Narrow-band autocorrelation function features for the automatic recognition of acoustic environments.

Acoustic environments are typically composed of multiple sound sources of different typologies, making them especially complex to model and parameterize. To develop an automatic acoustic environment recognition system, this work proposes a spectro-temporal signal parameterization technique inspired by human perception. The proposed parameters are derived from the analysis of the autocorrelation function of narrow-band signals (NB-ACF) obtained from an auditory gammatone filter bank.

Use of the bifurcated needle for BCG vaccination of newborns.

The bifurcated needle vaccination method used successfully against smallpox is a relatively simple technique that can be administered by personnel with only basic preparation and a minimum of training. This fact suggests that it could prove useful in campaigns of BCG vaccination against tuberculosis--especially for vaccination of newborns. With this end in mind, two studies were carried out in Santiago, Chile, to examine previously reported difficulties with the method and to assess its potential as an alternative to the best current method, that of intradermal inoculation.