Towards General-Purpose Text-Instruction-Guided Voice Conversion

This paper introduces a novel voice conversion (VC) model, guided by text instructions such as "articulate slowly with a deep tone" or "speak in a cheerful boyish voice". Unlike traditional methods that rely on reference utterances to determine the attributes of the converted speech, our model adds versatility and specificity to voice conversion. The proposed VC model is a neural codec language model which processes a sequence of discrete codes, resulting in the code sequence of converted speech. It utilizes text instructions as style prompts to modify the prosody and emotional information of the given speech. In contrast to previous approaches, which often rely on employing separate encoders like prosody and content encoders to handle different aspects of the source speech, our model handles various information of speech in an end-to-end manner. Experiments have demonstrated the impressive capabilities of our model in comprehending instructions and delivering reasonable results.Comment: Accepted to ASRU 202

Equivalent efficacies of reverse hybrid and concomitant therapies in first- line treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection

Background and AimConcomitant therapy is a recommended first- line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection in most national or international consensuses. Reverse hybrid therapy is a modified 14- day concomitant therapy without clarithromycin and metronidazole in the final 7 days. This study aims to test whether 14- day reverse hybrid therapy is non- inferior to 14- day concomitant therapy in the first- line treatment of H. pylori infection.MethodsHelicobacter pylori- infected adult patients were randomly assigned to receive either reverse hybrid therapy (dexlansoprazole 60 mg o.d. plus amoxicillin 1 g b.d. for 14 days, and clarithromycin 500 mg plus metronidazole 500 mg b.d. for initial 7 days) or concomitant therapy (dexlansoprazole 60 mg once o.d. plus amoxicillin 1 g, clarithromycin 500 mg, and metronidazole 500 mg b.d. for 14 days). H. pylori status was assessed 6 weeks after the end of treatment.ResultsHelicobacter pylori- infected participants (n = 248) were randomized to receive either 14- day reverse hybrid therapy (n = 124) or 14- day concomitant therapy (n = 124). Intention- to- treat analysis demonstrated that the two therapies had comparable eradication rate (95.2% vs 93.5%; 95% confidence interval, - 4.0% to 7.4%; P = 0.582). However, reverse hybrid therapy had a much lower frequency of adverse events than concomitant therapy (20.2% vs 38.7%, P = 0.001). The two therapies exhibited comparable drug adherence (93.5% vs 87.9%, P = 0.125).ConclusionsFourteen- day reverse hybrid therapy and 14- day concomitant therapy are equivalent in efficacy for the first- line treatment of H. pylori infection. However, reverse hybrid therapy has fewer adverse events compared with concomitant therapy.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163472/2/jgh15034_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163472/1/jgh15034.pd

The Efficacy of Endoscopic Papillary Balloon Dilation for Patients with Acute Biliary Pancreatitis

Background. No study investigated the efficacy and safety of endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD) for the treatment of acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP). Method. We retrospectively reviewed the effects of EPBD on patients with ABP from February 2003 to December 2012. The general data, findings of image studies, details of the procedure, and outcomes after EPBD were analyzed. Result. Total 183 patients (male/female: 110/73) were enrolled. The mean age was 65.9 years. Among them, 155 patients had mild pancreatitis. The meantime from admission to EPBD was 3.3 days. Cholangiogram revealed filling defects inside the common bile duct (CBD) in 149 patients. The mean dilating balloon size was 10.5 mm and mean duration of the dilating procedure was 4.3 minutes. Overall, 124 patients had gross stones retrieved from CBD. Four (2.2%) adverse events and 2 (1.1%) intraprocedure bleeding incidents but no procedure-related mortality were noted. Bilirubin and amylase levels significantly decreased after EPBD. On average, patients resumed oral intake within 1.4 days. The clinical parameters and outcomes were similar in patients with different severity of pancreatitis. Conclusion. EPBD can be effective and safe for the treatment of ABP, even in patients presenting with severe disease

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Microwave heterostructure device characterization and modeling for their high-power and low -noise properties.

