Speech Noise Reduction System Based on Frequency Domain ALE Using Windowed Modified DFT Pair

The speech noise reduction system based on the frequency domain adaptive line enhancer using a windowed modified DFT (MDFT) pair is presented. The adaptive line enhancer (ALE) is effective for extracting sinusoidal signals blurred by a broadband noise. In addition, it utilizes only one microphone. Therefore, it is suitable for the realization of speech noise reduction in portable electronic devices. In the ALE, an input signal is generated by delaying a desired signal using the decorrelation parameter, which makes the noise in the input signal decorrelated with that in the desired one. In the present paper, we propose to set decorrelation parameters in the frequency domain and adjust them to optimal values according to the relationship between speech and noise. Such frequency domain decorrelation parameters enable the reduction of the computational complexity of the proposed system. Also, we introduce the window function into MDFT for suppressing spectral leakage. The performance of the proposed noise reduction system is examined through computer simulations

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 Delta variant replication and immune evasion

Abstract: The B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first identified in the state of Maharashtra in late 2020 and spread throughout India, outcompeting pre-existing lineages including B.1.617.1 (Kappa) and B.1.1.7 (Alpha)1. In vitro, B.1.617.2 is sixfold less sensitive to serum neutralizing antibodies from recovered individuals, and eightfold less sensitive to vaccine-elicited antibodies, compared with wild-type Wuhan-1 bearing D614G. Serum neutralizing titres against B.1.617.2 were lower in ChAdOx1 vaccinees than in BNT162b2 vaccinees. B.1.617.2 spike pseudotyped viruses exhibited compromised sensitivity to monoclonal antibodies to the receptor-binding domain and the amino-terminal domain. B.1.617.2 demonstrated higher replication efficiency than B.1.1.7 in both airway organoid and human airway epithelial systems, associated with B.1.617.2 spike being in a predominantly cleaved state compared with B.1.1.7 spike. The B.1.617.2 spike protein was able to mediate highly efficient syncytium formation that was less sensitive to inhibition by neutralizing antibody, compared with that of wild-type spike. We also observed that B.1.617.2 had higher replication and spike-mediated entry than B.1.617.1, potentially explaining the B.1.617.2 dominance. In an analysis of more than 130 SARS-CoV-2-infected health care workers across three centres in India during a period of mixed lineage circulation, we observed reduced ChAdOx1 vaccine effectiveness against B.1.617.2 relative to non-B.1.617.2, with the caveat of possible residual confounding. Compromised vaccine efficacy against the highly fit and immune-evasive B.1.617.2 Delta variant warrants continued infection control measures in the post-vaccination era

Number needed to treat and cost per responder of Janus kinase inhibitors approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis in Japan

Objective This study evaluated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of baricitinib, tofacitinib, and upadacitinib regimens, compared to conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARD) alone, among Japanese patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) inadequately responsive to csDMARD, measured in terms of number needed to treat (NNT) and cost per responder (CPR). Methods Efficacy data were derived from two recent network meta-analyses among global and Japanese population. The cost perspective was that of the Japanese Health Service. Both NNT and CPR were based on disease activity score for 28 joints with C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) remission and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20/50/70 at 12 and 24 weeks. Results Over 12 weeks, the median NNT and the median CPR to achieve DAS28-CRP remission were 4.3 and JPY 1,799,696 [USD 16,361], respectively, for upadacitinib 15 mg + csDMARD. The equivalent results were 6.0 and JPY 2,691,684 [USD 24,470] for baricitinib 4 mg + csDMARD and 5.6 and JPY 2,507,152 [USD 22,792] for tofacitinib 5 mg + csDMARD. Similar rankings were observed at 24 weeks and for other outcomes. Conclusions Upadacitinib 15 mg was associated with the lowest NNT and CPR among the three Janus kinase inhibitors used in treatment regimens for Japanese patients with moderate-to-severe RA inadequately responsive to csDMARD

To Cultivate Solid Academic abilities : An Approach toaJapanese Fundamental Material, "Shiji" by Simaqian, in classical Chinese

確かな学力の育成のためには, 国語科では基本教材のあり方を常に問い直す試みが不可欠である。本研究は, 中学校・高等学校の文学的文章の基本教材の授業においてどのような読みの学力を育成することができるかを, その授業アプローチに焦点化して3年間にわたって実践・検証したものである。 第1年次は中学校の基本教材である「少年の日の思い出」(ヘルマン・ヘッセ), 第2年次は高校の基本教材である「羅生門」(芥川龍之介), 第3年次に当たる今年度は, 高等学校古典(漢文)の基本教材である『史記』(司馬遷)を取り上げた。『史記』の基本教材としての今日的価値を明らかにした後, 「項羽本紀」の「鴻門之会」に絞って実践を行った。全体での読解授業に入る前に, 当該部分を生徒独自に読み解かせた。そして, 授業の前後に人物・表現・場面の3点に関してアンケートをとり, 分析し, アンケートから導かれたことを土台に効果的なアプローチの方法を提案した。殊に学習者が『史記』の叙述の何に着目し, それをどのように評価したかを踏まえた。具体的には, 「鴻門之会」の「身振りの文学」としての性格を基底に据えたアプローチの提案となった

To cultivate solid academic abilities : A approach to a japanese fundamental material, "Rashomon" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, in japanese classes

本研究は高等学校の国語基本教材「羅生門」において, どのような読みの学力を育成することができるか, それを授業を通して明らかにすることを目的としている。方法として以下の3点を設定した。①初読における生徒の読解力の状況を調査する。②学習後, 生徒の読みがどう変化したか, 検討する。③どのような授業アプローチにより, 読解力が身につけられたのか, さらに基本教材においてどんな学力を身につけていくことが可能なのか検討する。そして授業実践として, 方法・形態の異なる3つの授業を設定した。1は, 「境界の物語として読む」ことを明示した上で, プレテクスト『今昔物語集』とテクスト「羅生門」の位置づけから, コードや象徴を読み解く方法である。2は, 「認識主体の育成をめざした」授業で, 「何が問題なのか」を発見する授業である。3は, グループ学習で, 「下人の行方を考える」学習課題を設定し, テクストから検証する方法である。これらの実践は, 「要点駆動の読み」を生み出すことをめざしたものともいえる。常に叙述を吟味しながら, 小説を読むことを探求していきたい