text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Publication date
|Mar 14, 1972
|Filing date
|Oct 29, 1969
|Priority date
|Oct 29, 1969
|Publication number
|Lawrence R Rabiner, Ronald W Schafer
|Original Assignee
|Bell Telephone Labor Inc
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (6), Referenced by (54), Classifications (5)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
finite ttes Patent Rabiner et al.
[45] Mar. 14, 11972 [54] SPEECH ANALYZER-SYNTHESEZER SYSTEM EMPLOYING HMPROVED FORMANT EXTRACTOR [72] Inventors: Lawrence R. Rabiner, Chatham; Ronald W. Schaier, New Providence, both of NJ.
[211 App1.No.: 872,050
3,493,684 2/1970 Kelly 179/15A 3,190,963 6/1965 David..... 179/1 5A 3,268,660 8/1966 Flanagan 179/1 5A Primary Examinerl(athleen H. Claffy Assistant Examiner-Jon Bradford Leaheey Attorney-R. J. Guenther and William L. Keefauver [57] STRACT An important step in speech signal analysis is the identification of formant frequencies of voiced speech. Formant data is necessary in the synthesizer used, for example, in a resonance vocoder. To derive these data, i.e., to obtain an estimate of the (g1. pitch period of the signal and its spectral envelope, a cepstmm [58] Field 5 A 15 55 of a speech signal is used. The lowest three formants of a v0- iced speech signal are then estimated from a smoothed spectral envelope using constraints on formant frequency ranges [56] References cued and relative levels of spectral peaks at the formant frequen- UNITED STATES P S cies. These constraints allow detection in cases where formants are too close together to be resolved from the initial 2,938,079 5/1960 Flanagan ..179/ 15.55 Spectral enve]ope 3,328,525 6/1967 Kelly .l79/15.55 3,448,216 6/1969 Kelly 179 /1 55 p 9 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures 13 I4 26 :25 ZERO PITCH P: to r P F CROSSING MOD NO'SE COUNTER FDETECTOR GENERATOR P, 1 AN 23 F1 24 WINDOW UNVOICED UNVOICED FUNCTION SPECTRUM RESONANT GENERATOR CODER CIRCUITS l5 16 m m 1:: F1 30 32 4 Q 2 3| SPECTRAL FEM 3 FIXED WENVELOPE GATE 2- 2 ADD SPECTRAL ESTIMATOR *3 SHAPING T; F F 3 i 5 27 .C (nT) A VOICED l VOICED SPECTRUM RESONANT c '9 ODER F CIRCUITS 20 3 29 BUZZ/HISS m v LEVEL op PULSE CONTROL 1 GENERATOR T T Av PATENTEDMAR 14 1972 SHEET 2 [1F 5 FIG. 2 sEEcTRAL EHVELOPE *ESETIMATOR l q C(HT) HT SPECTRAL I ENVELOPE 52 DISCRETE 5|GNAL MOD. ADD FOURIER CEPSTRUM f TRANSFORMER I nT e nT T T T c(n )Mn )+e(n) lzERo CROSSING 35 (0 I) PITCH 1 DETECTOR /COUNT mcoMPARE y 36 FZKLOGIC OR 39 34 3a My VO|CED CEPSTRUM [WW COMPARE o= UNVOICED PEAK M PICKER 'GATE CEPSTRUM PEAKS OF SPECTRAL ENVELOPE SIGNALS (FREQUENCIES AND LEVELS) FIG. 4
Pp FREQUENCY OF HIGHEST PEAK ABOVE I000 HZ Ap l3db E =500 Hz PAIENIEDIIIIR 14 m2 FROM CE PSTRUM ANALYZER SHEET 3 [IF 5 0 T0 900 HZ IN Fl REGION ENHANCE REGION FI=HIGHEST PEAK FIAMP=FOAMP-8.7 db
' ARE NOT RESOLVED Fl HAS BEEN PICKED Fl AND PEAK DUE TO SOURCE FI=LOCATION OF HIGHEST PEAK IN FI REGION FIAMP=LEVEL OF PEAK I FOAMP=LEVEL OF THE HIGHEST PEAK IN THE RANGE 0 T0 900 HZ PEAKS IN SPECTRAL ENVELOPE (FREQUENCIES & LEVELS) FROM CEPSTRUM ANALYZE R SEARCH REGION FL T0 F2MX F2=LOCATION OF HIGHEST I PEAK FOR WHICH FIAMP-FZAMP EXCEEDS THE THRESHOLD OF FIG. 9
ENHANCE REGION FI-450 T0 1 FI+450 HZ FI=HIGHEST LEVEL PEAK IN Fl REGION FZ SECOND HIGHEST LEVEL PEAK F2=FI +200 4 NO F2 FOUND? YES ' THRESHOLD FOR F3 PEAK= H138 CII? THRESHOLD FOR F3 PEAK= I000 L Fl AND F2 ARE NOT RESOLVED FIG. 5
FIG-6 FlG.7
Fl AND F2 HAVE BEEN PICKED FL=F2MN FL=F3MN FROM CEPSTRUM SEARCH REGION FL TO F3MX ANALYZER F3 -LOCATION OF HIGHEST PEAK FOR WHICH F2AMP-F3AMP EXCEEDS THRESHOLD SET DURING F2 SEARCH ENHANCE REGION N0 F2 -450 T0 F3 FOUND? 1 F2 +450 Hz T YES FP HIGHEST PEAK F3 SECOND HIGHEST PEAK ALL FORMANTS ESTIMATED SPEECH ANALYZER-SYNTHESIZER SYSTEM EMFLOYING IMPROVED FORMANT EXTRACTOR This invention relates to the analysis and synthesis of speech in bandwidth compression systems. Subordinately, it relates to the identification and extraction of formants from continuous human speech.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In order to make more economical use of the frequency bandwidth of speech transmission channels, a number of bandwidth compression arrangements have been devised for transmitting the information content of a speech wave over a channel whose bandwidth is substantially narrower than that required for analog transmission of the speech wave itself. Bandwidth compression systems typically include, at a transmitter terminal, an analyzer for deriving from an incoming speech wave a group of narrow bandwidth control signals representative of selected information-bearing characteristics of the speech wave and, at a receiver terminal, a synthesizer for reconstructing from the control signals a replica of the original speech wave.
1. Field of the Invention It has been demonstrated that a speech waveform can be constructed by means of an arrangement that corresponds generally to the structure of the human vocal tract. Speech is produced in such an arrangement by exciting a series or parallel connection of resonators either by random noise, to produce unvoiced sounds, by a quasi-periodic pulse train, to produce voiced sounds, or in some cases by a mixture of these sources, to produce voiced fricatives. To produce natural sounding speech, the mode of operation of the human vocal tract is simulated by continuously tuning the natural frequencies of the resonators. As tuned, resonances are established at selected frequencies to produce peaks or maxima in the amplitude spectrum of the reconstructed signal which correspond to the principal resonances, or formants, of the human vocal tract. Since the first three formants, in order of frequency, contribute most to the intelligibility of speech, it is common practice to transmit at least three formant control signals to shape an artificial spectrum at the synthesizer.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art Since formants are effective parameters for the production of artificial human speech, they are used as control signals, for example, in such devices as the wellknown resonance vocoder. A typical resonance vocoder is described in J. C. Steinberg, U.S. Pat. No. 2,635,146, issued Apr. 14, 1953. Further, since the quality of speech reconstructed by a resonance vocoder or the like is largely dependent on the proper identification of formant frequencies and locations, a number of techniques have been proposed for extracting formant information from a speech wave. One such proposal is described in J. L. Flanagan, U.S. Pat. No. 2,938,079, issued May 24, 1960. Further, electrical methods for speech synthesis, using formant data, are discussed in detail in Speech Analysis, Synthesis and Perception by J. L. Flanagan, Academic Press, lnc., 1965.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to improve the accuracy and efficiency with which formants are derived from a speech signal. It is another object to use these forrnants and other selected parameters to transmit, over a narrow band communication circuit, sufficient information with which to produce an accurate replica of an input speech signal.
These and other objects are achieved, in accordance with this invention, by determining, at a transmitter station, as a function of time, the pitch period, the amplitude of voiced and unvoiced excitation, the location of the lowest three formants for voiced speech, and the locations of a single pole and zero necessary for the synthesis of unvoiced speech. These data are suitable for transmission to a receiver station for use in the synthesis of speech. Since the system is not pitch-synchronous,
an exact determination of pitch period is not required. Instead, several periods of speech may be examined at a time. Averaging of this sort has the advantage of eliminating the difficult problem of accurately determining pitch periods in the acoustic waveform.
The analysis of applied voiced speech thus involves two basic parts, viz, initially, an estimation of pitch period and a computation of the spectral envelope of the applied signal, and, secondly, an estimation of formants from the spectral envelope. Estimation of the pitch period and the spectral envelope is accomplished through a computation of the cepstrum of a segment of the applied speech waveform. The cepstrum of a segment of sampled speech is defined as the inverse transform of the logarithm of the Fourier transform of that segment. Cepstral techniques for pitch period estimation have been described in Cepstrum Pitch Determinations by A. M. Noll, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, February, 1967, at page 293. Previous investigations have shown that it is reasonable to assume that the logarithm of the Fourier transform (actually the logarithm of the z-transform in the case of sampled date) of a segment of voiced speech consists ofa slowly varying component attributable to the convolution of the glottal pulse with the vocal tract impulse response, plus a rapidly varying periodic component due to the repetitive nature of an acoustic waveform. These two additive components can be separated by linear filtering of the logarithm of the transform. The assumption that the log magnitude is composed of two separate components is supported by investigation of models of the production of speech waveforms.
Accordingly, the pitch period is determined by searching the cepstrum for a strong peak in a region encompassing the minimum expected pitch period. The spectral envelope is obtained by low pass filtering of the log magnitude of the discrete Fourier transform. Formants are derived from the smoothed spectral envelope by locating all of the peaks (maxima) and identifying the location and amplitude level of each peak. This collection of peak locations and peak levels contains the spectral information necessary for a satisfactory estimation of formant values. The frequency region expected to contain the first three formants of a speech signal is then segmented into three regions. The lowest formantis searched for first, looking primarily in the lowest region, then the second formant is sought, primarily in the next highest region, and finally the third formant is searched in the highest of the three regions. Based on the amplitudes and frequencies of the peaks and their locations in the various regions or in regions of overlap, logical operations are performed by which spurious candidates are eliminated and the selected highest peaks are ordered and identified as speech formants. If the speech is unvoiced, only a single variable resonance peak and a single variable antiresonance are used to characterize the sound. They, too, are extracted from a cepstrally smoothed spectrum. A voiced-unvoiced decision additionally is obtained based on the presence or absence of a strong peak in the cepstrum together with a measure of a zero crossing count.
In order to convert the control parameters of the analyzer to speech, a digital, serial, terminal analog speech synthesizer is employed. It models the transmission characteristic of the V vocal tract from glottis to mouth. Synthesizers based on such models have been described'previously in the art, for example, in Gerstman-Kelly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,l58,685, issued Nov. 24, 1964, as well as elsewhere. The variable resonance circuits employed in the synthesis network and the manner of controlling them may be substantially identical to those described in the Gerstman-Kelly patent.
Certain other refinements to the generation of parameter signals are employed to improve the synthesis of speech, particularly in those cases in which formants in the applied speech are too close together in frequency to be resolved.
This invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken together with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block schematic diagram of a speech analyzersynthesizer which illustrates the principles of this invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates the structure of a spectral envelope estimator suitable for use in the system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 depicts a pitch detector which may be used in the practice of the invention;
FIG. 4 illustrates the functional operation of unvoiced spectrum coder 18 used in the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 illustrates the manner in which FIGS. 6 and 7 are interconnected;
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate by way ofa functional flow chart the operation of voiced spectrum coder 19 used in the analyzer of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 depicts typical regions in the spectrum of a speech signal likely to contain form ants;
FIG. 9 illustrates the threshold level of signal F relative to signal F,, useful in explaining the operation of a voiced spec trum coder;
FIG. 10 illustrates a characteristic cepstrally smoothed log spectrum of a speech signal. and
FIG. 11 illustrates the manner in which formants in the log spectrum of the signal of FIG. 10 are emphasized by virtue of the operation of the apparatus of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 illustrates a band compression system including an analyzer at a transmitter station, and a synthesizer at a receiver station, which illustrates the principles of the invention. At the analyzer, an incoming speech wave from source 10, which may be a conventional transducer for converting speech sounds into a corresponding electrical wave, is applied both by way of modulator 11 to cepstrum analyzer 12, and to zero crossing counter 13. The purpose of the analyzer station is to develop control signals representative of the pitch period and formant locations for voiced speech, the resonance and antiresonance locations for unvoiced speech, and an indication of the magnitude of the buzz or hiss components during voiced and unvoiced speech intervals, respectively. A cepstrum analysis is particularly suitable for this purpose since it permits ali of these parameter signals to be developed with a minimum of equipment complexity. Thus. estimation of the pitch period and the spectral envelope of the applied signal is accomplished from the computation of the cepstrum of a segment of the speech waveform. As discussed by Noll, the cepstrum of a signal is the spectrum of the logarithm of the power spectrum of a signai and exhibits a number of distinct peaks at pitch period intervals. Previous investigations have shown that the logarithm of the Fourier transform of a segment of voiced speech consists of a slowly varying component attributable to the convolution of the glottal pulse with the vocal tract impulse response, plus a rapidly varying periodic component due to the repetitive nature of the acoustic waveform. These two additive components. available in the cepstrum signal, may be separated by linear filtering.
Preparatory to developing the cepstrum of the applied signal, a segment of input speech, .r(T+nT), is weighted, through the action of modulator 11, by a symmetric Hamming window function, u(nT), such that where denotes a discrete convolution, where T is the starting sample of the segment of the speech waveform, and where T is the sampling period in seconds. In equation l p(T+n T) represents a quasi-periodic impulse train appropriate for the particular segment being analyzed and h(nT) represents the triple convolution of the vocal tract impulse response with the glottal pulse and the radiation load impulse response. The window function w(nT) tapers to zero at each end to minimize the effects of a nonintegral number of pitch periods within the window. Since the window function varies slowly with respect to variations in the pitch of the applied signal, it is convenient to develop it, in function generator 23, from the indication of pitch period developed by pitch detector 14. Thus, the purpose of modulating the applied speech wave from transducer 10 by the window function in modulator 11 is to improve the approximation that a segment of voiced speech can be represented as a convolution ofa periodic impulse train with a time invariant, vocal tract impulse response sequence. Preferably, the window function is specified by the equation:
0.54 O.46 cos. 21mT/31-0 s nT s 31' W t2) 0 elsewhere. The duration, 31-, of the window is three times the previous estimate of pitch period. It is made dependent on the pitch period estimate, from detector 14, for two conflicting reasonsv In order to obtain a strong peak in the cepstrum at the pitch period, it is necessary to have several periods of the waveform within the window. In contrast, in order to obtain strong peaks in the smooth spectrum, only about two periods should be within the window, i.e., formants should not have changed appreciably within the time interval spanned by the window. Thus, an adaptive width window assures better estimates of pitch and formants since it presents a wider window for finding a strong peak at the pitch period, and a narrower window for finding strong, unambiguous indications of formants. The choice for window duration of three times the previous pitch period represents a compromise which has proven to be satisfac tory.
As noted earlier, the cepstrum developed at the output of analyzer 12 consists of two components. The component due primarily to the glottal wave and the vocal tract is concentrated in the region lnTl r, while the component due to the pitch occurs in the region .lnTlz-r, where r is the pitch period during the segment being analyzedv The component due to excitation consists mainly of sharp peaks at multiples of the pitch period. Thus, pitch period can be determined by searching the cepstrum for a strong peak in the region nT 1-,,,,,,, where 1', is the minimum expected pitch period. Signals from analyzer 12 are accordingly supplied as one input to pitch detector 14. Zero crossing count information developed by counter 13 is supplied as the other. This information is employed to provide an indication of the voiced or unvoiced character of the applied speech signal. Detector 14 produces a signal P, which may either be equal to 1- for voiced signals, in which case 1' denotes the pitch period of the input signal, or zero for unvoiced signai. Details of a suitable pitch detector are described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 3.
Similarly, a suitable examination of the cepstrum from analyzer 12 is performed to develop an estimate of the spectral envelope of the applied signal. Although a variety of techniques for deriving such an envelope signal are known in the art, one suitable arrangement is described hereinafter in the discussion of the arrangement of PK]. 2.
Peaks in the spectral envelope are identified in peak picker network 16. Suitable peak picking networks have been described variously in the art. Peaks of the spectral envelope are delivered by way of gate 17 either to unvoiced spectrum coder 18 or to voiced spectrum coder 19. The choice is dependent upon whether the input speech signal is voiced or unvoiced. Accordingly, gate 17 is actuated by the voiced-unvoiced signal character of the pitch period signal developed by detector 14. If the input signal is voiced, values of 1' which appear as a l signal at the input of gate 17, open the gate so that peaks of the spectrum envelope are supplied to coder 19. If the input signal is unvoiced, a 0" pitch signal (absence of r) is applied use in synthesizing the applied wave. Two control signals, F and F are developed by coder 18, indicating for unvoiced speech the location ofa single resonance and antiresonance in the speech signal, and three control signals, F F and F are produced by coder 19, representative of the location of the first three formants of the applied signal. Coder 19, in addition to operating on the peaks of the spectrum envelope, also is supplied with cepstrum signals from analyzer 12.
Control signals A, and A representative of the level of buzz and hiss signals to be used in synthesis, are developed in control network from the first spectrum signal produced by cepstrum analyzer 12. Apparatus for developing such level control signals are well known in the vocoder art; any form of buzz-hiss level analyzer may be employed.
Signals P, F F F F F and A and A constitute all of the controls necessary for characterizing applied speech, both when voiced and unvoiced. These signals together require considerably less transmission bandwidth than would analog transmission of the applied speech signal Accordingly, they may be delivered to multiplex unit 21, of any desired construction, wherein the group of control signals is prepared for transmission to a receiver station. At the receiver station distributor unit 22, again of any desired construction, recovers the transmitted signals and makes them available for synthesis.
Received parameter signals may be used to control the production of artificial speech, using any well-known synthesis apparatus. For example, a formant vocoder synthesizer of the form described in the above-mentioned Gerstman and Kelly US. Pat. No. 3,158,685, is satisfactory. Typically, a formant vocoder synthesizer includes two systems of resonant circuits, one energized by a noise signal to produce unvoiced sounds, and the other energized by a periodic pulse signal to develop voiced sounds. In the illustrated apparatus, unvoiced resonant circuits 24 receive noise signals from generator 25 by way of modulator 26. The modulator is controlled by the hiss level control signal A, and serves to control the amplitude of noise signals supplied to the input of the resonant circuits. Spectrum signals F and F tune the resonant circuits 24 to shape the noise signals.
Voiced resonant circuits 27 are supplied, by way of modulator 28, with signals from pulse generator 29. Pulse generator 29 responsive to control signal P, develops a train of unit samples with the spacing between samples equal to "r, where r is the value of P during voiced intervals. Such pulses are similar to vocal pulses of air passing through the vocal chords at the fundamental frequency of vibration, l/r, of the vocal chords. The amplitude of the resulting pulse train is controlled in modulator 28 by buzz level control signal A Signal A represents the intensity of voicing. Resonant circuits 27 thus energized are controlled by formant control signals F,, F and F to shape the train of pulse signals in a fashion not unlike the shaping of voiced excitation that takes place in the human vocal tract, and to produce voiced signals which correspond to those contained in the input signal. In the conventional manner, resonant system 27 includes additional fixed resonant circuits to provide high frequency shaping of the spectrum.
Voiced and unvoiced replica signals from circuits 24 and 27 are combined in adder 30 and delivered for use, for example, to energize loud speaker 31. Additional spectral balance for the synthetic speech signals preferably is obtained by passing the signals from adder 30 through fixed spectral shaping network 32 before delivering them for use. This refinement aids in restoring realism to the reconstructed speech.
A form of spectral envelope estimator 15, suitable for use in the practice of the invention, is shown in FIG. 2. Low pass filtering of the cepstrum signal c(nT) is accomplished by first multiplying the supplied cepstrum by a function 1(nT) of the form where r, AT is less than the minimum pitch period that will be encountered. The sequence e(nT) is next added to the sequence c(nT)l(nT). The purpose of adding this component to the cepstrum is to equalize formant amplitudes. The
sequence e(nT) consists of four nonzero values, as follows:
4 Functions [(nT) and e(nT) may be produced, respectively, by function generators 51 and 53, constructed to evaluate the above equations. Function generators suitable for making such evaluations are well known in the art. The signal from function generator 51 is applied to modulator 50 and the signal from function generator 53 is added to the resultant signal in adder 52. The sequence. c(nT)I(nT) e(nT) then transformed, in discrete Fourier transformer 54, of any wellknown construction, to produce an equalized spectral envelope.
Since the component of the cepstrum due to voiced excitation consists mainly of sharp peaks at multiples of the pitch period, the pitch period of the applied speech wave can be determined by searching the cepstrum for strong peaks in the region of the minimum expected pitch period. A suitable manner of doing this is shown in the detailed illustration of pitch detector 14 by way of FIG. 3. A zero crossing count from counter 13 (FIG. 1) is supplied to compare network 34, where the total count is matched to a threshold signal, typically with a value of 1500 crossings per second. If the count is above the threshold, a signal, Y=O is delivered to logic OR gate 36. If the count is below the threshold, a signal, Y=I is delivered to gate 36. Cepstrum signals from analyzer 12 are delivered to peak picker network 37, which may be of the type described by Noll in US. Pat. No. 3,420,955, issued Jan. 7, 1969, or of any other desired form of construction. Cepstrum peaks are then compared in network 38 against a threshold established symbolically by potentiometer 39. If the amplitude of the detected peak is greater than the threshold, the comparator issues a signal X=1 to indicate that a voiced signal is present (because of the presence of a pitch period signal), but if the peak amplitude is below threshold, 2 signal X=O is delivered to logic OR gate 36. Peak signals from peak picker 37 are also delivered to gate 40. Gate 40 is COlllIPllfid by the output of OR gate 36 such that a cepstrum peak signal above threshold, or a zero crossing count signal below threshold, indicates a voiced signal. Gate 40 thereupon permits the peak location signal from picker 37 to be delivered as an output signal. It is designated P='r. If neither of the threshold criteria are met, logic OR gate issues a zero, gate 40 is not actuated, and no signal appears at the output of the gate. This constitutes the signal P=O and indicates that the applied signal is unvoiced.
From the derived peaks in the spectral envelope of the applied signal, it is in accordance with the invention to develop both signals for control of unvoiced resonant circuits at a synthesizer, and signals representative of the formant frequencies and locations for use in the control of voiced resonant circuits at the synthesizer. If the speech is unvoiced, as indicated by the P=O signal from pitch detector 14 applied to gate 17, then only a single variable resonance peak is used to characterize the sound. It has not been found necessary to estimate a second unvoiced resonance in order to synthesize unvoiced sounds. The resonance peak for unvoiced sounds is extracted from peaks in the spectral envelope in coder 18. Since there is no pitch period for these sounds, a fixed number ofdata points is analyzed. The resonance peak used is the strongest spectral peak about 1,000 I-Iz. Although coder 18 may be implemented in any desired fashion to select and process the desired spectral peak, it has been found convenient to employ a special purpose computer programmed, for example, in accordance with the flow chart of steps shown in FIG. 4.
As indicated in FIG. 4, peaks of the spectral envelope signal delivered to coder 18 are processed by defining the frequency of the highest peak above 1,000 I-Iz. as F The difference between F and the incoming signal is set equal, in Z-transform notation (discussed hereinafter), to
Ap= l t l I l ")l- (5) If A is found to be greater than 13 db., F is assumed to be 500 cycles and is determined. If A is not greater than 13 db. above the reference, but is less than db. below the reference, F is assumed to be equal to F,. and F is deter mined. If F meets neither criteria, it is set equal to F =(0.0065 F +4.5 Ap)(0.014 F +28), (6)
and zero in the unvoiced spectrum. are available for use at I the synthesizer in adjusting unvoiced resonant circuits 24. A suitable program listing for carrying out these operations ,on a computer is set forth in Appendix I, attached to this specification.
Before proceeding to the details of the process for estimating the formant frequencies from peaks in the spectral envelope, in coder 19, it is believed helpful to present data relating to the properties of the speech spectrum. FIG. 8 shows the frequency ranges of the first three formants as determined from experimental data. Individual speakers may have formant ranges somewhat different from those shown in the figure and, if known, these ranges may be used for that speaker. It is apparent that there is a high degree of overlap lbetween ranges in which formants may be located. The first formant range is from 200 to 900 Hz. However, for approximately one-half of this range (500-900 Hz.) the second formant can overlap the first. Simultaneously, the second and ithird formant regions overlap from l,l0O-2,700 Hz. Thus, the lestimation of the formants is not simply a matter of locating ipeaks of the spectrum in non-overlapping frequency bands. Another property of speech pertinent to formant estimation is the relationship between formant frequencies and relative amplitudes of formant peaks in the smooth spectrum. Considerable importance, therefore, is placed on a measurement of the level of the second formant peak (F relative to the !level of the first formant peak (F,). The level measurement A is defined, again in Z-transform notation, as: I A log mo e log wo en I. 7) where F, and F are the frequencies of the first and second for- :mants, lH(e I is the magnitude of the smoothed spectrum at F Hz. A careful analysis shows that A depends primarily upon F,, and F and is fairly insensitive to the bandwidths of all the formants and to the higher formant frequencies. FIG. 9 shows a curve of the minimum difference in formant level (in 'db.) between F, and F, as the function of the frequency F ;This curve takes into account equalization of the spectrum and serves as a threshold against which the difference betweenthe level of a possible F peak and the level of an F, peak is; ;compared. The dependence of A on F, is eliminated by as !suming that F, is fixed at its lower limit FIMN. If the F, depen- ;dence were to be accounted for, a family of curves similar in shape but displaced vertically from the one shown in FIG. 9 is required. For a value of F, greater than FIMN, the cor-, responding curve is above the curve shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. :9, the curve is fiat until 500 Hz. because F is assumed to be above this minimum value. The curve then decreases until about 1,500 Hz., reflecting the drop in F level as it gets further away from F,. However, above 1,500 Hz. the curve rises again due to the increasing proximity of F and F The curve continues to rise until F gets to its maximum value F2MX 2,700 H2., at which point F and F are maximally close (according to the simple model offixed F In order to estimate formants from the spectrum envelope, all peaks are located and the frequency and amplitude of each peak is recorded. The frequency region of the applied signal is segmented into three regions not unlike those depicted in FIG. 8. The lowest formant is first searched for, then F and finally F Based on the amplitudes and frequencies of the peaks, spuirious candidates are eliminated and ambiguities resulting, for 'example, from closely spaced formants are eliminated by a logical examination of the detected peaks.
In cases where F,, F and F are separated by more than about 300 l-lz., there is no difficulty in resolving the corresponding peaks in the smoothed spectrum. However, when F, and F or when F and F get closer than about 300 Hz. the cepstral smoothing results in the peaks not being resolved. In these cases, a spectral analysis algorithm called the Chirp Transform (CZT) can be used to advantage. The CZT permits the computation of samples of the z-transform at equally spaced intervals along a circular or spiral contour in the 2- plane. In particular, if F, and F are close together, it is possible to compute the z-transform on a contour which passes closer to the pole locations than the unit circle contour, thereby enhancing the peaks in the spectrum and improving the resolution. For example, FIG. 10 shows a smoothed spectral envelope in which F, and F are unresolved. In this case the parameters of the cep'stral window function 1(nT), were 1, 2 msec. and Ar 2 msec. FIG. 11 shows the results ofa CZT analysis along a circular contour of radius e' over the frequency range 0 to 900 Hz. with a resolution of about 10 Hz. The effect of the use of the contour which passes closer to the poles is evident in contrast to FIG. 10. A discussion of the CZT algorithm is given in The Chirp z-Transform Algorithm and Its Application," by Rabiner, Schafer and Rader, Bell System Technical Journal, May-June 1969, at p. 1249.
Voiced spectrum coder 19, supplied with peaks of the spectral envelope during voiced speech intervals from gate 17 and with cepstrum signals C(nT) from analyzer 12, is accordingly programmed to take these characteristics of voiced speech into account. It serves to derive control signals F,, F F 3 which specify formant frequencies and which are sufficient for controlling voiced resonant circuits 27 at a synthesizer. Again, the logical operations performed on the cepstrum and peak signals may be carried out using any desired form of apparatus. In practice, however, it has been found most convenient to employ a computer programmed in accordance with the steps set forth in the flow chart of FIGS. 6 and 7. Program listings for the steps of the flow chart appears in Appendix ll of this specification.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the formants are picked in sequence beginning with F,. To start the process, the highest level peak of the spectrum from the peak picker I6 in the frequency range 0 to FIMX is recorded as FOAMP. FIMX is the upper limit of the F, region. Generally the value FOAMP will occur at a peak in the F, region which will ultimately be chosen as the F, peak. However, sometimes there is an especially strong peak below FIMN, the lower limit of the F, re- 'glT, which is due to the spectrum of the glottal sou rce waveform. In such cases there may or may not be a clearly resolved F, peak above FIMN. In order to avoid choosing a low level spurious peak or possibly the F peak for the F, peak, Iwhen in fact the F, peak and peak due to the source are not resolved, a peak in the F, region is required to be less than 8.7 db. (1.0 on a natural log scale) below FOAMP to be considered as a possible F, peak. The frequency of the highest level peak in the F, region which exceeds this threshold is selected as the first formant, F,. The level of this peak is recorded as FIAMP. If no F, can be selected this way, the spectral envelope in the region 0 to 900 Hz. is reevaluated. The spectral peaks are sharpened by weighting the cepstrum,
.c(nT), supplied to coder 19 directly from analyzer 12, with a window w ln T), where WANT) l001'l'nT w i (8) and performing a spectral analysis on the resultant. This has the effect of evaluating the spectrum on a contour which passes closer to the poles. As previously discussed, the CZT algorithm is an efficient way of performing this evaluation. The enhanced section of the spectrum is then searched for the highest level peak in the F, region. The location of this peak is accepted as F,. If the enhancement has failed to bring about a resolution of the source peak and the F, peak, F, is arbitrarily :set equal to F IMN, the lower limit of the F, region.
The quantity FIAMP is used in the estimation of F,. If the F, peak is very low in frequency and is not clearly resolved from the lower frequency peak due to the glottal waveform, FIAMP is set equal to (FOAMP 8.7 db.). This is done effec- -ztively to lower (because F, is very low) the threshold which is used in searching for F The first step in estimating F is to fix the frequency range to be searched. If F has been estimated to be less than FZMN, the lower limit of the F region, then only the region from F2MN to FZMX is searched. However, if F, has been estimated to be greater than FZMN, it is possible that the F peak has in fact been chosen as the F, peak. Therefore the combined F,-F region from FlMN to F2MX is searched to ensure that if this is the case, the F, peak will be found as the F peak. After F has been estimated, F, and F are compared and their values are interchanged if F is less than F,
In deciding whether a particular spectral peak under investigation is a possible candidate for an F peak, the threshold curve of FIG. 9 is used. The spectral peak is first checked to see ifit is located in the proper frequency range. If so. the difference between the level of the peak under consideration and FIAMP is computed. If this difference exceeds the threshold of FIG. 9, that peak is a possible F peak; if not, that peak is not considered as a possible F peak. The value of F is chosen to be the frequency of the highest level peak to exceed the threshold. The level of this peak is recorded as FZAMP.
If no peaks are found which exceeded the threshold, further analysis is called for. The fact that no peaks are located has been found to be a reliable indication that F, and F are close together. Therefore the cepstrum is multiplied by the weighting function w,(nT) and a high resolution, narrow band spectrum is computed over the frequency range (F -450) Hz.
to (F,I450) Hz. (If F, 450 Hz. the range is to 900 Hz). This spectrum is evaluated along a circular arc of radius e' in the z-plane. This analysis generally produces a spectrum such as shown in FIG. 11 in which the two formants F, and F are readily apparent.
The value of F, is reassigned as the frequency of the highest level peak in the F, region and F is the frequency of the next highest peak. If only one peak is found. F, is arbitrarily set equal to the frequency of that peak and F: (F,+200) Hz.
In searching for F;,, a threshold on the difference in level between a possible F peak and the F peak is employed. In this case a fixed, frequency-independent, threshold has been found satisfactory. lf F is located without weighting the cepstrum with the w,(n T) function, (i.e., F is not extremely low),
the threshold o the difference is set at l7 .3 db. (2. O o a natural log scale). Otherwise, the threshold is effectively removed b y setting it at l ,000 db. l 7
The estimation of F from the smoothed spectrum is then carried out. Because of equalization, there is a possibility of finding the F peak as F Thus, F is checked to see if it is greater than F3MN, the lower limit of the F region. If so, the search for F is extended to cover the combined F -F;, region from FZMN to F3MX. Otherwise the frequency region F3MN to F3MX is searched. As before, a spectral peak is first checked to see if it is in the correct frequency range. Then the difference between the level of the peak being considered for an F peak and F2AMP is computed. The highest level peak which exceeds the threshold is chosen as the F peak. If no peak is found for F further analysis is again called for. It has been found that this situation is generally due to F and F being very close together. As before, an enhanced spectrum is computed by multiplying the cepstrum by window function w,(nTand performing a spectrum analysis on the resultant, in this case over the frequency range (F 450) Hz. to (F +45O) Hz. The result is normally a spectrum similar to that shown in FIG. 11, where F and F are clearly resolved. F is chosen to be the frequency of the highest peak and F to be the frequency of the next highest peak. If only one peak is found, that peak is arbitrarily called the F peak and F is set to (F d-200) Hz. (This may sometimes result in estimates of both F and F which are slightly high.). The final step in the process is to compare F and F and interchange their values if F is greater than F The arrangement for estimating the three lowest formant frequencies of voiced speech, i.e., F,, F F has been found to perform well on vowels, glides, and semivowels. Although no attempt is made to deal with voiced stop consonants or nasal consonants, experience has shown that extremely natural sounding synthetic speech nevertheless may be produced with the limited class of control signals employed in this invention. Advantageously, the control signals may be stored or transmitted with greatly limited channel capacity, thus to achieve substantial economies.
Variations and modifications of the system described herein will occur to those skilled in the art.
n n (f? 3,649,765 7 M19 20 FORTRAN SUBROUTINE FOR ENHANCING FORMAMTS AND PICKING PEAKS SUBROUTINE ENHANQQXQNLCPQWRQWIQFOFAQFBOYQSOQFMN) DIMENSION 9(1) 0X1) QWRI) sWI(1) QYUJ DIMENSI N PLOCX(20) PAMPX(20) INTEGERENV OMEGOZOQ CALL ZERCHYolvlZB) CALL. CDPYQNLCPQQQXY CALL C T(X9YJNLCPQNOPTSQDSIGQDOMGQWROw!QSOOOMEGOQO) CZT IS A SUBROUTINE FOR SPECTRAL ANALYSIS WHICH IS BASED UN THE PRINCIPLES SET FORTH IN RABINER' SCHAFERe AND RADERQ BSTJv MAY-JUNEo 1969 DO 5 Y= q2 PLQCX(I )2000 PAMPX(I 2000 CALL PKFINDNDONDIQNOPTSQXVPLOCX'PAMPXODOMG) PRI T 1 a LOCX( I) QPAMPXI) o 1:1.Q) FORMAT(2F12@5) CALL PICK4TFAQFMNOQFMXOQPLQCXQPAMPXQTHR'AMPQO) CALL PICK(TFBQFMNOQFMXOQPLOCXv AMPXvTHR0AMP! 0) IF(TFBeEQe0oD) Go To 500 IF(TFAOLT TFB) GO TO 2000 TzTFA TFA- -TFB GO TO 2000 CONTINUE TFB TFAQQUOQ CONTINUE FA=TFA+OMEGO FBZTFBHDMEGO WNW CONTINUE CONTINUE FAMPzPKAMPULDC) F=TLOC RETURN END FORTRAN SUBPOUTINE FOR GROSS PEAK SEARCH SUBROUTINE GRGSPMNLeNUoNDeNDlvTABvNloNZ) DIMENSION TAFNZ) ND2=ND/2 DO 10 I=NLvNUoNU2 I1=I-ND1 SL1=TABU TAFHIl) SL2=TAB(I3)='TAB( 12) IHSLIQGEOQDBANDQSLZGLEQOQM GO TO 20 CONTINUE GO TO 30 CONTINUE IF (SLlwEQeOeO) IHSLMEQQOM) N2=I+2*ND CONTINUE RETURN END FOR?RAN SUBROUTINE FOR FINDING THE BIGGEST PEAK BETWEEN N1&N2
pmmpviooooo PKLOCzNi D0 10 I=N1 eN2 TMP=TAB I) IF(TMPQL.EQPKAMP GO TO 10 PKAMP=T P CONTINUE RETUR END Imam/Lease; so To 3000 CALL sPc'rENmoptstoomsevtx xmonso.0i
3000 CONTINUE RF'TURN END $ FORTRAN SUBROUTINEZERO(TABONL'WNU) 3 FORTRA C SUBROUTINE FOR COPYING TABLES SUBROUTINE DO 10 Z 1 3N T1182 T)=TL\Bl I) CONTINUE RETURN END means responsive to said peak representative signals for selecting as formants of said speech signal the highest amplitude peaks according to location within said ranges.
2. Speech analysis apparatus for locating formants of voiced speech signals, which comprises:
means for developing a signal representative of the cepstrum of an applied speech signal,
means for developing from said cepstrum signal a signal representative of the spectral envelope of said speech signal,
means for evaluating said spectral envelope signal along a contour close to the pole locations in the complex frequency plane thereby to produce a signal in which spectrum peaks are sharpened,
means responsive both to said spectral envelope signal and selectively to said cepstrum signal for developing signals representative of the location and amplitude of all peaks in said spectral envelope signal,
means responsive to said peak location signal for selecting and ordering in frequency the highest of said amplitude peaks, and
means for identifying said selected and ordered peak location signals as formants of said applied signal.
3. Speech analysis apparatus for locating formants of a voiced speech signal, which comprises:
means for developing a signal representative of the smoothed spectral envelope of an applied speech signal,
COPYiNtTABl @TABZ) DIMENSIQN TAR]. l l H'ABZi 1) means for locating all peaks in said spectral envelope signal,
means for developing signals representative of the location and amplitude of each of said located peaks within assigned frequency ranges, said ranges being selected to encompass a selected frequency range of said applied signal with prescribed segments of overlap,
means responsive to said peak location signals for selecting the highest amplitude peak in each of said ranges,
means for identifying as formants of said applied signal said selected peaks which occur in nonoverlapping segments of said ranges, and
means for identifying as formants of said applies signal the highest amplitude peaks according to their location, which occur in overlapping segments of said ranges.
4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, in combination with,
spectral analysis means for enhancing said peaks in said spectral envelope signal.
5. Speech analysis apparatus for locating formants of voiced speech signals, which comprises:
means for developing a signal representative of the pitch period of an applied speech signal,
means for selectively weighting said applied speech signals with a symmetric window function of said pitch period signal,
means supplied with said weighted speech signal for developing a signal representative of the smoothed spectral envelope of said applies speech signal,
means for locating all peaks in said spectral envelope signal,
means for developing signals representative of the location and amplitude of each of said located peaks within assigned frequency ranges,
means responsive to said peak location signals for selecting the highest amplitude peak in each ofsaid ranges,
means for identifying as formants of said applied signal said selected peaks which occur in nonoverlapping segments of said ranges, and
means for identifying as formants of said applied signal the highest amplitude peaks according to their location, which occur in overlapping segments of said ranges.
6. Apparatus as defined in claim wherein said applied speech signals are weighted with a window function with a duration of approximately three times the pitch period of said applied speech signals.
8. A speech signal analyzer system for producing coded signals from applied speech signals, which comprises:
means for developing a signal representative of the smoothed spectrum of an applied speech signal,
means for locating all peaks in said spectrum,
means responsive to said located peaks and selectively to said spectrum for developing, during voiced intervals of said speech signal, control signals representative of the location of the highest of said spectrum peaks in a prescribed order as formants of said applied signal,
means responsive to said spectrum for developing control signals representative of the level of said applied signal during voiced and unvoiced intervals, respectively,
means for developing a signal representative of the cepstrum of said applied speech signal,
means responsive to a count of zero axis crossings in said applied signal and to said cepstrum for developing a signal representative of the voicing character of said applied signal and the pitch period of voiced intervals thereof,
means responsive to said peak signals for developing a signal representative of the pole and zero locations for unvoiced intervals of said applied signal, and
means for utilizing all of said developed signals as a coded representation of said applied speech signal.
9, A speech signal analyzer-synthesizer system with reduced channel bandwidth requirements, which comprises:
at an analyzer station,
means for developing a signal representative of the smoothed spectrum of an applied speech signal,
means for locating all peaks in said spectrum,
means responsive to an indication of said located peaks and selectively to said spectrum signal for developing, during voiced intervals of said speech signal, control signals representative of the location of the highest of said amplitude peaks in a prescribed order as formants of said applied signal,
means responsive to said spectrum signal for developing signals representative of the level of said applied signal during voiced and unvoiced intervals, respectively,
means for developing a signal representative of the cepstrum of said applied signal,
means responsive to a count of zero axis crossings in said applied signal and to said cepstrum signal for developing signals representative of the voicing character of said applied signal and the pitch period of voiced intervals thereof,
means responsive to said peak signals for developing signals representative of the pole and zero locations for unvoiced intervals of said applied signal, and
means responsive to all of said developed signals for delivering them to a synthesizer station, and
at said synthesizer station,
means responsive to received unvoiced level control signals for adjusting the level of a source of noise signals,
a system of unvoiced resonant circuits energized by said adjusted noise signals,
means for adjusting said resonant system with said pole and zero location signals to produce an unvoiced signal,
generator means responsive to said pitch period control signal for developing pulses at pitch frequency,
means for adjusting the amplitude of said pulses according to said level control signal during voiced signals of said applied signal,
a system of resonant circuits energized by said control pulse signals and by said formant signals to produce a voiced signal,
means for combining said voiced and unvoiced signals,
means for shaping the spectrum of said combined signal,
means for utilizing said shaped spectrum signal as a replica of said applied speech signal.
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|U.S. Classification
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification


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|« Date » · « Thread »
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|"Dennis E. Hamilton" <dennis.hamil...@acm.org>
|RE: OOO Test Bugzilla instance
|Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:14:54 GMT
Pavel, I don't understand. If you can read issues, you can read the email addresses of those who created the issue, those who are CC on the issue, etc. What does this list (email@example.com) have to do with it? As far as I can tell, I can already (on openoffice.org) search for issues by email addresses, and I can see the e-mail addresses of anyone linked on an issue. And I don't have to be logged in. The same is true for the LibreOffice bugzilla. Look at <http://openoffice.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=118255> Mouse-over any of the koschmi links. You'll see that the mailto: URI is there as the target. Likewise for any other place. Some of the bugs show email addresses in the link text, some show user names. But all have the e-mail address as the target and these are easily captured by scraping the HTML. E.g.,  koschmi  A determined plunderer of e-mail addresses will not be deterred by this. What is being lost by our having the Test Bugzilla instance and its eventual production setup here @i.a.o? - Dennis -----Original Message----- From: Pavel Janík [mailto:email@example.com] Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2011 07:48 To: firstname.lastname@example.com Subject: Re: OOO Test Bugzilla instance Hi, > I can login, all my earlier saved searches available, can create new bug, change bug status from unconfirmed to new and others. > I can add new post to existing bug. does this mean that anyone reading this list can reveal real e-mails of every OOo IssueZilla user? Hmm, I do not like this... -- Pavel Janík
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1. Re: Oracle Reports 10g719669 Nov 16, 2012 11:22 AM (in response to SKB-BARISHA)Hi.
You will complete list of documentation for 10g Oracle Reports at
Thanks and Regards,
2. Re: Oracle Reports 10gCjmurray-Oracle Nov 16, 2012 4:19 PM (in response to SKB-BARISHA)I don't know about PowerPoint specifically, but there are tutorials here: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/middleware/reports/learnmore/index.html
Edited by: cjmurray on Nov 16, 2012 8:18 AM
3. Re: Oracle Reports 10g976037 Nov 25, 2012 5:37 AM (in response to Cjmurray-Oracle)As far as I am concerned, I have learned about Ms Power point by the help of Google. Where you will get all kinds of information about presentation whatever you need. so, I think you try it.


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Engadget Summary
The Samsung NX3000 is a compact and affordable mirrorless camera that has plenty to offer with few compromises. It might not bring anything new or interesting to the category, but that's to be expected in a camera costing less than $500. Instead, you're given a solid-performing camera that should meet your needs just fine.
Cameras in this price range usually cause concern with their build and feel, but ePHOTOzine calls the NX3000 "well built" and says even the lens doesn't come off like a "budget" item. And thanks to its diminutive size, What Digital Camera states that even with the lens, the NX3000 can "comfortably" fit in your bag.
In use things are fairly good for the NX3000, with ePHOTOzine experiencing "reasonable" focus speeds, though PC Mag feels the "2.2 second" startup time "is on the slow side." Once you've got the camera ready to shoot you'll at least be treated to what Photography Blog says is "excellent" photo quality, with Trusted Reviews noting that while shots in "good conditions" are "excellent," things start to "falter" in more challenging situations. However, the NX3000 is considered an entry-level camera and it costs less than $500, so some issues are to be expected.
At the end of the day the NX3000 is simply an affordable, lens-flexible camera that fits the needs of low-budget shoppers. It shouldn't be your first choice if you're really serious about photography, but if you just want to shoot some vacation photos or a school play it will serve you well. And, with a price point under $500, you'll still have some cash left over for an extra lens.
How It Stacks Up
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For $1,299, the Galaxy Book needs to be just about perfect.


text:
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text:
Lucy - Assemble
"Okay, this will work" I say. More to assure myself than the others.
I'm meant to push it together then Kevin is going to run in and freeze the cracks together.
"Go!" I shout and they all let go. I bring my hands together and feel the force which leaves a space apart.
Kevin runs in and freezes the cracks forcing them together. He puts the thumbs up and I let go.
I feel tired and fall back on to the grass. "Lucy!" They shout. I roll over laughing and everyone joins me in.
"I have an idea" I say. I jump up. "I control elements maybe I can grow plants"
Everyone smiles at this possibly. I put my hands out palms and plants shoot up.
"Ahh!" I shriek jumping back but everyone just cheers. Then I see Hayley off to the side alone.
I go and sit with her.
"Hey, you not feeling okay right?" I say.
She nods. "Why am I the only one that destroys?" she mumbles.
"Maybe you'll work it out" I say. "From what I can tell its cause of doubt"
I say this while rocking backwards and forwards like a child. Yay, being small is great!
Then it starts to rain.


text:
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In the Fixed Networks Bell Labs research program, Geert leads the team that brings hardware innovation in access networks. He guides his uniquely skilled team in industry-relevant research challenges over the boundaries of the Fixed Networks context. Being a strong driver of the growing ASIC research inside Bell Labs, he has a proven track record of creating sustainable leadership in Alcatel-Lucent's Fixed Networks position. Recently, this showed in his contributions to the record-breaking 10Gbps XG-fast demonstration – the novel copper access technology.
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I'm not sure if there is anyone out there who has heard of robotech. It was a very well done anime show in the 80s (im not that old lol but my dad has the episodes on DVD) It was the first show dealing with "transformable mecha." (not transformers but kinda like that) I wanted to see if anyone was interested (if anyone had ever heard of the show) if not I'm going to turn it into a solo... just wanted to put the idea out there.
lol sorry man I haven't. I have watched tengen toppo Gurren Lagaan though.....sorta the same they fight in mechs.


