The Technology and Computation Core includes: 1) an innovative Lab Technology Unit thathas developed a new automated lab control system, has implemented custom installations inseveral labs within the Core-Center with ongoing migration to others; and 2) a complementaryComputation Unit that maintains PC functions, networking, backup, and communications acrossCNCS labs, as well as database applications for the other cores of the CNCS. These Units willpursue the following goals.The Lab Technology Unit will continue to implement lab hardware/software solutions tostimulus and behavioral control, data acquisition, and data analysis across the CNCS. The Unituses a modular, embedded PC-based architecture (LabView-Real-Time by National Instruments[Nl]) that includes a standardized set of real-time hardware and software tools to be interfaced tospecific devices within each lab. The overall scheme ensures flexibility and modularity, whilemaintaining the specificity required by individual labs. A clear and reliable upgrade path from Nlensures advancement and longevity. We have implemented the system in five labs, and willpropagate the system across others, while at the same time upgrading all over time. New facultyand new labs, together with incremental needs of others, creates a fertile ecology for our new stateof-the-art lab control system. One result is a set of labs that share key attributes that in turn allowresearchers at any level to rapidly equilibrate to any one of them despite different research goals orsystems under study.The Computation Unit provides common office and lab PC and software solutions across theCore-Center, in concert with the Medical Center's extensive domain and more basic services(firewalls, security). Our labs are highly automated. PCs have supplanted many analog devices inour racks and are ubiquitous on desktops. Communications between labs and research personnelare essential. All of us are in need of new PC hardware and software over time, maintenance,training and support, and data backup, though such needs are rarely met effectively. TheComputation Unit corrects these shortcomings to the benefit of our research productivity andefficiency. The Unit also supports CNCS web and intranet functions, including powerful databasestructures in other CNCS cores. In sum, the two Core Units serve crucial needs of all CNCSpersonnel. The environment established across the Core-Center has, and will continue to, catalyzenew interactions and collaborations, and attract students and faculty to our research mission.
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