ABSTRACT

Quantication of the total length of bers in an image is a necessity in a wide variety of biological applications. In an image, bers usually appear as curved or straight lines with different lengths, thicknesses, orientations, and curvatures. Here, we present an automated approach based upon Fourier space analysis for quantifying the total length of the bers in an image. The approach is termed FABLE (Fourier-space automated band-pass length estimation) and integrates the power spectral densities of grayscale images within a band-pass lter to provide a metric for the total length of bers. Using mathematical analysis and computer simulations, it is shown that FABLE can provide an accurate metric, termed brosity, for the comparison of the total length of the bers in different images. The limitations of the technique for application to biological images are discussed along with possible mitigations.