Implementación y evaluación de un sistema QbE-STD (Query-by-Example Spoken Term Detection)

Con el fin de extraer información y reconocer palabras clave en los ficheros de audio presentes en medios de comunicación e Internet, surgen los sistemas QbE-STD (Query-by- Example Spoken Term Detecion). Los sistemas QbE-STD tratan, por un lado de buscar un ejemplo de un objeto o parte de él en otro objeto (QbE), y por otro de encontrar palabras o secuencias de ellas en archivos de audio (STD). En este Trabajo Fin de Máster se ha desarrollado un sistema QbE-STD independiente del idioma cuya entrada o query está basada en términos hablados, lo que permite a un usuario realizar una búsqueda en un repositorio de audio emitiendo con su voz el término a buscar. Como técnica de representación del habla se han empleado los llamados posteriorgramas fonéticos, obtenidos mediante los decodificadores fonéticos desarrollados por la Universidad de Tecnología de Brno (BUT). Para la detección de los términos de búsqueda en los repositorios de audio se ha utilizado el algoritmo Subsequence Dynamic Time Warping (S-DTW). Además de desarrollar un sistema QbE-STD que sirva como punto de partida para futuras vías de trabajo del grupo AUDIAS1, se han incluido distintas técnicas y aportaciones con el objetivo de intentar mejorar los resultados obtenidos. Entre estas técnicas se encuentra la selección de unidades fonéticas o la fusión de idiomas. Para el desarrollo de la solución y la realización de las pruebas se han utilizado los audios pertenecientes a las evaluaciones Albayzin 2016 y 2018 Search on Speech. Los resultados obtenidos se han podido contrastar con otros sistemas publicados, ya que para el cálculo de la precisión se ha empleado un procedimiento de evaluación oficial propuesto por el instituto de tecnología NIST y ampliamente utilizado. Los valores de precisión alcanzados demuestran que mediante el sistema básico se obtienen unos resultados competitivos y semejantes a los de otras implementaciones de este tipo.In order to extract information and recognize key words in the audio files belonging to media and Internet, QbE-STD (Query-by-Example Spoken Term Detection) systems are developed. QbE-STD systems have as purpose, on the one hand, to search for an example of an object or part of it in another object (QbE), and on the other, to find words or sequences of them in audio files (STD). In this Master Thesis, a language-independent QbE-STD system has been developed, whose input or query is based on spoken terms, which allows an user to perform a search in an audio repository by saying the search term with his/her own voice. As a technique of speech representation, phonetic posteriorgrams have been used, obtained through the phonetic decoders developed by the Brno University of Technology (BUT). The Subsequence Dynamic Time Warping (S-DTW) algorithm has been used to detect the search terms in the audio repositories. In addition to developing a QbE-STD system that will be used as a first point for future investigation of AUDIAS2 group, different techniques and contributions have been included in order to try to improve the achieved results. Among these techniques, the phonetic units selection or the languages fusion have been implemented. In the development and test phases, the audios belonging to the Albayzin 2016 and 2018 Search on Speech evaluation have been used. The achieved results have been compared with other published systems, because of the use of an official evaluation procedure proposed by NIST technology has been implemented to obtain accuracy. The precision values obtained show that competitive results have been achieved through the basic system, and these are similar to those of other implementations of this type

Rendimiento de bilingües catalán-castellano en el test de Afasia para Bilingües de Michel Paradís: influencia de la edad y del nivel educativo

The Bilingual Aphasia Test (BAT) was designed to assess the residual language capacities of bilingual or multilingual individuals with aphasia. At the present time, the test is available in more than 60 languages. Although its appearance dates from the late 80's, studies to evaluate its psychometric properties are still scarce. The aim of this study was double: (1) to compare language performance in Catalan and Spanish of 56 healthy bilinguals with the Catalan (BAT-Cat) and Spanish (BAT-Spa) versions of the test, and (2) to determine the influence of age and educational level in each language. In general, language performance in Catalan and Spanish was more similar than different. The differences in favour of Spanish can be interpreted in sociolinguistic terms. In general, the regression analysis performed showed that the educational level itself had a greater influence on language performance than age. Except for some cases, the participants of the study achieved the success criteria set by the test manual for each subtest. Finally, the Catalan and Spanish versions of the BAT are comparable and appropriate for their use in our environment; nevertheless, more studies are needed to deepen in their characteristics and properties

