Partitioning to Support Auditing and Extending the UMLS

描述（由申请人提供）：UMLS是生物医学界的宝贵资源。然而，元词库（Meta）的大小和复杂性可能会阻碍其实用性。我们提出了一些分而治之的技术，促进审计和扩展Meta的任务。分而治之的方法将大量的项目分解为更易于管理的单元。在本研究中，结果将是新的分区的Meta。每个分区都将用于审核Meta。UMLS的语义网络（SN）不将Meta划分为不相交的集合。我们首先创建一个细化语义网络（RSN），它将Meta划分为不相交的概念（范围）集。RSN从SN衍生而来，将交集类型沿着与纯语义类型合并，并以多种方式改进了UMLS，例如，它包含具有语义统一和（通常）较小范围的类型。除了RSN之外，还有三种新的分区技术将应用于扩展：沿着关系相似性的维度进行分区;创建单根子组;以及细分纠缠的多根层次结构。每个分区将（通常）暴露新的错误。我们提出了一个大规模的审计2006年AA UMLS集中在小团体获得的分区。预计将发现的错误类型包括：概念歧义和同义，错误和缺失的IS-A和语义关系，不一致和不正确的分类和遗漏。我们将对UMLS的基因组成分进行增强审计。为此，我们将创建精炼基因组SN（RGSN）。我们将构建一个审计软件工具，它将RSN和另外三个级别的分区合并在一起。一个正式的评估，与人类的主题，该工具和两个层次的专家评估的审计结果的计划。最后，我们专注于新的术语到UMLS的集成，基于RSN。总之，我们将：1）创建将Meta划分为不相交单元的RSN; 2）为语义类型的范围设计三种新的划分技术; 3）审计小组的概念; 4）设计用于审计基因组概念的精炼基因组SN（RGSN）; 5）构建审计工具; 6）设计和评估术语的集成技术。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The UMLS is an invaluable resource to the biomedical community. However, the Metathesaurus's (META's) size and complexity can hinder its usefulness. We propose a number of divide and conquer techniques that facilitate the tasks of auditing and extending the META. The divide and conquer approach breaks down a large collection of items into more manageable units. In this research, the outcome will be new partitions of the META. Each partition will be employed in auditing the META. The UMLS's Semantic Network (SN) does not partition the META into disjoint sets. We first create a Refined Semantic Network (RSN) that does partition the META into disjoint sets of concepts (extents). Derived from the SN, the RSN incorporates intersection types along with pure semantic types and improves the UMLS in a number of ways, e.g., it contains types with semantically uniform and (usually) smaller extents. In addition to the RSN, three additional, novel partitioning techniques will be applied to extents: Partition along the dimension of relationship similarity; create singly rooted subgroups; and subdivide tangled, multi-rooted hierarchies. Each partition will (normally) expose new errors. We propose a large scale audit of the 2006AA UMLS concentrating on small groups obtained by the partition. The kinds of errors expected to be uncovered include: concept ambiguity and synonymy, wrong and missing IS-A and semantic relationships, inconsistent and incorrect classifications and omissions. We will perform an enhanced audit of the genomic component of the UMLS. For this we will create a Refined Genomic SN (RGSN). We will build an auditing software tool that incorporates the RSN and the three additional levels of partitioning. A formal evaluation, with human subjects, of the tool and a two-level expert evaluation of the auditing results are planned. Finally we focus on the integration of new terminologies into the UMLS, based on the RSN. In summary we will: 1) Create the RSN that partitions META into disjoint units; 2) Design three new partitioning techniques for extents of semantic types; 3) Audit the concepts of small groups; 4) Design a Refined Genomic SN (RGSN) for auditing genomic concepts; 5) Build an auditing tool; 6) Design and evaluate an integration technique for terminologies.