Characterizing width uniformity by wave propagation.

This work describes a different image analysis approach to characterize the uniformity of objects in agglomerates by using the propagation of normal wave fronts. 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 wave front 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 provides a powerful description of the uniformity of the separation between the objects, presenting potential for several applications in material sciences and biology.