Prosody generation with a neural network

The use of neural networks in speech synthesis has been especially successful in the domain of prosody generation. The approach presented here differs from others in a) the transformation from a simple input to an output vector consisting of different parameters and b) the use of subcorpora that allow specialized networks. The network operates in a prominence-based synthesis system, where prominence is the most important parameter and is, consequently, the input parameter for the network. The output is not yet evaluated formally but the synthetic speech sounds natural and lively

Early Affective Processing in Patients with Acute Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Magnetoencephalographic Correlates

Background: In chronic PTSD, a preattentive neural alarm system responds rapidly to emotional information, leading to increased prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation at early processing stages (<100 ms). Enhanced PFC responses are followed by a reduction in occipito-temporal activity during later processing stages. However, it remains unknown if this neuronal pattern is a result of a long lasting mental disorder or if it represents changes in brain function as direct consequences of severe trauma.Methodology: The present study investigates early fear network activity in acutely traumatized patients with PTSD. It focuses on the question whether dysfunctions previously observed in chronic PTSD patients are already present shortly after trauma exposure. We recorded neuromagnetic activity towards emotional pictures in seven acutely traumatized PTSD patients between one and seven weeks after trauma exposure and compared brain responses to a balanced healthy control sample. Inverse modelling served for mapping sources of differential activation in the brain.Principal Findings: Compared to the control group, acutely traumatized PTSD patients showed an enhanced PFC response to high-arousing pictures between 60 to 80 ms. This rapid prefrontal hypervigilance towards arousing pictorial stimuli was sustained during 120–300 ms, where it was accompanied by a reduced affective modulation of occipito-temporal neural processing.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the hypervigilance-avoidance pattern seen in chronic PTSD is not necessarily a product of an endured mental disorder, but arises as an almost immediate result of severe traumatisation. Thus, traumatic experiences can influence emotion processing strongly, leading to long-lasting changes in trauma network activation and expediting a chronic manifestation of maladaptive cognitive and behavioral symptoms

Sex Differences in Itch Perception and Modulation by Distraction – an fMRI Pilot Study in Healthy Volunteers

Background: Even though itch is a common syndrome of many diseases there is only little knowledge about sex and gender differences in pruritus, especially in central itch perception and modulation. To our knowledge, this is the first fMRI study examining sex differences in perception and its modulation by distraction. Methods: Experimental itch was induced by application of histamine (0.1 mM) via microdialysis fibers twice at the left forearm and twice at the left lower leg in 33 healthy volunteers (17 females, 16 males). The brain activation patterns were assessed by fMRI during itch without and with distraction (Stroop task). Between the various conditions, subjects were asked to rate itch intensity, desire to scratch and pain intensity. In a second experiment in 10 of the 33 volunteers histamine was replaced by saline solution to serve as control for the ‘Stroop’ condition. Results: Women generally presented higher itch intensities compared to men during itch over the course of the experiment. A more specific analysis revealed higher itch intensities and desire to scratch in women during experimental induced itch that can be reduced by distraction at the lower legs when itch is followed by ‘Stroop’. In contrast, men depicted significant reduction of ‘itch’ by ‘Stroop’ at the forearms. Women depicted higher brain activation of structures responsible for integration of sensory, affective information and motor integration/planning during ‘itch’ and ‘Stroop’ condition when compared to men. No sex differences were seen in the saline control condition. Conclusion: Women and men exhibited localisation dependent differences in their itch perception with women presenting higher itch intensities and desire to scratch. Our findings parallel clinical observations of women reporting higher itch intensities depending on itch localisation and suffering more from itch as compared to men

Social role participation questionnaire for patients with ankylosing spondylitis: Translation into Dutch, reliability and construct validity

Objective: The Social Role Participation Questionnaire (SRPQ) assesses the influence of health on participation in 11 specific and one general participation role across 4 participation dimensions: 'importance', 'satisfaction with time', 'satisfaction with performance' and 'physical difficulty'. This study aimed to translate the SRPQ into Dutch, and assess the clinimetric properties and aspects of its validity among patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: Translation was performed using the dual panel approach. For each participation dimension, internal consistency, test-retest reliability (n=31), and construct validity were assessed in 246 patients with AS. Results: The translation required only minor adaptations. Cronbach αs were α≥0.7. A strong correlation was present between satisfaction with 'time' and 'performance'(r=0.85). Test-retest reliability was satisfactory (κ=0.79-0.95). Correlations with participation domains of the Short- Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36), the WHO Disease Assessment Score II, and generic as well as disease-specific health outcomes (Physical and Mental component scale of the SF-36, Satisfaction With Life Scale, Bath Ankylosing Spondy

Employment and the role of personal factors among patients with ankylosing spondylitis: A Dutch cross-sectional case-control study

