Relations in biomedical ontologies

To enhance the treatment of relations in biomedical ontologies we advance a methodology for providing consistent and unambiguous formal definitions of the relational expressions used in such ontologies in a way designed to assist developers and users in avoiding errors in coding and annotation. The resulting Relation Ontology can promote interoperability of ontologies and support new types of automated reasoning about the spatial and temporal dimensions of biological and medical phenomena

First full investigation of levels of microplastics on sandy beaches in Malta

This paper will report on the first full investigations on the level of occurrence and qualitative/quantitative profiles of microplastics, MP, (1-5mm) in a number of saudy beaches in Malta, (Central Mediterranean). Five popular beaches were investigated, including Ghadira Bay, Golden Bay, St. George's Bay, Ghajn Tuftieha Bay and Pretty Bay. Samples for all bays were collected in August 2015, while further detailed sampling was carried out for the last two bays in summer and in winter of2016. Sampling protocol was adopted from Galgani et aI., (2013). For all locations, samples were collected from strandline and then at 10m up shore at surface (top 5 cm). For Ghajn Tuffieha and Pretty Bay, samples were also collected from a 40cm depth. MP were extracted from sand through wet sieving, and then sorted and characterized according to size, colour, shape, and polymer type. Several parameters including degree of sea exposure and sand properties were reeorded. Full beach profiles for all locations are available. Identification of polymer type was carried out by means of qualitative density tests. In summer of 2015, the highest levels of MP were reported in Pretty Bay at 10.81 items/1000cm of wet sand with the lowest being in Ghajn Tuffieha, at 0.72 items/1000 cm. In general, levels ofMP in the dry season were found to be higher than those recorded in the wet season (winter), Higher MP concentration was recorded at 10 m up-shore as opposed to the strandline. Furthermore, surface sands comained a higher concentration of MP when compared with the subsurface sediments: though this was not was not the case at Pretty Bay in winter. These results are interpreted in terms of different beach profiles, beach dynamics, sand properties and potential sources of MP. The local level of occurrence of MP seems to be lower when compared to other European locations studied so far. The fact that in this study, MP below 1mm were not included in the data, as well as the lack of rivers in the Maltese isimlds, regular beach clean ups and other factors may explain this. Data on the characterisation of MP found are provided. For example, polyethylene and polypropylene were the most common polymers recorded at Gnajn Tuftleha Bay whereas polyethylene and paint fragments were the most common 'MP recorded at Pretty Bay, This investigation is a contribution to our knowledge of how levels of MP in sandy beaches may be affected by sand properties and dynamics, beach profiles and other factors.was no! the case at Pretty Bay in winter. These results are interpreted in terms of different beach profiles, beach dynamics, sand propel1ies and potential sources of MP. The local level of occurrence of MP seems to be lower when compared to other European locations studied so far. The fact that in this study, MP below Irnm were not included in the data, as well as the lack of rivers in the Maltese isimlds, regular beach clean ups and other factors may explain this. Data on the characterisation of MP found are provided. For example, polyethylene and polypropylene were the most common polymers recorded at Ghajn Tuftleha Bay whereas polyethylene and paint fragments were the most common 'MP recorded at Pretty Bay, This investigation is a contribution to our knowledge of how levels of MP in sandy beaches may be affected by sand properties and dynamics, beach profiles and other factors.peer-reviewe

Appeal for cultural equity

Man has a more indirect relation to nature than most other animals because his environmental tie is normally mediated by a cultural system. Since human adaptation has been largely cultural rather than biological, human sub-species are rather the product of shifts in learned culture patterns than in genetically inherited traits. It is the flexibility of these culture patterns — composed of technique, social organization, and communication — that has enabled the human species to flourish in every zone of the planet

A simple energy usage toolkit from manufacturing simulation data

A fundamental problem in energy management is the inability to clearly predict any possible energy saving opportunities. The cost of both under or overestimating potential returns on investment can be prohibitive to a decision maker. In recent years the simulation of energy usage using existing manufacturing simulation tools has increased in popularity among researchers, but it is energy managers who need to see the benefits of this discipline. This paper proposes an interactive manufacturing energy management tool which makes use of existing productivity simulation models for the prediction of energy usage. An interactive Microsoft® Excel® based tool is developed to control Lanner’s WITNESS® discrete-event simulation software using Microsoft® Visual Basic® for Applications. The tool has the ability to predict potential areas where energy saving opportunities can be made within a complex manufacturing line, and is accessible from management presentations and proposals. The interactivity of the tool provides an environment which facilitates efficient hypothesis testing. The paper includes an industrial case study where the approach was used to quantify theoretical savings from certain energy usage reduction scenarios within a complex automotive engine manufacturing line

An integrated ontology resource to explore and study host-virus relationships.

