Capacity and Scale Inefficiency: Application of Data Envelopment Analysis in the Case of the French Seaweed Fleet

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models are applied to the main French seaweed fleet to examine capacity output, capacity utilization, and scale inefficiency. Coastal seaweed vessels target only one output—kelp—with the same gear but with different input level combinations. The fishery is seasonal and subject mainly to input regulations, especially a one trip per day regulation implemented in 1987. The consequence was a decline in total observed output and a fall in capacity output and efficient output. Only the largest vessels and a few small vessels harvesting without this regulatory constraint operate at the optimal scale. The question of a change in regulation, especially a shift to an individual quota system, is raised.Data Envelopment Analysis, capacity, capacity utilizations, cale inefficiency, production frontier, seaweed, fleet, Q22, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

A BIOECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF DECOMMISSIONING PROGRAMS: APPLICATION TO A LIMITED-ENTRY FRENCH SCALLOP FISHERY

The objective of this paper is to assess the benefits and costs of decommissioning policies aimed at reducing fleet capacity through premiums offered by the public authority to fishermen to scrap their vessels. A case study, the limited entry scallop fishery of the Saint Brieuc Bay, France, is used to consider the problem of excess capacity and to model the bioeconomic consequences of disinvestment behavior. Special attention is paid to the assessment of fishermen's willingness to leave the fishery and to the implementation of public policy in terms of budget level and premiums offered to the fishermen. Spreadsheet simulations show that the impact of decommissioning programs is positive in terms of net surplus, even in the case of increasing technical efficiency of the vessels.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) - Report of the Working Group on the Implementation of the Collection of Indicators for the Fleet Based Approach and Establishment of Regional Sampling Designs for the New Data Collection Framework (SGRN-SGECA 08-01) - Joint Working Group on Research Needs (SGRN) and on Economic Affairs (SGECA), Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF)

The EC Data Collection Regulation (DCR) has been implemented since 2001 with the aim of harmonising the collection of fisheries biological and economic data across the Member States. Despite the recognised benefits brought about by the DCR, the scientific community and managers acknowledged that the current procedure of collecting biological data on a stock basis and economic data on a fleet basis did not favour the provision of relevant inputs to fishery-based management advice. The review of the DCR started in 2005 and was an opportunity to integrate the fishery-based approach in the future collection of bio-economic data. The SGECA-SGRN 08-01 meeting was the final opportunity for independent experts to give scientific input to the fisheries fleet matrix, previously defined by the scientific community. The participants of the meeting were split into two sub-groups depending on the area of expertise. Transversal data (relevant for both Economists and Biologists i.e. effort, landings) where discussed in plenary. The experts were asked to address: a) Review the fleet-fishing activity matrix at both EU and regional levels b) Propose or update stratification for regional length vessel classes c) Establish a regional design and regional protocols for the collection of biological and economic data in the view of the fleet based approach and SGRN recommendations. The proposal should include suggestions for the sampling strata, the sampling intensities and precision levels wherever possible, and for criteria for allocation of the fishing activity (dominance/exclusivity criteria) d) Propose operational guidelines for the implementation of the new data collection framework (both for collection of biological and economic data). The results of the meeting is planned to be incorporated in the draft of the new DCR and presented to the management committee at three occasions during the spring of 2008.JRC.G.4-Maritime affair

PSS25 COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ETANERCEPT AND EFALIZUMAB IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MODERATE AND SEVERE PLAQUE PSORIASIS

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A Bioeconomic Analysis of the Impact of Buyback Programs: Application to a Limited Entry Scallop French Fishery

The objective of the paper is to analyse and to simulate fishers dis-investment behaviour especially in the context of the French buyback policy. A case study, the limited entry scallop fishery of the Saint-Brieuc bay is used to consider the problem of excess capacity and to review the impact of the national decommissioning schemes on the scallop fleet. The role of financial incentives technical and economic are studied to explain individual decisions to stay or to leave the fishery. Considering these lessons, the second part of the paper aims at modelling fishers’ behaviour in order to simulate the bio-economic impacts of buyback programs and the role of different incentive schemes. Special attention is paid to the assessment of willingness to accept to leave the fishery. The model is applied to the scallop fishery while highlighting agency problems such as the role of the regulator’s information about fleet and cost structure. The problem of windfall gains problem due to the mis-specification of the buy-back programs is analysed. Spreadsheet simulations lead to cost-benefit analysis of different policy options.Keywords: Fishing capacity adjustment, buy-back programs, premium, willingness to accept, bio-economic model, cost-benefit analysis

Can 3D Multiparametric Ultrasound Imaging Predict Prostate Biopsy Outcome?

Objectives: To assess the value of 3D multiparametric ultrasound imaging, combining hemodynamic and tissue stiffness quantifications by machine learning, for the prediction of prostate biopsy outcomes. Methods: After signing informed consent, 54 biopsy-naïve patients underwent a 3D dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) recording, a multi-plane 2D shear-wave elastography (SWE) scan with manual sweeping from base to apex of the prostate, and received 12-core systematic biopsies (SBx). 3D maps of 18 hemodynamic parameters were extracted from the 3D DCE-US quantification and a 3D SWE elasticity map was reconstructed based on the multi-plane 2D SWE acquisitions. Subsequently, all the 3D maps were segmented and subdivided into 12 regions corresponding to the SBx locations. Per region, the set of 19 computed parameters was further extended by derivation of eight radiomic features per parameter. Based on this feature set, a multiparametric ultrasound approach was implemented using five different classifiers together with a sequential floating forward selection method and hyperparameter tuning. The classification accuracy with respect to the biopsy reference was assessed by a group-k-fold cross-validation procedure, and the performance was evaluated by the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristics Curve (AUC). Results: Of the 54 patients, 20 were found with clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) based on SBx. The 18 hemodynamic parameters showed mean AUC values varying from 0.63 to 0.75, and SWE elasticity showed an AUC of 0.66. The multiparametric approach using radiomic features derived from hemodynamic parameters only produced an AUC of 0.81, while the combination of hemodynamic and tissue-stiffness quantifications yielded a significantly improved AUC of 0.85 for csPCa detection (p-value &lt; 0.05) using the Gradient Boosting classifier. Conclusions: Our results suggest 3D multiparametric ultrasound imaging combining hemodynamic and tissue-stiffness features to represent a promising diagnostic tool for biopsy outcome prediction, aiding in csPCa localization.</p