Evolutionary impact assessment: accounting for evolutionary consequences of fishing in an ecosystem approach to fisheries management

Managing fisheries resources to maintain healthy ecosystems is one of the main goals of the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF). While a number of international treaties call for the implementation of EAF, there are still gaps in the underlying methodology. One aspect that has received substantial scientific attention recently is fisheries-induced evolution (FIE). Increasing evidence indicates that intensive fishing has the potential to exert strong directional selection on life-history traits, behaviour, physiology, and morphology of exploited fish. Of particular concern is that reversing evolutionary responses to fishing can be much more difficult than reversing demographic or phenotypically plastic responses. Furthermore, like climate change, multiple agents cause FIE, with effects accumulating over time. Consequently, FIE may alter the utility derived from fish stocks, which in turn can modify the monetary value living aquatic resources provide to society. Quantifying and predicting the evolutionary effects of fishing is therefore important for both ecological and economic reasons. An important reason this is not happening is the lack of an appropriate assessment framework. We therefore describe the evolutionary impact assessment (EvoIA) as a structured approach for assessing the evolutionary consequences of fishing and evaluating the predicted evolutionary outcomes of alternative management options. EvoIA can contribute to EAF by clarifying how evolution may alter stock properties and ecological relations, support the precautionary approach to fisheries management by addressing a previously overlooked source of uncertainty and risk, and thus contribute to sustainable fisheries.

A note on schooling in development accounting

How much would output increase if underdeveloped economies were to increase their levels of schooling? We contribute to the development accounting literature by describing a non-parametric upper bound on the increase in output that can be generated by more schooling. The advantage of our approach is that the upper bound is valid for any number of schooling levels with arbitrary patterns of substitution/complementarity. Another advantage is that the upper bound is robust to certain forms of endogenous technology response to changes in schooling. We also quantify the upper bound for all economies with the necessary data, compare our results with the standard development accounting approach, and provide an update on the results using the standard approach for a large sample of countries.

Book vs. Fair Value Accounting in Banking, and Intertemporal Smoothing

The aim of this paper is to examine the pros and cons of book and fair value accounting from the perspective of the theory of banking. We consider the implications of the two accounting methods in an overlapping generations environment. As observed by Allen and Gale(1997), in an overlapping generation model, banks have a role as intergenerational connectors as they allow for intertemporal smoothing. Our main result is that when dividends depend on profits, book value ex ante dominates fair value, as it provides better intertemporal smoothing. This is in contrast with the standard view that states that, fair value yields a better allocation as it reflects the real opportunity cost of assets. Banking regulation play an important role by providing the right incentives for banks to smooth intertemporal consumption whereas market discipline improves intratemporal efficiency.

The contribution of schooling in development accounting: Results from a nonparametric upper bound

How much would output increase if underdeveloped economies were toincrease their levels of schooling? We contribute to the development accounting literature by describing a non-parametric upper bound on theincrease in output that can be generated by more schooling. The advantage of our approach is that the upper bound is valid for any number ofschooling levels with arbitrary patterns of substitution/complementarity.Another advantage is that the upper bound is robust to certain forms ofendogenous technology response to changes in schooling. We also quantify the upper bound for all economies with the necessary data, compareour results with the standard development accounting approach, andprovide an update on the results using the standard approach for a largesample of countries.

Dimensions of national culture and the accounting environment -The Spanish case-

Gray (1988) has put forward a hypothesis on how a national accountingenvironment might reflect the cultural dimensions identified by Hofstede (1980, 1983). A number of studies have tested Gray's hypothesis, including one by Pourjalali and Meek (1995) which identified a match between changes in cultural dimensions and the accounting environment in Iran following the revolution. In this paper we replicate this work in the context of Spain following the death of Franco in 1975 and the emergence of a democratic constitution in 1978. Specifically, we: 1) Consider Gray's hypothesis built on Hofstede's cultural dimensions and review some empirical tests of the hypotheses.2) Building on the work of Hofstede and Gray, we: put forward some hypotheses on how we would expect cultural dimensions to change in Spain with the transition to democracy.3) Review developments in accounting in Spain following the transition to democracy, in order to identify how well these fit with our hypotheses.

