The Statistics of Bioassay

Book excerpt: The Statistics of Bioassay: With Special Reference to the Vitamins, Volume II focuses on the processes, reactions, principles, and approaches involved in the biological assay of vitamins. The publication first offers information on the general principles of biological assay, dosage-response curve and its error, and designs for segregating nonrandom variation. Discussions focus on replacement of missing values, randomized groups, calculation of the line, analysis of the variation about the line, comparative biological assays, analytical biological assays, and determination of activity. The text then ponders on measurement of relative potency and correction of quantitative variables. The manuscript takes a look at assays where the variation in response is a function of the dose and slope-ratio assays. Topics include microbiological assays and the slope-ratio technique, analysis of balanced slope-ratio assays, analysis of assays with an all-or-none response, and graded response with unequal variance. The publication then tackles multiple or repeated assays, including quality control in repeated assays and combination of independent assays of a single unknown. The publication is a valuable source of information for researchers interested in the biological assay of vitamins.