Biomedical subjects

J H May

Publications and source records attributed to J H May.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1991

Investigation of an expert systems approach to bacterial identification.

An investigation was carried out to assess the feasibility of using an expert systems approach to assist in the identification of unknown isolates of bacteria. A system was developed using Lisp which utilized the knowledge stored in standard bacteriological texts. A comparison of the expert systems approach and the probabilistic approach based on Bayes Theorem was made together with the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1991

Knowledge-based schedule formulation and maintenance under uncertainty.

This paper is concerned with the dual sequential problems of (1) determining an acceptable personnel schedule over a specified time period, and (2) adjusting that schedule during the course of its execution in reaction to daily changes in both demand and available personnel. The first problem is schedule formulation; the second sequential problem is schedule execution. A rule-based, hierarchical system has been developed for first modeling and then solving both the schedule formulation and the schedule execution problems as a two-phase dependent process. The system is applied to the scheduling and staffing of nurses. A double-blind evaluation was conducted, which ascertained the quality of the resultant schedules in terms of maintainability, coverage, and personal satisfaction. The evaluation indicates that for units on which personnel changes have occurred, the prototype appears to perform as well as human schedulers.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The assessment of the mutagenic potential of vehicle engine exhaust in the Ames Salmonella assay using a direct exposure method.

A method for the assessment of the mutagenic activity of vehicle engine exhaust in the Ames assay is described in which the bacterial strains used (TA98 and TA98/DNP) are exposed to the freshly produced engine exhaust using a "Cassella' slit sampler. The method is found to be effective both in the presence and absence of metabolic activation, using Aroclor-1254-induced rat liver S9 fractions. A comparison is made between the direct exposure method and the standard methods involving the collection of particulate samples on glass fibre filters and the testing of various extracts of these samples. Possible uses of the direct exposure testing method are suggested and the effect of sampling techniques on the results obtained in the Ames assay is also discussed.

Biotransformation↗