Research Assistant 3 is a computer program that allows you to archive, display, measure and print image materials quickly and easily.

The system is a unique combination of technologies, consisting of a powerful database with full integration of images.

Research Assistant 3 has been developed using state-of-the-art technology. It is a full 32-bit application, offering you the possibility of direct e-mailing and  creating HTML-files, taking security measures, etc.

Strong features of Research Assistant 3 are:

• Storage of video images, images from digital cameras, specifically for the microscopy.
• Allows you to carry out various measurements (optional) on the images. Measuring results can be stored in the database, printed, exported (e.g. to MS Excel), etc.
• Display of images such as, medical and microscopic. (For use in a medical environment, you could simply select on patient, examination, disease.)
• Automatic catalog generation; all file data, including images, printed directly on paper in any to-be-defined layout by simply pressing a button. It is also very easy to create reports about research data or treatments.
• Unique features enabling you to file animated images (video) in a database. It is also easy to store images from other devices, such as microscopes, echoscopes or video endoscopes.
• Images are filed in color and can be retrieved quickly for on-screen viewing. It is possible to compress images; these images therefore require little storage space.
• Easy-reference display of several images on the screen simultaneously, including browsing functionality! The perfect way to quickly view a large number of images.
• Easy to operate and easy to use; no long training sessions required, you can get to work immediately!
• Just press the button and the images are filed. This button can be a foot-operated switch or a switch on a device. You, of course, decide which data to store with your images.
• Quick and easy retrieval due to excellent search facilities, such as a comprehensive reference system.
• Easy catagorization of images through the use of Lookup tables.
• Integration with text files is possible; a substantial amount of text can be filed with each image. Research Assistant 3 offers functionality based on Windows, such as use of the clipboard and support of all printers with a Windows-driver.
• Calibrating your image and print a calibration bar in the image
• Text Annotation possibilety for non destrutive text overlay on the image

User-friendly

The program is database-independent thus allowing for easy addition of images to an existing digital cardfile. And the number of items per file is theoretically unlimited.

Research Assistant 3 is fully compatible with MS Access 97. Therefore, data files that were edited in Research Assistant 3 can also be opened and used in MS Access 97.

Pleasantly arranged screens display pinpoint-sharp images. We have made an effort to design screens that are logical and, above all, user-friendly. There are usually three ways to carry out a transaction: via the menu bar and its pull-down menus at the top of the screen, via clearly visible toolbars (buttons) in the various windows and via the so-called shortcut keys. Essentially, the complete image capture can take place via the keyboard.

A selection of images can be displayed on the screen in various ways: full screen size, in an overview of record data, and in an overview of icons. In the icon overview miniature images (icons) are displayed on the screen. The larger your screen, the more icons that can be fitted on. With the icons you can efficiently glance over a large number of selected images.

RGB-Quality video images

As a result of continuous development of video cameras and the wish to be able to digitize higher quality video images, Research Assistant 3 offers you the possibility to import images from RGB-video cameras. You will, however, have to use the RGB-digitizer, which was developed specifically for this purpose.

Fluorescent recordings

Fluorescent recordings which in the past required complex and often expensive devices, can now be made directly from Research Assistant 3. Characteristic of such images is that the material gives off an extremely small amount of light. By leaving the CCD of the camera 'open' for a long time, an image can be created by the CCD chip. The Sony XC-003P camera is used for this purpose. With this camera it is possible to store 1 to 255 images (adjustable) in a buffer (and combine them) and to present them as one image to the RGB digitizer. These digitized images can then be stored directly in the image archive and be filed with the accompanying data.

Additionally, Research Assistant 3 allows you to combine the software of images together, for example in the case of fluorescent recordings of different colors – these images can be merged into one image.

Storage of uncompressed images

To maintain the highest quality images, compression should not take place. Any form of compression will result in a lesser quality image. In Research Assistant 3 you can store images without compressing them and you will thus lose no quality. Compression of images is, however, still possible with a continuously adjustable compression method (JPEG).

CD-ROM jukebox support

An additional feature of version 3 enables you to store files, including images (read: large amounts of data) on CD-ROM and then place the CD-ROM in a CD-jukebox. In Research Assistant 3 it is now possible to indicate that images should not only be searched for on one disk, but on different locations, such as various CD-ROM positions (bays). Because this feature allows you to create a substantial amount of free space on the hard disk, this is especially useful if and when an archive begins to come apart at the seams.

Presentations

Automatic presentation of a selected number of images. Your computer becomes a manually operated or fully automatic slide projector similar to Microsoft PowerPoint.

E-mail and Internet

Completely new in Research Assistant 3 is the possibility of exchanging images with e-mail and Internet users. It becomes simple to send images via e-mail and give internet users access to them as HTML files. Data and images that are exported in this manner can be viewed using Internet Explorer or Netscape.

Windows environment

Research Assistant 3 is a Microsoft Windows application and works according to the Windows principle of 'Multiple Document Interface' (MDI) with which a number of images and program modules can be opened and used simultaneously.

The program also uses various Windows screen functions, such as enlarging and reducing the window size and relocating windows by dragging. A window can be dragged to a new position by placing the mouse pointer on the blue bar at the top of the window concerned and, while keeping the left mouse button pressed down, moving the mouse pointer to the new location. After releasing the mouse button, the window will be relocated and any underlying windows (which were previously covered by the relocated window) will become visible.

System requirements

We recommend the use of a computer with at least a Pentium processor. The program runs on Windows 95 and 98, as well as on Windows NT 4.0.

If you are working with a video, take note of the following: for the video digitizing board you need one free PCI slot (PCI 2.1, suitable for busmastering).It is important that the computer is fitted with a VGA-card with at least 2Mb video memory and a control progam supporting 32 bits per pixel color. This can be verified via 'Display Properties, Settings'.

A fast VGA-card is preferable. The program will work with other VGA-cards but at the expense of the display speed (not as fast) of the video display.For computers with a Pentium II processor, we recommend an AGP VGA-card.The system itself works with 'True-Color' images. The quality of the screen display is directly influenced by the VGA-card, and best results are obtained with a True-Color card. Using a VGA-card with 256 colors will affect the performance of the system. After all, the colors must then be 'reduced'  to 256 colors. We furthermore recommend that the resolution be set at a minimum of 800 x 600 pixels and with as many colors as possible.

If you are using a Matrix Vision video digitizer, a video memory of at least 2 Mb is required.

The minimum configuration should consist of a Pentium PC with 16 Mb RAM including a True-Color VGA-card with 1 Mb video memory.