Oversimplification and Overstandardization in Biological Methods: Sperm Bioassays in Ecotoxicology as a Case of Study and a Proposal for Their Reformulation

Table 2

Parametric estimates and confidence intervals (as % of the estimate value) obtained by applying uni- and bivariate approaches (1) and (7) to the simulation of a single assay (𝜎=0.100, two replicates, no smoothing). Results at times 𝑡₁ and 𝑡₆ did not allow acceptable fittings, and at 𝑡₅ the 𝑎 estimate was not significant (CI > 100). See also Figure 8.

True parametric values	Bivariate approach		Uivariate approach at the specified times
	Estim.	CI (%)	𝑡2		𝑡3		𝑡4		𝑡5
			Estim.	CI (%)	Estim.	CI (%)	Estim.	CI (%)	Estim.	CI (%)
𝜏=0.600	0.603	10.1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
𝑣=2.500	2.635	13.4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
𝐾=0.800	0.807	3.4	0.774	17.3	0.946	8.9	1.000	14.6	0.989	15.3
𝑚=0.250	0.247	13.3	0.451	16.3	0.334	9.0	0.231	20.8	0.190	17.4
𝑎=2.000	1.777	21.5	3.127	53.6	4.097	44.1	2.689	72.3	5.073	>100
𝑟^2	0.980		0.980		0.989		0.962		0.932