Design and evaluation of an ontology based information extraction system for radiological reports

Cataloged from PDF version of article.This paper describes an information extraction system that extracts and converts the available information in free text Turkish radiology reports into a structured information model using manually created extraction rules and domain ontology. The ontology provides flexibility in the design of extraction rules, and determines the information model for the extracted semantic information. Although our information extraction system mainly concentrates on abdominal radiology reports, the system can be used in another field of medicine by adapting its ontology and extraction rule set. We achieved very high precision and recall results during the evaluation of the developed system with unseen radiology reports. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Türkiye'de yetiştirilen Ankara Keçisi (Capra hircus) ırkında bir sitogenetik çalışma

Ankara Keçi ırkı Türkiye yerli hayvan genetik kaynakları acısından önemli rol oynamasına karşın bu ırkla ilgili kapsamlı bir sitogenetik çalışmaya rastlanmamıştır. Sunulan ön sitogenetik çalışma ırkın temel kromozomal yapısını araştırmak ve populasyon düzeyinde sitogenetik çalışmalara başlangıç yapmayı amaçlamaktadır. Kan kültürleri hem geleneksel metoda göre ve hem de Timidin metoduna göre düzenlenmiştir. Geleneksel ve GTG-RBA-RBG band karyotipleri elde edilerek ırkın kromozomlarının sentromer indeksleri belirlenmiştir. Band modeli karşılaştırmaları Ankara keçi ırkının keçi türü için standardize edilmiş RBA-RBG band modeli ile benzerliğini doğrulamıştır. Bu çalışma sonucunda Ankara keçisi ırkında populasyon düzeyinde sayısal ve yapısal kromozom anomalilerinin taşıyıcılarının tanımlanması, ırkın verim özeliklerinin geliştirilmesinde daha ileri düzeyde sitogenetik çalışmalara ihtiyaç duyulduğu değerlendirilmiştir.The Angora breed of goat plays an important role for the Turkiye's Native Animal genetic resources point of view; nevertheless, so far, no comprehensive cytogenetic investigation has been performed on this important economic breed. The present preliminary cytogenetic study has been conducted upon a sample of Angora goat breed reared in Turkiye in order to ascertain the basic chromosomal status of the breed and to start a cytogenetic screening at a population level. Blood cultures have been noted according to the conventional methods and synchronized with thymidine. Conventional and GTG-RBA-RBG-banded karyotypes have been produced to determine the relative length and centromeric index of the chromosomes of the breed. Banding comparison confirmed similarity of the Angora breed of goat with the established standardized RBA-RBG banding a pattern of the goat species. Further cytogenetic studies should now be addressed at a population level to identify carriers of numerical and/or structural chromosomal abnormalities in the Angora breed population for implementation of its productive and reproductive efficiency

Design and evaluation of an ontology based information extraction system for radiological reports

This paper describes an information extraction system that extracts and converts the available information in free text Turkish radiology reports into a structured information model using manually created extraction rules and domain ontology. The ontology provides flexibility in the design of extraction rules, and determines the information model for the extracted semantic information. Although our information extraction system mainly concentrates on abdominal radiology reports, the system can be used in another field of medicine by adapting its ontology and extraction rule set. We achieved very high precision and recall results during the evaluation of the developed system with unseen radiology reports. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd

Yerli Bir Sığır Irkının Fenotipik Özelliklerinin Tanımlanmasında Video Yardımlı Ölçme Yönteminin Kullanılması

This study aims to identify phenotypical traits of the Hungarian Grey (HG) and two more podolic breed (Maremmana, Anatolian Grey) with the Video Aided Measurement (VAM) method. The sample has been gathered from 1090 Hungarian Grey out of five herd and 26, and 30 from the Maremmana and Anatolian Grey. The measurements have been done by taking relevant pictures from videos recorded through the optometric VAM method. As the animal stands still in pictures, the measurements obtained via this method are safer, practical and reliable. The standard deviations and the average body size of Hungarian Grey cattle examined by this method were found to be: height at withers 133,0 cm (sd:5,7); height of back 131,5 cm (sd:5,7); rump height 133,7 cm (sd:6,1) trunk length 157,6 cm (sd:9,7); chest depth 76,9 cm (sd:4,3); body length 152,6 cm (sd:10,6); width of chest 45,5 cm (sd:4,3). The discriminant function analysis of intra- (Hungarian) and inter-breed dataset showed that there were statistically significant phenotypical differences among the herd. Based on the results, the VAM method can be a potential tool for conservation herds, primarily for obtaining the data of phenotypical aspects. New approaches like geometric morphometry can also be used for gaining phenotype data.Bu çalışmada amaç Hungarian Grey ile iki podolik ırkı olan Maremmana ve Boz Step (Anatolian Grey) sığır ırklarında, Video Destekli Ölçüm (VAM) yöntemiyle fenotipik bazı özelliklerin belirlenmesidir. Bu bağlamda Hungarian Grey sığır ırkından 5 sürüden 1090 birey ile Maremmana ve Boz Step ırklarından sırasıyla 26 ve 30 bireylik örneklerde çalışılmıştır. Optimetrik VAM yöntemi ile kaydedilen videolardan uygun resimler alınarak ölçümler yapılmıştır. Çünkü resimde hayvan sabit duruduğu için bu metotla elde edilen ölçümler daha hızlı, pratik ve güvenilirdir. Bu metotla incelenen Hungarian Grey sığır ırkındaki vücut ölçüleri ortalama ve standart sapmaları sırsıyla; cidago yüksekliği 133±5.7, sırt yüksekliği sağrı yüksekliği, gövde uzunluğu, göğüs derinliği ve vücut uzunluğu olarak bulunmuştur. Yapılan diskriminant analiz sonucunda sürü içerisinde istatistik olarak önemli fenotipik farklılıklar olduğu görülmüştür. Elde edilen sonuçlara gore VAM metodu koruma sürüleri başta olmak üzere fenotipik verilerin elde edilmesinde bir araç olarak kullanılabilir. Geometrik morfometri gibi yeni yaklaşımlar da fenotipik verilerin elde edilmesinde kullanılabilir

The association of grip strength with depressive symptoms and cortisol in hair: A cross-sectional study of older adults

BACKGROUND: Low handgrip strength has been shown to be associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. One area of mental health that is understudied in relation to grip strength is chronic stress, which can exist independently to depression, or as a comorbidity or precursor to this condition. The present study examined cross-sectional associations between grip strength, an established marker of physical function, and (a) depressive symptoms and (b) chronic stress utilizing hair cortisol concentrations, while accounting for multiple pertinent confounding variables. // METHOD: Data were used from wave 6 (2012/13) of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, a panel study of older (≥50 years) community-dwelling men and women. Grip strength was measured in kg using a hand-held dynamometer. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Hair cortisol concentrations (pg/mg) were determined from samples of scalp hair and log-transformed for analysis to correct skewness. Associations of grip strength with depressive symptoms and hair cortisol concentration were tested using linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, wealth, smoking status, physical activity, body mass index, limiting long-standing illness, arthritis, diabetes, and hair treatment. // RESULTS: The sample comprised of 3741 participants (mean age 68.4 years, 66.4% female). After adjustment for age and sex, grip strength was significantly and negatively associated with both depressive symptoms (B = -0.038, SE = 0.004, P < 0.001) and hair cortisol (B = -0.003, SE = 0.001, P = 0.029). However, in the fully-adjusted models, both associations were attenuated and only the association with depressive symptoms remained statistically significant (B = -0.015, SE = 0.004, P < 0.001; hair cortisol B = -0.002, SE = 0.001, P = 0.088). // CONCLUSION: In a large sample of older adults in England, grip strength was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Results were inconclusive regarding the association between grip strength and chronic stress. Further research examining the longitudinal relationships between muscular strength and specific aspects of mental health, while also exploring the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these associations, is warranted before recommendations for policy and practice can be made

The Ethnic 'Other' in Ukrainian History Textbooks: The Case of Russia and the Russians

This paper examines portrayals of Russia and the Russians in two generations of Ukrainian history textbooks. It observes that the textbooks are highly condemning of Ukraine's main ethnic other in the guise of foreign ruler: the tsarist authorities and the Soviet regime are always attributed dubious and malicious intentions even if there is appreciation for some of their policies. By contrast, the books, certainly those of the second generation, refrain from presenting highly biased accounts of the ethnic other as a national group (i.e. Russians). Instances where negative judgements do fall onto Russians are counterbalanced by excerpts criticizing ethnic Ukrainians or highlighting conflicting interests within the Ukrainian ethnic group. The negative appraisal of the ethnic other as foreign ruler is clearly instrumental for the nation-building project as it sustains a discourse legitimating the existence of Ukraine as independent state. However, recent trends in history education, the paper concludes, suggest that the importance of nurturing patriotism as a national policy objective is diminishing

The association of pain with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts with depressive symptoms among adults aged ≥50 years from low- and middle-income countries

Objectives: We aimed to examine the relationship of pain with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts with depressive symptoms among adults aged ≥50&nbsp;years from six low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa). Methods: Cross-sectional, community-based, nationally representative data from the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health were analyzed. Self-reported information on past 12-month suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among people with depressive symptoms was collected. Pain was assessed with the question “Overall in the last 30&nbsp;days, how much of bodily aches or pain did you have?” With answer options: “none”, “mild”, “moderate”, “severe/extreme”. Multivariable logistic regression was done to assess associations. Results: Data on 34,129 adults aged ≥50&nbsp;years (mean [SD] age 62.4 [16.0] years; males 47.9%) were analyzed. Compared to no pain, mild, moderate, and severe/extreme pain were associated with 2.83 (95% CI&nbsp;=&nbsp;1.51–5.28), 4.01 (95% CI&nbsp;=&nbsp;2.38–6.76), and 12.26 (95% CI&nbsp;=&nbsp;6.44–23.36) times higher odds for suicidal ideation. For suicide attempt, only severe/extreme pain was associated with significantly increased odds (OR&nbsp;=&nbsp;4.68; 95% CI&nbsp;=&nbsp;1.67–13.08). Conclusions: In this large sample of older adults from multiple LMICs, pain was strongly associated with suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts with depressive symptoms. Future studies should assess whether addressing pain among older people in LMICs may lead to reduction in suicidal thoughts and behaviors

