Ensemble of convolutional neural networks to improve animal audio classification

Abstract In this work, we present an ensemble for automated audio classification that fuses different types of features extracted from audio files. These features are evaluated, compared, and fused with the goal of producing better classification accuracy than other state-of-the-art approaches without ad hoc parameter optimization. We present an ensemble of classifiers that performs competitively on different types of animal audio datasets using the same set of classifiers and parameter settings. To produce this general-purpose ensemble, we ran a large number of experiments that fine-tuned pretrained convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for different audio classification tasks (bird, bat, and whale audio datasets). Six different CNNs were tested, compared, and combined. Moreover, a further CNN, trained from scratch, was tested and combined with the fine-tuned CNNs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest study on CNNs in animal audio classification. Our results show that several CNNs can be fine-tuned and fused for robust and generalizable audio classification. Finally, the ensemble of CNNs is combined with handcrafted texture descriptors obtained from spectrograms for further improvement of performance. The MATLAB code used in our experiments will be provided to other researchers for future comparisons at https://github.com/LorisNanni

Analysis of histological frequency and pediatric cancer in Rondônia, Western Amazonia (Brazil)

Objective:Describe the histological and cancer frequency in children and adolescents attended at the Hospital de Base Dr. Ary Pinheiro and the Hospital de Barretos / Rondônia, Western Amazonia, in the years 2014 and 2015. Method: This is a descriptive, quantitative and transverse study. We used a structured instrument containing a series of variables, such as gender, age, histological types, more frequent neoplasms, lymphomas, leukemias, among others. We asked The Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa em Seres Humanos (Research Ethics Committee) to dispense the Informed Consent Form because the study did not require intervention on the patient or collection of biological material, and no possibility of constraints on patients and their relatives. Results: From 75 cases, 32 (42.7%) were female and 43 (57.3%) were male. Regarding the distribution of patients according to the age group, 21 (28.0%) were younger than 4 years, 12 (16.0%), 5 to 9 years, 17 (22.6%) from 10 to 14 and 25 (33.4%) from 15 to 19. The most frequent histological types by gender were leukemias of myeloproliferative diseases and myelodysplastic diseases with 30% and 50% new cases in the period, followed by lymphomas and reticuloendothelial neoplasms with 16.65% and 20, 0% of the histological types in the period. Leukemia in the hematopoietic and reticuloendothelial system (C42) is the most frequent cancer in both, female and male gender, with 47.5% of cancers in the biennium. The second group of cancers in children from 0 to 19 years old and location of the primary tumor is the encephalon carcinoma (C71), with 11.25% of the new cases. Conclusions: The results presented with their proper nuances are in agreement with the data of studies carried out in Brazil and in other countries

In vitro Antiplasmodial Activities of Alkaloids Isolated from Roots of Worsleya procera (Lem.) Traub (Amaryllidaceae)

A combined phytochemical, crystallographic and biological study of Worsleya procera roots was performed. Fifteen alkaloids were identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and seven of them were isolated. The structures of the alkaloids were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, and a detailed crystallographic study of tazettine was carried out. The isolated alkaloids and the obtained extracts were tested in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum (3D7 and K1 strains) and human hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2) to assess their antiplasmodial and cytotoxic effects, respectively. One of the isolated alkaloid derivatives, lycorine, exhibited antiplasmodial activity against both sensitive (3D7) and resistant (K1) parasite strains in the low micromolar range (half-maximal sample inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 2.5 and 3.1 µM, respectively) and displayed a low cytotoxicity profile, with a selectivity index greater than 100. Our findings indicate that lycorine is a hit for antimalarial drug discovery. Keywords: isoquinolinic alkaloids; Amaryllidaceae; Plasmodium falciparum; lycorine; tazettin

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

In vitro schistosomicidal effects of the essential oil of Tagetes erecta

The in vitro schistosomicidal effects of the essential oil obtained from Tagetes erecta L. Asteraceae, leaves (TE-EO) collected in Brazil against Schistosoma mansoni worms are reported in this paper. The oil caused a significant decrease in the motor activity at 50 µg/mL as minimal concentration after 24 h. This oil also caused death of all the parasites and the separation of coupled pairs into individual male and female at 100 µg/mL after 24 h. The viability of adult worm groups treated with the TE-EO at 100 µg/mL was similar to that of groups treated with praziquantel (positive control). In addition, the oil promoted the inhibition of eggs development at all the tested concentrations. These data indicate that the TE-EO could be considered as a promising source for the development of new schistosomicidal agents

