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At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Databases and software for the analysis of mutations in the human p53 gene, the human hprt gene and the lacZ gene in transgenic rodents.

We have created databases and software applications for the analysis of DNA mutations in the human p53 gene, the human hprt gene and the rodent transgenic lacZ locus. The databases themselves are stand-alone dBase files and the software for analysis of the databases runs on IBM- compatible computers. The software created for these databases permits filtering, ordering, report generation and display of information in the database. In addition, a significant number of routines have been developed for the analysis of single base substitutions. One method of obtaining the databases and software is via the World Wide Web (WWW). Open home page http://sunsite.unc.edu/dnam/mainpage.ht ml with a WWW browser. Alternatively, the databases and programs are available via public ftp from anonymous@sunsite.unc.edu. There is no password required to enter the system. The databases and software are found in subdirectory pub/academic/biology/dna-mutations. Two other programs are available at the WWW site, a program for comparison of mutational spectra and a program for entry of mutational data into a relational database.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Improved analysis of brachial artery ultrasound using a novel edge-detection software system.

Brachial artery ultrasound is commonly employed for noninvasive assessment of endothelial function. However, analysis is observer dependent and susceptible to errors. We describe studies on a computerized edge-detection and wall-tracking software program to allow more accurate and reproducible measurement. In study 1, three purpose-built Perspex phantom arteries, 3.00, 4.00, and 6.00 mm in diameter, were measured with the software. There was a mean bias of 11 microm (P < 0.001 at each level) between known and measured values; the mean resolving power of the software was estimated as 8.3 microm. In study 2, the mean intraobserver coefficient of variation of repeated measures of flow-mediated dilation (FMD) using the software (6.7%) was significantly lower than that for traditional manual measurements using the intima-lumen interfaces (24.8%, P < 0.05) and intima-media interfaces (32.5%, P < 0.05). In study 3, 24 healthy volunteers underwent repeat testing twice within 1 wk; the coefficients of variation for between-visit reproducibility of FMD and response to glyceryl trinitrate using the software were 14.7 and 17.6%, respectively. Assuming 80% power and an alpha of 0.05, eight subjects with matched controls would be required, in a parallel designed study, to detect an absolute 2.5% change in FMD. In summary, we have developed a semiautomated computerized vascular ultrasound analysis system that will improve the power of clinical intervention studies to detect small changes in arterial diameter.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1992

[Workload in software development work. A consideration based on work-characteristics and analysis on workload factors of each working group].

To clarify workload factors in software developing work, we designed questionnaires composed of questions of work-content based on the interview survey. For the analysis of workload, Cumulative Fatigue Symptom Index (CFSI) and the stress-rating-method by 7-likert-scale were used. With the cooperation of the Japanese Software Engineers' Association (SEA) responses were obtained from 270 out of 1,100 members and from 553 non-member software engineers in 18 companies in Japan. The CFSI score obtained was higher than those of other groups of other industries obtained in our previous studies. The stress-rating showed that "time-pressure," "too much amount of work, and "ambiguity in job specification" were the highest stressors. The work groups were categorized by the results of CFSI profile into 4 types. The results of stress-ratings were significantly different between the 4 type groups. Based on the multiple comparison analysis, the workload factors of each group could be specified. Out of the foregoing 4 types, the work groups which showed the deviation in F1B (depression) in CFSI and the work groups which showed high scores in every category in CFSI were higher in "ambiguity of specification" in stress-ratings. This result indicates that "ambiguity in specification" is a significant stressor in software engineers. This stressor is caused by the complicated communication process between users and engineers and by the shortage of tools or rules in this process. This stressor is considered to be the most typical workload which characterizes the software developing work.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Children and medications: educational software on drug administration in pediatrics].

The purpose of this study is the development and evaluation of an educational software on the administration of pediatric medicaments called "Children and medication". The pedagogical framework of Robert M. Gagné and the Three Stages Model, proposed by Price (1991) to develop CAI programs, were used. The software utilizes multimedia resources and is composed of four topics: the child, the medicament, the person who administers it and the administering of the medication. After the development of the program, it went through an evaluation process which was divided in three phases and had the participation of system analyst professionals and the target population to which the software was designed. Data analysis of the software showed that most of the items received excellent approval by the evaluators. It was observed that the software was accepted by the users and that it contributed for the nursing teaching of pediatric medicament administering through a new resource.

