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tags: cage testing, respirometry, macmanes
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# Cage testing 03Feb20

Question:

1. Does the measurement of empty cages show a diurnal pattern.
- this could suggest that NOT incorporating temperature in macro is a critical oversight..

2. Pump drive:
- We discovered that 40% was the "power" that the SS4 was using. This might be appropriate when flow rates are set lower, e.g., 500ml/min, but given we are setting to 1800ml/min, we might need more power.
- Are flow rates more stable with more power?
- We set SS4 Baseline, 0, 2,5, to 80% while the others were set to 60% (which is still increased from previous 40%). Are the 80% pumps more stable in flow rate delivery?

I added parafilm to portholes at teh beginning of cage 4 (see below). I maybe think that temperature is rising, but then it falls? again?? Maybe there are minor variations in temperature in the room?? Or maybe temp and flow rate are related??

##### Is the top shelf noisier than the bottom shelf?? See 0,1,2,3 versus 4,5,6?? The only thing is that baseline is slightly noisy as well..


- no diurnal pattern (may not need to incorporate Temperature into macros)
- so is diurnal pattern animal-driven?

#### 20 hours of recording empt cages, no water

Good clean measurement of VCO2. Note weird spike in the beginning. I assume all of htese would be + (above baseline) if there were animals.


Good clean measurement of VO2. Note weird spike in the beginning. I assume all of htese would be + (above baseline) if there were animals.


Water is weird. there are no water bottles. some cages show significant deviation - esp 1,2,3? Lots of variation, esp at (I think) period where temperature is ramping up or down??


This is raw data for O2. Not sure what this big drop is all about. Maybe it's me playing with flow rate?? Otherwise it's quite stable Maybe human was in the room?


This is raw data for H2O. The patterning is weird and I can't really explain.


This is CO2. Again, I don't really understand why those few big peaks.

#### Summary

1. in general, I think there is weak evidence for diurnal patterning, but hard to really see with only 20 hours of data.. Will do a 2 day measurement.
2. Is the amount of noise expected?
3. What is up with water?
4. Is the top shelf noisier than the bottom shelf?? in terms of flow rates (vibration??)