AI-based discovery of habitats from museum collections.

Museum collection records are a source of historic data for species occurrence, but little attention is paid to the associated descriptions of habitat at the sample locations. We propose that artificial intelligence methods have potential to use these descriptions for reconstructing past habitat, to address ecological and evolutionary questions.

Passive citizen science: The role of social media in wildlife observations.

Citizen science plays an important role in observing the natural environment. While conventional citizen science consists of organized campaigns to observe a particular phenomenon or species there are also many ad hoc observations of the environment in social media. These data constitute a valuable resource for 'passive citizen science'-the use of social media that are unconnected to any particular citizen science program, but represent an untapped dataset of ecological value. We explore the value of passive citizen science, by evaluating species distributions using the photo sharing site Flickr. The data are evaluated relative to those submitted to the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas, the largest collection of species distribution data in the UK. Our study focuses on the 1500 best represented species on NBN, and common invasive species within UK, and compares the spatial and temporal distribution with NBN data. We also introduce an innovative image verification technique that uses the Google Cloud Vision API in combination with species taxonomic data to determine the likelihood that a mention of a species on Flickr represents a given species. The spatial and temporal analyses for our case studies suggest that the Flickr dataset best reflects the NBN dataset when considering a purely spatial distribution with no time constraints. The best represented species on Flickr in comparison to NBN are diurnal garden birds as around 70% of the Flickr posts for them are valid observations relative to the NBN. Passive citizen science could offer a rich source of observation data for certain taxonomic groups, and/or as a repository for dedicated projects. Our novel method of validating Flickr records is suited to verifying more extensive collections, including less well-known species, and when used in combination with citizen science projects could offer a platform for accurate identification of species and their location.

KneeTex: an ontology-driven system for information extraction from MRI reports.

BACKGROUND: In the realm of knee pathology, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the advantage of visualising all structures within the knee joint, which makes it a valuable tool for increasing diagnostic accuracy and planning surgical treatments. Therefore, clinical narratives found in MRI reports convey valuable diagnostic information. A range of studies have proven the feasibility of natural language processing for information extraction from clinical narratives. However, no study focused specifically on MRI reports in relation to knee pathology, possibly due to the complexity of knee anatomy and a wide range of conditions that may be associated with different anatomical entities. In this paper we describe KneeTex, an information extraction system that operates in this domain. METHODS: As an ontology-driven information extraction system, KneeTex makes active use of an ontology to strongly guide and constrain text analysis. We used automatic term recognition to facilitate the development of a domain-specific ontology with sufficient detail and coverage for text mining applications. In combination with the ontology, high regularity of the sublanguage used in knee MRI reports allowed us to model its processing by a set of sophisticated lexico-semantic rules with minimal syntactic analysis. The main processing steps involve named entity recognition combined with coordination, enumeration, ambiguity and co-reference resolution, followed by text segmentation. Ontology-based semantic typing is then used to drive the template filling process. RESULTS: We adopted an existing ontology, TRAK (Taxonomy for RehAbilitation of Knee conditions), for use within KneeTex. The original TRAK ontology expanded from 1,292 concepts, 1,720 synonyms and 518 relationship instances to 1,621 concepts, 2,550 synonyms and 560 relationship instances. This provided KneeTex with a very fine-grained lexico-semantic knowledge base, which is highly attuned to the given sublanguage. Information extraction results were evaluated on a test set of 100 MRI reports. A gold standard consisted of 1,259 filled template records with the following slots: finding, finding qualifier, negation, certainty, anatomy and anatomy qualifier. KneeTex extracted information with precision of 98.00 %, recall of 97.63 % and F-measure of 97.81 %, the values of which are in line with human-like performance. CONCLUSIONS: KneeTex is an open-source, stand-alone application for information extraction from narrative reports that describe an MRI scan of the knee. Given an MRI report as input, the system outputs the corresponding clinical findings in the form of JavaScript Object Notation objects. The extracted information is mapped onto TRAK, an ontology that formally models knowledge relevant for the rehabilitation of knee conditions. As a result, formally structured and coded information allows for complex searches to be conducted efficiently over the original MRI reports, thereby effectively supporting epidemiologic studies of knee conditions.