Child↗

PubMed1999

Software for population pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modelling is being used increasingly as a tool in drug development because often in phase III clinical trials only sparse data are available for analysis and so a nonlinear mixed effects modelling approach has to be adopted. Specialist data analytical techniques and software are required to analyse such data. This article reviews some of the software currently available for performing nonlinear mixed effects modelling. A questionnaire was devised and sent to a number of software producers and the findings are presented and discussed in this paper. The programs could be grouped into 3 main categories: parametric and nonparametric maximum likelihood and Bayesian. It was apparent from the questionnaire that software development for population data analysis is a very active area of investigation. The implementation of methodologies varied widely between the packages: some were self-contained programs, whereas others were written within another application, usually a statistical package. They also varied with respect to their ease of use and level of support offered by the software producers. Although robustness and reliability are important concerns, they were not addressed in the present review. Most of the programs surveyed are in continual development.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A general software package for the handling of medical images.

PICS (portable imaging computer software), is a software system designed for handling and processing a variety of types of medical image. It has been designed to satisfy the following criteria: (a) the software should be portable between different items of hardware with minimal alteration; (b) there should be a simple operator interface to enable use by inexperienced users, while avoiding the need for experienced users to be directed through tedious menu trees; (c) the programming environment should enable simple integration of new data handling protocols. To meet these requirements the software was written in FORTRAN using structured subroutine organization. The software has basic image handling and processing facilities and contains a comprehensive set of nuclear medicine clinical protocols. Other facilities include alignment of images from different modalities with display of superimposed images and ability to handle, analyse and display three-dimensional data sets. Data transfer programs have been written to capture data from gamma camera, CT, MRI, ultrasound and radiographs by converting the images to a common data format. The system provides a hospital with a central digital image handling resource, enabling investigation of the value of digital image processing in potential clinical applications.

Diagnostic Imaging↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Medical imaging workstation: a software environment.

In a study to set up an experimental simple imaging workstation with facilities for image input, storage, presentation and manipulation, BAZIS developed a software package called FRACTALS (Filmless Radiology And Computerized Task Analysis Lab Software). The investment in the development of effective software for digital radiological workstations is of great importance in picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) research. General purpose workstations are becoming less expensive and more powerful. They are an important tool for performing radiological research and developing an adequate human interface. The software should provide the tools and flexibility for modifications that turn out to be required for interaction with the radiologists. The software package FRACTALS is presented in this paper and its applications and future developments are discussed.

Computer Systems↗

PubMedDate not supplied

MCHS: an application software for family welfare programmes.

At the level of first contact, a primary health care centre, information management is an unwieldy task, therefore health information systems are reported to be inadequate and weak. Microcomputers could improve information management at this level, but there is little success due to a lack of specialized application software. In this paper we describe software developed after a multi-centre systems analysis study, on an essential data set, to support the delivery of the public health programmes for family welfare, i.e. maternal health care, family planning and immunization programmes. The modular approach was taken to develop a common application software for information management use at multiple sites. The software is tested in a laboratory mode by retrospective data entry from sites in Sweden and in India. All the information could be entered and site-specific reports that were generated are compared. The software provided a common data collection format, an essential platform for outcomes research.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Identifying features, performance, and limitations of dairy ration formulation software: a comparison of three ration formulation programs.

A method for evaluating and selecting dairy ration formulation software for microcomputers is presented. Information obtained from a survey of practicing nutritionists and from interviews with computer programmers was used to identify users' needs, desired features, and patterns of use. A benchmark problem consisting of 15 activities frequently required in designing dairy rations was developed to evaluate ease of use, ease of learning, and software performance. Ease of use was measured by counting keystrokes and recording time required by a user familiar with these ration formulation programs to complete the benchmark problem. Ease of learning was measured as the amount of help and time needed by users unfamiliar with this software to complete the benchmark problem. Software performance was measured by speed of formulation, ration costs, ingredients and amounts selected, and nutrient content of rations. Evaluation of three commercially available software applications was made using the method developed.

Animal Feed↗

PubMed2001

P1198: software for tracing decision behavior in lending to small businesses.

This paper describes a process-tracing software program specially designed to capture decision behavior in lending to small businesses. The source code was written in Lotus Notes. The software runs in a Web browser and consists of two interacting systems: a database and a user interface. The database includes three realistic loan applications. The user interface consists of different but interacting screens that enable the participant to operate the software. Log files register the decision behavior of the participant. An empirical example is presented in order to show the software's potential in providing insights into judgment and decision making. The implications of the software are discussed.

