High rates of growth recorded for hawksbill sea turtles in Anegada, British Virgin Islands.

Management of species of conservation concern requires knowledge of demographic parameters, such as rates of recruitment, survival, and growth. In the Caribbean, hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) have been historically exploited in huge numbers to satisfy trade in their shells and meat. In the present study, we estimated growth rate of juvenile hawksbill turtles around Anegada, British Virgin Islands, using capture-mark-recapture of 59 turtles over periods of up to 649 days. Turtles were recaptured up to six times, having moved up to 5.9 km from the release location. Across all sizes, turtles grew at an average rate of 9.3 cm year(-1) (range 2.3-20.3 cm year(-1)), and gained mass at an average of 3.9 kg year(-1) (range 850 g-16.1 kg year(-1)). Carapace length was a significant predictor of growth rate and mass gain, but there was no relationship between either variable and sea surface temperature. These are among the fastest rates of growth reported for this species, with seven turtles growing at a rate that would increase their body size by more than half per year (51-69% increase in body length). This study also demonstrates the importance of shallow water reef systems for the developmental habitat for juvenile hawksbill turtles. Although growth rates for posthatching turtles in the pelagic, and turtles larger than 61 cm, are not known for this population, the implications of this study are that Caribbean hawksbill turtles in some areas may reach body sizes suggesting sexual maturity in less time than previously considered.This work was part funded by the UK Darwin Initiative (Project Ref. No. 162/12/023), NERC and the Japan Bekko Association. LAH is supported by Streamlining of Ocean Wavefarms Impact Assessment (SOWFIA) project and MJW was in receipt of a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) PhD studentship (NER/S/A/ 2004/12980) during the fieldwork. We thank the BVI National Parks Trust for their support and assistance. All work was sanctioned by the Conservation and Fisheries Department of the British Virgin Islands Government

Enrollment and Racial Disparities in Cancer Treatment Clinical Trials in North Carolina.

BACKGROUND: Clinical trials provide access to innovative, high-quality cancer treatment. Simultaneously, broad access helps to ensure that trials include heterogeneous patient populations, which improves the generalizability of findings and the development of interventions that are effective for diverse populations. We provide updated data describing enrollment into cancer treatment trials in North Carolina. METHODS: For the period 1996-2009, person-level data regarding cancer clinical trial enrollment and cancer incidence were obtained from the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Enrollment rates were estimated as the ratio of trial enrollment to cancer incidence for race, sex, and year for each county, Area Health Education Center region, and the state overall. Enrollment rates for common cancers are presented. RESULTS: From 1996 to 2009, North Carolina NCI treatment trial enrollment rates were 2.4% and 2.2% for white patients and minority patients, respectively. From 2007 to 2009, rates were 3.8% for white women, 3.5% for minority women, 1.3% for white men, and 1.0% for minority men; there was greater enrollment among more urban populations (2.4%) than among the most rural populations (1.5%). LIMITATIONS: This study is limited to NCI-sponsored treatment trials in North Carolina. Policies governing collection of original data necessitate a delay in data availability. CONCLUSIONS: Effort is needed to ensure trial access and enrollment among all North Carolina populations. Specifically, we identified racial and sex disparities, particularly for certain cancers (eg, breast cancer). Programs in North Carolina and across the nation can use the methods we employed to assess their success in broadening clinical trial enrollment to include diverse populations

Spatial ecology of loggerhead turtles: Insights from stable isotope markers and satellite telemetry

