
Version 2.2.2
User Manual
PHYSIOLOGIC
INSTRUMENTS, INC.
12335 World Trade Drive
Suite #6
San Diego, CA 92128
Tel:
(858) 451-8845
Fax:
(858) 451-6012
Email: physinst@aol.com
Web: http://www.physiologicinstruments.com
Acquire & Analyze
2.2.2 Install for DI-720
Acquire & Analyze 2.2.2 combines features of earlier versions of our separately packaged software, Acquire (version 1), and Analyze (version 1), into one program that runs under the Windows™ operating systems (Windows 2000 and XP).
The program is designed to collect
and display the electrical parameters of an epithelium mounted in an Ussing
chamber. The tools from the Acquire component of the program enable the user to
easily record real-time data while conducting experiments. The tools from the Analyze component provide
for storing and managing the data, performing simple linear regressions, and
exporting the data to other applications.

Sample screen shot. Left pane: Resistance (TER) vs. time. Right pane: Short-circuit current (Isc) vs. time. Graph colors, symbols, gridlines, graph parameters, and tissues to plot, may be set for each pane. Any number of individual panes may be defined and displayed. Other features include zoom controls, experiment protocols, event marks, data extraction tools, and quick data summary tools. (Use the zoom control on Adobe Reader to view details of the image).
Connect
the power supply to the DI-720 as indicated in the DataQ Instruments DI-720
manual. Connect one end of the parallel port cable to the parallel port
interface connector on the back of the DI-720, and the other end to your
computer’s parallel port. Connect one end of the data acquisition cable to the
instrument (or interface box) and the other end to the left DB37 connector
(there are two) on the front panel of the DI-720 box.
Install the
DI-400 as indicated in the DataQ Instruments DI-400 Manual.[1] The jumpers on the card were set to the
appropriate positions prior to shipping. These should not be changed without
consulting Physiologic Instruments, Inc. The hardware settings should be:
JP13: 2-3
JP11: 2-3
S1: 1,4,5,6,7 ON
2,3 OFF
Connect
the data acquisition cable provided with your system to the 34-pin D-sub
connector on the DI-400. Connect the other end of this cable to the instrument
or interface box (depending on your hardware).
If you
are using a DI-720 with the parallel port LPT1, and are installing on a
relatively new PC with Windows XP or 2K, you can now install the A&A 2.2.2
software. First, insert our CD-ROM
labeled "Acquire and Analyze 2.2.2" into your CD drive. If for some reason the installer does not
auto-start, then (assuming your CD drive is “F:”), run:
“F:\Acquire222Installer.exe.” If you
have a download instead of the CD-ROM, you can double-click on the downloaded
executable instead to start the install.
If
you are using a DI-720 or the DI-400 with Windows 98, you can install following
the same steps as the XP install, except that there will be no Zeeman drivers
step. Instead, the program will be
installed using the Autoexec.bat file to call the firmware loader. If you are using the DI-400 with Win2K you
will not see the Zeeman install step, but there will not be any changes to the
autoexec.bat file either.
The first
screen of the installer appears:
Unless
you need to change this location for some reason, select the default "C:\Program Files\Acquire222" and press Next.
Unless
you need to change this name for some reason, select the default "Acquire and Analyze 2.2.2" and press Next.
You may create a desktop icon or quick launch button here
if you would like.
Press Install.
A small
message box will appear that requests you to install the parallel port
drivers. Select the install drivers on
boot checkbox to be checked, and press Install.
You may
start the program now if you wish. If
not, unselect the check box. Click Finish
when you are ready. You may need to
reboot your computer if the screen instructs you to do so.
This
should complete the installation successfully. If it did not for some reason,
first try again following the instructions closely, and if it still does not
work, please contact our support staff.
Unless
you have an unusual hardware configuration this should now be working. If it does not for some reason (for example
if you are trying to use LPT2 with the DI-720 or your DI-400 needs a special
address other than 180), you may need to install the full Windaq driver CD-ROM.
In that
case here are special instructions for installing WinDaq:
The
following section steps the user through a sample procedure that should get
them up and running quickly. Further details may be found by reading the
Reference section of the manual.
For the purposes of Quick Starting, we will start a new experiment, make sure the system is set correctly for the user’s hardware, setup the pulse parameters, perform a reference measurement, and begin collecting data.
After setting up your Ussing chambers and electronics, you will want to take some sample data. To learn how the data acquisition process works, it is useful to step through a list of common tasks so that you can understand how the software operates:

After you
have collected data, you will probably want to examine it more closely and/or
to export data to other programs for producing summary reports and publication
quality graphs. For this purpose we provide a movable and resizable widow or bar
that can be positioned to encompass data of interest. The user can quickly
select and average the data within a movable window and then export to a
comma-delimited text file compatible with Excel and other spreadsheet
application software programs. There is also an option available to perform a
simple linear regression on selected portions of the data set, which should
help to quickly observe trends in your data to help direct your experimental
decision-making process.
For example:
The
following provides a more detailed description of the graphical environment,
menus and controls.
The menu
controls (see screenshot of menu bar below are described in detail. When
applicable, the associated Toolbar icon accompanies the description.
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There are three states to the File menu. The first (on the left below) is what you will see when there is no experiment open yet. The second (on the right) is what you will see with an open experiment. The third happens only if you open the application with no valid data acquisition system connected, which is like the first one but disables the New and Append features.

Used to start a new experiment data file. Displays the Save Experiment dialog box to set the location and file name for the experiment.

Used
primarily to recover from a program premature ending. Displays an Append
Experiment dialog box. Select the name of the file to which you want to append
data.
Opens
and existing data file for analysis. Displays the Open Experiment dialog to
select a data file to open.
Closes
all graphical instances of the data file and removes the data from memory.
Currently only one experiment can be open at any given time. In order to create
a new data file with the data acquisition mode you must first close any
currently open experiment.
Performs
a complete Save of the data file to update configuration parameters and save
any changes made to the Event Log, etc. Measured data are saved as soon as they
are acquired.
Permits
the user to save the data as a new file name via a Save As dialog.
Permits
customizing the print colors for each tissue and the axis. Here you can also
specify a plot title and the frequency of how many data points are labeled with
the corresponding tissue digit number.
Displays
the standard Windows printer dialog to output the “active” graph to a printer.
Closes
all experiment files, stops data acquisition, saves the current configuration
and closes the program.
Underneath
the Exit menu option is a list of Most Recently Used files (MRU for short) that
have been accessed by the A&A application.
Clicking on one of these files will open that data file without having
to sort through your Windows folder hierarchy.


