End-to-end emotional speech recognition using acoustic model adaptation based on knowledge distillation.

The end-to-end approach provides better performance in speech recognition compared to the traditional hidden Markov model-deep neural network (HMM-DNN)-based approach, but still shows poor performance in abnormal speech, especially emotional speech. The optimal solution is to build an acoustic model suitable for emotional speech recognition using only emotional speech data for each emotion, but it is impossible because it is difficult to collect sufficient amount of emotional speech data for each emotion. In this study, we propose a method to improve the emotional speech recognition performance by using the knowledge distillation technique that was originally introduced to decrease computational intensity of deep learning-based approaches by reducing the number of model parameters. In addition to its use as model compression, we employ this technique for model adaptation to emotional speech. The proposed method builds a basic model (referred to as a teacher model) with a number of model parameters using an amount of normal speech data, and then constructs a target model (referred to as a student model) with fewer model parameters using a small amount of emotional speech data (i.e., adaptation data). Since the student model is built with emotional speech data, it is expected to reflect the emotional characteristics of each emotion well. In the emotional speech recognition experiment, the student model maintained recognition performance regardless of the number of model parameters, whereas the teacher model degraded performance significantly as the number of parameters decreased, showing performance degradation of about 10% in word error rate. This result demonstrates that the student model serves as an acoustic model suitable for emotional speech recognition even though it does not require much emotional speech data.

Let Archived Paraffin Blocks Be Utilized for Research with Waiver of Informed Consent.

Advances in biomedical and genetic research have contributed to more effective public health improvement via bench-to-bed research and the emergence of personalized medicine. This has certainly showcased the importance of archived human tissues, especially paraffin-embedded blocks in pathology. Currently in Korea, undue legislative regulations of the Bioethics and Safety Act suspend and at times discourage studies from taking place. In this paper, the authors underline the value of paraffin blocks in the era of personalized and translational medicine. We discuss detailed clauses regarding the applicability of paraffin blocks from a legal perspective and compare Korea's regulations with those of other countries. The necessity for allowing waived consent and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval will be argued throughout. The authors suggest that researchers declare the following to obtain IRB approval and waiver of informed consents: research could not be practically carried out without a waiver of consent; the proposed research presents no more than minimal risk of harm to subjects, and the waiver of consent will not adversely affect the rights and welfare of subjects; and research will not utilize a tissue block if only 1 is available for each subject, to allow future clinical use such as re-evaluation or further studies.

IRB review points for studies utilizing paraffin blocks archived in the pathology laboratory.

In the personalized medicine era, utilizing paraffin blocks in pathology archives for investigating human diseases has come into the limelight. This archived material with clinical data will reduce the research time and could prevent new patient recruitment to obtain tissue for research. However, the clause indicating the necessity of consent from human material providers in the Korean Bioethics and Safety Act has made the Institutional Review Board (IRB) deny permission to use paraffin blocks for research without consent, and alternatively to get the same before starting an experiment. Written consent may be waived off in studies using paraffin blocks with anonymous status or conditions not linked to personal information by applying the paragraph 3, article 16 of the current Bioethics and Safety Act. Also, the IRB should recommend researchers to preserve the blocks as medical records of patients in long-term archives.

Influence of amendments and aided phytostabilization on metal availability and mobility in Pb/Zn mine tailings.

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of four different amendments, bone mill, bottom ash, furnace slag, and red mud, as immobilizing agents and the plant species Miscanthus sinensis and Pteridium aquilinum in aided phytostabilization of Pb/Zn mine tailings. The effects of amendments and plants on the availability and mobility of heavy metals were evaluated using single extraction, sequential extraction, pore-water analysis, and determination of heavy metal concentrations in plants. The application of Fe-rich amendments significantly reduced the amount of soluble and extractable heavy metals in the tailings (p < 0.05). Furnace slag and M. sinensis reduced CaCl2-extractable heavy metals by 56-91%, red mud and P. aquilinum treatment was the most effective at decreasing bioaccessible Pb, reducing it to 34% of the total Pb. Compared to control, water soluble Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were reduced by 99, 99, 98, and 99%, respectively, in the red mud and P. aquilinum tailings. M. sinensis accumulated heavy metals mainly in the root, and had lower translocation factors compared with P. aquilinum. The results of this study suggest that M. sinensis can be used in aided phytostabilization for these types of mine tailings and Fe-rich amendments are effective for the in situ immobilization of metals.

Immobilizer-assisted management of metal-contaminated agricultural soils for safer food production.