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordAim Using a combination of satellite telemetry and stable isotope analysis (SIA), our aim was to identify foraging grounds of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) at important rookeries in the Mediterranean, examine foraging ground fidelity, and across 25 years determine the proportion of nesting females recruiting from each foraging region to a major rookery in Cyprus. Location Mediterranean Sea. Methods Between 1993 and 2018, we investigated the spatial ecology of loggerhead turtles from rookeries in Cyprus and Greece using satellite telemetry (n = 55 adults) and SIA of three elements (n = 296). Results Satellite telemetry from both rookeries revealed the main foraging areas as the Adriatic region (Cyprus: 4% of individuals, Greece: 55%), Tunisian Plateau (Cyprus: 16%, Greece: 40%) and the eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus: 80%, Greece: 5%). Combining satellite telemetry and SIA allowed 64% of all nesting females to be assigned to; the Adriatic region (Cyprus: 2%, Greece: 38.5%), Tunisian Plateau (Cyprus: 47%, Greece: 38.5%) and the eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus: 51%, Greece: 23%), which are markedly different to proportions obtained using satellite telemetry. The proportion of the Cyprus nesting cohort using each foraging region did not change significantly, with the exception that individuals foraging in the Adriatic region are only present in the Cyprus nesting population from 2012. Repeat satellite tracking (n = 3) and temporal consistency in isotope ratios (n = 36) of Cyprus females, strongly suggest foraging ground fidelity over multiple decades. Main conclusions This study demonstrates the advantages of combining satellite telemetry and SIA to investigate spatial ecology at a population level. The importance of the Tunisian Plateau for foraging is demonstrated. This study indicates that females generally show high fidelity to foraging grounds and shows a potential recent shift to foraging in the Adriatic region for Cyprus females, while the importance of other regions persists across decades, thus providing baselines to develop and assess conservation strategies.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC

Green turtles highlight connectivity across a regional marine protected area network in west Africa

Networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) are invaluable for the protection of species with high dispersal capacity, yet connectivity within networks is poorly understood. We demonstrate the connectivity within the regional MPA network in West Africa (RAMPAO), mediated by the largest green turtle population in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. We equipped with satellite tags 45 female green turtles nesting in the Bijagó s Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau, and tracked them during internesting, migration, and foraging to quantify the degree of coverage the RAMPAO network provides during each of these critical periods. During the internesting period, turtles were largely concentrated around the nesting islands, with a mean of 94.8% (SD 0.1%, range: 46% - 100%, n = 40 turtles) of tracking positions falling within MPA limits. Among the 35 turtles successfully tracked into the foraging period, we identified variable migratory strategies, with 12 turtles remaining near-resident at distances of 40-90 km from breeding sites, 10 turtles migrating 300-400 km to The Gambia and Senegal, and 13 turtles traveling >1000 km to northern Mauritania. Of the 35 foraging turtles, 26 used MPAs, with a mean of 78.0% (SD 34.8%, range: 3.7% - 100%) of their tracking positions falling within the limits of RAMPAO MPAs, across Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Mauritania. Migration corridors with high concentrations of passing turtles were mostly located nearshore, and 21% of these high passage areas fell within the MPA network. Overall, we found that this population connects five RAMPAO MPAs, yet some foraging sites (e.g., in the Bijagó s) and important migration areas (e.g., Cap-Vert peninsula) described here are currently unprotected. These results are relevant to any considerations of MPA extension or establishment within the regional network, which would contribute towards meeting the Convention on Biological Diversity targets for national marine protected area estate coverage. By documenting biological connectivity across RAMPAO, this study represents an important example of the relevance of international protected area networks for green turtle conservation and for wider conservation action at a regional scale.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fiscal Policy and the Economics of Financial Balances

This paper presents the main features of the macroeconomic model being used at The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, which has proven to be a useful tool in tracking the current financial and economic crisis. We investigate the connections of the model to the New Cambridge approach, and discuss other recent approaches to the evolution of financial balances for all sectors of the economy. We will finally show the effects of fiscal policy in the model, and its implications for the proposed fiscal stimulus on the U.S. economy. We show that the New Cambridge hypothesis, which claimed that the private sector financial balance would be stable relative to income in the short run, does not hold for the short term in our model, but it does hold for the medium/long term. This implies that the major impact of the fiscal stimulus in the long run will be on the external imbalance, unless other measures are taken

