Generally applicable 125iodine-based radioimmunoassays for plasma progesterone

Two methods are described for estimation of plasma progesterone, both employing a heterologous-bridge radioimmunoassay system with antisera raised against a progesterone 11α-hemisuccinate conjugate and a radioiodinated progesterone 11α-glucuronide—tyramine conjugate as tracer. Separation techniques based on double antibody methods have been employed to improve assay precision, and the assays described are sensitive, precise, accurate and robust and well suited to the measurement of progesterone levels for routine monitoring of luteal function. Present evidence suggests that the majority of laboratories which already use such antisera could readily adopt this assay system with its advantages of improved performance and γ-labelled tracer.     

Optimum flux-detection in the absence of a priori knowledge about the signal

Detection systems based on photon counting have to discriminate between two types of fluctuations in the photon count: those resulting from statistical fluctuations (=noise) and those caused by changes in the radiance set by the source (=signal). In contrast with earlier studies on ways of discriminating noise from signal changes, no specific assumptions are made about the source. An optimal discrimination-method has been developed for a detector that has no prior information about the mean of the Poisson distribution that describes its input signal. Because the detector has no prior information at its disposal it has to assume an a priori probability for the mean in a unique and objective way and it has to estimate the actual mean using Bayes rule of inference. This new discrimination-method is discussed in the context of signal processing in the visual system, but is generally applicable in all systems where photon-noise is important.     

The Relative Influence of Competition and Prey Defenses on the Phenotypic Structure of Insectivorous Bat Ensembles in Southern Africa

Deterministic filters such as competition and prey defences should have a strong influence on the community structure of animals such as insectivorous bats that have life histories characterized by low fecundity, low predation risk, long life expectancy, and stable populations. We investigated the relative influence of these two deterministic filters on the phenotypic structure of insectivorous bat ensembles in southern Africa. We used null models to simulate the random phenotypic patterns expected in the absence of competition or prey defences and analysed the deviations of the observed phenotypic pattern from these expected random patterns. The phenotypic structure at local scales exhibited non-random patterns consistent with both competition and prey defense hypotheses. There was evidence that competition influenced body size distribution across ensembles. Competition also influenced wing and echolocation patterns in ensembles and in functional foraging groups with high species richness or abundance. At the same time, prey defense filters influenced echolocation patterns in two species-poor ensembles. Non-random patterns remained evident even after we removed the influence of body size from wing morphology and echolocation parameters taking phylogeny into account. However, abiotic filters such as geographic distribution ranges of small and large-bodied species, extinction risk, and the physics of flight and sound probably also interacted with biotic filters at local and/or regional scales to influence the community structure of sympatric bats in southern Africa. Future studies should investigate alternative parameters that define bat community structure such as diet and abundance to better determine the influence of competition and prey defences on the structure of insectivorous bat ensembles in southern Africa.