Construction of the Acoustic Inventory for a Greek Text-to-Speech Concatenative Synthesis System

The development of the Greek text-to-speech (TTS) system by NTUA is based on the method of concatenative synthesis and follows the Bell Labs approach to this technique. Concatenative synthesis is one of the simplest methods for speech synthesis and at the same time bypasses most of the problems encountered by articulatory and formant synthesis techniques. The method relies on designing and creating the acoustic inventory of the language by taking real recorded speech, cutting it into segments and concatenating these segments back together during synthesis. The design and implementation of the acoustic database is a key factor for the performance of the synthesizer, since all the possible phone-to-phone transitions must be considered in order to minimize abrupt discontinuities and thus maximize the naturalness of the synthesized utterances

Design and Implementation of a Greek Text-To-Speech System Based on Concatenative Synthesis

The goal of this paper is to present the work carried out up to now for the development of the Greek Text-To-Speech (GRTTS) system by NTUA. The system under consideration is based on the method of concatenative synthesis and follows the Bell Labs approach to this technique. In order that the input text to the GRTTS is translated into continuous synthetic speech the following modules have already been studied and implemented: (i) module for the linguistic analysis of the input text; (ii) the acoustic inventory module. On the same time it is under development the duration module of the GRTTS, for the computation of the appropriate temporal structure of synthesized speech. The objectives of the above studies, in combination with the concatenative synthesis technique, which is one of the simplest methods for speech synthesis, are to bypass most of the problems encountered by other synthesis methods such as articulatory and formant synthesis systems. The major objective is to minimize abrupt discontinuities and thus maximize the naturalness of the synthesized utterances

EAES rapid guideline: systematic review, meta-analysis, GRADE assessment, and evidence-informed European recommendations on appendicitis in pregnancy

Background: Clinical practice recommendations for the management of acute appendicitis in pregnancy are lacking. Objective: To develop an evidence-informed, trustworthy guideline on the management of appendicitis in pregnancy. We aimed to address the questions of conservative or surgical management, and laparoscopic or open surgery for acute appendicitis. Methods: We performed a systematic review, meta-analysis, and evidence appraisal using the GRADE methodology. A European, multidisciplinary panel of surgeons, obstetricians/gynecologists, a midwife, and 3 patient representatives reached consensus through an evidence-to-decision framework and a Delphi process to formulate the recommendations. The project was developed in an online authoring and publication platform (MAGICapp). Results: Research evidence was of very low certainty. We recommend operative treatment over conservative management in pregnant patients with complicated appendicitis or appendicolith on imaging studies (strong recommendation). We suggest operative treatment over conservative management in pregnant patients with uncomplicated appendicitis and no appendicolith on imaging studies (weak recommendation). We suggest laparoscopic appendectomy in patients with acute appendicitis until the 20th week of gestation, or when the fundus of the uterus is below the level of the umbilicus; and laparoscopic or open appendectomy in patients with acute appendicitis beyond the 20th week of gestation, or when the fundus of the uterus is above the level of the umbilicus, depending on the preference and expertise of the surgeon. Conclusion: Through a structured, evidence-informed approach, an interdisciplinary panel provides a strong recommendation to perform appendectomy for complicated appendicitis or appendicolith, and laparoscopic or open appendectomy beyond the 20th week, based on the surgeon’s preference and expertise. Guideline registration number: IPGRP-2022CN210. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

EAES rapid guideline: systematic review, meta-analysis, GRADE assessment, and evidence-informed European recommendations on appendicitis in pregnancy

Background: Clinical practice recommendations for the management of acute appendicitis in pregnancy are lacking. Objective: To develop an evidence-informed, trustworthy guideline on the management of appendicitis in pregnancy. We aimed to address the questions of conservative or surgical management, and laparoscopic or open surgery for acute appendicitis. Methods: We performed a systematic review, meta-analysis, and evidence appraisal using the GRADE methodology. A European, multidisciplinary panel of surgeons, obstetricians/gynecologists, a midwife, and 3 patient representatives reached consensus through an evidence-to-decision framework and a Delphi process to formulate the recommendations. The project was developed in an online authoring and publication platform (MAGICapp). Results: Research evidence was of very low certainty. We recommend operative treatment over conservative management in pregnant patients with complicated appendicitis or appendicolith on imaging studies (strong recommendation). We suggest operative treatment over conservative management in pregnant patients with uncomplicated appendicitis and no appendicolith on imaging studies (weak recommendation). We suggest laparoscopic appendectomy in patients with acute appendicitis until the 20th week of gestation, or when the fundus of the uterus is below the level of the umbilicus; and laparoscopic or open appendectomy in patients with acute appendicitis beyond the 20th week of gestation, or when the fundus of the uterus is above the level of the umbilicus, depending on the preference and expertise of the surgeon. Conclusion: Through a structured, evidence-informed approach, an interdisciplinary panel provides a strong recommendation to perform appendectomy for complicated appendicitis or appendicolith, and laparoscopic or open appendectomy beyond the 20th week, based on the surgeon's preference and expertise. Guideline registration number: IPGRP-2022CN210

EAES rapid guideline: systematic review, meta-analysis, GRADE assessment, and evidence-informed European recommendations on appendicitis in pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Clinical practice recommendations for the management of acute appendicitis in pregnancy are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To develop an evidence-informed, trustworthy guideline on the management of appendicitis in pregnancy. We aimed to address the questions of conservative or surgical management, and laparoscopic or open surgery for acute appendicitis. METHODS: We performed a systematic review, meta-analysis, and evidence appraisal using the GRADE methodology. A European, multidisciplinary panel of surgeons, obstetricians/gynecologists, a midwife, and 3 patient representatives reached consensus through an evidence-to-decision framework and a Delphi process to formulate the recommendations. The project was developed in an online authoring and publication platform (MAGICapp). RESULTS: Research evidence was of very low certainty. We recommend operative treatment over conservative management in pregnant patients with complicated appendicitis or appendicolith on imaging studies (strong recommendation). We suggest operative treatment over conservative management in pregnant patients with uncomplicated appendicitis and no appendicolith on imaging studies (weak recommendation). We suggest laparoscopic appendectomy in patients with acute appendicitis until the 20th week of gestation, or when the fundus of the uterus is below the level of the umbilicus; and laparoscopic or open appendectomy in patients with acute appendicitis beyond the 20th week of gestation, or when the fundus of the uterus is above the level of the umbilicus, depending on the preference and expertise of the surgeon. CONCLUSION: Through a structured, evidence-informed approach, an interdisciplinary panel provides a strong recommendation to perform appendectomy for complicated appendicitis or appendicolith, and laparoscopic or open appendectomy beyond the 20th week, based on the surgeon's preference and expertise. GUIDELINE REGISTRATION NUMBER: IPGRP-2022CN210.The article is available via Open Access. Click on the 'Additional link' above to access the full-text.Published version, accepted version (12 month embargo