Bio-Inspired Stereo Vision Calibration for Dynamic Vision Sensors

Many advances have been made in the eld of computer vision. Several recent research trends have focused on mimicking human vision by using a stereo vision system. In multi-camera systems, a calibration process is usually implemented to improve the results accuracy. However, these systems generate a large amount of data to be processed; therefore, a powerful computer is required and, in many cases, this cannot be done in real time. Neuromorphic Engineering attempts to create bio-inspired systems that mimic the information processing that takes place in the human brain. This information is encoded using pulses (or spikes) and the generated systems are much simpler (in computational operations and resources), which allows them to perform similar tasks with much lower power consumption, thus these processes can be developed over specialized hardware with real-time processing. In this work, a bio-inspired stereovision system is presented, where a calibration mechanism for this system is implemented and evaluated using several tests. The result is a novel calibration technique for a neuromorphic stereo vision system, implemented over specialized hardware (FPGA - Field-Programmable Gate Array), which allows obtaining reduced latencies on hardware implementation for stand-alone systems, and working in real time.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2016-77785-PMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2016-80644-

Caution Is Needed When Using Niche Models to Infer Changes in Species Abundance: The Case of Two Sympatric Raptor Populations

Despite the mounting evidence supporting positive relationships between species abundance and habitat suitability, the capacity of ecological niche models (ENMs) to capture variations in population abundance remains largely unexplored. This study focuses on sympatric populations of hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) and Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus), surveyed in 1997 and 2017 in an upland moor area in northwestern Spain. The ENMs performed very well for both species (with area under the ROC curve and true skill statistic values of up to 0.9 and 0.75). The presence of both species was mainly correlated with heathlands, although the normalized difference water index derived from Landsat images was the most important for hen harrier, indicating a greater preference of this species for wet heaths and peat bogs. The findings showed that ENM-derived habitat suitability was significantly correlated with the species abundance, thus reinforcing the use of ENMs as a proxy for species abundance. However, the temporal variation in species abundance was not significantly explained by changes in habitat suitability predicted by the ENMs, indicating the need for caution when using these types of models to infer changes in population abundanceThis work received funding from Xunta de Galicia through the grant to structure and consolidate competitive research groups of Galicia (ED431B 2018/36). A.R. was funded by the Xunta de Galicia, Spain (postdoctoral fellowship ED481B2016/084-0)S

Monitoring protected areas from space: A multi-temporal assessment using raptors as biodiversity surrogates

Monitoring protected areas (PAs) is essential for systematic evaluation of their effectiveness in terms of habitat protection, preservation and representativeness. This study illustrates how the use of species distribution models that combine remote sensing data and information about biodiversity surrogates can contribute to develop a systematic protocol for monitoring PAs. In particular, we assessed the effectiveness of the Natura 2000 (N2000) network, for conserving and preserving the representativeness of seven raptor species in a highly-dynamic landscape in northwest Spain between 2001 and 2014. We also evaluated the cost-effectiveness of the N2000 network by using the total area under protection as a proxy for conservation costs. Overall, the N2000 network was found to poorly represent the habitats of the raptor species. Despite the low representativeness, this network showed a high degree of effectiveness due to increased overall habitat availability for generalist and forest specialist species between 2001 and 2014. Nevertheless, additional protected areas should be established in the near future to increase their representativeness, and thus ensure the protection of open-habitat specialist species and their priority habitats. In addition, proactive conservation measures in natural and semi-natural ecosystems (in particular, montane heathlands) will be essential for long-term protection of Montagu’s harrier (species listed in the Annex I of the Bird Directive), and thus complying with the current European Environmental Legislation. This study sheds light on how the development and application of new protected area indices based on the combined use of freely-available satellite data and species distribution models may contribute substantially to the cost-efficiency of the PA monitoring systems, and to the ‘Fitness Check’ process of EU Nature DirectivesThis work was partly funded by the EU BON (308454; FP7-ENV-2012, European Commission), FORESTCAST (CGL2014-59742) and NEWFORESTS (EU Seventh Framework Programme, PIRSES-GA-2013-612645) projects. A.R. was funded by the Xunta de Galicia (post-doctoral fellowship ED481B2016/084-0). Fieldwork was partially supported by the Department of Environment of Galician Government through the PGIDTO1MAM20001PR (Xunta de Galicia) projectS

Effects of eucalyptus plantations on avian and herb species richness and composition in North-West Spain

