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Fin whale song is a ubiquitous low-frequency pulsing that has been recorded in every ocean basin. In recent years, the complexity of fin whale song has been realized. In the North Atlantic, this song is made up of two low-frequency note types (A and B notes) and one higher-frequency note type (upsweeps). The A and B notes are produced with both singlet and doublet inter-note intervals. These song patterns are interwoven throughout an individual's song and have been observed to shift over time, both gradually and suddenly. Like many baleen whales, the population size of fin whales is poorly defined. Passive acoustic monitoring has been suggested as a way to estimate abundance if a cue rate or calling rate can be determined. In this study, we used recordings from 119 fin whale tracks from 2013-2023 generated from passive acoustic recorders in the North Atlantic to define fin whale song patterns in this ocean basin, identify changes in these song patterns over time, and calculate cue rates. The fin whales recorded sang in 4 distinct patterns. Inter-note intervals were 25 s for A-A singlets, 13 s for B-B singlets, 12/20 s for B-B doublets, and 10/11 s for A-B doublets. B-B doublet inter-note intervals significantly increased from May 2019--April 2023 and A-B inter-note intervals showed an intra-annual increasing trend that reset each summer. Fin whale song in the North Atlantic also often includes higher frequency upsweep notes immediately prior to B notes. While A and B note peak frequency was steady over these years, upsweep peak frequency significantly decreased, continuing a similar trend that has been observed over 30 years. Despite these changes, the dominant song pattern remained consistent and cue rate for actively singing whales was relatively stable, which is in contrast to patterns observed in the North Pacific. Many of these nuances in fin whale singing behavior are newly described herein, and these findings are vital for monitoring baseline behavior, behavioral trends over time, and ultimately estimating abundance of a poorly understood species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fin whale song is a ubiquitous low-frequency pulsing that has been recorded in every ocean basin. In recent years, the complexity of fin whale song has been realized. In the North Atlantic, this song is made up of two low-frequency note types (A and B notes) and one higher-frequency note type (upsweeps). The A and B notes are produced with both singlet and doublet inter-note intervals. These song patterns are interwoven throughout an individual's song and have been observed to shift over time, both gradually and suddenly. Like many baleen whales, the population size of fin whales is poorly defined. Passive acoustic monitoring has been suggested as a way to estimate abundance if a cue rate or calling rate can be determined. In this study, we used recordings from 119 fin whale tracks from 2013-2023 generated from passive acoustic recorders in the North Atlantic to define fin whale song patterns in this ocean basin, identify changes in these song patterns over time, and calculate cue rates. The fin whales recorded sang in 4 distinct patterns. Inter-note intervals were 25 s for A-A singlets, 13 s for B-B singlets, 12/20 s for B-B doublets, and 10/11 s for A-B doublets. B-B doublet inter-note intervals significantly increased from May 2019-April 2023 and A-B inter-note intervals showed an intra-annual increasing trend that reset each summer. Fin whale song in the North Atlantic also often includes higher frequency upsweep notes immediately prior to B notes. While A and B note peak frequency was steady over these years, upsweep peak frequency significantly decreased, continuing a similar trend that has been observed over 30 years. Despite these changes, the dominant song pattern remained consistent and cue rate for actively singing whales was relatively stable, which is in contrast to patterns observed in the North Pacific. Many of these nuances in fin whale singing behavior are newly described herein, and these findings are vital for monitoring baseline behavior, behavioral trends over time, and ultimately estimating abundance of a poorly understood species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A unique acoustic call type was identified and attributed to Bryde's whales in the central North Pacific in 2015, but little is known about the distribution, calling behavior, or swimming behavior of Bryde's whales in the region. Acoustic detections attributed to Bryde's whales were used to localize and track individual whales on the U.S. Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) in Kaua'i, Hawai'i. This study included 150 acoustically derived tracks from recordings spanning the years 2011-2022 with recording effort in nearly every month. Bryde's whale movement was examined relative to calendar year, day of year, hour of day, wind speed, and acoustic calling rate. Hidden Markov models were used to identify two kinematic states (slower, less directional movement and faster, more directional movement). The findings indicate that Bryde's whales were more likely to travel in a faster and more directional state during the daytime than at night and between May and August when compared to other times of year. The along-track acoustic cue rate was examined for 118 tracks, and the findings indicate a possible lengthening of the median inter-call interval over the duration of the study period. These results are an important first step in understanding more about behavior in Bryde's whales, a relatively understudied species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the causative agent