This dissertation focuses on characterization and modeling of novel heterostructure devices as regards their high-power and low-noise properties for microwave front-end circuit applications. Recent advances in heterostructure devices such as heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) and modulation-doped field effect transistors (MODFETs) are the major driving force for developing novel microwave circuits as well as communication systems. Characterizing and modeling of these devices allow us to understand physical principles and limitations of the devices and provide feedback to improve the design of device materials and structures. In addition, using established device models, one can design circuits and systems with greatly reduced iteration cycles. This study investigates a wide variety of novel heterostructure microwave devices. Thermally-stable-cascode (TSC) AlGaAs/GaAS HBTs with a 100 mum separation between the common-emitter and common-base stages demonstrate significantly reduced thermal effects. Highly nonlinear InAlAs/InGaAs PNP HBTs present distributed thermal time constants (RTH1 ∼ 580 K/W, RTH2 ∼ 710 K/W; CTH1 ∼ 0.4 ns W/K, CTH2 ∼ 0.1 mus W/K). AlGaN/GaN MODFETs show increased PAE ∼ 12% with harmonic tuning. Typical IMD3 is ∼29 dBm (f0 = 5 GHz) and the dominant nonlinear source is the transconductance. InP/InGaAs NPN HBTs demonstrate excellent noise figure under low power consumption (Fmin = 1.51 dB under PDC = 1.6 mW at 10 GHz). Low gate leakage current ( IG ∼ 1 to 4 muA under VDS = 0 to 15 V) is a key factor for the observed low-noise performance in AlGaN/GaN MODFETs. Low-frequency noise studies reveal that the dominant noise source in NPN/PNP InP HBTs is the exposed emitter periphery, while the low-frequency noise stemming from the 2DEG and buffer layer in AlGaN/GaN MODFETs. Trap-related studies suggest that the pronounced output resistance dispersion is due to traps located in the drain-gate area. The observed current instability is no permanent damage and can be recovered by UV light. In addition, systematic approaches based on various measurement techniques are proposed to develop equivalent circuit models. Device model parameters and nonidealities such as the thermal effect and the dispersion effect can be extracted. The approaches introduced in this study can be applied to various semiconductor devices to obtain a better understanding of modern heterostructure devices and to achieve high-power and low-noise performance for microwave circuit applications.Ph.D.Applied SciencesElectrical engineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/123405/2/3079462.pd

Effect of Transcutaneous Acupoint Electrical Stimulation on Post-Hemorrhoidectomy-Associated Pain, Anxiety, and Heart Rate Variability: A Randomized-Controlled Study

[[abstract]]Hemorrhoidectomy is the current best treatment for severe hemorrhoids, but it causes significant postoperative pain and anxiety, which is associated with heart rate variability (HRV). Transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation (TAES) was assumed to alleviate pain and anxiety, and modify the autonomic nervous system. This study aimed to examine the effects of TAES intervention on postoperative pain, anxiety, and HRV in patients who received a hemorrhoidectomy. A randomized-controlled trial with five repeated measures was conducted. The TAES group ( n = 39) received four 20-min sessions of electrical stimulation at chengshan (BL57) and erbai (EX-UE2) after hemorrhoidectomy, whereas the control group ( n = 41) did not. Data were collected using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), State Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and HRV physiological signal monitor. TAES resulted in a significant group difference in pain scores, anxiety levels, and some HRV parameters. The findings indicate that TAES can help reduce pain and anxiety associated with hemorrhoidectomy. TAES is a noninvasive, simple, and convenient modality for post-hemorrhoidectomy-associated pain control and anxiety reduction

Temperature Field Numerical Analysis Mode and Verification of Quenching Heat Treatment Using Carbon Steel in Rotating Laser Scanning

Temperature history and hardening depth are experimentally characterized in the rotational laser hardening process for an AISI 1045 medium carbon steel specimen. A three-dimensional finite element model is proposed to predict the temperature field distribution and hardening zone area. The laser temperature field is set up for an average distribution and scanned along a circular path. Linear motion also takes place alongside rotation. The prediction of hardening area can be increased by increasing the rotational radius, which in turn raises the processing efficiency. A good agreement is found between the experimental characterized hardness value and metallographic composition. The uniformity of the hardening area decreases with increasing laser scanning speed. The increased laser power input could help to expand the hardening depth