Forward Neutron Production at the Fermilab Main Injector

We have measured cross sections for forward neutron production from a variety of targets using proton beams from the Fermilab Main Injector. Measurements were performed for proton beam momenta of 58 GeV/c, 84 GeV/c, and 120 GeV/c. The cross section dependence on the atomic weight (A) of the targets was found to vary as $A^(alpha)$ where $\alpha$ is $0.46\pm0.06$ for a beam momentum of 58 GeV/c and 0.54$\pm$0.05 for 120 GeV/c. The cross sections show reasonable agreement with FLUKA and DPMJET Monte Carlos. Comparisons have also been made with the LAQGSM Monte Carlo.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review D. This version incorporates small changes suggested by referee and small corrections in the neutron production cross sections predicted by FLUK

Foraging ecology of Mediterranean juvenile loggerhead turtles: insights from C and N stable isotope ratios

Bycatch is one of the key threats to juvenile marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea. As fishing methods are regional or habitat specific, the susceptibility of marine turtles may differ according to inter- and intra-population variations in foraging ecology. An understanding of these variations is necessary to assess bycatch susceptibility and to implement region-specific management. To determine if foraging ecology differs with region, sex, and size of juvenile loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen was performed on 171 juveniles from a range of foraging regions across the central and eastern Mediterranean Sea. Isotope ratios differed with geographical region, likely due to baseline variations in δ13C and δ15N values. The absence of sex-specific differences suggests that within an area, all comparably sized animals likely exploit similar foraging strategies, and therefore, their susceptibility to fisheries threats will likely be similar. The isotope ratios of juveniles occupying the North East Adriatic and North Levantine basin increased with size, potentially due to increased consumption of more prey items at higher trophic levels from a more neritic source. Isotope ratios of juveniles with access to both neritic and oceanic habitats did not differ with size which is consistent with them consuming prey items from both habitats interchangeably. With foraging habitats exploited differently among size classes in a population, the susceptibility to fisheries interactions will likely differ with size; therefore, region-specific management approaches will be needed

Using Cumulative Impact Mapping to Prioritize Marine Conservation Efforts in Equatorial Guinea

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this recordData Availability Statement Ensemble ecological niche models (EENMs) and threat maps (anthropogenic footprint, cumulative impact, and cumulative utilization and impact) for each species (Atlantic humpback dolphin Sousa teuszii; bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus; humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae; leatherback Dermochelys coriacea; and olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea) are available from the Dryad Digital Repository doi: 10.5061/dryad.v6wwpzgr9 (Trew et al., 2019).Marine biodiversity is under extreme pressure from anthropogenic activity globally, leading to calls to protect at least 10% of the world’s oceans within marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures. Fulfilling such commitments, however, requires a detailed understanding of the distribution of potentially detrimental human activities, and their predicted impacts. One such approach that is being increasingly used to strengthen our understanding of human impacts is cumulative impact mapping; as it can help identify economic sectors with the greatest potential impact on species and ecosystems in order to prioritize conservation management strategies, providing clear direction for intervention. In this paper, we present the first local cumulative utilization impact mapping exercise for the Bioko-Corisco-Continental area of Equatorial Guinea’s Exclusive Economic Zone – situated in the Gulf of Guinea, one of the most important and least studied marine regions in the Eastern Central Atlantic. This study examines the potential impact of ten direct anthropogenic activities on a suite of key marine megafauna species and reveals that the most suitable habitats for these species, located on the continental shelf, are subject to the highest threat scores. However, in some coastal areas, the persistence of highly suitable habitat subject to lower threat scores suggests that there are still several strategic areas that are less impacted by human activity that may be suitable sites for protected area expansion. Highlighting both the areas with potentially the highest impact, and those with lower impact levels, as well as particularly damaging activities can inform the direction of future conservation initiatives in the region.Waitt FoundationWildlife Conservation SocietyDarwin InitiativeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)Waterloo FoundationNatural Environment Research Council (NERC)Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Department of the Interior)Vaalco EnergyHarvest Natural ResourcesSea World and Busch Gardens Conservation FundTullow OilOld Dominion UniversityWWFWildlife Conservation SocietyUniversity of Exete