MAMCAT: an expert system for distinguishing between mammillary and catenary compartmental models

MAMCAT is a user-friendly, interactive, graphics-based PC program for addressing a common compartmental model discrimination problem in the framework of model indistinguishability theory: can mammillary and catenary models of the same order be distinguished from each other? The software is designed to teach the theory and solve specific problems. The user is guided step-by-step through definitions, examples, theory and problem solution. Topological properties are used first to screen out some distinguishable models and thereby reduce the number of candidates for indistinguishability. Transfer function analysis is then used to explore the remaining candidates. Analytical results for up to 5-compartment models are given and a more general algorithm is induced from these results.