A recent study has stated that macroscopic evaluation of sputum for quality is as effective as microscopic techniques such as SCA [ 22].
Although this technique is macroscopic, contrary to other macroscopic methods such as thermogravimetrical and chromatographic techniques, the diffusivities obtained are in agreement with those determined using microscopic techniques such as NMR.
Macroscopic imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) are highly sensitive at detecting small, ≤ 2cm, peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) in the lung but they lack the specificity necessary for diagnosis.
For example, fibre size measurements give an indication of macroscopic changes in accessibility while techniques such as mercury porosimetry and solute exclusion can be used to quantify changes in pore size distribution at the microscopic level [ 54].
Special techniques such as serial macroscopic sectioning (SMS) or immunohistochemical staining (IH) improve the detection rate of micrometastases but this detection is of value only if it improves the prediction of recurrence and survival.
In order to accurately interpret the noninvasive, macroscopic observations of cerebral oxygenation and blood flow obtained by functional neuroimaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), more comprehensive insight into metabolic activity at a cellular level is crucial.
Thus, though novel surgical techniques (such as fluorescence-guided resection) may have improved the rates of macroscopic complete resections [ 9], and advanced radiotherapy techniques are at hand, no single or combined approach is sufficient to deplete microscopically dispersed tumor cells around the tumor cavity.
Another limitation is that the macroscopic assessment was performed via arthroscopy, which is a minimally but nevertheless invasive procedure compared to non-invasive imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The results of the study provide the possibility for applying spatial information techniques, such as remote sensing and geographic information systems, to study chemical elements in soil, thereby realizing the effective combination of macroscopic spatial information and microscopic mechanism of soil element migration research.
