Computer Display

The computer receives inputs from the electronics via an analog/digital computer board.  We have used LabView to graphically display the following:

1) A graph showing the amplified signals from PMT1 and PMT2.
2) A graph showing the scaled signals for PMT1 (GFP) and PMT2.  PMT2 signal indicates the amount of autoflouresence that is being subtracted from the PMT1 signal. (This subtraction is due to the overlap in the wavelengths of the autoflouresence to GFP).
3) An adjusted graph which shows a GFP peak (this is the scaled GFP signal minus some of the signal from PMT2 (graph 2), which for our conditions is usually about 25%), and the threshold amplitude at which sorting will take place. 

This is a movie that shows the GFP peaks while sorting embryos.  Each peak is the adjusted GFP signal for an embryo.  The horizontal yellow line is the threshold level below which the machine is saving embryos.  (We also have the option to save above this threshold.)  To the right hand side of the graph there are a number of parameters being recorded; 1) the total number of embryos that have been detected, 2) the number of Save pulses that the microcontroller has sent to the switch, 3) the percentage of saved embryos, 4) the threshold level (i.e. a quantitative value for where the threshold bar is) and 5) the power output (mW) from the laser. 
During this movie the threshold bar is being raised which results in more embryos being saved.  Note that the percentage of saved embryos subsequently increased as the threshold bar is being raised.  The clicking sound is made by the switch.  Each time the switch opens and closes it hits a stop barrier in each direction making a clicking sound.  Therefore each time an embryo peak is below the threshold the switch will move and therefore click.  Unfortunately the movie has lost some quality during the compression program to make it web compatible.