Computer-assisted multiple categorization of absorbance values in ELISA through pictorial emulation of 96-well plates.

A simple algorithm is proposed by which multiple categorization of absorbance values from ELISA plates is performed under a microcomputer control. The printed output is a pictorial emulation of a 96-well plate with the color intensities represented for each reaction. Although the method is presented as a colorimeter computer interfaced system, a provision for manual entry of absorbance values via keyboard is also included. Simulation is based solely on the magnitude of absorbance values. Therefore, it is possible to utilize any enzyme/substrate combination within the range of filters of the colorimeter. We have tested the present system for titration of anti-malarial antibodies in human serum and for the screening of mouse hybridoma culture supernatants.

Experimental intravenous digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of orbital and choroidal circulation: preliminary study.

The development of the radiologic technique, digital subtraction angiography (DSA), has substantial importance in studying the uveal vasculature and its orbital blood supply. After rapid intravenous injection of commercially available contrast material, images of the orbital and uveal vessels of rabbits, cats, and the nonhuman primate can be observed. Advantages and limitations of this new technique for visualization of uveal and orbital vasculature were evaluated in serial experimental animal studies. Future potential clinical applications are discussed.

Integration of data obtained at fixed intervals.

This article discusses the design and implementation of a program well suited to integrating experimental or simulated data obtained at fixed intervals. The program uses Simpson's method and produces substantially better accuracy than trapezoidal rule integration at little extra computational cost. It accepts command line specification of integration parameters (step size and/or number) and source files. Multiple source files and integration parameters can be specified at runtime. Output can be displayed on the console or redirected to an ASCII file.

Use of the personal computer in clinical research.

Personal computers are quickly becoming items of everyday use. More physicians' offices are using computers for billing and patients' records. Others have purchased computers for their word processing capabilities. These computers can be used for archives of medical case records or to collect and collate data for clinical research. This article focuses on how we use a personal computer for organization and management of clinical research projects. Included is a description of how we organize a research project, gather data, write computer programs, enter data into the computer, and generate and display reports. The use of a template program and a personal computer permits creation of individual programs without the aid of a professional programmer. When a single data-management program is used, five or six research projects can be carried out at a cost comparable to that of one project using a large computer and professional programmers.

Computer faces: the human Lorenz matrix.

Realistic Ekman-type faces were generated by a computer program. Twenty primary parameters (muscle tensions and opening factors), each continuous, were used. Non-linear combination of the primary parameters permits the generation of meaningful faces each governed by a single combined parameter (intensity-parameter). Five major meaningful faces were distinguished, "friendliness", "surprise", "disgust", "anger" and "grief". In contrast to the experiments of Ekman, who combined subregions of photographed meaningful faces by hand, mixing can be done in the computer both more easily and, it turns out, more naturally. Mixed facial expressions in an animal were first drawn in matrix form by Lorenz. A consistent interpretation is possible if the linearly superposed displays are assumed to indicate the state of an autonomous optimizer with n linearly independent subfunctionals. An instant display of a vector in n-dimensional space using faces was already proposed by Chernoff. The present faces have the asset that only "natural" parameters are used. This means that no longer only a single point in n-dimensional space can be displayed, but also a meaningful succession of such points--that is, a whole trajectory.

Applications of computer graphics in craniofacial surgery.

Three-dimensional surface images can be reconstructed from CT scans. These are particularly useful in the study and management of patients with congenital and acquired craniofacial deformities. The principles of 3-D reformation, the production of the surface images, and recent advances in modification of these images for specific clinical needs are presented.

Computer software design for pediatric practice. A modular approach.

Practical applications for using computers in everyday medical practice have not kept pace with the technical developments that now make this tool available to the pediatric practitioner. A modular approach to user-developed applications software is presented as a model for computerizing the pediatric office. Benefits have included lower cost, greater data reliability and validity, standardization of office and medical procedures, and automation of jobs formerly requiring much personnel time. Some patient services have improved, and other new services have become possible, through the application of computer software designed in accordance with our practice philosophy.

Perspective display of patient external and internal contours.

The two-dimensional perspective display of three-dimensional patient contour data is useful in radiotherapy treatment planning as it provides a comprehensive view of the relative positions of patient internal (organ and target) and external contours. The advent of minicomputers and video display systems has made possible the integration of such display techniques into the treatment planning routine. This paper describes and gives an example of the methods we have found useful in producing perspective displays of patient contour data. Included is a solution to the problem of removing hidden line segments from the displayed image.

Design and feasibility of a flexible computerized system for the clinical laboratory, based on the IEEE 488 standardized interface.

Our target is to build a flexible computerized system based on an informational study of the clinical laboratory, which would leave the laboratory staff free to use equipment or modules from different manufacturers interchangeably. This applies to hardware and software. To fulfil this objective, it is necessary that automatic analyzers, microcomputers and minicomputers, have built-in standardized hardware and software interfaces. Technical specifications of the IEEE 488 standardized interface, recommended by the authors, are presented here; this interface is already widely used in instrument interfacing with low-cost microcomputers are minicomputers but has not yet been used for clinical laboratory automatic analyzers. A design for a flexible laboratory based on this interface is presented, with a discussion of the feasibility of such a project.

Computer generation of surface distribution maps of measures of brain activity.

A laboratory computer system in described which will rapidly generate gray-scale maps showing the distribution of measures derived from the electrical activity of the brain, such as the electroencephalogram (EEG) or other biological measures. The system allows flexible description of electrode number and placement, mapping onto any shaped space and rapid generation of maps by integration with the data collection software.

An interactive computer graphic system for 3-d stereoscopic reconstruction from serial sections: analysis of metastatic growth.

An interactive computer graphic system has been developed for 3-D reconstruction of stained serial sections. The system has been used for 3-D reconstruction of portions of mouse lung containing melanoma nodules. A stereoscopic color picture of a wire model of the reconstructed object is produced. The volume, surface area, and sphericity index of structures such as tumor nodules can be computed.

[Methods of input into a digital computer of low-frequency physiological data]. / Metodika vvoda v ETsVM nizkochastotnoi fiziologicheskoi informatsii

A procedure employed for input of low-frequency physiological information coming via several channels in a digital computer, model M-220A has been worked out. The operations are effected through the application of standard equipment with the use of routine communication channels to the computer. Particular attention is attached to the storage of the input information in the permanent memory of the machine for further synchronous analysis of physiological indices. The procedure may find use in analyzing materials covering a wide range of medico-biological experiments.