c o m p u t e r m e t h o d s a n d p r o g r a m s i n b i o m e d i c i n e 1 0 2 ( 2 0 1 1 ) [295][296][297][298][299][300][301][302][303][304] j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . i n t l . e l s e v i e r h e a l t h .
IntroductionAt the time of its conception (1972), the integrated physiology model developed by Guyton [1] was a breakthrough in many respects:(1) It assembled the available knowledge on the dynamics of the body's circulatory components and how they interacted with each other, (2) It presented a diagrammatic form, which allowed the totality of the model to be viewed and interactions examined, and (3) The model was specified using the basic components of integrators, summers and (sometimes nonlinear) gains, the fundamental building blocks of analogue computers, facilitating computation. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +353 879886557.E-mail address: violeta.i.mangourova@nuim.ie (V. Mangourova).Clearly, the longevity of this model is testament to its quality and usefulness. Unfortunately, developments in integrative physiological modelling have not kept pace with further discoveries in physiological science and developments in computing. In particular, the absence of an agreed computing platform, which can serve current teaching and research purposes, and be added to and updated by the physiology community at large, is disappointing. Recently, a number of large-scale initiatives have emerged, such as the IUPS (International Union of Physiological Sciences) Physiome Project [2], which attempt to directly address this issue. However, there is the issue of the universal adoption of a single standard in a situation where a number of competing standards exist and the associated question as to whether a single computing platform can cater for needs at all levels of detail and timescale. Furthermore, in the multi-disciplinary world of physiological modelling, where mathematicians, engineers, scientists 0169-2607/$ -see front matter