Source enhanced linear prediction of speech incorporating simultaneously masked spectral weighting, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2001, nr 3

Linear prediction is the cornerstone of most modern speech compression algorithms. This paper proposes modifying the calculation of the linear predictor coefficients to incorporate a weighting function based on the simultaneous masking property of the ear. The resultant prediction filter better models the perceptual characteristics of the source and results in the removal of more perceptually important information from the input speech signal than a standard LP filter. When employed in a low rate speech codec the net effect is an improvement in subjective quality, with no increase in transmission rate and only a modest increase in computational complexity

The Modified Weighted Slab Technique: Models and Results

In an attempt to understand the source and propagation of galactic cosmic rays we have employed the Modified Weighted Slab technique along with recent values of the relevant cross sections to compute primary to secondary ratios including B/C and Sub-Fe/Fe for different galactic propagation models. The models that we have considered are the disk-halo diffusion model, the dynamical halo wind model, the turbulent diffusion model and a model with minimal reacceleration. The modified weighted slab technique will be briefly discussed and a more detailed description of the models will be given. We will also discuss the impact that the various models have on the problem of anisotropy at high energy and discuss what properties of a particular model bear on this issue.Comment: LaTeX - AASTEX format, Submitted to ApJ, 8 figures, 20 page

LES NOYAUX DE TRANSITION 189Ir ET 187Ir SONT-ILS TRIAXIAUX ?

Les niveaux excités des noyaux 189Ir et 187Ir ont été étudiés par réaction (α, 2nγ) sur le faisceau du cyclotron de Grenoble. Les schémas détaillés qui ont été établis mettent en évidence : 1) des états de parité positive qui s'interprètent comme appartenant aux deux bandes 3/2+ | 402 | (fondamental) et 1/2+ | 400 | mélangées par interaction de Coriolis (noyaux a symétrie axiale de déformation positive) ; 2) une bande découplée construite sur un état 9/2- (h 9/2) décrite de manière équivalente par un modèle à symétrie axiale et déformation positive ou par un modèle a particule-plus-rotor asymétrique ; 3) une structure complexe pour les niveaux de parité négative associés à l'isomère 11/2- (h 11/2). Ce système est correctement prédit par le modèle à rotor asymétrique

The Galactic positron flux and dark matter substructures

In this paper we calculate the Galactic positron flux from dark matter annihilation in the frame of supersymmetry, taking the enhancement of the flux by existence of dark matter substructures into account. The propagation of positrons in the Galactic magnetic field is solved in a realistic numerical model GALPROP. The secondary positron flux is recalculated in the GLAPROP model. The total positron flux from secondary products and dark matter annihilation can fit the HEAT data well when taking a cuspy density profile of the substructures.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted by JCA

Secondary antiprotons and propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy and heliosphere

High-energy collisions of cosmic-ray nuclei with interstellar gas are believed to be the mechanism producing the majority of cosmic ray antiprotons. Due to the kinematics of the process they are created with a nonzero momentum; the characteristic spectral shape with a maximum at ~2 GeV and a sharp decrease towards lower energies makes antiprotons a unique probe of models for particle propagation in the Galaxy and modulation in the heliosphere. On the other hand, accurate calculation of the secondary antiproton flux provides a ``background'' for searches for exotic signals from the annihilation of supersymmetric particles and primordial black hole evaporation. Recently new data with large statistics on both low and high energy antiproton fluxes have become available which allow such tests to be performed. We use our propagation code GALPROP to calculate interstellar cosmic-ray propagation for a variety of models. We show that there is no simple model capable of accurately describing the whole variety of data: boron/carbon and sub-iron/iron ratios, spectra of protons, helium, antiprotons, positrons, electrons, and diffuse gamma rays. We find that only a model with a break in the diffusion coefficient plus convection can reproduce measurements of cosmic-ray species, and the reproduction of primaries (p, He) can be further improved by introducing a break in the primary injection spectra. For our best-fit model we make predictions of proton and antiproton fluxes near the Earth for different modulation levels and magnetic polarity using a steady-state drift model of propagation in the heliosphere.Comment: Many Updates, 20 pages, 15 ps-figures, emulateapj5.sty. To be published in ApJ v.564 January 10, 2002 issue. More details can be found at http://www.gamma.mpe-garching.mpg.de/~aws/aws.htm

The inherited blindness protein AIPL1 regulates the ubiquitin-like FAT10 pathway

Mutations in AIPL1 cause the inherited blindness Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). AIPL1 has previously been shown to interact with NUB1, which facilitates the proteasomal degradation of proteins modified with the ubiquitin-like protein FAT10. Here we report that AIPL1 binds non-covalently to free FAT10 and FAT10ylated proteins and can form a ternary complex with FAT10 and NUB1. In addition, AIPL1 antagonised the NUB1-mediated degradation of the model FAT10 conjugate, FAT10-DHFR, and pathogenic mutations of AIPL1 were defective in inhibiting this degradation. While all AIPL1 mutants tested still bound FAT10-DHFR, there was a close correlation between the ability of the mutants to interact with NUB1 and their ability to prevent NUB1-mediated degradation. Interestingly, AIPL1 also co-immunoprecipitated the E1 activating enzyme for FAT10, UBA6, suggesting AIPL1 may have a role in directly regulating the FAT10 conjugation machinery. These studies are the first to implicate FAT10 in retinal cell biology and LCA pathogenesis, and reveal a new role of AIPL1 in regulating the FAT10 pathway

Cosmic Ray Diffusion from the Galactic Spiral Arms, Iron Meteorites, and a possible climatic connection?

We construct a Galactic cosmic ray (CR) diffusion model while considering that CR sources reside predominantly in the Galactic spiral arms. We find that the CR flux (CRF) reaching the solar system should periodically increase each crossing of a Galactic spiral arm. We search for this signal in the CR exposure age record of Iron meteorites and confirm this prediction. We then check the hypothesis that climate, and in particular the temperature, is affected by the CRF to the extent that glaciations can be induced or completely hindered by possible climatic variations. We find that although the geological evidence for the occurrence of IAEs in the past Eon is not unequivocal, it appears to have a nontrivial correlation with the spiral arm crossings--agreeing in period and phase. Thus, a better timing study of glaciations could either confirm this result as an explanation to the occurrence of IAEs or refute a CRF climatic connection.Comment: 4 Journal pages, 2 figures, revtex4. Appearing today in Phys Rev Let

Uncertainties of Cosmic Ray Spectra and Detectability of Antiproton mSUGRA Contributions With PAMELA

We studied the variation of $e^+$ and $\bar p$ top of the atmosphere spectra due to the parameters uncertainties of the Milky Way geometry, propagation models and cross sections. We used the B/C data and Galprop code for the propagation analysis. We also derived the uncertainty bands for subFe/Fe ratio, H and He. Finally, we considered a neutralino induced component in the antiproton flux in the mSUGRA framework. PAMELA expectations for positrons and antiprotons are calculated. We studied in details the possibility of disentanglement of an eventual signal component in the antiproton spectra in a clumpy halo scenario: minimal values of clumpiness factors necessary to disentangle the signal from the background without violating the quality of the antiproton data fit are found. There are also given examples of total spectra in comparison with existing experimental data and an example of PAMELA prediction for the total spectra. The main result of this work is that for the diffusion and convection background model PAMELA will be able to disentangle an eventual supersymmetric signal even for small clumpiness factors.Comment: 26 pages, 27 eps figures. Final JCAP accepted versio