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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1981

[Utilization of minicomputer for the quality control of radioimmunoassay (author's transl)].

In our nuclear medicine laboratory the quality control (QC) of radioimmunoassay (RIA) has been performed along the line of WHO program for standardization and quality control of RIA. The QC procedure was automated using a minicomputer in order to avoid tedious and time-consuming hand processing. The program was written with BASIC language. The counts of radioactivity measured in autowell counters are regarded in PTR, through which the data are read into a minicomputer (Scintipac 200). After informations on the concentrations of standards are registered through keyboard of CRT, the data processing is performed including curve fitting, dose calculation and quality control. As the indicators for QC response error relationship (RER), standard curve, precision profile and QC chart are displayed on CRT. On the basis of rejection criteria using these indicators, bad assays are identified to be omitted from reporting. The subroutine installed in the minicomputer system is used for the storage of data on QC samples in each assay, which are used for construction of QC charts. The use of a minicomputer enables implementation of QC of RIA on routine basis with ease and speed.

Computers↗
PubMed1982

SPBS: statistical programs for biological sciences. Minicomputer software for applying routine biostatistical methods.

The main routine statistical analyses can be carried out from start to finish on a minicomputer with basic language capability and greater than or equal to 32000 bytes of random access memory. However, no statistical software packs for minicomputers are ever complete enough for exhaustive analysis of most problems. Taking account of the requirements of statistical models, this paper gives an outline of how to set up a program. Examples are given from the package of statistical programs developed at this institute. The advantages and disadvantages of making these analyses on minicomputers are discussed, in comparison with the use of statistical programs requiring large computers.

Biometry↗
PubMed1982

Applications of a minicomputer to clinical pharmacy services.

The application of a minicomputer system to clinical services and administrative record keeping is described. All applications were designed and implemented by pharmacists. Programs were created to increase the efficiency of collecting workload statistics for clinical services and to perform pharmacokinetic analyses of patient-specific data. The time required to generate quarterly workload reports decreased from 15-18 hours to 20-30 minutes. The use of the minicomputer also permitted a substantial expansion in the scope of the information collected and reported. The pharmacokinetic programs required approximately two minutes to calculate patient-specific peak and trough concentrations. The minicomputer system has increased the pharmacy department's administrative efficiency and encouraged staff pharmacist involvement in clinical services.

Computers↗
PubMed1980

A minicomputer-based package enabling determination of particle size distribution from sectional profile size distribution (Wicksell's correction).

Up to now a rather large computing system was needed to perform a Wicksell's correction, enabling the deduction of the distribution of corpuscle sizes from the distribution of the sizes of their transected profiles. This paper describes the possibility to perform the same correction on a minicomputer with a free-access memory of only 8 kilobytes. A considerable time-saving may be obtained still by linking the minicomputer to a digital planimeter.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

A modular program for analysis of electrophysiological data on a laboratory minicomputer.

In the study of electrophysiological phenomena, the signals to be investigated are often reduced to sampled time series or point processes. Nowadays, the measuring equipment frequently includes one or more micro- and/or minicomputers which perform the data acquisition (including, e.g., A-D conversion and interval measurements) and the subsequent data processing and analysis. This paper describes the structured organization of data measurement and analysis of electrophysiological data performed by a modular software program implemented on a laboratory minicomputer. The program is used in our clinical laboratory by a number of research teams with different experimental objectives. The input data structure for the program has a standardized format, comprising multiplexed data channels preceded by a 256 entry parameter block containing general processing information and specific information concerning the analyses performed. The tasks carried out by the program are the calculation of distributions and correlations, digital filtering and estimation of spectra. The program can easily be extended by writing new software modules.

Computers↗
PubMed1982

Minicomputer simulation of medical emergencies and advanced life support.

A low-cost minicomputer system was designed to simulate certain medical emergencies that require basic and advanced life support treatment. The simulation required students to use both didactic and psychomotor skills to treat various emergency situations within a realistic time period. The minicomputer system provided the signs and symptoms of the emergency condition and updated the patient's status during treatment. The student could select various clinical examinations or provide basic and advanced life support therapeutic modalities. Under the direction of the computer, the student could perform the clinical examination or provide indicated treatment at a clinical testing station, using available basic and advanced life support equipment.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗
PubMed1976

A minicomputer-automated array spectrometer for liquid-chromatographic detection of metabolites.

