Measuring animal activity in the context of light/dark phase and social proximity

在光/暗阶段和社会接近度的背景下测量动物活动

• 批准号: RTI-2020-00465
• 负责人: Niel, Lee
• 金额: $ 2.21万
• 依托单位: University of Guelph
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Research Tools and Instruments
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=683715
• 关键词: Measuring; animal; activity; context; light

Automated behavioural assessment has become an indispensable tool for large scale, high quality, animal-based studies. In years past, collection of detailed behavioural data required labour intensive scoring during either live observations or video assessment, but with recent technological advancements many measures can now be obtained efficiently and objectively using automated equipment. The Actigraph system is the most widely used activity monitoring equipment for human research, and it has also been increasingly used in recent years for research examining dogs and horses. In addition to activity monitoring, the ActiGraph wGT3X-BT includes a luxometer to measure light levels, and a proximity sensor that can detect other units, whether mounted on animate or inanimate objects. Assessment of activity in the context of light levels is particularly important for research where light levels are variable from day to day, either due to human interference or season. The proximity sensor dramatically expands the capacity for automated behavioural assessment, since it allows for automated assessment of social interactions (e.g., between animals, or between humans and animals), and of time budgets in relation to use of various inanimate objects within the environment (e.g., feeders, resting areas). This is an important technological advancement for the research described in this application, since long-term, observer-based behaviour scoring is entirely impractical in private home and work environments where owners are resistant to the presence of observers or videos cameras. Thus, automated assessment is the only feasible and cost-effective method for collection of these types of data in these private environments. Our team includes a diverse group of researchers (three co-applicants and five collaborators) that require a sophisticated system for automated behavioural assessment for use in cats, dogs and horses. We will use this equipment to conduct cutting edge research aimed at improving nutrition, health and welfare for cats and dogs, and developing control strategies to prevent infectious disease outbreaks in horses and other farm species. This equipment will be heavily used by trainees, who will gain valuable skills in automated behaviour assessment that will be important to their future success as independent researchers.********

自动化的行为评估已经成为大规模、高质量、以动物为基础的研究不可或缺的工具。在过去的几年里，收集详细的行为数据需要在现场观察或视频评估期间进行劳动密集型评分，但随着最近的技术进步，现在可以使用自动化设备有效和客观地获得许多措施。Actigraph系统是人类研究中使用最广泛的活动监测设备，近年来它也越来越多地被用于研究检查狗和马。除了活动监测，Actigraph wGT3X-BT还包括一个测量光线水平的奢侈品计量器，以及一个可以检测其他单元的接近传感器，无论是安装在有生命的还是无生命的物体上。在光照水平的背景下对活动的评估对于光照水平因人为干扰或季节而每天变化的研究尤其重要。接近传感器极大地扩展了自动行为评估的能力，因为它允许自动评估社会互动(例如，动物之间或人与动物之间)，以及与环境中各种无生命物体(例如，喂食者、休息区)的使用有关的时间预算。对于本申请中描述的研究来说，这是一项重要的技术进步，因为从长远来看，基于观察者的行为评分在私人家庭和工作环境中是完全不切实际的，因为业主拒绝观察者或摄像机的存在。因此，自动化评估是在这些私人环境中收集这些类型的数据的唯一可行和具有成本效益的方法。我们的团队包括一组不同的研究人员(三名共同申请者和五名合作者)，他们需要一个复杂的自动行为评估系统，用于猫、狗和马。我们将利用这种设备进行尖端研究，旨在改善猫狗的营养、健康和福利，并制定控制策略，以防止马和其他农场物种爆发传染病。受训者将大量使用这种设备，他们将在自动化行为评估方面获得宝贵的技能，这对他们未来作为独立研究人员的成功非常重要。