المؤلفون: Annamaria Zaia, Martina Zannotti, Lucia Losa, Pierluigi Maponi

المصدر: Fractal and Fractional, Vol 8, Iss 5, p 275 (2024)

مصطلحات موضوعية: aging, biocomplexity, biomarkers, fractal, fatty infiltration, lacunarity, Thermodynamics, QC310.15-319, Mathematics, QA1-939, Analysis, QA299.6-433

الوصف: The physiological loss of muscle mass and strength with aging is referred to as “sarcopenia”, whose combined effect with osteoporosis is a serious threat to the elderly, accounting for decreased mobility and increased risk of falls with consequent fractures. In previous studies, we observed a high degree of inter-individual variability in paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration, one of the most relevant indices of muscle wasting. This aspect led us to develop a computerized method to quantitatively characterize muscle fatty infiltration in aging and diseases. Magnetic resonance images of paraspinal muscles from 58 women of different ages (age range of 23–85 years) and physio-pathological status (healthy young, pre-menopause, menopause, and osteoporosis) were used to set up a method based on fractal-derived texture analysis of lean muscle area (contractile muscle) to estimate muscle fatty infiltration. In particular, lacunarity was computed by parameter β from the GBA (gliding box algorithm) curvilinear plot fitted by our hyperbola model function. Succolarity was estimated by parameter µ, for the four main directions through an algorithm implemented with this purpose. The results show that lacunarity, by quantifying muscle fatty infiltration, can discriminate between osteoporosis and healthy aging, while succolarity can separate the other three groups showing similar lacunarity. Therefore, fractal-derived features of contractile muscle, by measuring fatty infiltration, can represent good indices of sarcopenia in aging and disease.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/8/5/275Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2504-3110Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/5f142bd96a114804bcd4922ad9076354Test

المؤلفون: Andrey G. Chekuryaev, Maxim M. Sychov, Sergey N. Perevislov, Vladimir N. Ulanov

المصدر: Ceramics, Vol 6, Iss 2, Pp 1067-1077 (2023)

مصطلحات موضوعية: silicon carbide, diamond, fractal dimension, lacunarity, scale invariance, ceramics, Technology, Chemical technology, TP1-1185

الوصف: As an example of the implementation of digital materials science approaches based on statistical processing of electron micrographs with the analysis of fractal parameters, the digital characteristics of microstructure of diamond–silicon carbide ceramic composite material are calculated. The lacunarity parameter characterizing the non-uniform distribution of filler particles in the matrix is found. Based on lacunarity values calculated at different scales, scale invariance parameter characterizing the dependence of lacunarity on the scale is evaluated. Voronoi entropy characterizing the structure based on the quantity of information is also calculated and used to determine the average number of neighboring particles and average distance between them. For the composites with high mechanical properties, the number of nearest neighbors approaches six, indicating an almost closest packing.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6131/6/2/63Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2571-6131Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/8dc38ffb51a944bc9ead16b89ba04658Test

المؤلفون: Noukpo M. Agbazo, Moustapha Tall, Mouhamadou Bamba Sylla

المصدر: Atmosphere, Vol 14, Iss 9, p 1359 (2023)

مصطلحات موضوعية: lacunarity, nonlinear trend, intrinsic multiscale characteristics, dry spells, Senegal, Meteorology. Climatology, QC851-999

الوصف: Dry spells occurring during the rainy season have significant implications for agricultural productivity and socioeconomic development, particularly in rainfed agricultural countries such as Senegal. This study employs various chaos-theory-based tools, including the lacunarity method, rescaled analysis, and the improved complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (ICEEMDAN) method, to investigate the distribution, predictability, and multiscale properties of the annual series of maximum dry spell length (AMDSL) in Senegal during the rainy season. The analysis focuses on 29 stations across Senegal, spanning the period from 1951 to 2010. The findings reveal persistent behavior in the AMDSL across nearly all stations, indicating that predictive models based on extrapolating past time trends could enhance AMDSL forecasting. Furthermore, a well-defined spatial distribution of the lacunarity exponent β is observed, which exhibits a discernible relationship with rainfall patterns in Senegal. Notably, the lacunarity exponent displays a south-to-north gradient for all thresholds, suggesting its potential for distinguishing between different drought regimes and zones while aiding in the understanding of spatiotemporal rainfall variability patterns. Moreover, the analysis identifies five significant intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) characterized by different periods, including interannual, interdecadal, and multidecadal oscillations. These IMFs, along with a nonlinear trend, are identified as the driving forces behind AMDSL variations in Senegal. Among the inter-annual oscillations, a 3-year quasi-period emerges as the primary contributor and main component influencing AMDSL variability. Additionally, four distinct morphological types of nonlinear trends in AMDSL variations are identified, with increasing–decreasing and increasing trends being the most prevalent. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the variability in annual maximum dry spell lengths, particularly in the context of climate change, and provide valuable insights for improving AMDSL forecasting. Overall, this study enhances our comprehension of the complex dynamics underlying dry spell occurrences during the rainy season and presents potential avenues for predicting and managing the AMDSL in Senegal.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/9/1359Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2073-4433Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/1f64e8efb2a44da7adad91e9b59ec878Test

