The 'options' button opens a window where you can select a number of alternate ways of handling data and calculations, including:
the units for basal metabolic rate (BMR): watts or ml O2/min.
whether to compute results for active time only (and what the hours of daylight are). Alternately, you can get active time information from channel in a .csv data file. Currently the hours of daylight are not obtainable from a .csv file and must be entered here.
whether to allow for a different euthermic body temperature during the active phase versus the inactive phase (day or night); the value in the data file (or in the main 'Thermoregulatory costs' window) is assumed to be the inactive phase body temperature. You can also select a maximum body temperature.
whether thermal conductance also changes with the daily activity cycle (and if so, how much); the default value is a 1.4X higher conductance during the active phase.
a default value of body temperature if that data is missing in a .csv file entry.
whether to compute results assuming the animal becomes torpid during the inactive time of day (in a .csv data file this can be indicated by 'yes', 'no', or 'N' or 'n' and 'D' or 'd', or 0 and 1).
If torpor is used, the duration of the entry and arousal phases (body temperature is 'ramped' for calculations during these periods), the minimum defended body temperature while in torpor (this can be entered as a variable in a .csv file), and the Q10 value for adjusting metabolic rate during torpor.
If torpor is used, the time lags during the inactive phase for the onset and completion of torpor (which often does not occupy the entire inactive phase).
If torpor is used, the duration of the entry and arousal phases (body temperature is 'ramped' for calculations during these periods), the minimum defended body temperature while in torpor (this can be entered as a variable in a .csv file), and the Q10 value for adjusting metabolic rate during torpor.
Note that if you elect to NOT allow torpor use, that restriction will apply globally to all entries in a .csv file. If you DO allow torpor use, each entry in a .csv file will indicate whether or not torpor is applicable to that entry.
Whether a zero value for temperature is treated as missing data (and ignored); the alternate acceptable missing data indicator is a value of -9999.
Whether to use constant values for sunrise and sunset times, or compute them from location and Julian date (the day of the year from 1-365). You will need to enter a location in latitude and longitude (fractional degrees, not degrees and minutes), and the data file with temperature information will need a veriable showing Julian date.
Times are computed using the ‘Sunrise equation’; this example shows an annual day length cycle for a tropical latitude (~ 14 ° south).
The Convection… button opens a window for selecting whether to use wind speed to adjust conductance, and if so, which data channel contains wind speed data..
The Set Data Rejection Rules… button opens a window for selecting whether to use wind speed to adjust conductance, and if so, which data channel contains wind speed data..
