Studies on noise robust automatic speech recognition

Noise in everyday acoustic environments such as cars, traffic environments, and cafeterias remains one of the main challenges in automatic speech recognition (ASR). As a research theme, it has received wide attention in conferences and scientific journals focused on speech technology. This article collection reviews both the classic and novel approaches suggested for noise robust ASR. The articles are literature reviews written for the spring 2009 seminar course on noise robust automatic speech recognition (course code T-61.6060) held at TKK

Acute renal infarction resulting from fibromuscular dysplasia: a case report

Acute abdominal pain is one of the most frequent complaints evaluated at emergency departments. Approximately 25 % of abdominal pain patients discharged from emergency departments are diagnosed with undifferentiated abdominal pain. One possible reason for acute abdominal pain is renal infarction. Diagnosis is difficult and often late. CASE PRESENTATION: A white, 33-year-old, previously healthy Finnish man came to our emergency department because of acute abdominal pain. After evaluation and follow-up he was discharged the next day with a diagnosis of undifferentiated abdominal pain. He returned a day later and was diagnosed with renal infarction. Appropriate therapy was initiated in the nephrology ward. Further tests confirmed a diagnosis of renal infarction as a result of fibromuscular dysplasia. He recovered well and was discharged on the tenth day of hospitalization. His renal function was normal. CONCLUSIONS: Renal infarction is rare and should be considered if a patient with intense flank pain has no sign of urolithiasis or pyelonephritis. Contrast-enhanced computer tomography and assay of lactate dehydrogenase are recommended. The optimal treatment is still uncertain. Every patient discharged with undifferentiated abdominal pain should be given clear instructions as to when it is necessary to return to the emergency department.BioMed Central open acces

The science and detection of tilting

Tilting refers to losing control due to negative emotions, behaving erratically, and thereby suffering adverse con- sequences. The term tilt originated in poker playing communities, where it is often a consequence of so called bad beats, i.e. losing with an unlikely-to-lose poker hand. Often resulting in devastating monetary losses, tilting is ubiquitous and well known in poker, but rarely studied despite its signi cance. In this paper, we argue that tilting is a fertile topic for interdisciplinary research both for psychologists and computer scientists. Speci cally, we propose to study the manifestation of tilting via facial emotion expressions, and motivate the development of an automatic tilt-detection system. The scienti c understanding of the psychology of tilting can be increased via a computing approach, which has not been previously attempted. Automatic tilting detection will lead to a practical technology that reduces poker players' monetary losses and improves their well being through reduced tilting. We also argue that while tilting is best known as a poker phenomenon, it also exists in other contexts. Thus, the idea we suggest is a novel application of computer vision, affective computing and multimedia technologies in the real world, across many domains.This is the accepted manuscript. It is currently embargoed pending publication

Electrochemical Fouling of Dopamine and Recovery of Carbon Electrodes

A significant problem with implantable sensors is electrode fouling, which has been proposed as the main reason for biosensor failures in vivo. Electrochemical fouling is typical for dopamine (DA) as its oxidation products are very reactive and the resulting polydopamine has a robust adhesion capability to virtually all types of surfaces. The degree of DA fouling of different carbon electrodes with different terminations was determined using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) approach curves and imaging. The rate of electron transfer kinetics at the fouled electrode surface was determined from SECM approach curves, allowing a comparison of insulating film thickness for the different terminations. SECM imaging allowed the determination of different morphologies, such as continuous layers or islands, of insulating material. We show that heterogeneous modification of carbon electrodes with carboxyl-amine functionalities offers protection against formation of an insulating polydopamine layer, while retaining the ability to detect DA. The benefits of the heterogeneous termination are proposed to be due to the electrostatic repulsion between amino-functionalities and DA. Furthermore, we show that the conductivity of the surfaces as well as the response toward DA was recovered close to the original performance level after cleaning the surfaces for 10-20 cycles in H2SO4 on all materials but pyrolytic carbon (PyC). The recovery capacity of the PyC electrode was lower, possibly due to stronger adsorption of DA on the surface

