COMPUTER-INTERFACE AND SOFTWARE ANALYSIS FOR MULTICHANNEL, ONLINE TEMPERATURE RECORDING TO ANY MICROCOMPUTER

A simple, inexpensive computer interface designed for in vitro or in vivo researchers with limited electronic experience allows direct on-line multi-channel temperature recording from thermistor probes to any micro-computer. The designed system saves time and increases the accuracy of collected data that are ready for storage in files compatible with graphic and statistical software. In vitro testing of the designed interface, over a range of 25-45-degrees-C, showed a 0.999 intraclass correlation to reference water bath temperatures. In vivo testing using anesthetized rats involved simultaneous measurements of: (1) a thermogenic tissue, interscapular brown adipose temperature (IBAT), (2) core (colonic) temperature, and (3) surface (tail) temperature, a heat loss tissue. The temperatures measured by the designed computer-interface demonstrate excellent stability, sensitivity and accuracy when compared to respective temperatures measured by a YSI telethermometer.