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Currently
the Copy feature (copy to Windows clipboard) is available but not the Paste. To
use the Copy feature:
1. When using the data grid windows, select one or more rows
with the mouse (which will then appear highlighted).
2. Type CTRL-C.
3. This will copy the selected data to the clipboard.
4. The clipboard data can now be pasted into a text file
(created with Notepad or WordPad) in comma-delimited format (also compatible
with Excel).
The
following commands permit manipulation of the graphics display. They are listed
here and explained in detail under the
Graph Toolbar beginning on page 35.

Determines the minimum and maximum data for all tissues to be displayed and then adjusts the X and Y-axes so that all the data will be displayed. This provides a quick way to see the data and readjust the axes to include all points.
Same as
Zoom – All but only along the X (horizontal) axis.
Same as
Zoom – All but only along the Y (vertical) axis.
Redraws
the graph centered about the cursor without changing axes scales. To implement
this, press the Zoom Center button and then click the left mouse button on the graph
at the point the graph is to be centered about
Press Zoom Window and then press the left mouse button on the graph and drag
the boundary to encompass the region you want to expand
Zooms in
along both X and Y axes. Makes graph
appear twice as large by halving the size of each major tic interval. See also page 37.
Zooms
out along both X and Y axes. Makes
graph appear twice as small by doubling the size of each major tic interval.
See also page 37.
Same as Zoom – In but along only the X axis. See also page 37.
Same as Zoom – In but along only the Y axis. See also page 37.
Same as Zoom – Out but along only the X axis. See also page
37.
Same as Zoom – Out but along only the Y axis. See also page 37.
Scrolls the data to the left by 1/3 of the screen. See also
page 38.
Scrolls the data to the right by 1/3 of the screen. See
also page 36.
Scrolls
the data up by 1/3 of the screen. See also page 36.
Scrolls the data down by 1/3 of the screen. See also page 36.
Menu commands under
this heading all pertain to the currently open experiment.
Opens
the Experiment Properties dialog for the active experiment. This form has two
tabs: one labeled Experiment, and the other labeled Tissues. The Experiment Tab permits the user to enter
and edit the name and description of the experiment and identify the author.
The Tissues Tab enables the user to select from which tissues the system will
record data. To collect data, for example, from tissues 1-6, these buttons must
be depressed on this form, as shown in the following screen snapshot. Data
acquisition from any tissue can be turned on or off during the experiment.
Turning off tissue channels that are not being recorded, will use less data,
and lead to smaller data files.
For a
new data file this dialog appears automatically after the filename is
selected. At this point you will be
required to select Save Changes in order to begin data acquisition (the Cancel
button is disabled). After this first
time, at any later point during the acquisition this dialog can be opened up
again from the menu to make changes.
For these subsequent calls the Cancel button is also enabled.
You can
also specify a description note for each tissue, and set the Tissue Area (cm2)
correction factor. This corrects the
current and the resistance for the dimensions of the aperture of the Ussing
chamber.
There is
also a “Save As Default” checkbox that, if this is checked when you press Save
Changes, it will store the selected tissues and tissue area to appear as a
default setting next time you run a new experiment.

The
submenus under this heading all open a common editor for display and editing
manipulations, protocols and the experiment event log. The first two of these
are experiment-planning tools that aimed at developing an experiment protocol.
Using a the lab notebook offers several benefits:
·
It organizes the experimental
method thereby making experiments within a group more consistent and easier to
compare.
·
It provides a consistent
description for the experimental manipulations.
·
It enables use of special
“alarm” features that help enforce uniformity among experiments.
See also
the section “Laboratory Notebook” for a description of how to use this form
(page .
The Lab Notebook submenus are:
This
opens the editor with only the Manipulations screen showing. This screen
provides a means of defining common experimental manipulations and storing them
in user libraries. For example, one manipulation might be to add a chemical
such as amiloride to block sodium ion entry into certain epithelia. When
performing this manipulation the experimenter needs to designate the name of
the event, the method by which it will be added, the side to which it’s added,
the concentration of stock solution, the amount to add and the final
concentration in the bath. For amiloride this might be amiloride, added with
volume to the mucosal side from a 10-2 M stock solution. The amount
added might be 50 µL in 5 ml for a final concentration of 100 µM.
This
opens the editor with only the Protocol screen showing. This form defines the
sequence of manipulations to be made during the experiment. The columns are the
same as those for the manipulations form except for the four additional columns
Time, Alarm, Tissues and Description. All cells in each row may be filled in on
the protocol form or the may be partially filled in by selecting from the
Manipulations list. Double-clicking a manipulation on the cause the last row in
the Protocol to be populated with the contents of the manipulation thereby
saving effort and error. The time will be blank. When a time is entered and the
mouse is clicked outside the row, the table will be sorted to place the manipulation
in the correct sequence. For each protocol event complete the cells for Alarm
and Tissues. Description may be filled in during protocol design or may be
completed during the experiment.
This
opens the editor with only the Event Log screen showing. The event log is a
record of the events that actually occurred during the experiment. It is
analogous to the lab notebook. In an
ideal experiment the event log will be identical to the protocol except that
the descriptions may be augmented. Few experiments are ideal, so the event log
may differ substantially from the protocol. The protocol is a tool to guide the
experiment. The event log is what happened.
The Event Log may be edited during and after the experiment.
To
assist in the design of the protocol, this command opens the editor with both
the Manipulations form and Protocol form on a horizontally split screen. This
enables the user to easily view the manipulations as they are added to the
protocol.
To
assist in running the experiment, this command opens the editor with both the
Protocol and Event Log on a horizontally split screen. This enables the user to
easily view the upcoming manipulations as well as review and edit the
experiment record.
To assist
in editing the Event Log, this command opens the editor with both the
Manipulations and Event Log on a horizontally split screen. This enables the
user to easily populate missing events fields from the manipulations libraries.
Acquire MenuThis
menu contains all the commands involved in acquiring the data.
Opens a
form for taking a baseline reading to allow the computer to correct for slight offsets in the
output amplifiers for current and voltage measurement and for differences in
the ground potential between the instrument and the computer.
For a new data file, a reference measurement is required
before data collection can begin. After the first reference is taken, it can
also be called up again from the menu at any point in case you wish to take new
references, or if the selected tissues change.
In order to use the reference screen in the software
application, the hardware unit must first have the remote/local switch on
voltage/current clamp function mode set to Remote (REM). This allows the program to
control the function (OPEN, CLAMP) and mode (I, V) switches on the clamp automatically. By definition, when
the clamp function is OPEN, the current measured is zero. Similarly; when the clamp
is set to VOLTAGE CLAMP at 0.0 (i.e., short-circuit), the voltage measured is zero.
Therefore, values for current and voltage measured under these two conditions,
respectively, serve as a “zero” reference and should be subtracted from future
measurements during the experiment.
To take a reference measurement, click the Reference button
on the form. The clamp will switch to open circuit to measure the zero current
and then to short-circuit to measure the zero voltage. Finally the status of
the clamp will be set to the acquisition mode established under Setup / Chart
Pulse DAC (page 29). The table will display the
reference data. Reference values should be typically less than 1mV.
Note: If the DAC menu was set to voltage clamp to
zero (short-circuit condition) verify that the meter on the voltage clamps
reads 0.0 mV after referencing and when the clamps are in Remote mode. If not, then adjust the trim pot for the
Remote interface as described in the user manuals for the VCC MCX[4] (R37, test point
TP2) and VCC600 voltage clamps (front panel Remote trim pot) so that the
instrument's read 0.0 mV under these conditions.
A checkbox is provided (if checked) to cause the measured
offsets to be subtracted from future measurements made during the experiment.
If it is not checked the data will not be corrected from the measured offsets.
Typically, this should remain checked.