text:
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➜ #75123
If she's given antibiotics and sleeps she'll get better.
added by blay_paul, 2008-02-08 17:32
If she gets some antibiotics and sleeps, she'll get better.
edited by fcbond, 2012-03-28 16:43
Sentence #328596
You cannot translate sentences because you did not add any language in your profile.


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A retired British couple who both took a drug overdose to avoid extradition to the United States are due to be flown out of Britain within the next 24 hours.
Paul and Sandra Dunham, who face a fraud trial in Maryland over a disputed expenses claim, have been held in separate London prisons since last week when they failed to surrender themselves to a police station. They had threatened to take their own lives rather than submit to the American courts.
The couple, from Northamptonshire, maintain the money involved was "wholly legitimate business expenses" from a US firm, Pace, in which they were significant shareholders. A lengthy battle through the UK courts failed to prevent their extradition.
Their solicitors, the law firm Kaim Todner, said on Wednesday that the Dunhams were in the process of being removed. Mr Dunham, 58, was understood to have left Wandsworth prison after lunch, while Mrs Dunham, 58, was taken out of HMP Holloway. They were due to be handed over to US marshals before being put on a plane to the US.
Last week, the night before they were due to hand themselves in to Belgravia police station in central London, they took an overdose. They were taken to hospital for treatment and subsequently remanded in custody at Westminster magistrates court after senior district judge Howard Riddle concluded they had consumed the drugs deliberately to avoid or delay their extradition.
Ben Watson, who represented them in court, said they had been upset by news that the home secretary, Theresa May, had cancelled a meeting with their local MP about their case. "It was really that news that really tipped them over the edge," he explained. "It was the time of the day combined with the hope of a last minute reprieve lost."
Paul Dunham, who was chief executive, president and a 20% shareholder in the US company which manufactured soldering irons for the electronics industry, was indicted on 13 counts of fraud and money laundering by a grand jury in Greenbelt, Maryland, in December 2011. His wife is accused of eight counts of fraud for allegedly aiding and abetting him. The couple deny any wrongdoing.
The couple's solicitor Karen Todner said: "Mr and Mrs Dunham are a hard-working couple from Northamptonshire who strenuously deny the allegations against them. Nevertheless this country is forcibly sending them to America to face trial in a justice system where plea arrangements are effectively forced upon people.
"I understand David Cameron has recently stated that the Abu Hamza conviction shows that we ought to be extraditing people to America with greater expedition. What in fact this case shows is that Mr Abu Hamza should have stood trial in the United Kingdom and faced British justice.
"How many people like Mr and Mrs Dunham have to be extradited before this government will uphold the promises they made whilst in opposition to change this treaty with America?"
Changes to the Extradition Act 2003, carried in the Crime and Courts Act 2013, removed the home secretary's powers to intervene in such a case.
Asked if enough consideration had been given to the Dunhams' mental health, May said: "The law now is that the Home Office, the home secretary, does not have the power to intervene.
"These are matters that go before the court and it's obviously for their legal representatives to decide whether they wish to take matters further before the court. Decisions about the extradition are now for the court and not for the home secretary to take."
A police spokesman said: "We won't discuss this until they have been handed over to US marshals."


