Benjamin Cretois
@bencretois.bsky.social
160 followers 140 following 6 posts
Researcher in bioacoustics and AI 🦜🤖 Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) https://www.nina.no/english/TABMON
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Reposted by Benjamin Cretois
lostanlen.bsky.social
Our team is hiring a postdoc in Audio AI!

What: speech, music, bioacoustics
How: multiresolution neural networks in the raw waveform
Where: Nantes, France (audio.ls2n.fr)
When: negotiable
How long: 12 months, renewable

Apply before May 10: emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/CDD/U...

Please share the news
WASPAA 2023
bencretois.bsky.social
If you are interested in occupancy modeling for #biodiversity monitoring, this is definitely a must read! Even though it was a team effort, 95% of the applaud should go to @bksandercock.bsky.social 🎉
bksandercock.bsky.social
A new report reviewing different classes of occupancy and N-mixture models, with practical applications for modeling biodiversity dynamics in ecological monitoring programs in Norway. A team effort from @ninanatureresearch.bsky.social
hdl.handle.net/11250/3188686
NINA report on occupancy and N-mixture models
Reposted by Benjamin Cretois
fgvcworkshop.bsky.social
BirdCLEF25: Audio-based species identification focused on birds, amphibians, mammals, and insects in Colombia.
👉 www.kaggle.com/competitions...
@cvprconference.bsky.social @kaggle.com
#FGVC #CVPR #CVPR2025 #LifeCLEF
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Reposted by Benjamin Cretois
danstowell.bsky.social
Just launched: the BioDCASE challenge! Monitor whales, birds and other animals, through their sounds? We're publishing new datasets, and new evaluations, to help you do so! Please join this new challenge, and please spread the word: biodcase.github.io #bioacoustics #machinelistening #ai4good
Logo: BioDCASE. Challenge launched! We like birds, whales, forests, and data
Reposted by Benjamin Cretois
amyhoy.bsky.social
guess where they got their weird trade deficit math from?

i went to the pit for y'all and brought back the screenshots with alt text
chatgpt log:

What would be an easy way to calculate the tariffs that should be imposed on other countries so that the US is on even-playing fields when it comes to trade deficit? Set minimum at 10%.
Reasoned about trade tariffs and deficits for 10 seconds v
A straightforward (if naïve) method is to set the tariff rate for each trading partner equal to the percentage share of the trade deficit relative to that country's total imports-always no less than 10%. In formula form:
Tariff Rate (%) = max(10, (Trade Deficit ÷ Total Imports) *
100)
For example, if the US runs a $20 billion deficit on $100 billion worth of imports from a country, the calculated rate is (20/100)×100 = 20%. If the deficit were only 5%, you'd still impose a 10% floor.
This method ignores the intricate dynamics of international trade-such as elasticities, retaliatory measures, and supply chain nuances-but it provides a blunt, proportional rule to "level the playing field." One might implement it in Python like so:

[code] Gemini answer:

Okay, let's break down the idea of using tariffs to achieve an "even playing field" defined as eliminating the US trade deficit.
While the goal of balancing trade is understandable, devising an "easy way" to calculate tariffs to achieve this is extremely complex, and most economists would argue it's not feasible or desirable for several reasons.
However, let's outline a highly simplified conceptual approach based only on the numbers, ignoring the vast real-world complexities and consequences:
Simplified (and Problematic) Calculation Idea:
1. Identify the Bilateral Deficit: Determine the trade deficit the US has with a specific country (Country X).
Deficit_X = Value of Imports from X - Value of
• Exports to X
2. Target Reduction: The goal is to reduce imports from Country X (or increase their cost to US buyers) by the amount of the deficit, so that the value effectively balances out.
3. Calculate Required Tariff (Ignoring Economics):
• If you assume, very unrealistically, that a tariff directly reduces the value of imports by a corresponding percentage (which it doesn't
- it increases the price), you could try:
Required Reduction % = Deficit_X / Value of
• Imports from X Claude:

What would be an easy way to calculate the tariffs that should be imposed on other countries so that the US is on even-playing fields when it comes to trade deficit? Set minimum at 10%.
To calculate tariffs that could theoretically level the playing field for trade deficits, I'd suggest a straightforward approach based on the trade imbalance percentage:
1. Calculate the bilateral trade deficit with each trading partner: Trade Deficit - US Imports from Country - US
Exports to Country
2. Express this as a percentage of total bilateral trade: Deficit Percentage - (Trade Deficit / Total Bilateral Trade) × 100
3. Apply a tariff rate that corresponds to this percentage, with
your minimum 10% floor: Tariff Rate = max(Deficit
Percentage, 10%)
This creates a proportional response where countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher tariffs.
For example:
• If Country A has a 25% trade surplus with the US (meaning the US has a 25% deficit), apply a 25% tariff
• If Country B has a 5% trade surplus with the US, apply the minimum 10% tariff
This method is relatively simple to calculate and directly ties tariff levels to trade imbalances. However, I should note that economists generally caution that trade deficits alone don't necessarily indicate unfair trade practices, and tariffs can have complex economic consequences including increased consumer prices and potential retaliation.
Would you like me to elaborate on any part of this approach or discuss potential refinements to make it more sophisticated? Grok:

the deficit. The deficit as a percentage of total trade is
$295B/$582B = 50.69%. Using the formula Tariff% = 10% +
(Deficit% × Scaling Factor), we choose a scaling factor of 50 for illustration:
• Tariff = 10% + (50.69% × 50) = 10% + 25.345% = 35.345%, rounded to 35.3%.
This means a 35.3% tariff on Chinese goods could be proposed to offset the imbalance, aiming to reduce imports and encourage domestic production or exports.
Extending to Other Countries
To provide a broader view, here's a table of top US trading partners with 2024 deficits, using data from The Motley Fool and similar calculations (assuming scaling factor of 50 for consistency):

[data table headings] 
Country

Deficit
(USD
Billion)

Total
Trade
(USD
Billion)
Deficit %

Calculate d Tariff %

China
-295
582
50.69%
35.3%

Mexico
-172
840
20.48%
20.2%

Vietnam
-123
(Data incomplet e, estimate)
~30%
25.0%

Ireland
-87
(Data incomplet e, estimate)
~25%
22.5%

Germany
-85
(Data incomplete estimate)
~20%
20.0%
Reposted by Benjamin Cretois
danstowell.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
We'll be #hiring very soon for a #postdoc in bioacoustics and AI. Watch for the announcement! Feel free to get in touch. #ai4good #bioacoustics #deeplearning #netherlands #academicjobs
Reposted by Benjamin Cretois
sarameghanbeery.bsky.social
I started to put together a starter pack for research in AI+Ecology, check it out and let me know if you would like to be added!

go.bsky.app/8zugFF6
bencretois.bsky.social
Hi Sara, I would like to be added too if possible! 👏
bencretois.bsky.social
I'm going to give a talk about our @biodiversaplus.bsky.social funded TABMON project (more info here: www.nina.no/english/TABMON). Especially, I'm going to talk about our experience with deploying large scale monitoring network (from cows 🐮 eating the devices to how to store 200TB of data)
bencretois.bsky.social
Hi! 👋
I am Benjamin and I am a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA).
I work at the intersection of #statistics, #AI methodologies (deep learning really) and #biodiversity monitoring - more specifically #bioacoustics 🦜🔊