Voice Conversion Based on Cross-Domain Features Using Variational Auto Encoders

An effective approach to non-parallel voice conversion (VC) is to utilize deep neural networks (DNNs), specifically variational auto encoders (VAEs), to model the latent structure of speech in an unsupervised manner. A previous study has confirmed the ef- fectiveness of VAE using the STRAIGHT spectra for VC. How- ever, VAE using other types of spectral features such as mel- cepstral coefficients (MCCs), which are related to human per- ception and have been widely used in VC, have not been prop- erly investigated. Instead of using one specific type of spectral feature, it is expected that VAE may benefit from using multi- ple types of spectral features simultaneously, thereby improving the capability of VAE for VC. To this end, we propose a novel VAE framework (called cross-domain VAE, CDVAE) for VC. Specifically, the proposed framework utilizes both STRAIGHT spectra and MCCs by explicitly regularizing multiple objectives in order to constrain the behavior of the learned encoder and de- coder. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed CD- VAE framework outperforms the conventional VAE framework in terms of subjective tests.Comment: Accepted to ISCSLP 201

KINETIC AND EMG ANALYSIS OF THE NEW DEDIGN STEPWISE LOADING SYSTEM

The great muscle strength and power are important factors for successful sport performance. Many strength coaches instructed their athletes to move the weight for developing muscle strength. However, most weight training systems consist of lifting a steady load, this having the drawback of nol accounting for the change in strength with the change in muscle length. In order to solve this problem, this study developed a stepwise weight training system using linkage which is capable of increasing the load in isotonic contraction, then compared kinetics and muscle activation between the stepwise contraction and the traditional isotonic contraction. The results showed that both the normalized peak tension and the angle of peak tension of the stepwise contraction were significantly larger than traditional isotonic contraction. The normalized impulse and the integrated EMG of the stepwise contraction was more than traditional isotonic contraction but not reached the significance The findings suggest that stepwise loading system can provide greater stimulus to muscle training effect than traditional weight training systems

Aqueous Extract from Hibiscus sabdariffa Linnaeus Ameliorate Diabetic Nephropathy via Regulating Oxidative Status and Akt/Bad/14-3-3γ in an Experimental Animal Model

Several studies point out that oxidative stress maybe a major culprit in diabetic nephropathy. Aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (HSE) has been demonstrated as having beneficial effects on anti-oxidation and lipid-lowering in experimental studies. This study aimed at investigating the effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. on diabetic nephropathy in streptozotocin induced type 1 diabetic rats. Our results show that HSE is capable of reducing lipid peroxidation, increasing catalase and glutathione activities significantly in diabetic kidney, and decreasing the plasma levels of triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) value. In histological examination, HSE improves hyperglycemia-caused osmotic diuresis in renal proximal convoluted tubules (defined as hydropic change) in diabetic rats. The study also reveals that up-regulation of Akt/Bad/14-3-3γ and NF-κB-mediated transcription might be involved. In conclusion, our results show that HSE possesses the potential effects to ameliorate diabetic nephropathy via improving oxidative status and regulating Akt/Bad/14-3-3γ signaling

Spleen artery embolization increases the success of nonoperative management following blunt splenic injury

AbstractBackgroundSpleen artery embolization (SAE) may increase the success rate of nonoperative management (NOM). The present study investigated the clinical outcome after the installation of SAE in the management of blunt splenic injury.MethodsA retrospective review of hospital records was performed to enroll patients with blunt injury of the spleen. Demographic data and information about the injury severity score, organ injury scale, hospitalization days, management and final outcomes were evaluated. Patients were separated into early and late groups according to the year that SAE was selectively used (2003–2004 and 2005–2008).ResultsSix of eleven (55%) patients in the early group were successfully managed without surgery for blunt splenic injury, whereas all of the 38 patients (100%) in the late group were successfully managed without surgery. Eleven patients (11 of 38; 28.9%) received SAE in the late group. The rate of NOM increased from 55% in the early group to 100% in the late group (p < 0.001). Both early and late groups had similar injury severity score, length of hospitalization, blood transfusion, and complications, and there was no mortality.ConclusionPerformance of SAE for the patients with blunt splenic injury could increase the successful rate of NOM significantly and safely. An algorithm including the angioembolization might be beneficial in the management of patients with blunt spleen trauma

Taiwanese Dermatological Association consensus for the management of atopic dermatitis

AbstractBackground/ObjectiveThis report describes the 2014 consensus of the Taiwanese Dermatological Association (TDA) regarding the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD). The TDA consensus is distributed to practices throughout Taiwan to provide recommendations for therapeutic approaches for AD patients to improve their quality of life.MethodsThe information in the consensus was agreed upon by a panel of national experts at TDA AD consensus meetings held on March 16, May 4, and June 29, 2014. The consensus was in part based on the 2013 Asia–Pacific AD guidelines and the guidelines of the American Academy of Dermatology, with modification to reflect the clinical practice in Taiwan.ResultsThe amendments were drafted after scientific discussions focused on the quality of evidence, risk, and benefits; all the consensus contents were voted on by the participating dermatologists, with approval by at least 75% for inclusion.ConclusionThe consensus provides a comprehensive overview of treatment for AD, with some local and cultural considerations for practitioners in Taiwan, especially the use of wet dressings/wraps, systemic immunomodulatory agents, and complementary therapies

Self-supervised learning-based general laboratory progress pretrained model for cardiovascular event detection

The inherent nature of patient data poses several challenges. Prevalent cases amass substantial longitudinal data owing to their patient volume and consistent follow-ups, however, longitudinal laboratory data are renowned for their irregularity, temporality, absenteeism, and sparsity; In contrast, recruitment for rare or specific cases is often constrained due to their limited patient size and episodic observations. This study employed self-supervised learning (SSL) to pretrain a generalized laboratory progress (GLP) model that captures the overall progression of six common laboratory markers in prevalent cardiovascular cases, with the intention of transferring this knowledge to aid in the detection of specific cardiovascular event. GLP implemented a two-stage training approach, leveraging the information embedded within interpolated data and amplify the performance of SSL. After GLP pretraining, it is transferred for TVR detection. The proposed two-stage training improved the performance of pure SSL, and the transferability of GLP exhibited distinctiveness. After GLP processing, the classification exhibited a notable enhancement, with averaged accuracy rising from 0.63 to 0.90. All evaluated metrics demonstrated substantial superiority (p < 0.01) compared to prior GLP processing. Our study effectively engages in translational engineering by transferring patient progression of cardiovascular laboratory parameters from one patient group to another, transcending the limitations of data availability. The transferability of disease progression optimized the strategies of examinations and treatments, and improves patient prognosis while using commonly available laboratory parameters. The potential for expanding this approach to encompass other diseases holds great promise.Comment: published in IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health & Medicin