CD44-high neural crest stem-like cells are associated with tumour aggressiveness and poor survival in neuroblastoma tumours

BACKGROUND: Neuroblastoma is a paediatric tumour originated from sympathoadrenal precursors and characterized by its heterogeneity and poor outcome in advanced stages. Intra-tumoral cellular heterogeneity has emerged as an important feature in neuroblastoma, with a potential major impact on tumour aggressiveness and response to therapy. CD44 is an adhesion protein involved in tumour progression, metastasis and stemness in different cancers; however, there has been controversies about the significance of CD44 expression in neuroblastoma and its relationship with tumour progression. METHODS: We have performed transcriptomic analysis on patient tumour samples studying the outcome of patients with high CD44 expression. Adhesion, invasion and proliferation assays were performed in sorted CD44high neuroblastoma cells. Tumoursphere cultures have been used to enrich in undifferentiated stem-like cells and to asses self-renewal and differentiation potential. We have finally performed in vivo tumorigenic assays on cell line-derived or Patient-derived xenografts. FINDINGS: We show that high CD44 expression is associated with low survival in high-grade human neuroblastoma, independently of MYCN amplification. CD44 is expressed in a cell population with neural crest stem-like features, and with the capacity to generate multipotent, undifferentiated tumourspheres in culture. These cells are more invasive and proliferative in vitro. CD44 positive cells obtained from tumours are more tumorigenic and metastatic, giving rise to aggressive neuroblastic tumours at high frequency upon transplantation. INTERPRETATION: We describe an unexpected intra-tumoural heterogeneity within cellular entities expressing CD44 in neuroblastoma, and propose that CD44 has a role in neural crest stem-like undifferentiated cells, which can contribute to tumorigenesis and malignancy in this type of cancer. FUNDING: Research supported by grants from the "Asociación Española contra el Cáncer" (AECC), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation SAF program (SAF2016-80412-P), and the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant to RP).Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation SAF program (SAF2016-80412-P

Effectiveness of video-assisted debriefing versus oral debriefing in simulation-based interdisciplinary health professions education: A randomized trial

* Corresponding author at: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, Granada 18016, Spain. E-mail address: [email protected] (R. Gil-Gutiérrez).Aim We aimed to compare the debriefing experience, simulation assessment, reflection, anxiety and simulation satisfaction of using oral debriefing versus video-assisted debriefing after a simulated clinical session in an interdisciplinary cohort of health sciences students. Background Debriefing is a reflective process that takes place after a clinical simulation and that can be performed either in a traditional way (oral) or using video-assisted debriefing. Design A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 143 health sciences students (35.7% male, 61.5% female). Methods The simulation scenario was designed to evaluate the procedure for donning and doffing personal protective equipment. Differences in debriefing experience, simulation assessment, reflection, anxiety and satisfaction were assessed. Results Regarding debriefing experience, significant differences were observed for the category “learning” (34.9 (6.13) vs. 36.7 (3.89); p = 0.039). For simulation assessment, significantly higher scores for all categories were identified in video-assisted debriefing compared with oral debriefing (p<0.001). There were also significant differences between the oral debriefing versus video-assisted debriefing for the overall score of reflection ability (86.97 (10.55) vs. 90.74 (9.67); p=0.028) as well as for the category “reflective communication” (24.72 (3.77) vs 26.04 (4.07); p=0.047). Perceived satisfaction was significantly higher in the video-assisted debriefing group compared with oral debriefing group (p <0.001). For anxiety, no significant differences were observed between debriefing groups. Conclusion Video-assisted debriefing after a simulated clinical session improves debriefing experience, simulation assessment, reflection and simulation satisfaction, but does not increase anxiety compared with oral debriefing among health sciences students.*Funding for open access charge: Univeresidad de Granada/CBUA

Desarrollo de un repositorio de certificación basado en Blockchain para la evaluación de una asignatura de grado

