Institutional designs to face the dark side of total allowable catches

Setting total allowable catches (TACs) is an endogenous process in which different agents and institutions, often with conflicting interests and opportunistic behaviour, try to influence policy-makers. Such policy-makers, far from being the benevolent social planners many would wish them to be, may also pursue self-interest when making final decisions. Although restricted knowledge of stock abundance and population dynamics, and weakness in enforcement, have effects, these other factors may explain the reason why TAC management has failed to guarantee sustainable exploitation of fish resources. Rejecting the exogeneity of the TAC and taking advantage of fruitful debate on economic policy (i.e. the rules vs. discretion debate, and that surrounding the independence of central banks), two institutional developments are analysed as potential mechanisms to face up to misconceptions about TACs: long-term harvest control rules, and a central bank of fish.

A livelihoods study of fishers and farmers in Long An Province

This is the report of a livelihoods study team working together with people from two villages in Long An Province, Vietnam. The study is based on information provided by the villagers, who shared their knowledge and spoke about real problems they face with their livelihoods. This study was conducted from 11-20 October 2001. The team worked with key informants in two communes, Thuan Nghia Hoa and My Thanh Dong, who volunteered to participate and represented the 177 households in the village. (PDF contains 40 pages)

The cross layer RMPA handover: a reliable mobility pattern aware handover strategy for broadband wireless communication in a high-speed railway domain

Enhancing the handover process in broadband wireless communication deployment has traditionally motivated many research initiatives. In a high-speed railway domain, the challenge is even greater. Owing to the long distances covered, the mobile node gets involved in a compulsory sequence of handover processes. Consequently, poor performance during the execution of these handover processes significantly degrades the global end-to-end performance. This article proposes a new handover strategy for the railway domain: the RMPA handover, a Reliable Mobility Pattern Aware IEEE 802.16 handover strategy "customized" for a high-speed mobility scenario. The stringent high mobility feature is balanced with three other positive features in a high-speed context: mobility pattern awareness, different sources for location discovery techniques, and a previously known traffic data profile. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no IEEE 802.16 handover scheme that simultaneously covers the optimization of the handover process itself and the efficient timing of the handover process. Our strategy covers both areas of research while providing a cost-effective and standards-based solution. To schedule the handover process efficiently, the RMPA strategy makes use of a context aware handover policy; that is, a handover policy based on the mobile node mobility pattern, the time required to perform the handover, the neighboring network conditions, the data traffic profile, the received power signal, and current location and speed information of the train. Our proposal merges all these variables in a cross layer interaction in the handover policy engine. It also enhances the handover process itself by establishing the values for the set of handover configuration parameters and mechanisms of the handover process. RMPA is a cost-effective strategy because compatibility with standards-based equipment is guaranteed. The major contributions of the RMPA handover are in areas that have been left open to the handover designer's discretion. Our simulation analysis validates the RMPA handover decision rules and design choices. Our results supporting a high-demand video application in the uplink stream show a significant improvement in the end-to-end quality of service parameters, including end-to-end delay (22%) and jitter (80%), when compared with a policy based on signal-to-noise-ratio information.

The effect of long term exploitation by the gill net fishery on the multispecies fish stocks in Kainji Lake, Nigeria, 1969-1997

The findings are presented of an assessment made of the gillnet fishery in Kainji Lake, Nigeria from 1969 to the present, on the basis of data sets from commercial and experimental gillnet fishing, with the purpose to detect trends in some key fishery monitoring indicators. During this period, there has been an increase in the number of small meshed nets in the fishery resulting in a shift in the mode to lower mesh sizes; consequently, the average mesh size declined gradually in the fishery. This trend is found to be directly correlated with the decline in the CPUE and mean weight of the fish species. It is argued that the observed trend in CPUE and mean weight is forcing the fishermen to switch effort to gears such as traps which have very small meshes and can indescriminately take all sizes of the fish. It is shown that the catch composition by weight of Citharinus citharus, Lates niloticus and tilapias declined in the gillnet fishery in the late 70's and early 80's. Recent data, from 1994 to 1996, however indicates that C. citharus is recovering, but with declining mean weight. This suggests that the exploitation pattern is shifting to the smaller fish through the use of small meshed nets. In general, however, there has not been drastic changes in species bio-diversity in the Lake as a result of predatory effect and ecosystem overfishing as has happened in other great African Lakes. The species composition since lake formation continued to be dominated by fewer that 20 species. The potential yield for the lake has been estimated to be 32,166 tonnes (excluding clupeids) and the required optimum fishing effort to be 1,814 fishing canoes. In view of the relative stability of the species diversity in the lake and the current fish production level, it is proposed here that this MSY be adopted for all species. This would be achieved with the current effort level in the lake assuming that the efficiency of the fishermen and their gears do not improve. It should be reviewed after 10 or more years of catch and effort data collection. (PDF contains 65 pages)

