BACKGROUND CONTEXT The intervertebral disc is a common source of low back pain (LBP). Prospective studies suggest that treatments that intermittently distract the disc might be beneficial for chronic LBP. Although the potential exists for distraction therapies to affect the disc biomechanically, their effect on intradiscal stress is debated. PURPOSE To determine if distraction alone, distract...

Selective laser melting (SLM), a method used in the nuclear, space, and racing industries, allows the creation of customized titanium alloy scaffolds with highly defined external shape and internal structure using rapid prototyping as supporting external structures within which bone tissue can grow. Human osteoblasts were cultured on SLM-produced Ti6Al4V mesh scaffolds to demonstrate biocompati...

Synchrotron X-ray analysis of the Sn electromigration behavior and whisker growth in a Blech structure using nano-X-ray fluorescence microscopy white beam Laue nanodiffraction was conducted. depletion at cathode whisker/extrusion formation anode were characterized in-situ, results obeyed kinetics. This scenario gradually decayed because counterbalance between electron wind force back stress. Wh...

All impact analyses performed so far for the composite plates, have treated central impacts. Furthermore, investigations on influences of the in-plane biaxial compression, tension, or tension-compression preloads on various responses of the low-velocity impact, especially the indentation, have not been performed so far. In the present research, a finite element formulation is presented for resp...

TFT (Thin-film transistor) LCD (Liquid-crystal display) is now widely used by the display industry for the reason that LCD is compact and light with very low power consumption; moreover, it has little or no flicker and no geometric distortion. However, small defects from the bottom layers could grow after the deposition process and result in defective panels. Such tiny objects on the scale of ~...

[Purpose] To clarify the influence of nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP) on force fluctuation and the myoelectric data of back muscles during isometric trunk extension at low to high force levels. [Subjects] Fourteen male subjects with NSLBP and 14 healthy male control subjects participated in this study. [Methods] All participants extended their trunk isometrically maintaining 10 levels of targ...

Background and aims. Substituting chlorhexidine (CHX) for water has been shown to enhance antimicrobial activity of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). The purpose of this study was to compare the compressive strength of MTA mixed with distilled water, 0.12% and 0.2% chlorhexidine. Materials and methods. MTA was mixed according to manufacturer's instructions in group I (n = 20). In groups II & II...

Force exertion is related to low back injuries (LBI). This paper critically reviews the literature concerning cut-points for back force exertion, presents available guidelines in a concise manner, and identifies areas that need further research. The studies reviewed were grouped according to the criteria used to set the cut-point values. Most often cut-points differ than concur. The approach co...

In order to ascertain the fire resistance performance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) components with different concrete compressive strengths, four full-scaled concrete columns were designed and tested under high temperature. Two of the four specimens were constructed by normal concrete with compressive strength ratings of C20 and C30, respectively, while the others were made from recycle...