Glottal flow characteristics in vowels produced by speakers with heart failure

Heart failure (HF) is one of the most life-threatening diseases globally. HF is an under-diagnosed condition, and more screening tools are needed to detect it. A few recent studies have suggested that HF also affects the functioning of the speech production mechanism by causing generation of edema in the vocal folds and by impairing the lung function. It has not yet been studied whether these possible effects of HF on the speech production mechanism are large enough to cause acoustically measurable differences to distinguish speech produced in HF from that produced by healthy speakers. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to compare speech production between HF patients and healthy controls by focusing on the excitation signal generated at the level of the vocal folds, the glottal flow. The glottal flow was computed from speech using the quasi-closed phase glottal inverse filtering method and the estimated flow was parameterized with 12 glottal parameters. The sound pressure level (SPL) was measured from speech as an additional parameter. The statistical analyses conducted on the parameters indicated that most of the glottal parameters and SPL were significantly different between the HF patients and healthy controls. The results showed that the HF patients generally produced a more rounded glottal pulse and a lower SPL level compared to the healthy controls, indicating incomplete glottal closure and inappropriate leakage of air through the glottis. The results observed in this preliminary study indicate that glottal features are capable of distinguishing speakers with HF from healthy controls. Therefore, the study suggests that glottal features constitute a potential feature extraction approach which should be taken into account in future large-scale investigations in studying the automatic detection of HF from speech.Peer reviewe

The automatic detection of heart failure using speech signals

Heart failure (HF) is a major global health concern and is increasing in prevalence. It affects the larynx and breathing - thereby the quality of speech. In this article, we propose an approach for the automatic detection of people with HF using the speech signal. The proposed method explores mel-frequency cepstral coefficient (MFCC) features, glottal features, and their combination to distinguish HF from healthy speech. The glottal features were extracted from the voice source signal estimated using glottal inverse filtering. Four machine learning algorithms, namely, support vector machine, Extra Tree, AdaBoost, and feed-forward neural network (FFNN), were trained separately for individual features and their combination. It was observed that the MFCC features yielded higher classification accuracies compared to glottal features. Furthermore, the complementary nature of glottal features was investigated by combining these features with the MFCC features. Our results show that the FFNN classifier trained using a reduced set of glottal + MFCC features achieved the best overall performance in both speaker-dependent and speaker-independent scenarios. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in the landscape : Approach for spatially explicit estimates

Climate change mitigation is a global response that requires actions at the local level. Quantifying local sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (GHG) facilitate evaluating mitigation options. We present an approach to collate spatially explicit estimated fluxes of GHGs (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) for main land use sectors in the landscape, to aggregate, and to calculate the net emissions of an entire region. Our procedure was developed and tested in a large river basin in Finland, providing information from intensively studied eLTER research sites. To evaluate the full GHG balance, fluxes from natural ecosystems (lakes, rivers, and undrained mires) were included together with fluxes from anthropogenic activities, agriculture and forestry. We quantified the fluxes based on calculations with an anthropogenic emissions model (FRES) and a forest growth and carbon balance model (PREBAS), as well as on emission coefficients from the literature regarding emissions from lakes, rivers, undrained mires, peat extraction sites and cropland. Spatial data sources included CORINE land use data, soil map, lake and river shorelines, national forest inventory data, and statistical data on anthropogenic activities. Emission uncertainties were evaluated with Monte Carlo simulations. Artificial surfaces were the most emission intensive land-cover class. Lakes and rivers were about as emission intensive as arable land. Forests were the dominant land cover in the region (66%), and the C sink of the forests decreased the total emissions of the region by 72%. The region's net emissions amounted to 4.37 +/- 1.43 Tg CO2-eq yr(-1), corresponding to a net emission intensity 0.16 Gg CO2-eq km(-2) yr(-1), and estimated per capita net emissions of 5.6 Mg CO2-eq yr(-1). Our landscape approach opens opportunities to examine the sensitivities of important GHG fluxes to changes in land use and climate, management actions, and mitigation of anthropogenic emissions. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.peerReviewe

Mitigation Impact of Different Harvest Scenarios of Finnish Forests That Account for Albedo, Aerosols, and Trade-Offs of Carbon Sequestration and Avoided Emissions

