DOS Version Research Articles

Two new ways of looking at beetles CABIKEY [Computer Aided Biological Identification Key]: major beetle famililes. By R.G. Booth, M.L. Cox and R.B. Madge. (Wallingford, UK: CAB INTERNATIONAL, 1994). Price £115/US$189 (excl. VAT). - Beetle larvae of the world: interactive identification and information retrieved for familes and subfamilies (DOS Version). By J.L. Lawrence, A. Hastings, M. Dallwitz and T. Paine.

Two new ways of looking at beetles CABIKEY [Computer Aided Biological Identification Key]: major beetle famililes. By R.G. Booth, M.L. Cox and R.B. Madge. (Wallingford, UK: CAB INTERNATIONAL, 1994). Price £115/US$240 elsewhere. - Volume 86 Issue 1

MLAB: A Mathematical Modeling Laboratory. Civilized Software, Inc., Bethesda, MD, 1995. DOS version starts at $1495. Manuals included: MLAB Reference Manual by Barry Bunow and Gary Knott, MLAB Applications Manual by Gary Knott, and The Graphics Manual by Dan Kerner

MLAB: A Mathematical Modeling Laboratory. Civilized Software, Inc., Bethesda, MD, 1995. DOS version starts at $1495. Manuals included: MLAB Reference Manual by Barry Bunow and Gary Knott, MLAB Applications Manual by Gary Knott, and The Graphics Manual by Dan Kerner

ABC of Medical Computing: ONLINE SEARCHING

Searching for references is part of everyday life in medicine. If your computer is equipped with a modem and communications software you can now do online searches without needing to visit a library. Online searching refers to the use of information sources held on remote computer systems, perhaps the most popular of which is Medline. The BMA library runs a Medline service for BMA members, which is available 24 hours a day through a modem and also through the Internet or Joint Academic Network (JANET). The Medline database runs on a modern PC with a very large hard disk in the library. The computer is connected to a number of telephone lines so up to 20 people can dial in and access the system simultaneously. BMA members can access the Medline database at no cost apart from normal telephone charges. You will, however, need to apply to the library for a password before using the system. BMA's Medline system. The following description is based on the OVID (3.0) DOS version of the system interface. It is best to use Norton pcAnywhere to access the BMA's Medline service as this gives best performance but you can also use any standard communications program. The commands vary slightly depending on the program that you use but clear instructions are always given on the screen. When you log on to the database you need to type IBMOVID if you have Norton pcAnywhere or VTOVID if you have other communications software. Initial search screen in Medline To carry out a search on a particular subject, type the relevant term or phrase at the cursor prompt. The system will attempt to map your word(s) to relevant standard terms, known as medical subject headings (MeSH). Medline, which is produced by the United States National Library of Medicine, …

ABC of Medical Computing: CHOOSING AND INSTALLING SOFTWARE

All computers, no matter how sophisticated, need programs or software to be able to complete the simplest task. Programs provide not only the functions that we have come to expect from modern computer systems but also the interface between you and the computer hardware. T here is a huge range of software on the market, and choosing the program that best meets your needs can sometimes be difficult. A useful point to remember is that well designed programs allow you to complete complex tasks easily and quickly. Having the right program often saves hours of work. This article concentrates on software for stand alone computers; software for general practices and for networks is covered later. **FIGURE OMITTED** First identify which type of software would be most appropriate for the task. In most cases the category of software needed is obvious, although the distinction between advanced word processors and desktop publishing programs has become somewhat blurred. Most programs are available in both DOS and Windows versions. Many organisations, including the NHS, have a large number of old computers that can run only DOS based programs. For simple letter writing and accessing the patient administration system (PAS), these older computers are more than adequate. Given the increased capabilities and user friendliness of Windows, however, most people with modern computers are moving to Windows based software. View this table: Type of software to buy People often buy a single program such as WordPerfect but it makes sense to consider one of the software suites. These integrated packages include all the basic programs—word processor, spreadsheet, presentation graphics, and database—and may also include other useful software. The programs in a suite have the advantage of a common look and feel and will have been designed …

