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PubMed1997

[Use of software "Aggregate state of the blood" in staged diagnosis and correction of disorders of blood coagulation and rheology].

The "Aggregate State of the Blood" software was created at the National Research Center of Surgery in 1994. The software is intended for comprehensive assessment of the blood fluidity under different conditions of clotting, rheology, and acid-base balance and shows deviations of the detected values from the norm, predicting the risk of thrombotic and/or hemorrhagic complications. From 1994 to 1996, the program was used in more than 1000 patients subjected to cardiopulmonary bypass surgery with complicated and uneventful peri- and postoperative period. The operations were as follows: heart and liver transplantations (19 and 7 cases), intraaortic balloon counterpulsation (16), extracorporeal detoxication (10), acute myocardial infarction (9), etc. The results were compared with the data recorded in case histories of 255 patients who underwent similar operations in 1991-1994. The results of diagnosis and prediction were commented in the protocol for each case. The conclusions were used for therapy or prevention. The incidence of thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications and the DIC syndrome in 1995-1996, when the new software started to be used, was significantly lower than before. The best clinical results were attained in the patients examined before surgery (n = 92). In this group application of the program (and subsequent preventive treatment) helped improve the adaptive potential of the physiological systems maintaining the blood fluidity. This resulted in a lower postoperative blood loss and a lesser incidence of thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications and the DIC syndrome as against the reference group.

Blood Coagulation↗
PubMed1994

Computer software selection.

For many dental offices, good practice management software can offer significant benefits. A knowledge of available features, practice needs, and proper vendor selection are vital to initial and extended product satisfaction. This article discusses many available software features, their practicality, and proposes vendor demonstration and support obligations. Current legal issues, hidden costs, and data backup are presented as they pertain to the software selection process.

Computer User Training↗
PubMed1998

Multicentre evaluation of the Boehringer Mannheim Elecsys 2010 immunoassay system, hardware and software reliability/practicability of the system.

The reliability of Elecsys 2010 and its practicability in the daily laboratory routine has been assessed in a multicentre evaluation. The twelve evaluators confirmed that the instrument hardware as well as the software worked reliable during the whole evaluation period of about six months. The cause of few hardware problems could be identified and resulted in respective improvements. Software malfunctions reported were fixed with subsequent software releases, suggestions for feature improvements made by the evaluators will be integrated in forthcoming versions. For the assessment of system practicability a questionnaire with 160 questions covering all important aspects of an analytical system was used. Six of twelve groups of attributes were rated higher for Elecsys 2010, the other six groups were rated equal in comparison to the respective in-house instrument. High gradings were especially given for the sections training/operation, sample processing, reagent handling and calibration.

Calibration↗
PubMed1998

[A software for comparing ambulatory blood pressure measurements (ABPM)].

The software (MAPA-PC) for personal computers, designed by the author, provides precise and fast studies of ABPM, especially when comparing two anti-hypertensive treatments. It implies strict definitions of groups (e.g. dippers), indices (peak, trough, peak/trough ratio), and the type of smoothing of measured values: means (over 1, 2 or 3 hours) or smoothing by functions (polynomials or trigonometric series). The software calculates standard parameters (nighttime and daytime means, peak, trough...) as well as more original values (nighttime and period from points of inflexion in the curve, slope in these points, coefficients of variation on differences between 2 ABPM of a given subject...). It uses statistical tests (Mann and Whitney's U. Pearson's chi square, Snedecor's F) to compare results of treatment. It provides many types of curves (blood pressure lines, box-plots) which show kinetics and variability of blood pressure. The user can compare various types of smoothing (e.g. 2 vs 3 harmonics in Fourier series). The software was used on 237 records of 79 patients, in a randomized trial. It was written with Turbo Pascal and works on DOS personal computers. It is interesting for epidemiologic studies or clinical trials in which ABPM are used.

Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory↗
PubMed2003

Bugs in computational chemistry software and their consequences: the importance of the source code.

The increase in computer power and the development of new mathematical concepts implemented in software have allowed computational chemistry to emerge as a new research field. Although programs were freely distributed during the "golden age" of this discipline, today they are usually copyrighted and have become easier and easier to use through sophisticated graphical interfaces. This "democratization" is a vector of success for this discipline. Nowadays, non-theoreticians can use such programs more easily and solve chemistry-related problems with the computer. The number of program offerings has rapidly grown and private companies specialized in molecular modeling have appeared and compete to sell their products. Thus, numerous software packages, often presenting similar capabilities, are now available on the market. Within this context, the availability of the program source code remains, in our opinion, an important criterion for program selection.

Chemistry↗
PubMed2003

Evaluation of educational software.

