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Background Supercomputers have become indispensable infrastructures in science and industries. In particular, most state-of-the-art scientific results utilize massively parallel supercomputers ranked in TOP500. However, their use is still limited in the bioinformatics field due to the fundamental fact that the asynchronous parallel processing service of Grid Engine is not provided on them. To encourage the use of massively parallel supercomputers in bioinformatics, we developed middleware called Virtual Grid Engine, which enables software pipelines to automatically perform their tasks as MPI programs. Result We conducted basic tests to check the time required to assign jobs to workers by VGE. The results showed that the overhead of the employed algorithm was 246 microseconds and our software can manage thousands of jobs smoothly on the K computer. We also tried a practical test in the bioinformatics field. This test included two tasks, the split and BWA alignment of input FASTQ data. 25,055 nodes (2,000,440 cores) were used for this calculation and accomplished it in three hours. Conclusion We considered that there were four important requirements for this kind of software, non-privilege server program, multiple job handling, dependency control, and usability. We carefully designed and checked all requirements. And this software fulfilled all the requirements and achieved good performance in a large scale analysis.

Neurotransmitters (NTs) are important endocrine molecules in the human body that have several characteristics and functions. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the accuracy and precision of the proposed method for the assessment of NTs functions. This study proposes a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) tablet for easy sample preparation and application to low-volume samples. We used response surface methodology to design and optimize the QuEChERS tablets. When we measured NTs in the brains of aged mice, whose samples were derivatized by DNS and extracted by QuEChERS, all analytes except VMA, NAS, 5-HTP, DOPA, and A, were detected in the mouse brain samples. Our approach may provide easy sample preparation and/or extraction techniques for small sample volumes, not only in animal samples but also in human samples to avoid invasive collection.

In this paper, we address high performance extreme-scale molecular dynamics (MD) algorithm in the GENESIS software to perform cellular-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with more than 100,000 CPU cores. It includes (1) the new algorithm of real-space non-bonded interactions maximizing the performance on ARM CPU architecture, (2) reciprocal-space non-bonded interactions minimizing communicational cost, (3) accurate temperature/pressure evaluations that allows a large time step, and (4) effective parallel file inputs/outputs (I/O) for MD simulations of extremely huge systems. The largest system that contains 1.6 billion atoms was simulated using MD with a performance of 8.30 ns/day on Fugaku supercomputer. It extends the available size and time of MD simulations to answer unresolved questions of biomacromolecules in a living cell.

Numerical weather prediction (NWP) supports our daily lives. Weather models require higher spatiotemporal resolutions to prepare for extreme weather disasters and reduce the uncertainty of predictions. The accuracy of the initial state of the weather simulation is also critical; thus, we need more advanced data assimilation (DA) technology. By combining resolution and ensemble size, we have achieved the world’s largest weather DA experiment using a global cloud-resolving model and an ensemble Kalman filter method. The number of grid points was $\sim$4.4 trillion, and 1.3 PiB of data was passed from the model simulation part to the DA part. We adopted a data-centric application design and approximate computing to speed up the overall system of DA. Our DA system, named NICAM-LETKF, scales to 131,072 nodes (6,291,456 cores) of the supercomputer Fugaku with a sustained performance of 29 PFLOPS and 79 PFLOPS for the simulation and DA parts, respectively.

We report the complete genome sequence of Bifidobacterium longum strain Jih1, isolated from human feces. The assembled genome comprised one circular chromosome of 2.37 Mb. The chromosome harbors 1,941 protein-coding genes.

The performance of fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPs) markedly depends on the fiber/matrix interface bonding. In this study, a new approach is proposed to improve the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) with cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) added on the surface of the reinforcing fiber. Different concentrations of CNFs were prepared and then used for the surface treatment of glass fibers. The effect of CNFs grafted onto fibers on the IFSS and the flexural strength of glass fiber/epoxy resin composites was investigated. A scanning electron microscope was used to characterize the surface morphologies. Micro-droplet and three-point bending tests were conducted to evaluate the properties mentioned above. The results indicated that these mechanical properties improved as the CNF concentrations increased. A maximum increase of 78% in the IFSS was achieved, while an enhancement of 20% was obtained for the flexural strength. This suggests that grafting CNFs onto GF can significantly improve the strength of glass fiber/epoxy composites.