Our growing knowledge of viruses reveals how these pathogens manage to evade innate host defenses. A global scheme emerges in which many viruses usurp key cellular defense mechanisms and often inhibit the same components of antiviral signaling. To accurately describe these processes, we have generated a comprehensive dictionary for eukaryotic host-virus interactions. This controlled vocabulary has been detailed in 57 ViralZone resource web pages which contain a global description of all molecular processes. In order to annotate viral gene products with this vocabulary, an ontology has been built in a hierarchy of UniProt Knowledgebase (UniProtKB) keyword terms and corresponding Gene Ontology (GO) terms have been developed in parallel. The results are 65 UniProtKB keywords related to 57 GO terms, which have been used in 14,390 manual annotations; 908,723 automatic annotations and propagated to an estimation of 922,941 GO annotations. ViralZone pages, UniProtKB keywords and GO terms provide complementary tools to users, and the three resources have been linked to each other through host-virus vocabulary

Estimating quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) for local authorities in Great Britain and its association with indicators of the inclusive economy: a cross-sectional study

Objectives: Quantifying area-level inequalities in population health can help to inform policy responses. We describe an approach for estimating quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE), a comprehensive health expectancy measure, for local authorities (LAs) in Great Britain (GB). To identify potential factors accounting for LA-level QALE inequalities, we examined the association between inclusive economy indicators and QALE. Setting: 361/363 LAs in GB (lower tier/district level) within the period 2018–2020. Data and methods: We estimated life tables for LAs using official statistics and utility scores from an area-level linkage of the Understanding Society survey. Using the Sullivan method, we estimated QALE at birth in years with corresponding 80% CIs. To examine the association between inclusive economy indicators and QALE, we used an open access data set operationalising the inclusive economy, created by the System Science in Public Health and Health Economics Research consortium. Results: Population-weighted QALE estimates across LAs in GB were lowest in Scotland (females/males: 65.1 years/64.9 years) and Wales (65.0 years/65.2 years), while they were highest in England (67.5 years/67.6 years). The range across LAs for females was from 56.3 years (80% CI 45.6 to 67.1) in Mansfield to 77.7 years (80% CI 65.11 to 90.2) in Runnymede. QALE for males ranged from 57.5 years (80% CI 40.2 to 74.7) in Merthyr Tydfil to 77.2 years (80% CI 65.4 to 89.1) in Runnymede. Indicators of the inclusive economy accounted for more than half of the variation in QALE at the LA level (adjusted R2 females/males: 50%/57%). Although more inclusivity was generally associated with higher levels of QALE at the LA level, this association was not consistent across all 13 inclusive economy indicators. Conclusions: QALE can be estimated for LAs in GB, enabling further research into area-level health inequalities. The associations we identified between inclusive economy indicators and QALE highlight potential policy priorities for improving population health and reducing health inequalities

Clinical trials for stem cell therapies

In recent years, clinical trials with stem cells have taken the emerging field in many new directions. While numerous teams continue to refine and expand the role of bone marrow and cord blood stem cells for their vanguard uses in blood and immune disorders, many others are looking to expand the uses of the various types of stem cells found in bone marrow and cord blood, in particular mesenchymal stem cells, to uses beyond those that could be corrected by replacing cells in their own lineage. Early results from these trials have produced mixed results often showing minor or transitory improvements that may be attributed to extracellular factors. More research teams are accelerating the use of other types of adult stem cells, in particular neural stem cells for diseases where beneficial outcome could result from either in-lineage cell replacement or extracellular factors. At the same time, the first three trials using cells derived from pluripotent cells have begun

A rockslide-generated tsunami in a Greenland fjord rang Earth for 9 days

Climate change is increasingly predisposing polar regions to large landslides. Tsunamigenic landslides have occurred recently in Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat), but none have been reported from the eastern fjords. In September 2023, we detected the start of a 9-day-long, global 10.88-millihertz (92-second) monochromatic very-long-period (VLP) seismic signal, originating from East Greenland. In this study, we demonstrate how this event started with a glacial thinning–induced rock-ice avalanche of 25 × 106 cubic meters plunging into Dickson Fjord, triggering a 200-meter-high tsunami. Simulations show that the tsunami stabilized into a 7-meter-high long-duration seiche with a frequency (11.45 millihertz) and slow amplitude decay that were nearly identical to the seismic signal. An oscillating, fjord-transverse single force with a maximum amplitude of 5 × 1011 newtons reproduced the seismic amplitudes and their radiation pattern relative to the fjord, demonstrating how a seiche directly caused the 9-day-long seismic signal. Our findings highlight how climate change is causing cascading, hazardous feedbacks between the cryosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere