Segmentation of Speech and Humming in Vocal Input

Non-verbal vocal interaction (NVVI) is an interaction method in which sounds other than speech produced by a human are used, such as humming. NVVI complements traditional speech recognition systems with continuous control. In order to combine the two approaches (e.g. "volume up, mmm") it is necessary to perform a speech/NVVI segmentation of the input sound signal. This paper presents two novel methods of speech and humming segmentation. The first method is based on classification of MFCC and RMS parameters using a neural network (MFCC method), while the other method computes volume changes in the signal (IAC method). The two methods are compared using a corpus collected from 13 speakers. The results indicate that the MFCC method outperforms IAC in terms of accuracy, precision, and recall

Increasing crop production in Russia and Ukraine—regional and global impacts from intensification and recultivation

Russia and Ukraine are countries with relatively large untapped agricultural potentials, both in terms of abandoned agricultural land and substantial yield gaps. Here we present a comprehensive assessment of Russian and Ukrainian crop production potentials and we analyze possible impacts of their future utilization, on a regional as well as global scale. To this end, the total amount of available abandoned land and potential yields in Russia and Ukraine are estimated and explicitly implemented in an economic agricultural sector model. We find that cereal (barley, corn, and wheat) production in Russia and Ukraine could increase by up to 64% in 2030 to 267 million tons, compared to a baseline scenario. Oilseeds (rapeseed, soybean, and sunflower) production could increase by 84% to 50 million tons, respectively. In comparison to the baseline, common net exports of Ukraine and Russia could increase by up to 86.3 million tons of cereals and 18.9 million tons of oilseeds in 2030, representing 4% and 3.6% of the global production of these crops, respectively. Furthermore, we find that production potentials due to intensification are ten times larger than potentials due to recultivation of abandoned land. Consequently, we also find stronger impacts from intensification at the global scale. A utilization of crop production potentials in Russia and Ukraine could globally save up to 21 million hectares of cropland and reduce average global crop prices by more than 3%

Non-tariff barriers and technical regulations. 3rd Workshop Report.

The 3d workshop within the IIASA project “Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Integration within a Wider European and Eurasian Space” held on 20-21 November, 2014 in Laxenburg, Austria discussed the major issues related to the compatibility and costs of technical regulations used by different countries and unions, and also the non-tariff barriers affecting the trade among them. The workshop concentrated on major aspects related to the existing non-tariff barriers in trade between the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the European Union (EU), and other CIS countries. The participants discussed the challenges related to the general non-tariff barriers that exist between the EU, the EAEU, and the CIS countries, as well as possible solutions, particularly in the context of recent economic and political developments. The workshop also discussed the relationship between the norms and principles of international trade law contained in the provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO); analyzed the legal framework of economic integration in various regions of the world; and reflected on the potential for eliminating unnecessary obstacles to trade, including by mutual recognition of conformity. The workshop was focused particularly on the potential effects of the implementation of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements (DCFTA) between the EU and Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. It also addressed the economic impacts of the currently applied mutual sanctions conflict” between the EU, the USA and some other Western nations on the one hand, and Russia on the other, their impacts on international trade, and on the potentials of long-term cooperation between the EU and the EAEU. The impacts on economies of other CIS countries, not directly involved, were also touched upon. Harmonization of legislation in the field of technical, as well as sanitary, phytosanitary, and veterinary regulations between the EAEU and other regions, primarily the EU, was addressed in detail. The discussion covered the harmonization of terminology and labeling; harmonization of national and regional standards with international standards; accreditation, product safety, training in the field of standardization and conformity assessment as well as trade facilitation. In order to foster interdisciplinary and international dialogue on the topic, the workshop brought together well-established scientists, policymakers, banks and companies representatives from around the world, including: Péter Balás, Deputy Director General, DG Trade, European Commission; Igor Finogenov, Chairman of the Management Board, Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), Kazakhstan; Pavel Kabat, Director General and Chief Executive Officer, IIASA; Evgeny Vinokurov, Director, Centre for Integration Studies, Eurasian Development Bank; Paul de Lusignan, Leading Expert, Tariff and Non-Tariff Negotiations, Rules of Origin, DG Trade, European Commission, , Stefanie Harter, Head, Liaison Office to the German Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Interior and Justice, German Agency for International Cooperation, Evgeny Hotulev, Director, Department of Macroeconomic Policy, Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), Oleg Noginskiy, Director, Ukrainian Association Suppliers of the Customs Union, Veronika Movchan, Director, Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER), Alessandro Nicita, Officer-in-Charge, Trade Policy Research Section, Trade Analysis Branch, Division on International Trade, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), among many others, with a total of 41 participants. The workshop participants discussed possible ways how non-tariff barriers could be reduced and convergence of technical regulations to the mutual benefit of all parties involved could be achieved. In this context, they also analyzed the opportunities and risks of economic modernization of the East-European partnership countries, if they adapt to European technical regulations and sanitary requirements. Possibilities for providing a unified policy, removing bottlenecks and differences in the sphere of technical regulation in the EAEU countries, was examined; and the impacts of such policy on producers of goods and services in different regions with regard to ensuring their competitiveness were assessed

Development of Transport and Infrastructure in Eurasia. 5th Workshop Report.