المؤلفون: Vedrana Makević, Ivan D. Milovanovich, Nevena Popovac, Radmila Janković, Jelena Trajković, Andrija Vuković, Bojana Milosević, Jovan Jevtić, Silvio R. de Luka, Andjelija Ž. Ilić

المصدر: Fractal and Fractional, Vol 7, Iss 8, p 619 (2023)

مصطلحات موضوعية: fractal dimension, lacunarity, medical image analysis, nucleus chromatin architecture, inflammatory bowel disease, Thermodynamics, QC310.15-319, Mathematics, QA1-939, Analysis, QA299.6-433

الوصف: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which encompasses two different phenotypes—Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)—consists of chronic, relapsing disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. In 20–30% of cases, the disease begins in the pediatric age. There have been just a few studies that used fractals for IBD investigation, but none of them analyzed intestinal cell chromatin. The main aim of this study was to assess whether it is possible to differentiate between the two phenotypes in pediatric patients, or either of the phenotypes versus control, using the fractal dimension and lacunarity of intestinal cell chromatin. We analyzed nuclei from at least seven different intestinal segments from each group. In the majority of colon segments, both the fractal dimension (FD) and the lacunarity significantly differed between the UC group and CD group, and the UC group and control group. In addition, the ileocecal valve and rectum were the only segments in which CD could be differentiated from the controls based on the FD. The potential of the fractal analysis of intestinal cell nuclei to serve as an observer-independent histological tool for ulcerative colitis diagnosis was identified for the first time in this study. Our results pave the way for the development of computer-aided diagnosis systems that will assist the physicians in their clinical practice.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/7/8/619Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2504-3110Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/f7cee56609724bb9aed657fb5541dea2Test

المؤلفون: Maria-Alexandra Paun, Paraschiva Postolache, Mihai-Virgil Nichita, Vladimir-Alexandru Paun, Viorel-Puiu Paun

المصدر: Fractal and Fractional, Vol 7, Iss 4, p 285 (2023)

مصطلحات موضوعية: computed tomography, picture texture, fractal analysis, fractal dimension, lacunarity, Thermodynamics, QC310.15-319, Mathematics, QA1-939, Analysis, QA299.6-433

الوصف: In this paper, we propose to quantitatively compare the loss of human lung health under the influence of the illness with COVID-19, based on the fractal-analysis interpretation of the chest-pulmonary CT pictures, in the case of small datasets, which are usually encountered in medical applications. The fractal analysis characteristics, such as fractal dimension and lacunarity measured values, have been utilized as an effective advisor to interpretation of pulmonary CT picture texture.

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/7/4/285Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2504-3110Test; https://doaj.org/article/ac1d1f95e83b4eff923b7833c6a39427Test

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract7040285Test
https://doaj.org/article/ac1d1f95e83b4eff923b7833c6a39427Test

المؤلفون: Bálint Barna H. Kovács, Dániel Varga, Dániel Sebők, Hajnalka Majoros, Róbert Polanek, Tibor Pankotai, Katalin Hideghéty, Ákos Kukovecz, Miklós Erdélyi

المصدر: Cells, Vol 11, Iss 3105, p 3105 (2022)

مصطلحات موضوعية: lacunarity, dSTORM, quantitative analysis, Cytology, QH573-671

الوصف: The quantitative analysis of datasets achieved by single molecule localization microscopy is vital for studying the structure of subcellular organizations. Cluster analysis has emerged as a multi-faceted tool in the structural analysis of localization datasets. However, the results it produces greatly depend on the set parameters, and the process can be computationally intensive. Here we present a new approach for structural analysis using lacunarity. Unlike cluster analysis, lacunarity can be calculated quickly while providing definitive information about the structure of the localizations. Using simulated data, we demonstrate how lacunarity results can be interpreted. We use these interpretations to compare our lacunarity analysis with our previous cluster analysis-based results in the field of DNA repair, showing the new algorithm’s efficiency.

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/11/19/3105Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2073-4409Test; https://doaj.org/article/f33b6d3b424440698a4879c2ca2a0d15Test

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11193105Test
https://doaj.org/article/f33b6d3b424440698a4879c2ca2a0d15Test

المؤلفون: Annamaria Zaia, Pierluigi Maponi

المصدر: Fractal and Fractional, Vol 6, Iss 219, p 219 (2022)

مصطلحات موضوعية: biocomplexity, chaos game representation, fractal, heteroplasmy, lacunarity, mtDNA, Thermodynamics, QC310.15-319, Mathematics, QA1-939, Analysis, QA299.6-433