Objectives To update the knowledge on employment and the role of mastery, a personal factor reflecting the level of control over life and disease, among Dutch patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) compared to general population subjects. Methods Data of persons ≤65 years participating in a Dutch cross-sectional multicentre study on social participation in AS were used. Being employed was the main outcome. Standardised employment ratios (SERs) were calculated using indirect standardisation after adjusting for age, gender and education and repeated after stratification by symptom duration tertiles. Modified Poisson regressions were performed to understand the role of mastery (Pearlin's scale) independent of sociodemographic and health-related factors. Results 214 patients and 470 controls (127 (59.3%) and 323 (68.7%) males; mean age 48.3 (SD 10.4) and 39.3 (SD 12.7) years, respectively) completed an online questionnaire. SER (95%CI) in patients was 0.83 (0.69-0.98); 0.84 (0.67-1.04) in males; 0.83 (0.59-1.07) in females. Adjusted absolute employment of patients compared to controls was 69% versus 84%; 73% versus 86% for males; 62% versus 78% for females. In multivariable analyses stratified for patients and controls, mastery was associated with being employed in patients, but only in those with low education. In controls, not mastery but higher education was associated with being employed. Conclusion Our study reveals that patients suffering from AS compared to population controls are less likely to be employed. Mastery is an important personal factor associated with employment in patients but not in controls. Interventions aimed at improving employment of patients with AS should likely account for mastery

Aussagen der Seelsorgestudie aus pastoralpsychologischer Sicht

Die Seelsorgestudie (2012–2014) wurde angelegt als Befragung der pastoralen MitarbeiterInnen innahezu allen Bistümern in Deutschland. Von den etwa 21.000 Angeschriebenen antworteten ungefähr8.500 Personen, davon 4.200 Priester. Zentrale Variablen waren die Lebenszufriedenheit, die psychischeGesundheit, das Engagement im Dienst und die Spiritualität. Ziele dieser Arbeit sind, 1. einenÜberblick über die bis heute aus der Studie publizierten Manuskripte zu geben, 2. kritisch die Repräsentativität,die Instrumente und die Methoden der Studie zu diskutieren im Hinblick auf 3. die gezogenenSchlussfolgerungen. Abschließend wird in Erinnerung gerufen, dass das II. Vaticanum die dyadischeDynamik zwischen der Institution Kirche und den pastoralen MitarbeiterInnen auf eine triadischePerspektive hin geöffnet hat, die alle Gläubigen der katholischen Kirche und letztlich alle Menschenumfasst.The German Pastoral Ministry Study (2012–2014) conducted a survey among about 8.500 persons –4.200 of them being priests – on life satisfaction, psychic health, work engagement, relationships andspirituality. Aim of this paper is 1. to give an overview of all published manuscripts till now, 2. to discussthe representativity, instruments and methods of the study critically with regard 3. to the conclusions.Finally, it is mentioned that the II. Vaticanum opened the dyadic dynamic between the “institutionChurch” and the “Pastoral Workers” to a triadic perspective including all believers of the CatholicChurch and all men

The effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic therapy: A systematic review of empirical studies.

Background: There is a gap in the research literature on the effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic therapies (LPT). Aim: To present a systematic review of studies dealing with LPT effectiveness and published from 1970 onward. Methods: A systematic literature search for studies dealing with the effectiveness of individual LPT in ambulatory, adult patients. Data about the overall effectiveness of LPT, its impact on symptom reduction, and its effect on personality changes were pooled both at treatment termination and at follow-up, using effect sizes (ESs) and success rates. Results:We found 27 studies (n= 5063). Psychotherapy yielded large mean ESs (0.78 at termination; 0.94 at follow-up) and high mean overall success rates (64% at termination; 55% at follow-up) in moderate/mixed pathology. The mean ES was larger for symptom reduction (1.03) than for personality change (0.54). In severe pathology, the results were similar. Psychoanalysis achieved large mean ESs (0.87 at termination; 1.18 at follow-up) and high mean overall success rates (71% at termination; 54% at follow-up) in moderate pathology. The mean ES for symptom reduction was larger (1.38) than for personality change (0.76). Conclusion: Our data suggest that LPT is effective treatment for a large range of pathologies, with moderate to large effects. (HARV REV PSYCHIATRY 2009;17:1–23.

Synthesizing prosody : a prominence-based approach

A preliminary test exploring 4 emotions showed that conveying emotions by time domain synthesis may be possible. Therefore, a more sophisticated test was carried out in order to determine the influence of the prosodic parameters in the perception of a speaker's emotional state. Six different emotional states were investigated. The stimuli of the second test were used in three different testing procedures: as natural speech, resynthesized and reduced to a sawtooth signal. The recognition rates were lower than in the preliminary test, although the differences between the recognition rates of natural and synthetic speech were comparable for both tests. The outcome of the sawtooth test showed that the amount of information about a speaker's emotional state transported by F_{0}, energy and overall duration is rather small. However, we could determine relations between the acoustic prosodic parameters and the emotional content of speech