A third-generation multiwavelength array spectrometer was developed as a detector for the high-resolution liquid-chromatographic characterization of metabolites. Components include a PDP-8/e minicomputer, matched pair of linear photodiode arrays, holographically-ruled gratings, fiber optics, flow cells, and high intensity xenon light source. The wavelength range is 256 nm differential with 1-nm resolution and can be adjusted from 200 to 800 nm. The system is capable of storing 20 spectra per second (200-456 nm) in a dual-beam mode. Special features include minicomputer-driven signal enhancement via integration as a function of signal strength. The display output includes presentation of the total absorption chromatogram vs. elution time in both real and post-run time as well as selectable single absorption band vs. elution time (post-run time). Application of this dedicated system is illustrated by the separation and charcterization of the metabolites of a carcinogen, 4-ethylsulfonyl-1 napthalenesulfonamide.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Some remarks on computer-aided clinical electromyography based on experience with the Polish ANOPS minicomputer.

The author evaluates the application of the Polish minicomputer Analyser of Noise of Periodic Signals (ANOPS) in practical electromyography (EMG) and compares the diagnostic yield of ANOPS with that of manual quantitative EMG. The advantages of ANOPS--at least in the past--include speed, large samples, new data, reduced examiner bias, quantified evaluation of maximal effort record and online recording. The most important limitations of ANOPS are absence of complex potentials due to distortion of signals, loss of phase evaluation, and lack of comparability of amplitude with other methods. ANOPS is compared with other automated methods applied to evaluation of interference pattern and parameters of single motor unit potentials (MUPs). Most of the latter are based on pattern recognition. ANOPS does not meet all of the criteria which an automatic method should meet to be accepted in EMG practice. The most important problem is the distortion of properties of the EMG signal. Further search for computer-aided EMG methods and their careful testing in practice are necessary.

Computers↗
PubMed1988

Evaluation of a microcomputer-based clinical laboratory data acquisition system linked with a minicomputer-based patient data management system.

We describe a microcomputer-based clinical laboratory data acquisition system linked with a minicomputer-based patient data management system and report on its performance. The system consists of a microcomputer and six laboratory analyzers: a blood gas analyzer, a flame photometer, a plasma osmotic pressure meter, a chloride ion titrator, a blood sugar analyzer, and a hemoglobin concentration and saturation meter. With the addition of a previously developed microinterface unit to each laboratory analyzer, data from each analyzer can be automatically transmitted to the microcomputer through a communication network. These data are then automatically transmitted to the patient data management system and thereby become part of that data base. Performance of this system was evaluated in two ways: (1) by comparing the turnaround time from an anesthetist's order for a laboratory analysis to receipt of the analysis with the time required in a control situation and (2) by comparing the number of steps a laboratory technician is required to walk to obtain and deliver the laboratory result with the number of steps required in a control situation in which no system was used. The turnaround time and the number of steps walked using this system were 552 +/- 41 seconds (n = 19, P less than 0.001) and 197 +/- 31 steps, respectively (n = 19, P less than 0.001), contrasted with 622 +/- 52 seconds and 374 +/- 87 steps without the system.

Clinical Laboratory Information Systems↗
PubMed1980

A minicomputer network for diverse operating systems and languages.

Minicomputer networks have been proposed as a method of cost-effectively sharing system resources (data, programs, peripherals, etc.). The greatest impediment to the realization of such networks lies in the diversity of operating systems, languages, and input/output conventions now in use. An approach is described that makes possible the automatic sharing of data and resources among a variety of operating environments supporting multiple languages.

Cardiac Catheterization↗
PubMed1979

Automated nerve fiber counting using an array processor in a multi-minicomputer system.

It has been suggested that recovery of motor and sensory function in the site distal to a peripheral nerve lesion should be improved if the nerve bundles (fasciculi) are matched and individually sutured. Three parameters are proposed to provide quantitative data: the count of the nerve fibers that regenerate, the number of functional regenerated nerve fibers, and a measurement of end organ reinnervation. A thin cross section of a transected and repaired sciatic nerve of a mongrel cat is fixed, stained, photographed, and digitized through a microscope 6 months following nerve repair. The data arrays are then subjected to four basic processing routines: edge enhancing, thresholding, template matching, and peak detection. Finally, the peaks are counted and provide an estimate of the number of nerve fibers in the nerve under study. Comparing counts of nerve fibers proximal and distal to the transection site of the nerve provide data on the proportion of regeneration present at various times. The content of this paper is, to a large extent, describing the implementation of the needed image-processing algorithms for automated counting on the Multi-MiniComputer System (MMCS). Optimal use of the AP-120B array processor and the pipeline processing provided by using the Eclipse 200s and the Nova 3 make a marked improvement in overall throughput.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Adding a microcomputer bar-code network to a minicomputer-based radiology information system.

