SpecDiff-GAN: A Spectrally-Shaped Noise Diffusion GAN for Speech and Music Synthesis

Generative adversarial network (GAN) models can synthesize highquality audio signals while ensuring fast sample generation. However, they are difficult to train and are prone to several issues including mode collapse and divergence. In this paper, we introduce SpecDiff-GAN, a neural vocoder based on HiFi-GAN, which was initially devised for speech synthesis from mel spectrogram. In our model, the training stability is enhanced by means of a forward diffusion process which consists in injecting noise from a Gaussian distribution to both real and fake samples before inputting them to the discriminator. We further improve the model by exploiting a spectrally-shaped noise distribution with the aim to make the discriminator's task more challenging. We then show the merits of our proposed model for speech and music synthesis on several datasets. Our experiments confirm that our model compares favorably in audio quality and efficiency compared to several baselines.Comment: Accepted at ICASSP 202

Archives lacustres de l'évolution du climat et des activités humaines récentes dans les Pyrénées ariégeoises au cours de l'Holocène (étang majeur, vallée du Haut-Vicdessos, Pyrénées, France)

International audienceDans le cadre de l'Observatoire Hommes Milieux Haut-Vicdessos, des archives lacustres sont utilisées pour distin-guer les impacts de l'Homme ou du climat dans les Pyrénées (Ariège, 42°N). Associée à la cartographie acoustique de l'Étang Majeur, les analyses des sols et des sédi-ments lacustres mettent en évidence une sédimentation Tardiglaciaire riche en ti-tane, qui contraste avec une sédimentation Holocène de type dy résultant de l'érosion diffuse des tourbes présentes en amont du lac. L'enregistrement indique des périodes plus humides, datées en 1200, 1950, 3400 et 4550 cal BP et associées aux apports d'un canyon drainant les zones d'altitude. Depuis 1907, le niveau d'eau du lac est ré-gulé par deux barrages hydroélectriques. Il en résulte un marnage de 10 m affec-tant jusqu'à 37 % du bassin. Ceci a pour conséquences de remobiliser le matériel issu des berges, et d'augmenter la produc-tivité algaire et les taux d'accumulation

Development and refinement of proxy-climate indicators from peats

Peat, especially from acidic mires (bogs), is a natural archive of past environmental change. Reconstructions of past climate from bogs commenced in the 19th Century through examination of visible peat stratigraphy, and later formed the basis for a postglacial climatic scheme widely used in Northwest Europe. Nevertheless, misconceptions as to how bogs grow led to a 50-year lacuna in peat-climate study, before the concept of "cyclic regeneration" in bogs was refuted. In recent decades, research using proxyclimate indicators from bogs has burgeoned. A range of proxies for past hydrological change has been developed, as well as use of pollen, bog oaks and pines and other data to reconstruct past temperatures. Most of this proxy-climate research has been carried out in Northern Europe, but peat-based research in parts of Asia and North America has increased, particularly during the last decade, while research has also been conducted in Australia, New Zealand and South America. This paper reviews developments in proxy-climate reconstructions from peatlands; chronicles use of a range of palaeo-proxies such as visible peat stratigraphy, plant macrofossils, peat humification, testate amoebae and non-pollen palynomorphs; and explains the use of wiggle-match radiocarbon dating and relationship to climate shifts. It details other techniques being used increasingly, such as biomarkers, stable-isotopes, inorganic geochemistry and estimation of dust flux; and points to new proxies under development. Although explicit protocols have been developed recently for research on ombrotrophic mires, it must be recognised that not all proxies and techniques have universal applicability, owing to differences in species assemblages, mire formation, topographic controls, and geochemical characteristics

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19: An Emulated Target Trial Analysis.