La tecnologéa Blockchain se puede entender como una base de datos distribuida en Internet, sin un control central, con una serie de características que transformarán la gobernanza, la economía, el funcionamiento de las organizaciones y, por supuesto, la educación. En Blockchain la información se almacena en forma de bloques, con un alto nivel de seguridad que evita la manipulación de la información almacenada. Debido a las oportunidades que ofrece en el mundo digital, han surgido varias aplicaciones piloto para utilizar esta tecnología en la educación. Por ejemplo, mediante el uso de la cadena de bloques, se han creado varios proyectos para proporcionar a los estudiantes diplomas digitales o certificados de estudios. En este trabajo se propone la creación de un repositorio de certificación basado en Blockchain que pueda ser utilizado por una institución educativa para incorporar información sobre la carrera y trayectoria que han desarrollado los estudiantes, tales como asignaturas cursadas, competencias y habilidades obtenidas, logros, cursos o estancias realizadas. Concretamente se propone una aplicación distribuida para almacenar y certificar las calificaciones obtenidas por un estudiante en una asignatura dada. Mediante el uso de la tecnología de Blockchain garantizamos la transparencia y la confianza, facilitando así a los formadores y empleadores en el futuro, de forma abierta y certificada, comprobar qué objetivos ha cumplido cada estudiante.Blockchain is a distributed database, with no central control, spread across many computers that could transform governance, the economy, the functioning of organisations, and of course education. Information is stored in form of blocks, protected by complex algorithms that are hard to hack and cannot be manipulated. Due to the opportunities it offers in the digital world, several pilot applications have emerged in order to use this technology in education. For example, using blockchain, several projects have been created to provide students with digital diplomas and certificates of studies. The idea is to implement a distributed registry in which information about the career and path that a student has been doing (subjects, competencies, achievements, courses, grades, stays) is incorporated. By using blockchain technology we ensure transparency and trust, thus making it easier for trainers and employers in the future, in an open and certified way, to see what objectives each student has met. The management of these digital titles would allow to link them with the complete register of competences and abilities surpassed by each student in any institution

Acceleration of the DNA methylation clock among lynch syndrome‑associated mutation carriers

The research leading to these results has received funding from "la Caixa" Foundation (Ref: CAIXA2017/1) for library preparation, sequencing, and employment of research personnel, from The Fundacion Progreso y Salud, Junta de Andalucia, Spain and from DPI2017-84439-R of MINECO, Madrid and FEDER for sequencing and employment of research personnel. Finally, grant ref. A-BIO-470-UGR20 from University of Granada and FEDER has funded article processing charges (APC) and sample processing expenses.Background: DNA methylation (DNAm) age metrics have been widely accepted as an epigenetic biomarker for biological aging and disease. The purpose of this study is to assess whether or not individuals carrying Lynch Syndromeassociated mutations are affected in their rate of biological aging, as measured by the epigenetic clock. Methods: Genome-wide bisulfite DNA sequencing data were generated using DNA from CD4 + T-cells obtained from peripheral blood using 27 patient samples from Lynch syndrome families. Horvath’s DNAm age model based on penalized linear regression was applied to estimate DNAm age from patient samples with distinct clinical and genetic characteristics to investigate cancer mutation-related aging effects. Results: Both Lynch mutation carriers and controls exhibited high variability in their estimated DNAm age, but regression analysis showed steeper slope for the Lynch mutation carriers. Remarkably, six Lynch Syndrome-associated mutation carriers showed a strong correlation to the control group, and two sisters carrying Lynch Syndrome-associated mutations, with no significant difference in lifestyle and similar chronological age, were assigned very different DNAm age. Conclusions: Future studies will be required to explore, in larger patient populations, whether specific epigenetic age acceleration is predictive of time-to-cancer development, treatment response, and survival. Epigenetic clock DNAm metrics may be affected by the presence of cancer mutations in the germline, and thus show promise of potential clinical utility for stratified surveillance strategies based on the relative risk for imminent emergence of tumor lesions in otherwise healthy Lynch Syndrome-associated mutation carriers.La Caixa Foundation CAIXA2017/1Junta de AndaluciaSpanish Government DPI2017-84439-REuropean CommissionUniversity of Granada A-BIO-470-UGR2