of Lyme disease, establishes a long-term infection and leads to disease manifestations that are the result of host immune responses to the pathogen. Inflammatory manifestations resolve spontaneously despite continued bacterial presence, suggesting inflammatory cells become less responsive over time. This is mimicked by in vitro repeated stimulations, resulting in tolerance, a phenotypic subset of innate immune memory. We performed comparative transcriptional analysis of macrophages in acute and memory states and identified sets of Tolerized, Hyper-Induced, Secondary-Induced and Hyper-Suppressed genes resulting from memory induction, revealing previously unexplored networks of genes affected by cellular re-programming. Tolerized gene families included inflammatory mediators and interferon related genes as would be predicted by the attenuation of inflammation over time. To better understand how cells mediate inflammatory hypo-responsiveness, we focused on genes that could mediate maintenance of suppression, such as Hyper-Induced genes which are up-regulated in memory states. These genes were notably enriched in stress pathways regulated by anti-inflammatory modulators. We examined one of the most highly expressed negative regulators of immune pathways during primary stimulation, Aconitate decarboxylase 1 (Acod1), and tested its effects during in vivo infection with Bb. As predicted by our in vitro model, we show its inflammation-suppressive downstream effects are sustained during in vivo long-term infection with Bb, with a specific role in Lyme carditis. Author summary: Lyme disease, caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), is a long-term infection whose inflammatory manifestations are primarily due to an exuberant immune response to the pathogen. Although Bb can persist in its hosts for prolonged periods, most patients will resolve their symptoms even without antibiotic treatment. This suggests that the host has evolved methods of dampening the inflammatory response. Tolerance is a phenotypic subset of innate immune memory, a response resulting from epigenetic changes induced by a primary stimulus or during an acute infection. This transcriptional memory can be retained, affecting how a person responds during long-term infection or to subsequent infections. To better understand the gene expression changes between acute and memory states, we used an in vitro model of repeated stimulations and performed RNA sequencing. We identified a complex transcriptional profile network involved in the suppression of inflammatory responses and revealed novel gene expression subsets and pathways that may be important in maintenance of memory as well as gene sets responsible in the induction of memory during primary stimulation. We focused on one such gene, Acod1, a negative regulator of inflammation, and show that its anti-inflammatory effects are maintained in an animal model of Bb infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring on the basis of sound recordings, or passive acoustic monitoring, can complement or serve as an alternative to real‐time visual or aural monitoring of marine mammals and other animals by human observers. Passive acoustic data can support the estimation of common, individual‐level ecological metrics, such as presence, detection‐weighted occupancy, abundance and density, population viability and structure, and behaviour. Passive acoustic data also can support estimation of some community‐level metrics, such as species richness and composition. The feasibility of estimation and certainty of estimates is highly context dependent, and understanding the factors that affect the reliability of measurements is useful for those considering whether to use passive acoustic data. Here, we review basic concepts and methods of passive acoustic sampling in marine systems that often are applicable to marine mammal research and conservation. Our ultimate aim is to facilitate collaboration among ecologists, bioacousticians, and data analysts. Ecological applications of passive acoustics require one to make decisions about sampling design, which in turn requires consideration of sound propagation, sampling of signals, and data storage. One also must make decisions about signal detection and classification and evaluation of the performance of algorithms for these tasks. Investment in the research and development of systems that automate detection and classification, including machine learning, are increasing. Passive acoustic monitoring is more reliable for detection of species presence than for estimation of other species‐level metrics. Use of passive acoustic monitoring to distinguish among individual animals remains difficult. However, information about detection probability, vocalisation or cue rate, and relations between vocalisations and the number and behaviour of animals increases the feasibility of estimating abundance or density. Most sensor deployments are fixed in space or are sporadic, making temporal turnover in species composition more tractable to estimate than spatial turnover. Collaborations between acousticians and ecologists are most likely to be successful and rewarding when all partners critically examine and share a fundamental understanding of the target variables, sampling process, and analytical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lyme disease bacterial pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi, establishes a long-term infection inside its mammalian hosts. Despite the continued presence of the bacteria in animal models of disease, inflammation is transitory and resolves spontaneously. T cells with limited effector functions and the inability to become activated by antigen, termed