Geinisman Y, Gundersen HJ, van der Zee E, West MJ., J Neurocytol 1996 25:805.ġ8. Roberts N, Garden AS, Cruz-Orive LM, Whitehouse GH, Edwards RH., Br J Radiol 1994 67:1067.ġ7. Schmitz C, Hof PR., J Chem Neuroanat 2000 20:93.ĬE for volume estimates using the Cavalieri estimatorġ5. Gundersen HJ, Jensen EB, Kieu K, Nielsen J., J Microsc 1999 193:199ġ4. Ott L, Elementary Survey Sampling, 5th edition, PWS-Kent, Boston, 1996.ħ. West MJ, Slomianka L, Gundersen HJ., Anat Rec 1991 231:482.ĥ. Geiser M, Cruz-Orive LM, Im Hof V, Gehr P., J Microsc 1990 160:75.Ĥ. REFERENCES:ĬE for population estimates using the Optical Fractionator estimatorĢ. Rather, it is most useful for evaluating the precision of stereological estimates. It is important to note that the CE has no real biological meaning. They are easy to implement in a spreadsheet and, for convenience and those who shudder at the mention of the word “formula”, the calculation and presentation of a number of different CE estimates is part of advanced stereology packages such as Stereo Investigator.
References 15 – 20 below describe different CE methods for volume estimates.Ĭomputer simulations have shown that the methods published for predicting the CE of population estimations obtained with the “N V V Ref” method do not result in adequate predictions of CE 21.Īlthough CE equations may be the most complicated mathematical formulas used in a study, the most “complicated” mathematical expression used is typically a square root. References 1-14 below are publications describing different methods for estimating the CE for population estimates.
Different CE formulas have been developed using models based upon different assumptions and with different considerations taken into account, such as the shape of the region of interest, the distribution of objects within the region of interest, and the sampling criteria applied to the examination. Therefore, several methods have been developed to predict the accuracy of a stereological estimate. In practical applications of design-based stereology, the amount of sampling error (the difference between an estimate and the true value) is unknown. It is defined as the standard error of the mean of repeated estimates divided by the mean. The definition of the CE is rather simple. The coefficient of error is a standard statistical value that is used extensively in the stereological literature.
The measure of how good the estimate is, is called the coefficient of error, or CE. This essentially means we can have some understanding about the accuracy an estimate performed with a stereological procedure. The quality of quantitative estimates obtained from design-based stereological methods can itself be estimated. Email Understanding the Purpose of the Coefficient of Error