الوصف: Biocomplexity, chaos, and fractality can explain the heterogeneity of aging individuals by regarding longevity as a “secondary product” of the evolution of a dynamic nonlinear system. Genetic-environmental interactions drive the individual senescent phenotype toward normal, pathological, or successful aging. Mitochondrial dysfunctions and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations represent a possible mechanism shared by disease(s) and the aging process. This study aims to characterize the senescent phenotype and discriminate between normal (nA) and pathological (pA) aging by mtDNA mutation profiling. MtDNA sequences from hospitalized and non-hospitalized subjects (age-range: 65–89 years) were analyzed and compared to the revised Cambridge Reference Sequence (rCRS). Fractal properties of mtDNA sequences were displayed by chaos game representation (CGR) method, previously modified to deal with heteroplasmy. Fractal lacunarity analysis was applied to characterize the senescent phenotype on the basis of mtDNA sequence mutations. Lacunarity parameter β , from our hyperbola model function, was statistically different ( p < 0.01) between the nA and pA groups. Parameter β cut-off value at 1.26 × 10 −3 identifies 78% nA and 80% pA subjects. This also agrees with the presence of MT-CO gene variants, peculiar to nA (C9546m, 83%) and pA (T9900w, 80%) mtDNA, respectively. Fractal lacunarity can discriminate the senescent phenotype evolving as normal or pathological aging by individual mtDNA mutation profile.

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/4/219Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2504-3110Test; https://doaj.org/article/ae94c12acf6d48188893b64a15e8e968Test

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6040219Test
https://doaj.org/article/ae94c12acf6d48188893b64a15e8e968Test

المؤلفون: Maria-Alexandra Paun, Vladimir-Alexandru Paun, Viorel-Puiu Paun

المصدر: Fractal and Fractional, Vol 6, Iss 458, p 458 (2022)

مصطلحات موضوعية: fractal dimension, lacunarity, time series, phase space, attractor, correlation dimension, Thermodynamics, QC310.15-319, Mathematics, QA1-939, Analysis, QA299.6-433

الوصف: SEM microfractographies of Zircaloy-4 are studied by fractal analysis and the time-series method. We first develop a computer application that associates the fractal dimension and lacunarity to each SEM micrograph picture, and produce a nonlinear analysis of the data acquired from the quantitatively evaluated time series. Utilizing the phase space-embedding technique to reconstruct the attractor and to compute the autocorrelation dimension, the fracture surface of the Zircaloy-4 samples is investigated. The fractal analysis method manages to highlight damage complications and provide a description of morphological parameters of various fractures by calculating the fractal dimension and lacunarity.

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/8/458Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2504-3110Test; https://doaj.org/article/cb944f450b7f4896aa60526a73fabeacTest

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6080458Test
https://doaj.org/article/cb944f450b7f4896aa60526a73fabeacTest

المؤلفون: Maria-Alexandra Paun, Vladimir-Alexandru Paun, Viorel-Puiu Paun

المصدر: Fractal and Fractional, Vol 6, Iss 595, p 595 (2022)

مصطلحات موضوعية: ceramics, SEM micrographs, fractal analysis, time series, fractal dimension, lacunarity, Thermodynamics, QC310.15-319, Mathematics, QA1-939, Analysis, QA299.6-433

الوصف: SEM micrographs of the fracture surface for UO 2 ceramic materials have been analysed. In this paper, we introduce some algorithms and develop a computer application based on the time-series method. Utilizing the embedding technique of phase space, the attractor is reconstructed. The fractal dimension, lacunarity, and autocorrelation dimension average value have been calculated.

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/10/595Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2504-3110Test; https://doaj.org/article/847d756d156c4676bb78979aeba1a208Test

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6100595Test
https://doaj.org/article/847d756d156c4676bb78979aeba1a208Test

المؤلفون: Annamaria Zaia, Pierluigi Maponi, Martina Zannotti, Tiziana Casoli

المصدر: International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol 21, Iss 5, p 1758 (2020)

مصطلحات موضوعية: aging, biocomplexity, chaos game representation, fractal lacunarity, mtdna, parkinson’s disease, Biology (General), QH301-705.5, Chemistry, QD1-999

الوصف: Increasing evidence implicates mitochondrial dysfunction in the etiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are considered a possible cause and this mechanism might be shared with the aging process and with other age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We have recently proposed a computerized method for mutated mtDNA characterization able to discriminate between AD and aging. The present study deals with mtDNA mutation-based profiling of PD. Peripheral blood mtDNA sequences from late-onset PD patients and age-matched controls were analyzed and compared to the revised Cambridge Reference Sequence (rCRS). The chaos game representation (CGR) method, modified to visualize heteroplasmic mutations, was used to display fractal properties of mtDNA sequences and fractal lacunarity analysis was applied to quantitatively characterize PD based on mtDNA mutations. Parameter β, from the hyperbola model function of our lacunarity method, was statistically different between PD and control groups when comparing mtDNA sequence frames corresponding to GenBank np 5713-9713. Our original method, based on CGR and lacunarity analysis, represents a useful tool to analyze mtDNA mutations. Lacunarity parameter β is able to characterize individual mutation profile of mitochondrial genome and could represent a promising index to discriminate between PD and aging.

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/5/1758Test; https://doaj.org/toc/1422-0067Test; https://doaj.org/article/134f066a8fdc4116a3e6f1f353ec1e7dTest

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21051758Test
https://doaj.org/article/134f066a8fdc4116a3e6f1f353ec1e7dTest