Towards Interoperability between Functional Taxonomies using an Ontology-based Mapping

A functional model of an artifact shows an important part of designer’s intention. A taxonomy of generic functions plays a crucial role in describing such functional models. Improving interoperability among functional models of different functional taxonomies facilitates sharing functional models among designers in organizations. The mapping between the different functional taxonomies and the conversion of functional models based on this mapping are one of the ways to support such interoperability. Among the different functional taxonomies, however, there are not only terminological differences but also ontological differences implicitly. By ontological differences we mean the conceptual differences between taxonomies and the general structural differences between models. In this article, firstly we propose a framework for mapping between functional taxonomies using a reference ontology of function in order to bridge the conceptual differences. The reference ontology contributes to specify the ontological differences between the functional taxonomies. Second, in order to reduce the structural differences between the functional models, we discuss how to capture the modeling world. These results enable us to convert the functional models among different taxonomies. As examples of the functional taxonomies, we focus on the reconciled functional basis proposed by Hirtz et al. and our functional concept ontology based on Function & Behavior Representation Language

An Ontology-Based Annotation Framework for Representing the Functionality of Engineering Devices

This paper proposes a metadata schema relating to functionality based on Semantic Web technology for the management of the information content of engineering design documents. The schema enables us to annotate web-documents with RDF metadata, which represents devices as having specific functions. The metadata provide a clear and operational semantics for the functional terms in documents. The metadata schema is based on our own functional ontologies, which we believe to provide effective guidelines for consistent functional annotation. These ontologies have been developed over many years and deployed successfully in industry. We then demonstrate a document search system using the metadata, which enables us to retrieve web-documents using the types of function and relationships defined in the schema rather than more superficial terms. Such function-oriented management of information is especially useful in the conceptual design phase. It allows one to find previous cases of the same function in earlier designs and to find related patents. We go on to discuss the following two issues on the interoperability of the functional knowledge. The first is automatic transformation of the functional model in our modeling framework into a chart-style form commonly used for the FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) activity using a mapping between our ontology and an FMEA ontology. The second is translation of the functional model between our functional vocabulary and other taxonomy of function, that is, Functional Basis proposed by Stone et al. Another mapping between our functional vocabulary and Functional Basis can be done via a richer, generic reference ontology of functions. This mapping would aim at clarifying ontological differences between functional taxonomies and enabling translation between them

Towards a Reference Ontology of Functionality for Interoperable Annotation for Engineering Documents

Functionality is one of the key concepts in knowledge about artifacts. The goal of this research is to manage the information content of design documents from the viewpoint of functionality of engineering products using semantic annotation abou

Circulating IGF-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) levels are elevated in patients with endometriosis or undergoing diabetic hemodialysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-7 (IGFBP7) is a secretory protein with a molecular mass of approximately 30 kDa. It is abundantly expressed in the uterine endometrium during the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle. Decreased IGFBP7 expression has been observed in some cancers and leiomyomata.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To determine whether serum IGFBP7 levels reflect changes in uterine IGFBP7 expression in humans during the menstrual cycle, and to examine whether serum IGFBP7 levels are altered in patients with various disorders, we developed a novel, dual-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Firstly, concentrations of IGFBP7 released into the medium were determined in cultured endometrial stromal and glandular cells. Blood samples were collected from women who had normal menstrual cycles and who had been diagnosed with endometriosis. Serum from hemodialysis patients and gastrointestinal cancers was also used to determine the IGFBP7 levels.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using this new ELISA, we demonstrated that cultured uterine cells secrete IGFBP7 into the medium. Patients with endometriosis and those with type II diabetes mellitus undergoing hemodialysis had significantly higher serum concentrations of IGFBP7 than the relevant control subjects. There were no differences in serum IGFBP7 levels in women at different stages of the menstrual cycle. Furthermore, serum IGFBP7 levels in patients with colorectal, esophageal, or endometrial cancer were not different than normal healthy subjects.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our observations suggest that IGFBP7 is associated with the pathophysiology of endometriosis and diabetes mellitus, and that serum IGFBP7 levels do not reflect enhanced uterine expression of IGFBP7 mRNA during the menstrual cycle.</p