Traction Performance Evaluation of the Electric All-Wheel-Drive Tractor.

This study aims to design, develop, and evaluate the traction performance of an electric all-wheel-drive (AWD) tractor based on the power transmission and electric systems. The power transmission system includes the electric motor, helical gear reducer, planetary gear reducer, and tires. The electric system consists of a battery pack and charging system. An engine-generator and charger are installed to supply electric energy in emergency situations. The load measurement system consists of analog (current) and digital (battery voltage and rotational speed of the electric motor) components using a controller area network (CAN) bus. A traction test of the electric AWD tractor was performed towing a test vehicle. The output torques of the tractor motors during the traction test were calculated using the current and torque curves provided by the motor manufacturer. The agricultural work performance is verified by comparing the torque and rpm (T-N) curve of the motor with the reduction ratio applied. The traction is calculated using torque and specifications of the wheel, and traction performance is evaluated using tractive efficiency (TE) and dynamic ratio (DR). The results suggest a direction for the improvement of the electric drive system in agricultural research by comparison with the conventional tractor through the analysis of the agricultural performance and traction performance of the electric AWD tractor.

Efficacy of recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone in improving oocyte quality in assisted reproductive techniques.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the efficacy of recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (rFSH) versus highly purified urinary human FSH (uFSH) in women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). STUDY DESIGN: This prospective, randomized, quality of retrieved double-blind study compared uFSH with rFSH in IVF-ET rFSh cycles. A total of 254 cycles from 241 patients who attended the infertility clinic at Samsung Cheil Hospital from January to August 2001 were included in the study. With pituitary desensitization using gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and a short protocol, rFSH was administered in 131 cycles; uFSH was administered in 123 cycles. We analyzed ovarian response, oocyte quality, fertilization rate, embryo quality, pregnancy rate and live birth rate in the uFSH and rFSH groups. RESULTS: Total FSH dosage (1322.3 +/- 526.2 vs. 2124.4 +/- 881.9 i.u.) and dosage per retrieved oocyte (90.6 +/- 36.0 vs. 138.0 +/- 57.2 i.u.) were significantly lower in the rFSH group than those in the uFSH group (P < .001). The proportion of good-quality oocytes (grade 1 and 2) was higher in the rFSH group (68.2% vs. 64.8%, P = .024). Moreover, the proportion of atretic oocytes (grade 5) was lower in the rFSH group (7.5% vs. 10.3%, P = .002). The fertilization rate, quality of transferred embryos, clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate were not significantly differ between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: In women undergoing COH, rFSH revealed more efficient ovarian response and better quality of oocytes than did uFSH.

Perinatal outcome in twin pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus: a comparative study.

The purpose of this study is to compare perinatal outcomes of twin pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes (GDM) with those unaffected by GDM. A total of 1,154 twin pregnancies who delivered at Cheil General Hospital, between January 1998 and December 2002 were recruited to participate in a retrospective analysis. Out of these twin pregnancies, 37 women were had GDM. Four pregnancies exposed to GDM were excluded due to the loss of medical records; therefore 33 twin pregnancies exposed to GDM were enrolled. We matched the GDM pregnancies with pregnancies unaffected by GDM in a 1:2 ratio; therefore there were 33 GDM/66 without GDM who delivered during the study period. Our findings show that there were no significant differences including birth weight, Apgar score, respiratory distress syndrome, meconium aspiration pneumonia, transient tachypnea of new born, hyperbilirubinemia, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia and congenital anomalies. Therefore, well controlled GDM may not increase perinatal complications in twin pregnancies. Careful pregnancy management and fetal surveillance in twin pregnancies is important to decrease perinatal complications and maintain a sound pregnancy and healthy offspring.

