Discriminative speaker recognition using Large Margin GMM

International audienceMost state-of-the-art speaker recognition systems are based on discriminative learning approaches. On the other hand, generative Gaussian mixture models (GMM) have been widely used in speaker recognition during the last decades. In an earlier work, we proposed an algorithm for discriminative training of GMM with diagonal covariances under a large margin criterion. In this paper, we propose an improvement of this algorithm which has the major advantage of being computationally highly efficient, thus well suited to handle large scale databases. We also develop a new strategy to detect and handle the outliers that occur in the training data. To evaluate the performances of our new algorithm, we carry out full NIST speaker identification and verification tasks using NIST-SRE'2006 data, in a Symmetrical Factor Analysis compensation scheme. The results show that our system significantly outperforms the traditional discriminative Support Vector Machines (SVM) based system of SVM-GMM supervectors, in the two speaker recognition tasks

Gene- and variant-specific efficacy of serum/glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 inhibition in long QT syndrome types 1 and 2.

AIMS Current long QT syndrome (LQTS) therapy, largely based on beta-blockade, does not prevent arrhythmias in all patients; therefore, novel therapies are warranted. Pharmacological inhibition of the serum/glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1-Inh) has been shown to shorten action potential duration (APD) in LQTS type 3. We aimed to investigate whether SGK1-Inh could similarly shorten APD in LQTS types 1 and 2. METHODS AND RESULTS Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and hiPSC-cardiac cell sheets (CCS) were obtained from LQT1 and LQT2 patients; CMs were isolated from transgenic LQT1, LQT2, and wild-type (WT) rabbits. Serum/glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 inhibition effects (300 nM-10 µM) on field potential durations (FPD) were investigated in hiPSC-CMs with multielectrode arrays; optical mapping was performed in LQT2 CCS. Whole-cell and perforated patch clamp recordings were performed in isolated LQT1, LQT2, and WT rabbit CMs to investigate SGK1-Inh (3 µM) effects on APD. In all LQT2 models across different species (hiPSC-CMs, hiPSC-CCS, and rabbit CMs) and independent of the disease-causing variant (KCNH2-p.A561V/p.A614V/p.G628S/IVS9-28A/G), SGK1-Inh dose-dependently shortened FPD/APD at 0.3-10 µM (by 20-32%/25-30%/44-45%). Importantly, in LQT2 rabbit CMs, 3 µM SGK1-Inh normalized APD to its WT value. A significant FPD shortening was observed in KCNQ1-p.R594Q hiPSC-CMs at 1/3/10 µM (by 19/26/35%) and in KCNQ1-p.A341V hiPSC-CMs at 10 µM (by 29%). No SGK1-Inh-induced FPD/APD shortening effect was observed in LQT1 KCNQ1-p.A341V hiPSC-CMs or KCNQ1-p.Y315S rabbit CMs at 0.3-3 µM. CONCLUSION A robust SGK1-Inh-induced APD shortening was observed across different LQT2 models, species, and genetic variants but less consistently in LQT1 models. This suggests a genotype- and variant-specific beneficial effect of this novel therapeutic approach in LQTS

A family of dual-activity glycosyltransferasesphosphorylases mediates mannogen turnover and virulence in Leishmania parasites

Parasitic protists belonging to the genus Leishmania synthesize the non-canonical carbohydrate reserve, mannogen, which is composed of β-1,2-mannan oligosaccharides. Here, we identify a class of dual-activity mannosyltransferase/phosphorylases (MTPs) that catalyze both the sugar nucleotide-dependent biosynthesis and phosphorolytic turnover of mannogen. Structural and phylogenic analysis shows that while the MTPs are structurally related to bacterial mannan phosphorylases, they constitute a distinct family of glycosyltransferases (GT108) that have likely been acquired by horizontal gene transfer from gram-positive bacteria. The seven MTPs catalyze the constitutive synthesis and turnover of mannogen. This metabolic rheostat protects obligate intracellular parasite stages from nutrient excess, and is essential for thermotolerance and parasite infectivity in the mammalian host. Our results suggest that the acquisition and expansion of the MTP family in Leishmania increased the metabolic flexibility of these protists and contributed to their capacity to colonize new host niches

A COMPARISON BETWEEN SEQUENCE KERNELS FOR SVM SPEAKER VERIFICATION

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Feature Space Mahalanobis Sequence Kernels: Application to SVM Speaker Verification

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Thin-Wall Bulk High Temperature Superconductor as a Permanent Cryomagnet

International audienceThin-wall single domains with artificial patterned holes are highly interesting for stimulating superconducting and mechanical properties of bulk YBCO materials. YBCO single domains were successfully grown from multiple holes preforms by using TSIG or TSMG techniques. The thin-wall configuration enables a remarkable improvement in flux trapping and superconducting properties whatever the used growth process. Progressive oxygenation under high pressure associated to the large specific areas was shown to boost the material performances. A trapped field maximum of 0.84 T was recorded at 0.2 mm above the top surface of a 16 mm thin wall pellet at 77 K. Such complex geometry can be easily and abundantly produced by using an extrusion process. We report for the first time to our knowledge the growth of a single domain from an extruded preform. Thin-wall samples were then impregnated by resign/alloy for mechanical reinforcement

Polarization measurements through a standard single mode fiber for imaging and remote characterization

We report on a polarization imaging device which probes a remote sample through a flexible standard single-mode fiber. Both polarized laser source and polarization analysis system are set on one side of the fiber, the object of interest being probed by the beam exiting at the opposite end. Phase retardation and polarization rotation angle due to either pure linear or pure circular birefringent targets can be measured. In addition, the degree of polarization of partially depolarizing targets is evaluated. The measurement method is based on two key points: (i) the compensation of the fiber birefringence effects over a round trip of the light by means of a miniaturized Faraday rotator set between the output fiber end and the target, (ii) the recording of a set of data operated when the polarization states of the light at the fiber input are varied, followed by a specific processing of these data. An experimental setup based on this process has been implemented. The method was assessed using calibrated birefringent targets, and polarization images of a large variety of targets were obtained

Thin-Wall Bulk High Temperature Superconductor as a Permanent Cryomagnet

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Thin-Wall YBCO Single Domains Oxygenated Under Pressure: Optimization of Trapping Properties

International audienceThin-wall YBCO single-domain bulk materials present merits of reduced oxygen diffusion paths and large specific areas suitable for a fast oxygenation and a good thermal exchange. The progressive oxygenation under high pressure has been proposed to rapidly produce crack-free superconductors with stimulated trapping properties owing to speeding up of the oxygen diffusion. Thin-wall YBCO single domains grown by using top-seeded melt growth process were successfully oxygenated by applying this annealing treatment. Under oxygen pressure of 10 MPa, the influence of the dwell time and temperature on trapping properties was investigated. The trapped field was found to increase with up to 12 h and reach an optimum at . A 700 mT trapped field has been obtained on a large thin-wall single domain (46 mm in diameter) classically oxygenated, while waiting the delivery of a suitable high oxygen pressure furnace for such size