Iowa Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, 2006

In accordance with Iowa Code Section 8A.502(8) we are pleased to submit the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the State of Iowa for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006. As required by State statute, this report has been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for governments as promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). The report is presented in three sections as follows: • The Introductory Section includes this transmittal letter, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for the fiscal year 2005 CAFR, an organizational chart of State government, and a list of principal State officials. • The Financial Section contains the independent auditor’s report on the Basic Financial Statements, Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A), the Basic Financial Statements, and Notes to the Financial Statements. The Financial Section also contains Required Supplementary Information (RSI), other than the MD&A, and supplementary information in the form of combining financial statements and schedules. • The Statistical Section includes financial trend information, revenue capacity information, debt capacity information, demographic and economic information, and operating information. The Department of Administrative Services is responsible for both the accuracy of the presented data, and the completeness and fairness of the presentation. We believe the information presented is accurate in all material respects and the necessary disclosures have been made which enable the reader to obtain an understanding of the State’s financial activity.

Iowa Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, 2005

In accordance with Iowa Code Section 8A.502(8) we are pleased to submit the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the State of Iowa for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005. The report is presented in three sections as follows: • The Introductory Section includes this transmittal letter, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for the fiscal year 2004 CAFR, an organizational chart of State government, and a list of principal State officials. • The Financial Section contains the independent auditor’s report on the Basic Financial Statements, Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A), the Basic Financial Statements, and Notes to the Financial Statements. The Financial Section also contains Required Supplementary Information (RSI), other than the MD&A, and supplementary information in the form of combining financial statements and schedules. This letter is intended to be read in conjunction with the MD&A. • The Statistical Section highlights selected financial and demographic information, generally presented on a multi-year basis. The Department of Administrative Services is responsible for both the accuracy of the presented data, and the completeness and fairness of the presentation. We believe the information presented is accurate in all material respects and the necessary disclosures have been made which enable the reader to obtain an understanding of the State’s financial activity. This report has been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for governments as promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). As a part of the statewide accounting system upgrade during fiscal year 2005, the implementation team performed a comprehensive review of the adequacy of internal controls and budgetary controls of the system. The team determined that internal controls continue to be in place to provide reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that assets are safeguarded against unauthorized use or disposition, and that financial records from all appropriate sources are reliable for preparing financial statements and maintaining accountability. The concept of reasonable assurance recognizes the cost of internal controls should not exceed the benefits likely to be derived from their use. To monitor the adequacy of internal controls, the Auditor of State reviews internal control procedures as an integral part of departmental audits.

The drive for quality - the impact on accounting in the wine industry

There is a substancial literature on the accounting procedures needed to trackdown the costs of quality control and quality failure. In a drive for improved quality the changes in the process of production or service delivery will also give rise to new accounting needs. In this article we take one example of an industry, wine production, where in most countries there has been a movement towards expanding higher quality production. We report on interviews with wine producers in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Spain, and identify avariety of ways in which a more sophisticated approach to accounting has become necessary as a result of the drive for quality.

Book vs. fair value accounting in banking and intertemporal smoothing

The aim of this paper is to examine the pros and cons of book and fair value accounting from the perspective of the theory of banking. We consider the implications of the two accounting methods in an overlapping generations environment. As observed by Allen and Gale(1997), in an overlapping generation model, banks have a role as intergenerational connectors as they allow for intertemporal smoothing. Our main result is that when dividends depend on profits, book value ex ante dominates fair value, as it provides better intertemporal smoothing. This is in contrast with the standard view that states that, fair value yields a better allocation as it reflects the real opportunity cost of assets. Banking regulation play an important role by providing the right incentives for banks to smooth intertemporal consumption whereas market discipline improves intratemporal efficiency.

A genome-wide approach accounting for body mass index identifies genetic variants influencing fasting glycemic traits and insulin resistance.

Recent genome-wide association studies have described many loci implicated in type 2 diabetes (T2D) pathophysiology and β-cell dysfunction but have contributed little to the understanding of the genetic basis of insulin resistance. We hypothesized that genes implicated in insulin resistance pathways might be uncovered by accounting for differences in body mass index (BMI) and potential interactions between BMI and genetic variants. We applied a joint meta-analysis approach to test associations with fasting insulin and glucose on a genome-wide scale. We present six previously unknown loci associated with fasting insulin at P < 5 × 10(-8) in combined discovery and follow-up analyses of 52 studies comprising up to 96,496 non-diabetic individuals. Risk variants were associated with higher triglyceride and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, suggesting a role for these loci in insulin resistance pathways. The discovery of these loci will aid further characterization of the role of insulin resistance in T2D pathophysiology.

Iowa Department of Administrative Services Customer Council Archives: State Accounting, 2004

Archive of meeting agendas and minutes for 2004 for the DAS-I/3 Customer Council.

Iowa Department of Administrative Services Customer Council Archives: State Accounting, 2005

Archive of meeting agendas and minutes for 2005 for the DAS-I/3 Customer Council.