Stereology for Statisticians

Book excerpt: Setting out the principles of stereology from a statistical viewpoint, this book focuses on both basic theory and practical implications. The authors discuss ways to effectively communicate statistical issues to clients, draw attention to common methodological errors, and provide references to essential literature. The first full text on design-based stereology opens with a review of classical and modern stereology, followed by a treatment of mathematical foundations and then on to core techniques. The final chapters discuss implementing techniques in practical sampling designs, summarize understanding of the variance of stereological estimators, and describe open problems for further research. The book also details isotropic, vertical or local sampling designs for estimating stereological parameters such as volume, surface area, particle number and spatial distribution. This extensive text offers support to statistical consultants using examples, applications and unique Advice to Consultants sections. It contains numerous literature references, bibliographic notes and nearly 150 illustrations.