Linking FrameNet to the Suggested Upper Merged Ontology

Deductive reasoning with natural language requires combining lexical resources with the world knowledge provided by ontologies. In this paper we describe the connection of FrameNet – a lexicon for English – to the Suggested Upper Merged Ontology (SUMO). We express general-domain links between FrameNet Semantic Types (ST) and SUMO classes in SUO-KIF, the language of SUMO. Based on these links, we have developed a semi-automatic, domain-specific approach for linking FrameNet Frame Elements (FE) to SUMO classes that is based on typical fillers of an FE in a particular domain. We thus provide restricted, ontology-based types on the fillers of FEs. Our work will enable several lines of experimentation for semantic parsing and ontology lexicalization. 1

The effects of the insecticide lambda-Cyhalothrin on the earthworm Eisenia fetida under experimental conditions of tropical and temperate regions

AbstractPlant Protection Products can affect soil organisms and thus might have negative impacts on soil functions. Little research has been performed on their impact on tropical soils. Therefore, the effects of the insecticide lambda-Cyhalothrin on earthworms were evaluated in acute and chronic laboratory tests modified for tropical conditions, i.e. at selected temperatures (20 and 28°C) and with two strains (temperate and tropical) of the compost worm Eisenia fetida. The insecticide was spiked in two natural soils, in OECD artificial soil and a newly developed tropical artificial soil. The effects of lambda-Cyhalothrin did rarely vary in the same soil at tropical (LC50: 68.5–229mg a.i./kg dry weight (DW); EC50: 54.2–60.2mg a.i./kg DW) and temperate (LC50: 99.8–140mg a.i./kg DW; EC50: 37.4–44.5mg a.i./kg DW) temperatures. In tests with tropical soils and high temperature, effect values differed by up to a factor of ten

Toxicity of four veterinary parasiticides on larvae of the dung beetle Aphodius constans in the laboratory

International audienceThe environmental risk assessment of veterinary pharmaceuticals for dung beetles is strongly hampered because no standardized test method is available so far. Therefore, a test with the temperate dung beetle species Aphodius constans was developed. The survival of beetle larvae was determined after exposure to four veterinary parasitical pharmaceuticals (ivermectin, moxidectin, dicyclanil, and praziquantel) representing different treatment regimes, modes of action, and effect levels. The test was performed in the laboratory (three week duration) with fresh dung, as well as formulated (dried, ground, and rewetted) dung as test substrate (i.e., at least one range-finding test, two definitive test runs per pharmaceutical). Ivermectin was the most toxic substance (median lethal concentration [LC50] = 0.88–0.98 mg of active substance per kilogram of dung dry weight [mg a.s./kg dung (dry wt)] followed by dicyclanil (LC50 = 1.5–6.0 mg a.s./kg dung [dry wt]) and moxidectin (LC50 = 4.0–5.4 mg a.s./kg dung [dry wt]), whereas praziquantel showed very low toxicity (LC50 > 1,000 mg a.s./kg dung [dry wt]). The toxicity in fresh and formulated dung differed by a factor of between 1.1 and 4. The comparison with literature data on toxic effects of these substances on dung beetles in the laboratory or in the field is difficult because no results for praziquantel and dicyclanil have been published so far. With the use of data from ivermectin and moxidectin, the test results are on the same order of magnitude as those known from other studies. On the basis of the experiments reported here, it is recommended that this test be standardized in an international ring test so that it can be incorporated into the risk assessment process as described in the respective international guidelines for the registration of veterinary pharmaceuticals