid free-form fabrication (SFF) for modelling, designing, simulation and manufacturing of biological tissue and organ substitutes. The present Review describes some salient advances in this field, particularly in computer-aided tissue modeling, computer-aided tissue informatics and computer-aided tissue scaffold design and fabrication. Methodologies of development of CATE modelling from high-resolution non-invasive imaging and image-based three-dimensional reconstruction, and various reconstructive techniques for CAD-based tissue modelling generation will be described. The latest development in SFF to tissue engineering and a framework of bio-blueprint modelling for three-dimensional cell and organ printing will also be introduced.

Animals↗