This
dialog displays the current A/D sampling gain per tissue channel. If the Pulse
Setup dialog is set to Autogain for either voltage or current, the gains may
not always be the same on each channel.

Used to
initiate acquiring data. The menu line toggles between Start and Stop so it
serves the dual purpose of starting or stopping data acquisition.
The
first time this is selected the program checks to see if a Reference has been
taken. If it has not, data acquisition is aborted and the Reference Screen is
opened.
Once the
reference is taken, or if a Reference has been previously determined, then the
Start Chart Acquisition button starts the experiment clock timer running, and
data acquisition begins at the currently selected pulse rate.
Selects
the slow rate of acquiring data as defined on the Menu: Setup / Chart Pulse DAC
dialog box. For example, if the value
for Slow is 20 seconds, one data point will be acquired on all active channels
every 20 seconds.
Selects
the medium rate of acquiring data. If the value for Medium is 5 seconds, one
data point will be acquired on all active channels every 5 seconds.
Selects
the fast rate of acquiring data. If the value for Fast is 2 seconds, one data
point will be acquired on all active channels every 2 seconds.
Opens a
Mark Event dialog to open. Alternatively you can use the F12 key to bring up
this dialog. On this dialog the user may enter a brief description of the
event, select the tissues to which it applies, and place an event mark in the
data file by clicking on the Mark button. The event mark is a vertical dashed line
having a square box at its base. Moving the mouse cursor over this square
displays a small box containing a description of the event. Dbl clicking over
this box open the Event Log with the line marker at the left indicating the row
corresponding to the mark. All aspects of the Event Log may be edited. Changes
are stored automatically.


If this
menu option is checked, the Graph Window adds a pair of vertical lines on the
graph (labeled Data Bar Lines in the following screen snapshot) thereby
establishing a “data window.” The Data Bar Toggle Button is also synched with
the menu option.
The data
that fall within this window in time can be averaged, exported and otherwise
manipulated. Changing the position of the data window is by pressing the left
mouse button while the cursor is inside the box and then dragging the box to a
new position in time. Releasing the mouse button fixes the data bar at this new
time window. Set the width of the bar to about a 180 seconds (3 min) by Right-Clicking
on the graph area and selecting Settings. Checking the box locks the width to
avoid accidental change. When the bar width is not locked, the bar width also
can be changed by pressing the left mouse button while the cursor is just
outside either side of the box and then dragging the box to a new width. An
enunciator will appear to display the box width.

If this
menu option is checked it will activate the Data Bar and also display a
horizontal line having three positioning handles. The Area Toggle Button is
(see above screenshot) also synched with this menu option. The line is used to
determine the slope such as during the initial response to a drug and for
setting a baseline for calculating the area under a curve (e.g., area under
current vs. time is the net charge transferred).
To use
this feature to carry out a linear regression, open up the Data Bar Values
(Averaged) dialog and select the Linear Regression tab. Each Tissue will have a default slope and
intercept already computed from the points that lie within the part of the
graph selected by the data bar.

Move the
data bar to the part of the curve you wish to study. Click on the tissue number.
The Set Line button will become enabled. Click on this button, and the line will be set for that
tissue. Look in the graph window now
for the single blue line that roughly fits the data in the part of the graph
that you have selected with the Data Bar.
Notice there are three squares on this line. By selecting the right- and left-most squares you can adjust the
endpoints and angle of the line. The
middle square moves the line without changing the angle. When you have a fit you like, you can export
the data to the clipboard by selecting the line(s) you wish to export (they
will turn a dark color) and then typing CTRL-C.

You may
wish to increase the displayed numerical precision for comparison with other
models. This is done in the Setup menu
in the Preferences dialog, by changing the display precision to a larger value
(# of significant digits shown). For
clarity you can also selectively hide or show the tissues that you are not
studying for this regression model, and print the graph from the File menu /
Print option. The R-value is the
computed accuracy figure of the regression.
Currently
the program performs only a linear regression.
If you wish to attempt a nonlinear or other sort of model fitting, you
can export all or part of the data to a text file or to an Excel spreadsheet
using the Analyze Tools / Export Raw Data menu option. This data can then be easily imported into
Excel and/or other statistical analysis packages.
Displays
a tool for selecting which tissues for which to display data. The tool applies
to the active graph.

Toggles
on and off the area correction mode.
When this mode is on, it will correct the acquired data values for
current, resistance, and conductance for the actual area that can be set in the
Experiment Properties dialog. This menu
option is synched with the corresponding toolbar button:
.
Displays
the Data Bar Values dialog box, which has four tabs: Avg Data, Linear
Regression, Curve Area, and Export Settings (see below screen snapshot).
The first tab, Avg Data, is visible by default when the tool is activated. This tab contains the average of the data values for each tissue that lie within the Data Bar (see
Data Bar on page 22). The number of data points included in the bar is
shown in the last column.
Pressing
the right arrow key or clicking the Linear Regression tab shows a table of the
linear regression data for the data in the bar. This may be used to determine
the slope of an initial response.
Selecting
Curve Area displays the area under the data using either zero as a baseline or,
if activated, the dynamic baseline (see page 22).

The
fourth tab establishes the settings for exporting the data from the other three
tabs. On the Export Settings tab, the user can specify the path and name of the
file into which to accumulate the data, and determine which value(s) they wish
to export. Optionally a note can be added to the export when the diskette icon
is clicked. Check the parameters to be saved and whether area correction should
be applied. After setting the desired features, return to one of the other
three tabs and then left-click on the diskette icon at the upper left of the
form to export the data to a delimited ASCII text file (Note: the type of
delimiter can be set under the menu item Setup / Preferences).
Opens a
data grid window containing the raw values occurring within the extents of the
data bar (see following screen snapshot). Data from this grid can be selected
and copied to the clipboard (CTRL-C).


This
displays the raw data for the entire experiment (rather than just within the
bar) in tabular form for each tissue. The user can select both the tissues to
display and the parameters (current, voltage, conductance and/or resistance).
Opens up
the Data Bar Values (Averaged) dialog box to the Export Settings tab.
Displays
the Export Raw Data dialog box. This form enables the user to select tissues,
time interval, parameters, and file name to be exported to ASCII text file or
Excel spreadsheet workbook formats. This is useful for transferring specific
data to other graphics programs.
Future
revisions of the program will expand this menu with additional types of graphs
such as I-V curves.
Opens a new child
window within the same experiment that displays the same raw data. Additional graph
windows can be used to highlight a different channel or part of the data than
in the first window, or to display additional Y axis types (current, voltage,
resistance). This feature can also be accessed via the toolbar button:
.
One useful layout is to have two windows open, one displaying current, and the
other displaying resistance, as the data is being acquired. The background
colors of the windows can be changed to quickly recognize which is which.
The
Graph View Editor provides a means for tracking a custom screen layout that you
prefer to work with. For example (see
below screen snapshots) you can create a second plot window with Create New
Graph, and then switch the Y axis using the pop-up menu (right-click while
holding the mouse over the Y axis) to Conductance. Color the background by double-clicking in the graph window and
set the Backcolor to be different than the first plot. In the below example
current (in micro-amps, uA) is in blue and conductance (in milli-Siemens, mS)
in light brown. This way you can quickly identify the plots during data
acquisition. To save this view for
later use with other files, select the Graph View Editor option on the Graph
menu, and then type in some unique name to remember this view (i.e. Current +
Conductance). Next time you run the program you will be able to Load this view
from the Graph View Editor or from the Graph View MRU List.

Keeps
track of your Most Recently Used (MRU) graph views that you have created with the
Graph View Editor.

Setup Menu
Opens a multi-tabbed graph setup form (see
page 52). This form may also be quickly accessed by double
clicking the left mouse button over the graph area. Dbl-clicking over the
X-axis causes the form to open ready to adjust X-axis parameters. Dbl-clicking
over the Y-axis causes the form to open to adjust Y-axis parameters.
Dbl-clicking elsewhere on the graph opens the form for changing general graphic
parameters.
The Data Bar Settings menu option brings up an editor that
allows you to customize your data bar so that you can use the features more
efficiently to produce the sort of graphs and analysis that you need for your
experiment post analysis.
Checking the checkbox “Synch all plot windows to current
plot” on has the effect of matching multiple windows with the same data bar
location which can be useful for comparing research results.

The
Pulse Setup menu option brings up the pulse editor. This allows you to
customize the timing of the pulse that triggers the data acquisition steps.
The
picture on the lower right section of the dialog (see screen snapshot below) is
a timing diagram of how the pulse is designed. Each letter in this diagram
corresponds with the options, some of which are settable and some are not.
Typical
default values (as shown above) may need to be customized for your particular
application:
A. Total Pulse Duration (not editable). This represents 3 * B + C.
B. Duration. This
represents the width of each pulse.
C. Interval. This
represents the short pause between pulses.
E. Number of Steps.
This is not an editable parameter currently.
F. DC Clamp Level.
Affects the overall offset of the pulse.
G. Step Change. Height
of pulse in millivolts.
H. Period (Slow).
User-settable to specify the frequency of pulsing.
I.
Period (Medium). Similar to H.
J. Period (Fast).
Similar to H.

In addition to the pulse parameters there are a few options
to be aware of:
·
Clamp Mode (default is set to
Voltage Clamp).
·
Voltage Gain (default is set
to 8).
·
Current Gain (default is set
to 4).
For both
Voltage and Current Gain, “Auto Range” is a new feature to version 2.1.1. This will auto-detect an appropriate gain
setting according to a 4 point slope predictor line. If you choose to use this mode and are curious as to what the
current gains are set to per channel, there is also a new option View Gains on
the Acquire menu just below Reference.
The
Instrument Settings menu option brings up an editor that allows you to modify
the Voltage, Current, and Signal gains, which you may need depending on the
instrumentation configuration and the type of experiment you are conducting.
Additionally, there
are two connection utility buttons. If
for some reason you forget to turn on the power to the data acquisition box, or
plug in the parallel cable connector to your PC, the software may not have
recognized the hardware yet. If this is
the case you can attempt to connect to the instrument by pressing the Connect
to Instrument button. If this still
does not work or you know you need to run the DI-720 loader again, you can
press the Run Loader button. If the
hardware was installed properly, this loader is automatically run at Windows
startup, but obviously this won’t have run yet if the box wasn’t connected or
turned on, so it may need to be run again in these cases. The Loader program opens up in it’s own
command window, and you will need to press a key to continue to close this
window, after the loader runs. The
Connect button will pop up a message box notifying you if the connection
fails. If it succeeds there will be a
status message in the lower left hand corner of the application window saying
“DAC Initialized.”
If you
are still unable to connect you should double-check that you have the data
acquisition hardware properly connected to your computer on the correct port,
and that the power cable is connected, and the unit is turned on. Check this and run again.
If it is still not
connecting, and you had previously run the program recently, you may have a
hung process or crashed program. If
this is the case, go to the application directory (something like C:\Program
Files\Acquire222) in your Windows Explorer, locate the program called “StopAcq222.exe,”
and run it. There will be two buttons
to stop processes, and one to close the program. The first button will stop the data acquisition program
DISCN501.EXE, which may or may not be in your taskbar process list. The second button will stop the application
EXE. Click on both of these and then
close. Now try to run the program
again.
The
Preferences menu option brings up an editor that allows you to modify certain
default behaviors of the main application window and features such as the
delimiter character for exporting data (comma or tab), number of decimal places
displayed in data forms, and the decimal placeholder (for European users
preferring commas).

Window Menu
These
options rearrange or select the open graph windows.
Help Menu
This
option displays the application about screen (see below) with the version # and
a link to our website. You can also
access system information about your computer.
Displays this manual.
Displays
some basic values corresponding with your version of the data acquisition board
(see below).


The main application window toolbar (first row of buttons) is split into two sub-bars on sliders. The first is called the Protocol Toolbar and the second is the DAC (Data ACquisition) Toolbar.[5]
The Protocol Toolbar buttons are available for both data acquisition and analysis.
This
button causes a new instance of a graph to be displayed. That is, an additional
graph is placed with in the main widow. The data that is graphed depends on
which graph is active (has the attention) when the button is pressed. The new
graph will display Current vs. Time for all tissues for the experiment of the
graph that has the attention. For example, if data from two different
experiments, Exp_1 and Exp_2, are being displayed and a graph of Exp_2 has the
attention (last graph in which the mouse was clicked), pressing the New Graph
button will display a new graph of Current vs. Time for all tissues for the
data of Exp_2.
Opens
the Lab Notebook window for creating and using protocol lists for alarm
reminders and to help track the addition and/or removal of certain materials to
/from the tissue chamber reservoirs during the experiment.
Same as Menu: Analyze Tools / Area Correction.
Toggles
the data edit lock mode on and off.[6] The intention of this feature is to help
reinforce academic research ethics. If
you choose to not make use of this capability you can simply leave it set in
the unlocked state. If you choose to
use the lock mode, you can click on the orange unlocked padlock button. Once locked you must type a password to
unlock it. The default is “admin.” To change this password, the administrator
must edit the text file located in the application directory, in subfolder
“Images.” The filename is called
“admin.txt” and assuming your students will not know this information, this
could be used to prevent modification of data values after or during recording. When locked, this will appear as a locked
padlock in red. When unlocked this will
appear as an unlocked padlock in orange.
The DAC Toolbar buttons are available for only data acquisition.
Starts data acquisition (Menu: Acquire / Run).
Suspends the acquisition of new data.
Changes
acquisition speed to slow mode as set in Setup / Chart Pulse DAC.
Changes acquisition speed to medium speed mode
Changes acquisition speed to fast mode
Clicking
this button opens a dialog box to make a mark and notation in the data file
that describes an experimental manipulation and the tissues to which it
applies. Pressing Done on this form places a time mark in the record that
displays both on the graphics screen and the event log.
The graphics toolbar is the second row of buttons, just underneath the main application toolbar. These tools apply to the current graph window that is selected at any time (only).
The first toolbar manages graph control and scrolling
buttons.
Opens
the multi-tabbed graph setup form (see ***). This form may also be quickly
accessed by double clicking the left mouse button over the graph area.
Dbl-clicking over the X-axis causes the form to open ready for adjusting X-axis
parameters. Dbl-clicking over the Y-axis causes the form to open ready for
adjusting Y-axis parameters. Dbl-clicking elsewhere on the graph opens the form
for changing general graphic parameters.
The data bar is a
moveable and resizable set of vertical lines that enclose data points for each
tissue being graphed. The bar, therefore, defines a “window in time”. The width
of this window may be set by two methods: Press the right mouse button over the
bar and select the menu item “Setting”. Enter the bar width in seconds. If you
would like to set the bar width and prevent accident change, place a check in
the box labeled “Lock”. The bar will now have a fixed width that is not
changeable by the methods indicated below. Other features on this form allow
the user to change the bar color and width of the lines forming the bar. In
addition, one can change the manner in which the bar moves by selecting “Center
Bar on Mouse Click”. Selecting this feature causes the bar to be centered about
the mouse cursor position when its left button is clicked. The bar width may be
changed by dragging either of the bar’s defining boundary lines. To do this,
move the mouse cursor just outside either left or right boundary lines. Press
and hold the left button and observe the tool tip Bar Width: 00:00:00 where the
digits indicate the new width of the bar. Drag the bar line to change the bar
width. Once the width of the bar is set, the bar may be positioned over the
data points by: Pressing the left mouse button while the cursor is inside the
bar and then dragging the bar to a new location. Release the mouse button to
update the data display for the new data within the moveable bar. If “Center
Bar on Mouse Click” (see above) has been set, then pressing the left mouse
button at any point outside the bar will cause the bar to recenter about this
new mouse position. Data contained within the bar may be viewed by selecting
Analyze Tools / Display Data Values from the menu or by using the Right Click
menu when the cursor is in the graphics screen.
Pressing this icon
displays a line on the screen with three handles. These handles may be used to
tilt, slide and otherwise manipulate the line. While dragging the handles the
slope and intercept of the line are continuously displayed on the information line.
Once set, the line may be used to measure slopes (initial rates) as well as the
area bounded by the data curve and the line. When the adjusting the line the x
& y values, slope and intercept of the line are displayed on the left side
of the information line at the bottom of the graph window.
Clicking the Scroll
Left tool causes the plotted data to be shifted to the left a distance of
1/3 of the graph width.
Clicking the Scroll
Right tool causes the plotted data to be shifted to the right a distance of
1/3 of the graph width.
Clicking the Scroll
Up tool causes the plotted data to be shifted upwards by 1/3 of the graph
height.
Clicking the Scroll
Down tool causes the plotted data to be shifted downwards by 1/3 of the
graph height.
The second toolbar
manages the zooming features.
Zoom All determines
the minimum and maximum data for all tissues to be displayed and then adjusts
the X and Y-axes so that all the data will be displayed. This provides a quick
way to see the data and readjust the axes to include all points.
Same as Zoom – All
but only along the X (horizontal) axis.
Same as Zoom – All
but only along the Y (vertical) axis.
Zoom Center redraws
the graph centered about the cursor without changing axes scales. To implement
this, press the ZoomCenter button and then click the left mouse button on the
graph at the point the graph is to be centered about.
Press Zoom Window to enlarge a visible portion of
the data. Positioning the mouse at one corner of the region of interest, and
then pressing the left mouse button to drag a rectangular outline until it
encompasses the area to be enlarged define the ZoomIn area. Releasing the left
mouse button will cause the screen to be redrawn
Press Zoom
In to enlarge the data by a factor of x2 for both x and y coordinates.
Press Zoom Out to double the extents of the X and
Y-axes.
Zoom
In X zooms the X-axis without affecting
the range of the Y-axis. The range of the X-axis is reduced 2-fold.
Zoom In Y zooms the
Y-axis without affecting the range of the X-axis. The range of the Y-axis is
reduced 2-fold.
Zoom Out X zooms the X-axis without affecting the range of the Y-axis. The range of the X-axis is increased 2-fold
Zoom
Out Y zooms the Y-axis without affecting
the range of the X-axis. The range of the Y-axis is
increased 2-fold.
The
bottom line (see below screen snapshot) of the main A&A window contains
information displayed in separate boxes about the current state of the
application. These include the status of the data acquisition system and
whether it is currently acquiring data, BLANK, type of voltage/current clamp
setup, and the time of the last data point acquired. It also displays a message
if the data acquisition mode is pulsing (for a new data file).
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The Export Raw Data dialog box provides a means of saving selected data from the experiment into a spreadsheet compatible file. The menu command Analyze Tools / Export Raw Data will open up the dialog box (see below).
In the Export Target section you can choose whether you would like to export to an Excel spreadsheet (must have Microsoft Office installed, may be slow for large data files) or to an ASCII text file (which can then be imported into most spreadsheet packages). Select the export filename by clicking the browse button to the right of the displayed default filename.
Next select the tissues and the data parameters to be exported. The time range of the export data may be entered in the boxes after selecting the Specify Range option. Options are available to encompass the entire experiment or just the data that falls within the Data Bar. If you wish to use the data bar range option, the data bar must be set prior to opening this dialog box. The data may be area corrected upon export by checking the Area Corrected Values box.
Click OK to write the data to the specified file.