The 5th workshop within the IIASA project “Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Integration Within a Wider European and Eurasian Space” held 15 – 16 September 2015 in Laxenburg, Austria, discussed the issue of transportation corridors in Eurasia and the opportunities for cooperation between the EU, Russia, the EAEU, China and other regional players concerning transport and infrastructure projects. In order to foster interdisciplinary and international dialogue on the topic, the workshop brought together well-established academics and policymakers from around the world, including: Péter Balás, Deputy Director General, DG Trade, European Commission; Stefan Füle, former EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy; Pavel Kabat, Director General and Chief Executive Officer, IIASA; Evgeny Vinokurov, Director, Centre for Integration Studies, Eurasian Development Bank; Yuliya Chalaya, Head, Economic Policy Strategies Section, Macroeconomic Policy Department, Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) among many others, with a total of 34 participants. All speakers underlined the importance ofof an international dialogue for science-policy making on transport and infrastructure projects in Eurasia, particularly in the current context of the implementation of EU-UA AA/DCFTA. The global financial crisis, the US Fed and ECB QE policies, the EU’s fiscal situation and Western financial sanctions on Russia were raised during the discussion as serious bottlenecks for developing large scale infrastructure projects in Eurasia. Selected Seminar Highlights: The workshop concentrated on the major aspects related to transport and infrastructure development and generated the following outcomes: • a comprehensive review of the nexus of economic integration and modernization of passenger and freight transport and logistics infrastructure, including railways (notably, high-speed ground transportation), roads, air and maritime transport; and their impacts on economic, national security and social stability; •analysis of the future of transport corridors in Eurasia: prospects for cooperation among the countries of the region in the construction, modernization and further development of the Eurasian transport corridors (such as the Silk Way Economic Belt, the Trans-Siberian Railway, the “Razvitie” belt, the “Eurasia” waterway) until 2030, in particular, the development of trans-border transport infrastructures and perspectives of the Trans-Eurasian transit; • a detailed survey of opportunities and threats for the cooperation, feasibility and possibilities for win-win solutions in the context of large infrastructure (gas pipelines, waterways, etc.) developments in Eurasia. Seminar Focus Areas: During the workshop the participants came to distinguish four focus points: 1. Overview of transport and infrastructure projects in Eurasia 2. Means of financing of mega transport and infrastructure projects in Eurasia 3. Global players’ logistics interests: playing ball or playing hard? 4. Trade, development and population: cornerstones and limitations to transport and infrastructure projects in Eurasi

Labor market and migration across the Eurasian continent. 6th Workshop Report.

The 6th workshop of the IIASA joint research project “Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Integration within a wider European and Eurasian Space” held on April 13 – 14, 2016 in Laxenburg, Austria, discussed the impacts of migration flows on the sustainable development of the Eurasian region, the labor market challenges, and the potential for harmonization of education systems between the European Union (EU) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). In particular the workshop analyzed the possible scenarios of cross-border migration (both labor migration and refugee flows), the changing structure of the labor force, as well as their economic and social implications for the labor markets and the economic growth of both the source and host countries in the EU, the EAEU and the countries in their joint neighborhood. It also considered such practical aspects as the prospects of introducing a visa-free regime between the EU and the EAEU, enhancing the mobility of pensions, fostering educational and academic exchanges, and the mutual recognition of diplomas. The workshop was attended by over 50 well-established academics and policy-makers from Europe, the United States, Turkey, Korea and the post-Soviet space. A new element of the workshop was the introduction of a high-level panel session. This session reflected on the long-term prospects of economic cooperation between the enlarged EU, the EAEU and their neighbors, including the key Asian players, such as China, Korea, and Japan, as well as the USA, focusing also on the labor market challenges and the impacts of migration flows on the sustainable development of the Greater Eurasian region. The session was chaired by Pavel Kabat and included talks by Tatyana Valovaya, Václav Klaus, Jeffrey D. Sachs and Péter Balás, as well as Evgeny Vinokurov, Peter Havlik and Jesus Crespo Cuaresma. Seminar Focus Areas: During the workshop the participants concentrated on three focus points: 1. The labor market and migration in the EU 2. The labor market and migration in the EAEU 3. Challenges and opportunities for a common EU-EAEU labor marke

What are the limits to oil palm expansion?

Palm oil production has boomed over the last decade, resulting in an expansion of the global oil palm planting area from 10 to 17 Million hectares between 2000 and 2012. Previous studies showed that a significant share of this expansion has come at the expense of tropical forests, notably in Indonesia and Malaysia, the current production centers. Governments of developing and emerging countries in all tropical regions increasingly promote oil palm cultivation as a major contributor to poverty alleviation, as well as food and energy independence. However, being under pressure from several nongovernmental environmental organizations and consumers, the main palm oil traders have committed to sourcing sustainable palm oil. Against this backdrop we assess the area of suitable land and what are the limits to future oil palm expansion when several constraints are considered. We find that suitability is mainly determined by climatic conditions resulting in 1.37 billion hectares of suitable land for oil palm cultivation concentrated in twelve tropical countries. However, we estimate that half of the biophysically suitable area is already allocated to other uses, including protected areas which cover 30% of oil palm suitable area. Our results also highlight that the non-conversion of high carbon stock forest (>100 tC/ha) would be the most constraining for future oil palm expansion as it would exclude two-thirds of global oil palm suitable area. Combining eight criteria which might restrict future land availability for oil palm expansion, we find that 234 million hectares or 17% of worldwide suitable area are left. This might seem that the limits for oil palm expansion are far from being reached but one needs to take into account that some of this area might be hardly accessible currently with only 18% of this remaining area being under 2 hours transportation to the closest city- and that growing demand for other agricultural commodities which might also compete for this land has not been yet taken into account