SoftMax Pro Version 5.3 Software Release Notes SoftMax Pro v5.3 software is a minor release that provides full compatibility with the Microsoft Vista TM and Mac OS X Leopard TM (version 10.5) operating systems. The SoftMax Pro v5.3 update also includes enhancements to the existing functionality of SoftMax Pro, new method protocols for data analysis, and fixes for several known software issues, including the GxP Admin software component. A summary of the changes incorporated in the update as compared to v5.2, the previous general release of SoftMax Pro, are as follows: New in SoftMax Pro v5.3 Extended operating system compatibility SoftMax Pro v5.3 addresses several known incompatibilities of previous versions with the Microsoft Vista and Mac OS X Leopard operating systems and was tested on both platforms. For Mac users connected to a SpectraMax L microplate reader, there is a minimum instrument firmware requirement (v1.3.2). Note: The default behavior of SoftMax Pro when the application is started has been modified on the Vista platform. When SoftMax Pro is opened, no default protocol file will be shown. Non-linear exponential curve fit Users may now choose between a linearized and non-linear exponential curve fit. The latter also supports variable weighting and manual assignment of curve fit parameters. Fluorescence polarization wavelengths For the SpectraMax M5 and M5e and FlexStation 3 instruments, the minimum wavelength that can be entered into SoftMax Pro for excitation and emission in fluorescence polarization read mode has been lowered to 300nm. A minimum instrument serial number is required. 9 September 2008 Page 1 of 9
Luminescence integration time For supported SpectraMax M5 microplate readers (minimum firmware requirements apply), integration times of 3, 5, 7, and 10 seconds were added for luminescence read mode. Formula accessors for reporting o The accessor!sectionname will return the name of the SoftMax Pro section containing the formula. o The accessor!pathcheckapplied will return a Boolean value indicating whether or not the PathCheck TM Reduction option has been applied to a Plate section. More SoftMax Pro protocols To get you started more quickly, SoftMax Pro v5.3 has revised the organization of included protocols and added several new methods that can be used as-is or further customized to meet your needs. Associates of Cape Cod endotoxin assays o Chromo-LAL o Fungitell_Kinetic Rate o Glucatell_Diazo-Endpoint o Glucatell_Kinetic Rate o Glucatell_Onset Time o Kinetic turbidimetric o Pyrochrome_Diazo-Endpoint o Pyrochrome_Endpoint o Pyrochrome_Onset Time Cell growth and viability o CellTiter-Glo_SpectraMax L o MycoAlert o MycoAlert_SpectraMax L Cell signaling and transport o Aequorin GPCR_Lmax o Aequorin GPCR_SpectraMax L o Aequorin GPCR_FlexStation 3 ELISA endpoint o Acridinium ester_lmax o Acridinium ester_spectramax L o Luminescent ELISA o Luminescent ELISA_SpectraMax L 9 September 2008 Page 2 of 9
Reader validation cuvette absorbance o M Series Hellma o Plus Hellma Reporter Assays o GeneBLAzer Modifications Made to SoftMax Pro v5.3 Closing a document The remote command for closing a document previously hid the file until the user exited the application. In SoftMax Pro v5.3, documents will be fully closed after the Close document remote command is sent. Display of microliters The representation of microliters by SoftMax Pro was changed from ul to μl throughout the application. Instrument information headers removed from exported files The non-functional headers for instrument type and serial number were removed from the exported formats. Password protection removed from SoftMax Pro Standard The option to password protect files was removed from the SoftMax Pro Standard menu. StakMax window Always on Top An option was added to always keep the StakMax application window on top of all other open applications on the computer screen. Temperature reporting without incubation For the SpectraMax L, the!temperaturerun formula accessor will return temperature data regardless of whether the incubator is on or off. Protocol modifications Several SoftMax Pro method protocols were revised in the updated software. Nucleic acids o ATP Assay_SpectraMax L o ATP Assay_Lmax 9 September 2008 Page 3 of 9
Reader Validation o Gemini EM FL1 v104 o Gemini XPS FL1 v104 o M2 ABS1 v101 o M2 FL1 v105 o M2e ABS1 v103 o M2e FL1 v105 o M5 M5e ABS1 v102 o M5 M5e FL1 v106 General Software Issues Addressed in SoftMax Pro v5.3 Arrangement of Reader Settings The location of Assay Plate Type, Wells to Read, and Injection were not ordered uniformly for all instruments. Fix The arrangement of the aforementioned Reader Settings for the LMaxII 384, FlexStation II 384, and SpectraMax L was changed to be consistent. Assay Plate type selection error message Regardless of the chosen read mode, error messages in the Assay Plate selection for the SpectraMax M5 were displayed as being incorrect for fluorescence mode. Fix The mode selected in the Settings will be displayed in the error dialog. Circular reference error displayed with cubic spline curve fit The condition of a failed curve fit, even in the absence of actual data, could generate a spurious