Interactive Language Learning by Robots: The Transition from Babbling to Word Forms

The advent of humanoid robots has enabled a new approach to investigating the acquisition of language, and we report on the development of robots able to acquire rudimentary linguistic skills. Our work focuses on early stages analogous to some characteristics of a human child of about 6 to 14 months, the transition from babbling to first word forms. We investigate one mechanism among many that may contribute to this process, a key factor being the sensitivity of learners to the statistical distribution of linguistic elements. As well as being necessary for learning word meanings, the acquisition of anchor word forms facilitates the segmentation of an acoustic stream through other mechanisms. In our experiments some salient one-syllable word forms are learnt by a humanoid robot in real-time interactions with naive participants. Words emerge from random syllabic babble through a learning process based on a dialogue between the robot and the human participant, whose speech is perceived by the robot as a stream of phonemes. Numerous ways of representing the speech as syllabic segments are possible. Furthermore, the pronunciation of many words in spontaneous speech is variable. However, in line with research elsewhere, we observe that salient content words are more likely than function words to have consistent canonical representations; thus their relative frequency increases, as does their influence on the learner. Variable pronunciation may contribute to early word form acquisition. The importance of contingent interaction in real-time between teacher and learner is reflected by a reinforcement process, with variable success. The examination of individual cases may be more informative than group results. Nevertheless, word forms are usually produced by the robot after a few minutes of dialogue, employing a simple, real-time, frequency dependent mechanism. This work shows the potential of human-robot interaction systems in studies of the dynamics of early language acquisition

Animal influence on water, sanitation and hygiene measures for zoonosis control at the household level: A systematic literature review

Neglected zoonotic diseases (NZDs) have a significant impact on the livelihoods of the world’s poorest populations, which often lack access to basic services. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes are included among the key strategies for achieving the World Health Organization’s 2020 Roadmap for Implementation for control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). There exists a lack of knowledge regarding the effect of animals on the effectiveness of WASH measures. This review looked to identify how animal presence in the household influences the effectiveness of water, hygiene and sanitation measures for zoonotic disease control in low and middle income countries; to identify gaps of knowledge regarding this topic based on the amount and type of studies looking at this particular interaction

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

HIV Seroprevalence Among Male Prison Inmates in the Six Countries of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States in the Caribbean (OECS):Seroprevalencia del VIH Entre los Reclusos Varones en los seis Países de la Organización de Estados del Caribe

Objective: To determine HIV prevalence among male prison inmates in the six OECS countries in the Caribbean. Subjects and Methods: Six unlinked, anonymous point prevalence surveys of a total of 1288 male inmates were conducted during a one-year period, August 2004 – August 2005. An oral fluid sample was collected and an interviewer-administered questionnaire and consent form was completed for each survey participant. Results: The overall HIV prevalence was 2.8% (range 2.0 –4.1%). Only 39% of all inmates had previously been tested, compared to 67% of the HIV-positive inmates. Of all inmates who previously tested, 61% had their last test less than two years ago, 45% had done so while in prison and 39% had done so in a hospital. Most of those who had not previously been tested had no particular reason for not doing so (57%); 24% of them felt it was not necessary or they were not at risk. Conclusion: HIV prevalence among male prison inmates was three times higher than the estimated OECS population prevalence in 2003, slightly higher than the prevalence among incarcerated males in the United States of America and Canada, and lower than that in other Caribbean countries in earlier years. Health information on prison populations is important as this is a vulnerable group, with frequent movement in and out of the general population. Preventative services, voluntary counselling and testing, and appropriate care and treatment should be available to all inmates as this is an opportunity for many who may not otherwise access these services. RESUMEN Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia del VIH entre los reclusos varones en los seis países de la OECO del Caribe. Subjetos y Métodos: Se realizaron seis encuestas de seroprevalencia puntual del VIH anónimas no relacionadas a un total de 1288 reclusos varones por un período de un año, de agosto 2004 a agosto 2005. Se recogió una muestra de fluido oral, y un cuestionario aplicado por un entrevistador y una planilla de consentimiento fueron llenados por cada participante de la encuesta. Resultados: La prevalencia general de VIH fue de 2.8%, (rango 2.0 – 4.1%). Sólo el 39% de todos los recursos habían sido sometidos a pruebas con anterioridad, en comparación con el 67% de reclusos VIH positivos. De todos los reclusos que habían sido previamente sometidos a prueba, al 61% le había sido aplicada la prueba hacía menos de dos años, el 45% la habían recibido mientras estaban en prisión, y el 39% la habían recibido en algún hospital. La mayor parte de los que no habían recibido la prueba previamente, no tenían una razón en particular para no hacerlo (57%), en tanto que el 24% sentía que no era necesario, o no corrían riesgo. Conclusiones: La prevalencia del virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana entre los reclusos varones, fue tres veces mayor que la prevalencia estimada para la población de la OECO en el año 2003, ligeramente más alta que la prevalencia entre los encarcelados hombres en los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica y Canadá, y más baja que la existente en cualquiera de los países del Caribe en años anteriores. La información sobre la salud en las poblaciones de las prisiones es importante ya que tales poblaciones constituyen un grupo vulnerable, que con frecuencia entran y salen de la población general. Los servicios preventivos, asesoramiento voluntario y prueba, así como tratamiento y cuidado adecuados, debe estar disponibles para todos los reclusos, ya que se tata de una oportunidad para que muchos que, de lo contrario, no tendrían acceso a estos servicios

