BACKGROUND To address the challenge of treating critical sized intercalary defects, we hypothesized that under physiologic cyclic loading, autografts, allografts, and scaffolds loaded with and without human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) would have different biomechanical characteristics. METHODS Using a rat femoral defect model, 46 rats were assigned to four groups, ie, autograft (n = 12), a...

Accurate analysis of reliability of system requires that it accounts for all major variations in system's operation. Most reliability analyses assume that the system configuration, success criteria, and component behavior remain the same. However, multiple phases are natural. We present a new computationally efficient technique for analysis of phased-mission systems where the operational states...

Accurate analysis of reliability of system requires that it accounts for all major variations in system's operation. Most reliability analyses assume that the system con guration, success criteria, and component behavior remain the same. However, multiple phases are natural. We present a new computationally e cient technique for analysis of phased-mission systems where the operational states of...

This paper reports a study on a single server queue with bulk arrival and bulk service patterns wherein the incoming traffic depends on the state of the server which may be in operating or breakdown state. The repair of the breakdown server is performed in two phases. The operating duration of server, repair duration of both phases of repairing as well as job's inter-arrival times and service t...

BACKGROUND Previous studies of task-specific skills have suggested that a loss of technical performance occurs if the skill is not practiced for a six-month period. The aims of this study were to objectively demonstrate the learning curve for a complex arthroscopic task (meniscal repair) by means of motion analysis and to determine the impact of task repetition on the retention of this skill. ...

This paper analyzes a system subject to repairable and non-repairable failures. Non-repairable failures lead to replacement of the system. Repairable failures, first lead to repair but they lead to replacement after a fixed number of repairs. Operating and repair times follow phase type distributions (PH-distributions) and the pattern of the operating times is modelled by a geometric process. I...

Historically, little effort had been made to match patch repairs culturally significant reinforced concrete structures so that they are effective and sustain the aesthetic values of structure. The collaborative research project, Performance Evaluation Patch Repairs on Historic Concrete Structures (PEPS), being undertaken by Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), England (HE) Laboratoire de Recherc...