3,213 research outputs found
Slow freezing or vitrification of oocytes: their effects on survival and meiotic spindles, and the time schedule for clinical practice
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Enhancement of CAD model interoperability based on feature ontology
Full text linkAs the networks connect the world, enterprises tend to move manufacturing activities into virtual spaces. Since different software applications use different data terminology, it becomes a problem to interoperate, interchange, and manage electronic data among heterogeneous systems. According to RTI, approximately one billion dollar has been being spent yearly for product data exchange and interoperability. As commercial CAD systems have brought in the concept of design feature for the sake of interoperability, terminologies of design features need to be harmonized. In order to define design feature terminology for integration, knowledge about feature definitions of different CAD systems should be considered. STEP standard have attempted to solve this problem, but it defines only syntactic data representation so that semantic data integration is not possible. This paper proposes a methodology for integrating modeling features of CAD systems. We utilize the ontology concept to build a data model of design features which can be a semantic standard of feature definitions of CAD systems. Using feature ontology, we implement an integrated virtual database and a simple system which searches and edits design features in a semantic way
Luteal support for IVF/ICSI cycles with Crinone 8% (90 mg) twice daily results in higher pregnancy rates than with intramuscular progesterone
No full textWhere have all the sediments gone? The fate of sediments in the Taiwan Strait: A reassessment
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GDF15 inhibits early-stage adipocyte differentiation by enhancing HOP2 expression and suppressing C/EBPα expression
No full textExcessive adipocyte differentiation and accumulation contribute to the development of metabolic disorders. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) plays an essential role in energy homeostasis and is considered an anti-obesity factor; however, elevated serum levels of endogenous GDF15 have been reported in certain individuals with obesity. In this study, to gain a better understanding of this complex relationship between GDF15 levels and obesity, we investigated GDF15 expression and function during adipogenesis. Compared with mice fed a normal diet, those fed a short-term high-fat diet exhibited a reduction in epididymal white adipose tissue and serum GDF15 expression. These results were confirmed in human adipose-derived stem cells that showed reduced GDF15 expression during adipogenesis differentiation. During adipogenesis, GDF15 was primarily degraded via the autophagy lysosomal pathway, and GDF15 overexpression in pre-adipocytes inhibited adipogenesis by suppressing CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPα). Furthermore, whereas we detected a reduction in homologous-pairing protein 2 (HOP2) expression during adipogenesis, expression increased in response to an overexpression of GDF15. Furthermore, following knockdown of HOP2 during GDF15 overexpression, there was no suppression of C/EBPα expression. These findings indicate that GDF15 undergoes lysosomal degradation via an autophagic pathway and suppresses adipocyte differentiation via the HOP2-mediated inhibition of C/EBPα expression. Collectively, our findings indicate that GDF15 could serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of metabolic disorders
Factors related to meaning of life in Taiwanese women treated with in vitro fertilization.
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