The Effect of Speaking Rate on Vowel Variability Based on the Uncontrolled Manifold Approach and Flow-Based Invertible Neural Network Modeling

Variability is intrinsic to human speech production. One approach to understand variability in speech is to decompose it into task-irrelevant (“good”) and task-relevant (“bad”) parts with respect to speech tasks. Based on the uncontrolled manifold (UCM) approach, this dissertation investigates how vowel token-to-token variability in articulation and acoustics can be decomposed into “good” and “bad” parts and how speaking rate changes the pattern of these two from the Haskins IEEE rate comparison database. Furthermore, it is examined whether the “good” part of variability, or flexibility, can be modeled directly from speech data using the flow-based invertible neural networks framework. The application of the UCM analysis and FlowINN modeling method is discussed, particularly focusing on how the “good” part of variability in speech can be useful rather than being disregarded as noise

Screening and Probiotic Properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria with Potential Immunostimulatory Activity Isolated from Kimchi

The modulation of the immune system is a major mechanism through which probiotics exert beneficial effects on health. Probiotics, including lactic acid bacteria (LAB), have been reported to enhance innate immunity. The purpose of this study was to screen for LAB strains with excellent immunostimulatory activity isolated from kimchi. We selected five promising strains (Limosilactobacillus fermentum MG5489, Lactococcus lactis MG5542, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei MG5559, Latilactobacillus sakei MG5468, and Latilactobacillus curvatus MG5609) that exhibited immune-stimulating effects by inducing the production of nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β in RAW264.7 cells. The selected strains significantly increased phagocytic activity of RAW264.7 cells and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation. Furthermore, the safety of the selected strains was determined using hemolysis and antibiotic susceptibility tests. The stabilities and adhesion abilities of these strains in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) were also determined. Taken together, these findings suggest that the strains selected in this study have the potential to be novel probiotics to enhance immunity

Immunostimulatory Activity of Lactic Acid Bacteria Cell-Free Supernatants through the Activation of NF-κB and MAPK Signaling Pathways in RAW 264.7 Cells

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can improve host health and has strong potential for use as a health functional food. Specific strains of LAB have been reported to exert immunostimulatory effects. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the immunostimulatory activities of novel LAB strains isolated from humans and foods and to investigate the probiotic properties of these strains. Cell-free supernatants (CFS) obtained from selected LAB strains significantly increased phagocytosis and level of nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. The protein expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, which are immunomodulators, was also upregulated by CFS treatment. CFS markedly induced the phosphorylation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and MAPKs (ERK, JNK, and p38). In addition, the safety of the LAB strains used in this study was demonstrated by hemolysis and antibiotic resistance tests. Their stability was confirmed under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Taken together, these results indicate that the LAB strains selected in this study could be useful as probiotic candidates with immune-stimulating activity

Influences of Genetic Variation of Endothelin-1 Gene on Effects of 16-Week Combined Exercise on Clinical and Physical Parameters in Middle-Aged Women

Background and Objective. In this study, we attempted to determine whether the C/T polymorphism of the ET-1 gene was significantly associated with changes in several clinical characteristics after the 16-week combined exercise program in overweight middle-aged women. Material and Methods. The C/T polymorphism of the ET-1 gene was assayed using polymerase chain reaction, i.e., the TaqI restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Results. The genetic variation in the ET-1 gene showed a significant association with the serum LDL cholesterol level as well as several parameters of physical fitness, including muscular endurance and power of the participants (P<0.05). In addition, this genetic variation showed a significant association with changes in muscular strength of the participants after the 16-week combined exercise program (P<0.05). Conclusions. Our data suggest that the C/T substitution on intron 4 of the ET-1 gene may be a useful genetic marker influencing muscular strength through a gene-exercise interaction and is associated with an interindividual difference of cardiovascular risk factors and parameters of physical fitness