The validity of rheumatoid arthritis diagnoses in Finnish biobanks

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the validity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnoses in patients participating in Finnish biobanks. Method We reviewed the electronic medical records of 500 Finnish biobank participants: 125 patients with at least one visit with a diagnosis of seropositive RA, 125 patients with at least one visit with a diagnosis of seronegative RA, and 250 age- and gender-matched controls. The patients were chosen from five different biobank hospitals in Finland. A rheumatologist reviewed the medical records to assess whether each patients' diagnosis was correct. The diagnosis was compared with the diagnostic codes in the Finnish Care Register for Health Care (CRHC) and special reimbursement data of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Results The positive predictive value (PPV) of CRHC diagnosis of RA (for seropositive and seronegative RA combined) was 0.82. For patients with a special reimbursement for anti-rheumatic medications for RA, the PPV was 0.89. The PPV was higher in patients with more than one visit. For one, two, five, and 10 visits, the PPV was 0.82, 0.85, 0.89, and 0.90, respectively, and for patients who also had the special reimbursement, the PPV was 0.89, 0.91, 0.93, and 0.94 for one, two, five, and 10 visits, respectively. In patients positive for anti-citrullinated protein antibodies, the PPV was 0.98. Conclusion These results demonstrate that the validity of RA diagnoses in Finnish biobanks was good and can be further improved by including data on special reimbursement for medication, number of visits, and serological data.Peer reviewe

The validity of rheumatoid arthritis diagnoses in Finnish biobanks

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the validity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnoses in patients participating in Finnish biobanks. Method We reviewed the electronic medical records of 500 Finnish biobank participants: 125 patients with at least one visit with a diagnosis of seropositive RA, 125 patients with at least one visit with a diagnosis of seronegative RA, and 250 age- and gender-matched controls. The patients were chosen from five different biobank hospitals in Finland. A rheumatologist reviewed the medical records to assess whether each patients' diagnosis was correct. The diagnosis was compared with the diagnostic codes in the Finnish Care Register for Health Care (CRHC) and special reimbursement data of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Results The positive predictive value (PPV) of CRHC diagnosis of RA (for seropositive and seronegative RA combined) was 0.82. For patients with a special reimbursement for anti-rheumatic medications for RA, the PPV was 0.89. The PPV was higher in patients with more than one visit. For one, two, five, and 10 visits, the PPV was 0.82, 0.85, 0.89, and 0.90, respectively, and for patients who also had the special reimbursement, the PPV was 0.89, 0.91, 0.93, and 0.94 for one, two, five, and 10 visits, respectively. In patients positive for anti-citrullinated protein antibodies, the PPV was 0.98. Conclusion These results demonstrate that the validity of RA diagnoses in Finnish biobanks was good and can be further improved by including data on special reimbursement for medication, number of visits, and serological data.Peer reviewe

Duplication/triplication mosaicism of EBF3 and expansion of the EBF3 neurodevelopmental disorder phenotype

Deleterious variants in the transcription factor early B-cell factor 3 (EBF3) are known to cause a neurodevelopmental disorder (EBF3-NDD). We report eleven individuals with EBF3 variants, including an individual with a duplication/triplication mosaicism of a region encompassing EBF3 and a phenotype consistent with EBF3-NDD, which may reflect the importance of EBF3 gene-dosage for neurodevelopment. The phenotype of individuals in this cohort was quite mild compared to the core phenotype of previously described individuals. Although ataxia tended to wane with age, we show that cognitive difficulties may increase, and we recommend that individuals with EBF3-NDD have systematic neuropsychological follow-up. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of European Paediatric Neurology Society. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe

