Towards a Processual Microbial Ontology

types: ArticleStandard microbial evolutionary ontology is organized according to a nested hierarchy of entities at various levels of biological organization. It typically detects and defines these entities in relation to the most stable aspects of evolutionary processes, by identifying lineages evolving by a process of vertical inheritance from an ancestral entity. However, recent advances in microbiology indicate that such an ontology has important limitations. The various dynamics detected within microbiological systems reveal that a focus on the most stable entities (or features of entities) over time inevitably underestimates the extent and nature of microbial diversity. These dynamics are not the outcome of the process of vertical descent alone. Other processes, often involving causal interactions between entities from distinct levels of biological organisation, or operating at different time scales, are responsible not only for the destabilisation of pre-existing entities, but also for the emergence and stabilisation of novel entities in the microbial world. In this article we consider microbial entities as more or less stabilised functional wholes, and sketch a network-based ontology that can represent a diverse set of processes including, for example, as well as phylogenetic relations, interactions that stabilise or destabilise the interacting entities, spatial relations, ecological connections, and genetic exchanges. We use this pluralistic framework for evaluating (i) the existing ontological assumptions in evolution (e.g. whether currently recognized entities are adequate for understanding the causes of change and stabilisation in the microbial world), and (ii) for identifying hidden ontological kinds, essentially invisible from within a more limited perspective. We propose to recognize additional classes of entities that provide new insights into the structure of the microbial world, namely ‘‘processually equivalent’’ entities, ‘‘processually versatile’’ entities, and ‘‘stabilized’’ entities.Economic and Social Research Council, U

Estimating cardiac output from arterial blood pressurewaveforms: a critical evaluation using the MIMIC II database

Cardiac output (CO) estimation using arterial blood pressure (ABP) waveforms has been an active area of physiology research over the past century. However, the ef-fectiveness of the estimators has not been extensively stud-ied in a clinical setting. In this paper, we evaluate 11 well-known CO estimators using clinical radial ABP waveforms from the Multi-Parameter Intelligent Monitoring for Inten-sive Care II (MIMIC II) database, using thermodilution CO (TCO) as reference for comparison. We compare esti-mations to 988 TCO measurements in 84 patients, totaling 165 hours of ABP waveforms sampled at 125 Hz. As a nec-essary step for producing absolute CO estimates, we also present 3 methods of calibrating the estimators, each tai-lored towards a different use model. The results show that the standard deviation of error between TCO and the best CO estimators is approximately 1 L/min for absolute CO estimates. For relative estimates without calibration, the best CO estimator has 18 % error at 1 standard deviation. 1

Technical Considerations and Cultural Context: Archaeological Management of Prehistoric and Historic Wooden Canoes

Cultural resource managers often encounter historic and prehistoric wooden canoes during their field investigations or inventory processes. There is considerable variation in methods used by state entities and research teams to manage these vessels. Different techniques include , but are not limited to , in situ preservation , excavation , conservation , and museum exhibition. This thesis will examine and compare the various options and techniques employed in the management of wooden canoes , focusing mainly on case studies in southeastern North America. This investigation considers the pertinent laws , where applicable , specifically concerning canoes that are Native American-built. The choices of which methods are best used to manage and preserve in several past canoe projects are explored , and the technology employed by various teams to investigate these important cultural objects is examined. Along with technical reports , primary source materials are utilized , including early travel logs , accounts , and archival pictorial evidence. Interviews and surveys are also conducted and disseminated to shed light upon the cultural narratives of canoe builders and to gain insight into the processes followed by cultural resource managers. These first-hand accounts also detail the working relationships between Tribe members and archeologists for canoe preservation projects. In addition to these considerations , this study will investigate the social and historical context of these culturally significant canoes