Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd.
MiraiBio Group
Analysis Software for the Life Sciences

Tag Archives: MasterPlex QT

How to install a Network License in MasterPlex

Posted on by

This procedure is for the Network license installations only.

MasterPlex Network License Manager Software Installation

  1. If you have not done so yet, download the MasterPlex Network License Manager.
  2. During this installation, please make sure you are logged on as administrator or
    have administrative privileges.
  3. Please make sure that the license server computer is connected to the local area
    network. It is required for proper function of the software.
  4. Please launch MasterPlex Network License Manager 2.0 downloaded from step1 and the InstallShield Wizard will guide you through the installation.

Start the MasterPlex Network License Manager Service

  1. On the Desktop, right-click on the My Computer icon and select Manage.
  2. Double-click Services and Applications and then Services to show the list of
    services.
  3. Right-click on MasterPlex Network License Manager and select Start.Image
  4. Make sure the service status has changed to Started.

Obtain Network License for MasterPlex Software

  1. Launch the MasterPlex Network License Manager and click on the Obtain License button. Press Unblock if the following window appears:
    Image
  2. Select MasterPlex License Manager from the pull-down menu and click Proceed
  3. Please note the Machine ID in this window as it is specific to the computer and is required when requesting for your license file.
  4. Next, please note the Validation Code that is included in the documentation or email when you purchased your software. If you made your purchase online, you will most likely receive your Validation Code via email. Otherwise, your Validation Code will be mailed to you along with the software package.
  5. Once you have your Machine ID and Validation Code squared away, please use our Product Registration Form to request for your license file.
    • License type – Select the Network radio button.
    • # of Concurrent Users – Choose the number of concurrent users based on the number of Validation Codes you have purchased. You will only have to specify 1 Validation Code because they will all be linked in our system
  6. Press the Submit button once you are done and you will receive your license file via email within 1 business day.

Install Network License for MasterPlex Software

  1. Once you receive your license file, save it to your local computer.
  2. Make sure you have Administrative Privileges before proceeding because it will be required for the successful installation of your license file. If you are unsure of the privileges to your user account, please consult with your IT group.
  3. Launch the MasterPlex License Manager.
  4. Click on the Install License button.
  5. Browse to your .lic license file and press Open.
  6. You should now be able to see the license you have just installed in the Installed Licenses table.
    ImageIf the installation is successful, you will see a message saying that the license was successfully installed. If you run into an invalid license error message, please see the following list of some common causes:

    1. Make sure that you have administrative privileges when installing the license. You may need to contact your IT department to ask for assistance with this.
    2. Make sure that the Machine ID originated from the same computer that contains the MasterPlex Network License Manager and not one of the client computers. Also, double check that the machine ID is correct. Note that the “0″ may look like an “O” but there is no letter “O” in the machine ID. Please resubmit for another license if you have reported an incorrect machine ID.
    3. Make sure you have submitted the request for the correct software version. Please resubmit for another license if you have reported an incorrect version number.

Launch Client Software

  1. When an unlicensed version of MasterPlex is initially launched, a user will see the License Information window. If the License Information window does not pop up, you can do the following:
    • For MasterPlex QT v5.x, MasterPlex ReaderFit v2.x, and MasterPlex EX v2.x, go to License->Applications and click on the splashscreen for the application of interest.
    • For MasterPlex QT v4.x, MasterPlex ReaderFit v1.x, and MasterPlex EX v1.x, go to Help/Tools->Applications and click on the splashscreen for the application of interest.Image
    • For MasterPlex CT, MasterPlex GT v2.3 and below, MasterPlex QT v3.0 and below, and MasterPlex QT EX, go to Help->License Information.
      ImageImage
  2. Select Network Client License Mode and click Auto Detect to find the MasterPlex Network License Manager automatically.
  3. If it cannot find the license server automatically, you can manually type in the server information (IP address and port number) and click the Test button.
    Image
  4. To launch the software, press OK.

If you run into any issues launching or finding the MasterPlex Network License Manager, please make sure of the following:

  • The MasterPlex Network License Manager service has been started. (Please see instructions above for Starting the MasterPlex Network License Manager Service.
  • If you are using a firewall, please make sure the following ports have been added to the exceptions list:
    • 12405 (TCP)
    • 12483 (UDP)

    If you have edited the port numbers, please make sure you use your configuration instead.