Aporte universitario al Debate Nacional sobre Drogas

Contenido -- La Universidad al servicio de la República – Introducción -- Aportes del análisis económico al estudio de las drogas, Carlos Casacuberta, Mariana Gerstenbluth, Patricia Triunfo : Resumen -- El análisis económico de las drogas -- Conducta adictiva y modelos de comportamiento -- Efectos de las drogas en desempeños y conductas -- Mercados de drogas ilegales -- Políticas, legalización y despenalización – Conclusiones – Bibliografía -- Se presume culpable. Sobre la justificación de las decisiones judiciales relativas a la interpretación del artículo 31 del decreto ley 14.294 en su redacción dada por la ley 17.016, Gianella Bardazano : Resumen -- Introducción --La decisión judicial -- Argumentos en juego en las soluciones que privilegian el prohibicionismo -- Límites a la ley penal -- Gestión textual de la justificación de las decisiones judiciales – Conclusiones -- Bibliografía -- Los trasfondos del imaginario sobre ‘drogas’:valores culturales, geopolítica, intereses corporativos y hechos mediáticos, Rafael Bayce : Introducción -- 1. La matriz cultural hegemónica que codifica, cognitiva, emocional y moralmente las ‘drogas’ --2. Las estrategias geopolíticas que les dan densidad estratégica histórica -- 3. Los intereses que se persiguen con la ayuda de los imaginarios hegemónicos – Conclusión -- Bibliografía -- La marihuana provoca esquizofrenia. Espacio público y drogas en Uruguay, Veronica Filardo, Sebastian Aguiar, Clara Musto, Diego Pieri : Resumen -- Introducción -- Drogas en el espacio público . Panorama cuantitativo -- Análisis de medios de prensa --Organizaciones sociales y la demanda por la legalización -- Discurso oficial sobre drogas -- Conclusiones -- Bibliografía -- Textualidades cannábicas, L. Nicolas Guigou :Resumen – Introducción -- Textualidades muertas, textualidades vivas -- Uruguay, inevitable – Bibliografía -- Notas sobre políticas de drogas y gubernamentalidad, Valentin Magnone -- Resumen -- Algunas consideraciones sobre el concepto de gubernamentalidad La política de drogas en el Uruguay actual – Conclusiones -- Bibliografía -- Cuentos de Gárgolas y Latas…Una aproximación a ciertas narrativas desplegadas (desde) (sobre) (con) a prácticas relacionadas con el consumo de pasta base, Gabriel Eira Charquero : 1. Justificación -- 2. Pre-ámbulo instrumental: performatividad --3. Narrando el universo de l@s gárgolas – Bibliografía --Aspectos farmacognósticos del cannabis, Carlos Garcia Carnelli, Selva Cairabu : Resumen – Introducción -- La planta y la droga -- Aplicaciones y usos históricos -- Química del cannabis -- Aspectos analíticos -- Aspectos farmacológicos -- Aspectos toxicológicos -- Usos terapéuticos -- Conclusiones -- Bibliografí

Experimental evaluation of the usage of ad hoc networks as stubs for multiservice networks

This paper describes an experimental evaluation of a multiservice ad hoc network, aimed to be interconnected with an infrastructure, operator-managed network. This network supports the efficient delivery of services, unicast and multicast, legacy and multimedia, to users connected in the ad hoc network. It contains the following functionalities: routing and delivery of unicast and multicast services; distributed QoS mechanisms to support service differentiation and resource control responsive to node mobility; security, charging, and rewarding mechanisms to ensure the correct behaviour of the users in the ad hoc network. This paper experimentally evaluates the performance of multiple mechanisms, and the influence and performance penalty introduced in the network, with the incremental inclusion of new functionalities. The performance results obtained in the different real scenarios may question the real usage of ad-hoc networks for more than a minimal number of hops with such a large number of functionalities deployed