Supercomputers have become indispensable infrastructures in science and industries. In particular, most state-of-the-art scientific results utilize massively parallel supercomputers ranked in TOP500. However, their use is still limited in the bioinformatics field due to the fundamental fact that the asynchronous parallel processing service of Grid Engine is not provided on them. To encourage the use of massively parallel supercomputers in bioinformatics, we developed middleware called Virtual Grid Engine, which enables software pipelines to automatically perform their tasks as MPI programs.Availability: VGE is freely available from https://github.com/SatoshiITO/VGE

Many supercomputers are shifting to architectures with low B (byte/s; memory transfer capability) per F (FLOPS capability) ratios. However, utilizing increased F is difficult for applications that inherently require large B. Targeting an implicit unstructured low-order finite-element analysis solver, which typically requires large B, we have developed a concentrated computation algorithm that yields significant performance improvements on low B/F supercomputers. 35.7% peak performance was achieved for a sparse matrix-vector multiplication kernel, and 15.6% peak performance was achieved for the whole solver on the second generation Xeon Phi-based Oakforest-PACS. This is 5.02 times faster than (and 6.90 times the peak performance of) the state-of-the-art solver (the SC14 Gordon Bell finalist solver). On Oakforest-PACS, the proposed solver was approximately 2.42 times faster than the state-of-the-art solver running on the K computer. The proposed approach has implications for systems and applications and is expected to have significant impact on various fields that use finite-element methods for nonlinear time evolution problems.

Chiral and molecular recognition through protonation was investigated through the collision-activated dissociation (CAD) of protonated noncovalent complexes of aromatic amino acid enantiomers with l-alanine- and l-serine-containing tripeptides using a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. In the case of l-alanine-tripeptide (AAA), NH3 loss was observed in the CAD of heterochiral H+(d-Trp)AAA, while H2O loss was the main dissociation pathways for l-Trp, d-Phe, and l-Phe. The protonation site of heterochiral H+(d-Trp)AAA was the amino group of d-Trp, and the NH3 loss occurred from H+(d-Trp). The H2O loss indicated that the proton was attached to the l-alanine tripeptide in the noncovalent complexes. With the substitution of a central residue of l-alanine tripeptide to l-Ser, ASA recognized l-Phe by protonation to the amino group of l-Phe in homochiral H+(l-Phe)ASA. For the protonated noncovalent complexes of His enantiomers with tripeptides (AAA, SAA, ASA, and AAS), protonated His was observed in the spectra, except for those of heterochiral H+(d-His)SAA and H+(d-His)AAS, indicating that d-His did not accept protons from the SAA and AAS in the noncovalent complexes. The amino-acid sequences of the tripeptides required for the recognition of aromatic amino acids were determined by analyses of the CAD spectra.

Porous β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) displays osteoinductivity in certain animals in the absence of osteoinductive agents. We evaluated whether the microstructure may be an important determinant of osteoinduction, and also investigated how bone formation was promoted using β-TCP combined with bone marrow aspirates. We prepared two types of β-TCP, namely, β-TCP A, which possessed interconnected macropores and micropores, and β-TCP B, which possessed macropores but had less detectable micropores. These were implanted with or without marrow in canine muscles. Bone formation and the resorption of each β-TCP implant were evaluated histologically. Newly formed bone began to appear at day 42 in the implants of β-TCP A alone, but the implants of β-TCP B alone did not show any bone formation by day 42. Meanwhile, bone formation was already evident on day 14 by loading with bone marrow aspirates with or without micropores. By immunohistochemistry, the number of cathepsin K-positive cells (osteoclasts) increased as time passed in the implants of β-TCP A alone, while the number of the osteoclasts did not change obviously in the implants of β-TCP B alone from day 14 to 56. Reticular fibrils were evident within the β-TCP A, and were barely observed in the β-TCP B in the silver impregnation. The present result would bring about the possible role to enhance the importance of the surface microstructure for the better osteoinductivity. Our findings suggest that the combination of porous β-TCP and bone marrow facilitates bone formation.

