What are the function of flowcharts?

Answer 1

Flowchart and FunctionsThe source code is based on the MATLAB function simulate.m. The input arguments to simulate.m include the desired parameter values characterizing the human cardiovascular model and its execution, while the outputs are the simulated data - all pressures (), volumes (), flow rates ( ), ventricular elastances , adjustable parameters (), cardiac function/venous return curves (), and ventricular contraction times (). This function may also write the simulated data to file (with a desired prefix file name also provided as an input argument) and display the data as they are being calculated. The function is responsible for executing the models described in Section 2 as well as in Appendix A. However, the flowchart of Figure 7 depicts how the function simulates the data from the desired parameter values characterizing only the models of Section 2. The pertinent details of each block of the flowchart are provided below.

Figure 7: Flowchart of the MATLAB function simulate.m.

• Declaring and Initializing Variables (t=0). With the desired parameter values provided as function input arguments, all variables of the simulation are declared and initialized. Memory is pre-allocated for all of the data to be simulated over their entire integration period in order to increase execution speed with the MATLAB compiler. The respiratory-related waveforms are pre-computed over the entire integration period.
• Numerical Integration for Calculating . The pressures of the desired model of the pulsatile heart and circulation are calculated at the current time step () from the pressures at the previous time step () by fourth-order Runge-Kutta integration of the set of ordinary differential equations governing the model. must be set to 0.005 s for reasonable accuracy.
• Adjusting Parameters by Regulation/Perturbations.Parameters of the pulsatile heart and circulation are adjusted by the short-term regulatory system and resting physiologic perturbations models. Because of the relatively narrow bandwidths of these models, the parameter adjustments are calculated at a sampling period of 0.0625 s. First, the requisite waveforms originally computed at a sampling period of are decimated to a sampling period of 0.0625 s by averaging over the past 0.25 s every 0.0625 s. Then, the mandated parameter adjustments are computed at a sampling period of 0.0625 s. Finally, the mandated parameter adjustments are converted to a sampling period of via linear interpolation (with the exception of the adjustments to which do not take effect until the initiation of the next ventricular contraction) in order to compute the subsequent waveforms.
• Establishing qrs via``Integrate and Fire.'' The mandated changes to are mapped to the times of onset of ventricular contraction by integrating (in units of bps) over time until the integral is equal to one. Then, systole is initiated by resetting the variable, ventricular elastance model, the integral is set to zero, and the integration is repeated.
• Heart-Lung Unit or Systemic Circulation? Varying , , and Averaging , . Cardiac function or venous return curves are generated, if desired. Following every fifth beat, and are varied in steps for generation of cardiac function curves, and is varied for simulation of venous return curves. Time-averaged and and (for cardiac function curves) are recorded over the beat preceding the step variation.
• Calculating and Storing and . The blood volumes of each compartment of the desired model of the pulsatile heart and circulation are computed at the current time step from the pressures at the current time step, and the values of the ventricular elastances and adjustable parameters at the current time step are stored into their pre-allocated memory slots.
• Intact Circulation? Correcting by Adjusting . Total blood volume of the intact pulsatile heart and circulation at the current time step ( ), which may vary due to integration error, is conserved. The difference between the computed and its assigned value is added/removed from and is altered accordingly.
• Parameter Updates? Conserving and Documenting Updates.The parameter values of a simulation may be updated after the initiation of each ventricular contraction by pausing the simulation, updating the parameter values, and resuming the simulation. The newly chosen parameter values are documented to file if they are relevant to the current simulation, and the blood volumes in each compartment at the current time step are conserved by adjusting the pressures at the current time step (if necessary). Adjustments to the respiratory-related waveforms are implemented for the remainder of the integration period.
• Calculating . The flow rates of the pulsatile heart and circulation models are calculated at the current time step from the pressures at the current time step.
• On-Line Viewing? Writing Waveforms to MIT Format Files Displaying Waveforms. When viewing simulated data as they are being calculated, the waveforms are periodically written to file in MIT format (with a desired period). The newly written data are then immediately displayed with WAVE.

The flow of each of the blocks is then repeated starting at Numerical Integration for Calculating with . In order to execute the blocks in the flowchart, simulate.m calls upon many MATLAB and C functions, each of which are briefly described below.

