Wavelet speech enhancement based on time-scale adaptation

Abstract : We propose a new speech enhancement method based on time and scale adaptation of wavelet thresholds. The time dependency is introduced by approximating the Teager Energy of the wavelet coefficients, while the scale dependency is introduced by extending the principle of level dependent threshold to Wavelet Packet Thresholding. This technique does not require an explicit estimation of the noise level or of the apriori knowledge of the SNR, as is usually needed in most of the popular enhancement methods. Performance of the proposed method is evaluated on speech recorded in real conditions (plane, sawmill, tank, subway, babble, car, exhibition hall, restaurant, street, airport, and train station) and artificially added noise. MELscale decomposition based on wavelet packets is also compared to the common wavelet packet scale. Comparison in terms of Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) is reported for time adaptation and time-scale adaptation thresholding of the wavelet coefficients thresholding. Visual inspection of spectrograms and listening experiments are also used to support the results. Hidden Markov Models Speech recognition experiments are conducted on the AURORA–2 database and show that the proposed method improves the speech recognition rates for low SNRs

Post-mortem volatiles of vertebrate tissue

Volatile emission during vertebrate decay is a complex process that is understood incompletely. It depends on many factors. The main factor is the metabolism of the microbial species present inside and on the vertebrate. In this review, we combine the results from studies on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected during this decay process and those on the biochemical formation of VOCs in order to improve our understanding of the decay process. Micro-organisms are the main producers of VOCs, which are by- or end-products of microbial metabolism. Many microbes are already present inside and on a vertebrate, and these can initiate microbial decay. In addition, micro-organisms from the environment colonize the cadaver. The composition of microbial communities is complex, and communities of different species interact with each other in succession. In comparison to the complexity of the decay process, the resulting volatile pattern does show some consistency. Therefore, the possibility of an existence of a time-dependent core volatile pattern, which could be used for applications in areas such as forensics or food science, is discussed. Possible microbial interactions that might alter the process of decay are highlighted

Structural study of thin films prepared from tungstate glass matrix by Raman and X-ray absortion spectroscopy

Thin films were prepared using glass precursors obtained in the ternary system NaPO3-BaF2-WO3 and the binary system NaPO3-WO3 with high concentrations of WO3 (above 40% molar). Vitreous samples have been used as a target to prepare thin films. Such films were deposited using the electron beam evaporation method onto soda-lime glass substrates. Several structural characterizations were performed by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) at the tungsten LI and LIII absorption edges. XANES investigations showed that tungsten atoms are only sixfold coordinated (octahedral WO6) and that these films are free of tungstate tetrahedral units (WO4). In addition, Raman spectroscopy allowed identifying a break in the linear phosphate chains as the amount of WO3 increases and the formation of P-O-W bonds in the films network indicating the intermediary behavior of WO6 octahedra in the film network. Based on XANES data, we suggested a new attribution of several Raman absorption bands which allowed identifying the presence of W-O- and W=O terminal bonds and a progressive apparition of W-O-W bridging bonds for the most WO3 concentrated samples (above 40% molar) attributed to the formation of WO6 clusters.FAPESPCNPqCAPE