Evaluation is an important component of developing educational software. Ideally, such evaluation quantifies and qualifies the effects of a new educational intervention on the learning process and outcomes. Conducting meaningful and rigorous educational evaluation is difficult, however. Challenges include defining and measuring educational outcomes, accounting for media effects, coping with practical problems in designing studies, and asking the right research questions. Practical considerations that make the design of evaluation studies difficult include confounding, potentially small effect sizes, contamination effects, and ethics. Two distinct approaches to evaluation are objectivist and subjectivist. These two complement each other in describing the whole range of effects a new educational program can have. Objectivist demonstration studies should be preceded by measurement studies that assess the reliability and validity of the evaluation instrument(s) used. Many evaluation studies compare the performance of learners who are exposed to either the new program or a more traditional approach. However, this method is problematic because test or exam performance is often a weak indicator of competence and may fail to capture important nuances in outcomes. Subjectivist studies are more qualitative in nature and may provide insights complementary to those gained with objectivist studies. Several published examples are used in this article to illustrate different evaluation methods. Readers are encouraged to contemplate a wide range of evaluation study designs and explore increasingly complex questions when evaluating educational software.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed1979

Software development of the EMI head scanner.

A method has been developed to run the general purpose operating system RDOS on the same disc of the head scanner computer as is used for scanner software and data. This made it possible to develop additional software in high level programming language for image processing, based on original image data on the disc. All new images produced by the program are stored on the disc in the same format as the original images. This makes it possible to handle processed images exactly as the original ones and to do multiple operations. The following processing has been included in the program so far: subtraction, smoothing, density profiles, vertical reconstructions, magnification and labelling. A set of operator commands has been developed which are very similar to the ordinary commands for the scanner, which makes the program to appear being a direct extension of the standard scanner software.

Computers↗
PubMed2002

Effect of column and software on gas chromatographic determination of fatty acids.

Four capillary columns (A: CP-WAX 52 CB 25 m x 0.25 mm; B: CP WAX 52 CB 30 m x 0.25 mm; C: CP-WAX 58 CB 25 m x 0.25 mm, Chrompack; D: OMEGAWAX 320 30 m x 0.32 mm, Supelco) and two integration software (Mosaic v.5.10, Chrompack and CSW v.1.7, Data Apex5) were compared for analysis of fatty acids. Column A was mounted stepwise in two different instruments. Fatty acids of blood plasma phosphatidylcholine and standard mixture of saturated fatty acids were analysed as methyl esters under identical chromatographic conditions. Both integrating software did not differ significantly in most results; differences were observed only for minor components: 16:1n9 (0.10+/-0.020 vs. 0.17 +/- 0.005 M%, P < 0.0001, column Al; 0.09 +/- 0.011 vs. 0.16 +/- 0.007 M%, P< 0.0001, column A2; 0.09 +/- 0.010 vs. 0.17 +/- 0.003 M%, P < 0.0001, column C; 0.09 +/ -0.008 vs. 0.19 +/- 0.003 M%, P < 0.0001, column D), 20:0 (0.10+0.001 vs. 0.06 +/- 0.005 M%, P < 0.05, column C) and 20:2n6 (0.43 +/- 0.030 vs. 0.91 +/- 0.016 M%, P < 0.0001, column A2). Increased values for 16:1n9 and 20:2n6 integrated by MOSAIC are caused by cointegration of two poorly resolved peaks: fatty acid and impurity from sample matrix. Lower values for 20:0 are caused by incomplete integration of minor peak. Differences between columns were observed mostly for minor fatty acids. The results indicate that CSW is more suitable software for integration of complicated chromatograms. Linear calibration dependences measured with standard mixture of saturated fatty acids (carbon number 10-24) were observed in wide range of concentrations (three orders). Slope close to unity and minimal value of intercept confirmed theoretical relations when analyses are run under optimal conditions. Use of one column is advisable in small intervention or experimental metabolic studies.

Calibration↗
PubMedDate not supplied

ThermoData Engine (TDE): software implementation of the dynamic data evaluation concept.

The first full-scale software implementation of the dynamic data evaluation concept {ThermoData Engine (TDE)} is described for thermophysical property data. This concept requires the development of large electronic databases capable of storing essentially all experimental data known to date with detailed descriptions of relevant metadata and uncertainties. The combination of these electronic databases with expert-system software, designed to automatically generate recommended data based on available experimental data, leads to the ability to produce critically evaluated data dynamically or 'to order'. Six major design tasks are described with emphasis on the software architecture for automated critical evaluation including dynamic selection and application of prediction methods and enforcement of thermodynamic consistency. The direction of future enhancements is discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Designing Radiotherapy Software Components and Systems That Will Work Together.