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Essentialworksafety.com is a 2 years old domain, situated in United States. The domain is linked to the IP address 188.8.131.52.
It was registered by david ashford , who can be reached at . Registration details show that it was registered on 05 Feb 2015 through Gandi SAS and will expire on 05 Feb 2017.
The site returns a status code of 404. The site is being served through nginx.


text:
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text:
Creamy Red Beans and Rice with Caramelized Onions
42,467pages onAdd New Page
this wiki
this wiki
Description Edit
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients Edit
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3 cups hot cooked rice (cooked in chicken broth)
- 1 x 16-ounce can red kidney beans, drained
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup grated asiago cheese
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions Edit
- Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.
- Add onions; cook until onions begin to brown (about 8 minutes).
- Add rice, beans, sour cream, cheese and black pepper.
- Stir until well blended and cheese is melted.


text:
Your Dog, Your Life
The Scoop
Dog News, Politics
Bark-Out-Loud Humor
Doggie Style
Gear and Glam
Wildebeest creates the perfect present for new dog parents.
Dog Breeds
Foods & Treats
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Behavior & Training
Dogs & Cleaning
Dog of the Day
Photo Comments Age: 9 Years Sex: Male Weight: 11-25 lbs
Photo Comments
My Dad has been gone for two weeks. I am having a blast at my vacation house in Allentown, but I miss my dad and all my friends at the dog park. I can't wait until he picks me up on Saturday.
Last night I saw snow for the first time, and I LOVED it. I rolled in it, I ate it, I ran through it, and then I barked at it. Then Auto and Stewart came out to play with me. Dad gave me my first bath afterward. I'm not sure I like taking baths. When it was all over, my dad gave me a Kong filled with peanut butter and treats. I should give him the sad face more often if it means I get a treat like that.
Copyright © I-5 Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Visit Catster


text:
This stylish 10-storey hotel comprises a total of 159 rooms of which 3 are suites. Facilities include a pleasant foyer with a reception desk, a safe, a cosy bar to while the day away in, an air-conditioned restaurant and 6 conference rooms.
This hotel enjoys an ideal location in the city centre within a short distance of many of the top sights including the Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall). Links to the public transport network can easily be reached on foot lying just 100 m away.
Each of the welcoming rooms comes with an en suite bathroom with hairdryer, a direct dial telephone, Internet access, a minibar and a hire safe. All rooms come with centrally controlled air conditioning as standard.
Room Facilities:
Direct dial telephone
Central airconditioned


text:
CDH Hotel La Spezia
No prices found through our partners. Please contact the business directly or check some of our recommended alternatives.
How has this hotel rated in the past?
- Free High-Speed Internet
- Room service
- Bar/lounge
- Wheelchair accessibility
- Free parking
- Pets allowed
Photos of CDH Hotel La Spezia
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TripAdvisor Reviews CDH Hotel La Spezia
Travel Blogs from La Spezia
Nice easy walk
... They are also connected by train that travels in a tunnel. So one can either travel between them by train, and miss the views, or walk.
We are including two days on this post as we arrived home so late from the above adventure and were done for. Additionally the next day was a rather short trip to the seaside village of Porto Venere. This is a pretty tourist town, although a number of yachts make this there home base, and we saw evidence of aqua ...
Thankfully it's only a pitstop!
... that doesn't have a spectacular view of Portofino. The castle has saved Portofino a few times over the centuries in 1432 from Venetian galleys, Napoleon until he lost power and then by Alfonso von Mumm and his wife, from the Germans in 20thC. It's a beautiful setting with stunning aspects of Portofino and given the day we've just had probably the best view of the place I've seen. Blue skies definitely help though.
Cinque Terre
... again and we had a good laugh mainly at my expense. The next day we caught the train to the remaining 2 towns we has missed the day before. Comarilis is the only one located off the coast on top of a headland. It had the most magnificent views along the coast and is currently one of the only parts of the walking track that is open to the public. There were people from all ages and backgrounds enjoying the walk and really made us feel fat and unfit as we sat back ...
The day we went to Portovenere
... and we decided to go for the biggest one as it had a good outdoor eating area and room for both a dinghy and two jetskis).
We wandered along the front and found somewhere nice right on the water for lunch.
After lunch we went and explored the fort (all free) and the ...
Speedos in the turquoise sea
... I can't help but jump in for a dip. I look like a fool hobbling over the slippery pebbles to try get out deep. It is, again, a super hot day.
In Manarola we have another quick look around. Here there are big rocks you can jump off into the ocean to prevent the horrific pebble-trodding embarrassment.


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text:
Don't Touch AMD Stock Unless You Hear Rumors Of A Sale
- Dr. Lisa Su has failed to turn around chip maker, AMD.
- AMD was a casualty of the PC downturn and has not had much better luck in graphics.
- Avoid AMD stock, unless you hear a good rumor of a pending sale.
If you are studying the history of computing, then AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) is a great name to know. If you are looking for an investment, it's a great name to forget. AMD was one of the great names of the PC era, usually making chips that did what Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) chips did, for less, but as the PC era ended, the lights went out. The last peak for the stock came 10 years ago when AMD neared $40/share, but it went nowhere once the recovery resumed, and fell recently below $2/share.
AMD stock price chart by amigobulls.com
The most recent AMD earnings release shows a company struggling for traction. AMD's losses narrowed to $102 million or 13 cents per share, on revenue of $958 million. This was a huge improvement over the $347 million lost in the same quarter a year ago, on revenue of $1.34 billion. But AMD's guidance was weak and the stock resumed its fall.
AMD had placed great faith in its new CEO, Lisa Su when she was hired in October 2014. Think of her as a hardware version of Yahoo's Marissa Mayer, a whip-smart female engineer who, it was hoped, could get growth going again.
Obviously, this has not happened. Su's efforts at both diversification and simplification have met with failure. AMD is, in many ways, a dead stock walking.
AMD might be worth selling for its intellectual property, and Su's hiring led to some speculation a Chinese buyer might be found. But it was her predecessor, Rory Read, who had the great Chinese connections – he left to take a position with Dell. Su has tried to compete with NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) in graphics but has not made the mistakes Mayer has, of getting into the public press with big parties or fancy clothes.
Since Su's appointment AMD shares have fallen from about $2.75 each to their present level. The balance sheet now shows a debt-to-assets ratio of 3:4, and AMD's cash position is deteriorating. Only a few of the 23 analysts following the stock have it as a buy, and 18 have it rated as a hold.
It's almost as if AMD has been forgotten.
If you hear a good rumor that the company is about to be sold, you might be able to make some money on AMD, because it needs to be sold. But there is no other reason, short of a sale, for there to be any optimism left about AMD. It is best left to history.


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OK, this is becoming ridiculous...
That lost connection to host message is becoming the bane of my existence. I don't know of a game that has caused me to disconnect this much in my entire life! As of writing, I've been disconnected from about five games in a row. For the love of God, FIX THIS BY THE NEXT PATCH.
Oh, and the titles. Fix the titles.
Re: OK, this is becoming ridiculous...[ Edited ]
Don't bother voicing your concern over something that you, I, and many others are having an issue with your just get a bunch of people that have no clue what their talking about going "ah durr it's your Internet".
Re: OK, this is becoming ridiculous...
Re: OK, this is becoming ridiculous...
Re: OK, this is becoming ridiculous...
Re: OK, this is becoming ridiculous...
TwistedAvenger wrote:
@Ari_Ownx I have thought that when its halfway through and I get disconnected, but why would someone quit instantly after the "ready, fight" which happens to me at least just as much?
No.... vita users can disconnet before the match even begins- all they have to do is press the "ps" button on the system and it'll disconnect them from the match when the window minimizes. I've done it before. Sometimes I just don't feel like playing against 3 kratos users spamming "square" "square" "square."


