Irene Georgakoudi, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, published
Improved Fourier-based characterization of intracellular fractal features in optics Express with Tufts affiliated co-authors Joanna F. Xylas, Tufts Biomedical Engineering graduate, Kyle Quinn, postdoctoral scholar, and Martin Hunter, engineering lab coordinator. The abstract is below –
A novel Fourier-based image analysis method for measuring fractal features is presented which can significantly reduce artifacts due to non-fractal edge effects. The technique is broadly applicable to the quantitative characterization of internal morphology (texture) of image features with well-defined borders. In this study, we explore the capacity of this method for quantitative assessment of intracellular fractal morphology of mitochondrial networks in images of normal and diseased (precancerous) epithelial tissues. Using a combination of simulated fractal images and endogenous two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) microscopy, our method is shown to more accurately characterize the exponent of the high-frequency power spectral density (PSD) of these images in the presence of artifacts that arise due to cellular and nuclear borders.