INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROSCIENCE, Vol. 5, pp. I-III, 1987 0736-5148187 $3 00 t .OO Printed in Great Britain Copyright (c) 1987 Pergamon Journals Ltd All Rights Reserved

SOFTWARE SURVEY SECTION

Editor's Note: The following Software Descriptions have been submitted by our readers in response to our call for an open exchange of information on software programs. They are offered without review or comment to provide a rapidly published, easily accessible avenue of communication. Other readers with relevant software packages are invited to complete and submit a Software Description Form (found at the end of this section).

Software Dackaae ON-OOl-S86 GOLGI RECONSTRUCTION AND ANALYSIS SOFTWARE PACKAGE (GRASP)

Contributor: Ronald P. Hammer, Jr., Ph.D., University of Hawaii School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy & Reproductive Biology, 1960 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822

Brief descriotion: The GOLGI RECONSTRUCTION AND ANALYSIS SOFTWARE PACKAGE (GRASP) allows a point-to-point, tree structure reconstruction of Golgi-stained or intracellularly injected dendritic or axonal figures. Data describing the entire neuronal arborization (axonal and dendritic) can be entered into a data file using the data tablet cursor to enter point locations on the X- and Y-axes, and a potentiometer affixed to the fine focus knob to enter point locations in the Z-axis. After the data is entered, the entire arborization may be displayed in any chosen angle of rotation. The program also enables the statistical analysis of various branching parameters, including total branch length, root, internode, and terminal branch lengths, and branch angle. Data describing only axons or only dendrites or only certain dendritic trees, e.g., apical or basilar trees, may be grouped across various selected cells. A statistical package will construct histograms of data in each group, or compare between groups. GRASP creates a complete quantitative summary of neuronal branching and allows appropriate analysis of neuronal branching features. Such rigorous quantitative analysis is required in studies of neuronal development or experimentally-induced neuronal branching characteristics.

Potential users: Scientists investigating neuronal development, plasticity, neuronal morphology, neuronal connections and growth. Fields of interest: Neuroscience, botany.

This application program in the area of quantitative morphometry has been developed for IBM PC in BASICA to run under MS-DOS or PC-DOS. It is available on 5-l/4", dual-sided, double-density floppy diskette. Required memory is 256K. Distributed by Dr. Robert D. Lindsay. The minimum hardware configuration required is microscope, drawing tube, data tablet. No user training is required. There is extensive external documentation. Source code is available. The package is fully operational. The contributor is available for user inquiries.

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II Software Survey Section

NAME OF JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROSCIENCE

PERGAMON SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION FORM

Title of software package:

It Is: [ IApplication program [ IUtility [ ]Other

Specific area (e.g. Thermodynamics,Inventory Control)

Software developed for [name of computer(s)] -

in [language(s)]

to run under [operating system]

and is available in the following media:

[ ] Floppy disk/diskette. Specify:

Size Density [ ISingle-sided [ IDual-sided

[ ] Magnetic tape. Specify:

Size Density Character set

Distributed by:

Minimum hardware configuration required:

Required memory: User training required: [ ]Yes 1 INo

Documentation: [ ]None [ IMinimal [ ISelf-documenting [ IExtensive external documentation

Source code available: [ ]Yes [ INo

Level of development: [ IDesign complete [ ICoding complete [ IFully operational [ ICollaboration would be welcomed

Is software being used currently? [ ]Yes [ INo If yes, how 1 ong? If yes, how many sites?

Contributor is available for user inquiries: [ IYes 1 INo

(continued)

RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO:

Professor Ezio Giacobini Department of Pharmacology

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

P.O. Box 3926 Springfield, IL 62708

IThis Software Description Form may be photocopied without permission1

Software Survey Section

Description of what software does [200 words]:

III

Potential users:

Fields of interest:

#######

Name of contributor:

Institution:

Address:

Telephone number:

#######

Reference No. [Assigned by Journal Editor]

~T~e-i;f&_;a&-b;,;w-i; no; for pu;,;c;tio;*; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Would you like to have your program:

Reviewed? [ ]Yes [ ]No [ ]Not at this time

Marketed and distributed? [ ]Yes [ ]No [ ]Not at this time

IThis Software Descriotion Form mav be ohotocooied without permission1