• intact_init_cond.m computes the initial pressures, volumes, and flow rates of the intact pulsatile heart and circulation model from the desired parameter values. The initial values are determined from the solution of a linear system of equations which are derived from the application of steady-state conservation laws to a linearized version of the model.
• hlu_init_cond.m computes the initial pressures, volumes, and flow rates of the heart-lung unit preparation model from the desired parameter values. The initial values are determined from the solution of a linear system of equations which are derived from the application of steady-state conservation laws to a linearized version of the model.
• sc_init_cond.m computes the initial pressures, volumes, and flow rates of the systemic circulation preparation model from the desired parameter values. The initial values are determined from the solution of a linear system of equations which are derived from the application of steady-state conservation laws to a linearized version of the model.
• rk4.m computes the pressures of the pulsatile heart and circulation (any preparation) at the current time step from the pressures of the previous time step, the current values of the parameters, respiratory-related waveforms, and time surpassed in the current cardiac cycle according to fourth-order Runge-Kutta integration.
• intact_eval_deriv.m is called only by rk4.m and computes the derivative of the intact pulsatile heart and circulation pressure values at a desired time step which is necessary for the fourth-order Runge-Kutta integration.
• hlu_eval_deriv.m is called only by rk4.m and computes the derivative of the heart-lung unit preparation pressure values at a desired time step which is necessary for the fourth-order Runge-Kutta integration.
• sc_eval_deriv.m is called only by rk4.m and computes the derivative of the systemic circulation preparation pressure values at a desired time step which is necessary for the fourth-order Runge-Kutta integration.
• var_cap.m is also called by intact_eval_deriv.m, hlu_eval_deriv.m, and sc_eval_deriv.m and computes a ventricular elastance value as well as its derivative at a desired time step from the current values of , , the previous cardiac cycle length, and the time surpassed in the current cardiac cycle.
• vent_vol.m is also called by intact_eval_deriv.m, hlu_eval_deriv.m, and sc_eval_deriv.m and computes the current ventricular blood volume from the current ventricular pressure according to Newton's search method with an initial guess given by the previous ventricular blood volume.
• rand_int_breath.m computes the time until the next respiratory cycle commences based on the outcome of an independent probability experiment.
• resp_act.m computes the respiratory-related waveforms (, , , and ) over the entire integration period from the parameter values and the times of commencement of each respiratory cycle.
• ilv_dec.m decimates to a sampling period equal to 0.0625 s. This decimated waveform is convolved with the filter created by dncm_filt.m (see below) in order to establish the changes in mandated by the direct neural coupling mechanism.
• dncm_filt.m generates a filter which characterizes the direct neural coupling mechanism between and .
• bl_filt.m generates a lowpass filter with a narrow transition band (truncated sinc function of unit-area) and desired cutoff frequency which is utilized to bandlimit the exogenous disturbance to .
• oneoverf_filt.m generates a filter with a 1/fmagnitude-squared frequency response over a desired frequency range (in decades) and at a desired sampling period (see below).
• ans_filt.m creates a filter which is a linear combination of and . This filter is convolved with the filter generated by oneoverf_filt.m and then white noise in order to create the exogenous disturbance to .
• abreflex.m computes the parameter adjustments mandated by the arterial baroreflex system based on the current setpoint and static gain values.
• cpreflex.m computes the parameter adjustments mandated by the cardiopulmonary baroreflex system based on the current setpoint and static gain values.
• param_change.m determines whether the parameter updates are relevant to the status of the current simulation based on the current parameter values, the previous parameter values, and the status parameters (see Section 5.2).
• conserve_vol.m computes the pressures at the current time step necessary to conserve the blood volume in each compartment at the current time step when parameter values are updated.
• read_param.m reads a file which contains the parameters values of the cardiovascular model and its execution in a specific format and stores the values in a MATLAB vector.
• read_key.c reads the standard input, pauses the simulation if a ``p'' is entered followed by RETURN, and resumes the simulation if a ``r'' is entered followed by RETURN.
• write_param.c copies the parameter file to a new file of the same name but with the extension .num. This function is implemented when the parameter update occurs. The extension is set equal to the number of parameter updates that have been made during the simulation period.
• wave_remote.c plots the desired simulated waveforms and annotations with the WAVE display system. This function is called when the simulated data are written to file in MIT format and plots the most recent desired window of written data.

The function simulate.m is called by a wrapper function rcvsim.m for execution at the Linux prompt. This wrapper function takes two command line arguments: 1) the name of a file containing the desired parameter values and 2) the prefix name of the output files to be generated in MIT format. The function rcvsim.m, which also includes a help option, reads in the parameter file with read_param.m (see above), creates a header file in MIT format, executes simulate.m, writes the simulated data to MIT format files if the on-line viewing option is not chosen, and displays cardiac function and venous return curves, if desired, with the function plot_cfvr.c (which employs Gnuplot). In order to execute rcvsim.m, the function must be compiled with the filemake.m which creates the binary file rcvsim. The function simulate.m may also be compiled independently of rcvsim.m with the file makem.m which creates the binary file simulate.mexlx (in the Linux environment). Each of these make files greatly improve execution speed specifically through mcc (MATLAB compiler) optimization arguments r (real numbers only) and i(no dynamic memory allocation). Note that simulate.m may only be executed in the MATLAB environment without on-line viewing and parameter updating capabilities.

Answer 2

Flowcharts are a means to help design a program and figure out what the program needs to do and how to do it before you sit down to code. You either love them or you hate them.