Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Evaluate Microscopic Characteristics of Skeletal Trauma

Mayo Clinic proposes to implement multidisciplinary research on Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Evaluate Microscopic Characteristics of Skeletal Trauma. The purpose is to quantify microscopic features that indicate the timing of bone fracture events more reliably than macroscopic fracture patterns in forensic anthropology skeletal trauma analyses. This work is a continuation of previously funded research that will increase statistical power, address sample gaps, and use artificial intelligence to evaluate fracture surfaces more efficiently.

Project activities include conducting controlled fracture experiments on 30 human femur shafts with a drop test frame and 3-point bending setup; examining bone failure in tension and compression using high-speed photography and three-dimensional digital image correlation; quantifying the material properties of bone (e.g. collagen, water, bone mineral density); calculating the energy required to initiate failure/fracture using accelerometer and load cell data; examining fracture surfaces with a scanning electron microscope and micro CT; and using deep learning models to automate data collection.

Expected outcomes include describing how postmortem changes affect bone's material properties; correlating microscopic fracture characteristics to bone's material properties; and distinguishing the microscopic fracture features attributable to postmortem changes versus to individual variation in bone's material properties. The 30 samples in this study will be added to our previous study to double the sample size and provide a more complete picture of how changes in bone elasticity and toughness throughout the postmortem interval affect the appearance of microscopic fracture surfaces. Differentiating perimortem and postmortem injuries is essential to determining cause and manner of death. Though straightforward when soft tissue is present, these determinations are more challenging with skeletonized remains. Therefore, forensic anthropology practitioners, medical examiner offices, the medicolegal system, and the public (decedents and decedent families) are the intended beneficiaries of the project. CA/NCF