exhausted T cells, are present in many long-term infections. These exhausted T cells mediate a balance between pathogen clearance and preventing tissue damage resulting from excess inflammation. Exhausted T cells express a variety of immunoinhibitory molecules, including the molecule PD-1. Following B. burgdorferi infection, we found that PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1 are significantly upregulated on CD4+ T cells and antigen presenting cell subsets, respectively. Using mice deficient in PD-1, we found that the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway did not impact bacterial clearance but did impact T cell expansion and accumulation in the ankle joint and popliteal lymph nodes without affecting B cell populations or antibody production, suggesting that the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway may play a role in shaping the T cell populations present in affected tissues. Author summary: Lyme disease is caused by the bacterial pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi which can establish a long-term infection inside its mammalian hosts. One hallmark of other long-term infections is the presence of T cells that express immunoinhibitory molecules, such as PD-1. Here, we sought to characterize if the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway was upregulated during murine B. burgdorferi infection and to understand its role in the outcome of infection. We demonstrated that the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is enriched following B. burgdorferi infection and while PD-1-/- mice do not exhibit a reduction in bacterial load compared to wild-type controls, they do exhibit an increased influx of T cells to the tissues following infection without affecting the B cell response. Our study suggests that the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway represents a key checkpoint to T cell expansion and tissue infiltration during Lyme disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While trade opening is generally welfare enhancing, it requires a reallocation of capital and labor across sectors and firms. The empirical evidence on how this reallocation works is still relatively thin. Our paper contributes to this literature by studying how the labor's share of income adjusted due to trade liberalization in India's formal manufacturing sector during the period 1998–99 to 2007–08. Our baseline model suggests that a fall in output tariffs led to an increase in the labor share while a fall in input tariffs brought about a decrease in labor share. However, once we control for factor and technology intensity of production, we find that this differential impact of tariff reduction on labor share aligns with these classifications. Tariff liberalization led to a decline in labor share in technology and capital-intensive sectors while in labor-intensive and low-tech sectors it brought about an increase. This suggests that following trade opening, demand for labor improved in labor-intensive and low-tech sectors but deteriorated in capital-intensive and high-tech sectors. India's manufacturing bias towards the latter explains the overall decline in labor share in the post-reform period. Furthermore, we find that labor adjustment occurred more efficiently in states with flexible labor laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic algorithms for the detection and classification of sound are essential to the analysis of acoustic datasets with long duration. Metrics are needed to assess the performance characteristics of these algorithms. Four metrics for performance evaluation are discussed here: receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves, detection-error-trade-off (DET) curves, precision-recall (PR) curves, and cost curves. These metrics were applied to the generalized power law detector for blue whale D calls [Helble, Ierley, D'Spain, Roch, and Hildebrand (2012). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131(4), 2682–2699] and the click-clustering neural-net algorithm for Cuvier's beaked whale echolocation click detection [Frasier, Roch, Soldevilla, Wiggins, Garrison, and Hildebrand (2017). PLoS Comp. Biol. 13(12), e1005823] using data prepared for the 2015 Detection, Classification, Localization and Density Estimation Workshop. Detection class imbalance, particularly the situation of rare occurrence, is common for long-term passive acoustic monitoring datasets and is a factor in the performance of ROC and DET curves with regard to the impact of false positive detections. PR curves overcome this shortcoming when calculated for individual detections and do not rely on the reporting of true negatives. Cost curves provide additional insight on the effective operating range for the detector based on the a priori probability of occurrence. Use of more than a single metric is helpful in understanding the performance of a detection algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote attestation consists of generating evidence of a system's integrity via measurements and reporting the evidence to a remote party for appraisal in a form that can be trusted. The parties that exchange information must agree on formats and protocols. We assert there is a large variety of patterns of interactions among appraisers and attesters of interest. Therefore, it is important to standardize on flexible mechanisms for remote attestation. We make our case by describing scenarios that require the exchange of evidence among multiple parties using a variety of message passing patterns. We show cases in which changes in the order of evidence collection result in important differences to what can be inferred by an appraiser. We argue that adding the ability to negotiate the appropriate kind of attestation allows for remote attestations that better adapt to a dynamically changing environment. Finally, we suggest a language-based solution to taming the complexity of specifying and negotiating attestation procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection in the United States. The high prevalence of infection and lack of a vaccine indicate a critical knowledge gap surrounding the host's response to infection and how to effectively generate protective immunity. The immune response to C. trachomatis is complex, with cells of the adaptive immune system playing a crucial role in bacterial clearance. Here, we discuss the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell response to Chlamydia , the importance of antigen specificity and the role of memory T cells during the recall response. Ultimately, a deeper understanding of protective immune responses is necessary to develop a vaccine that prevents the inflammatory diseases associated with Chlamydia infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bacterial pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease and is transmitted to humans through an Ixodes tick vector. B. burgdorferi is able to survive in both mammalian and tick hosts through careful modulation of its gene expression. This allows B. burgdorferi to adapt to the environmental and nutritional changes that occur when it is transmitted between the two hosts. Distinct interactions between the spirochete and its host occur at every step of the enzootic cycle and dictate the ability of the spirochete to survive until the next stage of the cycle. Studying the interface between B. burgdorferi, the Ixodes tick vector and the natural mammalian reservoirs has been made significantly more feasible through the complete genome sequences of the organisms and the advent of high throughput screening technologies. Ultimately, a thorough investigation of the interplay between the two domains (and two phyla within one domain) is necessary in order to completely understand how the pathogen is transmitted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memory antigen-specific CD4+ T cells against Chlamydia trachomatis are necessary for protection against secondary genital tract infection. While it is known that naïve antigen-specific CD4+ T cells can traffic to the genital tract in an antigen-specific manner, these T cells are not protective during primary infection. Here, we sought to compare the differences between memory and naïve antigen-specific CD4+ T cells in the same mouse following secondary infection using transgenic CD4+ T cells (NR1 T cells). Using RNA sequencing, we found that there were subtle but distinct differences between these two T cell populations. Naïve NR1 T cells significantly upregulated cell cycle genes and were more proliferative than memory NR1 T cells in the draining lymph node. In contrast, memory NR1 T cells were more activated than naïve NR1 T cells and were enriched in the genital tract. Together, our data provide insight into the differences between memory and naïve antigen-specific CD4+ T cells during C. trachomatis infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper quantifies the impact of international transport time on bilateral trade flows in goods using previously unexploited information drawn from a large data set on international parcel delivery times. In line with previous work, we find that an extra day spent in international transit reduces bilateral trade by just under 1% at the sample median. In addition, and for the first time in the literature, we examine the impact of time‐related uncertainty, which requires traders to hold costly inventories or build costly redundancies into supply chains. We find that a one day increase in international transport time uncertainty reduces bilateral trade flows by just over 1%. Splitting the sample into developing and developed countries shows that international transit time matters primarily for south–south trade, whereas uncertainty is relatively more important for north–north trade. Using new data on trade in intermediate versus final goods, we also find some evidence that time and uncertainty both matter more for movements of intermediates of the type that takes place within global value chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many animals increase the intensity of their vocalizations in increased noise. This response is known as the Lombard effect. While some previous studies about cetaceans report a 1 dB increase in the source level (SL) for every dB increase in the background noise level (NL), more recent data have not supported this compensation ability. The purpose of this study was to calculate the SLs of humpback whale song units recorded off Hawaii and test for a relationship between these SLs and background NLs. Opportunistic recordings during 2012–2017 were used to detect and track 524 humpback whale encounters comprised of 83 974 units on the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility hydrophones. Received levels were added to their estimated transmission losses to calculate SLs. Humpback whale song units had a median SL of 173 dB re 1 μ Pa at 1 m, and SLs increased by 0.53 dB/1 dB increase in background NLs. These changes occurred in real time on hourly and daily time scales. Increases in ambient noise could reduce male humpback whale communication space in the important breeding area off Hawaii. Since these vocalization changes may be dependent on location or behavioral state, more work is needed at other locations and with other species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minke whales were acoustically detected, localized, and tracked on the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility from 2012 to 2017. Animal source levels (SLs) were estimated by adding transmission loss estimates to measured received levels of 42 159 individual minke whale boings. Minke whales off Hawaii exhibited the Lombard effect in that they increased their boing call intensity in increased background noise. Minke whales also decreased the variance of the boing call SL in higher background noise levels. Although the whales partially compensated for increasing background noise, they were unable or unwilling to increase their SLs by the same amount as the background noise. As oceans become louder, this reduction in communication space could negatively impact the health of minke whale populations. The findings in this study also have important implications for acoustic animal density studies, which may use SL to estimate probability of detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In today's internet markets consumers can search for, find and compare prices worldwide. Online, information circulates faster than offline and arbitrage opportunities such as the ones arising from currency shocks are easily unveiled. In this paper, we estimate for the first‐time exchange rate elasticities for cross‐border e‐commerce transactions. Exploiting a new high‐frequency database on international transactions of parcels, we find that a 1% appreciation of the domestic currency increases e‐commerce imports by 0.7%. Comparing the result with traditional estimates in offline markets, this implies a 50% exchange rate pass‐through online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in communication and information technology enable companies to have more and more data and knowledge about individual consumers. As a consequence, products and services can be marketed more specifically or even customized according to the preference of the consumer. In this paper we argue that we are currently witnessing the emergence of a consumer-centered economy. In such an economy, the success of firms depends on how well they are able to integrate consumer information into the process of value addition. Producing standardized products will offer few prospects for success, even when integrated into regional or global value chains. For Asia, this new trend means that developing countries need to rapidly upgrade the skills of their work force, improve their information technology and transport connectivity, and lower their trade costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although humpback whales have been well‐studied on their Hawaiian breeding grounds, it is difficult to track individual animals over long distances without tags, particularly when they move offshore. Here, singing humpback whales were localized in three dimensions on the Pacific Missile Range Facility off Kauai, Hawaii, located between 20 km and 80 km offshore, from January 2011 through June 2014. Detailed behavioral analyses were conducted on the resulting tracks. One hundred and eight individual tracks were identified and metrics of these tracks were examined. Using these metrics, the tracks were classified into four behavior categories, described herein as Directed Travel, Repeated Stationary Dives, Mill, and tracks with Combinations of behavioral states. Some diel and seasonal patterns were identified, with Mill tracks occurring more at night than the other behaviors, Repeated Stationary Dive tracks occurring more during the day, and Directed Travel occurring only at the start and end of the breeding season. These results provide detailed insights into the movement of singing humpback whales, particularly in offshore waters where they may be migrating into or out of breeding grounds. This also contributes valuable information on the baseline behavior of humpback whales on a US Navy training range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis drives severe mucosal immunopathology; however, the immune responses that are required for mediating pathology vs. protection are not well understood. Here, we employed a mouse model to identify immune responses required for C. trachomatis-induced upper genital tract pathology and to determine whether these responses are also required for bacterial clearance. In mice as in humans, immunopathology was characterized by extravasation of leukocytes into the upper genital tract that occluded luminal spaces in the uterus and ovaries. Flow cytometry identified these cells as neutrophils at early time points and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells at later time points. To determine what draws these cells to C. trachomatis-infected tissue, wemeasured the expression of 700 inflammation-related genes in the upper genital tract and found an up-regulation of many chemokines, including a node of interaction between CXCL9/10/11 and their common receptor CXCR3. Either depleting neutrophils or reducing T-cell numbers by CXCR3 blockade was sufficient to significantly ameliorate immunopathology but had no effect on bacterial burden, demonstrating that these responses are necessary for mucosal pathology but dispensable for C. trachomatis clearance. Therapies that specifically target these host responses may therefore prove useful in ameliorating C. trachomatis-induced pathology without exacerbating infection or transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high hopes that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would open up trade across the Pacific were dashed by the decision of the new US Government under President Trump to withdraw from the agreement in January 2017. Despite being controversial, the TPP had been