Accounting↗

PubMed2003

General practitioners' perceptions of the pharmaceutical decision-support tools in their prescribing software.

OBJECTIVES: To explore how Australian general practitioners use pharmaceutical decision-support (PDS) systems; to determine GPs' perceptions of the deficiencies and strengths of these systems; and how they believe they can be improved. DESIGN AND SETTING: Qualitative analysis of discussion from three focus groups of GPs (from one rural and two urban Divisions of General Practice) between April and May 2002. PARTICIPANTS: 22 GPs selected to include users of the five most popular prescribing/clinical practice software products available in Australia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Advantages and disadvantages of using PDS software; ideas for improving PDS systems; attitudes to electronic evidence-based guidelines. RESULTS: GPs believed that important interactions may be missed because of desensitisation resulting from too many alerts (which also intrude on workflow); that interaction alerts need to be severity graded and only significant ones should appear; and that improved computer-user interface design could enhance the usefulness of PDS systems. CONCLUSIONS: Our results will provide useful feedback to government, software vendors and software developers on the needs and expectations of end users and on the development of agreed software standards.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed1993

Computer software for health care CQI.

The transition from quality assurance to continuous quality improvement (CQI) demands a basic change from centralized to decentralized information management. In CQI, front-line staff can use personal computer (PC) software skills to manage, analyze, and act on process-related information. Information services departments play a key role in this transition by, among other things, selecting software that optimally supports the PC-based work carried out by CQI teams. A review of typical CQI team software requirements and of available PC software suggests that Microsoft Excel 4.0 is a nearly ideal software platform to support CQI teams.

Management Information Systems↗

PubMed1996

Visions of the future: two success strategies for software selection.

The first and most crucial step in any system implementation is the specification and subsequent selection of the software. It is important to make the "right" choice--one where the software works with the hardware to integrate the users so it helps them do their jobs better now and into the future. This article will review the software selection process utilized by two companies to choose the software that was "right" for them. Insights and experiences will also be shared to assist others in their software selection activities.

Decision Making, Organizational↗

PubMed1983

Do you understand the role of software? It's the key to performance of laboratory computer systems.

Pathologists making decisions regarding computer applications in their laboratories need to understand all three aspects of computer technology: software, the user interface, and hardware. Of these, software may be the most important. This article identifies problems associated with software usage, taking into account contraints imposed by hardware and personnel, then suggests criteria for evaluating software. If pathologists are to derive maximum benefit from their investment in automated technology, they need to understand the intrinsic role of software in computer-based systems.

Computers↗

PubMed1999

Analyzing qualitative data with computer software.

OBJECTIVE: To provide health services researchers with an overview of the qualitative data analysis process and the role of software within it; to provide a principled approach to choosing among software packages to support qualitative data analysis; to alert researchers to the potential benefits and limitations of such software; and to provide an overview of the developments to be expected in the field in the near future. DATA SOURCES, STUDY DESIGN, METHODS: This article does not include reports of empirical research. CONCLUSIONS: Software for qualitative data analysis can benefit the researcher in terms of speed, consistency, rigor, and access to analytic methods not available by hand. Software, however, is not a replacement for methodological training.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗

PubMed2000

Computer software for process hazards analysis.

Computerized software tools are assuming major significance in conducting HAZOPs. This is because they have the potential to offer better online presentations and performance to HAZOP teams, as well as better documentation and downstream tracking. The chances of something being "missed" are greatly reduced. We know, only too well, that HAZOP sessions can be like the industrial equivalent of a trip to the dentist. Sessions can (and usually do) become arduous and painstaking. To make the process easier for all those involved, we need all the help computerized software can provide. In this paper I have outlined the challenges addressed in the production of Windows software for performing HAZOP and other forms of PHA. The object is to produce more "intelligent", more user-friendly software for performing HAZOP where technical interaction between team members is of key significance. HAZOP techniques, having already proven themselves, are extending into the field of computer control and human error. This makes further demands on HAZOP software and emphasizes its importance.

Artificial Intelligence↗

PubMed2001

[Reporting echocardiography exams with the G8-Cardio ANMCO software].

