Version 1.1

Version 1.1.1, released 14 Oct 2003

• • Updated the splash screen and other components of the GUI to reflect the program's new name. Still need to update the names of some installation files.

  • Minor modification of the XYScope target Opt Ctr w/ Noisy Dots: The dot direction offset parameter now has a range of [0..180], in whole degrees, instead of [1..90]. If the dot direction offset is 0, then the target will behave exactly like Opt Center w/Finite Dotlife.

  • Changes/additions to the File|Import command: It is now possible to import a Opt Ctr w/ Noisy Dots target, even though this target type does not exist in CntrlxUNIX. It is also possible to import the application settings that you see on the Video Display and Fix/Reward tab pages found in the mode control panel during most operational modes.

  • In Trial mode, the Data Traces display no longer scrolls during trial runtime, but is updated instead at trial's end. This is how the data display worked in CntrlxUNIX, and most users indicated that they preferred it that way. In Continuous mode, the trace display works in scrolling mode.

  • The Eye-Target Position display now includes an additional locus labelled Eye2(H). This can be thought of as the position of a second eye, although no one is currently using it that way. For now, only horizontal position HGPOS2 is available; VEPOS2 is set to zero degrees always. Thus, the associated symbol (a red crosshair) is always located somewhere along the x-axis in the position plot window. NOTE that analog input channel 14 is dedicated to recording the HGPOS2 signal.

  • Various minor changes and bug fixes.

Version 1.1.0, released 15 Sep 2003

• • Officially changed the application name from Cntrlx to Maestro. Credits go to Ram Ramachandran at UCSF and Jennifer Raymond at Stanford for suggesting the name.

  • Introduced a new target for the XYScope platform: Opt Ctr w/ Noisy Dots. This target is similar to the existing Opt Center w/Finite Dotlife target, with the added twist of introducing directional noise in the random-dot pattern.

  • Minor improvement in implementation of the XYScope "dot life" targets. In previous versions, a dot was "recycled" whenever its lifetime expired OR it passed outside the target window. This led to a non-uniform distribution in the random-dot pattern as it moved in one direction, particularly at higher pattern velocities. Now, a dot is "recycled" only when its lifetime expires. When it passes outside the target window, it is "wrapped" around the window borders using the same algorithm employed for the original Optimized Center target.

  • Reworked analog channel descriptions. Included the old-style abbreviations like HGPOS, which label the corresponding signal connections in the rig and which are familiar to most users.

  • Modified the XYScope DSP controller's firmware code to make device startup a bit more reliable.

  • In the old CntrlxPC, it was possible to reward the animal for fixating on a "phantom" target (for "VOR in the dark" sorts of experiments). The previous version of Maestro did not allow this -- if the target was turned off, the animal would not get a reward. This version restores the original functionality. So long as a target is designated as Fix1 or Fix2 and the animal's eye remains close enough to it, the animal will be rewarded for fixating on the "phantom" target.

  • Numerous minor bug fixes.