recognized as an agreement that substantially updates and extends international trade rules responding to new technological developments and economic realities. It was thus lauded by some as the first true twenty-first century trade agreement. The United States' withdrawal from TPP gives the agreement an uncertain future. Yet, we argue in this paper that some achievements of the TPP might not be lost. The TPP offers important lessons for other ambitious regional trade deals both in terms of process and content. Furthermore, several chapters of the TPP can become blueprints for ongoing and upcoming negotiations at the multilateral level. A one-to-one transposition of TPP provisions into the multilateral trade agreement is unlikely, yet certain provisions could serve as valuable inspiration for future multilateral trade talks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eastern North Pacific gray whales make one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, traveling from their summer feeding areas in the Bering and Chukchi Seas to their wintering areas in the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. Although a significant body of knowledge on gray whale biology and behavior exists, little is known about their vocal behavior while migrating. In this study, we used a sparse hydrophone array deployed offshore of central California to investigate how gray whales behave and use sound while migrating. We detected, localized, and tracked whales for one full migration season, a first for gray whales. We verified and localized 10,644 gray whale M3 calls and grouped them into 280 tracks. Results confirm that gray whales are acoustically active while migrating and their swimming and acoustic behavior changes on daily and seasonal time scales. The seasonal timing of the calls verifies the gray whale migration timing determined using other methods such as counts conducted by visual observers. The total number of calls and the percentage of calls that were part of a track changed significantly over both seasonal and daily time scales. An average calling rate of 5.7 calls/whale/day was observed, which is significantly greater than previously reported migration calling rates. We measured a mean speed of 1.6 m/s and quantified heading, direction, and water depth where tracks were located. Mean speed and water depth remained constant between night and day, but these quantities had greater variation at night. Gray whales produce M3 calls with a root mean square source level of 156.9 dB re 1 μPa at 1 m. Quantities describing call characteristics were variable and dependent on site-specific propagation characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pacific island countries have opted for exchange rate regimes with varying degrees of flexibility. Whereas several microstates have adopted an external currency as their legal tender, others have decided to use a basket currency, and yet others have chosen a managed float. The choice of exchange rate regime can have far reaching economic consequences. In the paper, we study the basket currency arrangements by Fiji, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, and Tonga. We first build a new four-country exchange rate model that illustrates how monetary authorities should best determine the weights of the basket currencies given certain macroeconomic objective functions. In this model, we explicitly include tourism flows. In the second part of the paper, we estimate the de facto weights of foreign currencies in the currency basket of the four countries. We show how the composition has changed amid the global financial crisis. Finally, we demonstrate that the current weights are not optimal compared with the predictions of our model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time difference of arrival methods for acoustically localizing multiple marine mammals have been applied to recorded data from the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility in order to localize and track calls attributed to Bryde's whales. Data were recorded during the months of August-October 2014, and 17 individual tracks were identified. Call characteristics were compared to other Bryde's whale vocalizations from the Pacific Ocean, and locations of the recorded signals were compared to published visual sightings of Bryde's whales in the Hawaiian archipelago. Track kinematic information, such as swim speeds, bearing information, track duration, and directivity, was recorded for the species. The intercall interval was also established for most of the tracks, providing cue rate information for this species that may be useful for future acoustic density estimate calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses the contents within the issue including articles on topics such as challenges for financial growth in the European Union as well as Japan, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the economic effects of a loose monetary policy.

We thank the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for funding MARU deployments and data collection (M10PC00087 for Georgia and North Carolina, M15AC00010 for Virginia, M14AC00018 for Maryland), Excelerate Energy Inc. for the funding of Autobuoy deployment, and Michael J. Weise of the US Office of Naval Research for support (N000141712867)." We thank the Maryland Department of Natural Resources secured the funding for the data collection offshore of Maryland from the Maryland Energy Administration's Offshore Wind Development Fund (14-14-1916, 14-17-2241). Table 1 omitted to reference the experimental data and its funding sources. [Extracted from the article]

