Objective measures for predicting the intelligibility of spectrally smoothed speech with artificial excitation

A study is presented on how well objective measures of speech quality and intelligibility can predict the subjective in- telligibility of speech that has undergone spectral envelope smoothing and simplification of its excitation. Speech modi- fications are made by resynthesising speech that has been spec- trally smoothed. Objective measures are applied to the mod- ified speech and include measures of speech quality, signal- to-noise ratio and intelligibility, as well as proposing the nor- malised frequency-weighted spectral distortion (NFD) measure. The measures are compared to subjective intelligibility scores where it is found that several have high correlation (|r| ≥ 0.7), with NFD achieving the highest correlation (r = −0.81

SAY HAY AND HAY WEST: CHARITY, GOVERNMENT AND FARMER RESPONSES TO THE 2002 DROUGHT IN WESTERN CANADA

Crop Production/Industries,

Kernel Belief Propagation

We propose a nonparametric generalization of belief propagation, Kernel Belief Propagation (KBP), for pairwise Markov random fields. Messages are represented as functions in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS), and message updates are simple linear operations in the RKHS. KBP makes none of the assumptions commonly required in classical BP algorithms: the variables need not arise from a finite domain or a Gaussian distribution, nor must their relations take any particular parametric form. Rather, the relations between variables are represented implicitly, and are learned nonparametrically from training data. KBP has the advantage that it may be used on any domain where kernels are defined (Rd, strings, groups), even where explicit parametric models are not known, or closed form expressions for the BP updates do not exist. The computational cost of message updates in KBP is polynomial in the training data size. We also propose a constant time approximate message update procedure by representing messages using a small number of basis functions. In experiments, we apply KBP to image denoising, depth prediction from still images, and protein configuration prediction: KBP is faster than competing classical and nonparametric approaches (by orders of magnitude, in some cases), while providing significantly more accurate results

Disruption in the Supply Chain for Beef and Pork: What Has Happened and What Was NAFTA Doing

Industrial Organization, International Relations/Trade,

An Economic Assessment of the BSE Crisis in Canada: Impact of Border Closure and BSE Recovery Programs

This article assesses the economic consequences of three alternative government responses to the BSE crisis in Canada: 1) expansion in slaughter capacity; 2) partial destruction of the cattle herd; and 3) deficiency payments. Each of these policies is evaluated under four different border situations: 1) autarky; 2) free trade in young beef only; 3) free trade in young beef and cattle; and 4) complete free trade. The results of the policy analysis are quite sensitive to the border assumptions, making it impossible to select a “best†policy without perfect foresight with respect to the timing and the extent of the border opening.BSE, cattle and beef, partial equilibrium model, simulation, trade ban, International Relations/Trade, Livestock Production/Industries,

The Losses in the Beef Sector in Canada From BSE

The appearance of BSE in the Canadian beef herd brought immediate financial hardship to the industry due to the immediate closure of export outlets to Canadian beef, live animals and by-products. Nobody knew how long the border would stay closed and many worried that the Canadian beef industry could not survive a prolonged disruption of markets for beef. Previously, producers in Canada had enjoyed secure access to markets for beef around the world, with most of the exports destined for the United States, Mexico, Japan and South Korea. Both federal and provincial governments quickly developed assistance programs and, over the next two years, transferred about $2 billion to various sectors of the beef industry. Government subsidies certainly helped the beef sector but industry representatives argued that it did not cover nearly all the losses that had occurred. This is consistent with the results of this study.Livestock Production/Industries,

The Boundary Water Treaty After 100 Years: Examining the Montana – Alberta Dispute

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

An Economic Assessment of the BSE Crisis in Canada: Impacts of Border Closure and BSE Recovery Programs

Using a static, multi-market, partial equilibrium model this paper assesses the economic consequences three alternative government responses to the BSE crisis in Canada: 1) expansion in slaughter capacity, 2) partial destruction of the cattle herd, and 3) deficiency payments. Each of these policies is evaluated under four different border situations 1) free trade in young beef only, the 2004 baseline situation; 2) autarky; 3) free trade in young beef and cattle; and 4) complete free trade. The results of the policy analysis are quite sensitive to the border assumptions employed making it impossible to select a "best" policy without perfect foresight with respect to the timing and the degree of border opening.Livestock Production/Industries,

ANALYZING THE POTENTIAL FOR INCREASED TRADE IN DAIRY PRODUCTS: A CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE

International Relations/Trade,

DAIRY DISPUTES IN NORTH AMERICA: A CASE STUDY

Agribusiness, International Relations/Trade,