Eucalyptus plantations have been established in many areas of the world due to their fast growth and profitability. In NW Spain, Eucalyptus plantations now cover a larger area than native forests. Although Eucalyptus plantations have been shown to affect biodiversity, relatively few studies have compared their effect on multiple taxonomic groups and different aspects of biodiversity. We compared herb and bird species richness and bird abundance between 14 paired patches of native deciduous forest and Eucalyptus plantations in a heterogeneous agro-forest region of NW Spain. We also investigated whether Eucalyptus plantations contribute to shifts in community composition by analysing species nestedness and turnover. We found that species richness of both herbs and birds was consistently lower in Eucalyptus plantations compared to native forests. Furthermore, the abundances of bird species characteristic of agricultural, forest, scrubland and other habitats, were all much lower in Eucalyptus plantations than in native forests. Herb and bird communities were also significantly dissimilar between the two habitats, but as a result of different ecological processes. Species turnover explained variation between habitats in herb composition, such that species present in native forests were typical for both farmland and forest habitats, whereas those present in Eucalyptus plantations were typical for scrub and farmland habitats. In contrast, bird assemblages showed a significant nested subset pattern, with fewer species in Eucalyptus plantations compared to native forests. In total, the relative abundance of cavity-nesting forest birds was at least 64% higher in native forests. Our results show that Eucalyptus plantations cannot replace native forests as they harbour different herb species and only a subset of the bird species found in native forests. Considering the current rate of increase of Eucalyptus plantations and the fragmentation of native forests in NW Spain, a lack of conservation of native forests could result in future loss of biodiversity in general and forest specialist species in particular.S

Model-Assisted Bird Monitoring Based on Remotely Sensed Ecosystem Functioning and Atlas Data

Urgent action needs to be taken to halt global biodiversity crisis. To be effective in the implementation of such action, managers and policy-makers need updated information on the status and trends of biodiversity. Here, we test the ability of remotely sensed ecosystem functioning attributes (EFAs) to predict the distribution of 73 bird species with different life-history traits. We run ensemble species distribution models (SDMs) trained with bird atlas data and 12 EFAs describing different dimensions of carbon cycle and surface energy balance. Our ensemble SDMs—exclusively based on EFAs—hold a high predictive capacity across 71 target species (up to 0.94 and 0.79 of Area Under the ROC curve and true skill statistic (TSS)). Our results showed the life-history traits did not significantly affect SDM performance. Overall, minimum Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and maximum Albedo values (descriptors of primary productivity and energy balance) were the most important predictors across our bird community. Our approach leverages the existing atlas data and provides an alternative method to monitor inter-annual bird habitat dynamics from space in the absence of long-term biodiversity monitoring schemes. This study illustrates the great potential that satellite remote sensing can contribute to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and to the Essential Biodiversity Variables framework (EBV class “Species distribution”)Fieldwork campaigns were carried out within the project “Estudios sobre a biodiversidade do Macizo Central Galego. Lugar de Importancia Comunitaria” (PGIDT99PXI20002B) and “Caracterización de los vertebrados del LIC Macizo Central e Bidueiral de Montederramo”, code: 2008-CE227”, funded by SAYFOR S.L. This work also received funding from Xunta de Galicia through the grant to structure and consolidate competitive research groups of Galicia (ED431B 2018/36). A.R. was funded by the Xunta de Galicia, Spain (post-doctoral fellowship ED481B2016/084-0). S.A.-C. was financially supported by PORBIOTA—E-Infraestrutura Portuguesa de Informação e Investigação em Biodiversidade (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022127)S

Sistema HW-SW de telerehabilitación y telemedicina para pacientes Epoc con hiperinsuflación pulmonar

La enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica es la cuarta causa de muerte en el mundo. Gran parte de estos enfermos no están diagnosticados y a medida que avanza la enfermedad empiezan a aparecer dificultades en la respiración y cambios en la fisiología pulmonar. Entre estos cambios está la hiperinsuflación, los pacientes hiperinsuflados retienen aire en los pulmones. Por lo tanto, estos pacientes requieren de un seguimiento y necesitan hacer ejercicios específicos con dispositivos PEP (Presión Espiratoria Postiva) para expulsar este aire. En este proyecto se implementa un sistema que comprenda la función de espirometría y la función de telerehabilitación. Para esto se desarrolla por un lado una aplicación móvil que será la interfaz gráfica y el motor de cálculo, por otro se diseña un espirómetro de turbina que mediante bluetooth envía la velocidad del aire exhalado a la aplicación, y por último dos boquillas intercambiables, una para las pruebas de espirometría y otra que será la boquilla PEP para ejercicios de rehabilitación. Para la boquilla PEP, la cual integra la misma turbina para poder contar revoluciones, se diseñará un juego que mediante estimulación visual avisará al paciente de cuando espira demasiado fuerte o demasiado lento, ayudando así a que los ejercicios se hagan correctamente. Para la boquilla de espirometría, se calcularán la FVC, la FEV1, el Índice de Tiffenau y la curva flujo volumen y se almacenarán los resultados para verlos gráficamente en función del tiempo. Con este proyecto, se pretende dar facilidades y solución a las personas que padecen esta patología, cuyas necesidades requieren de ayuda externa de centros médicos para realizar el seguimiento de su enfermedad y llevar a cabo la rehabilitación, de este modo, se ofrece la posibilidad de hacerlo desde casa y con un control equitativo al que podría dar el servicio técnico de un centro médico.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the fourth leading cause of death in the world. Many of these patients are not diagnosed and as the disease progresses, breathing difficulties and changes in pulmonary physiology begin to appear. Among these changes is hyperinflation, hyperinflation patients retain air in the lungs. Therefore, these patients require follow-up and need to do specific exercises with PEP (Positive Expiratory Pressure) devices to expel this air. In this project we want to implement a system that includes the function of spirometry (calculation of lung function) and telerehabilitation function. For this reason, It is developed on the one hand a mobile application that will be the graphical interface and computer brain, on the other hand is designed a turbine spirometer that by bluetooth sends the velocity of the exhaled air to the application, and finally two replaceable nozzles, one for spirometry tests and another that will be the PEP nozzle for rehabilitation exercises. For the PEP nozzle, which integrates the same turbine to be able to count revolutions, a game will be designed that, through visual stimulation, will alert the patient when exhales too hard or too slow, thus helping the exercises to be performed correctly. For the spirometry nozzle, the FVC, FEV1, Tiffenau Index and volume flow curve will be calculated, and the results stored for graphing as a function of time. With this project, it is intended to provide facilities and solutions to people suffering from this pathology, whose needs require external help from medical centers to follow up their disease and carry out rehabilitation, thereby offering the possibility of do it from home and with equitable control that could give the technical service of a medical center.Universidad de Sevilla. TEP- 108: Robótica y Tecnología de Computadore

EVIDENT 3 study: A randomized, controlled clinical trial to reduce inactivity and caloric intake in sedentary and overweight or obese people using a smartphone application study protocol

FUNDAMENTOS: La tecnología móvil, cuando se incluye dentro de las intervenciones de componentes múltiples, podría contribuir a una pérdida de peso más efectiva. El objetivo de este proyecto es evaluar el impacto de añadir el uso de la aplicación EVIDENT 3, diseñada para promover la salud a los hábitos de vida, a las estrategias de modificación tradicionales empleadas para la pérdida de peso. También se evaluarán otras conductas específicas (caminar, ingesta de calorías, tiempo sentado) y resultados (calidad de vida, marcadores inflamatorios, mediciones del envejecimiento arterial). MÉTODOS: Ensayo clínico aleatorio y multicéntrico con 2 grupos paralelos. El estudio se llevará a cabo en el ámbito de la atención primaria e incluirá 700 sujetos de 20 a 65 años, con un índice de masa corporal (27,5-40kg/m2), que están clínicamente clasificados como sedentarios. El resultado primario será la pérdida de peso. Los resultados secundarios incluirán cambios en la forma de caminar (pasos/d), el tiempo de permanencia sentado (min/sem), la ingesta calórica (kcal/d), la calidad de vida, el envejecimiento arterial (índice de aumento) y los niveles de marcadores proinflamatorios. Los resultados se medirán en la línea de base, después de 3 meses y después de 1 año. Los participantes serán asignados aleatoriamente al grupo de intervención (IG) o al grupo de control (CG). Ambos grupos recibirán el asesoramiento tradicional de estilo de vida de atención primaria antes de la asignación al azar. A los sujetos del IG se les prestará un teléfono inteligente y una banda inteligente por un período de 3 meses, correspondiente a la duración de la intervención. La aplicación del EVIDENTE 3 integra la información recogida por la banda inteligente sobre la actividad física y la información autodeclarada por los participantes sobre la ingesta diaria de alimentos. Utilizando esta información, la aplicación genera recomendaciones y objetivos personalizados para la pérdida de peso. DISCUSIÓN: Hay una gran diversidad en las aplicaciones utilizadas obteniendo diferentes resultados en la mejora del estilo de vida y la pérdida de peso. Las poblaciones estudiadas no son homogéneas y generan resultados diferentes. Los resultados de este estudio ayudarán a nuestra comprensión de la eficacia de las nuevas tecnologías, combinadas con el asesoramiento tradicional, para reducir la obesidad y permitir estilos de vida más saludables.INTRODUCTION: Mobile technology, when included within multicomponent interventions, could contribute to more effective weight loss. The objective of this project is to assess the impact of adding the use of the EVIDENT 3 application, designed to promote healthy living habits, to traditional modification strategies employed for weight loss. Other targeted behaviors (walking, caloric-intake, sitting time) and outcomes (quality of life, inflammatory markers, measurements of arterial aging) will also be evaluated. METHODS: Randomized, multicentre clinical trial with 2 parallel groups. The study will be conducted in the primary care setting and will include 700 subjects 20 to 65 years, with a body mass index (27.5–40kg/m2), who are clinically classified as sedentary. The primary outcome will be weight loss. Secondary outcomes will include change in walking (steps/d), sitting time (min/wk), caloric intake (kcal/d), quality of life, arterial aging (augmentation index), and pro-inflammatory marker levels. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, after 3 months, and after 1 year. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). Both groups will receive the traditional primary care lifestyle counseling prior to randomization. The subjects in the IG will be lent a smartphone and a smartband for a 3-month period, corresponding to the length of the intervention. The EVIDENT 3 application integrates the information collected by the smartband on physical activity and the self-reported information by participants on daily food intake. Using this information, the application generates recommendations and personalized goals for weight loss. DISCUSSION: There is a great diversity in the applications used obtaining different results on lifestyle improvement and weight loss. The populations studied are not homogeneous and generate different results. The results of this study will help our understanding of the efficacy of new technologies, combined with traditional counseling, towards reducing obesity and enabling healthier lifestyles.• Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación y el Instituto de Salud Carlos III/Europa y Fondo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER). Proyectos PI16/00101, PI16/00952, PI16/00765, PI16/00659, PI16/00421, PI16/00170 • Junta de Castilla y León. Ayuda GRS 1277/B/16peerReviewe

