Incorporating Stakeholder Knowledge into a Complex Stock Assessment Model: The Case of Eel Recruitment

Mistrust between scientists and non-scientist stakeholders is a key challenge in fishery management. The support of management with complex models is difficult, as these models cannot easily communicate their results to end users, resulting in a lack of confidence. As an example, the complex life cycle of the European eel raises problems of coordination and discussion among the multiple actors involved in the species’ management. The GEREM model has been proposed as a tool for estimating recruitment, but its complexity, which is essential for addressing the characteristics of the species, makes it difficult to understand and accept by all stakeholders. In the context of the SUDOANG project, we proposed a co-parametrisation of this assessment model to tackle this mistrust. Through the use of various questionnaires, stakeholders were involved in two important choices for the model (zone definition and prior construction). Regular workshops and presentations were organised to explain the model rationales and to gather feedback and expectations. The results show that stakeholders have very similar perceptions of the potential definitions of sub-areas of recruitment in south-western Europe, and these perceptions are consistent with the underlying environmental conditions. On the other hand, the stakeholders have contrasting opinions about the exploitation rates of fisheries in different river basins, and the use of their knowledge currently has little effect on GEREM estimates. More importantly, the overall approach of this study is thought to have reconstructed the trust and confidence among participants.

Incorporating Stakeholder Knowledge Into a Complex Stock Assessment Model, the Case of Eel Recruitment

Mistrust between scientists and non-scientist stakeholders is a key challenge in fishery management. This problem is exacerbated with the use of complex models to support management: these models suffer from difficulties in communicating their results and a lack of confidence from end users. The European eel is an illustrative example; its complex life cycle raises problems of coordination and discussion among the multiple actors involved in the management of the species. The GEREM model has been proposed as a tool for estimating recruitment, but its complexity, which is essential for addressing the characteristics of the species, makes it difficult to understand and accept by all stakeholders. In the context of the SUDOANG project, we proposed a co-parametrization of this assessment model to tackle this mistrust. Through the use of various questionnaires and appropriate statistical analyses, stakeholders were involved in two important choices for the model (zone definition and prior construction). Regular workshops and presentations were organised to explain the model rationales and to gather feedback and expectations. The results show that stakeholders have very similar perceptions of the potential definitions of sub-areas of recruitment in south-western Europe, and these perceptions are consistent with the underlying environmental conditions. On the other hand, the stakeholders have contrasting opinions about the exploitation rates of fisheries in different river basins, and the use of their knowledge currently has little effect on GEREM estimates. More importantly, the overall approach of this study is thought to have reconstructed the trust and confidence among participants.

Post-Construction ILI Execution Planning Guidelines for Pipeline Quality Verification

Inline inspections following new pipeline construction completion as a means of ensuring specific quality requirements are fulfilled poses unique challenges when compared with inline inspections in operating pipelines. Construction contractors are often responsible for conducting a post-construction inline inspection as part of construction quality verification; however, construction contractors often lack expertise in planning and conducting inline inspections. Schedule constraints for conducting inline inspections, often introduced because of other prior construction delays, can contribute to poor planning and execution. The consequent undesirable outcome may be failed inspections further delaying pipeline construction completion, turnover to the Client, and final payments. It is in the interest of all stakeholders to ensure inline inspections be completed in a timely manner and in a way that maximizes the likelihood that the needed pipeline data will be successfully acquired. It is crucial for post-construction inline inspection success, that all stakeholders poses basic knowledge of operational requirements and inspection proceedings. Additionally, adequate planning of the inline inspection proceedings can greatly mitigate the risks associated with the inline inspection. To ensure necessary considerations and the division of responsibilities is clear and understood among all stakeholders; a Post-Construction ILI Execution Plan is prepared. The Inline Inspection Contractor is responsible for completion of the Post-Construction ILI Execution Plan in consultation with other stakeholders. The contents of the Post-Construction ILI Execution Plan include project information, run conditions, and stakeholder contact information. Moreover, it defines the assignment of stakeholder responsibilities and involvement for all inspection planning and execution aspects.