A bar-code terminal network under software control of a microcomputer was added to the minicomputer-based radiology information system at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. The bar-code network was specifically installed to address the inherent inaccuracies occurring when procedure information was entered at the time of registration before procedures were actually performed. Technologists now enter procedure data into bar-code terminals after procedures are performed, substantially reducing database errors. This approach allowed us to take advantage of a microcomputer product without the necessity of completely converting our highly customized information system software from mini-to microcomputer.

Electronic Data Processing↗
PubMed1980

A minicomputer program for automatic saccade detection and linear analysis of eye movement systems using sine wave stimulus.

A FORTRAN IV program is described, which may be run interactively or in batch and which allows a user to obtain the frequency response amplitude ratio and phase resulting from the linear analysis of an eye movement system using sine wave stimuli. The response (eye position) signal may contain components contributed by the saccadic eye movements. The program can digitize analog signals and store data on a magnetic tape. With the aid of digital filters, the program can detect saccades without requiring any input parameters from the user. The program interpolates the saccade interval using a method of least square curve fitting with a sine wave. The interpolation is relatively noise immune and works well regardless of the stimulus frequencies and the width of a saccade interval. Moreover, the program can handle long duration of signals such as 90 min of data which covers about 5 cycles of a 0.001 Hz sine wave signal. Sample runs for the cases of 0.001 and 0.1 Hz are given. The resident driver and the overlayable segments of the program have been implemented on a DEC (Digital Equipment Corp.) LAB-11 minicomputer (PDP 11/20).

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Interfacing a modern signal averager to a minicomputer.

The design and operation of a bidirectional interface for transfer of data between a signal averager (Nicolet 1170) and a minicomputer (PDP-11/34) are described. The interface has been shown to function reliably using data lines of 20 m.

Computers↗
PubMed1980

[A minicomputer system that extracts evoked responses from the E.E.G].

EVøQ is a minicomputer system that enables one to extract average evoked responses from the E.E.G. from a large number of analog channels, and can, therefore, be oriented towards a topographic study of the responses. It allows high-frequency sampling of the signal, in order to make possible a study of the brain stem evoked responses. This system consists of three programs: a configuration-editor which allows a pre-configuration of several kinds of experiments; an acquisition program, of monitoring, calibration, signal processing and automatic control of the stimulators; finally, a management and processing program of the resulting files.

Brain Stem↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Purchasing a medical office minicomputer system. Guidelines and considerations.

Medical office computer systems can increase practice efficiency, but adequate minicomputer systems are still expensive, and some technical knowledge is needed if potential pitfalls in system acquisition and operation are to be avoided. A general introduction both to the capabilities and costs of currently available medical office computer systems is presented, and considerations which should be examined before acquiring an office computer are discussed.

Computers↗
PubMed1985

A minicomputer approach to consultation-liaison data basing: Pedagog-Admin-CLINFO.

Minicomputer systems have been designed for researchers who have no prior computer experience and, therefore, require no computer training, that is, programming knowledge. Such systems allow immediate access to the data, their retrieval, reduction, and analysis, and the retention of direct control over the data base by the researcher. In addition, CLINFO offers a wide range of calculations and statistical procedures. The three-dimensional, time-oriented data-base format of CLINFO allows for a longitudinal study of a particular variable, and its repeated measure over time in the same patient. This system has been adapted for use in the consultation-liaison setting to provide pedagogic, research, and administrative functions from a field-tested data base.

Computers↗
PubMed1995

GeneTox manager for bacterial mutagenicity assays: a personal computer and minicomputer system.

GeneTox Manager (GTM) is a data capture, data management, and statistical analysis program used for microbial mutagenicity data. Its main purpose is to provide a homogeneous environment for the collection, organization, and analysis of data generated in the laboratory while also supporting a quality assurance program. The complete system consists of both a personal computer (PC) system and a minicomputer (VAX) system. The joint PC/VAX version of the system is designed to function with both the PC and VAX FOCUS databases so that the VAX can be used for long-term storage, archiving of files, and the analysis of large groups of data. Because of the highly specialized use and nature of the PC/VAX version, this discussion is focused upon the PC stand-alone version. The user-friendly system uses a structured menu system, screen entry helps, and other help screens. GTM provides tabular and graphical summaries of the data and performs specialized statistical analyses. This public domain software was written primarily using Clipper. The manuals and programs are now available through the government's National Technical Information Service.

Information Systems↗