SAM-CD: Scientific American Medicine CD

Scientific American Medicine (SAM) is available in three loose-leaf volumes with regular updates. A compact disc (CD) version book, CONSULT, entered the market several years ago. It received very favorable reviews in this and other journals. 1,2 Late in 1994, a Windows version of SAM debuted. By this time, the name had changed to SAM-CD. This review concerns the Windows version of SAM-CD. In common with the earlier DOS version, all three volumes of the print edition, with their illustrations and indices, reside in a single CD. The CD includes Discotest, the self-test question-and-answer section. The annual subscription includes four updates per year. The updates ensure that very recent developments gain entry. The educational value of any electronic medium is only as good as its print counterpart. Thus, if you found the print edition of SAM instructive and useful, the CD will be more so. There is no difference in

Software Reviews : PSI-Plot Publisher: Poly Software International Year of Publication: 1993 Version Reviewed: 2.0 Price: $449 (retail); $299 (from the company) System Requirements: IBM or IBM compatible with MS-DOS or pc- DOS version 3.0 or higher; 512K of RAM; graphics display and adapter (Hercules, EGA, VGA or better); 3MB free disk space on hard drive; floppy drive. Recommended: Microsoft-compatible

PSI-Plot is a sophisticated, expensive plotting/graphing program. It has the capability, far beyond what most social scientistswould need, to produce a variety of two- and three-dimensional plots that can be output to printers, plotters, or slide makers. Most social scientists, except the most quantitatively oriented, will not find these specialized capabilities to be worth the cost or relatively large investment of time needed to learn the program.

CD Plus' OVID MEDLINE

CD Plus' OVID software is discussed in relation to CD Plus' previous software, CDP 2.0. Two versions of OVID are reviewed-3.0 (Release 8) and 2.1 (Release 3), tested as a beta product at the Ruth Lilly Medical Library (RLML) in Indianapolis. OVID 2.1, a hybrid between CDP and OVID 3.0, was designed to facilitate the transition between CDP and OVID. This article addresses only the CDPNET2, DOS version. OVID presents many enhancements over CDP, but also includes, in its early releases, some trade-offs, the most significant being a slower load time. The resulting product is an excellent one, whose initial drawbacks have been addressed with each subsequent release and whose enhancements include many advanced searching techniques not previously available, such as multi-index searching and posting from the Permuted Term Index.

410 PB 051 SUPPORTING THE FARMER'S BOOKSHELF™ CROP INFORMATION SYSTEM ON TWO COMPUTER PLATFORMS

Extension personnel and growers need up-to-date information on crops to make sound management decisions. The Farmer's Bookshelf™, a hypermedia information system based on the software HyperCard®, was developed for Macintosh® computers. Since clientele who use IBM-compatible computers could not use the Macintosh version of the Farmer's Bookshelf, we looked into several DOS/Windows™ hypermedia software. Spinnaker PLUS™ (Spinnaker Software Corp.) suited our needs, primarily because it required a minimum of reprogramming. PLUS (Macintosh) converted HyperCard files into PLUS (Macintosh) files. Some programming, fonts, and icons required modifications. PLUS (Macintosh) files were then edited using PLUS (widows). Again, minor editing was necessary. Currently, the PLUS (Windows) files and a runtime version of PLUS (Windows) are distributed to clientele who use IBM-compatible computers. PLUS enables our supporting the Fanner's Bookshelf without having to develop a DOS or Windows version that requires completely new programming and extensive modifications. HyperCard files are readily converted to run under Windows, thus helping us to serve clientele who use either platform.

