- From: Xiaoshu Wang <wangxiao@musc.edu>
- Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:04 +0100
- CC: w3c semweb hcls <public-semweb-lifesci@w3.org>
Kei Cheung wrote: > > Hi Eric et al, > > I'm glad that umls, topic map, ... were mentioned. We have to do more > than literal translation or linguistics. It's semantics! > > Traditional Chinese medicine embodies rich dialectical thought, such > as that of the holistic connections and the unity of yin and yang. It > deals with many facets of human anatomy and physiology: 臟腑 zang-fu > (organs), 穴 meridians (main and collateral channels), 氣 qi (vital > energy), 血 blood, *靜 *jing (essence of life), body fluid, the inside > and outside of the body, as well as the connections between the whole > and the parts. > > I wonder if there is a Chinese counterpart of umls that have semantic > correspondence to the English umls. Topic map is also interesting. I > also wonder if there is a direct mapping between topic map and > semantic web (rdf/owl) .... Yes, I can understand this. But Chinese medicine is built upon a complete different conceptual framework. Of course, there is a need to connect Chinese medicine with Western medicine. But I don't think this a cross-language issue. I am from China and I know merging the two theories isn't an easy problem - if any possible. Xiaoshu > > I agree that we should narrow the scope of our problem a little bit. > Otherwise, things tend to fall apart if we try to be too ambitious. I > hope we can start thinking more about this Huperzine use case, for > example. I also hope such a use case is holistic in the sense that it > is both scientifically and technologically interesting. > > Thanks, > > -Kei > > eric neumann wrote: >> Why not simply use to following trick on top of universal symbols? >> >> <umls:male rdfs:label="male" lang="en" >> rdfs:label="Mann" lang="ge" >> rdfs:label="mâle" lang="fr" >> rdfs:label="男性" lang="zh-Hans" >> ... >> > >> >> Eric >> >> 2008/5/28 Jack Park <jack.park@sri.com <mailto:jack.park@sri.com>>: >> >> >> In cross-language data integration, it may be a simple matter of >> using a >> multitude of language-scoped labels in an ontology. Another approach >> that has been mentioned on this list many moons back by the late >> Bill >> Bugg was that of applying topic maps to the federation of >> heterogeneous >> resources, including disparate ontologies that don't easily >> merge, and >> data sets. Bill was referring to some of my work. Topic maps >> provide the >> ability to apply as many different names to some entity as >> necessary for >> all participants to successfully locate what they seek. At the same >> time, topic maps can federate each entity with external comments, >> dialogues (such as this email message), bookmarks (tags) and >> relationships with other entities. >> >> Jack >> >> Xiaoshu Wang wrote: >> > Huajun Chen@Zhejiang University wrote: >> >> Another challenge is cross-language data integration, which is >> actually a >> >> job that ontology should do. >> >> >> > I honestly disagree. Ontology is about the semantics of *being* >> but that >> > of symbols. It doesn't matter if how "gene" is called, named, or >> > written. It symbolize the same objective entities. A URI such as >> > http://www.example.com is not written in English. It is just a >> bunch of >> > symbols. Let's not introduce linguistic issues into data >> integration, >> > which already have a lot of issues. >> > >> > Xiaoshu Wang >> >> Best wishes, huajun >> >> >> >> -----邮件原件----- >> >> 发件人: public-semweb-lifesci-request@w3.org >> <mailto:public-semweb-lifesci-request@w3.org> >> >> [mailto:public-semweb-lifesci-request@w3.org >> <mailto:public-semweb-lifesci-request@w3.org>] 代表 Matthias Samwald >> >> 发送时间: 2008年5月26日 21:22 >> >> 收件人: kc28@email.med.yale.edu >> <mailto:kc28@email.med.yale.edu>; Tim Clark >> >> 抄送: M. Scott Marshall; public-semweb-lifesci@w3.org >> <mailto:public-semweb-lifesci@w3.org> >> >> 主题: Re: KB note >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>> Speaking of national boundaries, I wonder if alternative >> medicine (e.g., >> >>> herbal >> >>> medicine) would also be of interest to this community. For >> example, >> >>> Huperzine >> >>> is a drug derived from the herb Huperzia serrata. I also >> wonder if there >> >>> are >> >>> hypotheses regarding the study of herbs in the possible >> treatment of >> >>> neurological diseases. >> >>> >> >> I would also be very motivated to help in this kind of research. >> >> Specifically, Huperzine A would be a very interesting use-case >> for our >> >> developments. It is a herbal compound with a history in folk >> medicine and is >> >> >> >> available OTC in most countries, yet it rivals the >> effectiveness of >> >> currently leading Alzheimer medications such as Tacrine. It >> also has a dual >> >> mode of action that does not only involve acetylcholinesterase >> inhibition, >> >> but also modulation of the NMDA receptor. The implications of >> this for the >> >> treatment of Alzheimer's are still a rather hot topic. >> >> >> >> The integration of knowledge from traditional medicine, plant >> >> taxonomy/phylogeny/biochemistry and receptor binding databases >> (PDSP Ki >> >> database, IUPHAR) could lead to the identification of some >> extremely novel >> >> therapeutic strategies. Finding candidate molecules in such a >> way might be >> >> much more effective than weeding through libraries of compounds >> generated by >> >> >> >> combinatorial synthesis etc. The challenge lies in the >> integration of some >> >> very heterogenous datasets that come from vastly different >> disciplines, >> >> which is exactly the field of research where Semantic Web >> technologies are >> >> most effective. >> >> >> >> I guess the major problem for this kind of research is that >> there are no >> >> funding programmes that span China, the US and Asia... >> >> >> >> Cheers, >> >> Matthias Samwald >> >> >> >> DERI Galway, Ireland // Semantic Web Company, Austria >> >> http://www.deri.ie/ >> >> http://www.semantic-web.at/ >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > > >
Received on Wednesday, 28 May 2008 23:01:06 UTC