汉语儿童情感语声合成

情感语声合成技术对于人机交互具有重要的意义。面对儿童情感语声合成所需汉语语声数据资源缺乏以及模型训练时长较长等问题,该文提出利用迁移学习实现汉语儿童情感语声合成的方法。首先基于汉语语声数据库训练深度学习模型实现中文语声端到端合成模型,再使用高质量大样本的中文情感语料库完成情感语声合成模型,最后利用自行采样的小样本汉语儿童情感语料对模型进行迁移学习实现低资源的语声合成。客观实验结果中梅尔倒谱失真指标为4.91,主观听辨实验指标分别为3.61和4.17。通过实验对比表明,该文的方法在情感语声合成技术的应用上具有良好的性能表现,并且优于现有先进的低资源情感语声合成方法。     

Social systems analysis

We present a model of social systems as special types of games in extensive form in which perception and learned strategies play an important role. We discuss personality, emotions, and the relation of utility to Maslow's hierarchy of values. We also formulate a new class of games, partially cooperative games, and attempt to define a solution concept for these.     

Neural control of vocalization: Respiratory and emotional influences

Previous research has shown that a region of the midbrain, the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG), is critical for vocalization. In this review, we describe the results of previous investigations in which we sought to find out how PAG neurons integrate the activity and precise timing of respiratory, laryngeal, and oral muscle activity for natural-sounding vocalization using the technique of excitatory amino acid microinjections in cats. In these studies, all surgical procedures were carried out under deep anaesthesia. In the precollicular decerebrate cat two general types of vocalization, classified as voiced and unvoiced, could be evoked by exciting neurons in the lateral part of the intermediate part of the PAG. The patterns of evoked electromyographic activity were strikingly similar to previously reported patterns of human muscle activity. Coordinated patterns of activity were evoked with just-threshold excitation leading to the conclusion that patterned muscle activity corresponding to the major categories of voiced and voiceless sound production are represented in the PAG. In a parallel series of human and animal experiments, we also determined that the speech and vocalization respiratory patterns are integrated and coordinated with afferent signals related to lung volume. These data have led to the proposal of a new hypothesis for the neural control of vocalization: that the PAG is a crucial brain site for mammalian voice production, not only in the production of emotional or involuntary sounds, but also as a generator of specific respiratory and laryngeal motor patterns essential for human speech and song     

The quartet theory of human emotions: An integrative and neurofunctional model

Despite an explosion of research in the affective sciences during the last few decades, interdisciplinary theories of human emotions are lacking. Here we present a neurobiological theory of emotions that includes emotions which are uniquely human (such as complex moral emotions), considers the role of language for emotions, advances the understanding of neural correlates of attachment-related emotions, and integrates emotion theories from different disciplines. We propose that four classes of emotions originate from four neuroanatomically distinct cerebral systems. These emotional core systems constitute a quartet of affect systems: the brainstem-, diencephalon-, hippocampus-, and orbitofrontal-centred affect systems. The affect systems were increasingly differentiated during the course of evolution, and each of these systems generates a specific class of affects (e.g., ascending activation, pain/pleasure, attachment-related affects, and moral affects). The affect systems interact with each other, and activity of the affect systems has effects on – and interacts with – biological systems denoted here as emotional effector systems. These effector systems include motor systems (which produce actions, action tendencies, and motoric expression of emotion), peripheral physiological arousal, as well as attentional and memory systems. Activity of affect systems and effector systems is synthesized into an emotion percept (pre-verbal subjective feeling), which can be transformed (or reconfigured) into a symbolic code such as language. Moreover, conscious cognitive appraisal (involving rational thought, logic, and usually language) can regulate, modulate, and partly initiate, activity of affect systems and effector systems. Our emotion theory integrates psychological, neurobiological, sociological, anthropological, and psycholinguistic perspectives on emotions in an interdisciplinary manner, aiming to advance the understanding of human emotions and their neural correlates.     

Coping strategies, personality, and voice quality in patients with vocal fold nodules and polyps

Emotional state affects the physiological mechanism involved inphonation. Differences in acoustical parameters of the voice under stress have been attributed to the coping mechanism used, which is based on the individual's perception of the situation. This study examines the relationship between coping strategies, personality, and voice in female subjects, ranging in age from 19.3–55.7 years, diagnosed with vocal nodules or polyps. The differences between coping strategies and personality are examined and compared with another group with no history of voice pathology. The relationship of personality and coping strategies to voice quality variables is reported. Results show that patients use emotional coping strategies more and cognitive coping strategies less than the comparison group. Type of voice pathology was found to be related to dominance, and a number of coping and personality variables were found to correlate significantly with voice quality.