IMAGING, DATA ANALYSIS AND ACUISITION MODULE

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Overview The overall purpose of the Imaging, Data Analysis and Acquisition Module (referred to as the 'Imaging Module') is two-fold. First, it will provide facilities and support for state-of-the art static and dynamic imaging of fixed and living tissue from a variety of regions of the human and non-human visual system. Second, it will facilitate the development of advanced and highly specialized data acquisition and analysis software. With the complete conversion of imaging to digital methods, sophisticated data acquisition and analysis techniques are required to quantitatively examine visual system structure, development and function. This module supplies common hardware for image acquisition, as well as software development and support for data acquisition and analysis. Over the past decade there has been a revolution in digital imaging technology and its application to basic biomedical research. The Imaging Module has been a critical resource in bringing this technology to the vision community at Yale. Advanced imaging equipment is expensive and typically cannot be purchased and maintained with the resources of a single investigator. The existence of the Vision Core Program and this Imaging Module at Yale has served as leverage for the development and acquisition of microscopes and related equipment using Yale University resources supplemented by Vision Program funds. This has enabled Yale vision researchers to adopt new tools and approaches to vision science discoveries. In the last grant period, our Imaging Module expanded in several ways. First, our Olympus inverted confocal microscope was significantly upgraded. Second, we acquired SPOT digital cameras and associated SPOT software for our standard upright (Zeiss Axiovert) and inverted (Zeiss Axioskop) microscopes. These improvements have simplified image acquisition and analysis for vision researchers without compromising quality, thereby significantly broadening the user base among vision science researchers at Yale for these core facilities.