Pedestrian worker fatalities in workplace locations, Australia, 2000-2010.

Pedestrian deaths of workers in Australian workplaces (1 July 2000-31 December 2010) are described using coronial and safety authority fatality databases. One hundred and fifteen deaths were identified, with the majority male (93%) and aged over 50 years (59%). Four industries predominated (85% of deaths): Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (31%), Construction (29%), Transport, Postal and Warehousing (16%) and Manufacturing (10%). Similarly, three occupations dominated: Farmers (28%), Labourers (27%) and Machinery Operators and Drivers (25%). Common circumstantial factors (reversing machines or vehicles, driver also the pedestrian, driver's vision impeded and working accompanied) occurred in the Construction, Transport and Manufacturing industries, providing collaborative opportunities for prevention. Deaths occurring in the Agriculture industry showed different circumstantial factors, likely needing different solutions. While some effective countermeasures are known, workplace pedestrian fatalities continue to occur. Prevention strategies are needed to share known information across industries and to produce data enhancements and new knowledge.

Trends in tractor related fatalities among adults working on farms in Victoria, Australia, 1985-2010.

Tractors are associated with more fatalities than any other piece of machinery in agriculture, with tractor rollovers being a frequent mechanism. This study examines tractor fatalities between 1985 and 2010 in Victoria, Australia, and examines the impact of the 1998 legislation mandating the retrofitting of rollover protection structures (ROPS). The data source was the Victorian WorkCover Authority to whom unintentional work placed deaths are reportable. During the study period, 121 tractor fatalities occurred, of which 55 were rollovers. Poisson regression modelling indicated a significant decline in rollover fatalities during this period of approximately 7% per annum (incidence rate ratio [IRR]=0.93, 95% CI 0.90-0.97), however there was no simple relationship between the introduction of the legislation and the fatality decrease. It is proposed that the impact of previous voluntary retrofitting initiatives, coupled with the existing requirement for ROPS on new tractors, may have increased ROPS fitment to a critical point prior to the final requirement for retrofitting, diluting the effect over a number of years so that it could not be detected using the statistical techniques that have been applied. An increased trend in run over fatalities was also found (IRR=1.04, 95% CI 1.00-1.09) suggesting the need for research into interventions for this type of fatality, such as safe tractor access platforms.

Work-related non-crash heavy vehicle driver fatalities in Australia, 2000-9.

The objective of this study was to describe the nature and mechanisms of a case series of Australian work-related non-crash heavy vehicle driver fatalities. The study used existing population-based mortality data on non-crash work-related heavy vehicle (gross vehicle mass >4.5 t) driver fatalities reported to Australian coroners between 2000 and 2009. There were 47 fatalities with a mean age of 46.5 years. Available toxicology detected that six of 16 drivers consumed illegal drugs or alcohol. The most frequent task was attending to cargo (n=22, 47%); 31 (66%) fatalities occurred when the driver was working alone. Brake issues (n=21, 45%) were the most frequent contributing factor, and crushing the most common mechanism (n=33, 70%), particularly between the vehicle and another object (n=22, 47%). Fatalities occurred in most jurisdictions averaging 4.7 per year overall. A large number of truck drivers die performing non-driving tasks. Crushing following vehicle rolling accounts for almost 50% of fatalities. Considering this pathway may provide prevention opportunities.

Interpreting spatial language in image captions.

The map as a tool for accessing data has become very popular in recent years, but a lot of data do not have the necessary spatial meta-data to allow for that. Some data such as photographs however have spatial information in their captions and if this could be extracted, then they could be made available via map-based interfaces. Towards this goal, we introduce a model and spatio-linguistic reasoner for interpreting the spatial information in image captions that is based upon quantitative data about spatial language use acquired directly from people. Spatial language is inherently vague, and both the model and reasoner have been designed to incorporate this vagueness at the quantitative level and not only qualitatively.

