News

Wed, Mar 01 2023

LoliTrack 5.2.0 is out!

The latest version of LoliTrack 5 has been released. Version 5.2.0 contains several new features, improvements, and some bug fixes.

 

IMPORTANT - Keylok license dongle. LoliTrack 5.2.0 requires a Keylok USB license dongle. Without the dongle, LoliTrack 5.2.0 will only run in demo mode (i.e., no data export). Previous turquoise Wibu dongles will not unlock LoliTrack 5.2.0. Contact us if you need a Keylok dongle.

 

 

The frequency analyzer. A frequency analyzer allows you to calculate frequencies from video recordings. This is a helpful tool for automated measurements of heart rate, tail beat, ventilation, and other types of frequencies. The Frequency analyzer also allows for volume calculations, which enables you to estimate stroke volume, pumping volume, etc.:

 

 

You will find the Frequency analyzer in the main menu.

 

 

Another way to utilize the frequency analyzer is in the Analysis tab in Tracking 2D. This tool is especially useful for tail beat frequency analysis. Under the Bend graph, you will find the analyzer in the lower right corner:

 

 

Batch processing. You now have the option of batch tracking multiple videos in 2D. This is especially useful if you have multiple videos recorded in the same setup. Simply, track your first video like you normally would, and then apply the same settings to multiple videos. The batch processing window will tell you how much time is left:

 

 

Custom object color. To help discriminate between similar looking organisms (e.g., zebrafish) you can now specify the exact color of each tracked object and label it. Click the color box to customize the color according to your liking. The selected color will be reflected on the video preview:

 

 

Other features

  • LoliTrack 5 now supports more camera models for video recording.
  • You can now save arena and treatment setups.
  • “Convex hull” area estimation is now a data parameter that can be exported for object in 2D tracking.
  • You can now change the thickness of rendered trajectories in 3D.
  • You can now choose from three different spine tracking options in the Tracking tab in Tracking 2D.
  • Added distortion correction for when videos are distorted, e.g., for wide-angle videos.

 

Improvements

  • Overall speed improvement of tracking and analysis
  • Improved performance of the video recorder
  • Improved filter options and speed with integration of filter tools from ShuttleSoft 3.

 

Bug fixes

  • Fixed bug which prevented image export in 2D.
  • Fixed a bug where exporting videos may take up a lot of memory and crash.
  • Fixed a bug where video could not be exported as .avi

Wed, Feb 22 2023

RespFest 2023

RespFest is a conference focused on respirometry. The aim of the meeting is to discuss the latest advances, the difficulties encountered, and optimization of methodologies in model organisms to learn more about this aspect of physiology. RespFest 2023 is free of charge, but requires registration which can be done here:

 

Création d'un compte (univ-lr.fr)

 

The 2023 meeting takes place in the Coutant amphitheatre of La Rochelle aquarium in the city of La Rochelle, France, from the 2nd to 3rd of May.

 

More information about the program: RespFest - Respirometry for physiologically oriented questions (univ-lr.fr)

 

More information about the social events: RespFest - Respirometry for physiologically oriented questions (univ-lr.fr)

Tue, Feb 14 2023

Shuttle box for sticklebacks

Natalie Pilakouta, Shaun Killen, Kevin Parsons, and their collaborators used our shuttle box system with the ID 400 mm shuttle tank to study whether exposure to different thermal environments has led to changes in preferred temperatures in the wild in populations of freshwater three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Their findings suggest that stickleback from warm and cold natural habitats both prefer the same temperature of 13 oC.

Boxplot graph on picture is copied from the paper.

 

Full article:

Geothermal stickleback populations prefer cool water despite multigenerational exposure to a warm environment

Natalie Pilakouta, Shaun S. Killen, Bjarni K. Kristjánsson, Skúli Skúlason, Jan Lindström, Neil B. Metcalfe, Kevin J. Parsons (2023)

Ecology and Evolution

Link to article

Fri, Feb 03 2023

Sponsoring the Nothobranchius Symposium 2023

The 5th Nothobranchius Symposium 2023 is a biennial meeting that serves as a platform for researchers with an interest in all aspects of Nothobranchius biology from biomedical to ecological research to meet and discuss ideas.

We are sponsoring the symposium which takes place in Leuven, 1-2 June, 2023, in order to support this interesting scientific community.

Twitter hashtag: #Notho2023

For more info about the meeting, please visit: https://notho-2023.be/

Sun, Jan 01 2023

Our new website is online!

If you are a regular visitor on our website, you may have noticed some changes. In other words, we are excited to announce that our new website is now online!

Our website has got a complete makeover compared to the previous, and now 5 years old, website, and we have introduced some needed functionality. You now have easier access from the homepage to our large resource library with quick guides, video tutorials, FAQs and more as well as a quick overview of the latest published papers. On the product pages, you will also find that features, specifications, resources are now easier to find. Simply click the side-menu to switch between the content pages for each product:

 

Important information like Product #, Customs tariff #, and Shipping weight is now more visible:

 

 

A new search functionality has been added, so that you can search all the content on our website directly from the search bar in the top menu. It is now easier than ever to find that specific quick guide, published paper, or software download page.