GENCALC: Software to Facilitate the Use of Crop Models for Analyzing Field Experiments

AbstractA number of crop simulation models use as model inputs certain coefficients that account for differences among cultivars. These coefficients, often referred to as genotype coefficients, allow the models to simulate performance of diverse genotypes under different soil, weather, and management conditions. The models therefore can potentially be used to resolve the genotype × environment interaction into underlying coefficients. GENCALC (Genotype Coefficient Calculator) is a software package that facilitates the calculation of these coefficients for use in existing crop models. In GENCALC, the coefficients for a genotype are estimated iteratively by running the appropriate crop model with model input data and approximate coefficients, comparing the model output with actual data, and then altering the coefficients until the simulated and measured values match. The coefficients are determined in a specified sequence, starting with those that relate to developmental aspects. GENCALC also allows for calculation of averages (±SD) for the coefficients determined from specific experiments. This facilitates the selection of coefficients with the lowest variability, which can then be stored in crop‐specific database files. GENCALC comprises several programs and requires additional models and model input files, so a hard disk with =2 Mb free space is required. GENCALC will run on any IBM or IBM‐compatible computer with DOS version 3.0 or later.

MS InterView: An elemental mass spectrometry spectral interference data base for Microsoft Windows

Summary In a recent publication [1] we described a computer program called “MS InterView”. This program is a graphically-oriented data base intended to provide ICP and glow discharge mass spectroscopists with the ability to display, access, and manage elemental mass spectrometry spectral interference data. The program was written for the Apple Macintosh. We have had a number of inquiries as to whether DOS or Windows compatible versions of the program could be made available. To this end, we have written a Microsoft Windows version of the program. For a discussion of the capabilites of the program, we refer the reader to the original article [1] and the accompanying documents in electronic form. The purpose of this short note is simply to make this new version of the program available to the readers of SAE. This article is an electronic publication in Spectrochimica Acta B (SAB). The hardcopy text is accompanied by a disk containing the program MS InterView for Windows, a Windows version of the manual, a reference list, and a bar graph format mass spectral library of the elements.

Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials

The Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials (OJCCT) is a joint venture of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). As its title indicates, the journal is published in electronic format with access available through CompuServe or OCLC Net. OJCCT is also available via INTERNET, but certain features of the software are not currently supported, such as hypertext connections to abstracts and certain types of graphic displays. For optimal results, the recommended configuration is a 386 or higher microcomputer with 4 MB memory; VGA or SVGA graphics monitor; 9600-bps modem; a laser printer with high-quality graphics capability and 1.5 MB memory; a mouse; and Microsoft Windows, version 3.1. Currently, only a DOS version is available. Software installation is straightforward, and the documentation is clear and easy to understand. The articles selected for inclusion in OJCCT are peer reviewed and appear within

Software Reviews : Victory Over Statistics (tutorial written by Rita Varela)Publisher: GTE Data Services, Inc., Telecom Park, POB 290152, Temple Terrace, FL 813-978-4000 Year of Publication: 1989 Version Reviewed: Revised edition Materials: 1 5.25", 360KB diskette, 213-page manual Price: $35 plus $4 postage U.S., volume discount available Machine Specificity: IBM Pc and compatible System Requirements: 128KB RAM required, DOS version

Victory Over Statistics (vos) is intended to be a tutorial system that promotes the use of statistical tools. The focus is on the process of statistical analysis, not the statistical formulas needed to compute the results. It consists of a manual that "teaches" several statistical concepts and contains three practice guides to review those concepts. It includes vos software to provide practice sessions with very small data sets.

