ConductMaze · NIH data sharing
Package ConductMaze session data for sharing
The ConductScience export tool turns ConductMaze session records into CSV tables with a data dictionary, then checks the package and writes a validation report.
What goes into a ConductMaze package
ConductMaze saves
- A run record for every session, with its times and results
- Protocol records with every setting
- Per-run CSV files for some tests
- Program logs
The package holds
- Exact copies of those files, with checksums that show they are unchanged
- CSV tables of sessions, protocols and protocol settings, with a data dictionary of each column's meaning and unit
- Event, chamber stay and chamber time tables for place preference runs, with every column defined
- For tests other than place preference, run records as tables, with columns listed but not defined
- RO-Crate metadata, which describes the dataset in a form software can read
- A validation report you can open in a browser
- A draft row for the data types table in your NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan
An example package
The export tool built this package from synthetic place preference results for three mice, saved in ConductMaze's own file formats.
- Original files
- 4
- Tables
- 6
- Columns with a definition
- 70 of 70
| Table | Rows | Columns with a definition |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions | 3 | 16 of 16 |
| Protocols | 1 | 8 of 8 |
| Protocol settings | 24 | 6 of 6 |
| CPP events and actions | 46 | 18 of 18 |
| CPP chamber stays | 43 | 14 of 14 |
| CPP time in each chamber | 9 | 8 of 8 |
In the preview below, the unit under each column name comes from the package's data dictionary. Columns of names, IDs or yes-or-no values have no unit.
| session_id | chamber | entries count | total_time_s s | first_entry_s s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Center | 6 | 147.161 | 57.647 |
| 0 | Left | 4 | 66.865 | 92.429 |
| 0 | Right | 2 | 86.346 | 20.537 |
| 1 | Center | 7 | 117.956 | 43.863 |
| 1 | Left | 6 | 137.734 | 9.921 |
| 1 | Right | 2 | 44.682 | 171.191 |
| 2 | Center | 6 | 159.171 | 23.737 |
| 2 | Left | 5 | 92.004 | 5.323 |
| 2 | Right | 2 | 49.197 | 58.214 |
Draft data types row for this example
Behavior session records from ConductMaze (Cpp): session and protocol tables with documented columns, CPP events and chamber stays with documented columns and the 4 original files. Species: Mus musculus.
Your lab edits the draft and names the repository that will hold the data, then adds both to the plan's data types table.
Checks on the example package
All of the tool's required checks passed.
| Check | Result | What the check found |
|---|---|---|
| Reading the files | Passed | The tool read 4 files from the result folder. |
| Required files | Passed | The package has its README, plan draft, RO-Crate metadata, checksum list, data dictionary and validation report. |
| Checksums | Passed | Every file matches its SHA-256 checksum in the checksum list. The tool wrote the list last and ran this check before moving the package into its folder. |
| Original files | Passed | Each of the 4 copies has the same SHA-256 checksum as its original, and no original changed during copying. |
| Metadata | Passed | Every required detail is filled in, either from the files or by the lab. |
| RO-Crate | Passed | The RO-Crate metadata meets every required rule of the RO-Crate 1.3 profile. Checked with the RO-Crate validator |
| Tables | Passed | All 6 tables match the column names and value types in the data dictionary. Checked with the Frictionless validator |
| Column definitions | Passed | Every column has a written meaning, with a unit where one applies. |
| NWB files | Not applicable | This package has no NWB files. |
| OME-TIFF files | Not applicable | This package has no OME-TIFF files. |
| Data dictionary | Passed | The data dictionary lists every column, including any still without a written meaning. |
What you fill in
Your lab adds the details below, and the tool reads everything else from your files. The validation report names any detail still missing.
Dataset
A title, a short description, and a license or access statement.
People
At least one creator, with an ORCID iD and affiliation if you have them.
Human data
Whether any of the data come from human participants.
Subjects
Species, strain, sex and age, given once for all animals or separately for each. The package records each value exactly as you enter it.
What your lab is responsible for
The export tool only prepares and checks the files.
Your lab writes the DMS Plan and carries out the approved version. Your lab also chooses the repository and handles consent, privacy and who may access the data.
Questions
- Which ConductMaze tests can the export tool read?
- It reads the run records every test saves. Place preference runs get every column defined, and the data dictionary lists other tests' columns without definitions.
- Does a ConductMaze package include NWB files?
- No. ConductMaze results are shared as CSV tables with a data dictionary, beside the original files.
- Does ConductMaze need changes to work with the tool?
- No. The tool reads the folders ConductMaze already saves, so nothing changes in how your lab runs it.
Request the export tool
Tell us what you plan to share. We will reply with the tool and how to set it up.