"Türkiye ve Pakistan yerli koyun ırklarında prion protein geni polimorfizmleri taranması"

TÜBİTAK TOVAG01.01.2012Koyun ve keçilerin inkübasyon süresi uzun, ölümcül, merkezi sinir sistemini etkileyen (nörodejeneratif) bir hastalığı olan skrapi; birçok memeli türünü etkileyen bulaşıcı süngerimsi ensefalopatilerden (Transmissible Spongyform Encephalopathy -TSE) yani prion protein hastalıklarından biridir. Koyunda üç ekzon ve iki introndan oluşan prion protein geninde üçüncü ekzon bölgesinde halen 50’den fazla nokta mutasyonu polimorfizmi (TNP) gözlenmiştir. Ancak, skrapiye direnç / hassasiyeti belirleyen prion protein gen bölgesindeki mutasyonların 136, 141, 154 ve 171. kodonlarına dayalı genotiplerin olduğu bildirilmektedir. Avrupa-Asya yelpazesinde birikmiş verilerin çoğunlukla Avrupa’dan olduğu dikkat çekicidir. Halbuki arkeolojik ve genetik veriler Orta Doğu’nun koyun evcilleştirme merkezi olduğunu göstermektedir. Ancak, yapılan çalışmalar incelendiğinde bu bölgeden verilerin daha sınırlı olduğu görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada, skrapi vakasının rapor edilmediği Türkiye yerli koyun ırklarında prion protein gen polimorfizminin 15 farklı populasyonda incelemesi yapılmıştır. Çalışmada prion protein gen bölgesinin 3’üncü ekzon bölgesine ait 745 bç (baz çifti) uzunluğundaki bölgesi 655 bireyde sekanslanarak çalışılmıştır. Elde edilen veriler, Türkiye’de skrapiyi önlemeden sorumlu otoriteler, hayvan yetiştirme birlikleri ve üniversitelerin araştırma birimlerince kullanılması açısından yararlıdır. Ayrıca veriler, Dünya’daki PrP protein polimorfizm verilerinin coğrafi dağılımındaki büyük boşluğu önemli ölçüde doldurmuştur. Çalışmada elde edilen detaylı veriler fonksiyonu tam olarak bilinmeyen PrP protein bölgesinin hangi evrimsel güçler etkisinde olabileceği ile ilgili bilgilere katkılarda bulunmaktadır.Scrapie is an infectious fatal disease of sheep and it is a member of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) (or a prion disease) and affects the central nervous system. Susceptibility to scrapie is associated with polymorphisms in sheep prion protein (PrP) gene, based on their genotypes at codons 136, 141, 154 and 171. In Europe-Asia spectrum, accumulated data is mostly from Europe. Whereas, archeological and genetic evidences indicated that Middle East is the heart of sheep domestication and all of the sheep breeds must have went out from this region. Yet, data from this region is preliminary. The main purpose of the study is to collect an extensive data,covering 14 breeds 15 different populations represented by 655 individuals where each of which are sequenced for 745 base pairs of PrP 3rd exon region. It will be a data where individuals were from Turkey from which scrapie incidence was not reported. This data is important and useful for the authorities responsible from the risk management of scrapie in Turkey, for animal breeders association and for research units of universities. At the same time, it will, considerably, fill the big gap which is present in the data of geographic distribution of PrP polymorphisms in the world. The detailed data obtained by the study will contribute to the understanding of evolutionary mechanisms operating on the PrP gene of which the function is unknown

Social representations and the politics of participation

Recent work has called for the integration of different perspectives into the field of political psychology (Haste, 2012). This chapter suggests that one possible direction that such efforts can take is studying the role that social representations theory (SRT) can play in understanding political participation and social change. Social representations are systems of common-sense knowledge and social practice; they provide the lens through which to view and create social and political realities, mediate people's relations with these sociopolitical worlds and defend cultural and political identities. Social representations are therefore key for conceptualising participation as the activity that locates individuals and social groups in their sociopolitical world. Political participation is generally seen as conditional to membership of sociopolitical groups and therefore is often linked to citizenship. To be a citizen of a society or a member of any social group one has to participate as such. Often political participation is defined as the ability to communicate one's views to the political elite or to the political establishment (Uhlaner, 2001), or simply explicit involvement in politics and electoral processes (Milbrath, 1965). However, following scholars on ideology (Eagleton, 1991; Thompson, 1990) and social knowledge (Jovchelovitch, 2007), we extend our understanding of political participation to all social relations and also develop a more agentic model where individuals and groups construct, develop and resist their own views, ideas and beliefs. We thus adopt a broader approach to participation in comparison to other political-psychological approaches, such as personality approaches (e.g. Mondak and Halperin, 2008) and cognitive approaches or, more recently, neuropsychological approaches (Hatemi and McDermott, 2012). We move away from a focus on the individual's political behaviour and its antecedents and outline an approach that focuses on the interaction between psychological and political phenomena (Deutsch and Kinnvall, 2002) through examining the politics of social knowledge