The Lab
Notebook provides a way of organizing an experiment before it is run. The three most important aspects are:
1. The ability to create a set of Manipulation libraries. A Manipulation is a fundamental unit of
experimental action, such as adding or removing certain drugs or solutions to
or from the Ussing chambers.
2. Grouping these manipulations into a list of experimental
Protocol. A Protocol is a sequence of
Manipulations taking place at certain specific timed intervals. Each item in the protocol list has a
reminder alarm notifications at the scheduled time, and tracks what is added,
quantity, solution, and other relevant notes.
3. Tracking what was actually performed during the experiment
in an event log. This information is
then available for future reference while going over your results.
The
notebook consists of three editors based on these three most important
organizational elements of experimental epithelial transport study:
·
Manipulations Editor
·
Protocol Editor
·
Event Log Editor
The
Manipulations Editor provides for the creation and storage of typical
experimental manipulations such as the addition or removal of solutions. These
manipulations can be added and grouped into saved libraries on disk, thereby
allowing the user to quickly access individual manipulations or load lists from
previous experiments.
An
experimental protocol is a “proposed” schedule of the sequence of manipulations
that are to be made during an experiment. These schedules can be created,
viewed, edited, and saved with the Protocol Editor. To increase the usefulness
of the protocol, it also contains various types of alarms to assist the
technician in performing the experiment.
While
having a well laid out protocol is nice, it is still only a “suggestion” of
what is to take place. What is
important is a log of the “actual” events of the experiment, which, as every
experimenter, knows may differ significantly from the protocol he/she has
planned. Thus, in an actual experiment,
the event log may have events exactly as laid out in the protocol, events that
vary only slightly from the protocol, events added on the fly and not found in
the protocol, and events that may lack all detail and await later editing to
add the detail. The Event Log portion
of the editor allows the investigator to edit any and all the salient data
describing the experiment, to fill in gaps on detail and add specific
descriptions or notes.

Displays
the type of panel that is currently active. If this is the Protocol panel, then
it also displays the currently active or loaded protocol, if any.
Below
the Blue Bar are six tool buttons that determine which features of the form
will be displayed. Each button is
labeled with a single letter, or with two letters representing the panels that
are opened. The first three buttons
open only one panel at a time, and correspond to the Manipulation Libraries
panel (M), the Protocol panel (P), and the Event Log panel (E). The next three are combinations of two of
each panel. These three buttons
correspond to the Protocol Design (MP), Experiment Run (PE) and Event Log Edit
(ME) phases of an experiment.
Displays (only) the Manipulation Libraries editor panel.
Displays the Protocol editor panel.
Displays the Event Log editor panel.
Displays
(both) the Manipulation Libraries and Protocol editor panels. It is used for
creating and editing manipulations and creating/editing experimental protocols.
Displays
the Protocol and Event Log editor panels. It is useful for viewing both the
protocol and the recorded events during an experiment.
Displays
the Manipulation Libraries and Event Log editor panels. It is used for editing
the event log. In this display the manipulations libraries can be used to
quickly update events in the log file. Using the manipulations libraries to add
events provides consistency to the recording of events enabling better search
capabilities for subsequent analysis.
Below the main toolbar is the editor region of the dialog. The contents of this region will depend which of the six editor modes is currently selected (M, P, E, MP, PE, ME). For the first three options only one panel is visible. For the last three options two panels will appear, one above the other.
There are three types of editors, each with their own toolbar and layout.
The
Manipulation Libraries editor panel can keep track of various experiment
issues, such as adding a drug at a certain point. This section is a work in
progress and not fully synchronized yet with the other aspects of the program.
Future versions of A&A are planned to provide the ability to create custom
pulses such as IV curves and custom graphs that will be able to compare
different experiments rather than just different tissues.

Contains toolbar buttons specific to the Manipulation
Libraries editor.
Create New Library
Click to
create a new manipulations library. Type a new file name in the File Name box
and press Save. The file extension will be automatically be made .MAN. The file
name should be suggestive of the contents of the library. For example, a
library could be created that is specific for the compound forskolin and
contain additions of only that agent to different sides of the tissue and at
different concentrations.
Open Library
Click to
Open and existing library. Select a library from the list and press the Open
button.
Save Library
Save an open manipulations library to disk.
Save As Library
Save an open manipulations library to a new filename on
disk.
Add Manipulation
Select a
library name by clicking the left mouse button on the appropriate library.
Press the Add tool to open a form for entering the manipulation data.
Delete Manipulation
Select
the manipulation and press the Delete tool. Alternatively, right click the
mouse on a manipulation and select Delete.
Right-clicking on
the Manipulation Libraries editor panel pops up the following menu:
New Manipulation
Creates a new manipulation entry.
Edit Manipulation
Permits
editing on grid or opens the input box for editing the fields
Remove Manipulation
Deletes the selected manipulation from the current library after copying to buffer memory.
Copy to Protocol
Copy to Event Log
Select a
manipulation and right click on the row in the data grid. The pop-up menu will have the Copy To
Protocol option enabled if you have a dual mode MP with the protocol editor
open to a valid protocol. This option
will copy the selected manipulation to the protocol. If the Event Log mode ME is selected, the other option (Copy to
Event Log) will appear, and the Manipulation can be copied to the Event Log.
New Library
Open Library
Save Library As
Close Library
Manipulation Library file management routines.
This table consists of an expandable library tree listing.
Columns
Solute
Intended to store the name of the dissolved solute, such as sodium, potassium, etc.
Method
Intended to track which method was used to add the solution to the chamber.
Side
Serosal, mucosal, or both.
Stock
The
concentration of the solute in the solvent in the original stock solution
(before adding to the chamber).
Displays the Protocol editor panel.