Production of food crops on metal contaminated agricultural soils is of concern because consumers are potentially exposed to hazardous metals via dietary intake of such crops or crop derived products. Therefore, the current study was conducted to develop management protocols for crop cultivation to allow safer food production. Metal uptake, as influenced by pH change-induced immobilizing agents (dolomite, steel slag, and agricultural lime) and sorption agents (zeolite and compost), was monitored in three common plants representative of leafy (Chinese cabbage), root (spring onion) and fruit (red pepper) vegetables, in a field experiment. The efficiency of the immobilizing agents was assessed by their ability to decrease the phytoavailability of metals (Cd, Pb, and Zn). The fruit vegetable (red pepper) showed the least accumulation of Cd (0.16-0.29 mgkg(-1) DW) and Pb (0.2-0.9 mgkg(-1) DW) in edible parts regardless of treatment, indicating selection of low metal accumulating crops was a reasonable strategy for safer food production. However, safer food production was more likely to be achievable by combining crop selection with immobilizing agent amendment of soils. Among the immobilizing agents, pH change-induced immobilizers were more effective than sorption agents, showing decreases in Cd and Pb concentrations in each plant well below standard limits. The efficiency of pH change-induced immobilizers was also comparable to reductions obtained by 'clean soil cover' where the total metal concentrations of the plow layer was reduced via capping the surface with uncontaminated soil, implying that pH change-induced immobilizers can be practically applied to metal contaminated agricultural soils for safer food production.

Analysis of the Chemical Constituents of Agaricus brasiliensis.

This study examined the chemical composition of A. blasiliensis and the chemical structural properties of an immuno-stimulating polysaccharide. The amino acids, free sugars, and organic acids by HPLC and fatty acids by GC were analyzed. The immuno-stimulating substance from A. blasiliensis was extracted with hot water and purified by ethanol precipitation. It underwent ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and gel filtration on Toyopearl HW 65F. Through GP-HPLC, the substance was found to be homogeneous. Its chemical structure was determined by (13)C-NMR. Fatty acids, organic acids, and sugar alcohol composition consisted exclusively of linoleic acid, fumaric acid and mannitol, respectively. The amino acids were mainly glutamic acid, glycine, and arginine. By (13)C-NMR analysis, the immuno-stimulating substance was identified as ß-(1→3) (1→6)-glucan, composed of a backbone with (1→3)-linked D-glucopyranosyl residues branching a (1→6)-linked D-glucopyranosyl residue. The ß-glucan from A. blasiliensis showed pronounced immuno-stimulating activity on the antibody-production ability of B-lymphocytes by the hemolytic suspension assay. In these results, A. blasiliensis was estimated to have potent pharmacological properties and potential nutritional values.

Isolation and characterization of a novel platelet aggregation inhibitory peptide from the medicinal mushroom, Inonotus obliquus.

This study describes the extraction and characterization of a platelet aggregation inhibitory peptide from Inonotus obliquus. Ethanol extract from I. obliquus ASI 74006 mycelia showed the highest platelet aggregation inhibitory activity (81.2%). The maximum platelet aggregation inhibitory activity was found when the mycelia of I. obliquus ASI 74006 was extracted with ethanol at 80 degrees C for 12 h. The platelet aggregation inhibitor was purified by systematic solvent fractionation, ultrafiltration, Sephadex G-10 column chromatography, and reverse-phase HPLC. The purified platelet aggregation inhibitor is a novel tripeptide with a molecular mass of 365 Da, having a sequence of Trp-Gly-Cys. The purified platelet aggregation inhibitor also showed high platelet aggregation inhibitory activity in Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice.

Changes of Enzyme Activities and Compositions of Abnormal Fruiting Bodies Grown under Artificial Environmental Conditions in Pleurotus ostreatus.

This study investigated the biochemical changes of abnormal fruiting bodies grown under artificial environmental conditions in P. ostreatus. Abnormal mushroom growth during cultivation damages the production of good quality mushroom. This study showed that different environmental conditions produced morphological changes in the fruiting bodies of P. ostreatus. The fruiting bodies with morphological changes were collected and examined for differences in biochemical properties, enzyme activities, and carbohydrates composition. The enzyme activities assay showed that glucanase and chitinase activities decreased when the temperature was below or above the optimum cultivation temperature for P. ostreatus. The biochemical compositions of the abnormal mushroom were significantly different from the normal fruiting bodies. It was suggested that the changes in the biochemical composition of abnormal mushroom were caused by the unfavorable environmental conditions during mushroom cultivation.

Effects of smoking, alcohol, exercise, education, and family history on the metabolic syndrome as defined by the ATP III.

INTRODUCTION: Although several environmental factors are known to have diverse effects on the development of the metabolic syndrome, few studies have examined their relevance to Asians. METHODS: We gathered data from 4341 subjects on smoking, alcohol drinking, exercise, family history and education level by a self-administered questionnaire. The components of the metabolic syndrome as defined by the ATP III report were examined. RESULTS: The multivariate-adjusted odds ratio of hypertriglyceridemia was 1.4 (95% CI 1.0-1.8) and of low HDL-C was 1.9 (95% CI 1.3-2.6) in subjects who smoked more than 20 pack-years compared to nonsmokers. The relative risk of developing the metabolic syndrome in smokers (more than 20 pack-years) was 1.9 (95% CI 1.1-3.7) compared to nonsmokers. Alcohol consumption had a protective effect against low HDL-C (adjusted OR 0.6-0.2). The relative risk of the metabolic syndrome was 1.7 (95% CI 0.9-2.8) for lack of exercise, 1.5 (95% CI 1.1-2.1) for a positive family history and 2.0 (95% CI 1.2-3.4) in those with no or an elementary school education versus university graduation. CONCLUSION: Since subjects with a low education level and a family history had an elevated risk for the metabolic syndrome and thus for developing cardiovascular disease, particular attention should be paid to these subjects.

