Immobilization using external or internal splints is a standard and effective procedure to treat minor skeletal fractures. In the case of major skeletal defects caused by extreme trauma, infectious diseases or tumors, the surgical implantation of a bone graft from external sources is required for a complete cure. Practical disadvantages, such as the risk of immune rejection and infection at the implant site, are high in xenografts and allografts. Currently, an autograft from the iliac crest of a patient is considered the “gold standard” method for treating large-scale skeletal defects. However, this method is not an ideal solution due to its limited availability and significant reports of morbidity in the harvest site (30%) as well as the implanted site (5–35%). Tissue-engineered bone grafts aim to create a mechanically strong, biologically viable and degradable bone graft by combining a three-dimensional porous scaffold with osteoblast or progenitor cells. The materials used for such tissue-engineered bone grafts can be broadly divided into ceramic materials (calcium phosphates) and biocompatible/bioactive synthetic polymers. This review summarizes the types of materials used to make scaffolds for cryo-preservable tissue-engineered bone grafts as well as the distinct methods adopted to create the scaffolds, including traditional scaffold fabrication methods (solvent-casting, gas-foaming, electrospinning, thermally induced phase separation) and more recent fabrication methods (fused deposition molding, stereolithography, selective laser sintering, Inkjet 3D printing, laser-assisted bioprinting and 3D bioprinting). This is followed by a short summation of the current osteochondrogenic models along with the required scaffold mechanical properties for in vivo applications. We then present a few results of the effects of freezing and thawing on the structural and mechanical integrity of PLLA scaffolds prepared by the thermally induced phase separation method and conclude this review article by summarizing the current regulatory requirements for tissue-engineered products.

Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are a popular method for quick and affordable diagnostic testing because they are easy to use, portable, and user-friendly. However, LFAs design has always faced challenges...

A study on sloshing characteristics in a rectangular tank, which is horizontally excited with a specific range of the Reynolds number, is approached numerically. The nonlinearity of sloshing flow is confirmed by comparing it with the linear solution based on the potential theory, and the time series results of the sloshing pressure are analyzed by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm. Then, the pressure fluctuation phenomena are mainly observed and the magnitude of the amplitude spectrum is compared. The results show that, when the impact pressure is generated, large pressure fluctuation in a pressure cycle is observed, and the effects of the frequencies of integral multiples when the fundamental frequency appears dominantly in the sloshing flow.

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