The radiation treatment planning and delivery process requires that many different computerized data sources, software tools, and computer control systems be smoothly integrated. These include computer-controlled accelerators and new digital imaging modalities. At the same time, the applications themselves are becoming increasingly complex. In radiotherapy, the variety of components to integrate is much greater than in other areas of clinical medicine, growing out of more than a 30-year history of use of highly stylized traditional computer applications and many rigid conventions and practices associated with these computer programs. The introduction of new tools and computer-controlled equipment influenced the evolution of radiotherapy planning software, leading us to take a new look at how radiotherapy planning is done. Addressing and solving these integration problems as a serious research undertaking is vital to continued success in deploying computer applications for clinical use. New software design ideas such as object oriented design, behavioral abstraction and mediators can solve these problems. Our experience shows that the time and effort to build high-quality adaptable modular systems can be kept modest and within the reach of a small development team.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

[Clinical evaluation of a software for automated localization of lung nodules at follow-up CT examinations].

PURPOSE: To evaluate a software algorithm for automated localization of pulmonary nodules at follow-up CT examinations of the chest and to determine factors influencing the rate of correctly matched nodules. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The "real-time automatic matching" (RAM) algorithm (Siemens LungCare trade mark software) was applied to 22 follow-up multirow-detector CT (MDCT) examinations in 11 patients (Siemens Somatom VolumeZoom, tube voltage 120 kVp; effective tube current 20 mAs (n = 18) or 100 mAs (n = 4); 4 x 1 mm detector configuration, 1.25 mm slice thickness; 0.8 mm reconstruction increment; standard lung kernel B50f) with a total of 190 lung nodules (mean diameter 6.7 +/- 3.5 mm, range 2 - 17 mm). The following nodule features were recorded: diameter, edge definition (well- or ill-defined), location (upper, middle or lower third; central or peripheral; right or left lung) and inspiration level (considered identical if the difference of diaphragm-apex distance between baseline and follow-up examination was < 5 %, otherwise it was considered different). A nodule was regarded as correctly localized if the marking box drawn by the software was visible on at least one slice together with the nodule and the center of the nodule was located inside the marking box. chi(2)-test was used to describe influence of nodule features on detection rate. Influence of nodule size was assessed using Mann-Whitney-U-Test. RESULTS: RAM correctly located 164 of 190 of all lung nodules (86.3 %). Detection rate did not depend on nodule location (left vs. right lung: p = 0.48; upper vs. middle vs. lower third: p = 0.96; peripheral vs. central: p = 0.47) or diameter (p = 0.30). Influence of inspiration level was highly significant (p < 0.001): nodules were detected in 100 % (146/146) for identical inspiration levels and in 40.9 % (18/44) for different inspiration levels. The observation of a significant better localization of ill-defined nodules (p = 0.028) corresponds to a statistical artifact due to the inhomogeneous distributions of this specific feature in our data. CONCLUSION: RAM is a valuable tool for follow-up of lung nodules at CT. Only very different inspiration levels influenced detection rate.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2006

[CT-based software-supported prediction of the postoperative lung function after partial resection of the lung].

PURPOSE: The predicted postoperative forced exspiratory volume in one second (FEV (1)) is an important functional factor for predicting the operability of patients with bronchial carcinoma. A software tool that uses a preoperative chest MSCT and pulmonary function test (PFT) for largely automated prediction of the FEV (1) was evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with surgically treated lung cancer were examined with a preoperative chest MSCT (1.25 mm slice thickness, 0.8 mm reconstruction increment) and PFT before and after surgery. CT scans were analyzed by the prototype software MeVisPulmo (MeVis gGmbH, Bremen) that predicted the postoperative FEV (1) as a percentage of the preoperative values measured by PFT. The automated segmentation and volumetry of lung lobes were performed either without or with minimal user interaction. Patients underwent lobectomy in twelve cases (6 upper lobes, 1 middle lobe, 5 lower lobes) and pneumectomy in three cases. The predicted FEV (1) values were compared to the observed postoperative values as a standard of reference. The additional functional parameters "total lung capacity" (TLC) and "forced vital capacity" (FVC) were compared to the FEV (1) results. RESULTS: Automated calculation of predicted postoperative lung function was successful in all cases. Due to an implausible PFT, two of the 15 patients were excluded from the collective. A mean postoperative FEV (1) value of 75 % (SD +/- 12 %) of the preoperative FEV (1) was calculated and 74 % (SD +/- 12 %) was actually measured. The deviations of the predicted value from the measured postoperative FEV (1) ranged between - 289 ml (-12 % of the measured postoperative FEV (1)) and + 294 ml (+ 15 % of the postoperative FEV (1)). The mean deviation (absolute value) was 137 +/- 77 ml/s. This corresponds to 7 +/- 3 % of the measured postoperative FEV (1). Bland-Altman-Statistics showed the 95 % "limits of agreement" for the predicted FEV (1) values to be between - 341 ml and + 301 ml, corresponding to - 17.5 % and + 15.8 of the measured postoperative FEV (1) value. Analysis of the TLC and FVC yielded similar results. CONCLUSION: In the present pilot study the software-assisted prediction of the postoperative FEV (1) using a preoperative MSCT and pulmonary function test corresponded satisfactorily with the observed postoperative values. The introduced approach may make it possible to obtain additional information for the prediction of functional operability prior to performing lung cancer surgery.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2002

Software agents and the route to the information economy.