BACKGROUND: The availability of a common computerized program for echocardiographic study archiving and reporting at national and/or international level could make it possible to standardize the echo reports of different echocardiographic laboratories, and to use the wealth of data thus obtainable with echocardiography, and to exploit its capillary territorial distribution, with the aim of collecting echocardiographic data in a standard format for epidemiological, scientific and administrative purposes. METHODS: To develop such a software, an ad hoc joint National Association of Hospital Cardiologists and Italian Society of Echocardiography task force worked in conjunction with the Italian Branch of Agilent Technologies to standardize the phraseology of accepted echocardiographic terms and of the quantitative parameters derived from transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic examination at rest as well as during exercise and pharmacological stress, and to develop an ad hoc software. This echocardiographic study archiving and reporting program is part of the whole G8-Cardio ANMCO software developed to computerize the whole cardiological chart. The software has been developed by Agilent Technologies to provide a fast, easy-access and easy to use report generator for the non-computer specialist using DBMS Oracle 7.3 database and Power Builder 5.0 to develop a user-friendly interface. RESULTS: The number of qualitative and quantitative variables contained in the program is 733 for echocardiography at rest, while it depends on the stressor and on the length of the examination for the stress echo (dipyridamole 214-384, dobutamine 236-406, exercise 198-392). The program was tested and refined in our laboratory between November 1999 and May 2000. During this time period, 291 resting and 56 stress echocardiographic studies were reported and recorded in a database. On average, each resting echocardiographic study lasting 10 +/- 4 (range 5-17) min was recorded using 50 +/- 11 (range 33-67) variables and 41,566 bytes of hard-disk memory space. Stress echocardiographic studies, each lasting 7 +/- 5 (range 5-21) min, were recorded using 143 +/- 74 (range 38-194) variables and 38,531 bytes of hard-disk memory space. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge this software represents the first experience of a common computerized program for echo archiving and reporting carried out at national level.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗

PubMed2001

Accuracy of ventricular volume and ejection fraction measured by gated myocardial SPECT: comparison of 4 software programs.

UNLABELLED: Gated myocardial perfusion SPECT has been used to calculate ejection fraction (EF) and end-diastolic volume (EDV) and has correlated well with conventional methods. However, the comparative accuracy of and correlations across various types of gated SPECT software are not well understood. METHODS: Mathematic phantoms of cylindric-hemispheric hybrid models, ranging in volume from 34 to 266 mL, were generated. The clinical cases consisted of 30 patients who participated in a radionuclide angiography and gated blood-pool (GBP) study in addition to undergoing (99m)Tc-sestamibi gated SPECT. Four kinds of software, Quantitative Gated SPECT (QGS), the Emory Cardiac Toolbox (ECT), 4D-MSPECT, and Perfusion and Functional Analysis for Gated SPECT (pFAST) were used to compute EF and EDV, and the results were analyzed by multiple comparisons tests. Patients were classified into 4 groups (i.e., no defect, small defect, large defect, and small heart) so that factors affecting variation could be analyzed. RESULTS: In mathematic models > or = 74 mL, volume error was within +/-15%, whereas for a small volume (34 mL), QGS and 4D-MSPECT underestimated the volume and pFAST overestimated it. The respective intra- and interobserver reproducibility of the results was good for QGS (r = 0.99 and 1.00), ECT (r = 0.98 and 0.98), and 4D-MSPECT (r = 0.98 and 0.98) and fair for pFAST (r = 0.88 and 0.85). The correlation coefficient for EF between gated SPECT and the GBP study was 0.82, 0.78, 0.69, and 0.84 for QGS, ECT, 4D-MSPECT, and pFAST, respectively. The correlation coefficient for EDV between gated SPECT and the GBP study was 0.88, 0.89, 0.85, and 0.90, respectively. Although good correlation was observed among the 4 software packages, QGS, ECT, and 4D-MSPECT overestimated EF in patients with small hearts, and pFAST overestimated the true volume in patients with large perfusion defects. Correlation coefficients among the 4 kinds of software were 0.80-0.95 for EF and 0.89-0.98 for EDV. CONCLUSION: All 4 software programs showed good correlation between EF or EDV and the GBP study. Good correlation was observed also between each pair of quantification methods. However, because each method has unique characteristics that depend on its specific algorithm and thus behaves differently in the various patient subgroups, the methods should not be used interchangeably.

Coronary Circulation↗