Development and selection of operational management strategies to achieve policy objectives

Since the reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy in 2002, effort has been devoted to addressing the governance, scientific, social and economic issues required to introduce an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) in Europe. Fisheries management needs to support the three pillars of sustainability (ecological, social and economic) and Fisheries Ecosystem Plans (FEPs) have been developed as a tool to assist managers considering the ecological, social and economic implications of their decision. Building upon previous studies (e.g. the FP5-funded European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan project), the core concept of the Making the European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan Operational (MEFEPO) project is to deliver operational frameworks (FEPs) for three regional seas. The project focus is on how best to make current institutional frameworks responsive to an EAFM at regional and pan-European levels in accordance with the principles of good governance. The regional seas selected for the project are the North Sea (NS), North Western Waters (NWW) and South Western Waters (SWW) RAC regions. The aim of this work package (WP5) was to develop operational objectives to achieve the ecological objectives identified for the 3 regional seas in WP2. This report describes the development and implementation of a transparent and formal process that should lead to identification of the “best” operational management strategies for an EAFM, based on sound scientific information and stakeholder involvement (e.g. regional industry groups, citizen groups, managers and other interest groups)

Marked increase in community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, Western Australia, 2004–2018

This study presents enhanced surveillance data from 2004 – 2018 for all community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) specimens collected in Western Australia (WA), and describes the changing epidemiology over this period. A total of 57,557 cases were reviewed. Annual incidence rates increased from 86.2 cases per 100,000 population to 245.6 per 100,000 population (IRR = 2.9, CI95 2.7 – 3.0). The proportion of isolates carrying Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-associated genes increased from 3.4% to 59.8% (χ2 test for trend 7021.9, p\u3c0.001). The emergence of PVL-positive, “Queensland CA-MRSA” (ST93- IV) and “WA 121” (ST5-IV) accounted for the majority of increases in CA-MRSA across the study period. It is unclear why some clones are more prolific in certain regions. In WA, CA-MRSA rates increase as indices of temperature and humidity increase after controlling for socioeconomic disadvantage. We suggest climatic conditions may contribute to transmission, along with other socio-behavioural factors. A better understanding of the ability for certain clones to form ecological niches and cause outbreaks is required

Investor Competition Over Information and the Pricing of Information Asymmetry

Whether the information environment affects the cost of capital is a fundamental question in accounting and finance research. Relying on theories about competition between informed investors as well as the pricing of information asymmetry, we hypothesize a cross-sectional variation in the pricing of information asymmetry that is conditional on competition. We develop and validate empirical proxies for competition using the number and concentration of institutional investor ownership. Using these proxies, we find a lower pricing of information asymmetry when there is more competition. Overall, our results suggest that competition between informed investors has an important effect on how the information environment affects the cost of capital.Deloitte Foundatio

Asteroseismology and Interferometry

Asteroseismology provides us with a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of stellar structure and evolution. Recent developments, including the first systematic studies of solar-like pulsators, have boosted the impact of this field of research within Astrophysics and have led to a significant increase in the size of the research community. In the present paper we start by reviewing the basic observational and theoretical properties of classical and solar-like pulsators and present results from some of the most recent and outstanding studies of these stars. We centre our review on those classes of pulsators for which interferometric studies are expected to provide a significant input. We discuss current limitations to asteroseismic studies, including difficulties in mode identification and in the accurate determination of global parameters of pulsating stars, and, after a brief review of those aspects of interferometry that are most relevant in this context, anticipate how interferometric observations may contribute to overcome these limitations. Moreover, we present results of recent pilot studies of pulsating stars involving both asteroseismic and interferometric constraints and look into the future, summarizing ongoing efforts concerning the development of future instruments and satellite missions which are expected to have an impact in this field of research.Comment: Version as published in The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, Volume 14, Issue 3-4, pp. 217-36

The twilight of the Liberal Social Contract? On the Reception of Rawlsian Political Liberalism

This chapter discusses the Rawlsian project of public reason, or public justification-based 'political' liberalism, and its reception. After a brief philosophical rather than philological reconstruction of the project, the chapter revolves around a distinction between idealist and realist responses to it. Focusing on political liberalism’s critical reception illuminates an overarching question: was Rawls’s revival of a contractualist approach to liberal legitimacy a fruitful move for liberalism and/or the social contract tradition? The last section contains a largely negative answer to that question. Nonetheless the chapter's conclusion shows that the research programme of political liberalism provided and continues to provide illuminating insights into the limitations of liberal contractualism, especially under conditions of persistent and radical diversity. The programme is, however, less receptive to challenges to do with the relative decline of the power of modern states