Create New Protocol
Create a new protocol library file.
Open Protocol
Open an existing file from disk.
Open for Viewing Only
This
feature enables opening a second protocol for viewing and copying.
Save Protocol
Save current edit protocol library.
Save As Protocol
Save current library under a new name.
View 2 protocols in split screen
This
tool splits the protocol pane to permit viewing a second protocol.
Connect Protocol to Experiment
Causes
the loaded protocol to be associated with the experiment. Pressing this button
enables alarms specified in the currently open protocol to appear in the main
experiment window as markers. The times
specified in the loaded protocol may have to be adjusted for the current
“experiment time”. In this case, an input form will open to permit this timing
adjustment.
Row Selection Button
Buttons down left side of pane select the entire row.
Time
This is
the time in minutes as originally scheduled before experiment is run. The time is stored in seconds from the start
of the experiment. The time field in
this case refers to a certain Manipulation that needs to be performed at some
time interval.
Actual
This is
the actual time that the event will take place if there has been a false start.
Alarm
Specifies
the type of alarm to be applied. There are three types of alarms. See the section below for descriptions of
how they work.
Tissues
Specifies the tissues to which the manipulation is to be
applied.
Solute
Specifies
the manipulation solute to be added to the chamber. This value may be entered
in the field or added from the manipulations pane.
Method of Application
Specifies
the method for making the manipulation. Methods can be selected from a drop
down list or typed directly into the field.
In general there are three types: Adding by Weight, Adding by Volume,
and Replacing and Adding (also by Volume).
Or you may have a special case.
Side
Selects
the side of the tissue that the manipulation is to be made. The choices are
Mucosal, Serosal, or Both sides.
Quantity
Input
the quantity to be added. Quantity will only be applicable when a substance is
added or a volume is removed from the chamber. Values may be entered as
decimals and in exponential form by including the letter “E” such as 2.0E-4 to
represent 0.0002.
Unit
The
units that apply to the quantity may be chosen from a drop down box or typed
into the field. Units entered via the drop down method may be used in other
parts of the program to calculate concentrations, etc.
Description
This
field may contain any specific comments the user wants to make regarding the
manipulation.
About the Alarms
The
alarm feature is implemented when a protocol is associated with an experiment.
The alarms are designed to assist he investigator in making the proposed
manipulations in a timely fashion. Three types of alarms are available as
described below.
Instantaneous
The
alarm is used to apply a single event mark to one or more tissues. The alarm
opens an experiment “Event Mark” screen about one minute prior to the scheduled
manipulation. This Event Mark screen contains a countdown timer to the
scheduled event time, description of the manipulation to be made, a list of
tissues to which the manipulation is to be made, and buttons to place the Mark
in the file and record the event or delay activating the event. Pressing
Spacebar executes the Mark button.
Sequential Fixed
The
alarm is used to sequentially apply the same event mark to multiple tissues
with the same specified interval between marks. The alarm opens an experiment
“Event Mark” screen before the scheduled manipulation. This Event Mark screen
contains a countdown timer, description of the manipulation to be made, a list
of tissues to which the manipulation is to be made, and buttons to place the
Mark in the file and record the event. The first tissue to be manipulated
appears in the large icon on the left of the form. When the user presses the
Mark button (or Spacebar), a Mark Event is recorded for the first tissue, the
countdown timer is set to the specified interval between marks and starts
counting down, the tissue indicator updates to indicate the next tissue to be
manipulated. Upon reaching 0 the countdown timer will automatically place a
mark in the file for the tissue and reset for the next mark or close the form
if there are no more tissues to be marked.
Sequential Variable
The
alarm is used to sequentially apply the same event mark to multiple tissues but
with varying times between marks on different tissues. This alarm acts much
like the Sequential alarm except that the Mark button or Spacebar must be
pressed for each tissue mark to be recorded. The form closes when the
manipulation has been made to all specified tissues.
There is a pop-up menu that will appear if
the user right-clicks the mouse on either the edit or the view grid. This menu has two functions. The first is to enable the user to switch
time units from seconds to minutes to hours (so they can match the time displayed
in the graph window along the X-axis.
Note that you must have the splitter enabled and have a valid protocol
library open in both the View and Edit grids in order to have the Copy to
Current Protocol option enabled. The
second is to provide a protocol item copy capability. If you right click in the Protocol View grid on one of the row
entries, you can copy that row to the current Protocol Edit grid. Similarly, if you click on the Edit grid you
can copy that row back to an open Manipulation library, if you have both
editors currently displayed (the MP button).
Note that you must first select a row in the Manipulation library before
the Copy to Manipulation option is available.
Displays the Event Log editor panel.

Delete Selected Event
Select
the row of the event to be deleted by clicking the button to the left of the
event and then click the Delete Button.
Row Selection Button
Edit Fields
A right
mouse-click on any of the following fields opens that field for direct editing:
Time
Solute
Tissues
Method of Application
Side of Tissue
Quantity if applicable
Unit
Chamber Volume
Final Concentration
Description
The
graphics windows are used to display data recorded by the A&A system. These
data can be from an experiment in progress or from experiments previously
performed. These graphs are “child windows” of the main A&A program form.
This means that they are always contained within the main form and resize when
the main form’s size is changed.
The top
blue bar on the graphics form is the “title bar”. This bar displays the title
of the experiment, the parameters being plotted in terms of units (e.g.,
current vs. time will display as µA vs. min) and the complete file pathname.
The color of the Title Bar is dark blue when the graph is selected (active) and
light blue when it does not currently have the attention.
There is a pop-up menu that is available if the user right-clicks in the Graph Window. There are three different menus that will appear depending on where the mouse cursor is when the user clicks the right button.
If the
user clicks anywhere on the screen that is not directly over one of the axes,
the standard pop-up menu appears. This
has the following options:
·
Data Bar
·
Area Under Curve
·
Tissue Toolbox
·
Data Bar Values (Averaged)
·
Data Bar Values (Raw)
·
Raw Data (All)
·
Data Bar Settings
Which
match corresponding menu options on the main Application Menu / Analyze Tools,
except the Data Bar Settings option which appears on Setup. If the Data Bar is not currently being
displayed the Data Bar Settings option is not available.

If the
user clicks over the X Axis, a different menu appears with options that
correspond to options on the Graph Plot Setup dialog box:
·
Use standard unit values
·
Scroll this axis
·
Scroll with Zoom-X
·
Center axis
·
Force all graphs to current X
·
Auto-scale units
These
features are further explained in the section: Graph Plot Setup Dialog – X Axis
Tab.

If the user clicks over the Y Axis, a different menu appears with options that correspond to options on the Graph Plot Setup dialog box:
·
Set Parameter (Current,
Voltage, Resistance, etc.)
·
Use standard unit values
·
Auto-zoom this axis
·
Center axis
·
Auto-scale units
These
features are further explained in the section: Graph Plot Setup Dialog – Y Axis
Tab.

