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Stereological estimation of volume ratios by systematic sections
Author(s) -
CruzOrive L. M.,
Myking A. O.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2818.1981.tb01253.x
Subject(s) - systematic error , mathematics , volume (thermodynamics) , population , statistics , opacity , sample size determination , phase (matter) , combinatorics , physics , optics , thermodynamics , quantum mechanics , demography , sociology
SUMMARY Two related problems are explored. Firstly, a single opaque solid Ω 1 of arbitrary size and shape, containing an arbitrarily shaped phase Ω 2 , is considered. The problem is to estimate the minimum number of systematic sections m , necessary to estimate the volume ratio v = V (Ω 2 )/ V (Ω 1 ) with a coefficient of error of at most γ0 with a probability 1 ‐ α. Secondly, we consider a population of such specimens. The second problem is to estimate the optimum number n of specimens to be sampled and the number m of systematic sections per specimen in order to estimate the mean volume ratio of the population with a relative error of at most ∍ 0 with a probability 1 ‐ α. General guidelines for solving the two problems are presented. Practical results applicable to two populations of mouse and guinea‐pig lymph nodes, exhibiting a wide variation in size and shape, are obtained.