LinkedInShare

How to export standard curve charts in MasterPlex ReaderFit and MasterPlex QT

Posted on by

There are several ways of exporting standard curve charts in MasterPlex and they are all available under the “Standard Curve” or “Fit Curves” tab:

  1. If you are only interested in exporting a particular standard curve. Make sure it is the active chart and simply right-click on the chart to pull up some export options.Image

    You will then have the option to either copy the image onto a clipboard to paste into a document or presentation or export the image into many different file types such as Bitmap, PNG, HTML, PDF, or Excel.

  2. If you want to export all the standard curves in one report, then click on the Print button Image. Next, select the All radio button and press OK. Once the Preview window pops up, click the Export Document button and numerous export options will appear that include:
    • PDF
    • HTML
    • MHT
    • RTF
    • Excel
    • CSV
    • Text
    • Image

    Image

LinkedInShare

What to do when ReaderFit or MasterPlex launches with error on non-English Windows OS

Posted on by

MasterPlex software is used by 1000′s of people across the world to analyze single and multi-plex ELISA data. Not everyone is running the English version of Windows! Here is some information to help users on non-English Windows installations who are running into problems installing and using MasterPlex software.

Symptoms:

  1. MasterPlex crashes when trying to start.
  2. User is running on non-English version of Microsoft Windows
  3. You see an error message such as this: MasterPlex is closed due to one or more errors. Le format de la chaine d’entree est incorrect.
  4. You use a decimal comma in your numbering system.
  5. You see an error message such as this: MasterPlex is closed due to the following error: Invalid number format.

Cause:

MasterPlex’s numbering system is set to use the comma “,” as the number grouping symbol and the period “.” as the decimal indicator symbol. Any difference in the numbering systems, for example the Italian numbering system, will cause MasterPlex to crash.

This problem can be solved by choosing English as the Standards and formats from the Regional and Language Options control panel.

Solution:

Change the Regional Language settings in Windows to correspond with the numbering settings needed by MasterPlex.

Windows XP

  1. Go to Start > Control Panel.
  2. Click on Regional and Language Options.
  3. Go to Regional Options tab > Standards and formats section and change option to “English (United States)”.
  4. Click OK to confirm the changes.
  5. The computer may ask you to restart, please do so if asked.

Windows Vista

  1. Go to Start > Control Panel.
  2. Click on Regional and Language Options.
  3. Go to Formats tab > Current Format section and change option to “English (United States)”.
  4. Go to Location tab > Current Location and change option to “United States”.
  5. Click OK to confirm the changes.
  6. The computer may ask you to restart, please do so if asked.

Windows 7

  1. Go to Start > Control Panel.
  2. Click on Region and Language.
  3. Go to Formats tab.
  4. Change to “English (United States)”.
  5. Click OK to confirm the changes.
  6. The computer may ask you to restart, please do so if asked.

Known Affected Versions:

  • MasterPlex QT: 4.x, v2.0
  • MasterPlex ReaderFit: 1.x, v2.0
  • MasterPlex EX: 1.x, v2.0

Don’ have MasterPlex or ReaderFit installed yet?

ReaderFit Desktop – Robust curve-fitting, quality control and reporting desktop software for single plex ELISA data (all Plate Readers)
Download Free Trial

MasterPlex QT – Robust curve-fitting, quality control and reporting desktop software for multiplex ELISA data (Luminex, Bio-Plex, Meso Scale Discovery and Applied BioCode platforms)
Download Free Trial

LinkedInShare

What exactly is “MFI” that is output from Luminex xMAP/Bio-Plex platforms?

Posted on by

The Luminex and Bio-Plex platforms output 2 major pieces of data from an acquisition: MFI and bead count.

Let’s focus on MFI which stands for Median Fluoresence Intensity and NOT Mean Fluorescense Intensity.

Why do we use median and not mean?

Simply put, the median statistic is less sensitive to outliers where there is an inherent carryover of about 0.9% from these instruments. That is one of the reasons why Luminex recommends at least a minimum bead count of 35 to get statistically significant data but 50-100 is strongly suggested.

Here is an oversimplified example of why median is preferred over mean. Let’s say we are running a 1-plex with just 2 samples: A high control (well A1) and a low control (well A2). We have set a minimum bead count of 11. You will see in a second why I chose this odd number (no pun intended).

When we push the Acquisition button on our imaginary instrument, it begins reading well A1 with our high control and reads the following fluorescence intensities of 11 individual beads:

7833, 7609, 8335, 6900, 7354, 7234, 8120, 7777 (jackpot!), 7158, 7982, 7083

To figure out the median value, let’s place these readings in numerical order and the middle reading will be our median value.

