Determination of total IgE by ELISA in tubes and plates compared with PRIST

IgE was measured by ELISA in tubes and in microtiter plates, the results being compared with PRIST data. The recommended readings of the tube contents in a spectrophotometer (SPM) were compared with results using a multi-channel photometer (MCP).Geometric mean values (International Units) and standard deviations of 44 normal sera examined by the 3 different methods were: PRIST 16.2 [plus-or-minus sign] 4.0; SPM 15.6 [plus-or-minus sign] 4.9 and MCP 18.4 [plus-or-minus sign] 4.4. Correlation coefficients were: PRIST-SPM r = 0.98; PRIST-MCP r = 0.98; and SPM-MCP r = 0.97. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were smaller for MCP than for SPM. In addition, reading in microtiter plates was much faster, while having little effect on sensitivity.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/23961/1/0000210.pd

The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project

The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity