The applications of microfluidics in the interaction of dimensionality toward cardiac myoblast and adipose-derived stem cells differentiation ability

在生醫材料影響細胞行為的眾多物理性質中，維度是一較少被論及之性質。因為過往之技術頃向製作出孔洞大小形狀不一之支架，造成眾多因素影響細胞行為。在這份研究中，我們利用微流體技術製作出具有均一圓球狀孔洞大小之三維明膠細胞支架以模仿細胞在生物體內的生長環境，並比較細胞行為在三維及二維環境下的差異，實驗中所用的細胞為二種具有分化能力的細胞: H9c2老鼠心肌母細胞與人類脂肪幹細胞 (hASC)。 H9c2為一同時具骨骼肌與心肌細胞特徵的細胞株，能夠進一步分化成具有此二種肌肉特徵的細胞。因此在這部分的實驗中，我們旨在探討維度上的差異會有利於何種肌肉特徵的表現。首先我們透過Live/Dead螢光染色確定此支架能讓細胞維持良好生存率，接著我們探討細胞的生長速率、型態、分化率、Connexin 43染色定量還有基因表現。結果發現: H9c2在三維空間中傾向分化成骨骼肌，而在二維空間中傾向分化成心肌細胞，不過維度對心肌分化的影響遠小於化學因素所能造成的影響。 hASC具有多種分化能力，包括肌肉、硬骨、軟骨及脂肪分化等等，我們透過觀察細胞型態、增殖速率、鈣沉積或是脂滴染色以及基因表現探討維度對於脂分化及硬骨分化的影響。結果指出，三維的結構較有利於脂肪分化而不利於硬骨分化。未來將深入探討這樣的現象是由何種因素導致，並且進一步研究軟骨及肌肉的分化。Dimensionality is a physical cue that has been discussed less frequently among the various physical cues that influence cell behaviors. In this study, we took the advantage of microfluidics to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) gelatin-based scaffolds to mimic the natural circumstances of cell growth in an organism. We further compared the differences of cellular behaviors between 2D and 3D conditions. The models used in the presented study are H9c2 rat cardiac myoblast and human adipose-derived stem cell (hASC), both of which have differentiation ability. H9c2 is able to differentiate into skeletal or cardiac myocytes. Therefore, in this series of experiments, we aimed at investigating how dimensionality contributes to different types of muscle differentiation. We have found that H9c2 cells tended to fuse into multi-nucleated skeletal myotubes in 3D scaffold and differentiated into cardiac cells on 2D plane. However, the influence of dimensionality on cardiac differentiation was far less than that of chemical stimulation. hASC possesses multipotent differentiation ability toward osteogenic, adipogenic, myogenic and chondrogenic lineages. Specifically, we investigated osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation capability of hASC under different dimensional conditions. According to our results, the 3D environment supported adipogenesis and the 2D condition promoted osteogenesis. Our future work will focus on finding the factors which influence differentiation capability on the matrixes in different dimensionality. Furthermore, the myogenesis and chodrogenesis will also be investigated

Asymmetric Effects of Monetary Policy

本文目的主要是探討貨幣政策對產出、 物價是否具有非對稱性的效果，進而希望尋求貨幣政策的合理取向。 我們探討的不對稱性有兩類，第一類是研究寬鬆貨幣政策與緊縮貨幣政策是否有不對稱性效果， 第二類是探討在金融市場繁榮期與蕭條期， 貨幣政策政策效果是否具有不對稱性，至於貨幣政策亦區分為「貨幣政策干擾」和「貨幣市場變數」兩種。我們利用敘述法建立「貨幣政策指標」， 與貨幣總計數和重貼現率共同當作貨幣政策代理變數， 此外，亦嘗試利用主成份分析法建立一金融綜合指標，並藉其判定金融狀態處於繁榮期或蕭條期。 然後則進行臺灣地區的實證分析， 驗證貨幣政策是否存在上述的兩類不對稱性效果，實證期間則為 1971：1-1995：4。根據本文的研究， 其實證結果顯示臺灣地區寬鬆貨幣政策對產出的影響顯著地大於緊縮貨幣政策，這與國外實證文獻呈現相反的結果。 而在不同金融狀態下，亦發現貨幣政策對產出可能存在不對稱性的效果。 分析造成貨幣政策效果具不對稱性的原因， 可能是在於台灣經濟結構的改變、金融自由化與國際化後，貨幣傳遞過程與效力有所轉變所致。至於寬鬆貨幣政策與緊縮貨幣政策對物價的影響並不顯著， 實證結果並不支持非對稱性假說。 而在不同金融狀態下，則發現貨幣政策對物價可能具有些許的不對稱性效果。 但台灣地區消費者物價主要仍受石油價格、進口物價與季節性因素等供給面影響， 貨幣在物價膨脹過程中是扮演一充分條件之角色，有擴大成本加速上脹的助燃作用

[[alternative]]Cooperative Networked Workspaces for Structural Design

[[abstract]]協力式網路工作環境是利用協力式設計系統與網路來整合知識庫專家系統與傳統程序性程式之全功能專家系統。典型專家系統利用經驗性的法則知識，以符號推理的方式運作；傳統的結構設計分析程式，利用領域內之深層知識，以程序性的方式運作。在整合知識庫專家系統與傳統程序性程式的過程中常遭遇的問題為兩者作業平台之不同，導致兩者之間的資料交換發生困難。因此本研究內容主要在將協力式設計系統之工作環境延伸至網路上，並發展出一套針對文字檔案資料的處理規格，以達到跨平台整合各個工作站上之多種結構分析軟體與專家系統的功能。重點在跨平台網路介面程式之建立與資料交換物件規格之定義，以充分利用現有之不同結構分析軟體，完成一全功能之協力式設計系統。[[abstract]]The cooperative network workspaces compose a design framework making use of network computing technology to integrate a knowledge-based blackboard system with algorithmic programs on the network. Knowledge-based expert systems are suitable for solving ill-structured problems. Algorithmic programs are best for solving large-scale numerical problems and can assist the analysis in the realm of mechanics. The problems in integrating knowledge-based expert systems with algorithmic programs are usually surrounded by the data exchange difficulties resulted from the differences of their platforms. Therefore, this research aims at developing a networked environment for blackboard-based cooperative structural design and defining a set of specifications for exchanging data between input /output files of the analytic programs and the blackboard.[[sponsorship]]中國土木水利工程學會資訊委員會; 中興大學土木工程學系[[notice]]補正完畢[[conferencetype]]國內[[conferencedate]]20000217~20000218[[booktype]]紙本[[booktype]]紙本[[iscallforpapers]]Y[[conferencelocation]]臺中市, 臺