DILOG INSTRUMENTS, INC.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA

Dear DiLog Instruments Customers, Starting with my development of a two bottle brief access taste apparatus at Florida State University for Dr. James C. Smith during the mid 1980’s, it became clear to me that many scientists would find the brief access technique valuable in taste research. Dr. Smith’s inspiration to develop several versions of the apparatus for this purpose was stimulated by a 1973 paper by Dr. John (“Jack”) D. Davis. The protocol became known as the “Davis Procedure” and the apparatus was called the “Davis Rig”. Having a moonlight custom instrumentation business (DiLog Instruments, Inc.), several requests for “Davis Rigs” were received including one from Jack Davis who was then at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Further interactions with scientists lead to development of an 8 tube system that was introduced by DiLog Instruments, Inc. as the MS-80 at the 1991 Neuroscience meeting. Later, a 16 tube version became available, with which Dr. John I. Glendinning and Dr. Alan C. Spector developed more refined procedures for testing mice in the Davis Rig. This required more advanced protocols including software developed by Dr. Spector himself. The results of this work were published in 2002. After this publication, researchers from all over the world have been asking for Davis Rigs with the ability to easily implement complex protocols. It has been my pleasure to work with many researchers who provided suggestions to adapt and improve the device and the software, resulting in the present configuration of the Davis Rig. More recently, I have not been able to provide upgrades, prompt delivery, and the service needed in today’s demanding research environment. The time has come for me to pass on the Davis Rig to another entity, so that this important research tool will continue to be available in the years ahead. During the past several months, I have been working with Med Associates, Inc. who will be taking over future development, manufacture, and support of the Davis Rig. Med Associates has the ideal team to take on this task, as they have over 45 years experience in providing instrumentation and software for behavioral neuroscience research. Their Vice President of Research and Development, Dr. Gerry Herrera, was trained in basic science and has a PhD in Physiology. He understands the importance of excellent instrumentation in research. We have been discussing needed upgrades, such as a USB interface to work with modern computers, and the option of a lick count terminated rinse between taste solutions. Med Associates has a staff of electrical, mechanical, and software engineers, and the manufacturing facility required to efficiently produce and maintain a product such as the Davis Rig. I believe they will be able to better fulfill your needs maintaining existing systems, and developing exciting upgrades. It has been my pleasure working with all of you in support of your research over the years. I value the collaborations and relationships we have established. I trust your research needs will be in good hands with Med Associates.  Ross Henderson President, DiLog Instruments, Inc.  Dear DiLog Instruments Customers, We are very pleased to announce that Med Associates has acquired the Davis Rig product line from DiLog Instruments. We will now be able to offer this system to researchers going forward. This is an exciting development for us. We believe the Davis Rig is a perfect fit for our behavioral neuroscience offerings. We have had much interest from our customers over the years wanting to do brief access lickometer studies, and so we are now happy to be able to offer this solution to researchers. Med Associates is a small family-owned business. We were founded by my Father-In-Law, Karl Zurn, back in 1972. Karl is an electrical engineer, and he worked closely with research scientists to develop practical engineering solutions to research needs. With a focus on animal behavior and neuroscience, Med Associates developed the first widely used commercial interface and software for controlling behavioral research protocols, which became Med PC®. The Davis Rig will fit right in with our other standard behavioral neuroscience test systems, such as Conditioned Place Preference, Operant Conditioning, Drug Self-Administration, Drug Discrimination, Dilution Olfactometer, etc. Our expertise in animal behavioral research equipment, electronic interfaces, and software will be directly applicable to the Davis Rig line of Brief Access Lickometers. Currently, Med Associates is managed by me, and my brother- and sister-in-law, Valdemar and Bridget Garibay. We are all committed to providing quality research equipment for neuroscience research. We place a high importance on our employees, and we value their knowledge, skills, and expertise. We are proud of our team of employees, which consists of a manufacturing staff of fabrication specialists and machinists, electrical and mechanical assemblers, inventory handlers, logistics and procurement coordinators, and quality assurance and test technicians, sales and customer support teams, research and development staff, and administrative personnel. Our manufacturing team utilizes contemporary CAD and CAM solutions, such as CNC machinery, automated pick-and-place PCB SMT, and other test and measurement technology. Our development team consists of electrical, software, and mechanical engineers and technicians with the latest state-of-the-art tools for 3-D design and modeling. Our Sales and Customer Support staff have many decades of combined experience in several facets of our business, which makes them very capable of handling all your support needs, whether it is identifying equipment for new purchases, replacement of existing systems, or technical support. We will be able to apply all of these resources to customers familiar with the DiLog Instruments Davis Rig apparatus for brief access lickometery. We look forward to being able to serve you as a customer. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about Med Associates, our capabilities, availability of the Davis Rig going forward, or if you have any suggestions for further developments to meet your research needs.