Abstract: An improved multidimensional data indexing technique that generates compact indexes such that most or all of the index can reside in main memory at any time. During the clustering and dimensionality reduction, clustering information and dimensionality reduction information are generated for use in a subsequent search phase. The indexing technique can be effective even in the presence of variables which are not highly correlated. Other features provide for efficiently performing exact and nearest neighbor searches using the clustering information and dimensionality reduction information. One example of the dimensionality reduction uses a singular value decomposition technique. The method can also be recursively applied to each of the reduced-dimensionality clusters. The dimensionality reduction can also be applied to the entire database as a first step of the index generation.

Abstract: An information signal content authoring system is provided. The authoring system includes a speech analyzer, responsive to a spoken utterance signal provided by a narrator. The spoken utterance signal is representative of information available to the narrator. The speech analyzer generates a speech signal representative of one or more prosodic parameters associated with the narrator. A text-to-speech converter, responsive to a text signal representative of the information available to the narrator, generates a phonetic representation signal from the text signal and synthesizes a speech signal from the text signal. The text-to-speech converter also generates one or more prosodic parameters from the text signal.