Characterizing Width Uniformity by Wave Propagation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a wavefront propagation-based image analysis method to quantify the width uniformity of objects in agglomerates, aiding characterization in physics and biology.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach using wavefront propagation to analyze width uniformity, applicable to composite structures in physics and biology.

Findings

Effective in synthetic and real neuronal cell cultures

Provides detailed measurements of object separation uniformity

Potential applications in material sciences and biology

Abstract

This work describes a novel image analysis approach to characterize the uniformity of objects in agglomerates by using the propagation of normal wavefronts. The problem of width uniformity is discussed and its importance for the characterization of composite structures normally found in physics and biology highlighted. The methodology involves identifying each cluster (i.e. connected component) of interest, which can correspond to objects or voids, and estimating the respective medial axes by using a recently proposed wavefront propagation approach, which is briefly reviewed. The distance values along such axes are identified and their mean and standard deviation values obtained. As illustrated with respect to synthetic and real objects (in vitro cultures of neuronal cells), the combined use of these two features provide a powerful description of the uniformity of the separation between the objects, presenting potential for several applications in material sciences and biology.