Demodulation of Narrowband Speech Spectrograms Using the Riesz Transform

We propose a two-dimensional (2-D) multicomponent amplitude-modulation, frequency-modulation (AM-FM) model for a spectrogram patch corresponding to voiced speech, and develop a new demodulation algorithm to effectively separate the AM, which is related to the vocal tract response, and the carrier, which is related to the excitation. The demodulation algorithm is based on the Riesz transform and is developed along the lines of Hilbert-transform-based demodulation for 1-D AM-FM signals. We compare the performance of the Riesz transform technique with that of the sinusoidal demodulation technique on real speech data. Experimental results show that the Riesz-transform-based demodulation technique represents spectrogram patches accurately. The spectrograms reconstructed from the demodulated AM and carrier are inverted and the corresponding speech signal is synthesized. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the reconstructed speech signal, with respect to clean speech, was found to be 2 to 4 dB higher in case of the Riesz transform technique than the sinusoidal demodulation technique.

3D gravity, Chern-Simons and higher spins: A mini introduction

We give a review on (a) elements of (2 + 1)-dimensional gravity, (b) some aspects of its relation to Chern-Simons theory, (c) its generalization to couple higher spins, and (d) cosmic singularity resolution as an application in the context of flat space higher spin theory. A knowledge of the Einstein-Hilbert action, classical non-Abelian gauge theory and some (negotiable amount of) maturity are the only pre-requisites.

Recognition of open vocabulary, online handwritten pages in Tamil script

In this work, we describe a system, which recognises open vocabulary, isolated, online handwritten Tamil words and extend it to recognize a paragraph of writing. We explain in detail each step involved in the process: segmentation, preprocessing, feature extraction, classification and bigram-based post-processing. On our database of 45,000 handwritten words obtained through tablet PC, we have obtained symbol level accuracy of 78.5% and 85.3% without and with the usage of post-processing using symbol level language models, respectively. Word level accuracies for the same are 40.1% and 59.6%. A line and word level segmentation strategy is proposed, which gives promising results of 100% line segmentation and 98.1% word segmentation accuracies on our initial trials of 40 handwritten paragraphs. The two modules have been combined to obtain a full-fledged page recognition system for online handwritten Tamil data. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first ever attempt on recognition of open vocabulary, online handwritten paragraphs in any Indian language.

A note on tetrablock contractions

A commuting triple of operators (A, B, P) on a Hilbert space H is called a tetrablock contraction if the closure of the set E = {(a(11),a(22),detA) : A = GRAPHICS] with parallel to A parallel to <1} is a spectral set. In this paper, we construct a functional model and produce a set of complete unitary invariants for a pure tetrablock contraction. In this construction, the fundamental operators, which are the unique solutions of the operator equations A - B* P = DPX1DP and B - A* P = DPX2DP where X-1, X-2 is an element of B(D-P) play a pivotal role. As a result of the functional model, we show that every pure tetrablock isometry (A, B, P) on an abstract Hilbert space H is unitarily equivalent to the tetrablock contraction (MG1*+G2z, MG2*+G1z, M-z) on H-DP*(2). (D), where G(1) and G(2) are the fundamental operators of (A*, B*, P*). We prove a Beurling Lax Halmos type theorem for a triple of operators (MF1*+F2z, MF2*+F1z, M-z), where epsilon is a Hilbert space and F-1, F-2 is an element of B(epsilon). We also deal with a natural example of tetrablock contraction on a functions space to find out its fundamental operators.

Exact Phase Retrieval in Principal Shift-Invariant Spaces

We address the problem of phase retrieval from Fourier transform magnitude spectrum for continuous-time signals that lie in a shift-invariant space spanned by integer shifts of a generator kernel. The phase retrieval problem for such signals is formulated as one of reconstructing the combining coefficients in the shift-invariant basis expansion. We develop sufficient conditions on the coefficients and the bases to guarantee exact phase retrieval, by which we mean reconstruction up to a global phase factor. We present a new class of discrete-domain signals that are not necessarily minimum-phase, but allow for exact phase retrieval from their Fourier magnitude spectra. We also establish Hilbert transform relations between log-magnitude and phase spectra for this class of discrete signals. It turns out that the corresponding continuous-domain counterparts need not satisfy a Hilbert transform relation; notwithstanding, the continuous-domain signals can be reconstructed from their Fourier magnitude spectra. We validate the reconstruction guarantees through simulations for some important classes of signals such as bandlimited signals and piecewise-smooth signals. We also present an application of the proposed phase retrieval technique for artifact-free signal reconstruction in frequency-domain optical-coherence tomography (FDOCT).

Comparison of Matching Pursuit Algorithm with Other Signal Processing Techniques for Computation of the Time-Frequency Power Spectrum of Brain Signals

Signals recorded from the brain often show rhythmic patterns at different frequencies, which are tightly coupled to the external stimuli as well as the internal state of the subject. In addition, these signals have very transient structures related to spiking or sudden onset of a stimulus, which have durations not exceeding tens of milliseconds. Further, brain signals are highly nonstationary because both behavioral state and external stimuli can change on a short time scale. It is therefore essential to study brain signals using techniques that can represent both rhythmic and transient components of the signal, something not always possible using standard signal processing techniques such as short time fourier transform, multitaper method, wavelet transform, or Hilbert transform. In this review, we describe a multiscale decomposition technique based on an over-complete dictionary called matching pursuit (MP), and show that it is able to capture both a sharp stimulus-onset transient and a sustained gamma rhythm in local field potential recorded from the primary visual cortex. We compare the performance of MP with other techniques and discuss its advantages and limitations. Data and codes for generating all time-frequency power spectra are provided.

Direct Link-Aware Relay Selection for Average Interference-Constrained Underlay Cognitive Radio

Cooperative relaying combined with selection exploits spatial diversity to significantly improve the performance of interference-constrained secondary users in an underlay cognitive radio network. We present a novel and optimal relay selection (RS) rule that minimizes the symbol error probability (SEP) of an average interference-constrained underlay secondary system that uses amplify-and-forward relays. A key point that the rule highlights for the first time is that, for the average interference constraint, the signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) of the direct source-to-destination (SI)) link affects the choice of the optimal relay. Furthermore, as the SINR increases, the odds that no relay transmits increase. We also propose a simpler, more practical, and near-optimal variant of the optimal rule that requires just one bit of feedback about the state of the SD link to the relays. Compared to the SD-unaware ad hoc RS rules proposed in the literature, the proposed rules markedly reduce the SEP by up to two orders of magnitude.

Language model combination and adaptation using weighted finite state transducers

In speech recognition systems language model (LMs) are often constructed by training and combining multiple n-gram models. They can be either used to represent different genres or tasks found in diverse text sources, or capture stochastic properties of different linguistic symbol sequences, for example, syllables and words. Unsupervised LM adaptation may also be used to further improve robustness to varying styles or tasks. When using these techniques, extensive software changes are often required. In this paper an alternative and more general approach based on weighted finite state transducers (WFSTs) is investigated for LM combination and adaptation. As it is entirely based on well-defined WFST operations, minimum change to decoding tools is needed. A wide range of LM combination configurations can be flexibly supported. An efficient on-the-fly WFST decoding algorithm is also proposed. Significant error rate gains of 7.3% relative were obtained on a state-of-the-art broadcast audio recognition task using a history dependently adapted multi-level LM modelling both syllable and word sequences. ©2010 IEEE.

Fixed-lag blind equalization and sequence estimation in digital communications systems using sequential importance sampling

We present methods for fixed-lag smoothing using Sequential Importance sampling (SIS) on a discrete non-linear, non-Gaussian state space system with unknown parameters. Our particular application is in the field of digital communication systems. Each input data point is taken from a finite set of symbols. We represent transmission media as a fixed filter with a finite impulse response (FIR), hence a discrete state-space system is formed. Conventional Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques such as the Gibbs sampler are unsuitable for this task because they can only perform processing on a batch of data. Data arrives sequentially, so it would seem sensible to process it in this way. In addition, many communication systems are interactive, so there is a maximum level of latency that can be tolerated before a symbol is decoded. We will demonstrate this method by simulation and compare its performance to existing techniques.

Los monasterios y la monarquía en época de crisis : Sancho IV

Resumen: El apoyo constante de la realeza a los monasterios en la Edad Media no se vio interrumpido en época de crisis, como la vivida en las postrimerías del reinado de Alfonso X y los comienzos del de Sancho IV, en la que algunos monasterios tradicionales participaron en la Hermandad. Del conflicto realengo- abadengo se sustrae así la realeza hispánica siempre atenta a favorecer a las comunidades monásticas, bastión y símbolos de la espiritualidad medieval así como ordenadoras del espacio y de la vida económica de la región en que se asentaban.

