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. 2004 Aug 26;5:115. doi: 10.1186/1471-2105-5-115

Table 1.

Features measured by the automated system. List of the behavioral and morphological features. Detail algorithms to output these features are found in supplemental data. 144 statistical results (mean, maximum and minimum where applicable) of these features are output into Microsoft Access, while the values of these feature at each time when an image is grabbed are saved in Microsoft Excel.

Features Comments Catalog
Area Total area of worm Body morphology
BendingFrequency Frequency of body bends Wave form/speed
CmptFactor Compactness factor Body posture
ElgFactor Elongation factor Body posture
EllMAxis Best-fit ellipse, major axis Body posture
EllRatio Best-fit ellipse, major axis/minor axis Body posture
EqvlEllRatio Equivalent ellipse ratio Body posture
Fatness Area/Length Body morphology
Flex Maximum skeleton point angle difference Wave form
Foraging Frequency of sideways (foraging) head movements Specific behavior (feeding)
Foraging angle Angle of foraging movements Specific behavior (feeding)
Foraging distance Distance moved by head during foraging Specific behavior (feeding)
FRE Frequency of angle change between skeleton points Wave form/speed
GlbMvScope Maximum distance moved from starting point Global movement
GlbSpd Speed of the animal's centroid movement Global movement
HdTlRatio Ratio of head to tail movement speed Head movement
Heywood Heywood circularity factor Body morphology
Hydraulic Hydraulic radius Body morphology
IXX Inertia XX Body morphology
IXY Inertia YY Body morphology
IYY Inertia XY Body morphology
LclSpd Local movement speed Local speed
Length Distance from head to tail Body morphology/posture
LengthToPixel Length/number of pixels in skeleton Body posture
Loop Percentage of time worms coils their body Specific behavior (coil)
MaxIntercept Max intercept Body morphology
MeanIntcptPpdcl Mean perpendicular intercept Body morphology
MostPopularArea Mode of area Body morphology
MostPopularSpeed Mode of speed Global speed
PercentageMPArea Frequency of occurrence of modal area Body morphology
PercentageMPSpeed Frequency of occurrence of modal speed Global speed
Pushing Local body movement speed/centroid speed Locomotion wave efficiency
RectBigSide Minimum enclosing rectangle (MER) length Body posture
RectRatio Minimum enclosing rectangle length/width ratio Body posture
Reversal Percentage of time that a worm performs reversals Specific behavior (escape)
ReversalCount Number of reversal sessions that a worm performs Specific behavior (escape)
ReversalDisAve Average distance traveled backward in reversals Specific behavior (escape)
SktAglAve Mean value of skeleton point vector angle Body bending
SktCmptFactor Length of worm / oriented MER area Body posture
SktElgFactor Skeleton enlongation factor Body posture
SktHight Oriented MER height Body posture
SktIXX Sum of x coordinate times x coordinates of skeleton points Body posture
SktIXY Sum of x coordinate times y coordinates of skeleton points Body posture
SktIYY Sum of y coordinate times y coordinates of skeleton points Body posture
SktvAglAve Average angle between skeleton points and centroid Body bending
SktvAglMax Max angle between skeleton points and centroid Body bending
SktvDisAveToLength Average distance between skeleton points and centroid/length Body bending
SktvDisMaxToLength Max distance between skeleton points and centroid/length Body bending
SktvDisMinToLength Min distance between skeleton points and centroid/length Body bending
SktWidth Oriented MER width Body posture
Theta Direction of centroid movement Global movement
Thickness Thickness of worm Body morphology
TotalTravelDistance Total distance traveled by a worm Global movement
TrackAmplitude Amplitude of waves in worm's track Wave form
TrackWavlength Wavelength of waves in worm's track Wave form
Transparency Transparency of worm body Body morphology
Turn Percentage of time that a worm performs a sharp turn Specific behavior (search)
TypeFactor Type Factor Body morphology
Waddel Waddel disk diameter Body morphology
WaveLenth Largest spatial span of a sine wave Wave form
XSym Sum of X coordinates of all sktps Body bending
XYSym Sum f Y coordinates of all sktps Body bending
YSym Sum of X coordinate * absolute value of Y coordinate Body bending