353 research outputs found

    Translatotron 3: Speech to Speech Translation with Monolingual Data

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    This paper presents Translatotron 3, a novel approach to train a direct speech-to-speech translation model from monolingual speech-text datasets only in a fully unsupervised manner. Translatotron 3 combines masked autoencoder, unsupervised embedding mapping, and back-translation to achieve this goal. Experimental results in speech-to-speech translation tasks between Spanish and English show that Translatotron 3 outperforms a baseline cascade system, reporting 18.14 BLEU points improvement on the synthesized Unpaired-Conversational dataset. In contrast to supervised approaches that necessitate real paired data, which is unavailable, or specialized modeling to replicate para-/non-linguistic information, Translatotron 3 showcases its capability to retain para-/non-linguistic such as pauses, speaking rates, and speaker identity. Audio samples can be found in our website http://google-research.github.io/lingvo-lab/translatotron

    Experimental characterization and model identification of directional hardening effects in metals for complex strain path changes

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    AbstractThe purpose of the current work is the development and application of a new experimental technique and testing device for investigating the complex behavior of sheet metals during non-proportional loading. The method is based on plain strain pure bending, enabling the investigation of large deformation cyclic reversed loading, orthogonal pure bending, as well as springback. The key feature of the pure bending experiment is the absence of contact forces, material slip and friction. Furthermore, during the pure bending test, the strain gradient through the thickness is kinematically prescribed because the specimen is subjected to a plane strain condition in de direction parallel to the rotational axis (Tan et al., 1995), which allows for a straightforward comparison of the pure bending experiments and parallel simulations. The latter is used here via the identification of a recent model for directional hardening effects and arbitrary strain path changes, (Wang et al., 2006, 2008). The current method facilitates experimental investigation of hardening stagnation after reverse loading and cross hardening going well beyond that which is possible with existing methods based on the cyclic shear or tension-shear of sheet metal strips (Bouvier et al., 2005, 2006a,b; Flores et al., 2007.), or pure and three-point bending (Omerspahic et al., 2006; Antonelli et al., 2007; Carbonnière et al., 2009; Yoshida et al., 1998; Weinmann et al., 1988)

    LMs with a Voice: Spoken Language Modeling beyond Speech Tokens

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    We present SPECTRON, a novel approach to adapting pre-trained language models (LMs) to perform speech continuation. By leveraging pre-trained speech encoders, our model generates both text and speech outputs with the entire system being trained end-to-end operating directly on spectrograms. Training the entire model in the spectrogram domain simplifies our speech continuation system versus existing cascade methods which use discrete speech representations. We further show our method surpasses existing spoken language models both in semantic content and speaker preservation while also benefiting from the knowledge transferred from pre-existing models. Audio samples can be found in our website https://michelleramanovich.github.io/spectron/spectro

    Human organotypic retinal cultures (HORCs) as a chronic experimental model for investigation of retinal ganglion cell degeneration

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    There is a growing need for models of human diseases that utilise native, donated human tissue in order to model disease processes and develop novel therapeutic strategies. In this paper we assessed the suitability of adult human retinal explants as a potential model of chronic retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration. Our results confirmed that RGC markers commonly used in rodent studies (NeuN, bIII Tubulin and Thy-1) were appropriate for labelling human RGCs and followed the expected differential expression patterns across, as well as throughout, the macular and para-macular regions of the retina. Furthermore, we showed that neither donor age nor post-mortem time (within 24 h) significantly affected the initial expression levels of RGC markers. In addition, the feasibility of using human post mortem donor tissue as a long-term model of RGC degeneration was determined with RGC protein being detectable up to 4 weeks in culture with an associated decline in RGC mRNA and significant, progressive, apoptotic labelling of NeuNþ cells. Differences in RGC apoptosis might have been influenced by medium compositions indicating that media constituents could play a role in supporting axotomised RGCs. We propose that using ex vivo human explants may prove to be a useful model for testing the effectiveness of neuroprotective strategies

    Влияние геометрии и граничных условий в области сцепления материалов на рассеяние ультразвуковых волн. Ч. 1. Теоретическое моделирование

