Thermal Gradient Data Acquisition System Documentation
Abstract
This report describes a data acquisition system developed to obtain position and temperature measurements from a mouse thermal gradient following heat exposure or any other thermoregulatory event that can be recorded in mice. Since acceptable commercial systems are not available, this system was custom-built to acquire data using National Instruments' versatile hardware components and LabVIEW 7.0 Express Developmental Software. General requirements for this system are that it be highly accurate, precise, and expandable for future studies. The system also needs to function within a wide range of environmental temperatures so as to be applicable to a myriad of protocols (including those involving larger animal systems). Data collection for this system is achieved by sampling analog signals at regular intervals from thermocouples (placed in the air and within the structure of the thermal gradient), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), user input controls, and modifying them within the custom software to obtain real-time measurements. The software Graphical User Interface (GUI) is designed to be user-friendly, with minimal user input configurations to manage. The interface is also designed to provide both a graphical history of data, as well as a numerical history in tabular form.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA430783
Entities
People
- Larry D. Walker
- Lisa Leon
- Scott B. Robinson
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine