New algorithm for dynamic measurements of muscle sarcomere length

We present a new peak-detection algorithm based on the method of “minimum average risk” proposed by A. Kolmogorov (1931) and developed for signal processing in different fields. We have adapted this method for use in a new algorithm to monitor dynamic changes of sarcomere length in single myofibrillar sarcomeres of striated muscles, but the algorithm can also be used more generally for peak localization. We find that this method results in superior precision and higher signal-to-noise ratio than current methods. Results on modeled and real images are presented