The geomorphological role of snow since the Little Ice Age in the Sierra de Ancares (NW Spain)

On the Pico Cuiña cirque, Sierra de Ancares (León, Spain), the seasonal snow cover undergoes both slow and rapid mass displacements. Push associated with moving snow is responsible for an intense geomorphological activity, which is characterised by the plucking and transport of fragments of the bedrock, the abrasion of rock surfaces and the deposition of the mobilized material. Pronival ramparts are the most characteristic accumulation geoform created by pushing snow. Its study enabled us to verify the functionality of the nival processes and to prove the relative antiquity of some of them. The use of lichenometric techniques, based on the prior construction of a growth curve for lichens of the Rhizocarpon subgenus, has made possible to date sectors of the pronival ramparts. Lichenometric dates show a series of events of geomorphic activity of the snow cover fitting chronologically within the so-called Little Ice Age. It can be deduced from the observation of the current geomorphic dynamics of the snow cover that, although Little Ice Age temperature decrease might be important, particularly in the summer, the role of the variations in snow precipitation must be also taken into consideration.

Verification and validation of knowledge-based systems with formal specifications

This paper examines how formal specification techniques can support the verification and validation (V&V) of knowledge-based systems. Formal specification techniques provide levels of description which support both verification and validation, and V&V techniques feed back to assist the development of the specifications. Developing a formal specification for a system requires the prior construction of a conceptual model for the intended system. Many elements of this conceptual model can be effectively used to support V&V. Using these elements, the V&V process becomes deeper and more elaborate, and it produces results of a better quality compared with the V&V activities which can be performed on systems developed without conceptual models. However, we note that there are concerns in using formal specification techniques for V&V, not least being the effort involved in creating the specifications.

Prophylaxis Against Acute Pulmonary Edema and Death in Dogs With Aortic Insufficiency Following Renal Artery Constriction Afforded by Prior Construction of an Atrial Septal Defect

Prophylaxis against acute pulmonary edema and death in dogs with aortic insufficiency following renal artery constriction by prior constriction of an atrial septal defect. Dogs with the combined cardiac lesions of atrial septal defect and aortic insufficiency were studied. The atrial septal defects were large and were produced under direct vision. The present studies indicate that when such dogs are subjected to renal artery constriction (RAC) they neither die acutely (within 2 days) nor develop acute massive pulmonary edema. These dogs develop varying patterns of ‘congestive failure’ after RAC. The severity and course of this ‘congestive failure’ seemed to depend upon either the size of the aortic valvular ‘leak’ or the degree of RAC produced in a particular dog.

A Phenothiazine Experiment Statistically Treated

In a previous paper, Peters & J. Leiper (1940) pleaded that, in anthelmintic experiments, the statistical problem of variation should be considered, not only so as to assess the significance of treatment differences after the results have come to hand, but also with a view to the prior construction of an experimental design capable of giving reliable answers to the questions posed. Reference was made to the “Enormous expenditure of time, labour and money” on anthelmintic experiments, the results of which usually remain undigested and of unknown significance.While the paper was passing through the press a symposium on phenothiazine as an anthelmintic, led and summarized by Taylor & Sanderson (1940), was published in the Veterinary Record. The symposium deals with “Work carried out in various parts of the country and co-ordinated through the Agricultural Research Council” it covers some 150 horses, 300 to 400 sheep, 70 to 80 goats, and a few cattle, pigs, and dogs. The drug was found to be remarkably efficient against horse strongyles and the stomach-worms of ruminants, and in varying degree less efficient against other worms.Extensive tables of egg-counts, worm-counts, and weights of animals are published in the symposium. It was usual to count eggs or weigh animals once before treatment and several times afterwards. The repeated after-treatment determinations are made in order to detect a general trend in egg-counts or weights: in other words there is no attempt to measure and make allowance for the very considerable upand- down variation from day to day.