Avaliação da customização por desgaste de pinos pré-fabricados de fibra de vidro

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar pinos pré-fabricados de fibra de vidro (White Post DC/FGM) submetidos à customização por desgaste da porção apical. Experimento 1: 5 pinos n. 4 foram divididos em 5 grupos (G) de acordo com o instrumento de desgaste: GA - sem desgaste, GB- mini torno industrial (Dentsply), GC - ponta diamantada n. 3195F (KG Sorensen), GD - disco de lixa de granulação média (Sof-Lex/3M/ESPE), GE- alicate (Tramontina). Observou-se a micromorfologia dos pinos em microscópio eletrônico de varredura (ZEISS/DSM 960). Experimento 2: 60 pinos de diferentes diâmetros foram divididos em 6 grupos: G0 - pinos n. 0,5, G1 - pinos n. 1, G2 - pinos n. 2, G3 - pinos n. 3, G4 - pinos n.4, G5 - pinos n. 4 com terço apical desgastado com discos de lixa até o equivalente ao terço apical dos pinos n. 2. Os pinos foram submetidos ao teste de flexão de 3 pontos na máquina de ensaios universal (Instron 5500 R), conforme ISO 10477. Experimento 3: 20 caninos humanos permanentes sofreram tratamento endodôntico e remoção das coroas clínicas padronizando 15 mm de remanescente radicular. Os dentes foram incluídos em resina acrílica com simulação do ligamento periodontal, receberam férula de 2 mm e foram divididos em 2 grupos: GI - pinos n. 4 cimentados em condutos preparados com broca equivalente ao pino (FGM), GII - pinos n. 4 customizados no terço apical cimentados em condutos preparados com brocas (FGM) equivalentes aos pinos n. 2 em 10 mm e n. 4 em 5 mm. Os pinos foram cimentados com cimento resinoso (Rely X U100/3M/ESPE), os corpos de prova receberam coroas diretas de resina composta (Enforce Core/Dentsply) padronizadas com coras de policarbonato (TDV) e foram submetidos ao teste de resistência à fratura na Instron a 45da ferramenta cilíndrica, com força de 500 N aplicada a 2 mm da incisal na face palatina/lingual, com velocidade de 0,5 mm/min até falha. O padrão de fratura foi classificado em favorável ou desfavorável. Os resultados foram tratados estatisticamente por teste de análise de variância (ANOVA, p<0,05). Os resultados dos testes de flexão e fratura foram respectivamente: G0 - 58,406,40; G1 - 83,959,43; G2- 103,4219,17; G3 - 160,7817,30; G4 - 170,4711,28; G5 - 106,3521,96; GI - 303,0262,21 e GII - 402,81131,97. O padrão de fratura foi tratado por Mann-Whitney que observou semelhança estatística entre os grupos. Concluiu-se que o desgaste de pinos de fibra de vidro com pontas diamantadas ou discos de lixa produz alterações micromorfológicas aceitáveis. O corte com alicate deve ser evitado. A customização por desgaste da porção apical de pinos de fibra de vidro diminui a resistência à flexão a valores aceitáveis. Dentes restaurados com pinos de fibra de vidro customizados por desgaste possuem resistência à fratura superior a dentes restaurados com pinos intactos. A customização por desgaste facilita a adaptação do pino ao conduto radicular e preserva a estrutura dental.