The characteristics of recovery sleep when recovery opportunity is restricted.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the recovery of sleep and waking functions following one night of total sleep deprivation, when recovery opportunity was either augmented or restricted. DESIGN: The 9-day laboratory study involved a baseline night, a night of sleep loss (approximately 40 h) followed by 5 nighttime recovery sleep periods. Recovery consisted of either five 9-h sleep opportunities or five 6-h sleep opportunities. SETTING: All data collection took place in a controlled laboratory environment at the Centre for Sleep Research. PARTICIPANTS: A total of n = 20 healthy adults (18-35 yrs) participated in the study. RESULTS: Each sleep period was recorded using a standard polysomnographic EEG montage. Waking functions were assessed every 2 hours during all wake periods, using a 10 minute psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) and a subjective alertness visual analogue scale (VAS). Sleep analyses indicated that across the week TST, SOL, REM, and sleep efficiency varied significantly between the 2 conditions, but amounts of SWS did not. Waking functions in the 9-h condition recovered after one sleep period. In the 6-h condition however, mean response time on the PVT was 10% below baseline and subjective alertness 20% below baseline for the entire recovery period. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that TST is a key factor in determining recovery. When recovery opportunity is restricted, both sleep variables and measures of waking functions do not recover.

Self-awareness of impairment and the decision to drive after an extended period of wakefulness.

Fatigue is an increasingly noted factor in road accidents. The ability to predict and be aware of impairment in terms of driving capability is important for potential legal liability and road safety. However, to date, there have been few studies that have investigated the accuracy of individuals in predicting how safely they could drive during conditions of sleep loss. Research has demonstrated that individuals rate themselves as better than the population average in a number of domains, including driving-related skills. Therefore, this study also aimed to investigate self-ratings of predicted driving ability during extended wakefulness and compare them to ratings made of a hypothetical other person under the same conditions. Thirty-two participants remained awake for a period of 40 h. Every 2 h, they completed the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) and rated on a seven-point scale how well they thought they could drive safely, react quickly in an emergency, and stay in their own lane. They were also asked to assess how they thought someone else in their own position could drive. The participants rated their driving ability as becoming significantly poorer at the same time that their PVT performance became significantly slower. Self-ratings indicating a qualitative assessment of poorer than neutral driving occurred at 03:00 h for both the "drive safely" and "react quickly" questions, after 19 h of continuous wakefulness (starting at 08:00 h). This occurred at 05:00 h for the "keep in my lane" question. Previous studies with a similar protocol demonstrated that under these conditions, individuals exhibit a performance decrements equivalent to someone with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05% (the legal driving limit in Australia). Participants consistently rated the ability of others to drive as poorer than their own. The main implication from this study for road safety and legal liability is that it is reasonable to focus on a person's perception of the situation, as it does align with objective reality to a certain extent. A concern in terms of road safety is potential overconfidence, indicated by rating others consistently poorer than themselves.

Phase I and pharmacokinetic study of tasidotin hydrochloride (ILX651), a third-generation dolastatin-15 analogue, administered weekly for 3 weeks every 28 days in patients with advanced solid tumors.

