Autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMMNC) transplantation is currently an emerging clinical treatment in the orthopedic as well as cardiovascular fields. It is believed that the therapeutic effect of the BMMNCs is due to neovascularization enhanced by the CD34(+) cells contained therein, which include endothelial progenitor cells. However, isolation of the CD34(+) cell fraction for clinical application has many disadvantages such as cost and invasiveness related to cell mobilization with cytokine. To investigate whether a purification step is in fact necessary for bone regeneration, we separated BMMNCs, CD34(+), and CD34(-) cells from the same initial volume of rabbit bone marrow aspirates. We then transplanted them back into a femoral bone defect of the same rabbit together with atelocollagen gel and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and evaluated neovascularization and bone regeneration up to 8 weeks after transplantation. The greatest potential for neovascularization and bone regeneration medicated by cells from the same volume of bone marrow aspirate was found in the BMMNC group. Although purified CD34(+) cells might be an ideal cell source, BMMNCs could be a practical and feasible cell source for bone regeneration in present clinical settings with limited cost, availability of materials, and technical issues for transplantation.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

CVT chains have become widely used in vehicles because the slip between parts is very small, which enables efficient power transmission. However, the motion caused by the pins of the CVT chain entering and leaving the pulleys one after another during the power transmission process results in periodic motion of the whole chain. This behavior is known to affect noise and other basic performance aspects of CVTs. Therefore, it is important to study the geometrical specifications of the chain that affect periodic motion, such as the shape and dimensions of the parts. This study aimed to (1) identify the periodic motion that affects noise, and (2) formulate a motional theory to derive the ideal specifications of a CVT chain. First, after measuring the acceleration of the pulleys under conditions that generate large CVT noise, it was found that noise was greatly affected by periodic motion caused by the chordal action of the chain. Based on this result, a mathematical model was proposed to describe this chordal action. The pin profile curve was particularly considered in the model since it determines the motion of the chain at both ends of the chord part and has an important effect on the chordal action. Next, the chordal action of the chain was measured using an accelerometer, and the measured results were compared with the results calculated by the model. The results were consistent, which confirmed the validity of the model.