TriKinetics果蝇行为监测系统DAM2

TriKinetics果蝇行为监测系统

    Drosophila Activity Monitor (DAM) system能让广大的生物科学家的监测果蝇和类似大小的昆虫在运动和羽化方面的行为规律，此系统已被应用于突变异种、环境监测和对化学药品的敏感性，也可用来展示群居生活中相互间的作用。

果蝇被单独放置在玻璃瓶皿中，通过红外光束来探测和计算它们的运动行为，在一定的周期内，这些累计的行为数据将从监视器上传到计算机中存储和分析.

*运动监视器：用32个内径为 5mm,7mm或者10mm的管子，分别监测32个果蝇样本的行为规律。一个红外光束穿过把管子分成两半，当果蝇在管子中来回走动，它们将切割红外光，这些运动数据则被记录下来。

*羽化监视器：将成熟的果蝇虫卵粘贴在一个朔料圆盘底下，用一个内径100mm的玻璃漏斗来收集虫卵孵化出来的果蝇。一个红外监测环安装在漏斗下方的颈口处，用来监测计算每一个通过的果蝇，一个摇晃的机械装置可以定期的摇晃朔料圆盘，使得孵化出来的果蝇能够完全从圆盘掉落到玻璃漏斗中。

*群聚监视器：用一个内径25mm的玻璃或者朔料小瓶子，装入多个果蝇，根据瓶子的长度放置几个红外监测环，记录果蝇运动总数。

*环境监测器：测量培养器皿内的光的强度，温度和相关的湿度

*电源：提供一个直流电源用于整个系统，通过一个电 话线网络一样的平行接口，这个电源可以提供给多达120个监视器同时使用

*记录软件：提供一个存储档案从一个或多个监视器同时记录行为数据。一个实验可连续记录数小时、数天甚至是几个星期。

The Drosophila Activity Monitoring System enables a biologist to accurately characterize the locomotor and eclosion behavior rhythms in drosophila fruit flies and similarly-sized insects.  The system has been used to screen for mutants, measure environmental and chemical sensitivities, and characterize social interaction, all based on the patterns of physical movement which the system observes and quantifies over time.

The individual flies are placed into glass chambers, where their confined motion may be detected and counted by infrared light beams in one or more activity monitoring units. At periodic intervals, these accumulated activity counts are uploaded from the monitors to a host Macintosh or Windows computer for storage and analysis.

The Locomotor Monitor uses 32 tubes of 5, 7, or 10 mm diameter, and measures the activity rhythms of 32 individual flies. An infrared beam bisects each tube, and detects motion as the flies walk back and forth from end to end.

The Eclosion Monitor uses a 100 mm dia. glass funnel to collect emerging flies as they fall from their pupae cases on the underside of a plastic disk. An infrared ring detector at the funnel neck counts each as it passes by, and a mechanical tapper dislodges periodically those which remain adhered to the disk or funnel walls.

The Population Monitor uses a 25 mm dia. glass or plastic vial to contain a multiplicity of flies, and measures their aggregate movement with ring detectors spaced along the vial length.

The Environment Monitor measures the light intensity, temperature, and relative humidity within an incubator chamber, and provides a continuous archival record of these conditions over the duration of an experiment. 

The Power Supply Unit supplies DC power to an entire system of up to 120 monitors using a parallel network of residence-type telephone cables. An optional Light Controller allows up to 6 incubator lights to be independently cycled on and off under computer control.

The DAMSystem Collection Software provides archival storage of the collected activity data from a number of monitors simultaneously, and allows for continuous operation over the hours, days, or weeks of an experimental run.

DAM2 Drosophila Activity Monitor

•32 tubes, 5 or 7mm diameter

•Dual consolidated IR beams per tube

•Integrated on/off ambient light sensor

•Available models

The DAM2 Drosophila Activity Monitor measures the locomotor activity of 32 individual flies, each in a separate tube. As a fly walks back and forth within its tube, it interrupts an infrared beam that crosses the tube at its midpoint, and this interruption, detected by the onboard electronics, is added to the tube’s activity count as a measure of fly activity. In a typical experiment, an agar/sucrose food mixture is placed into one end of each tube, followed by the fly, and followed by a cotton plug in the open end. The 32 tubes are inserted into holes in the monitor case, and centered. Over the course of the experiment, which may last for days or weeks, the counting circuits continuously monitor the activity in all 32 tubes, and at periodic intervals, upload their count totals to the host computer for storage and later analysis. This daily record provides a good measure of both the intensity of locomotor activity, and the relative periods of rest. The DAM2 is fabricated from a transparent polycarbonate plastic, allowing light penetration to all points along the tube. It is compact, light in weight, and when used within an incubator, allows plentiful air circulation around the tubes. The through-hole design accommodates tubes of arbitrary length. An on/off visible light sensor is built into each unit to provide a simple record of the ambient light state over time. This record accompanies the activity count data as it is acquired and stored, and is useful in analyzing circadian rhythms and adaptations of the flies to external light stimuli. An optional gas distribution manifold is available to facilitate the controlled exchange of air within the tubes, as would be needed for hypoxia studies.

 Features

•32 independent activity channels per monitor.

•Up to 120 monitors per system provide over 3000 simultaneous monitoring channels.

•Compact design allows efficient use of incubator shelf space.

•Standard 5mm tube size (model DAM2) for studies of drosophila melanogaster.

•7mm tube size (model DAM2-7) accommodates d. virilis and larger species.

•Ambient light sensor provides on/off record of entrainment cycles and stimulation pulses, as well as inadvertent light exposure.

•Consistent operation in ambient light levels from bright laboratory to total darkness.

•Optional gas distribution manifold allows controlled air exchange within the tubes.

•Available tubes (diameter x length):     

PGT5x65 = 5 x 65 mm Pyrex Glass     

PGT7x65 = 7 x 65 mm Pyrex Glass     

PPT5x65 = 5 x 65 mm Polycarbonate Plastic     Plastic caps are available to seal the food in     place of the traditional hot wax dip.

Specifications

•Dimensions: 127 x 48 x 87 mm LWH (5.0 x 1.9 x 3.4”)

•Mass: 170g

•Tube diameter: DAM 2  =  5 mm DAM 2-7 = 7 mm

•Ambient Light Sensor threshold: 10 lux nominal, phoic response curve

•Interconnect: 4 wire, 6 position, RJ-11 modular telephone line jack to DAMSystem network for DC power input and data transmission

•Case material: Clear polycarbonate plastic