An Ontology-Based Semantic Similarity Measure Considering Multi-Inheritance in Biomedicine

Computation of semantic similarity between words for text understanding is a vital issue in many applications such as word sense disambiguation, document categorization, and information retrieval. In recent years, different paradigms have been proposed to compute semantic similarity based on different ontologies and knowledge resources. In this paper, we propose a new similarity measure combining both superconcepts of the evaluated concepts and their common specificity feature. The common specificity feature considers the depth of the Least Common Subsumer (LCS) of two concepts and the depth of the ontology to obtain more semantic evidence. The multiple inheritance phenomenon in a large and complex taxonomy is taken into account by all superconcepts of the evaluated concepts. We evaluate and compare the correlation obtained by our measure with human scores against other existing measures exploiting SNOMED CT as the input ontology. The experimental evaluations show the applicability of the measure on different datasets and confirm the efficiency and simplicity of our proposed measure

Remote Sensing Image Classification Using the Spectral-Spatial Distance Based on Information Content

Among many types of efforts to improve the accuracy of remote sensing image classification, using spatial information is an effective strategy. The classification method integrates spatial information into spectral information, which is called the spectral-spatial classification approach, has better performance than traditional classification methods. Construct spectral-spatial distance used for classification is a common method to combine the spatial and spectral information. In order to improve the performance of spectral-spatial classification based on spectral-spatial distance, we introduce the information content (IC) in which two pixels are shared to measure spatial relation between them and propose a novel spectral-spatial distance measure method. The IC of two pixels shared was computed from the hierarchical tree constructed by the statistical region merging (SRM) segmentation. The distance we proposed was applied in two distance-based contextual classifiers, the k-nearest neighbors-statistical region merging (k-NN-SRM) and optimum-path forest-statistical region merging (OPF-SRM), to obtain two new contextual classifiers, the k-NN-SRM-IC and OPF-SRM-IC. The classifiers with the novel distance were implemented in four land cover images. The classification results of the classifier based on our spectral-spatial distance outperformed all the other competitive contextual classifiers, which demonstrated the validity of the proposed distance measure method

Combination of Robust Algorithm and Head-Tracking for a Feedforward Active Headrest

Active headrest can reduce the low-frequency noise around ears based on the principle of active noise control. This paper presents a combination of robust algorithm and head-tracking for a feedforward active headrest to reduce the broadband noise for a sleeper on a high-speed train. A robust algorithm based on the feedforward active noise control is proposed to improve the noise control performance during head rotations. The head-tracking system with infrared rangefinders tracks the head position based on the Kalman filter to further improve system performance with head movements. Experiments were conducted on a model of a sleeper on a high-speed train. The experimental results show that the proposed active headrest system effectively controls broadband noise with head movements and rotations

Acetylcysteine increases sensitivity of ceftazidime-avibactam–resistant enterobacterales with different enzymatic resistance to ceftazidime-avibactam in vitro and in vivo

Abstract Background Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) improves treatment outcomes for infections caused by carbapenem-resistant organisms, but has led to serious bacterial resistance. Acetylcysteine (NAC) is an approved medication that protects the respiratory tract through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Results This study found that NAC combined with CZA effectively inhibits the growth of CZA-resistant clinical Enterobacterales strains. The CZA/NAC combination inhibits biofilm formation in vitro and decreases bacterial burden in a mouse thigh infection model. The combination is biocompatible and primarily increases cell membrane permeability to cause bacterial death. Conclusions These findings prove that the CZA/NAC combination has potential as a treatment for CZA-resistant Enterobacterales infections

Description and plasmid characterization of the qnrD determinant in Proteeae in Wenzhou, Southern China

Background/Purpose: Only limited information is available about the detailed characteristics of qnrD, a plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) gene. This study aimed to understand the distribution of qnrD and the characterization of qnrD-carrying plasmids in Proteeae. Methods: The distribution of qnrD genes was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification in 203 consecutive nonduplicate clinical isolates of Proteeae collected from inpatients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antibiotics were measured by agar dilution method and other PMQR determinants were also determined by PCR. qnrD was positioned via Southern hybridization and the transferability of qnrD-carrying plasmids was achieved by conjugation experiment. The genetic environment of qnrD was investigated by sequencing, and chromosomal polymorphism for qnrD-positive strains was analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results: Forty strains carried qnrD, showing decreased fluoroquinolone susceptibility or low-level fluoroquinolone resistance. qnrD was encoded on the plasmid of about 2.7 kb or 5.2 kb in length, which cannot be transferred by liquid conjugation or filter mating, but can be successfully transferred by transduction. The transformants showed 62.5–300-fold increases in the MICs of quinolones compared with the recipient. The plasmids carrying qnrD showed a high similarity with that of Providencia spp. and Proteus vulgaris. PFGE analysis demonstrated that these isolates were divergent and not clone related. Conclusion: qnrD could have originated from Proteeae or presented in these bacteria as a reservoir; furthermore, qnrD could be transferred and spread within the same or across different bacterial species if the plasmids acquired mobile elements under antimicrobial selective pressures

Description and plasmid characterization of the qnrD determinant in Proteeae in Wenzhou, Southern China

AbstractBackground/PurposeOnly limited information is available about the detailed characteristics of qnrD, a plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) gene. This study aimed to understand the distribution of qnrD and the characterization of qnrD-carrying plasmids in Proteeae.MethodsThe distribution of qnrD genes was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification in 203 consecutive nonduplicate clinical isolates of Proteeae collected from inpatients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antibiotics were measured by agar dilution method and other PMQR determinants were also determined by PCR. qnrD was positioned via Southern hybridization and the transferability of qnrD-carrying plasmids was achieved by conjugation experiment. The genetic environment of qnrD was investigated by sequencing, and chromosomal polymorphism for qnrD-positive strains was analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).ResultsForty strains carried qnrD, showing decreased fluoroquinolone susceptibility or low-level fluoroquinolone resistance. qnrD was encoded on the plasmid of about 2.7 kb or 5.2 kb in length, which cannot be transferred by liquid conjugation or filter mating, but can be successfully transferred by transduction. The transformants showed 62.5–300-fold increases in the MICs of quinolones compared with the recipient. The plasmids carrying qnrD showed a high similarity with that of Providencia spp. and Proteus vulgaris. PFGE analysis demonstrated that these isolates were divergent and not clone related.ConclusionqnrD could have originated from Proteeae or presented in these bacteria as a reservoir; furthermore, qnrD could be transferred and spread within the same or across different bacterial species if the plasmids acquired mobile elements under antimicrobial selective pressures