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This tab is used to define and organize the different trials that will have to be carried out. It also makes it possible to choose the animals which will have to carry out these trials.
The trials :
For each stage, it is possible to define up to 3 independent factors (or parameters), each comprising a finite number of values. The trials correspond to the different possible combinations of the values of the factors.
For example the following configuration :
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means that for each animal, 2 tests will be carried out (one on a smooth bottom and one on a rough bottom) on 5 different days: 2 tests at D - 1 week, then 2 tests at D - 24 hours (6 days more later), then 2 tests on "D-Day" (1 day later), etc.
The total number of trials for this step is 5 * 2 = 10 trials.
The delay column is used to specify the delay (in days, hours and minutes) to respect with respect to the previous element. For example 24 hours between "D - 24 hours" and "D day". Combined with the start date and time of the step, this data is used to plan the tests.
Animals selection :
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The "Animals" block is used to select the animals that must perform this stage. To exclude an animal, simply uncheck the corresponding box.
Notes on animal selection :
•Animals are assigned in the order in which they were created.
•Animals created later are automatically added to the end of the list and are selected to perform the stage.
If the stage is scheduled to start on a certain date, it is possible to specify a different start date and time for each animal. To do this, simply select the animals concerned by clicking on their name (you can use the CTRL and SHIFT keys to select several animals) and click on .png) .
Automatique test creation et planning :
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If the "Create tests automatically" option is checked, Ethotrack automatically creates all the corresponding tests (ie one test for each trial and each animal). Tests are created dynamically based on changes in the experiment. For example if an animal is added later, all tests for this new animal will be created automatically. Similarly, if an animal is excluded, all tests that have not yet been recorded will be automatically deleted.
To plan the tests, it is possible to specify the date and time of the recording of the first test of the stage. Next tests will be scheduled based on this date and the delay value specified for the various factor items.
Test planning notes :
•If an animal is added after the start of a stage, the tests for this animal will be scheduled from the date the animal was created.
•If a test is recorded on a different date than scheduled, all subsequent tests of the animal will be automatically rescheduled based on the real date of recording to meet the time between trials.
Tests order :
The order of the factors and the animals selection block détermines the order of the tests.
In the following example :
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Tests will be created in the following order :
"D - 1 week", "Smooth bottom","Animal 001"
then : "D - 1 week", "Smooth bottom","Animal 002"
...
then : "D - 1 week", "Smooth bottom","Animal 009"
then : "D - 1 week", "Rough bottom","Animal 001"
then : "D - 1 week", "Rough bottom","Animal 002"
...
In the following example :
.png)
Tests will be created in the following order :
"D - 1 week","Animal 001", "Smooth bottom"
next : "D - 1 week","Animal 001", "Rough bottom"
next : "D - 1 week","Animal 002", "Smooth bottom"
next : "D - 1 week","Animal 002", "Rough bottom"
...
next : "D - 24 hours","Animal 001", "Smooth bottom"
...
Selection of tests to create :
By default, Ethotrack generates one test per animal and per trial. It is possible to precisely control the tests to be generated by creating exclusion rules.
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Stage copy :
From the second stage, you can easily create a stage similar to a previous one. To do this, you can either :
•Check the box .png) : in this case the tests of the new step cannot be modified and any modification in the source step is automatically carried over to the new step. You can of course change the date and time of the start of the recording.
• Utse the button .png) to make a copy of the source stage. You can the edit the copy.
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