Benzimidazole derivatives as new and selective inhibitors of arginase from leishmania mexicana with biological activity against promastigotes and amastigotes

17 pags, 6 figs, 3 tabs, 2 schs. -- Supplementary materials are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/article/10 .3390/ijms222413613/s1.Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by parasites of the Leishmania genus that affects 98 countries worldwide, 2 million of new cases occur each year and more than 350 million people are at risk. The use of the actual treatments is limited due to toxicity concerns and the apparition of resistance strains. Therefore, there is an urgent necessity to find new drugs for the treatment of this disease. In this context, enzymes from the polyamine biosynthesis pathway, such as arginase, have been considered a good target. In the present work, a chemical library of benzimidazole derivatives was studied performing computational, enzyme kinetics, biological activity, and cytotoxic effect characterization, as well as in silico ADME-Tox predictions, to find new inhibitors for arginase from Leishmania mexicana (LmARG). The results show that the two most potent inhibitors (compounds 1 and 2) have an I50 values of 52 μM and 82 μM, respectively. Moreover, assays with human arginase 1 (HsARG) show that both compounds are selective for LmARG. According to molecular dynamics simulation studies these inhibitors interact with important residues for enzyme catalysis. Biological activity assays demonstrate that both compounds have activity against promastigote and amastigote, and low cytotoxic effect in murine macrophages. Finally, in silico prediction of their ADME-Tox properties suggest that these inhibitors support the characteristics to be considered drug candidates. Altogether, the results reported in our study suggest that the benzimidazole derivatives are an excellent starting point for design new drugs against leishmanisis.This research was funded by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT), grants 257848 (A.T.-V.) and 258694 (C.A.-D.). The work in Spain was funded by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Competitiveness PID2020-115331GB-100 to J.A.-H.Peer reviewe

Higher COVID-19 pneumonia risk associated with anti-IFN-α than with anti-IFN-ω auto-Abs in children

We found that 19 (10.4%) of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia had autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs (IFN-alpha 2 in 10 patients: IFN-alpha 2 only in three, IFN-alpha 2 plus IFN-omega in five, and IFN-alpha 2, IFN-omega plus IFN-beta in two; IFN-omega only in nine patients). Seven children (3.8%) had Abs neutralizing at least 10 ng/ml of one IFN, whereas the other 12 (6.6%) had Abs neutralizing only 100 pg/ml. The auto-Abs neutralized both unglycosylated and glycosylated IFNs. We also detected auto-Abs neutralizing 100 pg/ml IFN-alpha 2 in 4 of 2,267 uninfected children (0.2%) and auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-omega in 45 children (2%). The odds ratios (ORs) for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia were, therefore, higher for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-alpha 2 only (OR [95% CI] = 67.6 [5.7-9,196.6]) than for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-. only (OR [95% CI] = 2.6 [1.2-5.3]). ORs were also higher for auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 12.9 [4.6-35.9]) than for those neutralizing low concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 5.5 [3.1-9.6]) of IFN-omega and/or IFN-alpha 2