Fourier Descriptors and their Applications in Biology

About this book

The purpose of this book is to introduce Fourier descriptors as a method for measuring the shape of whole or parts of organisms. Fourier descriptors refer to the utilization of Fourier analysis, primarily the Fourier series as a curve-fitting technique, that can numerically describe the outline (shape) of irregular structures such as are commonly found in living organisms. The quantitative characterization of irregular forms is often a first step towards elucidation of the underlying biological processes, whether they be genetic, evolutionary, or functional.

The first five chapters discuss the theory behind the use of Fourier descriptors and the remaining chapters show case studies of how they can be used in various fields of biology such as anatomy, cell biology, medicine and dentistry. This book is solely devoted to this subject and will be of interest to all those interested in biological morphometrics.

Paperback re-issue, originally published in 1997.

Contents

List of contributors; Preface; Part I. Theoretical Considerations: 1. Introduction Pete E. Lestrel; 2. Introduction and overview of Fourier descriptors Pete E. Lestrel; 3. Growth and form revisited Dwight W. Read; 4. Methodological issues in the description of forms Paul O'Higgins; 5. Phase angles, harmonic distance and the analysis of form Roger L. Kaesler; Part II. Applications of Fourier Descriptors: 6. Closed-form Fourier analysis: a procedure for extraction of ecological information about foraminiferal test morphology Nancy Healy-Williams, Robert Ehrlich and William Full; 7. Fourier descriptors and shape differences: studies on the upper vertebral column of the mouse David Johnson; 8. Application of the Fourier method on genetic studies of dentofacial morphology Lindsay Richards, Grant Townsend and Kazutaka Kasai; 9. Fourier analysis of size and shape changes in the Japanese skull Fumio Ohtsuki, Pete E. Lestrel, Teruo Uetake, Kazutaka Adachi and Kazuro Hanihara; 10. Craniofacial variability in the hominoidea Burkhard Jacobshagen; 11. Heuristic adequacy of Fourier descriptors: methodologic aspects and applications in morphology Vittorio Pesce Delfino, Teresa Lettini and Eligio Vacca; 12. Analyzing human gait with Fourier descriptors Teruo Uetake; 13. Elliptical Fourier descriptors of cell and nuclear shapes Giacomo Diaz, Corrado Cappai, Maria Dolores Setzu, Silvia Sirigu and Andrea Diana; 14. Cranial base changes in shunt-treated hydrocephalics: Fourier descriptors Pete E. Lestrel and Jan A... Huggare; 15. A numerical and visual approach for measuring the effects of functional appliance therapy: Fourier descriptors Won Moon; 16. Size and shape of the rabbit orbit: 3-D Fourier descriptors Pete E. Lestrel, Dwight W. Read and Charles Wolfe; 17. From optical to computational Fourier transforms: the natural history of an investigation of the cancellous structure of bone Charles E. Oxnard; 18. Epilogue: Fourier methods and shape analysis Neal Garrett; Appendix; Glossary; Index.

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