Nothing has ever had osteoinductive capacity and degradability equivalent to that of autogenous bone, although many types of biomaterials have been developed. To address this issue, we constructed a new bone graft substitute with osteogenic potential and degradability by using porous beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) granules, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), and a synthetic block copolymer composed of poly-D: ,L: -lactic acid with randomly inserted p-dioxanone and polyethylene glycol (PLA-DX-PEG). In this experimental study, the bone-inducing capacity and degradation properties of the composite implant during the bone healing process were examined in vivo in a cortical and cancellous bone defect model in rabbits.The advantages of this type of implant have been examined in a cortical bone defect model created in the distal femur of rabbits. The defects (6.5 x 5 mm) were filled with 30 mg of various implants: BMP-H [rhBMP-2, 0.0025% (w/w)], BMP-L [rhBMP-2, 0.000625% (w/w)], control A (beta-TCP alone), and control B (no implant). The distal femurs were harvested at scheduled intervals after surgery and examined for the evaluation of the bony repair of the defects by three-dimensional computed tomography and histology.The repair of both cortical and cancellous bone occurred predominantly in the BMP-H group, and only minor cortical bone repair and cancellous bone formation were noted in the BMP-L and control A groups. Most of the beta-TCP was resorbed in the BMP-H group at 6 weeks after surgery, whereas a significant amount of beta-TCP remained in the BMP-L and control A groups.beta-TCP granules coated with a BMP-retaining synthetic polymer appear to be effective in enhancing the repair of both cancellous and cortical bone defects. The early disappearance of the implanted beta-TCP and restoration of the normal anatomy of bone tissue are two notable features of this approach.

In this study, the mutual fusion of chondrocyte pellets was promoted in order to produce large-sized tissue-engineered cartilage with a three-dimensional (3D) shape. Five pellets of human auricular chondrocytes were first prepared, which were then incubated in an agarose mold. After 3 weeks of culture in matrix production-promoting medium under 5.78g/cm(2) compression, the tissue-engineered cartilage showed a sufficient mechanical strength. To confirm the usefulness of these methods, a transplantation experiment was performed using beagles. Tissue-engineered cartilage prepared with 50 pellets of beagle chondrocytes was transplanted subcutaneously into the cell-donor dog for 2 months. The tissue-engineered cartilage of the beagles maintained a rod-like shape, even after harvest. Histology showed fair cartilage regeneration. Furthermore, 20 pellets were made and placed on a beta-tricalcium phosphate prism, and this was then incubated within the agarose mold for 3 weeks. The construct was transplanted into a bone/cartilage defect in the cell-donor beagle. After 2 months, bone and cartilage regeneration was identified on micro-computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. This approach involving the fusion of small pellets into a large structure enabled the production of 3D tissue-engineered cartilage that was close to physiological cartilage tissue in property, without conventional polyper scaffolds.

Although halothane inhibits endothelium-mediated vasorelaxation, the sites of inhibition remain controversial. Because the cytosolic concentration of Ca 2+ ([Ca 2+ ] i ) has crucial roles for tension development, we examined the effects of halothane on nitroglycerin-induced vasorelaxation from the standpoint of [Ca 2+ ] i . Isolated spiral strips of rat thoracic aorta without endothelium were suspended for isometric tension recordings in a physiologic salt solution. Muscle contraction was evoked with 10 -8 M norepinephrine, followed by endothelium-independent vasorelaxation with nitroglycerin 10 -7 and 10 -6 M. The effects of halothane 1.5% and 3% on nitroglycerin-induced vasorelaxation were evaluated along with the concomitant measurement of [Ca 2+ ] i using fura-2-Ca 2+ fluorescence. In other muscle strips, incremental doses of norepinephrine were administered during halothane exposure to induce contractions comparable to those without halothane. Nitroglycerin dose-dependently reduced norepinephrine-induced muscle contractions, but the decrease in [Ca 2+ ] i reached a plateau at 10 -7 M, which indicates that nitroglycerin induced [Ca 2+ ] i -dependent and [Ca 2+ ] i -independent vasorelaxation. Both concentrations of halothane inhibited nitroglycerin-induced decreases in muscle tension and [Ca 2+ ] i , not only when the same dose of norepinephrine was used for contraction during halothane exposure, but also at incremental doses of norepinephrine. In conclusion, halothane inhibits nitroglycerin-induced vasorelaxation partly by suppressing Ca 2+ changes in the smooth muscle. Implications : We examined nitroglycerin-induced vasorelaxation in the rat thoracic aorta, along with the concomitant measurement of the cytosolic concentrations of Ca 2+ , and found that halothane attenuated endothelium-independent vasorelaxation by suppressing Ca 2+ dynamics in the smooth muscle.