Correspondencias estético-simbólicas en Ordo Virtutum de Hildegarda de Bingen : palabra, imagen, música

Resumen: Ordo Virtutum es la única pieza dramático-musical de Hildegarda de Bingen, traducida generalmente en español como El drama de las Virtudes. Su composición –en lengua latina– data del año 1150 aproximadamente, durante la finalización de su primer libro visionario, el Scivias Domini o Conoce los caminos del Señor. Como figura del siglo XII con la particularidad del don visionario y familiarizada con el estilo de las Sagradas Escrituras, es posible considerar que el símbolo se haya convertido para Hildegarda en el medio más adecuado para poder expresarse. Y como mística, la correspondencia simbólica de múltiples lenguajes estéticos lleva a pensar en un trabajo de creación en el cual una sola de las expresiones no hubiera bastado. Desde el ámbito literario en diálogo con otras artes, en este trabajo observaremos cómo los símbolos provenientes de los lenguajes estéticos empleados por Hildegarda se corresponden y concuerdan, constelados, para ampliar el espectro de sentido de la obra.

Vetio Agorio Pretextato, visto por sus contemporáneos

Resumen: En fuentes epigráficas y literarias Vetio Agorio Pretextato es identificado como uno de los representantes más notables de la aristocracia senatorial pagana romana de la cuarta centuria. Dichos testimonios lo presentan como vívida encarnación y real custodio del mos maiorum, la imagen de los óptimos padres de Roma y símbolo de fidelidad a la misión arcana que hizo de los miembros de dicha elite, los legítimos depositarios de la divina tarea de conducir los destinos imperiales. Inferir el verdadero alcance de su figura, construida y trasmitida por sus contemporáneos, constituye el centro de interés de este estudio.

Desde el símbolo guadalupano : algunos criterios para el momento pastoral

Resumen: El autor de esta colaboración profundiza en una posibilidad que nos orienta a ser protagonistas en la construcción compartida de un presente más fraterno y auténticamente plural. El símbolo guadalupano se ofrece como un modelo que puede ayudar a mejor vivir el momento pastoral de la Teología. El suceso guadalupano sigue acaeciendo y analógicamente nos abre y propone una serie de fecundas precisiones, sugerencias e interrogantes. En tanto símbolo, del cual la Imagen de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe es su elemento nuclear, plasma e incentiva a encarnar una pragmática evangelizadora. Una dinámica de diálogo, inculturante e inculturador, que anima a dejar empapar lo propio por el Amor Salvador; y a compartirlo, como pueblo, con una actitud cordial y misericordiosa, y dando lugar a lo ajeno y al mestizaje.

Religiosidad en “Ein deutsches requiem” de Brahms : una aproximación hermeneútica

Resumen: El Requiem Alemán de Brahms ha sido objeto de numerosos análisis teológicomusicológicos, debido principalmente a dos características peculiares: 1. es una obra del género requiem que no utiliza el texto de la Missa pro defunctis, sino que emplea una selección de textos bíblicos elegidos por su autor, y 2. su contenido motívico deriva de manipulaciones sobre la melodía del coral Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten, que aparecen a lo largo de los 7 números de la obra. Este trabajo pone de relieve la existencia de un motivo autónomo, independiente del contenido del coral, que aparece en cinco de los siete números y al que el autor asigna la representación simbólica de la Redención.

La configuración del espacio en la historiografía castellana bajomedieval : una microlectura

Resumen: El trabajo se centra en el análisis de la representación del espacio en tres episodios incluidos en sendas crónicas de mediados del siglo XIV: la “Leyenda de los jueces de Castilla” (tal y como se conserva en el Ms. 431 de la Biblioteca Nacional de Madrid), la “Leyenda del pecho de los fijosdalgo” (según la Primera Crónica General) y el levantamiento de la nobleza en Lerma en 1272 (en la Crónica de Alfonso X). En cada uno de estos episodios la glera de Burgos se constituye en un escenario privilegiado en la confrontación de la nobleza con el rey y contribuye a la configuración de la subjetividad de estos actores sociales en virtud de un particular entrelazamiento de temas históricos y legendarios. El espacio adquiere, así, una nueva significación que lo liga social y políticamente a este estamento convirtiéndose en un emblema con una fuerte carga simbólica.