Real Data Files may contain missing data (i.e. when a cell or animal produces no result) or data values below the limit of quantification (LOQ).
In order for QuBAS to handle this situation correctly the imported Data File should conform to the following convention:
Missing data: leave the cell empty.
If technical outliers are found, these can usually be masked in the plate reader software: QuBAS will recognise the mask and treat the value as missing.
If using SoftmaxPro: the masked wells do appear in the text export file but not in the .xml export file.
If using Gen5: the masked wells DO NOT appear in the text export file, but do appear in the .xml export. It is therefore necessary to use the .xml file, and this requires an import plugin available free from Quantics.
Data less than the LOQ: consider substituting a suitable value for the data. There are a number of ways of deciding what value to use. For advice, contact Quantics Biostatistics.