Two novel calcium phosphate cements (CPC) have been developed using calcium sodium phosphate (CSP) as the main ingredient. The first of these cements, labeled CAC, contained CSP, α-tricalcium phosphate (TCP), and anhydrous citric acid, whereas the second, labeled CABC, contained CSP, α-TCP, β-TCP, and anhydrous citric acid. Biopex(®)-R (PENTAX, Tokyo, Japan), which is a commercially available CPC (Com-CPC), and OSferion(®) (Olympus Terumo Biomaterials Corp., Tokyo, Japan), which is a commercially available porous β-TCP, were used as reference controls for analysis. In vitro analysis showed that CABC set in 5.7 ± 0.3 min at 22 °C and had a compressive strength of 86.0 ± 9.7 MPa after 5 days. Furthermore, this material had a compressive strength of 26.7 ± 3.7 MPa after 2 h in physiologic saline. CAC showed a statistically significantly lower compressive strength in the presence of physiologic saline and statistically significantly longer setting times than those of CABC. CABC and CAC exhibited apatite-forming abilities in simulated body fluid that were faster than that of Com-CPC. Samples of the materials were implanted into the femoral condyles of rabbits for in vivo analysis, and subsequent histological examinations revealed that CABC exhibited superior osteoconductivity and equivalent bioresorbability compared with Com-CPC, as well as superior osteoconductivity and bioresorbability compared with CAC. CABC could therefore be used as an alternative bone substitute material.

A plasma turbulence research based on 5D gyrokinetic simulations is one of the most critical and demanding issues in fusion science. To pioneer new physics regimes both in problem sizes and in time scales, an improvement of strong scaling is essential. Overlap of computations and communications is a promising approach in improving strong scaling, but it often fails on practical applications with conventional MPI libraries. In this work, this classical issue is revisited, and resolved by communication overlap techniques, which work even on conventional MPI libraries. These techniques dramatically improve the parallel efficiency of a gyrokinetic Eularian code GT5D on the K-computer and the Helios, which are based on dedicated and commodity networks, respectively. On the K-computer, excellent strong scaling is confirmed beyond 100k cores with keeping the peak ratio of ~10% (~307 TFlops using 196,608 cores), and simulations for ITER-size fusion devices are significantly accelerated.

There has been no report on risk factors for gastric distension (GD) when inducing general anesthesia in an emergency situation. The aim of this study was to clarify the risk factors for GD in patients with acute appendicitis at their hospital visit.We reviewed medical records of patients from April 2007 to March 2010 who underwent open appendectomy for acute appendicitis and were diagnosed pathologically. GD was defined as a larger anteroposterior diameter and larger lateral diameter of the stomach than those of the left kidney in computed tomography (CT) imaging. The primary outcome was the presence of GD. Candidate variables such as patient characteristics, physical findings, and CT imaging findings associated with GD were assessed. Time after beginning of abdominal pain was categorized and compared. Determinants with significant univariate association (P 0.20) with the primary outcome were used to construct multivariable logistic regression models.We enrolled 121 patients and divided this cohort into a GD group (44 cases, 36%) and a non-GD group (77 cases, 64%). Results of univariate analysis showed longer duration of time after beginning of abdominal pain (P = 0.016), younger age (P 0.001), and more frequent distended small bowel (P 0.001) in the GD group than in the non-GD group. In multivariate analysis, age [odds ratio (OR) = 0.939, P = 0.002] and time after beginning of abdominal pain (OR = 1.807, P = 0.031) were shown to be independent risk factors.Younger appendicitis patients with acute abdominal pain for 1 or more days should be treated as patients with high risk for GD.