DiscLit: American authors

DiscLit: American Authors. OCLC, 6565 Frantz Rd., Dublin, OH 43017; 1-800-848-5878, or G.K. Hall & Co., 70 Lincoln St., Boston, MA 02111; 1-800-343-2806. Hardware and software requirements: IBM PC, XT, AT, or PS/2 or compatible models, OCLC M3xx models, at least 640K RAM, DOS version 3.1 or higher, compact disc drive, and MS-DOS extensions 2.0 or higher. A black-and-white or color monitor may be used. Price: $995. DiscLit on CD-ROM is a joint venture between OCLC and the publisher G.K. Hall & Co. Stored on a single CD, the product consists of two units: Twayne's United States Authors Series and the OCLC American Authors Catalog. The two units, referred to as the and the are searched separately, but the information in the two units is linked so that users can move easily between them. Published in book form by G.K. Hall, the Twayne's series is composed of 143 volumes, each on the life and works of a different American author, and each having that author's name as its title. The full text of the 143 books is contained on DiscLit. The other unit of DiscLit, the OCLC American Authors Catalog, contains bibliographic information for more than 100,000 books, serials, recordings, videos, and other materials by and about the 143 authors. Installation of DiscLit is quick and easy, with clear instructions provided in the setup guide. An online tutorial is fairly well done, although to a first-time user of CD-ROMs it might seem overly complicated. The screen displays are quite cluttered. The tutorial's search tips are helpful, although some jargon terms, such as limiters and navigation, might be confusing to users. To search DiscLit, you may choose one of two searching modes: new or casual user, or experienced user. The fast mode is a menu-driven system which is quite user-friendly. The user can enter a term or phrase, or can combine terms by entering them on separate lines. For example, suppose a user wants information on American who have written on the topic of women and religion. Searching the full-text Books unit, the terms women and religion would be entered on separate lines, resulting in a list of authors names with numbers indicating occurrences of the search terms. (Isaac Bashevis Singer was at the top with eighty-nine occurrences.) The system, by default, searches for the two terms in the same section of a chapter. What is a section? This is never defined on the CD or in the documentation. However, this default of combining terms by section has great potential for false hits. To avoid this, the user may specify that terms be in the same paragraph or within a certain number of words. The search for women and religion resulted in a list of books, with those on Isaac Bashevis Singer, Sara Teasdale, and Emma Goldman having the most occurrences of the search terms. Opening the book on I. B. Singer, the user is first presented with the table of contents, with search word occurrences for each chapter. Navigation through the book itself is straightforward: chapters can be selected and opened, and moving through the chapters is facilitated by a very useful feature, Jump to search word. This enables the user to skip irrelevant chunks of text and move to the next occurrence of the search word(s). Another handy way of moving around in a book is to go to the back-of-the-book index, select a page number for a particular topic, and jump to that page. …

Reviews

Reviews

ODAP: a stand-alone program for observational data acquisition

A software program written to collect real-time, observational data is described. The flexible program allows customized behavior codes and observational durations and simultaneously records both timed and counted events. The data are collected by means of single keystrokes, automatically stored to disk with 100th of a second resolution and summarized for each observational session. The program’s database files are dBASE III PLUS compatible and may be browsed, edited, or converted to ASCII files from the program’s main menu. Field testing demonstrated the efficiency and interobserver reliability of the program (for frequency,r=0.81; for durational behaviors,rs=0.89 and 0.96). The software operates on IBM XT/AT/PS 2s and most clones with PC/MS DOS version 2.0 or greater.

Design of a PC-based teletext terminal

A teletext adaptor has been designed with suitable software to make use of a personal computer (PC) as a low-cost, convenient, teletext terminal. The system was designed to work with ROM BIOS and PC DOS version 3.1. It has been demonstrated that teletext messages can be captured, displayed, analyzed, and stored in a PC without the need for a special character ROM. The hardware design and the software development are described.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Software

New infrared software which gives access to the world's largest spectra library has been introduced by Philips Analytical. Called Eagle Search II, it is the only software available from an analytical instrument manufacturer that is compatible with every section of the vast Sadder Library. The package has been developed by Philips Analytical for use with its PU9800 FTIR spectrometer. Existing users of the instrument will automatically receive the software free of charge. Eagle Search II, which has been pegged at the same price as the package it succeeds, gives a comprehensive display of all Sadder information files and prompt location of stored spectra by name. Other features include cursor switching between overlaid spectra, difference spectroscopy to find the best fit, and status boxes for current instrument conditions. In addition improvements have been made to the search algorithm, the display and the results output. The software, which runs on DOS version 3.2 upwards, is available on standard 5¼ inch discs and also on the more robust and higher capacity 3½ inch format.

