Data-Trax: Not just data acquisition, but powerful analysis too! |
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| Today’s analog to digital converters make acquiring data very easy. The challenge to all users is to extract meaning from the mountains of recorded data in order to generate conclusions, reports, and Nobel Prizes. This process is called analysis. | |||||||||
| Built into the Data-Trax data recording software is a powerful array of data analysis tools. The variety of tools available strike a balance between the straightforward, general operations that everyone uses and the vertical, complex routines that only YOU use. So, Data-Trax is a powerful analytical tool that can go to work on data right away, or be customized to execute very specific, complex analysis routines. Analysis in Data-Trax is divided into five types or kinds, each addressing specific analytical requirements. *If you would like to see a sample, download the full DataTrax Installer which includes a sample data file. **If you already own a LabTrax unit, you can upgrade to v2.0 for free (upgrades are always free). |
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| Analyses of the First Kind — Wave-to-Wave Transforms | |||||||||
| Each of these functions takes all of the data in a channel and applies a transform to the data. The transform converts the entire waveform described by the data points into a completely new wave that is displayed on an adjacent channel. Examples of these functions are the 1st derivative and the integral. Currently there are 27 functions of this type included in the Data-Trax program. They are called from the right-click menu of a channel and can be used on-line or off-line. When used on-line, they can operate at the top acquisition rate of the program, 100,000 samples per second. | |||||||||
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| Analyses of the Second Kind- Reduced Data | |||||||||
| Functions in this class take a user-selected group of data points and “digests” them to a single value. These values are then saved to an on-board Journal where they can be saved or exported to other programs. There are currently 31 functions of this type available within the Data-Trax software. | |||||||||
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Analyses of the Third Kind- Redisplayed Data |
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| Redisplayed data involves the plotting of recorded data in an “Other than Y, T” format. Examples include the XY plot or the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Currently, Data-Trax 1.8 supports XY and FFT. Measurements of areas, segment lengths and slopes, as well as data point values are available as “Second Kind” analyses from these windows. | |||||||||
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| Analyses of the Fourth Kind- Detected Data Conditions | |||||||||
| Data-Trax software can be used to identify Regions of Interest (ROI) in recorded data. Measurements can be extracted from these detected data points or areas, and then, be sent to the Journal where the measurements can be included in a report. The measurements can also be exported in a variety of formats. | |||||||||
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| Data-Trax can detect events in two categories: general and specific. GENERAL events are the ones located in the Find dialog. Using stock parameters, Data-Trax can identify Minimums and Maximums, data above or below a specified level, or data at a particular time. The program can look for values at a mark containing a particular string, or any combination of these (e.g. look for a value 10 seconds after a comment containing the string “DRUG”). The Find command can be made to automatically drop the values that it finds into a tab-delimited table that can later be opened in Excel, Matlab, or other analysis programs. | |||||||||
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| SPECIFIC events are detected using algorithms to find the point or region of interest. The Left Ventricular End Diastolic Pressure (LVEDP) and finding R waves or P waves in an ECG are good examples. Detection of these data points requires specific software that resides in the Data-Trax program, accessible from the Auto Mark menu. Auto Mark allows the user to choose a detection algorithm and a data set. When the detection algorithm is completed, the software marks the record with comments at the appropriate places. Commenting or marking in this context accomplishes two things; it identifies the data points that need to be operated on, and it also provides the user with visual cues as to whether or not the software did its job in detecting the points that it was to find. Data-Trax can be directed to export the found data as text or load it into a user-defined script. The Auto Mark can currently detect LVEDP, the QRS components of the ECG dichrotic notch, maximal response for organ or tissue bath studies, and spikes. | |||||||||
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| Analyses of the Fifth Kind- Scripting | |||||||||
| It is impossible to include all of the analyses and plotting capabilities required for biological research in a single program. We have provided what we believe to be useful tools for the most common kinds of analyses. In those circumstances where the built-in analysis tools fall short of what is required, we have provided a scripting function. A script is a program written in any of the languages supported by Data-Trax. Scripts appear as items in the Data-Trax Scripting menu. When elected, the script takes a user selected range of recorded data and executes the script on the data. | |||||||||
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**If you already own a LabTrax unit, you can upgrade to v2.0 for free (upgrades are always free).