Friday, July 22, 2022
CapitalPress.com 5
OSU researchers develop computer model Railroad labor strike
to predict which pesticides will harm bees averted, for now
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
CORVALLIS, Ore. —
Oregon State University
researchers have developed
a computer model that can
predict if a pesticide will be
harmful to honey bees.
The project involved
training a machine learning
model to predict whether
any new proposed herbi-
cide, fungicide or insecticide
would be toxic to bees based
on the compound’s molecu-
lar structure.
“This research could
be useful to other academ-
ics, researchers or com-
panies exploring potential
future pesticides,” said Cory
Simon, assistant professor
of chemical engineering at
Oregon State University.
With support from Simon
and
his
co-researcher,
Xiaoli Fern, associate pro-
fessor of computer science
at OSU, graduate students
Ping Yang and Adrian Henle
wrote computer codes and
“trained” machine learning
algorithms.
For this study, the
researchers used an existing
dataset containing 382 pes-
ticide molecules for which
honey bee toxicity outcomes
were already known.
The researchers split this
dataset in two. They used
80% of the molecules as a
training set — using the data
to train the machine learning
algorithm to recognize pat-
terns of toxicity by showing
it examples.
The researchers used the
remaining 20% to test how
well the algorithm they had
developed worked. For this
test data set, they compared
the algorithm’s toxicity pre-
dictions against real data
they already knew about
toxicity.
The algorithm works by
looking for common pat-
terns or sequences that sig-
nal toxicity to bees using a
mathematical concept called
a “random walk.”
The Biden administra-
tion has intervened in rail-
road contract negotiations
to block a strike for at least
60 days, temporarily avert-
ing what could have become
a widespread work stoppage.
On July 15, Biden
appointed a federal panel,
consisting of third-party
arbitrators, to help resolve
the dispute over railroad
worker wages and benefits.
“These disputes threaten
substantially to interrupt
interstate commerce to a
degree that would deprive
a section of the country of
essential transportation ser-
vice,” Biden said in his exec-
utive order.
The intervention will
keep about 115,000 rail
workers on the job while
arbitrators develop recom-
mendations for both sides
— railroad companies and
unions — to consider.
Agricultural
shippers
are relieved that a potential
strike has been forestalled.
According to an analy-
sis of rail car data from the
American Farm Bureau
Federation, farmers are
already experiencing rail
order delays. In grain ship-
ments, for example, between
the second quarter of 2021
and second quarter of 2022,
the cumulative number of
unfilled grain car orders
jumped 231%, and it’s com-
mon for orders to arrive 11
or more days overdue. A
rail strike could have further
exacerbated delays.
The dispute is between
Class I railroads, repre-
sented by the National Car-
riers Conference Committee,
and two unions together rep-
resenting 115,000 workers:
the Coordinated Bargaining
Coalition and the BMWED/
SMART-MD Coalition.
Railroads,
including
BNSF Railway, CSX Trans-
portation Inc., Union Pacific
Railroad Co. and Norfolk
Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press
Oregon State University researchers have developed a computer model that can pre-
dict if a pesticide will be harmful to honey bees.
Xiaoli
Fern
Adrian
Henle
Simon describes a ran-
dom walk like this: Imagine
a tiny ant is taking a random
stroll along a pesticide mol-
ecule’s chemical structure,
making its way from atom
to atom along the bonds
that hold the compound
together. If that ant were
then to visit another mole-
cule and make another ran-
dom journey, would it see a
similar sequence of atoms
and bonds? If so, then the
two molecules are similar.
And if one of those mol-
ecules is toxic to bees, the
similar molecule also has a
higher statistical likelihood
Ping
Yang
Cory
Simon
of being toxic to bees.
This method is the first
of two ways OSU’s new
study represents the pesti-
cide molecules. The second
part of the study focuses on
molecular access system,
or MACCS, fingerprints,
structure fingerprints that
are used to measure molec-
ular similarity.
This portion of the
research involves looking
for specific, pre-defined
substructures and patterns
in the molecules that are
known to be predictive of
the activity of drug mole-
cules. Researchers look for
specific things, said Simon:
“Is there a ring? Is there a
chlorine atom? How about
an amine group?” This, he
said, gives an “interpre-
table” machine learning
model.
Simon said researchers
can use OSU’s algorithm,
in conjunction with other
molecular models, to pre-
dict which pesticides are
likely to be toxic to bees
and therefore merit further
study.
The scientist said he
hopes OSU’s work “can
help (researchers) design
effective pesticides that
aren’t toxic to bees.”
More broadly, Simon
said the use of data-driven
molecular modeling and
machine learning is “really
burgeoning” and may play
a larger role in pesticide
development in the future.
“It’s a really growing
field,” said Simon.
Southern Railway, have
been in contract talks with
unions since late 2019.
The railroads entered
mediation
with
the
B M W E D / S M A RT- M D
Coalition in June last year
and with the Coordinated
Bargaining Coalition in late
January of this year.
On June 14, the National
Mediation Board ended the
mediation process, offering
the parties a chance to sub-
mit their dispute to binding
interest arbitration. The rail-
roads accepted the offer; the
unions declined.
Then union members
voted to authorize a strike.
The White House faced a
July 17 deadline to intervene.
To prevent a July 18
strike, Biden appointed a
three-member federal panel
— called the Presidential
Emergency Board — to
try to broker an agreement
between the railroads and
unions. Panel members are
Ira Jaffe, chair, and board
members Barbara Deinhardt
and David Twomey.
The National Carriers
Conference Committee, rep-
resenting the nation’s freight
railroads, said it is pleased
that Biden appointed the
arbitrators.
“All three are experi-
enced, respected labor arbi-
trators with significant
experience resolving labor
disputes,” said the NCCC.
The
unions
also
applauded the move.
“We commend Presi-
dent Biden for announcing
a board of neutral arbitra-
tors to investigate and report
its findings and recommen-
dations to help both parties
work toward a resolution,”
said the unions.
The panel has 30 days
from July 15 to conduct
hearings and issue its report,
including settlement rec-
ommendations. During that
time, a strike is not allowed.
Work stoppages are also pro-
hibited for another 30 days
after the report is issued.
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