What's New in IPLab 3.7 for Windows

Support for New Cameras and Automation Devices

New Cameras:

• Texas Instruments MC285SPD-L0B0 (Impactron)
• Nikon DS-1QM
• Andor iXon
• CRI Nuance
• Hamamatsu Phoenix PCI board for older ORCA PCI based cameras
• QImaging 2000R and 4000R
• Improved speed performance for Roper Photometrics PVCAM cameras

New Devices:

• Nikon 90i/80i microscopes
• Zeiss AxioImager microscope
• Leica DM 4000, 5000, 6000 and DMi 6000 microscopes
• BD CARV II
• Yokogawa CSU-22 spinning disk confocal
• Sutter Lambda 10-3 filter wheels and Smart Shutters
• ASI filter wheels, shutters, stages and Z-steppers
• Vincent DMM-3 shutter controller
• PI E665 Piezo Z-stepper
• CRI Varispec

Improved Features

• Frames per Second Display during live image preview.
• Auto-save of a Persist file backup.
• Normalization: Gamma Slider, Scalable histogram, updated organization of controls
• F-Key or Task bar Pallets: Additional F-key/task bar pallet.
• Perimeter Measurement: Additional options for either line or pixel based measurement.
• Merge Color Channels: Improved normalization of 48-bit color images.
• File List updated for improved creation and modification of file lists.
• Improved Multi-dimensional acquisition of z-stacks.
• The Frames to Sequence feature now supports an ROI only option when generating a sequence. An option to sub-sample the sequence, based on the number of frames, is also available.

New Features

• New Autosegmentation Features: Fill Holes, Select Sequence Frame, and new Contrast Ratio based limit for objects.
• New Icons: Reset ROI, Delete All Segments, Delete All Drawings.
• New Kymograph analysis tool for manual cell tracking and motion analysis.
• New 3D axial slice view tool.
• Custom Device Linking (available with the Motion Control extension) for linking up to eight positions from multiple devices.

What's New in IPLab 3.6 for Windows

Support for New Cameras and Automation Devices

New Cameras:

• Roper Scientific Cascade 512F
• QImaging Intensified Retiga
• Hamamatsu ORCA ER FireWire (IEEE 1394)
• DVC 1412

New Devices:

• Ludl Electronics 10 Position filter wheel
• Till Polychrome IV
• Nikon TE2000
• Olympus BX61/IX81

New Commands

New 3D Extended Focus Command

Generate an image with in-focus information from many Z planes.

New Background Correction Command

You can now interactively correct for uneven illumination problems in fluorescence, brightfield and DIC images.

New Autosegmentation Command

Autosegmentation can automatically find objects in fluorescence or brighfield images and split objects that touch each other using a novel splitting algorithm.

New Classify Segments Command

This command allows you to accumulate the results of your measurements into specified classes. The command can be used repeatedly on several images and will accumulate the results.

Export to Excel

Bring the results of your image analysis directly into a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet.

New Multi-Dimensional Acquire Command

You can now program sophisticated 5D multi-probe/multi-mode acquisition protocols within a single command. This command acquires DIC or Phase images together with several fluorescence probes over multiple Z planes and over an extended time interval. The optional Motion Control extension adds the control over your microscope's:

• focus (Z) motor
• filter wheel
• motorized shutters on both excitation and emission lamps.
  This feature allows the Multi-Dimensional Acquire command to switch between lamps.

New RatioPlus Extension with improved support for FRET calculations

Ratio Plus now includes many new features including:

• Calculations for:
  • Cameleons
  • Fret with two or three wavelengths
  • Single wavelength probes
• An interactive plot editor which provides an easy navigation tool for selecting cells with the desired response.
• The ability to export all acquisition parameters and event markers to a file.

The Ratio Plus extension is an optional package you can add to IPLab to extend the program's abilities. Please read more about Ratio Plus.

What's New in IPLab 3.5 for Windows

Many commands can now be applied directly to sequences

These can be applied to all frames in a sequence at once:

• Image Arithmetic
• 3D Filter
• Rotate and Scale
• Add/Set Pattern

Blending of Fluorescence Color Images

There is now a second method of merging images, known as blending. This method overlays a fluorescent image over a bright field image (grayscale or color). Use the Merge Color Channels command in the Math Menu.

Edit Image Info, Define Image Info

You can now enter a short and a long text description for each image with the Edit Image Info command. You can define a "global" short description that is inherited by each new image with the Define Image Info command.

Easily navigate in Time and Z Dimensions

Animate images in Z and T dimensions directly by holding down the Z or T keys in the window frame.

New Set Preferred Directory Command

File handling commands such as Open, Save and Save All Files can each have a favored directory. This feature can be used to organize data generated by different users.

Histograms added to Segmentation and Normalization dialogs

The histogram displays the range of grayscale values in the image (or sequence) while you set the minimum and maximum grayscale levels.

F-Key Palette

The Function Key palette allows you to link scripts and commands to buttons on the screen. Common operations for controlling hardware or performing calculations can always be one click away by using F-Keys. The palette can now be docked to the right or the bottom of the screen. Program the F-Keys through the Assign Function Keys command under the Edit menu.

New suite of 3D commands for multidimensional sequences

They include:

• 3D Filter
• 3D Mosaic
• 3D Equalize Sequence
• 3D ROI Mean Plot

You will find these commands in the new 3D menu.

New command for background correction and subtraction

The Background Correction command can estimate the background component of an image with options for Fluorescence, Brightfield and DIC. It can be used to correct for uneven illumination or to pre-process the image before segmentation. It is located under the Enhance menu.

Simple hardware integration with a new Device Setup command

It's now easy to generate 3D multicolor images or time-lapse movies. We have made it easier to set up the commands that automate microscopy hardware and to integrate those commands to move sampels and acquire data. New Stage Control commands can set up the automated capture and analysis of samples in microtiter plates. Hardware automation requires an optional IPLab extension: either Motion Control or Shutters & Filters.

New Device Toolbar provides control through graphical icons

Now control of devices such as filter wheels, shutters, motorized microscopes, and XYZ motorized stages can be just one click away by using the Device Toolbar. Positions can be named for each individual probe. Requires an optional IPLab extension: either Motion Control or Shutters & Filters.

New Camera menu

The new Camera menu replaces the old Acquire menu.

Faster preview rates for most cameras

The update speed for "Live" image during preview has been improved.

New Built-in Color Balance feature

A new Color Balance button is available within the preview window. This button calculates the proper amount of red, green and blue components for any color camera. Once set, captured images will be properly balanced for color.

Continue Reading

Please continue reading about IPLab:

• Features: A summary list of IPLab's most useful features
  • New IPLab/Win Features : The release notes for IPLab for Windows
• Extensions: Software that adds abilities to IPLab
• Image Acquisition: An entire section about cameras and collecting images
• System Requirements: The minimum computer systems needed to run IPLab