Multiple Coulomb-excitation experiments for $^{156}\mathrm{Gd}$ were made with a 118 MeV $^{32}\mathrm{S}$ beam and a 225 MeV $^{58}\mathrm{Ni}$ beam. The ground-state band, the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ band ($K={0}^{+}$), another $K={0}^{+}$ band, and the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ band ($K={2}^{+}$) were observed up to the ${18}^{+}$, ${14}^{+}$, ${8}^{+}$, and ${12}^{+}$ states, respectively, while the octupole band ($K={1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$) was observed up to the ${15}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ state, through the analysis of particle-$\ensuremath{\gamma}$-$\ensuremath{\gamma}$ data. Compared with the results of the in-beam $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectroscopy previously obtained, the present result suggests that a band crossing occurs in the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ band. As for the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ band, the excitation energy of the ${12}^{+}$ state was revised and the ${14}^{+}$ state was newly observed in the present experiment. The intrinsic matrix elements entering the generalized intensity relations were obtained so as to reproduce the spin dependence of the $E2$ matrix elements extracted from the experimental results of particle-$\ensuremath{\gamma}$ angular correlation for the transitions within each band and between each band and the ground-state band by the least-squares search code gosia. The change of characters in the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ and $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ bands is discussed as a possible cause for the variation of the $E2$ matrix elements in the higher-spin region. The intrinsic matrix elements were also obtained for the $E1$ and $E3$ transitions from the ground-state band to the octupole band with $K={1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ through analysis by gosia.

A charged particle detector system for Coulomb excitation experiments with the multi-γ-ray detector system, NORDBALL, has been designed and constructed. The system consists of five position sensitive Si detecors and an annular type Si detector, which are installed in the central space of a BaF2 inner ball. The experiments have been carried out by using the beams of 32S, 48Ti and 58Ni ions. The combination of the new charged particle detector system and NORDBALL proves to have an excellent performance for heavy-ion-induced Coulomb excitation experiments.

Excited states in 154,156,158,160 Gd have been populated through the multiple coulomb excitation process by 32 S, 48 Ti, 58 Ni ions. The ground band, γ-band and octupole K π = 0 − band were extended to I π = 16 + , (12 + ), and (11 − ) state respectively in 160 Gd. The octupole K π = 1 − band was extended to I π = 9 − state in 158 Gd. Excitation cross sections of individual levels relative to that of the I π = 4 + state in the ground band in each nucleus were compared with the simulation by the computer code GOSIA within the framework of the pure rotational model. From these comparisons the matrix elements for both intra-band and inter-band transitions were deduced.

Gamma-ray energies of 152Eu were measured with the uncertainties of 1.1–7.3 eV in the region of 290–720 keV using Ge spectrometers. To determine the 719 keV γ-ray energy of 152Eu, we measured the 125 and 592 keV cascade γ-ray energies of 185Os which provide the 717 keV cross-over γ-ray energy. Seven γ-ray energies of 152Eu in the region of 770–1400 keV were obtained from the sum of the cascade γ-ray energies.

As for an artificial bone which is a substitute material of a bone which supports our body, a block/a granulation or paste properties are manufactured by HAP or beta-TCP. They are similar ingredient of the bone itself. In particular, beta-TCP shows excellent absorbency, and it is applied as a scaffold of tissue engineering of a bony structure. Because such an artificial bone does not obstruct bone metabolism such as the absorption by osteoblasts and bone formation by osteoblasts, such product has both interconnected pore and bioabsorbable properties. However, these artificial bones alone cannot meet demands of clinical practice side. Therefore it is necessary to have the material designs that can promote the work of three factors of cell/Growth factor/Scaffold to future artificial bones, a function more suitable for operation applications. And I would hope that the level of regenerative medicine would drastically improve by further development above mentioned artificial bone.

