August 25, 1999 Greetings to all the Mini Analysis Program supporters! This newsletter informs the users of Mini Analysis Program about the updates and changes in the program. Mini Analysis Program version 4.2 is just released. To upgrade from v4.0 or v4.1 to v4.2, download a patch file from our upgrade home page at http://www.syanptosoft.com. Version 4.2 adds another exciting feature of action potential waveform analysis. This new feature will open up many possibilities to take advantage of the group analysis in analyzing different types of peaks. Many people are finding the program useful in analysis of calcium imaging traces. In order to make conversion of calcium imaging data easier, we added two more conversion routines for PTI's ImageMaster Pro and Axon Instruments' AIW ASCII files. Please ask us any questions regarding analysis of calcium peaks. If you haven't tried, please check out the demo of Mini Analysis Program version 4.2 at http://www.synaptosoft.com now! And don't forget to send us any of your suggestions! 1. Action potential waveform analysis. 2. ABF Utility conversion of PTI's ImageMaster Pro and Axon's AIW ASCII files. 3. Group Analysis gets all the plotting and Data array functions. 4. Pasting data into Data arrays. 5. Running average plot. 6. Copy and save as a metafile. 7. Shortcut keys menu and other changes. 8. More references and more to come! 1. Action potential waveform analysis. Mini Analysis Program was originally developed for analysis of synaptic potentials or currents. But the extremely flexible detection algorithm allowed many researchers to detect other types of peaks, such as spontaneous action potentials. The problem is that action potentials require different set of parameters to describe. Therefore, in this new version, I added the function called action potential waveform analysis in the group analysis and curve fitting window. After first detecting all the peaks, and grouping some or all of the events as a group, a user can now run AP Waveform analysis in the group analysis and curve fitting window. This function goes through each event and calculates threshold, 10-90 rise, half-width, after-hyperpolarization amplitude and area, and etc. It finds the threshold by taking 5th derivative and finding the minimum. It also calculates a width at certain potential above the threshold (This parameter should be useful to monitor the acti! ! on potential broadening). These parameters should fairly well describe an action potential waveform. Addition of AP waveform analysis opens up other exciting possibilities to add other specific types of peaks to analyze. One immediate future possibility is to analyze amperometric peaks, which are known to have a profoundly different waveform. If you have any ideas about analyzing not-so-common peaks that require a specific set of parameters, please feel free to contact us. 2. ABF Utility conversion of PTI's ImageMaster Pro and Axon's AIW ASCII files. Another exciting news about the program is that more people are using the program for analysis of calcium peaks. Because there are so few programs available for detecting and analyzing calcium peaks, the Mini Analysis Program really comes handy at the right time. Most of the calcium imaging program can export data as ASCII files. Therefore, ABF Utility program now added more robust conversion utility for general ASCII files as well as two very specific file types. ABF Utility program will now automatically recognize and convert PTI's ImageMaster Pro and Axon's Axon Imaging Workbench ASCII files to an ABF file, so that Mini Analysis Program can open and analyze. For these two file formats, ABF Utility inserts some spacing between each zone in order to make each zone data more distinguishable. Please feel free to ask us any questions about how to convert and analyze calcium peaks. 3. Group Analysis gets all the plotting and Data array functions. In Group Analysis, now you can plot the analysis results. You can also put results into data array #1 and #2 for further analysis. Basically, now you can enjoy all the cool features of post detection analysis with analysis results, which you could do only with events data previously. 4. Pasting data into Data arrays. Many users asked for pasting capability for Data arrays. This long-waited feature is finally available. Now you can copy data from Excel or Sigma Plot and paste data into data array #1 or #2. This should be very useful for performing Kolmogorov-Smirnov test or other statistical tests with external data. Once data are put into data arrays, you can also plot in various ways. 5. Running average plot. Several users asked for simple plotting function of a running average plot. Example of a running average plot will be added to the Gallery page in our website at http://www.synaptosoft.com. For example, the function generates a plot of amplitude versus time with average amplitude with an error bar for each time interval. The error bars are standard error of the mean. You can generate this type of plot for all the other parameters as well. 6. Copy and save as a metafile. Previously, you could copy the raw traces only as a bitmap file. Bitmap files are big in size and can look dotty if you stretch the image. Window metafiles are scalable files that contain records about graphical commands. Metafiles are smaller in size and do not look dotty when stretched because they are scalable. In the new version, you can copy and save the raw trace in the main window as a metafile. You can also copy and save the traces in the group analysis window as a metafile. These functions will enhance the quality of the figures for your publication. 7. Shortcut keys menu and other changes. There are handful of shortcut keys that are designed for easier navigation and detection. I realize that many of these keys are underutilized because users are not aware of them. Therefore, I decided to put up a list of shortcut keys in the menu, so that users can easily figure out the keystrokes for each shortcut key. 8. More references and more to come! We welcome all your journal articles to be listed in our home page. We expect to see many more new articles to be published in 1999, with Mini Analysis Program referenced. When you refer to Mini Analysis program, please refer as "Mini Analysis Program (Synaptosoft Inc., www.synaptosoft.com)". If journal editors won't let you use internet address for the address of company, then just use "(Synaptosoft Inc., Leonia, NJ, USA)" as the company info. Here are recent articles from major neuroscience journals. There might be more in other journals. See our website at http://www.synaptosoft.com for complete listing. S. C. Taylor, E. Carpenter, M. L. Roberts, and C. Peers Potentiation of Quantal Catecholamine Secretion by Glibenclamide: Evidence for a Novel Role of Sulphonylurea Receptors in Regulating the Ca2+ Sensitivity of Exocytosis J. Neurosci. 1999 19: 5741-5749. Ian M. Stanford and Alison J. Cooper Presynaptic µ and Opioid Receptor Modulation of GABAA IPSCs in the Rat Globus Pallidus In Vitro J. Neurosci. 1999 19: 4796-4803. Tim Fergestad, Warren S. Davis, and Kendal Broadie The Stoned Proteins Regulate Synaptic Vesicle Recycling in the Presynaptic Terminal J. Neurosci. 1999 19: 5847-5860. Daewoo Lee and Diane K. O'Dowd Fast Excitatory Synaptic Transmission Mediated by Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Drosophila Neurons J. Neurosci. 1999 19: 5311-5321. If you haven't try the demo, please visit us at http://www.synaptosoft.com download the demo and try! *****Mini Analysis Program is a product of joint effort by all the users. If you have any suggestions, please let us know, we will incorporate your ideas.****** For more information, visit our website at http://www.synaptosoft.com. If you want to receive the upgrade, please download the demo at http://www.synaptosoft.com/DownloadDemo.html. If you wish to be removed from this newsletter mailing list please mailto:Reply@www.synaptosoft.com. Synaptosoft Inc. 107 Irving Street Leonia, NJ 07605 phone: 201-592-7034 fax: 201-592-7034 http://www.synaptosoft.com ftp://ftp.synaptosoft.com mailto://Webmaster@synaptosoft.com