InCyt Basic I/PTM (click image to enlarge and get detailed specs)
Complete Turnkey System
The InCyt Basic I/PTM Imaging and Photometry System includes everything needed for calcium and other single excitation and ratiometric fluorophore experiments. The system includes: an inverted epi-fluorescence/phase contrast microscope, microphotometer assembly, low-light level integrating CCD camera, computer controlled filter changer, Mercury-Xenon arc lamp, image processing computer and data acquisition/analysis software.
Ease-of-use
The InCyt Basic I/PTM Imaging and Photometry System was designed in a biomedical research laboratory by scientists for scientists. Menu selection appears in the sequence in which experiments are performed. Esoteric options that add complexity and are rarely used have been eliminated from the menus. The software follows standard Windows graphical-user-interface-protocol. The hardware has been tested for reliability and ruggedness, as well as, simplicity of set up and operation. New users can learn to use the system and be doing their first experiment in a few hours.
Data Collection, Analysis & Presentation
Imaging data can be measured continuously on as many as 50 pre-selected regions of interest. The results can displayed in real time or images can be saved for post hoc analysis. Saved images can be played back as an animated sequence—ideal for analysis of sub-cellular responses, intercellular communication and heterogeneity among the individual cells in a population. Ion concentration within cells can be converted to color using standard or custom pseudo-color tables. Image sequences can be presented as a montage with user-defined annotation for presentation and publication. Data generated by InCyt Basic I/PTM are stored in a standard TIFF format and data files are stored as ASCII text.
Specifications
| Camera | Basler Scout Monochrome Integrating 12-bit CCD |
| Excitation Light Source | 250 watt Xenon arc lamp for both UV and visible light excitation. Variable intensity |
| Filter Changer | Tofra Wheel Filter Changer |
| Image Resolution | 640 x 480 pixels |
| PMT | Hamamatsu HC135-11 photon counter |
| Linearity (precision) | +/-1% from 0 to 20,000,000 counts/second |
| Maximum Dark Count (noise) | 150 counts/second |
| Equivalent Noise Input (noise) | 3 x 10-17 watts per second (measured at 400nm) |
| Spectral Sensitivity | 300-650nm |
| Discriminator & Microprocessor | Built into PMT |
| Overload Protection | Computer-controlled shutter (optional) |
| Excitation | 120 watt Mercury-Xenon arc lamp for both
UV and visible light excitation. Variable intensity |
| Filter Changer | Tofra Wheel Filter Changer |
| CPU | Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo Processor E4600 (2.4GHz, 2M, 800MHz FSB) |
| RAM | 1GB SDRAM,667MHz |
| Hard Drive | 80GB/160GB SATA 3.0Gb/s and 8MB DataBurst Cache |
| DVD ROM | 16X DVD +/- R/W |
| Operating System | Windows XP |
| Monitor | 17" SVGA |
| Maximum Speed | 1.5 ratiometric images per second 15 single-wavelength images per second |
| Object Definition | Specify up to 50 user-defined regions for separate analysis |
| Data Collection Options | (1) Graph ion concentration in each cell during experiment. (2) Save images for later analysis and animated playback |
| Image Format | TIFF |
| Data Storage Format | Tab-delimited ASCII |
| Maximum Speed | 6 ratiometric points per second 100 single-wavelength points per second |
| Time Lapse | Up to 1 measurement every 10 minutes |
| Field of View | Rectangular area, user-definable |
| Graphic Display | Real-time during experiment |
| Data Storage Format | Tab-delimited ASCII |
| Calibration | From standard solutions, formula, or in situ |
| Ions | Works with hundreds of fluorescent dyes for measuring: Ca2+, pH, Na+, K+, Mg+2, H2O2, cyclic ADP Ribose, etc. |
Imaging Data Presentation