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

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

Analysis and dissipation of the antiparasitic agent ivermectin in cattle dung under different field conditions

Cattle treated with the veterinary parasiticide ivermectin fecally excrete residues. The authors report the exposition and dissipation characteristics of these residues in dung of ivermectin-treated cattle and in soil beneath this dung on pastures in Canada, France, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. Residues were quantified for dung collected from cattle after 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, and 28 d posttreatment and subsequently exposed in the field for up to 13 mo. The authors optimized a high-performance liquid chromatography– fluorescence detection method to detect ivermectin residues in dung and soil matrices. They showed that a solid phase extraction and purification step generally can be eliminated to reduce the time and cost of these analyses. They also found that the addition of water to relatively dry samples improves the extraction efficiency of residues. They then analyzed the field samples to document differences in ivermectin dissipation in cattle dung among sites, with 50% dissipation times of up to 32 d and 90% dissipation times >396 d. They further showed that the dissipation characteristics of residues are comparable between dung of ivermectin-treated cattle and dung to which ivermectin has been added directly. Lastly, they report the first use of a desorption electrospray ionization–high-resolution–mass spectrometric method to detect residues of metabolites in a dung matrix

Results of an international ring test with the dung fly Musca autumnalis in support of a new OECD test guideline

A standardized bioassay using the face fly, Musca autumnalis L (Diptera: Muscidae), was developed to test the lethal and sublethal toxicity of parasiticide residues in livestock dung. The repeatability of this test was assessed for the parasiticide ivermectin in seven tests performed in four laboratories in Germany and France. Additional results of limit tests were provided by two laboratories from the UK. Test results had an acceptable range of heterogeneity. The calculated effect concentration at which 50% emergence was observed (EC50) averaged 4.65 +/- 2.17 (Standard Deviation (SD) mu g ivermectin/kg fresh dung (range: 1.20-7.7)). Effects on emergence were, with one exception, not observed below the No Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC) ranging between 1.11 and 3.33 mu g ivermectin/kg. No effect on development time was observed. We conclude that the face fly is suitably sensitive, and the methods sufficiently repeatable, to support use of this standardized bioassay by the international community in the registration of new veterinary pharmaceuticals. Following these considerations, this species was accepted as a possible test organism in a recently published OECD Guideline (No. 228). (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Lethal and sublethal toxic effects of a test chemical (ivermectin) on the Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria based on a standardized international ring test

A standardized bioassay using the yellow dung fly, Scathophaga stercoraria L. (Diptera: Scathophagidae), was developed to test the lethal and sublethal toxicity of parasiticide residues in livestock dung. The repeatability of the bioassay was assessed for the parasiticide, ivermectin, in thirteen tests performed in seven laboratories in Germany, the UK, Switzerland and Canada. Test results had an acceptable range of heterogeneity. The calculated concentration at which 50% egg-adult mortality was observed (Effect Concentration (EC50) averaged 20.8 +/- 19.1 (Standard Deviation (SD)) microg ivermectin / kg fresh dung (range: 6.33 - 67.5). Mortality was not observed below an average calculated No Observable Effect Concentration (NOEC) of 8.1 +/- 7.7 microg / kg. However, prolonged developmental time, and in a subset of tests reduced body size, was observed above an average calculated NOEC of 0.8 +/- 0.8 microg / kg. An oviposition choice test revealed further that yellow dung fly females do not discriminate among dung of different ivermectin concentrations. We conclude that the yellow dung fly is suitably sensitive, and the methods sufficiently repeatable, to support use of this standardized bioassay by the international community in the registration of new veterinary pharmaceuticals

Nontarget effects of ivermectin residues on earthworms and springtails dwelling beneath dung of treated cattle in four countries

The authorization of veterinary medicinal products requires that they be assessed for nontarget effects in the environment. Numerous field studies have assessed these effects on dung organisms. However, few studies have examined effects on soil-dwelling organisms, which might be exposed to veterinary medicinal product residues released during dung degradation. The authors compared the abundance of earthworms and springtails in soil beneath dung from untreated cattle and from cattle treated 0 d, 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, and 28 d previously with ivermectin. Study sites were located in different ecoregions in Switzerland (Continental), The Netherlands (Atlantic), France (Mediterranean), and Canada (Northern Mixed Grassland). Samples were collected using standard methods from 1 mo to 12 mo after pat deposition. Ivermectin concentrations in soil beneath dung pats ranged from 0.02 mg/kg dry weight (3 mo) to typically <0.006 mg/kg dry weight (5–7 mo). Earthworms were abundant and species-rich at the Swiss and Dutch sites, less common with fewer species at the French site, and essentially absent at the Canadian site. Diverse but highly variable communities of springtails were present at all sites. Overall, results showed little effect of residues on either earthworms or springtails. The authors recommend that inclusion of soil organisms in field studies to assess the nontarget effects of veterinary medicinal products be required only if earthworms or springtails exhibit sensitivity to the product in laboratory tests

Carbon2Polymer - Conceptual Design of a CO2-Based Process for the Production of Isocyanates

The capture of carbon dioxide and its utilization as a building block in chemical synthesis aim at reducing the depletion of fossil resources and the emission of greenhouse gases. The project Carbon2Chem®‐L5 is dedicated to the development of processes using CO2 for the production of polymer building blocks for polyurethanes. In this work, a process concept is presented for the CO2‐based synthesis of diisocyanates, the main starting material in polyurethane manufacture. Key parameters for process performance are discussed

Standardized laboratory tests with 21 species of temperate and tropical sepsid flies confirm their suitability as bioassays of pharmaceutical residues (ivermectin) in cattle dung

Veterinary pharmaceuticals excreted in the dung of treated livestock can have strong non-target effects on the dung organism community. We report results of ecotoxicological tests with ivermectin for 21 species of temperate (Europe, North America) and tropical (Asia, Central America) black scavenger flies (Diptera: Sepsidae), using standardized methods developed previously for the yellow dung fly and the face fly. Our study documents great variation in ivermectin sensitivity of more than two orders of magnitude among species and even populations within species: estimated lethal effect concentrations LC50 (at which 50% of the flies died) ranged from 0.05 to 18.55 mg/kg dung fresh weight (equivalent to 0.33–132.22 mg/kg dung dry weight). We also show that controlled laboratory tests can—within reasonable limits—be extended to the field or to laboratory settings without climate control, as obtained LC50 were roughly similar. In addition to lethal effects, our study revealed relevant sub-lethal effects at lower ivermectin concentrations in terms of prolonged development, smaller body size and reduced juvenile growth rate. Finally, oviposition choice experiments showed that females generally do not discriminate against dung containing ivermectin residues. We conclude that sepsid flies are well suited test organisms for pharmaceutical residues in the dung of livestock due to their ease and speed of rearing and handling, particularly in the tropics, where high-tech laboratory equipment is often not available