Direito do investimento e inovação tecnológica: o histórico regulatório da transferência de tecnologia no Brasil em face das cláusulas de proteção dos acordos bilaterais de investimentos (BITs)

A regulação direta ou indireta da transferência de tecnologia pelo Brasil desde o final da década de 50 do século XX nem sempre foi devidamente compreendida. O uso da tributação, com efeitos fiscais e extrafiscais, teve reflexos sobre a atuação do INPI e do Banco Centra do Brasil (BACEN) que permanecem até os dias de hoje, mas tinham como fundamento uma política industrial específica e a limitação dos seus efeitos no balanço de pagamentos do país. O Brasil nunca se fechou totalmente aos investidores estrangeiros, mas sempre utilizou limitações setoriais, posteriormente o registro do ingresso do capital estrangeiro e, por muito tempo, o desincentivo à sua saída por medidas limitadoras ou proibitivas de remessas de dividendos e royalties, até mesmo com o uso da extrafiscalidade. Como o país apenas recentemente realmente prioriza de forma geral a pesquisa e desenvolvimento (P&D) tecnológico, o que resulta em pouca tecnologia gerada internamente, os royalties devidos pelo uso da tecnologia das empresas transnacionais sempre foram objeto de crítica e, consequentemente, medidas limitadoras. Essa atuação regulatória representa um risco político aos investidores, com os acordos bilaterais de investimentos (BITs) sendo os tratados internacionais mais utilizados para afastá-lo. O Brasil, porém, apesar de ter assinado diversos deles, não possui nenhum em vigor. O confronto entre as cláusulas de proteção dos BITs e a política regulatória sobre a transferência de tecnologia e investimento estrangeiro que durante muito tempo vigorou no país representa um caso concreto extremamente interessante para avaliar a aplicação desses tratados e eventuais medidas que os violam, auxiliando, ainda, a compreensão de algumas das medidas regulatórias que permanecem em vigor.

Effects of Spring Temperatures on the Strength of Selection on Timing of Reproduction in a Long-Distance Migratory Bird

Climate change has differentially affected the timing of seasonal events for interacting trophic levels, and this has often led to increased selection on seasonal timing. Yet, the environmental variables driving this selection have rarely been identified, limiting our ability to predict future ecological impacts of climate change. Using a dataset spanning 31 years from a natural population of pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), we show that directional selection on timing of reproduction intensified in the first two decades (1980-2000) but weakened during the last decade (2001-2010). Against expectation, this pattern could not be explained by the temporal variation in the phenological mismatch with food abundance. We therefore explored an alternative hypothesis that selection on timing was affected by conditions individuals experience when arriving in spring at the breeding grounds: arriving early in cold conditions may reduce survival. First, we show that in female recruits, spring arrival date in the first breeding year correlates positively with hatch date; hence, early-hatched individuals experience colder conditions at arrival than late-hatched individuals. Second, we show that when temperatures at arrival in the recruitment year were high, early-hatched young had a higher recruitment probability than when temperatures were low. We interpret this as a potential cost of arriving early in colder years, and climate warming may have reduced this cost. We thus show that higher temperatures in the arrival year of recruits were associated with stronger selection for early reproduction in the years these birds were born. As arrival temperatures in the beginning of the study increased, but recently declined again, directional selection on timing of reproduction showed a nonlinear change. We demonstrate that environmental conditions with a lag of up to two years can alter selection on phenological traits in natural populations, something that has important implications for our understanding of how climate can alter patterns of selection in natural populations.