circular reference error in SoftMax Pro data and protocol files when using the cubic spline curve fit. Fix The circular reference error is no longer generated under the previously mentioned conditions. Circular reference error generated by dependent plots A plot that depends on another in the same Graph section generated a spurious circular reference error. Fix The cause for this error message has been removed. Cluster bar graph exported below the origin Exported cluster bar graphs displayed the bar graphs below the x-axis. Fix The display of exported cluster bar graphs has been corrected. Custom plate definition for absorbance With the creation of custom plates in the Plate Editor, depending on the selected reader type, reading from the bottom of the plate (e.g. absorbance) may have been incorrectly prohibited. Fix The compatibility check of custom created plates has been updated. 9 September 2008 Page 4 of 9
Data mode not displayed for absorbance data Previous versions of SoftMax Pro would show the Data Mode Reduction applied (i.e., Absorbance, %Transmittance). This was removed in v5. Fix The display of the Data Mode Reduction has been added back to the Plate legend. Exporting by remote command produced an empty file If SoftMax Pro was busy when the ExportAs command was sent by a remote interface, the result may have been a file without recalculated data. Fix A forced recalculation prior to exporting has been added to prevent loss of data. In addition to this change, it may also be suggested that a remote command client should insert a time delay after sending a read command and before checking "Busy" status. Also, it should not be assumed that once the status is not "Busy" following a read, that data is ready; it still needs to be transferred to SoftMax Pro, and another time delay may be inserted at this point. Exporting Graphs on Japanese systems Exporting Graphs on the Mac OS platform for Japanese systems caused the software to close unexpectedly. Fix The export of Graphs on the Japanese OS has been stabilized. Formulas truncated when duplicating experiments Formulas greater than 255 characters in sections that have been duplicated were truncated. Fix Formulas up to the maximum character limit in SoftMax Pro are preserved when sections are duplicated. F-probability reported incorrectly The F-probability reported in the Graph legend by SoftMax Pro s parallel line analysis feature was incorrect despite the calculated F-statistic being correct. Fix The F-probability is now properly referenced by the calculated F-statistic. Integration time for the SpectraMax L When switching between read modes in the Reader Settings for the SpectraMax L, the integration time did not persist. Fix Integration times are preserved when switching between read modes. Kinetic Reduction Display for Flex mode There was a cosmetic display issue in the Kinetic Reduction section of the Reduction Dialog box in Flex mode. Fix The display issue has been resolved. 9 September 2008 Page 5 of 9
Masked data not recognized by parallel line analysis feature The constrained curve fitting used by SoftMax Pro s parallel line analysis feature would continue to use all data specified in the Graphs even if previously masked. Fix Masked data points are now excluded from the constrained curve fitting. Misalignment of kinetic data exported in time format Fix Kinetic data exported in time format (.txt) now lists the data under the correctly corresponding wells. Printing lengthy Notes sections When printing Notes sections beyond a page in length, the software would unexpectedly close. Fix SoftMax Pro is now able to print Notes section of any length. Printing of Plate Template resulted in software crash With certain printers, printing a Plate Template could cause SoftMax Pro to close unexpectedly. Fix The print error was resolved. Relative potency values not refreshed In case of failed curve fits when using parallel line analysis, previous relative potency parameter values would continue to be displayed in the Graph section legend. Fix The relative potency parameters are cleared before every curve fit attempt. Selection of opaque plates allowed with Flex read type In Flex mode, microplates can only be read from the bottom, so the selection of an opaque plate seemed contradictory and was subsequently ignored by the reader. Fix Opaque plates are no longer selectable in the Settings when the Flex read type is chosen. Software closed if no wells to read selected If no wells were selected to read on the SpectraMax L, the software would close unexpectedly. Fix An error message will be generated indicating that no wells have been selected to read. Tab key selection Use of the Tab key to navigate between choices in a dialog box changed the focus but not the default action. Fix This has been addressed on the Windows platform. On the Mac, after using the Tab key to switch the focus, the space bar should be used. 9 September 2008 Page 6 of 9