C-reactive protein concentrations are related to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome as defined by the ATP III report.

BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein (CRP), very sensitive acute phase reactant, is an important marker of coronary artery disease. However, the relationship between insulin resistance and CRP has not been thoroughly studied. We observed the association between CRP, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome as defined by the ATP III report, and thus identified the role of CRP in the relation to insulin resistance. METHODS: Seven hundred and sixty-seven subjects (436 men, 331 women) who underwent a medical check-up at health promotion center in a University Hospital during March 2002, aged 20-84 years, were included in this study. The components of metabolic syndrome as defined by the ATP III report and high sensitivity CRP levels were analyzed, and Homeostasis model assessment index (HOMA) and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) were calculated. RESULTS: The mean concentrations of CRP in subjects according to the presence of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 components of metabolic syndrome as defined by ATP III were 0.64, 0.95, 1.14, 1.19, 2.40, and 2.53 mg/l, respectively. The mean concentrations of CRP were significantly higher in subjects with a high insulin resistance (higher HOMA index and lower QUICKI) than in those with a low insulin resistance. Significant positive correlations were identified between CRP and BMI, waist circumference, triglyceride, blood pressure, glucose and HOMA index. A significant negative correlation was found between CRP and HDL cholesterol or QUICKI. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance are associated with systemic inflammatory response, which plays an important pathogenic role in atherosclerosis.

Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among 40,698 Korean metropolitan subjects.

INTRODUCTION: No published study has reported the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Asians using Adults Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria, comparing results with that using the obesity criteria of the Asia-Pacific region. METHODS: We evaluated the components of the metabolic syndrome among 40,698 participants aged 20-82 years (26,528 men; 14,170 women) who underwent a medical checkup at a University hospital in Seoul during 2001. RESULTS: Using ATP III criteria, the age-adjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome for Koreans was 6.8% in total (5.2% male, 9.0% female). Using the Asia-Pacific criteria for abdominal obesity based on waist circumference (APC-WC: >/=90 cm in men, >/=80 cm in women), prevalence rates were 10.9% (9.8% male, 12.4% female), and by the Asia-Pacific criteria for obesity based on body mass index (BMI) (APC-BMI: >/=25 kg/m2 in both sexes), rates were 13.1% (13.2% male, 13.1% female). Using BMI-adjusted logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio for the presence of the metabolic syndrome in those aged over 70 years against those aged 20-29 years was 13.8 (95% CI 8.2-23.2). Using age and BMI-adjusted logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio for the presence of the metabolic syndrome in women versus men was 1.4 (95% CI 1.2-1.5). The age-specific prevalence of the metabolic syndrome increased in both male and female participants, and females had higher prevalence rates than males in age groups older than 50 years. The highest prevalence rates were observed by applying APC-BMI criteria. CONCLUSION: Use of ATP III criteria to define the metabolic syndrome is not appropriate to Asian populations. The CVD risk attached to the use of the Asia-Pacific criteria needs to be determined in different Asian populations.

Plasma CRP, apolipoprotein A-1, apolipoprotein B and Lpa levels according to thyroid function status.

BACKGROUND: Altered lipid profile is a well-known manifestation of thyroid dysfunction. Recently, serum Lp(a) and C-reactive protein (CRP) have emerged as new cardiovascular risk factors, but studies on changes of these markers with respect to thyroid function status have produced variable results. To better understand the effects of thyroid dysfunction on the development of atherosclerosis, we investigated plasma CRP and lipid profiles such as apoA1, apoB, and Lp(a) in cases with differing severities of thyroid dysfunction. METHODS: Fifty four patients with hyperthyroidism, 35 patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism, 33 patients with overt hypothyroidism, 190 patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects were evaluated. Serum high sensitivity (hs)-CRP and Lp(a) were measured by immunonephelometry. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in serum hs-CRP, Lp(a), HDL-C or ApoA1 in different thyroid function groups. Serum total cholesterol and LDL-C levels were significantly lower in cases of hyperthyroidism than in cases of overt hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism or subclinical hyperthyroidism, or in healthy control subjects (p <0.01). Serum triglyceride levels were higher in overt hypothyroidism than in hyperthyroidism or healthy controls (p <0.05). Serum apoB levels were significantly lower in hyperthyroidism than in overt hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism or in healthy control subjects (p <0.01). These differences were consistently significant after adjustment for age and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Serum CRP and Lp(a) levels, risk factors for atherosclerosis, were not found to be significantly affected by the degree of thyroid dysfunction. Increased risk of atherosclerosis in hypothyroidism does not appear to be associated with non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as serum CRP, Lp(a) or apoA1 levels.