The paper numerically demonstrates the pillar failure process-from micro crack to macro crack to unstable failure and studies the relations between limit load and statistical mean strength.

Knowing the basics of populations, sampling, and statistical significance will help you to understand what's possible, and to better understand and interpret what the results mean.

for the most part they'll tell you that they did but the problem is this could be a statistical byproduct of what's called "regression to the mean."