Updating of data display in Plate section With the SpectraMax L, the data displayed in the Plate section would not update after a change in the Reduction settings. Fix The data refreshing issue has been corrected for this instrument. VersaMax kinetic interval The minimum kinetic interval time was not updated when slow carriage speed was selected. Fix The minimum interval increases as a result of the slow carriage speed option being enabled. X-axis values missing on log-log plots Fix Graphs now containing log-log plots have the X-axis values properly displayed. XML template import not enabled Despite the menu option to import Plate templates in XML format, this action was not enabled in v5.2. Fix XML template import has been enabled. SoftMax Pro GxP-Specific Issues Addressed Conflict between AutoSave and Manual Export Preferences If the manual export option was set to XML, and the Autosave preference to text, the result of the automatic save would be an empty file. Fix Different file format options between the Manual Export and Autosave settings will act independently of one another. Creation and Duplication of Plate Sections Creation and duplication of Plate sections was described under the purview of the Edit Reader Settings permission but not fully controlled by this permission alone. Fix Creating a new Plate and duplicating a Plate are now fully controlled by the Edit Reader Settings permission. GxP Menu disabled by StakMax application Fix GxP Menu can now be accessed after StakMax application has been opened 9 September 2008 Page 7 of 9
Primary Administrator password change The changing of the primary GxP administrator s password by a secondary administrator was not recognized by the GxP Admin 2.0 application. The updated password would have to be re-verified and changed through the SoftMax Pro GxP application. Fix An update to the GxP Admin component (v2.1) addresses this issue. Note: GxP Admin 2.1 may be used with SoftMax Pro GxP v5.2. Users who upgrade to Admin 2.1 should copy the mdclicen.ini and mdcadmgr.ini files from the GxP Admin 2.0 program folder to that of GxP Admin 2.1 to preserve license codes and user permission templates. Remote login allowed Open and New commands Failed remote logins to SoftMax Pro GxP would still have permissions limited to opening documents and creating new documents Fix A failed remote login will not have access to any command options in SoftMax Pro GxP. Save after read did not include Read Ended event in the data file audit trail When the save after read option is enabled, the data file saved immediately after the plate was read did not contain the Read Ended event in the audit trail. Fix The Read Ended event is included in the file s audit trail. The Save As event was not included in the data file audit trail When changing the name of a file using Save As, the event was not recorded. Fix The Save As event is now included when saving files under a new name. Typographical error contained in data file audit trail When tracked in a data file audit trail, the entry for users logging out of the system was misspelled. Fix Spelling of loged corrected to logged in the audit trail. Unused permission listed in system audit trail After modifying a new user s profile in GxP Admin, the audit trail included an entry stating that the Delete Audit Trail permission had been removed. This permission from SoftMax Pro Enterprise was never enabled in SoftMax Pro GxP. Fix The reference to the non-existent permission was removed. User ID not recognized with upper and lower case variations Fix User IDs are now case insensitive. 9 September 2008 Page 8 of 9
StakMax TM -Specific Issues Addressed Barcode renaming of Plate section In Start Read mode of the StakMax, SoftMax Pro would replace the name of the first section in a protocol rather than the first Plate section. Fix SoftMax Pro renames the first Plate section being read with the barcode. Clearing the Status window was independent of the StakMax firmware log. Fix Clearing the Status window now also clears the firmware log buffer. Data not acquired before software executes next command. In scripting mode, the StakMax software could attempt to execute the next command in a script before the Read command was fully completed. Fix StakMax scripting waits for successful completion of the Read command before executing the next command. Failure to successfully load a microplate to the reader resulted in a generic error message. Fix A more detailed message for StakMax is displayed when the Load Plate command fails. Use of the pre-read option suspended automated microplate readings. When the pre-read option is selected in the Settings, before the reading of a Plate section, users were required to manually select between Pre-read or Normal. Fix SoftMax Pro ignores pre-reading of Plate sections when the read command is sent from the StakMax application or other remote modules. How to Update to SoftMax Pro v5.3 Within version updates (e.g. from v5.x to v5.3) are provided online at no charge to customers who have registered their previous software version with Molecular Devices. Please visit the SoftMax Pro home page for more information about registering your products. You will need your software serial number to complete the process. http://www.moleculardevices.com/softmax To upgrade from earlier versions, please contact your local Molecular Devices representative. 9 September 2008 Page 9 of 9