A simple technique to measure the movements of the microscope stage along the x and y axes for stereological methods |
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Authors: | S Kaplan S Canan H Aslan B Ünal & B Sahin |
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Affiliation: | Departments of Histology-Embryology, Physiology and Anatomy, Medical Faculty, Ondokuz May?s University, 55139 Samsun, Turkey |
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Abstract: | Measurements of microscope stage movements in the x and y directions are of importance for some stereological methods such as the optical disector and optical fractionator. The length of stage movements can be measured with great precision and accuracy using a suitable motorized stage, which is generally a computer-assisted instrument. This type of equipment is generally too expensive for and not readily available in many laboratories. This paper describes a simple method to measure the movements of the microscope stage along the x and y directions, which can be used for purposes such as systematic uniform random sampling. It needs a microscope attachment consisting of two dial indicators; one of them is used to measure the amount of stage movement along the x -axis and the other measures the amount of movement along the y -axis. Movements of the stage on the micrometre-scale can be measured easily using this device. |
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Keywords: | Dial indicator microscope stage stereology systematic uniform random sampling x and y axes |
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