We will also gradually introduce 3D viewing capabilities for product showcasing and as resources for system setup.

We hope you enjoy our new website as much as we do!

Thu, Sept 15 2022

Sponsoring the Europhysiology meeting

The Europhysiology 2022 meeting begins tomorrow! We are thrilled to be sponsoring this exciting meeting, which takes place in Copenhagen from the 16th-18th of September.

We will be showcasing our latest products in booth #18!

Fri, Aug 05 2022

SETAC Europe partners

You can now find Loligo® Systems under the SETAC Europe Partners list! As of 2022, we are now officially participating in the SETAC Europe Exhibition Partner Programme, and we are happy to be supporting this great society even more.

Click here for more information.

Tue, Jul 05 2022

A decade of Aqualab

The Harald Crabtree Aqualab: Centre for Aquatic Sciences can now celebrate 10 years as a highly active research lab! A recent article enlightens some of the over 50 people that has been working in the lab, and how the lab has shaped the academic life of many researchers.

The article has been published by Mount Allison University, and can be found here: Mount Allison’s Harold Crabtree Aqualab turns 10 | Mount Allison (mta.ca)

Twitter users may also like to read (and retweet!) Dr. Tyson MacCormack’s tweet about the news: Scienfisht på Twitter: "The HC Aqualab at Mount Allison is impressive and it has now been running (in its current form) for a decade! (pictured in the article is one of my well-used/abused @LoligoSystems swim tunnels) https://t.co/Sx2HvhcE24" / Twitter

The Loligo® Systems team congratulates Aqualab on its decennial anniversary. We hope for (at least) another 10 years of top tier research, and we encourage all to check out their facilities.

Mon, Feb 21 2022

New Shuttle Box Software and Hardware

Check out our new shuttle box systems

We offer complete and fully automated shuttle box systems for preference/avoidance experiments in aquatic invertebrates and fish. The systems include all the necessary hardware and software for experiments with temperature, oxygen, salinity, pH/CO2, and combinations hereof.

Simply choose a core shuttle box system, and then add up to two add-on shuttle box systems to run a full featured 3-tank setup. In other words, you can now run three shuttle tanks at the same time, and you can even track multiple objects per tank thanks to our new ShuttleSoft 3 software.

For the first time since 2009, a new and major upgraded version of our ShuttleSoft software is available! ShuttleSoft 3 is compatible with almost all video files and cameras, and with our new industrial grade LAN/Bluetooth power strip (PowerX4) for pump/valve control, and WTW data logger interface – our shuttle box systems for animal preference/avoidance behavior have never been smarter.

The new PowerX4.

Current users of ShuttleSoft, as well as newcomers to shuttle box experiments, will appreciate the many new time-saving features and user-friendly software, as well as a detailed data analysis and statistics section, and improved performance in an intelligible, clean-looking software.

Live overview of shuttle tank water parameter regulation.

One of the main benefits is the video performance enhancement and multiple tank operation. ShuttleSoft 3 can handle simultaneous recording, logging, and regulation in up to three shuttle tanks at a time – all from a single PC. You also have the option of tracking multiple animals per tank, which means that you can run shuttle box experiments with much higher throughput than before.

You can also record videos of your static and dynamic shuttle box experiments directly in ShuttleSoft 3 – a good tool for documentation. Static experiments videos can then be tracked and analyzed whenever you want with the new offline video file tracking functionality. And ShuttleSoft now supports a long list of camera models and video file formats.

Another new feature in ShuttleSoft 3, is the built-in data analysis section. This functionality allows the user to see statistics and visual representations of your data. And if you are running live experiments, all data are shown live as well!

Live data representation from a running shuttle box experiment.

ShuttleSoft 3 connects seamlessly with required hardware for video capture and water quality control via LAN, Bluetooth, and USB. No more analog signals (read: no more noise)! Use the handheld 3310 meters from German WTW for sensing temperatureoxygensalinity, and pH/CO2, or our Witrox instrument for oxygen and temperature experiments.

Tell me more!

I want to try a demo!

You can download and try a free demo version of ShuttleSoft 3 with limited functionality.

Wait, I have a question!

Feel free to contact us any time with questions or concerns. If you prefer to discuss via a video meeting, we will be happy to arrange a session.

Fri, Jan 14 2022

Sponsoring the ISEPEP9 symposium

We are sponsoring the 9th International Symposium on the Environmental Physiology of Ectotherms and Plants (ISEPEP9)!

The ISEPEP9 meeting takes place from July 10-14, 2022, in the city of Rennes in Brittany Region of France. ISEPEP is one of the rare meetings focused on the environmental physiology of ectotherms (usually with a strong focus on ecophysiology of invertebrates) and has the potential to attract a large cohesive group of researchers working in this area.

For more information, please visit: 9th International Symposium on the Environmental Physiology of Ectotherms and Plants - Sciencesconf.org.

Also see @Isepep9 and use #ISEPEP9 on Twitter.