PURPOSE: To determine the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics and to seek preliminary evidence of anticancer activity of tasidotin (ILX651), a novel dolastatin analogue, when administered as a 30-minute i.v. infusion weekly for 3 weeks every 4 weeks. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Thirty patients with advanced solid malignancies were treated with 82 courses at six dose levels ranging from 7.8 to 62.2 mg/m2 weekly, initially according to an accelerated dose-escalation scheme, which evolved into a Fibonacci scheme as a relevant degree of toxicity was observed. Plasma and urine were sampled to characterize the pharmacokinetic behavior of tasidotin. RESULTS: A high incidence of neutropenia complicated by fever (one patient), or precluding treatment on day 15 (three patients), was the principal toxicity of tasidotin, at doses above 46.8 mg/m2. At all dose levels, nonhematologic toxicities were generally mild to moderate and manageable. Grade 3 toxicities included diarrhea and vomiting (one patient each). Drug-induced neurosensory symptoms were mild and there was no evidence of cardiovascular toxicity, which has been previously associated with other dolastatins. Tasidotin pharmacokinetics were mildly nonlinear, whereas metabolite kinetics were linear. A patient with non-small cell lung carcinoma experienced a minor response, and a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma had stable disease lasting 11 months. CONCLUSIONS: The recommended dose for phase II studies of tasidotin administered on this schedule is 46.8 mg/m2. The mild myelosuppression and manageable nonhematologic toxicities at the recommended dose, the evidence of antitumor activity, and the unique mechanistic aspects of tasidotin warrant further disease-directed evaluations on this and alternative schedules.

Fatigue and the criminal law.

Fatigue is an increasingly recognised risk factor for transportation accidents. In light of this, there is the question of whether driving whilst fatigued should be a criminal offence. This paper discusses the current legal position, including the problems of voluntary conduct and self awareness. Three models for reform are proposed. The manner in which scientific research can inform legal consideration and future directions for research are discussed.

A phase I and pharmacokinetic study of the nonpolyglutamatable thymidylate synthase inhibitor ZD9331 plus docetaxel in patients with advanced solid malignancies.

PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility of administering ZD9331, a thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibitor that does not undergo polyglutamation and has broad antitumor activity, in combination with docetaxel in patients with advanced solid malignancies. The study also sought to determine the principal toxicities of the regimen and recommend appropriate doses for phase II studies, characterize the pharmacokinetics of the agents, evaluate the possibility of major drug-drug interactions, and seek preliminary evidence of anti-cancer activity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with advanced solid malignancies were treated with escalating doses of docetaxel as a 60-minute intravenous (IV) infusion followed 30 minutes later by ZD9331 as a 30-minute IV infusion every 3 weeks. At least three patients were treated at each dose level, and the maximum tolerated dose level was defined as the highest dose level that was not associated with an unacceptably high incidence of severe toxicity. The pharmacokinetics of both ZD9331 and docetaxel were also characterized. RESULTS: Nineteen patients were treated with 71 cycles of ZD9331 and docetaxel (ZD9331/docetaxel) at dose levels that encompassed dosing iterations of ZD9331 ranging from 65 to 260 mg/m(2) and docetaxel doses in the range of 50 to 75 mg/m(2). Neutropenia was the principal toxicity of the ZD9331/docetaxel regimen. Since five of six patients treated at the ZD9331/docetaxel dose-level of 260/60 mg/m(2) had grade 4 neutropenia that was brief and uncomplicated in the first course, a rigorous exploration of higher dose levels was not undertaken. Nonhematologic toxicities, consisting of malaise, diarrhea, rash, nausea, and vomiting, were also observed, but these effects were rarely severe. No major antitumor responses were observed. The pharmacokinetics of both ZD9331 and docetaxel were similar to those reported in previous studies of each agent administered alone, suggesting the lack of major drug-drug interactions. CONCLUSION: The combination regimen, consisting of ZD9331 and docetaxel, is feasible and well tolerated at single-agent doses that are clinically-relevant. This ZD9331/docetaxel regimen does not appear to be associated with either major pharmacokinetic or toxicologic drug-drug interactions. A ZD9331/docetaxel dose level of 260/60 mg/m(2) is recommended as an initial dose level in disease-directed studies of the regimen, with further dose escalation of docetaxel to 75 mg/m(2) if the initial treatment is well tolerated. Further studies with this regimen are warranted in tumor types that have demonstrated sensitivity to both agents.