Sairauspoissaolotarpeen määrittäminen : Kyselytutkimus lääkäreille

Kelan tutkimusosasto ja Suomen Lääkäriliitto toteuttivat vuonna 2014 lääkäreille kohdistetun kyselyn, jonka tarkoituksena on kartoittaa lääkäreiden näkemyksiä ja kokemuksia sairauspoissaoloihin liittyvistä käytännöistä ja kehittämistarpeista. Kysely perustuu vuonna 2012 Ruotsissa tehtyyn kyselyyn. Vastaava kysely toteutettiin myös Norjassa. Kysymykset on muokattu kunkin maan järjestelmään sopiviksi. Kyselylomake lähetettiin 8 867 lääkärille loppuvuodesta 2014, ja siihen saattoi vastata joko paperisella tai sähköisellä lomakkeella. Vastausprosentti oli 34,8. Rakenteeltaan aineisto edusti perusjoukkoa, joskin työterveyshuolto oli hieman yliedustettuna. Lääkärit pitivät julkisen sektorin palvelujen saatavuutta keskeisenä syynä sairauspoissaolojen pitkittymiseen. Myös vajaakuntoisten työntekijöiden työssä jaksamista tukevien toimenpiteiden saatavuus vaikutti sairauspoissaolojen kirjoittamiseen. Kelalta toivottiin enemmän palautetta lääkärien omasta toiminnasta. Lääkärien osaamisen kehittämistarpeet korostuivat erityisesti terveyskeskuksissa, mutta koulutusta tarvitsevien osuus on varsin suuri muillakin toimintasektoreilla. Lääkärit toivoivat laajasti, erikoistumisalasta tai toimipaikasta riippumatta, vähintäänkin joitakin sairauksia koskevia kansallisia suosituksia sairauspoissaolojen kestosta. Nykyisiä käytettävissä olevia ohjeita ja suosituksia monet lääkärit pitivät tärkeinä. Työterveyslääkärit erottuivat monissa kohdin omaksi ryhmäkseen. He näyttävät hallitsevan työkyvyn ja sairauspoissaolon tarpeen arviointiin liittyvät tehtävät parhaiten. Suomalaiset lääkärit kokivat ruotsalaisia ja norjalaisia perusterveydenhuollon lääkäreitä vähemmän ongelmia sairauspoissaoloon liittyvissä asioissa. Tutkimuksen perusteella annetuissa suosituksissa esitetään puuttumista jatkohoidon ja kuntoutukseen pääsyn viiveisiin, työkyvyn arviointiin liittyvän koulutuksen lisäämistä, sairauspoissaolotarpeen siirtämistä enemmän työterveyshuollon vastuulle sekä sairauspoissaolojen kestoa koskevien suositusten laatimista ainakin joistakin sairauksista

Comparison of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Strains Circulating in Finland Demonstrates the Uncoupling of Whole-Genome Relatedness and Phenotypic Outcomes of Viral Infection

A majority of adults in Finland are seropositive carriers of herpes simplex viruses (HSV). Infection occurs at epithelial or mucosal surfaces, after which virions enter innervating nerve endings, eventually establishing lifelong infection in neurons of the sensory or autonomic nervous system. Recent data have highlighted the genetic diversity of HSV-1 strains and demonstrated apparent geographic patterns in strain similarity. Though multiple HSV-1 genomes have been sequenced from Europe to date, there is a lack of sequenced genomes from the Nordic countries. Finland's history includes at least two major waves of human migration, suggesting the potential for diverse viruses to persist in the population. Here, we used HSV-1 clinical isolates from Finland to test the relationship between viral phylogeny, genetic variation, and phenotypic characteristics. We found that Finnish HSV-1 isolates separated into two distinct phylogenetic groups, potentially reflecting historical waves of human (and viral) migration into Finland. Each HSV-1 isolate harbored a distinct set of phenotypes in cell culture, including differences in the amount of virus production, extracellular virus release, and cell-type-specific fitness. Importantly, the phylogenetic clusters were not predictive of any detectable pattern in phenotypic differences, demonstrating that whole-genome relatedness is not a proxy for overall viral phenotype. Instead, we highlight specific gene-level differences that may contribute to observed phenotypic differences, and we note that strains from different phylogenetic groups can contain the same genetic variations.IMPORTANCE Herpes simplex viruses (HSV) infect a majority of adults. Recent data have highlighted the genetic diversity of HSV-1 strains and demonstrated apparent genomic relatedness between strains from the same geographic regions. We used HSV-1 clinical isolates from Finland to test the relationship between viral genomic and geographic relationships, differences in specific genes, and characteristics of viral infection. We found that viral isolates from Finland separated into two distinct groups of genomic and geographic relatedness, potentially reflecting historical patterns of human and viral migration into Finland. These Finnish HSV-1 isolates had distinct infection characteristics in multiple cell types tested, which were specific to each isolate and did not group according to genomic and geographic relatedness. This demonstrates that HSV-1 strain differences in specific characteristics of infection are set by a combination of host cell type and specific viral gene-level differences