The LOCATA challenge data corpus for acoustic source localization and tracking

Algorithms for acoustic source localization and tracking are essential for a wide range of applications such as personal assistants, smart homes, tele-conferencing systems, hearing aids, or autonomous systems. Numerous algorithms have been proposed for this purpose which, however, are not evaluated and compared against each other by using a common database so far. The IEEE-AASP Challenge on sound source localization and tracking (LOCATA) provides a novel, comprehensive data corpus for the objective benchmarking of state-of-the-art algorithms on sound source localization and tracking. The data corpus comprises six tasks ranging from the localization of a single static sound source with a static microphone array to the tracking of multiple moving speakers with a moving microphone array. It contains real-world multichannel audio recordings, obtained by hearing aids, microphones integrated in a robot head, a planar and a spherical microphone array in an enclosed acoustic environment as well as positional information about the involved arrays and sound sources represented by moving human talkers or static loudspeakers

Model for the bee apiary location evaluation

Honeybees are predominant and ecologically as well as economically important group of pollinators in most geographical regions. As a result of analysing current situation in studies and practices, a conclusion was drawn that beekeeping sector is in decline. The identified reasons for this are land-use intensification, monocropping, pesticide poisoning, colony diseases, parasites and adverse climate. One of the solutions is to find a proper bee colony harvesting location and use luring methods to attract bees to this location. Usually beekeepers choose the apiary location based on their own previous experience and sometimes the position is not optimal for the bees. This can be explained by different flowering periods, variation of resources at the known fields, as well as other factors. This research presents a model for evaluation of possible apiary locations, taking into account resource availability estimation in different surrounding agricultural fields. Authors propose a model for real agricultural field location digitization and evaluation of possible apiary location by fusing information about available field resources. To achieve this, several steps have to be completed, such as selection of fields of interest, converting selection to polygons for further calculations, defining the potential values and coefficients for amount of resources depending on type of crops and season and calculation of harvesting locations. As the outcome of the model, heat map of possible apiary locations are presented to the end-user (beekeeper) in the visual way. Based on the outcome, beekeepers can plan the optimal placement of the apiary and change it in the case of need. The Python language was used for the model development. Model can be extended to use additional factors and values to increase the precision for field resource evaluation. In addition, input from users (farmers, agricultural specialists, etc.) about external factors, that can affect the apiary location can be taken into account. This work is conducted within the Horizon 2020 FET project HIVEOPOLIS (Nr.824069 – Futuristic beehives for a smart metropolis)

Priorities for energy efficiency measures in agriculture.

This report provides a compilation of energy efficiency measures in agriculture, their opportunities and constraints to implement energy efficient agricultural systems across Europe as a result of the AGREE (Agriculture & Energy Efficiency) Coordination and Support Action funded by the 7th research framework of the EU (www.agree.aua.gr). The report dwells on earlier reports of the consortium, which listed potential energy efficiency measures (Project Deliverable 2.3: Energy Saving Measures in Agriculture – Overview on the Basis of National Reports) and identified trade-offs and win-win situations of various energy efficiency measures in agriculture (Project Deliverable 3.1: Economic and environmental analysis of energy efficiency measures in agriculture). It shows research gaps in crop production, greenhouse production, animal husbandry and system approaches, which can be regarded as priorities for energy efficiency measures in agriculture. The report is na important input for the strategic research agenda, which is one of the main outputs of the AGREE project

The Highly Virulent 2006 Norwegian EHEC O103:H25 Outbreak Strain Is Related to the 2011 German O104:H4 Outbreak Strain

In 2006, a severe foodborne EHEC outbreak occured in Norway. Seventeen cases were recorded and the HUS frequency was 60%. The causative strain, Esherichia coli O103:H25, is considered to be particularly virulent. Sequencing of the outbreak strain revealed resemblance to the 2011 German outbreak strain E. coli O104:H4, both in genome and Shiga toxin 2-encoding (Stx2) phage sequence. The nucleotide identity between the Stx2 phages from the Norwegian and German outbreak strains was 90%. During the 2006 outbreak, stx2-positive O103:H25 E. coli was isolated from two patients. All the other outbreak associated isolates, including all food isolates, were stx-negative, and carried a different phage replacing the Stx2 phage. This phage was of similar size to the Stx2 phage, but had a distinctive early phage region and no stx gene. The sequence of the early region of this phage was not retrieved from the bacterial host genome, and the origin of the phage is unknown. The contaminated food most likely contained a mixture of E. coli O103:H25 cells with either one of the phages

Phylogeny and disease association of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O91

The diversity and relatedness of 100 Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli O91 isolates from different patients were examined by multilocus sequence typing. We identified 10 specific sequence types (ST) and 4 distinct clonal groups. ST442 was significantly associated with hemolytic uremic syndrome

