How Much Longer Will it Take? A Ten-year Review of the Implementation of United Nations General Assembly Resolutions 61/105, 64/72 and 66/68 on the Management of Bottom Fisheries in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2002 adopted the first in a series of resolutions regarding the conservation of biodiversity in the deep sea. Prompted by seriousconcerns raised by scientists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and numerous States,these resolutions progressively committed States to act both individually and through regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs) to either manage bottom fisheries in areas beyond national jurisdiction to prevent significant adverse impacts on deep-sea species, ecosystems and biodiversity or else prohibit bottom fishing from taking place.Ten years have passed since the adoption of resolution 61/105 in 2006, calling on States to take a set of specific actions to manage bottom fisheries in areas beyond national jurisdiction to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) from the adverse impacts of bottom fishing and ensure the sustainability of deep-sea fish stocks. Despite the considerable progress by some RFMOs, there remain significant gaps in the implementation of key elements and commitments in the resolutions. The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) has prepared this report to assist the UNGA in its review in 2016 and to address the following question: How effectively have the resolutions been implemented

The Lived Experience of Standards Implementation in New York City Schools, 2011

The College and Career Readiness Standards, referred to as the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) in New York City, are increasingly the focus of educational reform efforts across the United States. Each year for the past several years, the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) has created a set of focusing expectations for schools in order to guide their engagement with the CCLS. In the 2011-12 school year, which is the focus of this report, the New York Citywide Instructional Expectations (CIEs) asked schools to engage in two central activities. First, teachers in grade levels or subject areas were asked to collaboratively examine student work and analyze the gaps between current curriculum, instructional practice, and student performance relative to the expectations of the Standards. Second, schools were asked to identify and implement performance-based assessments, or “tasks,” within a CCLS-aligned curricular unit, such that all students would experience at least one task in literacy and one in mathematics. The NYCDOE designed these activities as a set of carefully chosen opportunities for schools to engage with the more rigorous expectations for teaching and learning embodied in the Standards. The hope was that, by engaging with these learning opportunities, school staff would develop a deeper, shared understanding of the Standards, and could begin to address the scope of change necessary to meet the higher expectations. CPRE’s evaluation of CCLS implementation in New York City in 2011-12 allowed us to examine how a diverse sample of 16 elementary and middle schools engaged with the CIEs

Genetic relationships among strains of Salmonella enteritidis in a national epidemic in Switzerland

A collection of Salmonella enteritidis strains isolated in Switzerland (1965-90) was characterized. The phage type and plasmid profile of isolates were compared with the copy number and insertion loci of the DNA insertion element IS200. Three clonal lines of S. enteritidis were identified by IS200 profile; the various phage types were subtypes reproducibly associated with one of these lines. All human and poultry isolates contained a 38 Mda plasmid which hybridized with a mouse virulence-associated gene probe. In S. enteritidis, the IS200 profile is a race-specific molecular marker of the chromosome, and may be particularly applicable for studying the epidemiology of less common serovar

Reproducibility of neuroplastic responses induced by continuous theta-burst stimulation

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Colony-specific foraging areas of lactating New Zealand fur seals

Copyright © 2008 Inter-Research.During 2005 and 2006, 21 lactating New Zealand fur seals Arctocephalus forsteri were tracked from 4 breeding colonies in southern Australia. The distance between colonies ranged between 46 and 207 km. In total, 101 foraging trips were recorded (2 to 19 trips ind.–1). Seals initiated foraging trips on a colony-specific bearing (Cape Gantheaume 141 ± 34°, Cape du Couedic 188 ± 12°, North Neptune Island 204 ± 12° and Liguanea Island 235 ± 19°). During autumn, seals from Cape du Couedic, North Neptune Island and Liguanea Island predominantly targeted distant oceanic waters associated with the subtropical front (STF), while seals from Cape Gantheaume targeted shelf waters associated with a seasonal coastal upwelling, the Bonney upwelling. The distance of each colony from the STF (based on the preferred colony bearing) or the Bonney upwelling in the case of Cape Gantheaume was correlated with the maximum straight-line distances travelled (Cape Gantheaume 119 ± 57 km, Cape du Couedic 433 ± 99 km, North Neptune Island 564 ± 97 km and Liguanea Island 792 ± 82 km). The organisation of colony-specific foraging grounds appears to be influenced by the proximity of colonies to predictable local upwelling features, as well as distant oceanic frontal zones. Knowledge of whether New Zealand fur seals utilise colony-specific foraging grounds may be important in predicting and identifying critical habitats and understanding whether management requirements are likely to vary between different colonies.Alastair Martin Mitri Baylis, Brad Page, Simon David Goldsworth

Effects of an electric field on white sharks: in situ testing of an electric deterrent

Elasmobranchs can detect minute electromagnetic fields, <1 nVcm -1 , using their ampullae of Lorenzini. Behavioural responses to electric fields have been investigated in various species, sometimes with the aim to develop shark deterrents to improve human safety. The present study tested the effects of the Shark Shield Freedom7™ electric deterrent on (1) the behaviour of 18 white sharks ( Carcharodon carcharias ) near a static bait, and (2) the rates of attacks on a towed seal decoy. In the first experiment, 116 trials using a static bait were performed at the Neptune Islands, South Australia. The proportion of baits taken during static bait trials was not affected by the electric field. The electric field, however, increased the time it took them to consume the bait, the number of interactions per approach, and decreased the proportion of interactions within two metres of the field source. The effect of the electric field was not uniform across all sharks. In the second experiment, 189 tows using a seal decoy were conducted near Seal Island, South Africa. No breaches and only two surface interactions were observed during the tows when the electric field was activated, compared with 16 breaches and 27 surface interactions without the electric field. The present study suggests that the behavioural response of white sharks and the level of risk reduction resulting from the electric field is contextually specific, and depends on the motivational state of sharks

Superior mesenteric artery thrombosis in a child with chronic abdominal pain

We present a case of a 13 year old boy with global developmental delay, due to leukoencephalopathy, recent onset of epilepsy and faltering growth. There was a background of chronic abdominal pain, considered to be gastroesophageal reflux disease. He presented with an acute exacerbation of his abdominal pain, abdominal distention and shock. Ultimately a superior mesenteric artery thrombosis was diagnosed and treated. This report focusses on the clinical features of this case along with the diagnostic approach. It illustrates this serious and rare but treatable cause of chronic abdominal pain which can be suspected by careful history taking

Cost and color of photosynthesis

The question of why plants are green has been revisited in several articles recently. A common theme in the discussions is to explain why photosynthesis appears to absorb less of the available green sunlight than expected. The expectation is incorrect, however, because it fails to take the energy cost of the photosynthetic apparatus into account. Depending on that cost, the red absorption band of the chlorophylls may be closely optimized to provide maximum growth power. The optimization predicts a strong influence of Fraunhofer lines in the solar irradiance on the spectral shape of the optimized absorption band, which appears to be correct. It does not predict any absorption at other wavelengths