| ObjectiveAfter review of Ling-Nan Moxibustion Classics,this article established a digital database and probes into a suitable way for knowledge representation from Acupuncture and moxibustion classics.To realize the transformation from domain literature to structural knowledge,the research constructed a domain ontology of Ling-Nan Moxibustion Classics.With a logistic structure of ontology,knowledge can be well reused and visualized while tacit knowledge could be discovered.Finally,the research construct a retrieval system based on ontology to realize semantic association and recoumendation.The system aims at fulfilling search needs o acupuncturists and researchers of acupuncture classics.Methods1.Review of literatureFirstly,review of Ling-Nan Moxibustion Classics was conducted.Important literature of Ling-Nan Moxibustion was selected after review of classics from Jin dynasty to Qing dynasty.Medical literatures and medical physicians with recorded moxibustion practice were included into database after discussion with respected experts.Representative works of Ling-Nan Moxibustion was compared.Cai Ai Bian Yi was considered as the most suitable book for revealing image of Ling-Nan Moxibustion.Seven methods of knowledge representation were reviewed and compared.Ontology was considered as the most suitable method to represent knowledge from Ling-Nan Moxibustion Classics.Secondly,the article reviewed application of ontology in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM).Construction of TCM Language System(TCMLS)was reviewed and research progress of subdivision was presented.Finally,the digital texts of the classics were collected using full-text databases such as Digital Classics Database of Chinese Library.Literature without digital version were printed and OCR identified.A digital database of Ling-Nan Moxibustion Classics was established.2.Semantic analysisKnowledge of Ling-Nan Moxibustion were classified and analyzed with semantics.Word groups and clauses of original text were arranged.Semantic roles of sentence components were analyzed.Multi-semantic structure was discussed separately.After semantic analysis,semantic concepts were extracted and standardized with reference of Chinese Medicine Dictionary.Standard concepts corpus was redacted and confirmed with respected experts.Possible semantic relationships were extended from core concepts.3.Construction and visualization of ontologyConstruction of Ling-Nan Moxibustion Classics ontology was based on semantic concept corpus in the process of 7-step method from Stanford.Ontology was constructed with an open-source platform software Protege.Firstly,to confirm the purpose and scope of ontology construction.Secondly,to establish classification hierarchy model and semantic relationship with reference to the TCMLS and mapping of core concepts.Adjust classes and relationships of TCMLS to be suitable for Ling-Nan Moxibustion knowledge.Use a top-down approach to analyze the domain ontology on the characteristics of Ling-Nan Moxibustion.Instances were established as individual in Prot6ge,according to semantic analysis results sentence by sentence from the book Cai Ai Bian Yi.Decide solution for special condition during instance establishment such as duplication of class name and individual name,individual pertaining to different classes,intertextuality,alias,phonetic loan character.Unsolved problem of instance establishment was recorded.Alias were arranged into thesaurus for later use.4.Realize semantic research with ontologySemantic research system was established with Java and HTML.Ontology was parsed into triples with Jena software developer’s kit from HP Lab.Key words were matching with standard concept corpus and thesaurus.Related concepts of a matched concept were queried from triples of ontology.By changing the recall rate,the gather of search term was controlled.Final output of research was return from digital database of LingNan Moxibustion Classics.5.Knowledge Discovery of Ling-Nan MoxibustionStructured expression of Ling-Nan Moxibustion knowledge was conducted by ontology based semantic graph.Searching "Xian"(epilepsy)in ontology provided an overall demonstration of "Xian" in disease definition,acupoints and differential diagnosis.By searching "Stroke" in ontology,the results showed its definition was different from modern acupuncture theory.Searching specific points in ontology showed different application of points in Ling-Nan Moxibustion.For instance,eye diseases can be treated by Taiyuan(LU 9),hernia can be treated by Taixi(KI 3)."Heat syndrome" was searched in retrieval system.Semanticassociation was based on core relationship of "disease-symptoms-points".Original texts were recommended by matching label with knowledge base.Treatment methods and point selection theory was analyzed from symptoms distribution and related original texts."Unconsciousness" was searched and its corresponding acupoints was summarized.ResultsThis research established digital database of Ling-Nan Moxibustion classics.This research constructed Ontology of Ling-Nan Moxibustion classcis,which consists of 408 classes,43 properties(37 objective?properties and 6 data properties),814 individuals and 4077 axioms.This research demonstrated structural expression of Ling-Nan Moxibustion with ontology.This research constructed semantic retrieval system and achieved association and recommendation based on semantic web of ontology.This research summarized treatment thoughts of "Xian" in Ling-Nan Moxibustion.This research found difference of specific points application between Ling-Nan Moxibustion and modern Acupuncture theory.Definition of "stroke" in Ling-Nan Moxibustion was supported with"heart-stroke" and "abdomen-stroke".Results related with clinical needs listed as follow,the association of "disease-symptom-acupoint" and heat syndrome”in original texts were achieved.The treatment method for heat syndrome depends patient sweats conditions.Heat syndrome without sweat should be treated with sweat inducing and exogenous dispelling points,while heat syndrome with sweat should be treated with heat clearing,yin nourishing and phlegm reducing points.Points used for heat syndrome distributed in San-jiao Meridian of Hand Shao-yang and Pericardium Meridian of Hand Jue-yin.Points treating "unconsciousnes" in Ling-Nan Moxibustion was not limited in points inducing resuscitation,for instance Kun-Lun(LB 60),Huang-Shu(BL 43),Da-Dun(LR 1),Jian-Shi(PC 5)·Conelusion1.Ontology can be used to describe knowledge from classical texts of regional medical school.Ontology construction of subdivision in Chinese medicine will increase efficacy of information processing and reuse.2.Visualization of ontology provide a method to explicit tacit knowledge in classical texts of acupuncture and moxibustion,such as syndrome differentiation and differential diagnosis,which may help knowledge discovery and supplement the missing knowledge.3.The retrieval system based on ontology can associate and recommend knowledge of Ling-Nan Moxibustion and help to discover rules in classics.4.Utilizing ontology and retrieval system established in this study,the tacit knowledge in the Ling-Nan moxibustion method was found,which is consistent with the characteristics of moxibustion for heat symptoms" and moxibustion for awakening the mind and not maintaining warm Yang" which summarized in the literature review. |
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