Real-time whole-genome sequencing for routine typing, surveillance, and outbreak detection of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Fast and accurate identification and typing of pathogens are essential for effective surveillance and outbreak detection. The current routine procedure is based on a variety of techniques, making the procedure laborious, time-consuming, and expensive. With whole-genome sequencing (WGS) becoming cheaper, it has huge potential in both diagnostics and routine surveillance. The aim of this study was to perform a real-time evaluation of WGS for routine typing and surveillance of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC). In Denmark, the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) routinely receives all suspected VTEC isolates. During a 7-week period in the fall of 2012, all incoming isolates were concurrently subjected to WGS using IonTorrent PGM. Real-time bioinformatics analysis was performed using web-tools (www.genomicepidemiology.org) for species determination, multilocus sequence type (MLST) typing, and determination of phylogenetic relationship, and a specific VirulenceFinder for detection of E. coli virulence genes was developed as part of this study. In total, 46 suspected VTEC isolates were characterized in parallel during the study. VirulenceFinder proved successful in detecting virulence genes included in routine typing, explicitly verocytotoxin 1 (vtx1), verocytotoxin 2 (vtx2), and intimin (eae), and also detected additional virulence genes. VirulenceFinder is also a robust method for assigning verocytotoxin (vtx) subtypes. A real-time clustering of isolates in agreement with the epidemiology was established from WGS, enabling discrimination between sporadic and outbreak isolates. Overall, WGS typing produced results faster and at a lower cost than the current routine. Therefore, WGS typing is a superior alternative to conventional typing strategies. This approach may also be applied to typing and surveillance of other pathogens

Shiga Toxin-Mediated Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome: Time to Change the Diagnostic Paradigm?

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is caused by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) which possess genes encoding Shiga toxin (stx), the major virulence factor, and adhesin intimin (eae). However, the frequency of stx-negative/eae-positive E. coli in stools of HUS patients and the clinical significance of such strains are unknown.Between 1996 and 2006, we sought stx-negative/eae-positive E. coli in stools of HUS patients using colony blot hybridization with the eae probe and compared the isolates to EHEC causing HUS. stx-negative/eae-positive E. coli were isolated as the only pathogens from stools of 43 (5.5%) of 787 HUS patients; additional 440 (55.9%) patients excreted EHEC. The majority (90.7%) of the stx-negative/eae-positive isolates belonged to serotypes O26:H11/NM (nonmotile), O103:H2/NM, O145:H28/NM, and O157:H7/NM, which were also the most frequent serotypes identified among EHEC. The stx-negative isolates shared non-stx virulence and fitness genes with EHEC of the corresponding serotypes and clustered with them into the same clonal complexes in multilocus sequence typing, demonstrating their close relatedness to EHEC.At the time of microbiological analysis, approximately 5% of HUS patients shed no longer the causative EHEC, but do excrete stx-negative derivatives of EHEC that lost stx during infection. In such patients, the EHEC etiology of HUS is missed using current methods detecting solely stx or Shiga toxin; this can hamper epidemiological investigations and lead to inappropriate clinical management. While maintaining the paradigm that HUS is triggered by Shiga toxin, our data demonstrate the necessity of considering genetic changes of the pathogen during infection to adapt appropriately diagnostic strategies

Global Analysis of Circulating Immune Cells by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Background: MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is currently used in microbiological diagnosis to characterize bacterial populations. Our aim was to determine whether this technique could be applied to intact eukaryotic cells, and in particular, to cells involved in the immune response. Methodology/Principal Findings: A comparison of frozen monocytes, T lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes revealed specific peak profiles. We also found that twenty cell types had specific profiles, permitting the establishment of a cell database. The circulating immune cells, namely monocytes, T lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear cells, were distinct from tissue immune cells such as monocyte-derived macrophages and dendritic cells. In addition, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was valuable to easily identify the signatures of monocytes and T lymphocytes in peripheral mononuclear cells. Conclusions/Significance: This method was rapid and easy to perform, and unlike flow cytometry, it did not require any additional components such as specific antibodies. The MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry approach could be extended t

The Staphylococcus aureus Peptidoglycan Protects Mice against the Pathogen and Eradicates Experimentally Induced Infection

Staphylococcus aureus, in spite of antibiotics, is still a major human pathogen causing a wide range of infections. The present study describes the new vaccine A170PG, a peptidoglycan-based vaccine. In a mouse model of infection, A170PG protects mice against a lethal dose of S. aureus. Protection lasts at least 40 weeks and correlates with increased survival and reduced colonization. Protection extends into drug-resistant (MRSA or VISA) and genetically diverse clinical strains. The vaccine is effective when administered - in a single dose and without adjuvant - by the intramuscular, intravenous or the aerosol routes and induces active as well as passive immunization. Of note, A170PG also displays therapeutic activity, eradicating staphylococci, even when infection is systemic. Sustained antibacterial activity and induction of a strong and rapid anti-inflammatory response are the mechanisms conferring therapeutic efficacy to A170PG