Cricket World Cup: A Stress Test for the Surveillance System in the Caribbean

Objective: To describe the development and implementation of, and major findings and recommendations from, a regional mass gathering surveillance system (MGSS) in support of the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007. Methods: The regional MGSS was developed by the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) and its member countries as an adaptation of the routine communicable disease surveillance system in order to rapidly detect unusual disease events during the tournament. The implementation of the MGSS required the identification of additional human and financial resources, capacity building activities, laboratory strengthening, and improved global epidemic surveillance and communication mechanisms. Results: Timeliness and completeness of data reporting in the MGSS were both > 85%. No unusual pathogens were identified in the region during the tournament. Only dengue and influenza, both endemic to the region, were identified. The early alert detection software used identified a total of 24 aberrations from seven countries, the largest proportions being gastroenteritis, fever and respiratory symptoms and injuries. All aberrations were promptly investigated and most were found to be false alerts. Three unusual disease events were detected, all from one country. They were responded to in a timely manner and did not adversely affect the tournament. Conclusions: The surveillance capacities gained in preparing for, and supporting, the tournament assisted in strengthening and testing the already existing national and regional communicable disease surveillance systems. Events such as these should be utilized to strengthen already existing surveillance systems, which should be flexible enough to respond to changing events. Keywords: Caribbean, communicable diseases, mass gatherings, surveillance "La Copa Mundial de Críquet: un Test de Estrés para el Sistema de Vigilancia en el Caribe" RESUMEN Objetivo: Describir el desarrollo e implementación, así como los hallazgos principales y las recomendaciones de un sistema de vigilancia regional de eventos masivos (MGSS), en apoyo al Consejo Internacional de Críquet en la Copa Mundial de Críquet de West Indies 2007. Métodos: El sistema de vigilancia regional de eventos masivos, conocido por sus siglas en inglés MGSS, fue desarrollado por el Centro de Epidemiología del Caribe (CAREC) y sus países miembros, como una adaptación del sistema de vigilancia rutinaria de enfermedades comunicables a fin de detectar rápidamente manifestaciones inusuales de enfermedades durante el torneo. La implementación del MSGS requirió la identificación de recursos humanos y financieros adicionales, actividades de construcción de capacidades, fortalecimiento de los laboratorios, así como el mejoramiento de la vigilancia epidemiológica y los mecanismos de comunicación globales. Resultados: La calidad del reporte de los datos en cuanto a su integridad y disponibilidad en tiempo y forma fue en ambos casos > 85%. No se identificaron patógenos raros en la región durante el torneo. Sólo el dengue y la influenza, ambos endémicos de la región, fueron identificados. El software de detección y alerta tempranos utilizado, identificó un total de 24 anomalías de 7 países, entre las cuales la gastroenteritis, los síntomas febriles y respiratorios, y las lesiones, alcanzaron las mayores proporciones. Todas las anomalías fueron investigadas rápidamente y en la mayor parte de los casos se encontró que se trataba de falsas alarmas. Se detectaron tres manifestaciones patológicas inusuales, todas de un mismo país. A todas se les dio respuesta oportuna, y no afectaron adversamente el curso del torneo. Conclusiones: Las capacidades de vigilancia desarrolladas en la preparación y apoyo al torneo, contribuyeron a fortalecer y a poner a prueba los sistemas nacionales y regionales ya existentes para la vigilancia de enfermedades comunicables. Debe utilizarse eventos como éstos, a fin de fortalecer los sistemas de vigilancia ya existentes, y hacerlos suficientemente flexibles para responder a las condiciones cambiantes en eventos futuros. Palabras claves: Caribe, enfermedades comunicables, eventos masivos, vigilanci

Multimodally profiling memory T cells from a tuberculosis cohort identifies cell state associations with demographics, environment and disease

Multimodal T cell profiling can enable more precise characterization of elusive cell states underlying disease. Here, we integrated single-cell RNA and surface protein data from 500,089 memory T cells to define 31 cell states from 259 individuals in a Peruvian tuberculosis (TB) progression cohort. At immune steady state >4 years after infection and disease resolution, we found that, after accounting for significant effects of age, sex, season and genetic ancestry on T cell composition, a polyfunctional type 17 helper T (TH17) cell-like effector state was reduced in abundance and function in individuals who previously progressed from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection to active TB disease. These cells are capable of responding to M.tb peptides. Deconvoluting this state-uniquely identifiable with multimodal analysis-from public data demonstrated that its depletion may precede and persist beyond active disease. Our study demonstrates the power of integrative multimodal single-cell profiling to define cell states relevant to disease and other traits