www.tracksys.co.uk0115 922 4539September 2017

Welcome to Tracksys Behavioural News Autumn 2017

Tracksys have designed and built an Automated Radial Maze that is available to buy and is compatible with tethered animals that are being used for electrophysiological and / or optogenetic studies.

We also have the release of EthoVision XT 13 which has a host of new features to increase what you can measure automatically, and to get more results from each study. Also featured are the latest additions to MindWare Technologies BioLab software.

There's also news of recent improvements to the Durham Sleep Lab we installed, use of The Observer in a study of how babies learn at Dundee and the new Tracksys Facebook and Twitter feeds.

In this issue:

  • Tracksys Automated Radial Maze
  • EthoVision XT 13 released
  • New features for Mindware Technologies BioLab software
  • Parent-Infant Sleep Lab upgrade
  • The Observer used in studies of learning in babies at Dundee
  • Tracksys on Facebook and Twitter

Product Updates

Radial maze

Automated Radial Maze

Tracksys is excited to introduce a new Automated Radial Maze. A unique design means the maze doors rise from the floor, eliminating the traditional guillotine doors. This means the maze can easily be used with tethered animals for electrophysiological and / or optogenetic experiments. The maze can be controlled by EthoVision XT with any protocol required.

Adding value to the new maze, the central section can be removed and replaced with inserts converting the maze to 'T' or 'Y' maze configuration. This also saves space and allows easy switching between different experiments.

The maze comes with options including IR or white light variants, and optional pellet dispensers. For more information on the new maze contact us.

Mer

EthoVision XT 13 released

Announcing the release of EthoVision XT 13 with a host of unique new features to increase what you can measure automatically, and what you can add to your tracking to get much more from your data.

  • Automatic recognition of behaviours such as jumping and grooming.
  • New functionality for the Manual Event Recorder including live and offline scoring, reduced speed (frame-by-frame) scoring and using scored behaviours for trial and hardware control.
  • Define your own parameters via multi-condition variables e.g. based on heading, movement and location.
  • Free interval analysis - compare behaviours before and after a time, behaviour or trial control condition.

For more information on the new version contact us.

Analysis

BioLab new features from MindWare Technologies

There are a host of new features for BioLab - the free application, to view, edit and export data from MindWare hardware, including:-

  • Integration with Noldus Media Recorder.
  • Added support for event detection e.g. for synchronising with external systems such as eyetrackers.
  • Support for user confirgurations created on different computers.
  • Support for remote control and event markers via UDP.

User Stories

Sleep

Parent-Infant Sleep Lab. upgrade

The Parent-Infant Sleep Lab in the Department of Anthropology at Durham University has been updated to the latest Noldus software including Noldus Media Recorder and The Observer XT 14. The updates integrate with the existing Behavioural Observation Lab system that Tracksys installed.

Dr Charlotte Russell oversees the Lab which typically uses the Noldus software to record video of parents and infants for up to 10 hours together with synchronous physiology recordings. Both are then analysed in The Observer XT.

News Stories

Baby

The Observer used to study learning in babies

Researchers at Dundee University have used The Observer in studies that show that babies can learn from social experiences in their first days of life. The well-established 'still face procedure' was used on one day and babies became distressed when this was repeated the day after; indicating learning. The Observer was used in frame-by-frame analysis of the responses of the babies.

'This research shows not only the impressive communicative sensitivity of the newborn infant, but also that they have the ability to learn about social interactions from the earliest age and to repair interactional errors'  Dr Emese Nagy.

Results of the research can be found here.

Twitter

Tracksys on Facebook and Twitter

We now have social media accounts through Facebook and Twitter making it easier for researchers to keep up with developments, research activities and other news. Please join us and tell us what you think of what we offer and how we deliver it!

Training

05 December

Observer XT Training Workshop.

06 December

EthoVision XT Training Workshop.

Conferences

11 - 15 November

Society For Neuroscience. Washington DC

28 - 29 November

British Association for Sport and Exercise Science. East Midland Conference Centre

www.tracksys.co.uk0115 922 4539September 2017

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