text:
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French Nail Tip Guide (Wavy)
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Decorate and beautify your nails with this wavy french nail tip guide!åÊFrench nail tip guide is perfect for doing your own manicure or pedicure at home. Instructions: Stick on nail on desired area. Apply two layers of nail polish to the area above oråÊbelowåÊthe tip guide. Wait and let the polish dry. Finally, apply top coat for protection!
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text:
Is there a way to Scan Devices that log into Terminal Server
I have Remote site installed and connected to Central server. Central does see my terminal server but does not see any devices/computer systems that connect to the terminal server through RDP
3 Replies
· · ·
· · ·
Sep 16, 2011 at 11:16 UTC
But did not help.
· · ·
Sep 16, 2011 at 11:22 UTC
Okay, I hope someone will help you in this. Thanks


text:
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K-Edge Cross Single adds additional protection to a single ring set-up by preventing the chain from jumping up or off the ring.
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Home › Forums › Campfire › Post-Trip Reports › Father / Daughter Adventure
Sep 18, 2011 at 5:44 pm #1279494
My daughter and I enjoyed an overnight adventure in Oregon's Mountain Lakes Wilderness this past weekend. We arrived at the trail head and were ready to start before noon, my daughter was excited to use her custom XSmall MLD Burn (it is still a little big on her, the pack will fit perfect next year).
Much time was spent practicing wilderness gymnastics.
Our shelter for this trip was a custom HMG Echo II. My daughter and I both used MLD SL Bivys with full net hoods and Nunatak arc Ghost quilts. The HMG tarp and other gear performed perfectly.
The temperature really dropped as the sun went down. My daughter staying warm by the fire in her Patagonia Down Sweater and Kat P beanie.
Moxie using her UL DogBowl.
A fun trip for sure.Sep 18, 2011 at 5:53 pm #1780675
Tom ClarkBPL Member
@tomclarkLocale: East Coast
Nice to see this father/daughter trip. My 4 yr. old Brooke & I enjoyed looking at the photos, and reminisce about our trip.
TomSep 18, 2011 at 6:00 pm #1780677
DougBPL Member
What a lucky daughter! What a lucky dad! What a lucky pup! Looks like another fun trip for the Darrah's. Thanks for sharing Thom.Sep 18, 2011 at 6:02 pm #1780679
Tim ZenSpectator
@asdzxc57Locale: MI
Thom — what a nice set of photos. It looks like she had a great time. And a tarp too!
It almost makes me wish my teenage daughters were that age again.Sep 18, 2011 at 6:18 pm #1780685
Katharina LångstrumpBPL Member
@kat_pLocale: Pacific Coast
Thanks for the sweet trip report.
Nice pictures and what a cool little girl you have there!Sep 18, 2011 at 8:01 pm #1780705
David LutzMember
@davidlutzLocale: Bay Area
Very nice!Sep 19, 2011 at 5:34 am #1780773
Ryan TuckerBPL Member
thanks for sharingSep 19, 2011 at 6:47 am #1780782
Kevin BabioneBPL Member
@kbabioneLocale: Pennsylvania
Thanks for posting this…I have twin girls who just turned five. We're planning our next backpacking trip (I took them for a 1.3 mile overnighter this past May) and they're already telling me that this time they want a tent. It was a beautiful night and we slept under the stars when we went in May.
Your daughter have any concerns about not having walls around her? Of all things my girls are concerned about a fox coming into camp while they sleep. They can't tell me where that fear originated, but it's real to them. I have a Lunar Duo that they could use, but it certainly weighs a lot more than my large groundsheet and cuben tarp.
I tried to extoll the virtues of sleeping under the stars with them but without success. We're going to go in the Spring regardless – I'll suck it up and carry a tent for them if it means we get our trip out of it. I was just wondering if you, or anyone else, had any words of wisdom that can help kids make the transition to tarping (we do a fair amount of car camping in tents). I know it's hard enough to get adults to move away from the protection of a sil-nylon tent wall, much less getting kids to do it.Sep 19, 2011 at 7:48 am #1780789
My daughter only knows a tarp shelter and she loves the open but yet protected feel. She likely finds comfort in having our dog Moxie sleeping at the head of the tarp. Moxie would come over and check on my daughter about every hour throughout the night and then return to her sleep spot near by (I will add a picture later today).
I struggled with keeping her head covered during the night and will likely carry a light balaclava as part of her sleep system on future trips. I may also switch to a duel bivy to better control her squirming off of her sleep pad during the night.
Although she is my princess she is no girly girl. She has no issue with taking care of business in the outdoors and the greater the adventure the happier her she is.
She keeps asking me to take her tenkara fishing and so our next trip this fall will be an over night tenkara adventure.
Any BPL fathers wanting insights to father/daughter trip and gear planning feel free to PM.
ThomSep 19, 2011 at 8:13 am #1780799
Kevin BabioneBPL Member
@kbabioneLocale: Pennsylvania
Thanks Thom – I'm sure having the dog along helps a lot.
It got down into the 30's when I took my girls in May. They have TNF Tigger bags and at one point I couldn't see either head. I lifted the top of the bag, heard snoring deep down within, and put it back down. They were warm and happy!
We spent the night near one of the AT shelters with a privy…Neither one of my girls would use it because it was "so stinky." They both preferred to do their business in the woods.
I was hoping that, by sleeping under the stars on their first backpacking trip, that they would accept it as the backpacking alternative, but we'll have to wait and see what their attitudes are in the Spring.
Thanks again for your post.
-KevinSep 19, 2011 at 10:04 am #1780835
Katharina LångstrumpBPL Member
@kat_pLocale: Pacific Coast
"Although she is my princess she is no girly girl. She has no issue with taking care of business in the outdoors and the greater the adventure the happier her she is."
Right on ; )Sep 19, 2011 at 10:21 am #1780842
. .BPL Member
@biointegraLocale: Puget Sound
Thanks for sharing – great trip report!
(the cuben dog dish says it all)Sep 19, 2011 at 11:50 am #1780881
Rick DreherBPL Member
@halfturboLocale: Northernish California
Adorable. Well done, the both of you! (Need to tackle this myself.)
RickSep 19, 2011 at 2:42 pm #1780955
Elliott WolinBPL Member
@ewolinLocale: Hampton Roads, Virginia
I'll say it again: DO IT NOW!
You won't believe how fast your kids grow up, get busy, and are out on their own. Do it before it's too late!
Some of my fondest memories are of adventures like this one…Sep 19, 2011 at 4:48 pm #1780980
Michael DavisMember
@mad777Locale: South Florida
Fantastic pictures, Thom!
Thanks for sharing you little cutie with us. My daughter was always a bit of a tom-boy and I thought that was great! She has her own tom-boys now :)Sep 19, 2011 at 5:30 pm #1780996
Ike JutkowitzBPL Member
@ikeLocale: Central Michigan
Thanks for sharing this, Thom. I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old daughter that have started coming on overnight trips with me. This uninterrupted time together is about as good as it gets. I love seeing posts like this.
IkeSep 19, 2011 at 9:08 pm #1781062
Eugene SmithBPL Member
@eugeneiusLocale: Nuevo Mexico
This is quality Thom. Your daughter looks right at home with daddy out on the trail, very cool, very cool.Sep 22, 2011 at 9:33 am #1782090
daniel BBPL Member
@dbogeyLocale: East Coast
Great pics and reminds me of the fun my daughter and I used to have (she's now 14) but I did take my son (9yrs old) out this past weekend to the Tionesta Scenic area in NW Pennsylvania, part of the North Country Trail. A 14 mile hike in two days.Sep 29, 2011 at 8:20 am #1784763
Jedd CheshierMember
@jeddcheshierLocale: Midatlantic
I take my daughter out a few times each year. If you don't mind, do you have any pics showing how the MLD pack fits her? How tall is she? What size clothes is she in? Sorry for the questions, but I've been thinking about getting one for my daughter who just turned 8.Sep 29, 2011 at 9:15 am #1784785
Hikin' JimBPL Member
@hikin_jimLocale: Orange County, CA, USA
VERY cool! My daughter is a little younger, but I can't wait to get her on her first overnight out on the trail.
HJSep 30, 2011 at 7:42 pm #1785381
Tom ClarkBPL Member
@tomclarkLocale: East Coast
"Moxie would come over and check on my daughter about every hour throughout the night and then return to her sleep spot near by (I will add a picture later today)."
That's a great comment about…um…geez, it's just a great comment about your daughter, your dog, you being awake every hour to notice it, & life outdoors! Backpacking with kids is VERY different than by yourself or with friends…not better or worse, but different.
Where is the promised photo?
TomSep 30, 2011 at 8:31 pm #1785390
Tjaard BreeuwerBPL Member
@tjaardLocale: Minnesota, USA
That looks great. I just logged on to post a trip report about my trip with my daughters. I'll have to try the gymnastics thing in the future too.Sep 30, 2011 at 9:12 pm #1785396
Moxie stayed at the head of the tarp keeping a close eye on my daughter throughout the night. Below is a picture, of Moxie, taken in the morning while my daughter was still sleeping.
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Job Fair
Everyone deserves a Snow Day! Not only is it our tag-line here at Copper Mountain, but we love to share our Coppertunities with you at our various job fair events. Listed below is the line-up for events. Don't fret if we aren't coming to a location near you as we update this on a 24/7/365 basis.