RATIONALE: Whether COVID patients may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-Day mortality vs IMV only Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO vs. no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 <80 or PaCO2 ≥60 mmHg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model based on predefined variables. MAIN RESULTS: 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability at Day-7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs 83%, risk difference: 4%, 95% CI 0;9%) which decreased during follow-up (survival at Day-90: 63% vs 65%, risk difference: -2%, 95% CI -10;5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand, and when initiated within the first 4 days of MV and in profoundly hypoxemic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an emulated trial based on a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and in regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

A case of Paederus Dermatitis in Western Europe: a signal for One Health -One World concept for the dermatologist

International audienc

Mid and late Holocene dust deposition in Western Europe: The Misten peat bog (Hautes Fagnes - Belgium)

The Misten peat bog representing 7.5 m of peat accumulation in the Hautes-Fagnes Plateau, Belgium, provides a record of Rare Earth Elements (REE) deposition since more than 7000 years. The analyses of REE and lithogenic element concentrations, as well as the Nd isotopes, were performed by HR-ICP-MS and MC-ICP-MS, respectively in peat layers previously dated by 210Pb and 14C. REE concentration variations in peat samples are correlated with Ti, Zr and Sc that are lithogenic conservative elements, suggesting that REE are immobile in the studied peat bogs [1] and can be used as tracers of dust deposition. Peat humification, C/N ratio, ash content and bulk density were used to evaluate hydroclimatic conditions. The Nd values show large variability, between +1 to –22, identifying three major sources of dusts falling into the peat: local soils, distal volcanic and desert particles. More recently, industrial emissions provide a fourth source of dusts [2], which is also clearly recorded in the last 200 years of the Misten peat profile

HOLOCENE DUST RECORD IN A BELGIAN PEAT BOG: MULTIPROXY GEOCHEMICAL APPROACH

Ombrotrophic peatlands are unique environmental archives of natural and anthropogenic atmospheric dust deposition. Their surface layers are exclusively fed by atmospheric inputs. A peat bog core from Misten in Eastern Belgium southern covering the last 7500 years (dated by 210Pb and 14C methods) was investigated to reconstruct dust depostion based on a combination of the Rare Earth Elements (REE) and lithogenic elements concentrations, as well as Nd and Pb isotopes data. Nd isotope signature was used to decipher between local and distal dust supplies, the Pb isotopes to trace the antropogenic influences. Peat humification was used to evaluate hydroclimatic conditions. Dust fluxes show pronounced increase at 3200-2800BC, 600BC, AD600, 1000AD, 1200AD and from 1700 AD. Lead isotope signatures are consistent with local and regional contamination by coal combustion and smelting activities. The Nd values show large variability, between -5 and –13, identifying three major sources of dust: local soils, distal volcanic and desert particles. Our results are in agreement with atmospheric reconstructions from other continental archives, confirming that the Misten peat is a valid archive for dust deposition. The approach combining geochemical elementary content and isotope data in ombrotrophic peat allows to decipher between dust flux changes related to human and climate forcing

Informer le consommateur sur les dangers des plantes d’ornement : une obligation réglementaire à partir du 1er juillet 2021

International audienceDes plantes d’ornement vendues dans le commerce ou sur internet peuvent être à l’origine d’intoxications par méconnaissance de leur toxicité ou en l’absence de précaution. À partir du 1er juillet 2021, une information sera obligatoirement délivrée au consommateur sur les lieux de vente de végétaux considérés à risque de toxicité pour la santé humaine. La liste de ces végétaux, fixée par arrêté, a été déterminée par type de toxicité et voie d’exposition : plantes toxiques par ingestion, par contact cutanéo-muqueux, par contact cutané suivie d’une exposition au soleil, ou pouvant entraîner une allergie respiratoire par le pollen. En plus de l’information accessible sur le lieu de vente, des fiches d’information détaillant les risques toxiques encourus et les moyens de s’en prémunir seront également disponibles sur le site de l’Anses et un site internet dédié à l’arrêté

Atmospheric mercury deposition during the last 1500 years in We Europe: The Misten peat bog record (Hautes Fagnes - Belgium)