The graph
area is the region where data from an experiment is displayed. The parameters
governing the appearance of the graph are controlled by the settings in the
Graph Plot Setup dialog box. There are three Tabs: Plot, X Axis, and Y Axis.
The Plot Tab controls general
display attributes of the graph.
This
section consists of two sets of 32 button controls laid out as grids. On the
upper grid the buttons are labeled with numbers and may be of various colors.
These buttons will be used to select the tissues whose data will be displayed
in the graph. The lower grid contains similar buttons except that these may
contain graphics symbols and colors or they may be blank. These are the symbols
that may be plotted to represent individual tissue data. Alternatively, tissues
can be labeled by numbers.
In order
for the graph to display data from a given tissue, the button corresponding to
the tissue number must be selected (depressed) by left clicking over the
button. (Note: The number of tissues is limited to 8 in this version of
A&A). The button is selected when it turns from gray to color and appears
to be depressed. Standard Windows shortcuts apply to selecting multiple
tissues. Namely, clicking on one button toggles the status of that tissue;
then, pressing the Shift key and pressing a second tissue will cause all
tissues buttons between the two to take on the status of the first button.
Right-clicking
the tissue button will open a color selection chart for setting the color. This
will be the color that displays for symbols, digits and lines when data for
that tissue is plotted.
The line
width and size of data point may be set to one of 4 thickness’ independently
for each tissue. To change the line width press and hold the Ctrl key on the
keyboard and Right-Click the tissue button. The line width on the button will
change with each click and indicated on the button. Note: changing the line
width also changes the size of the point drawn.
Just
like color and line width may be set for each tissue, the user can also assign
a symbol to each tissue. The symbols assigned to each tissue are shown in the
grid below the tissue numbers. To assign/create or edit symbols, Dbl-click a
symbol in the lower part of the Tissue Selection box to open a symbol editor.
The symbol shape may be edited on the grid by using the left mouse button to fill
in pixels, the right mouse button to clear them. Once edited, the symbols may
be saved to disk. Alternatively, new symbols may be loaded from disk.
The grid is a set of rectangular boxes drawn on a spacing given by the Step Size for the X and Y-axes. The options for displaying the grid are:
·
None: Don’t display the grid line.
·
Dashes: Draw the grid using dashed lines.
·
Lines: Draw grid using solid lines.
This box
provides display options for how individual data points from each tissue are to
be connected.
·
None: No connection between adjacent data points.
·
Dashes: Dashed line connects points.
·
Lines: Solid line connects points.
Provides options for how each data point should appear.
·
Points: Displays the data points as small dots. These
may only be discernable when the line option is set to None. The size of the
dot can be set for each tissue as described above (see Tissues to Plot,
·
Setting Line Width).
·
Symbols: Displays the data points as user definable
graphics symbols as shown in Tissue Selection box.
·
Digits: Plots numeric text at the position of the
data point to indicate the corresponding tissue number.
The
value in this box establishes the frequency at which data points will be
labeled by symbols or digits. When the density of data points is high, it is
difficult to read the symbol or digit identifier. The label frequency can be
set to label only every nth data point.
Each
graph axes is minimally drawn in the foreground color (see below) with tic
marks indicating the step size (see axes description). On top of this
additional features may be added as described below.
Tic
labels are the numbers that identify the real value of position indicated by the
tic mark. For the X-axis these indicate the time (e.g., number of minutes) from
the beginning of the experiment. For the Y-axis the unit may be current,
conductance, resistance or voltage.
This
determines whether the minor tics between the tics on the axes will be
displayed.
Checking
axes and unit labels cause the units to be displayed on the axes.
Left-clicking
the mouse on the Backcolor box opens a color dialog box to enable the
user to define the background color for the graph. Note: Some back colors will
conflict with tissues colors.
Left-clicking
the mouse on the Forecolor box opens a color dialog box to enable the
user to define the foreground color for the graph. This color is used for axes
and labels.
Checking
this checkbox on will save the current settings to a preferences file when the
user presses OK or Apply. After the
program is shut down and then re-run again later, it will remember your default
settings here.
Contains display settings for the X Axis.
The axis
type for the X axis is currently set always to time. This may change in future revisions (IV plots).
Various
graph axis parameters. The Min is the
smallest X value (leftmost) displayed on the screen. The Max is the largest value.
The Origin is where the vertical axis intersects the horizontal
axis. The Step Unit is the value for
the size of each Major Tic. A Major Tic
is the larger tic mark along the axis.
This is usually accompanied by a tic label. There are a certain # of major tics across the axis. Inside each major tic is a Minor Tic. The # of minor tics displayed will vary and
are not labeled, but represent a small axis increment similar to markings found
on rulers.
This is
intended to match traditional analog oscilloscope behavior and impose a grid to
the axis based on simple values (1, 2, 5, or 10). Depending on the scaling of the graph this could be less than 1
(0.1, 0.2, 0.5) or greater than 10 (100, 200, 500).
When the
data acquisition mode is running, checking this checkbox on will automatically
scroll the axis to the left as new data points begin to fill up the screen and
start to go off screen to the right.
This allows you to track the most recent progress of your data sampling
without manually zooming or scrolling.
The
scroll only scrolls (it leaves the zoom scale the same). To keep a continuous
display of ALL data points recorded so far; you can check the scroll with Zoom
X feature.
Recenters the location of X axis up and down the screen
along the Y axis.
If this
is checked on the program decides what unit to use (hours, minutes, seconds,
etc.). If this is not checked the
current unit is kept.
If there
are more than one graph windows, this feature can apply settings from one graph
to all other graph windows currently open.

Contains
display settings for the Y Axis. The
settings are essentially the same as the X axis with the exception that the Y
Axis has two less checkboxes and one different from the X Axis. The difference is the checkbox for Auto-Zoom
during data acquisition. The Axis type
is no longer limited to just Time, but can cover Current, Voltage, Resistance,
and Conductance.
If this
checkbox is checked on, the Y Axis will automatically zoom out to the full
scale of the data points as the data acquisition proceeds. This way you will be able to see all the
data that is displayed without running off the top or bottom edge of the
screen. If this is not checked the user
can manually zoom as desired.

At the
bottom of the graph window is a status bar with four panels. The first displays status messages (such as
“Force” if the current plot is set to force other plots to match it’s X Axis
settings). The second and third panels display the X and Y position of the
mouse in the window if Hover Coordinates are enabled. The fourth panel shows the current linear regression if the Area
Under Curve option is selected.
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There are
several keyboard and/or mouse shortcuts that are available to common items in
the graph window. These are:
·
Shift Data with respect to X
or Y axis
·
Move Position of X or Y axis
·
Dbl-Click in Graphics Area
·
Right-Click over X or Y axis
·
Right-Click over Graphics
Area away from axes
[1] Note: This card requires an ISA slot on the computer motherboard. If your computer does not have an ISA slot (new computers since about 2001 do not), this is the wrong hardware for you. You should instead have the external parallel port version DI-720.
[2] If you get an error message such as “DI501NT.DLL not found” you need to verify that you have a valid parallel port in your computer and that it is set to LPT1. The software assumes that you are using LPT1. If you have a computer that does not have a parallel port you can buy a PCI slot parallel port card for less than $50 from most large computer/electronics warehouses. Check to make sure it supports bi-directional modes (EPP / ECP), and that it is set to LPT1 using the Device Manager.
[3] NOTE: Every now and then the data acquisition unit hangs during pulsing. If this happens, a timeout will occur. You must shut down the program (use the task manager if it is stuck) and run the boot loader (“Run720Loader.bat”) in the root of your program installation directory (C:\Program Files\Acquire222) for example. Once you get a successful load for the unit, you should be able to run the program.
[4] Where X indicates the number of channels (2, 6, or 8).
[5] In previous versions of A&A the toolbars were originally split into appearing in the application window and the graph window separately. They have been combined into one location now which clarifies useage. However, some screen snapshots in this manual still reflect old versions of the software and will be updated in future releases of this manual.
[6] This is a new feature, and thus may not appear in all screen snapshots in this manual yet.