Utilizing Statistical Semantic Similarity Techniques for Ontology Mapping——with Applications to AEC Standard Models

The objective of this paper is to introduce three semi-automated approaches for ontology mapping using relatedness analysis techniques. In the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, there exist a number of ontological standards to describe the semantics of building models. Although the standards share similar scopes of interest, the task of comparing and mapping concepts among standards is challenging due to their differences in terminologies and perspectives. Ontology mapping is therefore necessary to achieve information interoperability, which allows two or more information sources to exchange data and to re-use the data for further purposes. The attribute-based approach, corpus-based approach, and name-based approach presented in this paper adopt the statistical relatedness analysis techniques to discover related concepts from heterogeneous ontologies. A pilot study is conducted on IFC and CIS/2 ontologies to evaluate the approaches. Preliminary results show that the attribute-based approach outperforms the other two approaches in terms of precision and F-measure.     

A cytosolic catalase is needed to extend adult lifespan in C. elegans daf-C and clk-1 mutants.

The dauer larva is an alternative larval stage in Caenorhabditis elegans which allows animals to survive through periods of low food availability. Well-fed worms live for about three weeks, but dauer larvae can live for at least two months without affecting post-dauer lifespan. Mutations in daf-2 and age-1, which produce a dauer constitutive (Daf-C) phenotype, and in clk-1, which are believed to slow metabolism, markedly increase adult lifespan. Here we show that a ctl-1 mutation reduces adult lifespan in otherwise wild-type animals and eliminates the daf-c and clk-1-mediated extension of adult lifespan. ctl-1 encodes an unusual cytosolic catalase; a second gene, ctl-2, encodes a peroxisomal catalase. ctl-1 messenger RNA is increased in dauer larvae and adults with the daf-c mutations. We suggest that the ctl-1 catalase is needed during periods of starvation, as in the dauer larva, and that its misexpression in daf-c and clk-1 adults extends lifespan. Cytosolic catalase may have evolved to protect nematodes from oxidative damage produced during prolonged dormancy before reproductive maturity, or it may represent a general mechanism for permitting organisms to cope with the metabolic changes that accompany starvation.     

Sequence analysis of peptides with biological activities using electrospray-Fourier trans form ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

The mass spectra of five peptides with biological activities are reported. All mass spectra were recorded using a 4.7-T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer equipped with an external electrospray source. The accurate molecular weights for the five peptides prepared by solid phase synthesis were measured as 1765.9013, 1063.5420, 1092.5254, 820.3804 and 1078.5193, respectively. All the data were obtained with the external calibration. Differences between observed and theoretical monoisotopic molecular weights were in the (0.2—1.0)×10^-6 range. The complete primary sequence for the five polypeptides were determined using the method of in-source electrospray ionization/collision induced dissociation (ESI/CID). All the intact y series ions and b series ions were obtained from various peptides respectively, thus determining the sequences of the five polypeptides. We found that the measured accurate molecular mass of sample 4 was not in agreement with that expected from the planned synthetic peptide. The sequences of sample 4 were determined through analysis. The corresponding accurate masses of b series ions and y series ions were gained, which proved that it was correct to re-determine the sequences.     

Comparison of methods for determining orthotropic axes in 3D femur remodeling

The density distribution and internal structure of trabecular bone are modulated by local mechanical environment. In this study, an orthotropic adaptation algorithm was applied to the 3D femur model to simulate the variations of stiffness and orientation of trabecular bone under multi-loading conditions. This algorithm includes the determination of orthotropic axes and the stiffness modification of trabecular bone. Three methods were used to determine the orthotropic axes, i.e. the maximal cycle method, the stress maximum method, and the composite method. We found that the composite method was better than the other two. Firstly, the characteristics of density distribution obtained by using the composite method agreed better with those in real proximal femur. Secondly, the material orientation aligned with the known trabeculaer pattern. Finally, the ratios of the longitudinal modulus to the transverse modulus were also shown to be realistic in three local regions of the proximal femur.