Applications of Computers

The influence of computers is universal. Computers are used in applications ranging from running a farm, diagnosing a disease, and designing to constructing and launching a space vehicle. Because the development of computers has been largely the work of scientists, it is natural that a large body of computer applications serves the scientist and the field of science.

COMPUTERS IN THE FIELD OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE:

Computers has not only helped in increasing awareness amongst the general public about the various diseases and the host of products, services and resources available from health care vendors of every type, but has also made the research and the development of various medicines and diagnostic and treatment methods, easy and cost effective. Apart from this, patients are able to find basic information through the doctor’s interactive text, graphics, audio and video web service, which saves them time and cost of office visits and telephone calls to physicians every time a problem as small as cough occurs.

TYPE OF COMPUTERS USED:

Computers with Internet technology dominate the scene, together with other soft wares like Data Extraction software and Financial Analysis software, etc, depending on the features one is looking for before purchasing a system.

HOW ARE THEY USED?

Decision Support System is used which, by applying up-to-date clinical data to disease management guidelines, provides practitioners with easy-to-use, best evidenced-based, recommended treatment plans for direct patient use.

While Imaging and document management systems dramatically cut the time physicians spend searching for necessary information, Date warehousing is used for compiling and analyzing data from single or multiple sources can help identify ways to better utilize medical resources, evaluate different medial treatments, reveal health patterns and lead to better and efficient medical facilities and health care.

Internet/intranet technologies offer new capabilities to the health care industry due to their ease of use, platform independence and inexpensive connectivity.

Physicians, by adding more dynamic content and interactivity to their websites, use it as a marketing tool for their medical practice; where patients cannot only access information about the medical practitioner, but also ask questions, schedule appointments, etc.

Not only this, computers, through their large storage capacities are slowly leading to paperless hospitals and clinics, that is, electronic medical records are gaining popularity

Speech Recognition Technology, interactive video conferencing and interactive modules on the World Wide Web are making CME more accessible and convenient.

Many breakthroughs, in the field of medical sciences, occurred with the advent of computers. Cervical cancer, although preventable, often goes undetected. The only defense is early detection through an accurate Pap test. There are three methods of carrying out Pap tests, but computerized Pap test, using ThinPrep Processor Model 2000, which automatically prepares slides making it easier for screening atypical cells is the most effective one. It concentrates the cellular material and filters out a lot of blood and other materials, which provides for better detection of cancer cells by the cytotechnologist.

COMPUTERS IN NUCLEAR MEDICINE:

Use of Nuclear medicine, which is the use of nuclear medicine imaging documents to gather medical information that may otherwise be unavailable; require surgery, or necessitate expensive diagnostic tests, would not have been possible without the computers.

HOW ARE THEY USED?

Nuclear Medicine uses substances, called radiopharmaceuticals, that are attracted to specific organs, bones, or tissues and which can be inhaled, injected or taken orally. Radiopharmaceuticals emit gamma rays that can be detected externally by special types of cameras; these cameras work in conjunction with computer systems to convert the gamma rays into images and information about the area of the body being examined.

Images of the tissue or organ are typically acquired from different angles, allowing the computer system to generate cross-sectional views. These images are then used to evaluate brain, thyroid, heart, lung and kidney disorders, also assessing tumor’s location and size, both before and after treatment

COMPUTERS IN THE FIELD OF ASTRONOMY:

The observable phenomena in the universe often are the result of complex interplay between several physical processes, each of which operates over a scale that cannot be controlled or modified by the experimenter. Obviously, a researcher cannot perform any type of controlled experiment on objects outside the solar system. Thus, theory and computer simulations must be called upon to fill the void left by the absence of controlled experiments.

Astronomers employ computer and its various programmes and softwares to investigate of the scale and geometry of the universe, the strength and frequency of explosions in the galaxy, birth of stars, and the source of the energetic cosmic rays that irradiate us on Earth.

HOW ARE THEY USED?

Milky Way galaxy has been blasts with 100 million to a billion supernova explosions. These explosions have enriched the universe with the oxygen we breathe, the iron in our cars, the calcium in our bones and the silicon in the rocks. Astronomers, mathematically simulate these explosions with powerful computing techniques to show that these events unfold not only with amazing magnitude and speed but also with incredible beauty and how these explosions influence the birth of stars, and cause the radiation of energetic cosmic rays.

COMPUTERS IN THE FIELD OF CHEMISTRY:

The uses of computers in chemistry are many and varied, from the modelling of solid-state systems to the design of complex molecules, which can be used as drugs. In short, everything from electronic structure determinations, electronic structure determinations, rate constants for chemical reactions (kinetics), and thermodynamic calculations- heat of reactions, energy of activation are calculated with the help of computers.

TYPE OF COMPUTERS/ COMPUTER SOFTWARE USED:

Some common computer software used for computational chemistry includes:

• Gaussian