Time difference of arrival (TDOA) methods for acoustically localizing multiple marine mammals have been applied to recorded data from the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility in order to localize and track humpback whales. Modifications to established methods were necessary in order to simultaneously track multiple animals on the range faster than real-time and in a fully automated way, while minimizing the number of incorrect localizations. The resulting algorithms were run with no human intervention at computational speeds faster than the data recording speed on over forty days of acoustic recordings from the range, spanning multiple years. Spatial localizations based on correlating sequences of units originating from within the range produce estimates having a standard deviation typically 10 m or less (due primarily to TDOA measurement errors), and a bias of 20 m or less (due primarily to sound speed mismatch). An automated method for associating units to individual whales is presented, enabling automated humpback song analyses to be performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates the importance of accounting for environmental effects on passive underwater acoustic monitoring results. The situation considered is the reduction in shipping off the California coast between 2008-2010 due to the recession and environmental legislation. The resulting variations in ocean noise change the probability of detecting marine mammal vocalizations. An acoustic model was used to calculate the time-varying probability of detecting humpback whale vocalizations under best-guess environmental conditions and varying noise. The uncorrected call counts suggest a diel pattern and an increase in calling over a two-year period; the corrected call counts show minimal evidence of these features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive acoustic monitoring of marine mammal calls is an increasingly important method for assessing population numbers, distribution, and behavior. A common mistake in the analysis of marine mammal acoustic data is formulating conclusions about these animals without first understanding how environmental properties such as bathymetry, sediment properties, water column sound speed, and ocean acoustic noise influence the detection and character of vocalizations in the acoustic data. The approach in this paper is to use Monte Carlo simulations with a full wave field acoustic propagation model to characterize the site specific probability of detection of six types of humpback whale calls at three passive acoustic monitoring locations off the California coast. Results show that the probability of detection can vary by factors greater than ten when comparing detections across locations, or comparing detections at the same location over time, due to environmental effects. Effects of uncertainties in the inputs to the propagation model are also quantified, and the model accuracy is assessed by comparing calling statistics amassed from 24 690 humpback units recorded in the month of October 2008. Under certain conditions, the probability of detection can be estimated with uncertainties sufficiently small to allow for accurate density estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Aid for Trade' is an ongoing and high-profile discussion associated with the Doha negotiations of the World Trade Organization. It also relates to questions of how best to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Questions remain, however, about whether foreign aid spent on trade facilitation increases trade flows of developing countries. Does it work differently from aid in general? Using detailed data on aid flows from the OECD, the analysis here estimates the relationship between specific types of aid and trade flows, both globally and of the aid recipients. The findings indicate that aid spent on promoting trade is positively associated with global trade. For most types of such aid-for-trade facilitation, it is relatively more strongly associated with recipient exports than their imports. In contrast 'other' types of aid are more strongly associated with recipient imports. Based on elasticities estimated over 16 years of trade and aid data for 40 donor countries and about 170 country trading pairs, our results suggest that a 1% increase in aid-for-trade facilitation (of about US$ 220 million in 2008) correlates to about US$ 290 million of additional exports from the aid receiving countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional detection of humpback vocalizations is often based on frequency summation of band-limited spectrograms under the assumption that energy (square of the Fourier amplitude) is the appropriate metric. Power-law detectors allow for a higher power of the Fourier amplitude, appropriate when the signal occupies a limited but unknown subset of these frequencies. Shipping noise is non-stationary and colored and problematic for many marine mammal detection algorithms. Modifications to the standard power-law form are introduced to minimize the effects of this noise. These same modifications also allow for a fixed detection threshold, applicable to broadly varying ocean acoustic environments. The detection algorithm is general enough to detect all types of humpback vocalizations. Tests presented in this paper show this algorithm matches human detection performance with an acceptably small probability of false alarms (PFA < 6%) for even the noisiest environments. The detector outperforms energy detection techniques, providing a probability of detection PD = 95% for PFA < 5% for three acoustic deployments, compared to PFA > 40% for two energy-based techniques. The generalized power-law detector also can be used for basic parameter estimation and