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New powertrain technologies, such as those used in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, have a price premium which is often offset by lower running costs. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) combines these purchase and operating expenses to identify the most economical vehicles overall. This is a valuable assessment for both private and fleet purchasers. To date, no studies have compared Total Cost of Ownership across more than two vehicle markets or analysed historic costs. To address this gap, this research provides a more extensive assessment of TCO in three industrialized countries — the U.S.A. (California specifically), the UK, and Republic of Korea — for the time period from 2015 ∼ 2019. As an early analysis of the regional characteristics of TCO, this study aims to examine how TCO varies across different geographic regions and develop an analysis methodology for future analysis of environmental vehicles. To analyze the TCO under identical conditions for each region, the TCO result is calculated using data from conventional vehicles by utilizing sufficient statistical data. The TCO model includes registration and road taxes as well as insurance, fuel, financial interest, depreciation, and maintenance costs. To represent the local features, the research considers four vehicles from different manufacturers. Using the proposed TCO model, the regional characteristic is analyzed and a sensitivity analysis is performed with the parameters constituting the TCO model. This research has implications for both fleet purchasers and private owners considering new vehicles. The findings are also relevant for carmakers aiming to develop vehicle sales strategies optimized for specific regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We evaluated the integrity and functional outcomes of rotator cuff tear after performing the double-pulley suture bridge (DPSB) repair technique according to the tear size by using serial ultrasonographic examinations. Materials and methods: The study included 41 consecutive arthroscopic rotator repairs using the DPSB technique. The average follow-up was 28 months. We completed the serial ultrasonographic examinations and compared the results with the functional outcome using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, the Constant score, the Korean Shoulder Scoring (KSS) system, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) score. Results: The overall retear rate was 19.5% (8 of 41), comprising 50% (2 of 4) for massive tears, 18% (2 of 11) for large tears, 17% (4 of 23) for medium tears, and no failures for small tears (0 of 3). The retear rate was 17.6% (6 of 34) after complete repair and 28.6% (2 of 7) after repair with gap formation. Seventy-five percent (6 of 8) of retears were identified within 6 months after operation and 25% (2 of 8) were identified more than 1 year after repair. The functional outcomes of the intact group and the retear group according to the ASES score, the Constant score, the KSS, and the UCLA score were 96, 93, 94, and 33, and 90, 82, 87, and 31, respectively (P > .05). Conclusion: The overall retear rate after DPSB repair was 19.5% with 2 time periods of retear. The outcome improved independent of the tear size and the cuff integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]