Saliency Detection from Subitizing Processing

Most of the saliency methods are evaluated for their ability to generate saliency maps, and not for their functionality in a complete vision pipeline, for instance, image classification or salient object subitizing. In this work, we introduce saliency subitizing as the weak supervision. This task is inspired by the ability of people to quickly and accurately identify the number of items within the subitizing range (e.g., 1 to 4 different types of things). This means that the subitizing information will tell us the number of featured objects in a given image. To this end, we propose a saliency subitizing process (SSP) as a first approximation to learn saliency detection, without the need for any unsupervised methods or some random seeds. We conduct extensive experiments on two benchmark datasets (Toronto and SID4VAM). The experimental results show that our method outperforms other weakly supervised methods and even performs comparable to some fully supervised methods as a first approximation

Past Small-Scale Ecological and Oceanographic Variability around Santa Cruz Island, California. Implications for Human Foraging on M. californianus Beds during the Late Holocene (2200-500 cal B.P.)

Archaeologists working on the northern Channel Islands of California have proposed that during the Late Holocene, foraging decisions of the islands' prehistoric occupants were progressively less affected by environmental changes as increasing human exploitation pressure shaped abundance and size of intertidal shellfish species. This proposal, although supported by archaeological data from habitation sites, does not incorporate past small-scale ecological and oceanographic variability around the islands nor the effect of this variability on Mytilus californianus (California mussel), the main intertidal shellfish species exploited through prehistory. Consequently, the lessening influence of environmental conditions on shellfish harvesting during the Late Holocene has not been definitively demonstrated. This study evaluates this proposal through the study of archeological, ecological and stable isotopic data from two shell midden sites, SCRI-195 and SCRI-496, on the coast of Santa Cruz island, both occupied during the Late Holocene (2200-500 cal B.P.). The correlation between changes in abundance and size of M. californianus and past sea surface temperature (SST) through the chronological sequences at each archaeological site was statistically evaluated, regional and local SST records spanning the Late Holocene were compared, and modern data concerning ecological and oceanographic factors affecting M. californianus productivity around Santa Cruz island were used to interpret past natural conditions of this shellfish species. The results of this study show that fluctuation in regional and local past SST does not explain variation in abundance or length of collected M. californianus through the occupation of SCRI-195 and SCRI-496. Instead, the factors determining this variation are the intensity of human occupation at the archaeological sites, together with past productivity of M. californianus beds near the human settlements. Differing intensities of human occupation at SCRI-195 and SCRI-496 defined harvesting pressure on M. californianus beds, and the frequency and intensity of upwelling conditions (cooler SST) influenced past productivity of M. californianus during the Late Holocene at each site location. This study reached the conclusion that the factors of site occupation dynamics and upwelling occurrence together influenced human foraging on M. californianus during the Late Holocene around Santa Cruz Island and explain variation in archaeological shellfish assemblages

Conservation Gaps Associated with Threatened Wildlife in Chimborazo Province

The identification of conservation gaps through a systemic planning process allows for the design and evaluation of initiatives for determining conservation areas at different geographical scales. The purpose of this study was to determine the conservation gaps associated with threatened wildlife in Chimborazo, Ecuador. A documentary research was used including a systematic review of 26 geographic and bibliographic information sources on 10 wildlife variables, a multicriteria analysis in GIS using six criteria, the statistical analysis of independent variables using a Chi-square test, and the development of a correspondence analysis. The results showed that in Chimborazo province, 311 species of wildlife were registered, of which 13% are in a degree of threat. To mitigate the problems associated with the loss of wildlife, two strategies are required, mainly through the leadership and active participation of the 10 public sector actors. In addition, it was identified that the conservation gaps associated with threatened wildlife are mainly found in the “paramo” ecosystem and comprise an area of 143,302 ha, which corresponds to 22% of province’s extension. This information should be used by the institutions related to the management of the natural resources of the province to deepen the studies on the ranges of distribution of species in threat category and promote actions that allow the conservation and sustainable use of the natural heritage from the province. Keywords: Fauna, Threats, Conservation gaps, Multi-criteria analysis. Resumen La identificación de vacíos de conservación a través de un proceso de planificación sistémica permite diseñar y evaluar iniciativas para la implementación de áreas de conservación en diferentes escalas geográficas. El propósito de este estudio fue determinar los vacíos de conservación asociados a la fauna con categoría de amenaza en la provincia de Chimborazo. Los métodos empleados contemplaron una investigación documental, mediante la revisión sistemática de 26 fuentes información geográfica y bibliográfica sobre 10 variables de la fauna, un análisis multicriterio en SIG a través de la aplicación de 6 criterios, y el análisis estadístico, mediante la aplicación de una prueba chi cuadrado de independencia y el desarrollo de un análisis de correspondencia. Los resultados reflejan que en la provincia de Chimborazo se registraron 311 especies de fauna, de las cuales el 13% se encuentran en una categoría de amenaza. Para mitigar la problemática asociada a la perdida de fauna silvestre se requiere la implementación de dos estrategias, a través del liderazgo y la participación de 10 actores del sector público, principalmente. Además, se identificó que los vacíos de conservación asociados a la fauna con categoría de amenaza se encuentran principalmente en el ecosistema páramo y comprende una extensión de 143.302 ha, que corresponde al 22 % de la extensión de la provincia. Esta información debe ser utilizada por las instituciones relacionadas al manejo de los recursos naturales de la provincia, para profundizar los estudios sobre los rangos de distribución de especies en categoría de amenaza, y para impulsar acciones que permitan la conservación y el aprovechamiento sostenible del patrimonio natural de la provincia. Palabras Clave: Fauna, Amenazas, Vacíos de conservación, Análisis multicriterio

