日本語話し言葉コーパスにおける発声様式の自動分類

会議名: 言語資源活用ワークショップ2016, 開催地: 国立国語研究所, 会期: 2017年3月7日-8日, 主催: 国立国語研究所 コーパス開発センター喉頭音源由来の声質の違いは，話者のパラ言語メッセージならびに心的・認知的状態を伝えるシグナルであり，自発音声コーパスに求められる重要な情報であるが，そのアノテーションは音声学の専門家でなければ難しくコストが大きい。本研究は，機械学習による声質の自動アノテーションの可能性を探ることを目的とする。本研究では，非流暢性にも関連する従来よく用いられてきた発見的な音響特徴量に加え，近年音声からの感情認識で広く用いられるようになった大規模な特徴量セットの効果を検証した結果を報告する

Successful amnioinfusion for severe fetal growth restriction with umbilical cord complications: two case reports.

Background:There is no established treatment for fetal growth restriction during pregnancy. We report two cases that represent an example of an amnioinfusion-based management strategy for severe fetal growth restriction with umbilical cord complications.Case presentation:We encountered two cases of fetal growth restriction with abnormal fetal Doppler velocity. In one case, fetal ultrasound revealed a hypercoiled umbilical cord with a single umbilical artery and oligohydramnios, while fetal Doppler revealed a reversed end-diastolic flow in the umbilical artery and reversed a-waves of the ductus venosus. Umbilical cord compression was confirmed at 22 weeks and 2 days of gestation, and nine amnioinfusions were performed to relieve the umbilical cord compression. A cesarean section was performed at 31 weeks and 2 days of gestation because of severe preeclampsia. The Asian infant is now a normally developed 6-month-old. In another Asian case, fetal ultrasound revealed a hypercoiled cord, while fetal Doppler revealed a reversed end-diastolic flow in the umbilical artery and intermittent reversed a-waves of the ductus venosus. Umbilical cord compression was confirmed at 24 weeks and 5 days of gestation, and seven amnioinfusions were performed. A cesarean section was performed at 31 weeks and 1 day of gestation because of nonreassuring fetal status. At the age of 1 month, the Asian infant was stable on respiratory circulation. In both cases, fetal Doppler findings improved significantly following amnioinfusions.Conclusions:Amnioinfusion is a symptomatic treatment for umbilical cord compression. However, to determine the therapeutic effect of amnioinfusion, complete resolution of the umbilical cord compression should be ascertained by ultrasonography

An Integrated High-density Linkage Map of Soybean with RFLP, SSR, STS, and AFLP Markers Using A Single F2 Population

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is the most important leguminous crop in the world due to its high contents of high-quality protein and oil for human and animal consumption as well as for industrial uses. An accurate and saturated genetic linkage map of soybean is an essential tool for studies on modern soybean genomics. In order to update the linkage map of a F2 population derived from a cross between Misuzudaizu and Moshidou Gong 503 and to make it more informative and useful to the soybean genome research community, a total of 318 AFLP, 121 SSR, 108 RFLP, and 126 STS markers were newly developed and integrated into the framework of the previously described linkage map. The updated genetic map is composed of 509 RFLP, 318 SSR, 318 AFLP, 97 AFLP-derived STS, 29 BAC-end or EST-derived STS, 1 RAPD, and five morphological markers, covering a map distance of 3080 cM (Kosambi function) in 20 linkage groups (LGs). To our knowledge, this is presently the densest linkage map developed from a single F2 population in soybean. The average intermarker distance was reduced to 2.41 from 5.78 cM in the earlier version of the linkage map. Most SSR and RFLP markers were relatively evenly distributed among different LGs in contrast to the moderately clustered AFLP markers. The number of gaps of more than 25 cM was reduced to 6 from 19 in the earlier version of the linkage map. The coverage of the linkage map was extended since 17 markers were mapped beyond the distal ends of the previous linkage map. In particular, 17 markers were tagged in a 5.7 cM interval between CE47M5a and Satt100 on LG C2, where several important QTLs were clustered. This newly updated soybean linkage map will enable to streamline positional cloning of agronomically important trait locus genes, and promote the development of physical maps, genome sequencing, and other genomic research activities

リアルタイムMRI動画日本語調音運動データベースの設計

National Institute for Japanese Language and LinguisticsNational Institute for Japanese Language and LinguisticsWaseda UniversityNational Institute for Japanese Language and LinguisticsATR-PromotionsATR-PromotionsChiba Institute of TechnologyKonan UniversityTakushoku UniversityNational Institute for Japanese Language and LinguisticsNational Institute for Japanese Language and LinguisticsWaseda UniversityWaseda UniversityPicolab会議名: 言語資源活用ワークショップ2020, 開催地: オンライン, 会期: 2020年9月8日−9日, 主催: 国立国語研究所 コーパス開発センターわれわれは、日本語に関する調音音声学的研究の新しいインフラ提供をめざして、調音運動データベースの構築を進めてきている。声道全体の形状変化を毎秒14 ないし25 フレームのリアルタイムMRI 動画として記録したデータが、現時点で東京方言16 名、近畿方言5名分収録済である。1 名あたりの発話量は25〜30 分である。データには個々の発話の開始時刻と終了時刻のタグが付与されており、他に発話内容と話者に関するメタデータを検索に利用できる

The Impacts of Cholesterol, Oxysterols, and Cholesterol Lowering Dietary Compounds on the Immune System

