Structure of the project

Nest-o-Patch project includes following sub-projects.

• Patch-clamp data reader. This subproject includes:

  • the package HEKAPkg which defines format of files, created by HEKA Pulse and PatchMaster software and contains units, needed to read and export these data.
  • ReadPulse library for reading files created by Pulse software. Basically, it exports functions from HEKAPkg.
  • ReadPMaster library for reading files created by PatchMaster software.

• NVComponents. Two packages are found here:

  • NVComponents itself. Here few classes and components are defined. Most important files are NVCoordSys, which implements the coordinate system used for all graphic representations throughout the program, and NVCommon where, among other things, TNVPoints is implemented, ancestor of TTrace, which plays a fundamental role in the Nest-o-Patch, and TReals, which is widely used to keep dynamic data arrays in the program.
  • NVUtils Includes object-oriented command line parser (very old code) and a small NVMath unit which defines factorial function and function dbinom, which returns binomial probability density for value k in test with n trials and q probability of success in one trial. If k>n returns 0. Command line parser is used in the Nest-o-patch.
• Nest-o-patch. Project for the program itself. For those who are interested in the algorithms of analysis, following units are important:
  • Globals.pas. Implements TTrace class, TSweeps list and other global classes and variables.
  • Dataanalysis.pas. Calculates mean currents, builds and analyses binned current amplitude histogram and analyses completely resolved events.
  • DistAn.pp Distribution of levels analysis.
  • SigmaFinder.pas is needed to build the multi-gaussian fit of the current amplitude histogram.
  • ChanEvents.pp is used for detection of channel opening and closures, building idealised trace and its analysis.
  • GlobalDefs.pp defined several global variables and constants used by other units.
  • Singlekinetic.pp is used for the analysis of kinetics of a single channel.
  • Other units implement the user interface and import of the data from HEKA files.

[Building Nest-o-patch]