can be adapted for other types of transient sounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new strain of measles virus, D4-Hamburg, was imported from London to Hamburg in December 2008 and subsequently spread to Bulgaria, where an outbreak of >24,300 cases was observed. We analyzed spread of the virus to demonstrate the importance of addressing hard-to-reach communities within the World Health Organization European Region regarding access to medical care and vaccination campaigns. The D4-Hamburg strain appeared during 2009-2011 in Poland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Austria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland, and Belgium and was repeatedly reimported to Germany. The strain was present in Europe for >27 months and led to >25,000 cases in 12 countries. Spread of the virus was prevalently but not exclusively associated with travel by persons in the Roma ethnic group; because this travel extends beyond the borders of any European country, measures to prevent the spread of measles should be implemented by the region as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zirconia particles synthesized under ambient conditions are frequently amorphous, requiring heat to produce a crystalline phase. Synthesized nanoparticles are generally found in the tetragonal phase. In this article, a room temperature sol–gel synthesis of crystalline sub-10-nm zirconia particles is described. By adjusting the acid concentration of the reaction, it is found that the particles’ crystalline phase can be modified. Under acidic conditions with moisture present, the tetragonal phase is produced, whereas under acidic conditions with low water content, 2–5-nm particles suggestive of the metastable orthorhombic phase are produced. Subsequent heat treatment of all powders produced with this technique resulted in their transformation first to the tetragonal phase, and ultimately to the monoclinic phase. The extent of the transformation to the monoclinic phase depends upon the atmosphere, however, suggesting that oxygen vacancies play a significant role in the stabilization and determination of the resulting phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of non-reciprocal preference schemes to least-developed countries (LDC) export performance is a topic of active debate. This paper examines the impact of a broad-based reform of the Canadian General System of Preferences (GSP) for LDC scheme on the export performance of LDCs in the textiles and clothing sector. The results indicate that a more flexible GSP scheme not only boosted the export volume, but also increased the number of product categories that were exported. The paper thus provides further confirmation that appropriately designed non-reciprocal preference schemes may help promote the export performance of LDCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show in this paper that increasing the transparency of the trading environment can be an important complement to traditional liberalisation of tariff and non-tariff barriers. Our definition of transparency is grounded in a transaction cost analysis. We focus on two dimensions of transparency: predictability (reducing the cost of uncertainty) and simplification (reducing information costs). Using the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies as a case study, we construct indices of importer and exporter transparency for the region from a wide range of sources. Our results from a gravity model suggest that improving trade-related transparency in APEC could hold significant benefits by raising intra-APEC trade by approximately US$148 billion or 7.5 per cent of baseline trade in the region. Action to improve transparency measures examined could be undertaken in many forms, including within the current APEC framework or future talks on a Free Trade Area in the Asia Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the seminal contribution of McCallum (1995) economists have tried to estimate the border effect for other countries than the United States and Canada, but have been confronted with a key data problem: data on regional trade flows are extremely rare. The different approaches put forward to overcome this lack of information have been shown to hinge crucially on certain distance measures. The main purpose of this paper is to develop a method that allows us determining border effects with a high degree of accuracy in the absence of intra-national trade data. We show how to improve the estimation of border effects with the example of France and Germany using data on regional transportation flows. Our results indicate that France trades about eight times more and Germany about three times more with itself than with other EU countries, respectively, compared to the predictions of the gravity equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the world economy is integrating, trade between countries is growing rapidly. The exchange of goods not only has an economic, but also a cultural dimension. In the gravity equation literature common religion is often used as a control variable, without distinguishing between religious groups. This paper investigates the possible ways in which religion influences international trade patterns. Analyzing empirically trade flows between 151 countries, the paper finds that the five world religions, namely Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, have different impacts on trade. For inter-religious trade the study indicates that several religions have clear preferences with whom to trade or not. Furthermore, the results indicate that religious openness boosts trade performance of countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]