Cholesterol and its oxidized forms, oxysterols, are ingested from foods and are synthesized de novo. Cholesterol and oxysterols influence molecular and cellular events and subsequent biological responses of immune cells. The amount of dietary cholesterol influence on the levels of LDL cholesterol and blood oxysterols plays a significant role in the induction of pro-inflammatory state in immune cells, leading to inflammatory disorders, including cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol and oxysterols synthesized de novo in immune cells and stroma cells are involved in immune homeostasis, which may also be influenced by an excess intake of dietary cholesterol. Dietary compounds such as β-glucan, plant sterols/stanols, omega-3 lipids, polyphenols, and soy proteins, could lower blood cholesterol levels by interfering with cholesterol absorption and metabolism. Such dietary compounds also have potential to exert immune modulation through diverse mechanisms. This review addresses current knowledge about the impact of dietary-derived and de novo synthesized cholesterol and oxysterols on the immune system. Possible immunomodulatory mechanisms elicited by cholesterol-lowering dietary compounds are also discussed

Preliminary preventive protocol from first trimester of pregnancy to reduce preterm birth rate for dichorionic–diamniotic twins

Objective: The preterm birth rate of twins is reportedly higher than that of single pregnancies. We performed preliminary preventive interventions at our center focused on evaluating the risk of each case before 14 weeks of gestation to reduce the spontaneous preterm birth rate. Materials and methods: The participants included 184 dichorionic–diamniotic twins delivered at our center during the 8 years from 2006. We evaluated each patient regarding high-risk status (at least 1 additional factor as follows: threatened abortion, history of chorioamnionitis, cervicitis, and bacterial vaginosis), based on available evidence; patients deemed high risk gave their informed consent and underwent treatment for cervicitis and cerclage if indicated. We divided the patients into two groups depending on whether the management was initiated before (Group A) or after (Group B) 14 weeks. We further divided Group A into three: Group 1 underwent treatment for cervicitis, Group 2 underwent cervical cerclage in addition to treatment for cervicitis, and Group 3 did not undergo preventive treatment. We retrospectively compared the preterm birth rates of the two groups, and we also compared them between the higher-risk group (Group 1 + 2) and the no additional risk group (Group 3) in Group A. Results: The spontaneous preterm birth rate < 36 weeks was significantly lower in Group A (4/90; 4.4%) than in Group B (18/94; 19.1%) (p = 0.001). However, there were no significant differences between Group 1 + 2 and Group 3 (2/42 vs. 2/46). Focusing on the spontaneous preterm birth rate < 34 weeks, Group A had a lower rate than Group B (2/90; 2.2% vs. 13/94; 13.8%, p = 0.0012). Conclusion: Even though this was a preliminary study, the results are promising, and we propose custom-made management for dichorionic–diamniotic twins: (1) earlier management from before 14 weeks; (2) high-risk selection for cervicitis and a short cervix; and (3) intervention with anti-inflammatory agents and cerclage if indicated

Magnetic resonance imaging pelvimetric measurements as predictors for emergent cesarean delivery in obstructed labor

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the usefulness of various magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pelvimetric parameters for predicting emergent cesarean delivery due to obstructed labor. Study design: This was a prospective observational study. MRI pelvimetry was performed in cases of a clinically suspected maternal narrow pelvis, maternal short stature, fetal overgrowth, and abnormal placental position. MRI pelvimetry was performed at 34.7 ± 4.2 gestational weeks using a 1.5 T MRI system. The pelvic inlet angle, pelvic inclination, obstetric conjugate, sacral outlet diameter (SOD), and coccygeal pelvic outlet were measured in the sagittal section. The interspinous diameter and intertuberous diameter were measured in coronal sections. Fetal anomalies, cesarean deliveries before the onset of labor, and non-reassuring fetal status were excluded from the analysis. Results: MRI pelvimetry was performed in 154 patients. After excluding 76 cases, including 19 cases of absolute cephalopelvic disproportion, 78 cases of trial of labor were included. Of these, 63 were vaginal deliveries and 15 were emergent cesarean deliveries due to obstructed labor. The cut-off value for body mass index (BMI) was 22.2, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.69, for predicting obstructed labor. The cut-off value for the SOD was 10.7 cm with an AUC of 0.69. BMI alone had a sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 66%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 36%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 93%. When BMI and SOD were combined, sensitivity was 53%, specificity was 90%, PPV was 57%, and NPV was 89%. The odds ratio for emergent cesarean delivery was 5.42 (95% confidence interval 1.06–27.6, p = 0.041) if the SOD was less than the cut-off value in the binomial logistic regression analysis in cases with an BMI > 22. Conclusion: We confirmed that MRI pelvimetry was a reliable tool for better patient selection for obstructed labor. The SOD was the best predictor of obstructed labor, with a cut-off value of 10.7 cm for women with a low BMI

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli isolates obtained from wild mammals between 2013 and 2017 in Japan

The emergence and prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in wild animals are a great concern for public health. A total of 963 Escherichia coli isolates from 475 wild mammals (242 sika deers, 112 wild boars, 113 small mammals, 4 Japanese badger, 2 Tokara cows, and 2 Amani rabbits), collected between 2013 and 2017, were examined for antimicrobial susceptibility. Resistance to at least one antimicrobial was observed in 92 of 963 isolates (9.3%). No isolates exhibited resistance to carbapenem (meropenem). Resistance to third-generation cephalosporin (cefotaxime) and fluoroquinolone (ciprofloxacin) was observed in less than 1% of the isolates. Thus, low prevalence of bacterial antimicrobial resistance was observed in wild mammals between 2013 and 2017 in Japan