Knowledge Base

Introduction to Trial Control

This manual covers trial and hardware control in EthoVision XT version 18.

The Trial Control Screen

• The components pane
• The trial control window
• Maximum trial duration pane

Program Trial Control

• Procedure
• Conditions
• Actions
• Trial control variables
• External commands
• External commands: arena- and trial-specific
• Operators
• Re-use trial control elements
• Frequently-occurring cases
• Test the trial control sequence
• Apply trial control to your trials

The Start-Stop Trial Rule

• The default start-stop trial rule
• Customize the start-stop trial rule
• Examples of start-stop trial rules

Sub-Rules

• Use sub-rules
• Create a sub-rule
• Create a reference to a sub-rule
• Sub-rule start conditions
• Sub-rule stop conditions
• Place the sub-rule reference in the trial control sequence
• End a sub-rule
• Call a sub-rule from another sub-rule

Conditions

• Conditions based on time
• Conditions based on a time interval
• Conditions based on a trial control variable
• Conditions based on a dependent variable
• Subjects in a condition
• When is a condition met?
• Conditions based on behaviors scored manually
• Conditions based on hardware devices

Variables

• Distance Moved: Total distance traveled by the subject.
• Velocity: Speed of the subject.
• Movement: General movement detection.
• Acceleration: Rate of change of velocity.
• In Zone: Whether the subject is within a defined zone.
• Distance to Zone: Distance from the subject to a zone.
• Distance to Point: Distance from the subject to a point.
• Meander: Change in heading relative to distance moved.
• Target Visits and Errors: Visits to target zones and error counts.
• Zone Alternation: Alternation between zones.
• Zone Transition: Transitions from one zone to another.
• Heading: Direction the subject is moving.
• Heading to Point: Direction from subject toward a point.
• Head Direction: Orientation of the subject's head.
• Head Directed to Zone: Whether the head is directed toward a zone.
• Turn Angle: Angle turned by the subject.
• Angular Velocity: Rate of turning.
• Activity: Level of activity detected.
• Body Elongation: Elongation of the subject's body.
• Body Elongation State: State derived from body elongation.
• Body Angle: Angle of the subject's body.
• Body Angle State: State derived from body angle.
• Mobility: Degree of mobility of the subject.
• Mobility State: State derived from mobility.
• Rotation: Rotational movement of the subject.
• JavaScript Variables: Custom variables defined via JavaScript.
• Distance Between Subjects: Distance between two tracked subjects.
• Proximity: Whether subjects are within a defined proximity.
• Body Contact: Detection of physical contact between subjects.
• Relative Movement: Movement of one subject relative to another.
• Net Weighted Movement: Net weighted movement value.
• Weighted Movement From: Weighted movement away from a reference.
• Weighted Movement To: Weighted movement toward a reference.
• Conditions Based on Multiple Dependent Variables: Combining multiple variables in a condition.

Control Hardware Devices

• Devices supported in EthoVision XT
• Work with multiple devices
• Connect the hardware devices
• Set the port connections
• Assign devices to arenas
• Test the hardware devices
• Program trial control with hardware devices

The USB-IO Box and the Mini USB-IO Box

• The USB-IO box
• Install the USB-IO box
• Connect the USB-IO box to devices
• Use multiple USB-IO boxes
• Test the USB-IO box
• Jumper and DIP switch settings
• Configure EthoVision XT
• The Mini USB-IO box
• The TTL port tester
• The optical isolated TTL-IO interface
• Technical specifications

User-Defined Device Types

• Overview of user-defined device types
• In a nutshell
• Define a new device type
• Sample file
• Predefined IDs
• XML file entries

Analysis of Trial Control Data

• What do you want to do?
• Trial control events
• Trial control states
• Analyze the data within trial control states
• Trial control variables
• Hardware command
• Hardware continuous variable
• Hardware state variable
• Free intervals based on trial control and hardware data
• The analysis results
• Export trial control data

Apply Different Protocols to Different Arenas

• Introduction
• Simple case: two arenas
• Advanced case: six arenas

Source: EthoVision XT 18 - THC - Trial and Hardware Control, Noldus Information Technology