Differentiation of endothelial cells from human umbilical cord blood AC133-CD14+ cells.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) participate in neovascularization and are consistent with postnatal vasculogenesis. In vitro, they differentiate into endothelial cells (ECs). Prior reports have suggested that circulating human AC133(+) cells have the capacity to differentiate into ECs as progenitor cells. However, recent studies have demonstrated that circulating CD34(-)CD14(+) cells also have EPC-like properties in vitro and in vivo. We tested whether AC133(-)CD14(+) cells from human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) have the potential to differentiate into ECs. The AC133(-)CD14(+) cells were isolated from HUCB by magnetic bead selection and cultured on fibronectin-coated six-well trays in M199 medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and insulin growth factor (IGF-1). The AC133(-)CD14(+) cells adhered slightly within 1 day of culture and subsequently underwent a distinct process of morphological transformation to spindle-shaped cells that sprouted from the edge of the cell clusters. After 14 days, the cells formed cord- and tubular-like structures. The AC133(-)CD14(+) cells showed a strong increase in the endothelial marker P1H12 over time, whereas CD14 decreased, and CD45 did not change, respectively. In addition, the cells expressed endothelial markers von Willebrand's factor (vWF), platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1)/Flt-1, VEGFR-2/Flk-1, eNOS, and VE-cadherin, but did not express Tie-2 after 7 days of culture. The present data indicate that AC133(-)CD14(+) cells from HUCB are able to develop endothelial phenotype with expression of endothelial-specific surface markers and even form cord- and tubular-like structures in vitro as progenitor cells.

Parental decisions of prenatally detected sex chromosome abnormality.

Because of the widespread use of amniocentesis, the prenatal recognition of sex chromosome abnormality (SCA) has become increasingly common. Recent literature provided an insight into the understanding of the natural history and prognosis for individuals with SCA. Our study was designed to review the parental decision on pregnancy with SCA. Over the last 10 yr, we diagnosed 38 cases (0.50%) with SCA out of 7,498 prenatal cases. We reviewed the records and the results of the pregnancies. We included the cases (n=25) of apparently normal anatomic fetus to analyze the factors influencing parental decision. We excluded 13 cases with obvious anomaly or presumably bad outcome. Fifteen (60%) couples continued their pregnancies and ten (40%) terminated theirs. Nine couples (64%) out of fourteen mosaicism cases continued their pregnancies. All five pregnancies assisted by reproductive technique continued their pregnancies. More pregnancies were continued when counseling was done by an MD geneticist rather than by an obstetrician. A significant trend was observed with a higher rate of pregnancy continuation in recent years. The genetic counseling is important to give appropriate information to the parents. Establishing guidelines and protocols will help both obstetricians and parents to make a decision.

Amniotic fluid interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for detection of aneuploidy; experiences in 130 prenatal cases.

The major aneuploidies diagnosed prenatally involve the autosomes 13, 18, 21, and sex chromosomes X and Y. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) allows rapid analysis of chromosome copy number in interphase cells. We retrospectively reviewed 130 amniotic fluid interphase FISH analyses from January 1997 to December 2001. The review was done in order to assess the role of interphase FISH among the patients who were at the risk of fetal aneuploidies. The sample was considered to be aneuploid when 70% of or more than the total number of hybridized nuclei displayed the same abnormal hybridization pattern for a specific probe. All of 130 cases but one met the criteria. The results were considered as informative and they were obtained in 24-48 hr. The overall detection rate for aneuploidies was 100% (2 cases of trisomy 21, 2 cases of trisomy 18, and 1 case of Turner syndrome). In comparison to cytogenetics, the rates of both sensitivity and specificity were 100%. The experiment demonstrates that FISH can provide a rapid and accurate clinical method for prenatal identification of chromosome aneuploidies. The experiment can also serve as an adjunctive test to help cytogenetics to reduce significant amount of emotional stress of patients and physicians through early decision making process.

The distribution of fetal nuchal translucency thickness in normal Korean fetuses.

The aim of present study was to establish normative data for the distribution of nuchal translucency (NT) thickness in normal Korean fetuses. The data were collected from pregnant women with singleton pregnancies in whom fetal ultrasound was performed and the fetal NT thickness was measured between 11 and 14 weeks of gestation. Among them, a total of 2,577 fetuses with a known normal outcome were included in this study. The distribution of multiple of median (MoM) values of the NT thickness with crown-rump length (CRL) in 10-mm intervals and the 95th percentile of MoM were calculated with the linear regression method. The present study showed that NT measurements increase with increasing CRL and a false positive rate increases with increasing gestational age. Therefore, a fixed cut-off point through the first trimester was not appropriate and each NT measurement should be examined according to the gestational age. The present study offers normative data of the fetal NT thickness in a Korean population, which can be used as reference for screening chromosomal aberrations or other congenital abnormalities in the first trimester.