Informatica

Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is a non-invasive, powerful image processing technique for assessing coronary artery disease. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the diagnostic role of CTCA using optimal scanning parameters and to investigate the effect of low kilovoltage CTCA on the qualitative and quantitative image parameters and radiation dose in overweight and obese patients. Consolidation of knowledge in medicine and image processing was used to achieve the aim, and performance was evaluated in a clinical setting. Elevated body mass index is one of the factors causing increased radiation dose to patients. This study examined the feasibility of 80-kV and 100-kV CTCA in overweight and obese adult patients, comparing radiation doses and image quality versus standardized 100-kV protocols in the group of overweight patients and 120-kV CTCA in the group of obese patients. Qualitative and quantitative image parameters were determined in proximal and distal segments of the coronary arteries. Quantitative assessment was determined by the contrast-to-noise ratio and signal-to-noise ratio. The results of the study showed that in overweight and obese patients, the low dose protocol affords radiation dose reduction of 35% and 41%, respectively. Image quality was found to be diagnostically acceptable in all cases.

In the paper, we present an algorithm that can be applied to protect data before a data mining process takes place. The data mining, a part of the knowledge discovery process, is mainly about building models from data. We address the following question: can we protect the data and still allow the data modelling process to take place? We consider the case where the distributions of original data values are preserved while the values themselves change, so that the resulting model is equivalent to the one built with original data. The presented formal approach is especially useful when the knowledge discovery process is outsourced. The application of the algorithm is demonstrated through an example.

The problem of parameter clustering on the basis of their correlation matrix is considered. The convergence in probability of parameter clustering based on the simulated annealing is investigated theoretically.

The aim of investigation was to seek new ways for the analysis of extremal problems. A method of visual analysis of a set of objective function values is proposed. It allows us to find a direction where the variation of function is maximal. The method ensures a high quality of analysis when the number of used values of the objective function is small, and a possibility of identifying a specific character of the objective function. The results of analysis are used in search of a new coordinate system of the extremal problem and in a graphical representation of the observed data. The analysis will lead us to a better optimization strategy.

Software development consists of several phases, where each phase has its own results. Language, which allows to describe collected results, their transformation and displaying, is discussed in this paper. A software tool is offered as an interpreter for this language. The language and software tool form a complex for data analysis. The complex is open and could be adapted for usage in different software system development stages. Object-oriented methodology for system specification design is used to show structure of the language and software tool.