Fractal analysis: methodologies for biomedical researchers.

ABSTRACT

Fractal analysis has become a popular method in all branches of scientific investigations including biology and medicine. Although there is a growing interest in the application of fractal analysis in biological sciences, questions about the methodology of fractal analysis have partly restricted its wider and comprehensible application. It is a notable fact that fractal analysis is derived from fractal geometry, but there are some unresolved issues that need to be addressed. In this respect, we discuss several related underlying principles for fractal analysis and establish the meaningful relationship between fractal analysis and fractal geometry. Since some concepts in fractal analysis are determined descriptively and/or qualitatively, this paper provides their exact mathematical definitions or explanations. Another aim of this study is to show that nowadays fractal analysis is an independent mathematical and experimental method based on Mandelbrot's fractal geometry, Euclidean traditiontal geometry and Richardson's coastline method.