Marine invertebrates as proxies for early kelp use along the western coast of South America

Coastal societies have lived at the seaward edge of the Atacama Desert since at least 12,000 years ago. Kelp forest ecosystems provide evidence for important subsistence activity along the entire Chilean coast through fishing and gathering. Despite their importance, especially in hyperarid contexts with limited plant abundance, there is scarce evidence of kelp in archaeological contexts, hampering the study of kelp use in the past. In the present study, we use the presence of small marine invertebrates, inhabitants of stipes and holdfasts of macroalgae, as proxies that indicate past kelp presence. We analyze samples of three species of snails (Tegula atra, Tegula tridentata, and Diloma nigerrima) and one limpet (Scurria scurra) from nine archaeological sites dated between 7,000 and 500 cal years before present located around the area of Taltal (25°Lat S). Modern samples of these species were collected to reconstruct the size of fragmented archaeological shells and subsequently estimate the size of harvested kelps. Through this approach, we estimated the size and relative abundance of kelp used by coastal groups that inhabited the southern part of the Atacama Desert for around 6,500 years. Our results are a contribution to the scarce information on the presence and use of kelp in the prehistory of the Americas and contribute to comparative perspectives with other areas of the world where the use of kelp by humans in the past has already been explored

Deep learning for Chilean native flora classification: a comparative analysis

The limited availability of information on Chilean native flora has resulted in a lack of knowledge among the general public, and the classification of these plants poses challenges without extensive expertise. This study evaluates the performance of several Deep Learning (DL) models, namely InceptionV3, VGG19, ResNet152, and MobileNetV2, in classifying images representing Chilean native flora. The models are pre-trained on Imagenet. A dataset containing 500 images for each of the 10 classes of native flowers in Chile was curated, resulting in a total of 5000 images. The DL models were applied to this dataset, and their performance was compared based on accuracy and other relevant metrics. The findings highlight the potential of DL models to accurately classify images of Chilean native flora. The results contribute to enhancing the understanding of these plant species and fostering awareness among the general public. Further improvements and applications of DL in ecology and biodiversity research are discussed

EXPERIENCES OF PROVIDERS OF CARE FOR INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERLY PEOPLE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A QUALITATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Objective: Uncover the experiences of caregivers of elderly people living in long-term care institutions, during confinement in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.Method: Qualitative, descriptive research, through an intrinsic case study. Intentional sample by criteria and convenience of six caregivers, Los Ríos Region, Chile; a semi-structured interview was carried out in 2021. Analysis applying the constant comparative method and progressive focusing approach. Validity was ensured by compliance with the criteria of rigor and researcher triangulation.Results: 489 units of meaning gave rise to four thematic groups: Meaning of having lived the experience, facilitating factors, hindering factors and recommendations. Two domains emerged: Contribution of caregivers to strengthening their role during the pandemic and Contribution to strengthening management.Conclusions: it allows recognizing and validating the emotional bond, commitment and vocation of care providers, key aspects to be reinforced through counseling and training to guarantee the quality of care

Evaluación de accesibilidad en sitios web oficiales

En este en el artículo se presentan los resultados de realizar una evaluación preliminar de los sitios Web oficiales de la provincia de Catamarca sobre el cumplimiento de las normas de accesibilidad Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Las normas WCAG 1.0 son directrices de diseño general definidos por la Web Accessibility Iniciative (WAI) para crear contenido Web accesible, están dirigidas a un grupo de usuarios heterogéneo con requerimientos de accesos probablemente diferentes. Los principales resultados muestran que buena parte de los sitios oficiales del gobierno hace caso omiso a la WAI.In this in the article the results are presented of carrying out a preliminary evaluation of the places official Web of the county of Catamarca on the execution of the norms of accessibility Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The norms WCAG 1.0 are guidelines of design general defined by the Web Accessibility Iniciative (WAI) to create contained accessible Web, they are directed to a heterogeneous group of users with requirements of probably different accesses. The main results show that good part of the government's official places pays remiss attention to the WAI.Presentado en el Congreso GeneralRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Evaluación de accesibilidad en sitios web oficiales

En este en el artículo se presentan los resultados de realizar una evaluación preliminar de los sitios Web oficiales de la provincia de Catamarca sobre el cumplimiento de las normas de accesibilidad Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Las normas WCAG 1.0 son directrices de diseño general definidos por la Web Accessibility Iniciative (WAI) para crear contenido Web accesible, están dirigidas a un grupo de usuarios heterogéneo con requerimientos de accesos probablemente diferentes. Los principales resultados muestran que buena parte de los sitios oficiales del gobierno hace caso omiso a la WAI.In this in the article the results are presented of carrying out a preliminary evaluation of the places official Web of the county of Catamarca on the execution of the norms of accessibility Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The norms WCAG 1.0 are guidelines of design general defined by the Web Accessibility Iniciative (WAI) to create contained accessible Web, they are directed to a heterogeneous group of users with requirements of probably different accesses. The main results show that good part of the government's official places pays remiss attention to the WAI.Presentado en el Congreso GeneralRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI