Stereology of arbitrary particles. A review of unbiased number and size estimators and the presentation of some new ones, in memory of William R. Thompson.

作者：H. J. G. Gundersen · 发表于：PubMed · 年份：1986 · 被引用次数：1670 · 研究领域：Point processes and geometric inequalities、Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals、Adsorption, diffusion, and thermodynamic properties of materials

This paper deals with isolated, countable items, often termed particles, in three-dimensional space. Its substance is the unbiased stereological estimation of the number, height, surface and volume of such particles without any assumptions about their shape. The full range of estimators is described, some of them for the first time, some in an improved form, several in more than one version, and all of them under the single, absolute requirement that one can in fact identify what one is quantifying on sections. In terms of the minimal number of sections for the analysis, the estimators may be classified as follows: On a single section it is possible to estimate vV, the mean volume of particles in the volume-weighted or 'sieving'-distribution. On two parallel sections, separated by a known distance, estimators exist of particle number and of all mean sizes (height, surface and volume) in the ordinary number distribution, as well as of SDN(v), the standard deviation in the number distribution of particle volumes. If the containing space is relatively transparent the sections may be two optical sections within one thick physical section. On a stack of parallel sections, at least as high as the largest particle, and separated by known distances, one can get twelve mean sizes and twelve distributions of individual sizes: all combinations of three sizes: height, surface and volume in four different types of distributions: number, height, surface and volume. Fulfilling the sampling ...