Manifold Preserving Guided Diffusion

Despite the recent advancements, conditional image generation still faces challenges of cost, generalizability, and the need for task-specific training. In this paper, we propose Manifold Preserving Guided Diffusion (MPGD), a training-free conditional generation framework that leverages pretrained diffusion models and off-the-shelf neural networks with minimal additional inference cost for a broad range of tasks. Specifically, we leverage the manifold hypothesis to refine the guided diffusion steps and introduce a shortcut algorithm in the process. We then propose two methods for on-manifold training-free guidance using pre-trained autoencoders and demonstrate that our shortcut inherently preserves the manifolds when applied to latent diffusion models. Our experiments show that MPGD is efficient and effective for solving a variety of conditional generation applications in low-compute settings, and can consistently offer up to 3.8x speed-ups with the same number of diffusion steps while maintaining high sample quality compared to the baselines

Prevalent Eurasian avian-like H1N1 swine influenza virus with 2009 pandemic viral genes facilitating human infection

Pigs are intermediate hosts for the generation of pandemic influenza virus. Thus, systematic surveillance of influenza viruses in pigs is a key measure for prewarning the emergence of the next pandemic influenza. Here, we identified a reassortant EA H1N1 virus possessing pdm/09 and TR-derived internal genes, termed as G4 genotype, which has become predominant in swine populations since 2016. Similar to pdm/09 virus, G4 viruses have all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus. Of concern is that swine workers show elevated seroprevalence for G4 virus. Controlling the prevailing G4 EA H1N1 viruses in pigs and close monitoring in human populations, especially the workers in swine industry, should be urgently implemented.Pigs are considered as important hosts or “mixing vessels” for the generation of pandemic influenza viruses. Systematic surveillance of influenza viruses in pigs is essential for early warning and preparedness for the next potential pandemic. Here, we report on an influenza virus surveillance of pigs from 2011 to 2018 in China, and identify a recently emerged genotype 4 (G4) reassortant Eurasian avian-like (EA) H1N1 virus, which bears 2009 pandemic (pdm/09) and triple-reassortant (TR)-derived internal genes and has been predominant in swine populations since 2016. Similar to pdm/09 virus, G4 viruses bind to human-type receptors, produce much higher progeny virus in human airway epithelial cells, and show efficient infectivity and aerosol transmission in ferrets. Moreover, low antigenic cross-reactivity of human influenza vaccine strains with G4 reassortant EA H1N1 virus indicates that preexisting population immunity does not provide protection against G4 viruses. Further serological surveillance among occupational exposure population showed that 10.4% (35/338) of swine workers were positive for G4 EA H1N1 virus, especially for participants 18 y to 35 y old, who had 20.5% (9/44) seropositive rates, indicating that the predominant G4 EA H1N1 virus has acquired increased human infectivity. Such infectivity greatly enhances the opportunity for virus adaptation in humans and raises concerns for the possible generation of pandemic viruses

Qualité vocale dans l’acquisition d’une langue étrangère : le cas des apprenants sinophones en FLE

L’étude porte sur les configurations de la qualité vocale de huit apprenants sinophones qui parlent en mandarin dans une tâche de production de La bise et le soleil en L1 chinois et L2 français. Une comparaison est faite avec la lecture en français de quatre locuteurs natifs du français. Les corpus chinois/français sont utilisés pour recueillir les impressions d’auditeurs français sur la qualitévocale des apprenants sinophones. Des enregistrements vidéo ont étéégalement réalisés en L1 chinois et L2 français par les mêmes apprenants. Les données subjectives récoltées conformément à la littérature indiquent des variations de configurations de la qualitévocale dans les deux langues. Les mesures acoustiques, Fo moyenne du texte lu et Fo moyenne de la voyelle [a], présentent dans les deux langues des variations ordonnées intra- et interindividuelles, entre lecture en L1 chinois et lecture en L2 français, et entre locuteurs L1 français et apprenants L2 français

Correction manuelle des transcriptions automatiques générées sous Scribe3: cas des appels téléphoniques aux services des urgences du CHRU de Besançon et du CHUV de Lausanne

International audienc

Prospect analysis of the deep marine shale gas exploration and development in the Sichuan Basin, China

The shale gas exploration and development in Sichuan Basin had achieved a major breakthrough remarkably. However, the business development focused on the marine shale gas in shallow layers (vertical depth  3500 m) business development in Wufeng Formation-Longmaxi Formation is the key to the rapid growth of shale gas production in the Sichuan Basin. In the literature, authors analyzed the geological characteristics of the deep shale gas of the Wufeng Formation - Longmaxi Formation in southern Sichuan Basin through particular dissection and analysis of deep wells in comparison to the shallow layers. The thickness of organic-rich shale in the deep region of southern Sichuan Basin measures to be more than 120 m, which is larger than that of the shallow layers in Fuling area. The vertical TOC change remains constant whereas the thickness of high-quality shale is approximately forty meters in both regions. Nevertheless, the RO is higher in the deep region of southern Sichuan Basin. The calcareous content of the organic shale increases while the silicon content decreases from the Fuling area down as it gets deeper into the region in southern Sichuan Basin. It is quite evident in research that the shales in the Wufeng Formation – Longmaxi Formation of the deep to shallow layers of southern Sichuan that there are not many differences in depositional environment, lithology, TOC, etc. However, there are four major differences: (1) The porosity of shale in the deep region of southern Sichuan Basin is higher than that in Fulin gas field due to the corrosion pore. (2) The gas-bearing properties are better in the deep regions of southern Sichuan Basin because they have better preservation condition compared to that of the shallow region of Fuling. (3) However, gas-bearing properties are worse in the local region of stronger structure deformation and the basin boundary fault zone. (4) The shale gas resources in the deep regions of southern Sichuan Basin are great and have wide prospects for exploration and development. In order for a breakthrough to be generated in deep shale gas commercial development in the soonest possible time, authors propose the following: utilize strengthening evaluation of small layer contrasting so as to explain fine structure and predict fracture; strengthen the research on drilling and fracturing technology for deep shale gas; strengthen research on wells column; and support technology for efficient production of shale gas. Keywords: Sichuan basin, Lower Silurian, Longmaxi formation, Deep shale gas, Marine facie

Fundamental frequency variation in L1 and L2: Case of Arabic and Malay-speaking learners of French

International audienceThis study focuses on fundamental frequency (fo) variation in bilingual Moroccan Arabic/French and Malay/French speakers who learned French in a context of French as a second or foreign language. The study is based on a corpus of reading sentences in French, Moroccan Arabic and Malay. The acoustic analysis targeted the mean fo of 1000 sentences and 6840 occurrences of /a/ vowel. The overall results indicate that bilingual speakers have higher mean fo in L2 French than in L1 Moroccan Arabic or L1 Malay, while Fo range is more reduced in L2 than in L1. These changes are interpreted in terms of representations of compliance with the communicational and pragmatic norm, of psychosocial constraints, and of the teaching/learning contexts of the L2, second or foreign language. Didactic proposals are formulated for the consideration of certain parameters of voice and voice quality in the teaching/learning of French