The pressure to increase forest and land carbon stocks simultaneously with increasing forest based biomass harvest for energy and materials emphasizes the need for dedicated analyses of impacts and possible trade-offs between these different mitigation options including also forest related biophysical factors, surface albedo and the formation of biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOA). We analyzed the change in global radiative forcing (RF) due to changes in these climatic agents as affected by the change in state of Finnish forests under increased or decreased harvest scenarios from a baseline. We also included avoided emissions due to wood material and energy substitution. Increasing harvests from baseline (65% of Current Annual Increment) decreased the total carbon sink (carbon in trees, soil and harvested wood products) at least for 50 years. When we coupled this change in carbon with other biosphere responses, surface albedo and aerosols, decreasing harvests from the baseline produced the largest cooling effect during 50 years. Accounting also for the avoided emissions due to increased wood use, the RF responses of the two lowest harvest scenarios were within uncertainty range. Our results show that the effects of forest management on SOA formation should be included in the analyses trying to deduce the net climate impact of forest use. The inclusion of the rarely considered SOA effects enforces the view that the lower the harvest, the more climatic cooling boreal forests provide. These results should act as a caution mark for policy makers who are emphasizing the increased utilization of forest biomass for short-living products and bioenergy as an efficient measure to mitigate climate change.Peer reviewe

Refining the role of phenology in regulating gross ecosystem productivity across European peatlands

Abstract The role of plant phenology as regulator for gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) in peatlands is empirically not well constrained. This is because proxies to track vegetation development with daily coverage at the ecosystem scale have only recently become available and the lack of such data has hampered the disentangling of biotic and abiotic effects. This study aimed at unraveling the mechanisms that regulate the seasonal variation in GEP across a network of eight European peatlands. Therefore, we described phenology with canopy greenness derived from digital repeat photography and disentangled the effects of radiation, temperature and phenology on GEP with commonality analysis and structural equation modeling. The resulting relational network could not only delineate direct effects but also accounted for possible effect combinations such as interdependencies (mediation) and interactions (moderation). We found that peatland GEP was controlled by the same mechanisms across all sites: phenology constituted a key predictor for the seasonal variation in GEP and further acted as distinct mediator for temperature and radiation effects on GEP. In particular, the effect of air temperature on GEP was fully mediated through phenology, implying that direct temperature effects representing the thermoregulation of photosynthesis were negligible. The tight coupling between temperature, phenology and GEP applied especially to high latitude and high altitude peatlands and during phenological transition phases. Our study highlights the importance of phenological effects when evaluating the future response of peatland GEP to climate change. Climate change will affect peatland GEP especially through changing temperature patterns during plant-phenologically sensitive phases in high latitude and high altitude regions.Peer reviewe

Quantification and valuation of ecosystem services to optimize sustainable re-use for low-productive drained peatlands

LIFEPeatLandUse (LIFE12 ENV/FI/000150) 2013 – 2018, LAYMAN’S REPORT201

Set-up and instrumentation of the greenhouse gas measurements on experimental sites of continuous cover forestry

A set of experimental study sites was established to monitor greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from drained peatland forests under different harvesting regimes in Finland. The purpose of these experimental sites is to study the effects of continuous cover forestry (CCF) and clear-cutting (CC) on ecosystem processes including GHG emissions and stand development on drained peatland forests. The sites represent fertile Norway spruce dominated peatland forests, where soil GHG emissions are high due to drainage that has exposed peat to decomposition in aerobic conditions. Two “flagship” sites for greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring have been established and instrumented by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), University of Helsinki (UH) and the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI). The sites host continuous GHG monitoring with Eddy Covariance (EC) towers and with automatic chambers. In addition, greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, and N2O) emissions are monitored with manually operated chambers at four sites, where effects of selection (CCF) harvests are studied with replicated treatments. These data will be used to calculate the ecosystem and soil GHG balances of the sites by using methodologies standardized earlier and compatible with the IPCC guidelines. On all experimental sites, ground water table (WT), tree growth and regeneration are monitored in different management trials. These data will form the basic data needed for designing and demonstrating optimal harvesting cycles and evaluating and generalizing the climate impacts. The results including the biological drainage capacity (evapotranspiration) of different-sized tree stands as well as the soil GHG balance of different tree stand – WT combinations will be incorporated into existing models that can be used to estimate the mitigation obtained with different management options and in different site and climatic conditions. The study sites are actively used for training and demonstration of alternative peatland management practices by host projects and by multiple stakeholders. The host projects and organizations also promote further extensions for the measurements and all complementary research activities are welcome to these study sites

As Oy Espoon Myllärin rakennesuunnitelmat

Tässä opinnäytetyössä tehtiin rakennesuunnitelmat kohteeseen As Oy Espoon Mylläri tulevaa urakkalaskentaa varten. Kohteeseen kuului kaksi 4-kerroksista kerrostaloa, jotka sijaitsivat Espoossa Karhunsuon kaupunginosassa. Kohteen suunnittelun lähtötietoina olivat arkkitehdin suunnittelemat pohjakuvat ja geoteknikon tekemä pohjatutkimuslausunto. Suunnittelussa käytettiin yrityksen omia Excel-pohjaisia laskentaohjelmia rakenteiden mitoitukseen. Apuna käytettiin myös PUPAX-mitoitusohjelmaa rasitusten laskemiseen. Itse rakennepiirustukset tehtiin AutoCAD LT 2008 -ohjelmalla. Kerrostalot suunniteltiin rakennettavaksi elementtirakenteisina. Kohteen lämmöneristysvaatimuksina käytettiin uusia 2010 voimaan tulleita arvoja, jotka toivat omat muutoksensa totuttuihin rakennustapoihin. Lisäksi tontin maaperä oli hyvin vaihtelevaa, jolloin jouduttiin yhdistelemään kahta eri perustamistapaa, mikä hankaloitti suunnittelun etenemistä. Suunnitelmat aloitettiin kesäkuun alussa 2010, ja ne valmistuivat ajallaan elokuun loppuun. Näin ollen urakkalaskenta pääsi alkamaan sovitusti. Kohteen rakentaminen on suunniteltu aloitettavaksi vuonna 2011.In this thesis structure designs were made for cooperative apartment Espoon Mylläri for upcoming contract offers. The target included two four-story apartment buildings which located in Espoo. The structural designs were based on architectural plans and geotechnical ground survey-statement. Jonecon company’s own Excel-based calculation programs were used in designing and planning the structures. PUPAX-calculation program was also used to help measuring structural stress. The structure drawings were made by using AutoCAD LT 2008 program. Apartment buildings were planned to be constructed as prefabricated units. Target’s heat insulation requirements were based on standards that came into operation in 2010. This renewal to the standards brought changes to the old designing customs. Also two different founding customs had to be combined because of the construction site’s varying ground. These matters made designing more complicated. Structural designing started in June 2010. They were completed in time in August 2010 and that made contract offers possible. The target’s construction has been planned to begin in 2011.CD-lev

T-Wave Alternans as a Prognostic Marker in Patients Referred for Exercise Testing - Quantitative Analysis and Combined Assessment with Exercise Capacity and Heart Rate Recovery

Huono suorituskyky rasituskokeessa ennustaa sydänperäistä äkkikuolemaa Väitöskirjatyössä havaittiin, että huono suorituskyky rasituskokeessa suurentaa sydänperäisen äkkikuoleman riskin yli kahdeksankertaiseksi. Sydänperäiseen äkkikuolemaan menehtyy vuosittain Suomessa arviolta 7000 henkilöä ja se on usein sydänsairauden ensimmäinen ilmentymä. Jotta näiden kuolemien estämisen olisi mahdollista, tulisi ensin kyetä tunnistamaan kohonneessa riskissä olevat potilaat. Miljoonat potilaat ympäri maailmaa käyvät lääkärin lähettämänä kliinisessä rasituskokeessa vuosittain. Kaikissa rasituskokeissa määritetään potilaan suorituskyky. Tutkijat ovat jo aikaisemmin tienneet, että huono fyysinen kunto lisää riskiä kuolla ja kokea sydänperäinen kuolema. Heikentyneen suorituskyvyn vaikutusta erityisesti suurentuneeseen sydänperäisen äkkikuoleman riskiin ei ole kuitenkaan aikaisemmin selvitetty kliiniseen rasituskokeeseen lähetettävillä potilailla. Väitöskirjatutkimus on osa Finnish Cardiovascular Study -hanketta. Siinä tutkittiin yhteensä noin neljä tuhatta potilasta, jotka osallistuivat kliiniseen rasituskokeeseen Tampereen yliopistollisessa sairaalassa vuosina 2001 2008. Suorituskyky määritettiin lepohapenkulutuksen kerrannaisina. Tavanomaisten muuttujien lisäksi potilailta mitattiin T-aallon vuorottelu. Kokeellisessa käytössä oleva T-aallon vuorottelu kuvaa sydämen sähköisen palautumisvaiheen epävakautta, ja se on liitetty äkkikuolemia aiheuttavien sydämen rytmihäiriöiden syntyyn. T-aallon vuorottelu mitataan tietokoneavusteisesti sydänsähkökäyrästä. Väitöskirjatyössä havaittiin, että riski kokea sydänperäinen äkkikuolema oli yli kahdeksan kertaa suurempi potilailla, jotka eivät pystyneet nostamaan lepohapenkulutustaan yli seitsemänkertaiseksi kuntopyörällä tehdyn rasituskokeen aikana verrattuna potilaisiin, jotka siihen pystyivät. Suorituskyvyn paraneminen yhdellä lepohapenkulutuksen kerrannaisella pienensi riskiä 33 prosenttia. Huonon suorituskyvyn yhdistyminen lisääntyneeseen T-aallon vuorotteluun ja alentuneeseen sykkeen palautumiseen rasituksen jälkeen lisäsivät kuolemanriskiä merkittävästi. Seuranta-aika oli keskimäärin neljä vuotta. Väitöskirjatutkimuksessa kehitettiin myös T-aallon vuorottelun kykyä ennustaa sydänperäistä äkkikuolemaa. Suorituskyky määritetään jokaiselta rasituskokeeseen osallistuvalta potilaalta, joten tieto siitä on lääkäreiden käytettävissä ilman lisäkustannuksia. Suorituskyvyn vaikutus sydänperäisen kuoleman ja äkkikuoleman riskiin tulisi kertoa potilaille ja se tulisi myös ottaa huomioon potilaan kokonaisriskiä arvioitaessa. Tulevaisuus näyttää, tuleeko esimerkiksi fyysisen kunnon ohjatusta kohottamisesta yksi hoitomuoto suuren riskin henkilöille tai onko T-aallon vuorottelun määrittämisestä lääkäreiden työkaluksi.T-wave alternans (TWA) is an electrocardiogram (ECG) phenomenon illustrating inhomogeneities in cardiac electrical repolarization. It can be measured from the surface ECG as microvolt-level beat-to-beat alternation in the shape, timing, or amplitude of the ST segment or T wave. TWA has been experimentally and clinically linked to ventricular tachyarrhythmias as well as to the related pathogenesis. Moreover, positive TWA testing has been shown to predict all-cause and cardiovascular mortality as well as sudden cardiac death (SCD) in diverse patient populations. The present study was designed to solve the methodological issues related to the prognostic power of TWA analysis, with quantitative TWA analysis in particular. Furthermore, the prognostic power of TWA in combination with exercise capacity and heart rate recovery (HRR), a marker of autonomic nervous system imbalance, were studied. This study is part of the Finnish Cardiovascular Study (FINCAVAS), which enrolled 4,178 (2,537 men) consecutive patients attending an exercise stress test at Tampere University Hospital between October 2001 and the end of 2008 (Study IV). A sub-population of 2,212 (1,400 men) were recruited by the end of 2004 (Studies I, II, and III). A continuous digital ECG signal (500 Hz) was recorded during the entire exercise test from the pre-exercise to the post-exercise phase. The Modified Moving Average (MMA) analysis, which allows TWA analysis during a normal symptom-limited exercise test, was employed. Exercise capacity was assessed in the form of metabolic equivalents (METs) in a standard manner, and HRR was determined as the maximum heart rate minus the heart rate at 1 minute after the cessation of exercise. Hazard ratios for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality as well as SCD were estimated with Cox regression analysis. During the median follow-up of 48 months (37 59 interquartile range [IQ]), there were 126 deaths, 62 cardiovascular deaths, and 33 SCDs in the sub-population (Studies I, II, and III). The overall follow-up time for the 3,609 patients investigated in Study IV was 57 months (35 78 IQ), during which 233 patients died 96 of these deaths were further categorized as cardiovascular deaths. Elevated TWA levels measured during the exercise phase were found to be independently associated with an increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and SCD when grouped in increments of 10µV. All-cause and cardiovascular mortality, but not SCD, were also predicted when TWA was measured during the pre- or post-exercise phase (Study I). When analyzed as a continuous variable, increased TWA voltage was a significant predictor of all-cause (Study I) and cardiovascular mortality (Studies I and IV). Poor exercise capacity (METs Measuring TWA from surface ECG is inherently challenging, and the future will show whether this non-invasive TWA assessment can be incorporated into clinical use or whether, for example, TWA analysis based on cardiac implantable electric devices will break through. Finally, the present study produces new information concerning the predictive capacity and characteristics of TWA in patients referred for exercise testing. The evidence derived from our study, together with information uncovered by experimental and clinical studies, clearly shows that elevated levels of TWA are pathophysiologically linked with increased risk for cardiovascular mortality. The study also demonstrates that poor exercise capacity predicts SCD in a population of patients referred for exercise testing. Moreover, it shows that the combination of exercise capacity, HRR, and TWA enhances the prognostic capacity of exercise stress testing. These three parameters that can be measured during routine exercise testing offer an avenue for improving the risk stratification for cardiovascular mortality and SCD