Soundscape Characterization Using Autoencoders and Unsupervised Learning.

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) through acoustic recorder units (ARUs) shows promise in detecting early landscape changes linked to functional and structural patterns, including species richness, acoustic diversity, community interactions, and human-induced threats. However, current approaches primarily rely on supervised methods, which require prior knowledge of collected datasets. This reliance poses challenges due to the large volumes of ARU data. In this work, we propose a non-supervised framework using autoencoders to extract soundscape features. We applied this framework to a dataset from Colombian landscapes captured by 31 audiomoth recorders. Our method generates clusters based on autoencoder features and represents cluster information with prototype spectrograms using centroid features and the decoder part of the neural network. Our analysis provides valuable insights into the distribution and temporal patterns of various sound compositions within the study area. By utilizing autoencoders, we identify significant soundscape patterns characterized by recurring and intense sound types across multiple frequency ranges. This comprehensive understanding of the study area's soundscape allows us to pinpoint crucial sound sources and gain deeper insights into its acoustic environment. Our results encourage further exploration of unsupervised algorithms in soundscape analysis as a promising alternative path for understanding and monitoring environmental changes.

A monoclonal antibody against a Leishmania mexicana COX-like enzymatic activity also recognizes similar proteins in different protozoa of clinical importance.

In Leishmania mexicana, the protease gp63 has been documented as the protein responsible for cyclooxygenase (COX) activity. The present work aimed to obtain a monoclonal antibody capable of recognizing this protein without blocking the COX-like enzymatic activity. The antibody produced by the selected hybridoma was named D12 mAb. The antigen recognized by the D12 mAb was characterized by the determination of COX activity associated with immune complexes in the presence of exogenous arachidonic acid (AA) using the commercial Activity Assay Abcam kit. LSM-SMS analysis validated the identity of the antigen associated with the D12 mAb as the L. mexicana protease gp63. Confocal microscopy assays with the D12 mAb detected, by cross-recognition, similar proteins in other protozoan parasites. COX-like molecules are located in vesicular structures, homogeneously distributed throughout the cytoplasm in amastigotes (intracellular infectious phase) and promastigotes of L. mexicana, and trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica, Acanthamoeba castellanii, and Naegleria fowleri. However, in Giardia duodenalis trophozoites, the distribution of the COX-like molecule was also in perinuclear areas. In comparison, in Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes, the distribution was mainly observed in the plasma membrane. Structural analyses of COX-2-like antigens revealed continuous and discontinuous epitopes for B cells, which could be relevant in the cross-reaction of D12 mAb with the analyzed parasites. These results indicate that the D12 mAb against the L. mexicana gp63 also recognizes a COX-like molecule in several protozoan parasites, suggesting that this D12 mAb could potentially be used in combined therapies against infectious diseases.

Prevalence, risk factors and causes of hearing loss among adults 50 years and older in Santiago, Chile: results from a rapid assessment of hearing loss survey.

OBJECTIVE: Among a representative sample of adults aged 50 years and older too (i) determine the prevalence of hearing loss, (ii) evaluate probable causes and risk factors of hearing loss, and (iii) assess the association between hearing loss measured by audiometry and self-report. DESIGN: A population-based survey of adults aged 50 and older in Santiago, Chile using the Rapid Assessment of Hearing Loss (RAHL) survey. STUDY SAMPLE: 538 participants completed a questionnaire, which included questions on socio-demographic and health characteristics and self-reported hearing loss. Hearing and possible cause of hearing loss was assessed using pure tone audiometry (0.5-4.0 kHz), tympanometry, and otoscopy. RESULTS: The prevalence of any level of hearing loss in adults aged 50 years and older was 41% (95% CI 33.2, 49.2). In terms of aetiologies, 89.3% of ears with mild or worse hearing loss were classified as sensorineural. Otoscopy was abnormal in 10.7% of subjects with impacted earwax being the most common finding (4.4%) followed by chronic otitis media (3.5%). Hearing aid usage was 16.6%. Older age, lower socioeconomic position, lack of education, and solvent exposure were significantly associated with hearing loss. CONCLUSION: Hearing loss among individuals aged over 50 years was common in Santiago, Chile.

Simulation environment and graphical visualization environment: a COPD use-case.

BACKGROUND: Today, many different tools are developed to execute and visualize physiological models that represent the human physiology. Most of these tools run models written in very specific programming languages which in turn simplify the communication among models. Nevertheless, not all of these tools are able to run models written in different programming languages. In addition, interoperability between such models remains an unresolved issue. RESULTS: In this paper we present a simulation environment that allows, first, the execution of models developed in different programming languages and second the communication of parameters to interconnect these models. This simulation environment, developed within the Synergy-COPD project, aims at helping and supporting bio-researchers and medical students understand the internal mechanisms of the human body through the use of physiological models. This tool is composed of a graphical visualization environment, which is a web interface through which the user can interact with the models, and a simulation workflow management system composed of a control module and a data warehouse manager. The control module monitors the correct functioning of the whole system. The data warehouse manager is responsible for managing the stored information and supporting its flow among the different modules. CONCLUSION: It has been proved that the simulation environment presented here allows the user to research and study the internal mechanisms of the human physiology by the use of models via a graphical visualization environment. A new tool for bio-researchers is ready for deployment in various use cases scenarios.

Characterizing social and cognitive EEG-ERP through multiple kernel learning.

EEG-ERP social-cognitive studies with healthy populations commonly fail to provide significant evidence due to low-quality data and the inherent similarity between groups. We propose a multiple kernel learning-based approach to enhance classification accuracy while keeping the traceability of the features (frequency bands or regions of interest) as a linear combination of kernels. These weights determine the relevance of each source of information, which is crucial for specialists. As a case study, we classify healthy ex-combatants of the Colombian armed conflict and civilians through a cognitive valence recognition task. Although previous works have shown accuracies below 80% with these groups, our proposal achieved an F1 score of 98%, revealing the most relevant bands and brain regions, which are the base for socio-cognitive trainings. With this methodology, we aim to contribute to standardizing EEG analyses and enhancing their statistics.

A country-wide health policy in Chile for deaf adults using cochlear implants: Analysis of health determinants and social impacts.

BACKGROUND: Post-lingual deafness represents a critical challenge for adults' well-being with substantial public health burdens. One treatment of choice has been cochlear implants (CI) for people with severe to profound hearing loss (HL). Since 2018, Chile has implemented a high-cost policy to cover CI treatment, the "Ley Ricarte Soto" (LRS) health policy. However, wide variability exists in the use of this device. To date, no related study has been published on policy evaluation in Chile or other Latin American countries. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the LRS policy on the treatment success and labour market inclusion among deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) adults using CI. We examined and characterised outcomes based on self-reports about treatment success and occupation status between 2018 and 2020. DESIGN: We performed a prospective study using hospital clinical records and an online questionnaire with 76 DHH adults aged >15 who had received CIs since the introduction of the LRS policy in 2018. Using univariate and multivariate regression models, we investigated the relationship between demographic, audiological, and social determinants of health and outcomes, including treatment success for social inclusion (International Outcome inventory for Hearing Aids and CIs assessment: IOI-HA) and occupation status for labour market inclusion. RESULTS: Our study showed elevated levels of treatment success in most of the seven sub-scores of the IOI-HA assessment. Similarly, around 70% of participants maintained or improved their occupations after receiving their CI. We found a significant positive association between treatment success and market inclusion. Participants diagnosed at younger ages had better results than older participants in both outcomes. Regarding social determinants of health, findings suggested participants with high social health insurance and a shorter commute time to the clinic had better results in treatment success. For labour market inclusion, participants with high education levels and better pre- CI occupation had better post-CI occupation status. CONCLUSIONS: In evaluating the LRS policy for providing CIs for DHH adults in Chile, we found positive effects relating to treatment success and occupation status. Our study supports the importance of age at diagnosis and social determinants of health, which should be assessed by integrating public services and bringing them geographically closer to each beneficiary. Although evidence-based guidelines for candidate selection given by the LRS policy might contribute to good results, these guidelines could limit the policy access to people who do not meet the requirements of the guidelines due to social inequalities.

Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment and Its Association With Hearing Loss Among Adults Over 50 Years of Age: Results From a Population-Based Survey in Santiago, Chile.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of cognitive impairment and explore its association with hearing loss and other sociodemographic and clinical risk factors, using an objective measurement of hearing levels, in adults over 50 years of age. METHOD: A population-based survey was completed in Santiago, Chile between December 2019 and March 2020. Participants were screened for cognitive impairment using the Short Chilean Mini-Mental State Examination and hearing levels were assessed with tonal audiometry (hearTest). Data on demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical characteristics were collected. RESULTS: A total of 538 persons completed the assessment. The prevalence of cognitive impairment in the 50+ population was 9.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] [5.8, 14.7]). Cognitive impairment was significantly higher in individuals with any level of hearing loss (odds ratio [OR] = 2.19, 95% CI [1.00, 4.80], adjusted for age, sex, education, socioeconomic position [SEP], and head trauma). Subjects with hearing loss and who reported any use of hearing aids (16% of the sample) had a lower risk of cognitive impairment (OR of nonusers 3.64, 95% CI [1.00, 13.28], adjusted for age, sex, education, SEP, and head trauma). CONCLUSION: Strategies for addressing cognitive impairment should further explore the integration of early diagnosis of hearing loss and the regular use of hearing aids.

Molecular determinants of inhibition of UCP1-mediated respiratory uncoupling.

Brown adipose tissue expresses uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), which dissipates energy as heat, making it a target for treating metabolic disorders. Here, we investigate how purine nucleotides inhibit respiration uncoupling by UCP1. Our molecular simulations predict that GDP and GTP bind UCP1 in the common substrate binding site in an upright orientation, where the base moiety interacts with conserved residues R92 and E191. We identify a triplet of uncharged residues, F88/I187/W281, forming hydrophobic contacts with nucleotides. In yeast spheroplast respiration assays, both I187A and W281A mutants increase the fatty acid-induced uncoupling activity of UCP1 and partially suppress the inhibition of UCP1 activity by nucleotides. The F88A/I187A/W281A triple mutant is overactivated by fatty acids even at high concentrations of purine nucleotides. In simulations, E191 and W281 interact with purine but not pyrimidine bases. These results provide a molecular understanding of the selective inhibition of UCP1 by purine nucleotides.

Complete Genome Sequence of Enterococcus faecalis Siphophage Sigurd.

Enterococcus faecalis is associated with antibiotic-resistant infections, and this study presents E. faecalis siphophage Sigurd. The 41,811-bp Sigurd genome is divided into two arms defined by long convergent predicted transcription units that are separated by a bidirectional rho-independent terminator. Sigurd has a small terminase that is closely related to Bacillus subtilis cos phage phi105.

Complete Genome Sequence of Klebsiella pneumoniae Jumbo Phage Miami.

Bacteriophage Miami infects Klebsiella pneumoniae, a Gram-negative pathogen that is becoming an increasing threat to public health due to its multidrug resistance. Here, we describe the annotation of the 253,383-bp jumbo phage Miami genome sequence and its similarity to other myophages.

Identification of a novel coronavirus possibly associated with acute respiratory syndrome in alpacas (Vicugna pacos) in California, 2007.

Alpaca respiratory syndrome (ARS) was first recognized in California in October 2007. This syndrome is characterized by acute respiratory signs, high fever, and occasional sudden death, and has mostly been observed in pregnant alpacas (Vicugna pacos), although all signalments have been affected. A similarity in clinical signs to cases located on the East Coast of the United States was observed; however, a causative agent had not been identified. Preliminary diagnostic submissions to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS) were negative for known bacterial, parasitic, fungal, and viral pathogens, as well as for toxins, making the etiology of this disease unknown. However, based on pathologic findings, a viral or toxic etiology was strongly considered. A novel coronavirus was recovered from lung tissue of a clinical case submitted to CAHFS. The coronavirus identity was confirmed in tissue culture by transmission electron microscopy and by sequence analysis of a conserved region within the viral genome. Statistical analysis calculating a serologic association between the serum virus neutralization antibody titer and coronavirus, the presence of exposure history on 40 animals with a history of ARS, and 167 controls provided an odds ratio of 121 (95% confidence interval: 36.54 and 402.84; P < 0.0001). The findings indicate that the ARS-associated coronavirus described is distinct from the previously reported gastrointestinal-associated coronavirus identified in alpaca herds.