Epidemiology and molecular characterization of Carnivore protoparvovirus-1 infection in the wild felid Leopardus guigna in Chile

14 Pág. Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA)Landscape anthropization has been identified as one of the main drivers of pathogen emergence worldwide, facilitating pathogen spillover between domestic species and wildlife. The present study investigated Carnivore protoparvovirus-1 infection using molecular methods in 98 free-ranging wild guignas (Leopardus guigna) and 262 co-occurring owned, free-roaming rural domestic cats. We also assessed landscape anthropization variables as potential drivers of infection. Protoparvovirus DNA was detected in guignas across their entire distribution range, with observed prevalence of 13.3% (real-time PCR) and 9% (conventional PCR) in guignas, and 6.1% (conventional PCR) in cats. Prevalence in guigna did not vary depending on age, sex, study area or landscape variables. Prevalence was higher in juvenile cats (16.7%) than in adults (4.4%). Molecular characterization of the virus by amplification and sequencing of almost the entire vp2 gene (1,746 bp) from one guigna and five domestic cats was achieved, showing genetic similarities to canine parvovirus 2c (CPV-2c) (one guigna and one cat), feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) (one cat), CPV-2 (no subtype identified) (two cats), CPV-2a (one cat). The CVP-2c-like sequence found in a guigna clustered together with domestic cat and dog CPV-2c sequences from South America, suggesting possible spillover from a domestic to a wild species as the origin of infection in guigna. No clinical signs of disease were found in PCR-positive animals except for a CPV-2c-infected guigna, which had haemorrhagic diarrhoea and died a few days after arrival at a wildlife rescue centre. Our findings reveal widespread presence of Carnivore protoparvovirus-1 across the guigna distribution in Chile and suggest that virus transmission potentially occurs from domestic to wild carnivores, causing severe disease and death in susceptible wild guignas.Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Grant/Award Number: Fondecyt Iniciación 11150934 and PAI 77190064; National Geographic Society, Grant/Award Number: C309-15; Morris Animal Foundation, Grant/Award Number: D15ZO-413Peer reviewe

Impact of time to intubation on mortality and pulmonary sequelae in critically ill patients with COVID-19: a prospective cohort study

Question: We evaluated whether the time between first respiratory support and intubation of patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) due to COVID-19 was associated with mortality or pulmonary sequelae. Materials and methods: Prospective cohort of critical COVID-19 patients on IMV. Patients were classified as early intubation if they were intubated within the first 48 h from the first respiratory support or delayed intubation if they were intubated later. Surviving patients were evaluated after hospital discharge. Results: We included 205 patients (140 with early IMV and 65 with delayed IMV). The median [p25;p75] age was 63 [56.0; 70.0] years, and 74.1% were male. The survival analysis showed a significant increase in the risk of mortality in the delayed group with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 2.45 (95% CI 1.29-4.65). The continuous predictor time to IMV showed a nonlinear association with the risk of in-hospital mortality. A multivariate mortality model showed that delay of IMV was a factor associated with mortality (HR of 2.40; 95% CI 1.42-4.1). During follow-up, patients in the delayed group showed a worse DLCO (mean difference of - 10.77 (95% CI - 18.40 to - 3.15), with a greater number of affected lobes (+ 1.51 [95% CI 0.89-2.13]) and a greater TSS (+ 4.35 [95% CI 2.41-6.27]) in the chest CT scan. Conclusions: Among critically ill patients with COVID-19 who required IMV, the delay in intubation from the first respiratory support was associated with an increase in hospital mortality and worse pulmonary sequelae during follow-up.The study was supported in part by ISCIII (CIBERESUCICOVID, COV20/00110), co‑funded by ERDF, “Una manera de hacer Europa” and Donation pro‑gram "estar preparados". UNESPA. Madrid. Spain David de Gonzalo Calvo acknowledges receiving financial support from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Miguel Servet 2020: CP20/00041), co‑funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), “Investing in your future”. JdB acknowledges receiving financial support from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Miguel Servet 2019: CP19/00108), co‑funded by European Regional European Social Fund (ESF), “Investing in your future