HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE USED IN THE AREA OF SCIENCE

Computers are now virtually indispensable in the field of medicine. They can be used to: monitor patient's vital signs maintain databases of patients, diseases and drugs aid in detecting and diagnosing diseases assist in generating case-specific advice through the use of expert systems help doctors to collaborate with colleagues and administer treatment over the Internet perform research

Some hardware requirements in the field of science are: mainframes, microcomputers and supercomputers (for performing research and diagnoses) sensors (for heart rate, temperature, pressure, etc. printers/plotters Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Computer Axial Tomography (CAT) monitors (high-resolution)

Some software requirements in the field of science are: Database Management software patient monitoring system software expert systems imaging software

Patients' Records- Electronic patients' records help doctors provide medical care. Records of patients' health history, as well as their personal information, can be easily accessed if this information is computerised. This would be especially helpful where information about one patient exists at several different institutions. An extranet or central database could allow the patient's main doctor to access more complete information about the patient's treatment in several different institutions, thereby helping their analysis. Computerised records can also save time- most importantly, in an emergency. This can also make it easy for trends in diseases to be detected. However, potential challenges exist, such as maintaining the privacy of these records, how much access should be granted to health insurers, and what level of control should be given to patients regarding the content of their records.

Patient Monitoring Systems- help doctors monitor and treat patients- either at home or in hospital intensive care- by providing a 24-hour service which, however, can cause false alarms. These are computerised systems which monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, temperature and heart rate, using sensors attached to the patient. The system records the information at specific intervals and may sound an alert in the event of a dangerous abnormality in the readings. COMPUTER-AIDED DETECTION AND DIAGNOSIS: Both the following systems assist doctors in detecting or diagnosing abnormalities in the tissues of their patients. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)- uses magnets to create two-dimensional and three-dimensional images of tissues such as brain. The images are processed by computers for analysis by doctors. This helps to detect strokes, tumours, infections and even haemorrhages. Computer Axial Tomography (CAT) Scanning- uses an X-ray tube that takes as many as 30 pictures per second as it rotates around the patient. The computer system reconstructs a three-dimensional view of parts of the patient's body from the pictures taken. This aids in the diagnosis of tumours and so on.

Expert medical systems- analyse data and provide answers to a questions in the field of medicine. It imitates the behaviour of a human adviser. Active knowledge systems use two or more items of patient data to generate case-specific advice. The Quick Medical Reference (QMR) system- is a medical expert system that performs differential diagnosis in many areas of internal medicine. Other examples of expert systems are Mycin and Dentral. The advantages of an expert medical system are: 1. It can support a doctor who is doubtful of his decision because of lack of knowledge or experience. 2. Experts can use this system to arrive at a faster, more accurate conclusion. 3. The theory behind the conclusion can be given. The disadvantages of an expert medical system are: 1. Instinct and common sense, which this system does not have, are often a good part of decision-making. 2. The system cannot learn from its mistakes, unlike a real doctor. 3. It could have disastrous effects if used by unqualified individuals.

PRACTISING MEDICINE VIA THE INTERNET Doctors can use the Internet in a number of ways: to send information to patients; to send Xrays to other medical institutions; even to collaborate with colleagues on surgery 'live' in different parts of the world. Video and broadband connections may allow a specialist far away from the location of a surgical operation to give advice to the surgeon actually present, based on what the distant specialist is seeing on the computer screen. Some doctors are now diagnosing patient's illness and prescribing online. However, potential legal problems may occur with this innovation, since it is not always clear who would be responsible if a patient were to worsen as a result of poor web-based diagnosis. Many medical web sites contain disclaimers warning patients they must seek appropriate medical follow-up by meeting face-to-face with a doctor. OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE Open source software is public domain software which can be modified as its source code is publicly accessible. It allows for a community in which information can be freely exchanged. Science is an open process. Open source software allows for experimental results to be published and shared with the larger community so as to provide benefit for more people. Some such programs are widely used in scientific and numeric computing such as in bioinformatics and physics. On the other hand, proprietary software, though public domain software, is designed for a particular organisation and so its source code remains confidential. Electronic Data Capture (EDC) is a type of open source software which are useful in clinical trials. Clinical trials are processes that assess the safety and efficiency of a new drug candidate for market application. EDC drastically reduces data entry errors and speeds up the overall clinical data management process. This can save time and cost and is also safer for the patient. EDC also provides the benefit of centralising data in a single electronic database. Using EDC also speeds up regulatory reviews by ensuring that the data has been collected, verified and signed in accordance with regulatory requirements. This system can allow for drugs to be delivered to patients faster and may even save lives. PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE Proprietary software can be designed by organisations to carry out research to create new drugs and other scientific solutions. The research can be carried out by qualified persons and released to the public when the aim of the research has been achieved.

THE ROLE OF SUPERCOMPUTERS IN SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENT Supercomputers are among the fastest, largest, most powerful, most expensive computers. They have changed the face of science so that scientists are no longer constrained to doing just experiment-based or theoretical research. Instead, scientists can enter results and data into a computer and the computer can utilise mathematics, abiding by the laws of physics, to recreate a virtual physical world. Supercomputers have revolutionised the scientific process and are used in various fields such as science. They can be used to tackle problems which are not only complex but may also be dangerous to investigate in the physical world. COMPUTERS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION Computers are also useful in science education as software is now being designed for selfstudy. They may also assist with concepts which are too dangerous to examine in the library. Computers can help with the analysis of data and in storing results for long-term experiments. The use of any type of software or hardware in the field of science requires knowledge of the area of science with which the computer is associated. Sometimes, use of this technology may require extra training.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Birbal, R., & Taylor, M. (2009). Log On To I.T. for CSES. Kingston: Pearson Education Limited. Gartner IT Glossary- proprietary software definition. (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2013, from Gartner: http://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/proprietary-software/ Gay, G., & Blades, R. Information Technology for CSEC. Oxford. Kalicharam, N. (1999). An Introduction to Computer Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Page, A., Cato, L., Moe, J., & Phillip, G. (2012). Information Technology for CSEC. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Why Open Source is the Future of Clinical Trials. (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2013, from OpenSource.com: http://opensource.com/health/13/8/clinovo-clinical-trials-interview