6900, 7083, 7158, 7234, 7354, 7609, 7833, 7777 (jackpot!), 7982, 8120, 8335

Since we have an odd number of beads, the median value is simply the middle number which in this case is 7609. If this were an even count, we would have to take the average of the middle 2 readings after they are placed in order but that would just be too much work for me to do for this example. 7609 is the MFI value that this instrument would report for this particular analyte in well A1.

After the instrument reaches the minimum bead count for well A1, it moves on to well A2. (The probe actually goes back down in well A1 and spits out some of the leftover sample plus some additional sheath fluid but there is still a good chance there will be left over beads from A1.) Let’s say our imaginary instrument reports the following fluorescent intensities for A2 (our low control):

8001, 209, 7315, 199, 189, 217, 207, 186, 188, 208, 7917

Let’s place these readings in numerical order to figure out the MFI:

186, 188, 189, 199, 207, 208, 209, 217, 7315, 7917, 8001

The MFI value for the same analyte (we’re only doing a 1-plex) in well A2 is 208. Note though, that we had 3 pretty high readings (7315, 7917, 8001) that were most likely carried over from well A1. 3 out of 11 or 28% carryover is insanely high but I just wanted to illustrate this point that even though we had 28% carryover, we still have a respectable median (or MFI) value of 208 =)

If we used the mean fluorescence intensity, our value would be 2258 which is just bananas!

So in conclusion, the median statistic is preferred over the mean because the median is less sensitive to outliers or beads that are carried over from a previous well.

Thanks for tuning in!

If you have any questions or would like an explanation on other aspects of the Luminex technology feel free to comment below and we’ll try our best to address them!

LinkedInShare

Live Free Webinar: Getting the Most Out of Your Multiplex Data

Posted on by

Getting the Most Out of Your Multiplex Data

Join us for a Webinar on November 17
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/912925441
Join us for our next webinar, Getting the Most Out of Your Multiplex Data, on Wednesday November 17th, 11AM to 12PM PST.

In this complimentary webinar hosted by Hitachi Solutions, presenter Robert Lynde will highlight the power of MasterPlex QT for quantitative analysis of multiplex data.

The sheer volume of multiplex data from the Luminex, Bio-Plex, Meso Scale Discovery (MSD), LiquiChip and the new MAGPIX systems can be quite daunting to work with.  MasterPlex QT is a cross-platform solution that makes quantitative analysis of this data amazingly easy through its intuitive user interface and powerful features such as the Best Fit and Quality Control Manager.

This webinar will take you through a demonstration of the power of MasterPlex QT.  Topics include:

  • File importing
  • Setting up the plate
  • Quality Control Manager
  • Best Fit
  • Viewing & exporting results

Instrument compatibility for MasterPlex QT:

  • Luminex 100 (LX100)
  • Luminex 200 (LX200)
  • Bio-Plex 100
  • Bio-Plex 200
  • FlexMAP 3D
  • MAGPIX
  • LiquiChip 200 Workstation
  • SECTOR Imager 6000
  • SECTOR Imager 2400
  • SECTOR PR 400
  • SECTOR PR 100
Title:   Getting the Most Out of Your Multiplex Data
Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PST
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer


LinkedInShare

MasterPlex QT 2010 Just Released!

Posted on by

We have listened carefully to our customers’ requests and the result: MasterPlex QT 2010!

Here is a list of what’s new in QT 2010:

  • Acquire Results with One Click
    Templates can now store curve fitting parameters along with all your plate layout information. With a push of a button, your entire plate layout is loaded (along with your standard information) and your results will be automatically calculated for you.
  • Quality Control Manager with new Upper Limit of Detection (ULOD)
    The Quality Control Manager is now included in every copy of MasterPlex QT 2010. In addition, we have now added the ULOD to help further refine your results.

    Upper Limit of Detection

  • Added Compatibility for the Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) Platform
    MasterPlex QT 2010 is now fully compatible with data files from MSD’s MULTI-ARRAY® instruments.
  • More Flexible Data Table
    Results for replicate samples can now be merged together for a cleaner look with a push of the Merge Cells By Group button.

    Merge replicate samples in the Data Table

  • EC50/IC50 Field Available in the Data Table
    The EC50/IC50 values are now available (from 4PL & 5PL curve fits) in the Data Table for report generation via the Columns Selector.