Humans are on the verge of losing their status as the sole economic species on the planet. In private laboratories and in the Internet laboratory, researchers and developers are creating a variety of autonomous economically motivated software agents endowed with algorithms for maximizing profit or utility. Many economic software agents will function as miniature businesses, purchasing information inputs from other agents, combining and refining them into information goods and services, and selling them to humans or other agents. Their mutual interactions will form the information economy: a complex economic web of information goods and services that will adapt to the ever-changing needs of people and agents. The information economy will be the largest multiagent system ever conceived and an integral part of the world's economy. I discuss a possible route toward this vision, beginning with present-day Internet trends suggesting that agents will charge one another for information goods and services. Then, to establish that agents can be competent price setters, I describe some laboratory experiments pitting software bidding agents against human bidders. The agents' superior performance suggests they will be used on a broad scale, which in turn suggests that interactions among agents will become frequent and significant. How will this affect macroscopic economic behavior? I describe some interesting phenomena that my colleagues and I have observed in simulations of large populations of automated buyers and sellers, such as price war cycles. I conclude by discussing fundamental scientific challenges that remain to be addressed as we journey toward the information economy.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

The study of Al-L23 ELNES with resolution-enhancement software and first-principles calculation.

Resolution-enhancement software and first-principles calculation for electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) were applied for the study of aluminium (Al) coordination in alumina. Al-L23 energy-loss near-edge structures (ELNES) of alpha- and gamma-aluminas were observed using a field-emission transmission electron microscope and advanced software for EELS. The inherent energy resolution of a cold field-emission gun (FEG) of approximately 0.3 eV was realized using drift-correction software. The energy spread of the cold FEG was deconvoluted by means of maximum-entropy or Richardson-Lucy algorithms and the energy resolution of the deconvoluted spectrum became comparable with that obtained using a monochromator, whose energy resolution was < 0.2 eV. Fine structures in Al L23-edge were observed, such as 0.5 eV splitting between L3 and L2 peaks in alpha-alumina (i.e. spin-orbit splitting). The difference in Al coordination was clearly observed in Al-L23 ELNES and the major structures near the threshold were assigned using first-principles calculations.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Bug propagation and debugging in asymmetric software structures.

We address the issue of how software components are affected by the failure of one of them, and the inverse problem of locating the faulty component. Because of the functional form of the incoming link distribution of software dependence network, software is fragile with respect to the failure of a random single component. Locating a faulty component is easy if the failure only affects its nearest neighbors, while it is hard if it propagates further.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Punctuated equilibrium in software evolution.

An approach based on the paradigm of self-organized criticality is proposed for experimental investigation and theoretical modeling of software evolution. The dynamics of modifications is studied for three free, open source programs MOZILLA, FREE-BSD, and EMACS using the data from version control systems. Scaling laws typical for self-organized criticality found. A model of software evolution presenting the natural selection principle is proposed. Results of numerical and analytical investigation of the model are presented. They are in good agreement with data collected for real-world software.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2007

Cost-effective dynamic telepathology in the Mohs surgery laboratory utilizing iChat AV videoconferencing software.

BACKGROUND: Dynamic telepathology is the real-time transmission of histologic images from one pathologist to another by means of telecommunications technology. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine whether dynamic telepathology can be accomplished accurately and inexpensively by use of readily available off-the-shelf consumer products and software. METHODS: We attached a standard, consumer-grade, digital video camera to a microscope in the Mohs surgery laboratory and then transmitted via the Internet real-time histologic video images and audio to a consultant dermatopathologist by means of iChat AV videoconferencing software (Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA). In the first part of the study, 20 unknown formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded slides from tumors typically seen in a Mohs practice were evaluated by the consultant dermatopathologist. In the second part of the study, the Mohs surgeon consulted the dermatopathologist on 20 Mohs frozen section slides in which the surgeon had a particular question (e.g., "Is this part of a pilosebaceous unit or is this basal cell carcinoma?"). RESULTS: The video images were adequate for pathologic interpretation. There was agreement between conventional light microscopy and dynamic telepathology diagnosis in 19 of 20 tumors. There was complete agreement for all 20 Mohs frozen section consultations. CONCLUSION: Dynamic telepathology can be accomplished accurately and inexpensively by use of readily available consumer products and software.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