Avaliação tridimensional da sínfise mandibular em crânios secos e sua associação com diferentes classificações de tipos faciais

O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver um estudo morfológico quantitativo e qualitativo da região da sínfise mandibular (SM), através da construção de modelos tridimensionais (3D) e avaliar o seu grau de associação com diferentes classificações de padrões faciais. Foram avaliados 61 crânios secos humanos de adultos jovens com oclusão normal, com idade entre 18 e 45 anos e dentadura completa. Tomografias computadorizadas de feixe cônico (TCFC) de todos os crânios foram obtidas de forma padronizada. O padrão facial foi determinado por método antropométrico e cefalométrico. Utilizando o critério antropométrico, tomando como referência o índice facial (IF), o padrão facial foi classificado em: euriprósopo (≤84,9), mesoprósopo (85,0 - 89,9) e leptoprósopo (≥90,0). Pelo critério cefalométrico, o plano mandibular (FMA) determinou o padrão facial em curto (≤21,0), médio (21,1 - 29,0) e longo (≥29,1); e o índice de altura facial (IAF) classificou a face em hipodivergente (≥0,750), normal (0,749 - 0,650) e hiperdivergente (≤0,649). A construção de modelos 3D, representativos da região da SM, foi realizada com o auxílio do software ITK-SNAP. Os dentes presentes nesta região, incisivos, caninos e pré-molares inferiores, foram separados do modelo por técnica de segmentação semi-automática, seguida de refinamento manual. Em seguida, foram obtidos modelos 3D somente com o tecido ósseo, possibilitando a mensuraçãodo volume ósseo em mm3 (VOL) e da densidade radiográfica, pela média de intensidade dos voxels (Mvox). No programa Geomagic Studio 10 foi feita uma superposição anatômica dos modelos 3D em bestfit para estabelecer um plano de corte padronizado na linha média. Para cada sínfise foi medida a altura (Alt), a largura (Larg) e calculado o índice de proporção entre altura e largura (PAL). A avaliação da presença de defeitos alveolares foi feita diretamente na mandíbula,obtendo-se a média de todas as alturas ósseas alveolares (AltOss) e a média da dimensão das deiscências presentes (Medef). O índice de correlação intra-classe (ICC) com valores entre 0,923 a 0,994,indicou alta reprodutibilidade e confiabilidade das variáveis medidas. As diferenças entre os grupos, determinados pelas classificações do padrão facial (IF, FMA e IAF), foram avaliadas através da análise de variância (oneway ANOVA) seguida do teste post-hoc de Tukey. O grau de associação entre o padrão facial e as variáveis Vol, Mvox, PAL, Alt, Larg, AltOss e Medef foi avaliado pelo coeficiente de correlação de Pearson com um teste t para r. Os resultados indicaram ausência de diferença ou associação entre o volume, densidade radiográfica e presença de defeitos alveolares da SM e o padrão facial quando determinado pelo IF, FMA e IAF. Verificou-se tendência de SM mais longas nos indivíduos com face alongada, porém a largura não mostrou associação com o padrão facial. Estes resultados sugerem que as classificações utilizadas para determinar o padrão facial não representam satisfatoriamente o caráter 3D da face humana e não estão associadas com a morfologia da SM.

Estimating long-term growth-rate changes of southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) from two periods of tag-return data

Southern bluefin tuna (SBT) (Thunnus maccoyii) growth rates are estimated from tag-return data associated with two time periods, the 1960s and 1980s. The traditional von Bertalanffy growth model (VBG) and a two-phase VBG model were fitted to the data by maximum likelihood. The traditional VBG model did not provide an adequate representation of growth in SBT, and the two-phase VBG yielded a significantly better fit. The results indicated that significant change occurs in the pattern of growth in relation to a VBG curve during the juvenile stages of the SBT life cycle, which may be related to the transition from a tightly schooling fish that spends substantial time in near and surface shore waters to one that is found primarily in more offshore and deeper waters. The results suggest that more complex growth models should be considered for other tunas and for other species that show a marked change in habitat use with age. The likelihood surface for the two-phase VBG model was found to be bimodal and some implications of this are investigated. Significant and substantial differences were found in the growth for fish spawned in the 1960s and in the 1980s, such that after age four there is a difference of about one year in the expected age of a fish of similar length which persists over the size range for which meaningful recapture data are available. This difference may be a density-dependent response as a consequence of the marked reduction in the SBT population. Given the key role that estimates of growth have in most stock assessments, the results indicate that there is a need both for the regular monitoring of growth rates and for provisions for changes in growth over time (possibly related to changes in abundance) in the stock assessment models used for SBT and other species.