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    The improvement of efficiency, reliability and productivity of ultrasonic testing of objects with cohesion between materials connected by welding, soldering, gluing, etc. is 'an important problem of the modern production technologies. The purpose of the paper is to determine in 3D space the conditions for increasing the sensitivity and reliability of the flaw detection in the cohesion zone between materials when the form of defect interface can be different.In the first part of the theoretical study the features of the formation of the acoustic fields of ultrasonic waves scattered from solid's interface when spot of an acoustic beam crosses the boundary of the defective region in the shape of an ellipse or a long strip have been investigated. In this case, the boundary conditions in the defect area change discretely or linearly.It was suggested to use a phase shift between reflected waves from the defect and defect-free interfaces as the more informative parameter depending on the cohesion between materials. There is shown that there are conditions to achieve sufficiently high sensitivity detection of interface defects when the scattered waves receiving are to be at angles outside the main directivity lobe of the scattering field pattern. The evolution features of the scattering field structure which are needed for the development of the method of evaluation the cohesion of materials has been got.Повышение эффективности, надёжности и производительности ультразвукового контроля соединения материалов сваркой, пайкой, склеиванием и др. является важной народнохозяйственной задачей. Цель работы состояла в установлении условий повышения чувствительности и достоверности обнаружения дефектов сцепления материалов на основе моделирования полей ультразвуковых мод, рассеянных дефектами разной геометрии.Впервые в максимальном приближении выполнен расчёт и анализ полей рассеяния ультразвуковых волн при перемещении пятна акустического луча в виде эллипса или длинной полосы относительно дефектной области с дискретными и плавно изменяющимися в ней граничными условиями. Для характеристики последних с точки зрения взаимодействия упругой волны с границей сред предложено использовать преимущественно фазовый сдвиг θ между волнами, рассеянными от дефектной и бездефектной границы, существенно сказывающийся на изменении параметров результирующего поля рассеяния в его периферийной зоне. Т. е., θ является важным параметром, характеризующим степень сцепления материалов и оказывающим превалирующее влияние на чувствительность предлагаемого метода обнаружения слабо выявляемых дефектов.Установлены особенности эволюции структуры полей рассеяния, являющиеся первичными для разработки методик контроля сцепления материалов предложенным методом. При достаточно малых значениях угла приёма ультразвуковых колебаний в меридиональной плоскости максимум чувствительности измерений достигается в динамическом режиме и приёме рассеянных волн под азимутальными углами, соответствующими 1-му экстремуму диаграммы направленности поля рассеяния опорного акустического луча

    Влияние геометрии и граничных условий в области сцепления материалов на рассеяние ультразвуковых волн. Ч. 2. Особенности экспериментального моделирования

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    Improving the efficiency of diagnostics of objects with layered structure as applied to detection of poorly detectable material bonding defects is an important production task. The aim of the work was to experimentally simulate ultrasonic scattering by samples of proposed defect simulator designs with discretely and smoothly varying boundary conditions correlating with the phase response of longitudinal waves during their interaction with the defect boundary of contacting materials. A brief analysis of some methods and means for experimental simulation of the volume and surface wave scattering at the interfaces of contacting materials as applied to improvement of method of detection of poorly detectable adhesion defects of materials proposed earlier was carried out. For this purpose an immersion installation working in the shadow mode and allowing for simulation the spatial fields of scattered longitudinal waves at inhomogeneous or defective adhesion boundaries was developed and constructed. It is assumed that the waves interacting with such a boundary acquire a discrete or smoothly varying phase shift which significantly affects the formation of the scattering field in its peripheral zone. The greater this shift, the stronger these changes are, which can significantly increase the sensitivity of detection of poorly detected defects. In order to increase the efficiency of such inspection and to develop its methodology a new principle of simulation of such defects has been proposed. Experimental study of longitudinal waves scattering using the developed installation and defect simulators, simulating discretely and smoothly changing boundary conditions which are consistent with a change in the phase shift of the scattered waves is carried out. The amplitude dependences of the scattering field vs. the receiving angle received mainly in the range from - 20º to + 20º and the displacement of the simulated defect relative to the axis of the probing acoustic beam were obtained. As it has been established, there is a quality conformity between the calculated and experimental data. The present study is of interest for solving a number of tasks of increasing efficiency of ultrasonic testing of modern objects with layered structure and will contribute to practical application

    Three dimensional electron microscopy reveals changing axonal and myelin morphology along normal and partially injured optic nerves

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    Following injury to the central nervous system, axons and myelin distinct from the initial injury site undergo changes associated with compromised function. Quantifying such changes is important to understanding the pathophysiology of neurotrauma; however, most studies to date used 2 dimensional (D) electron microscopy to analyse single sections, thereby failing to capture changes along individual axons. We used serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBF SEM) to undertake 3D reconstruction of axons and myelin, analysing optic nerves from normal uninjured female rats and following partial optic nerve transection. Measures of axon and myelin dimensions were generated by examining 2D images at 5 µm intervals along the 100 µm segments. In both normal and injured animals, changes in axonal diameter, myelin thickness, fiber diameter, G-ratio and percentage myelin decompaction were apparent along the lengths of axons to varying degrees. The range of values for axon diameter along individual reconstructed axons in 3D was similar to the range from 2D datasets, encompassing reported variation in axonal diameter attributed to retinal ganglion cell diversity. 3D electron microscopy analyses have provided the means to demonstrate substantial variability in ultrastructure along the length of individual axons and to improve understanding of the pathophysiology of neurotrauma
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