The current rate of global atmospheric Hg deposition is approximately three times higher than the preindustrial record and it even increased by a factor of 2-10 in the industrialized regions.....()(Hylander and Meili 2003). To determine the extent of such increase, it is necessary to quantify the atmospheric mercury concentration and its temporal variation. For this purpose four 1m Wardenaar peat cores (MIS01W, 04W, 0W5 and 06W) were collected in 2008 in the ombrotrophic Misten bog (Hautes Fagnes Plateau, East Belgium). Mercury was measured using a DMA 80 at the Laboratory of Mechanisms and Transfers in Geology in Toulouse (LMTG, France). The strongest mercury concentrations are measured in the upper half peat record, in a depth interval corresponding to the Industrial Revolution period. Mercury accumulation rate was estimated by applying a coupled 210Pb- 14C age model. The mercury accumulation rate remains relatively small, ranging between 0.9 and 3.3 g.m 2.y 1 during periods corresponding to the decline of Roman Empire and during the Middle Ages. Hg accumulation rate starts to increase when 25 cm, reaching a maximum value (> 115 g.m 2.y 1) at 13.7 cm (i.e.; 1923-1938 AD). Then the values oscillate to reach 9 g.m 2.y 1 at the peat surface (2000-2007AD). In the Misten bog, the evolution of Hg accumulation rate is in agreement with the chronology of other European peat records .......()(Roos-Barraclough et al. 2002)

REDUCING THE GAP BETWEEN FIELD AND LABORATORY X-RAYS FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS

International audienceSoil samples preparation methods for X-ray fluoresence analysis diverge between different studies. An official method is described in US-EPA 3200, but many authors do not follow this recommendation and propose adaptation according to the specificity of the analyzed matrix. Furthermore, XRF analysis is supposed to be rapid and precise for in situ mapping or lab bench measurements. The succession of preparation procedures can delay the acquisition of results: if the duration of samples preparation is equivalent or superior to a standard total acid-extraction procedure, the use of the XRF method can be questionable.Portable XRF devices (pXRF) are typically designed for in situ mapping. However, researchers frequently collected and analyzed soil samples back home in their laboratory, for different reasons: (1) need to investigate deeper soil horizons, (2) reduction of time-consumingfield analysis (soil sampling can actually be faster than XRF analysis), (3) comfort and safety reasons (i.e. weather conditions), (4) requirement of extra analyses, etc.... As the soil samples are supposed to represent the field conditions, the correlation between field results and laboratory results is decisive.The first experiments in this study aimed at optimizing the analyzing time and ensure measurement quality: (1) calibrations using different organic and mineral reference materials, (2) effect of time measurement on calibration. Then, we focused on the effects of sample preparation of XRF measurements, by comparing different procedures: (a) Directly from field, (b) after drying, (c) after sieving 2 mm, (d) after grinding at 6m/s, until 180 microns (80mesh), (e) after burning at 550oC (elimination of organic matter). We confirmed that a 2 min time measurement is sufficient for accurate and precise pXRF results. As expected, a strong effect of the organic matter appears during the analysis. We could distinctly model two calibration curves using two groups of certified references material: 8 mineral samples (soils and sediments) and 19 organic samples. Within the second group, we included aquatic plants, lichen, peat, leaves and coal samples. The slope of the calibration curve is three to four times attenuated in these organic samples, so specific calibration according to soil matrix is mandatory. Concerning the preparation procedure, most of the elements (40 of 50 elements) presented a low variability (8% variability.Burning of the sample at 550oC does not change the chemical composition (which must be corrected due to the loss of organic matter). Surprisingly, even the 2mm sieving does not significantly modify the XRF measurements. Finally, we observe that fine grindind (<180 μm)provides results far from the real field values, probably because the procedure generates metal-rich fine particles that can accumulate at the bottom of the capsule where the XRF measurement is made. We conclude that the preparation of the samples should be minimal to avoid laboratory bias. This makes the XRF scans faster, which is the main purpose of this type of analysis and allows to get closer to the real conditions of the field