English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

The development of high-resolution visualisation techniques, such as magnetic resonance (MR) and computer tomography (CT) opens the possibility for non-destructive studies of the inner structure of the objects of different nature and origin. The deterioration of the structure with time, deformations and loss of strength under the load and other processes lead to morphological and topological changes inside materials, which require both qualitative analysis and quantitative evaluation. Assessment and proper description of the topological and morphological characteristics of materials with porous and irregular architecture is of great importance for many scientific and engineering studies. The Scaling Index Method (SIM) is a novel numerical tool for characterising the local topology of an arbitrary structure. By evaluating the local dimensionality of each point, the SIM indicates topologically different substructures: unstructured background, onedimensional (rod-like) and two-dimensional (plate-like) elements. By changing the parameters of the SIM one can distinguish the outer surface from inner points of the structure, describe structures at different scales, and include anisotropic features of the tissue. This method can be applied to both binary and greyscale multidimensional images. To demonstrate the scientific performance of the method we apply numerical techniques based on the SIM to tree-dimensional μCT images of the bone tissue engineering scaffolds (as an example of designed porous structure) and to trabecular bone specimens taken from the human vertebrae in vitro (as an example of biological tissue with very irregular and complicated structure). A proper description of the global and local structural characteristics of the trabecular bone network, which carries and redistributes mechanical load inside the bone, helps to evaluate the deterioration of bone tissue caused by osteoporosis and to predict the most frequent complications of this disease, namely spine and hip fractures. Because of the porous and very irregular architecture of the trabecular bone tissue, a detailed assessment of such a structure requires the use of many texture measures derived from different morphological, biomechanical, topological, and statistical concepts. We show that the Scaling Index Method provides complementary information to the existing wellestablished techniques.

Scaling Index Method (SIM): A Novel Technique for Assessment of Local Topological Properties of Porous and Irregular Structures