    EC50/IC50 field available in results table

  • EC(anything) or IC(anything) Calculation
    Need to calculate the EC90 value? The new EC(anything) feature can calculate and report any value you need.

    EC(anything) or IC(anything) calculation

  • More Flexible Standard Curve Chart
    You can now customize standard curve chart titles and X&Y axes.

    Customizable Chart Title and X&Y Axes

Try the Free 14-Day Trial of MasterPlex QT 2010!

Are you planning to upgrade from an earlier version of MasterPlex QT?

Here is a list of features from previous versions:

  • MasterPlex QT v4.1
    • Quality Control Manager (optional in v4.1 but it is built into v5)
    • Step-by-step video tutorials to guide the full analysis workflow
    • Copy and paste Group Names
    • Get at-a-glance views of all points on the standard curve by simply hovering over with your mouse
  • MasterPlex QT v4.0
    • New user-friendly interface
    • Added new options for BestFit to optimize for Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Least Deviation from %Recovery
    • Plot unknown wells on the standard curve chart
    • Copy and paste Sample Names
    • Compatible with 384-well data.
    • Compatible with xPONENT 3.1 and 4.0
    • Improved Bio-Plex data file compatibility
    • Added 21 CFR Part 11/GxP (GCP, GLP, GMP) compliance module (optional)
    • Added AssayCheX module for easy analysis of the AssayCheX Process Control Panel
  • MasterPlex QT v3.0
    • Normalized data can be viewed in Charts and Reports
    • Analyte names can be edited from the plate panel
    • Double-click to enter edit-mode for data that is editable such as sample name or dilution factor
    • Added HTML viewer to view custom reports
    • Compatible with xPONENT 2.x
  • MasterPlex QT v2.5
    • Full support for Gene Expression data analysis
    • Customizable reports
    • Concurrent network licensing
    • Average, Standard Deviation, and %CV for MFI group replicates can be viewed in the Plate tab
    • Added error bars to bar graphs for replicate groups
    • Automatic outlier detection based on standard deviation
    • Ability to increase plex of the Virtual Plate feature by adding any analyte as a new analyte to an existing Virtual Plate
    • Support for Luminex 100/200 based systems such as IS 2.3
  • MasterPlex QT v2.0
    • Added weighting options for more accurate curve fits
    • Added more reporting options including export to Excel
    • Added intensity map
    • Optimized curve fitting algorithms
    • Errors bars added for replicate standards in the standard curve chart
    • Virtual Plate feature implemented
    • Residual and % Recovery statistics added to the Standard Curve tab
LinkedInShare

Live Free Webinar – “From Genes to Proteins: Multiplex Assays for Studying Gene Regulation and Cell Function”

Posted on by

From Genes to Proteins: Multiplex Assays for Studying Gene Regulation and Cell Function

Join us for a Webinar on June 30
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/347794241
Biomarkers for studying gene regulation and cell function can be efficiently analyzed by multiplexed methods.  Dr. Jim Lazar from OriGene Technologies will provide an overview of four different but related detection technologies that can be used to analyze genetic variants, microRNA expression, transcription factor binding, and protein expression on the Luminex xMAP platform.  OriGene’s broad panel of assays and tools for discovery, analysis and validation of multiple classes of important biomarkers will allow researcher to develop more accurate descriptions of biologically complex systems.
Title:   From Genes to Proteins: Multiplex Assays for Studying Gene Regulation and Cell Function
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer


LinkedInShare

The importance of weighting with the 4PL and 5PL

Posted on by

We recently had a customer that was interested in MasterPlex QT because his current analysis software for his Bio-Plex instrument was reporting a lot of “OOR <” or out of range concentration values (below the lower asymptote in this case) for points on the lower end of curve. This is what you would normally expect to see for values that fall below the minimum asymptote BUT the software did not have the capability to use weighting in calculating the lower asymptote which can greatly affect points on the lower part of the curve.
Continue reading →

LinkedInShare

7 New Free Custom Reports for MasterPlex QT v4.x

Posted on by

We have just added 7 new report templates for you to freely use with the Export Manager in MasterPlex QT v4.x.

As you will see, some of these are capable of outputting some pretty comprehensive statistics such as the lower limit of detection (llod) and conditional formatting where wells that exceed certain thresholds will be marked for you automatically. To view the sample screenshots of each report, click on the Details button.

Please refer to our community forum for detailed instructions on using the Export Manager.

If you would like to have a custom report template created for you, we can provide it as a service.  Please feel free to contact us at info@miraibio.com for details.

LinkedInShare
Back to Top