The aim of the study was to examine the chronological histology of osteoinduction of highly purified beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) implanted in dog dorsal muscles. Specimens were harvested on days 14, 28, 42, 56, 112 and 168 after implantation, and were analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and silver impregnation. After day 28, abundant TRAP- and cathepsin K-positive multinucleated cells adhered to beta-TCP, suggesting that these cells are osteoclasts that can resorb beta-TCP. On day 56, new bone was formed and alpha1 chain of type I procollagen mRNA-positive osteoblasts lined the newly formed bone. Silver impregnation showed abundant collagen fibrils within the beta-TCP micropores. These results suggest that micropores function as a storage space for extracellular matrix components, including collagen. Newly formed bone never degenerated in the late stage, suggesting that beta-TCP has good biocompatibility and this material retains the conditions appropriate for osteointegration and bioresorption. In conclusion, beta-TCP has osteoinductivity after implantation in dog dorsal muscles without use of bone marrow cells or osteoinductive cytokines. The appearance of a large number of active osteoclasts precedes new bone formation.

The aim of this study was to examine the chronological histology associated with highly purified beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) implanted in the rat femoral condyle. Specimens were harvested on days 4, 7, 14, 28 and 56 after implantation, and were analyzed by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, immunohistochemistry of the ED1 protein as a marker of the phagocyte system, and in situ hybridization with digoxigenin-labeled alpha1 chain of type I procollagen (COL1A1), osteopontin and osteocalcin. beta-TCP was resorbed in a chronological manner. Although new bone was not observed on day 4, fibroblast-like cells around beta-TCP were positive for COL1A1 and osteopontin mRNA. New bone formation presented after day 7. In the double-staining for OPN and ED1 on day 7, most cells around beta-TCP were positive for either osteopontin mRNA or ED1 protein. However, there were some doubly positive multinucleated cells, suggesting that they belonged to the mononuclear phagocyte system. After day 28, the implanted region was replaced with bone marrow. Multinucleated TRAP-positive and ED1-positive cells which adhered to beta-TCP at all stages seemed to be osteoclasts and they continuously resorbed beta-TCP. beta-TCP has a good biocompatibility since both bioresorption and bone formation started at an early stage after implantation.

A new type of degradable biomaterial with bone-inducing capacity was made by combining porous beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) with a delivery system for recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2). The BMP delivery system consisted of a block copolymer composed of poly-D,L-lactic acid with random insertion of p-dioxanone and polyethylene glycol (PLA-DX-PEG), a known biocompatible and biodegradable material. The efficacy of this biomaterial in terms of its bone-inducing capacity was examined by ectopic bone formation in the dorsal muscles of the mouse. In the beta-TCP implants coated with the PLA-DX-PEG polymer containing more than 0.0025% (w/w) of rhBMP-2, new ectopic bone tissues with marrow were consistently found on the surface of implants. The radiographic density of beta-TCP was diminished in a time-dependent manner. On histological examination, numerous multinucleated osteoclasts with positive tartrate-resistant acid-phosphatase (TRAP) staining were noted on the surface of the beta-TCP. These experimental results indicate that beta-TCP implants coated with synthetic rhBMP-2 delivery system might provide effective artificial bone-graft substitutes with osteoinductive capacity and biodegradable properties. In addition, this type of biomaterial may require less rhBMP-2 to induce significant new bone mass.

Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP)-2 in a block copolymer composed of poly-D,L-lactic acid with randomly inserted p-dioxanone and polyethylene glycol (PLA-DX-PEG) as a carrier and porous beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) blocks were used to generate a new fully absorbable osteogenic biomaterial. The bone regenerability of the rhBMP-2/PLA-DX-PEG/beta-TCP composite was studied in a critical-sized rabbit bone defect model. In an initial study, a composite of PLA-DX-PEG (250 mg) and beta-TCP (300 mg) loaded with or without rhBMP2 (50 microg) was implanted into a 1.5 cm intercalated bone defect created in a rabbit femur. Defects were assessed by biweekly radiography until 8 weeks postoperatively. The bony union of the defect was recognized only in the BMP-loaded group. To obtain further data on biomechanical and remodeling properties, another BMP-loaded composites group was made and observed up to 24 weeks. All defects were completely repaired without residual traces of implants. Anatomical and mechanical properties of the repaired bone examined by histology, 3-dimensional CT (3D-CT) and mechanical testing were essentially equivalent to the nonoperated-on femur at 24 weeks. These experimental results indicate that fully absorbable rhBMP-2/PLA-DX-PEG/beta-TCP is a promising composite having osteogenicity efficient enough for repairing large bone defects.