MLAB is Civilized Software's powerful mathematical modeling system, designed for biomedical and scientific applications. Available for DOS and soon for Unix PCs, MLAB currently has inseparable user interface and computational components. We propose to create a separation into a """"""""Standard MLAB Interface"""""""" and a """"""""MLAB Server"""""""" under Unix. A Server allows MLAB's power to be accessed from alternative styles of interface. It permits the development of customized front ends addressing particular scientific and clinical needs. Since such front ends can also call other servers and subroutine libraries, dam-access and manipulation tools from multiple sources can be formed into significant systems. During Phase I, a second """"""""Pipable"""""""" MLAB Interface would allow the employment of MLAB in convenient interaction with other Unix utilities. For Phase II, the Unix MLAB Server will nucleate an X-Windows MLAB Server. Concurrently, an X-Windows direct-manipulation MLAB user interface will be designed and built. This two-component system accesses MLAB's functionality through the use of an iconic and menu-driven interface with integrated mouse capabilities. Finally, late Phase II will see a custom X-Windows interface to the X-Windows MLAB Server and specialized analysis package for a particularly important problem, the statistical analysis of clinical trial data for combination drug therapy.