The oxygen status algorithm: A computer program for calculating and displaying pH and blood gas data

Input parameters for the program are the arterial pH, pCO2, and pO2 (measured by a blood gas analyzer), oxygen saturation, carboxy-, met-, and total hemoglobin (measured by a multi-wavelength spectrometer), supplemented by patient age, sex, temperature, inspired oxygen fraction, fraction of fetal hemoglobin, and ambient pressure. Output parameters are the inspired and alveolar oxygen partial pressures, pH,pCO2 and pO2 referring to the actual patient temperature, estimated shunt fraction, half-saturation tension, estimated 2,3-diphosphoglycerate concentration, oxygen content and oxygen capacity, extracellular base excess, and plasma bicarbonate concentration. Three parameters related to the blood oxygen availability are calculated: the oxygen extraction tension, concentration of extractable oxygen, and oxygen compensation factor. Calculations of the 'reverse' type may also be performed so that the effect of therapeutic measures on the oxygen status or the acid-base status can be predicted. The user may choose among several different units of measurement and two different conventions for symbols. The results are presented in a data display screen comprising all quantities together with age, sex, and temperature adjusted reference values. The program generates a 'laboratory diagnosis' of the oxygen status and the acid-base status and three graphs illustrating the oxygen status and the acid-base status of the patient: the oxygen graph, the acid-base chart and the blood gas map. A printed summary in one A4 page including a graphical display can be produced with an Epson or HP Laser compatible printer. The program is primarily intended for routine laboratories with a blood gas analyzer combined with a multi-wavelength spectrometer. Calculating the derived quantities may enhance the usefulness of the analyzers and improve patient care. The program may also be used as a teaching aid in acid-base and respiratory physiology. The program requires an IBM PC, XT, AT or similar compatible computer running under DOS version 2.11 or later. A VGA color monitor is preferred, but the program also supports EGA, CGA, and Hercules monitors. The program will be freely available at the cost of a discette and mailing expenses by courtesy of Radiometer Medical A/S, Emdrupvej 72, DK-2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark (valid through 1991). A simplified algorithm for a programmable pocket calculator avoiding iterative calculations is given as an Appendix.

Analytical groundwater modeling: flow and contaminant migration

This new book includes four analytical microcomputer programs -on two diskettes-for quick easy simulation and graphing of uncomplicated two-dimensional groundwater flow and containment migration situations. Program operation, concepts, techniques, and methods are described in detail. The basic programs feature simulations of the following features: containment source areas and plumes, production and injection wells, drains, and mines. A graphics subprogram displays drawdown and concentration graphs and contour maps. Basic requirements are an IBM-PC or compatible computer with 256K RAM; a high resolution (640 x 200) monitor (monochrome mode); an IBM Color Graphics Adapter (CGA), IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA), IBM Video Graphics Array (VGA) or IBM Multi-Color Graphics Array (MCGA), Hercules Color card (not Hercules Graphics card-though there are inexpensive CGA emulation programs on the market for the Hercules Graphics card) or equivalent; a dot-matrix printer; and IBM-PC DOS Version 2.1 or compatible.

BIOCON: A program for the parameter estimation and the simulation of a simple bioconcentration model

BIOCON is a program designed for processing data obtained from experiments of bioaccumulation of substances in organisms. The model adopted is the simplest, i.e. the one with two compartments only (environment and organism) and with first order kinetics. Starting from data on the substance concentration, both in the surrounding medium and in the organism, taken at different times, BIOCON estimates uptake and release parameters using a method that minimizes the square of the simulation error. The fit of the model to data is shown in both graphic and tabular form. Also provided is an estimate of the bioconcentration factor (BCF), i.e. the ratio between the medium and the organism concentrations at equilibrium. Moreover, variances of uptake and release parameters and of BCF are estimated, thus allowing the user to assess the statistical significance of the estimates obtained from the available data. A function that can help the experimenter design his/her protocol is the possibility of simulating the data that could result from given bioconcentration parameters and a given sequence of environmental concentrations. BIOCON is menu-driven, hence of easy use for non-computer-oriented people. Graphic and tabular outputs are provided on the screen or on a printer. The HW and SW requirements are: • - IBM PC or compatible computer • - DOS, 2.1 or later version • - Standard graphic adapter • - 320 Kb memory • - IBM-EPSON or compatible printer