Adaptación transcultural al español chileno de las escalas CAP-II y SIR en formato online para padres de niños(as) con audífonos o implantes cocleares / Chilean spanish transcultural adaptation of CAP-II and SIR scales in an online format for parents of children with hearing aids or cochlear implants

La adquisición de lengua oral representa un desafío para niñas/os sordas/os o con pérdida auditiva (NSPA) que utilizan audífonos o implante coclear (CI). Tomar decisiones a tiempo durante el tratamiento con dispositivos es esencial y requiere de evaluaciones adecuadas. Dos instrumentos usados en la toma de decisiones son las escalas "Categories of Auditory Performance Index II" (CAP-II) y "Speech Intelligibility Rating Scale" (SIR). Estas escalas han mostrado ser útiles para la evaluación continua del desarrollo de habilidades auditivas y de la lengua oral en variados idiomas, pero estas no están disponibles para el español chileno. El objetivo de este estudio es crear traducciones en español chileno de las escalas CAP-II y SIR, las que puedan ser usadas como auto-reporte online por padres y cuidadores con el fin de asistir a profesionales en el monitoreo del progreso de niños/as NSPA, considerando las restricciones impuestas por el COVID-19. El método usado en el proceso comienza con la traducción de una propuesta de auto-reporte de las versiones originales en inglés de las escalas CAP-II y SIR. Finalmente, las versiones en español chileno fueron testeadas en 107 padres-cuidadores de niñas/os NSPA con CI. Los resultados sugieren que estos instrumentos serían adecuados para su uso en el contexto chileno.

Spoken language acquisition is challenging for very young deaf or hard-of-hearing children (DHH) who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants (CI). Timely decision-making for treatment is essential for these children and requires suitable assessments. Two such assessments are the Categories of Auditory Performance Index II (CAP-II) and the Speech Intelligibility Rating Scale (SIR). These have been shown to be helpful for the ongoing evaluation of developing speech perception and spoken language skills in various languages, but they are not available in Chilean Spanish. This study aimed to create a Chilean Spanish translation of the CAP-II and SIR, appropriate for online self-administration by parents-caregivers in Chile, to assist professionals in monitoring DHH children's progress, considering the COVID-19 restrictions. The methods used in the process started with translating a self-report proposal from the original English versions of the CAP-II and SIR scales. Finally, the Chilean Spanish versions were tested in 107 Chilean parents-caregivers of DHH children with CIs. The results suggest these instruments are suitable for use in a Chilean context.

Rehabilitación neuropsicológica de un caso con sintomatología de afasia de conducción y anómica por evento isquémico / Neuropsychological rehabilitation in a case of conduction and anomic aphasia symptomatology by ischemic event

El tema de la rehabilitación de las afasias es explorado con frecuencia en la literatura de las últimas décadas, debido a que es una de las secuelas más comunes del daño cerebral y de las que más presenta variaciones dependiendo del caso, por lo cual los profesionales a cargo de los pacientes que sufren de esta condición se ven en la necesidad de buscar métodos eficaces para tratarlos. El objetivo de esta investigación es mostrar el diseño de un único caso con sintomatología de afasia de conducción y anomia pura. Se trata de un paciente masculino de 62 años de edad, con nivel académico de doctorado, diagnóstico de afasia de conducción y anomia a causa de un evento isquémico con 18 meses de evolución. Recibió tratamiento neuropsicológico en base a modelos histórico-culturales y neurocognitivos en dos periodos diferentes, una hora por semana. Se llevó a cabo una evaluación neuropsicológica antes y después del programa de rehabilitación, además se hizo uso de líneas bases en ambos periodos y se tomó en cuenta la perspectiva del paciente y su esposa. El rendimiento en la primera y segunda evaluación muestra un mejor desempeño en algunas áreas del lenguaje, mientras que en las líneas bases y en la apreciación del paciente y su esposa se observaron cambios importantes, concluyendo que el programa tuvo efectos favorables en la comunicación del paciente en el hogar.

The subject of aphasia rehabilitation is frequently explored in recent literature since it is one of the most common forms of brain damage and presents an assortment of variations depending on the specific case, making it so that professionals who are in charge of patients with this condition find themselves in need of effective treatment methods. This article aims to present the design for the single case study rehabilitation of a patient with conduction aphasia and pure anomia. The patient in question is a 62-year-old male with a P.h.D. level education, diagnosed with conduction aphasia and anomia caused by an ischemic event with an 18-month evolution, he received neuropsychological treatment following the historic-cultural and neurocognitive models, spanning two different treatment periods, one hour a week. A neuropsychological evaluation was made before and after the rehabilitation program, as well as using a baseline for both periods and taking into account the perspective of both the patient and his wife. Patient performance in the first and second evaluations shows improvement in some language areas, while the baselines, as well as the patient and his wife's assessment speak of important changes, concluding that the program had favorable effects on the patient's communication at home