Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Broward County, FL 1992 Report

Since 1978, the Broward County Environmental Protection Department (BCEPD) has provided for the conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtle species within its area of responsibility. Broward County is within the normal nesting areas of three species of sea turtles: the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). The loggerhead is listed as a threatened species, while the green and leatherback are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, 1973, and Chapter 370, F.S. Since these statutes strictly forbid any disturbance of sea turtles and their nests, conservation activities involving the relocation of nests from hazardous locations (especially necessary along heavily developed coasts) require permitting by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). In Florida, this permit is issued to the Florida Department of Natural Resources (FDNR), which subsequently issues permits to individuals. universities and government agencies. This project was administered by the BCDNRP and conducted by the Nova University Oceanographic Center under Marine Turtle Permit #129, issued to the BCDNRP by the FDNR Institute of Marine Research, St. Petersburg, Florida. The BCDNRP is especially concerned with any environmental effects of intermittent beach renourishment projects on shorelines and the offshore reefs. As part of this concern, the BCDNRP has maintained the sea turtle conservation program in non-renourishment years to provide a continuous data base. Operation of the program is competitively bid and a contract award is issued based on a selection committee review of submitted bids through a weighted point factor procedure. Nova University was awarded the contract to conduct the 1992 program. In addition to fulfilling statutory requirements, the purposes of the project were: to relocate eggs from nests deposited in sites threatened by natural processes or human activities and thus maximize hatchling recruitment, to accurately survey sea turtle nesting patterns to determine any historical trends and assess natural and anthropogenic factors affecting nesting patterns and densities, to assess the success of sea turtle recruitment and of hatchery operations in terms of nesting success, hatching success and total hatchlings released, to dispose of turtle carcasses, respond to strandlngs and other emergencies and maintain a hot-line for reporting of turtle incidents, and to inform and educate the public on sea turtles and their conservation

Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Broward County, FL 1990 Report

Since 1978, the Broward County Environmental Protection Department (BCEPD) has provided for the conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtle species within its area of responsibility. Broward County is within the normal nesting areas of three species of sea turtles: the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). The loggerhead is listed as a threatened species, while the green and leatherback are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, 1973, and Chapter 370, F.S. Since these statutes strictly forbid any disturbance of sea turtles and their nests, conservation activities involving the relocation of nests from hazardous locations (especially necessary along heavily developed coasts) require permitting by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). In Florida, this permit is issued to the Florida Department of Natural Resources (FDNR), which subsequently issues permits to individuals. universities and government agencies. This project was administered by the BCEPD and conducted by the Nova University Oceanographic Center under Marine Turtle Permit #129, issued to the BCEPD by the FDNR Institute of Marine Research, St. Petersburg, Florida. The BCEPD is especially concerned with any environmental effects of intermittent beach renourishment projects on shorelines and the offshore reefs. As part of this concern, the BCEPD has maintained the sea turtle conservation program in non-renourishment years to provide a continuous data base. Operation of the program is competitively bid and a contract award is issued based on a selection committee review of submitted bids through a weighted point factor procedure. Nova University was awarded the contract to conduct the 1990 program. In addition to fulfilling statutory requirements, the purposes of the project were: to relocate eggs from nests deposited in sites threatened by natural processes or human activities and thus maximize hatchling recruitment, to accurately survey sea turtle nesting patterns to determine any historical trends and assess natural and anthropogenic factors affecting nesting patterns and densities, to assess the success of sea turtle recruitment and of hatchery operations in terms of nesting success, hatching success and total hatchlings released, to dispose of turtle carcasses, respond to strandlngs and other emergencies and maintain a hot-line for reporting of turtle incidents, and to inform and educate the public on sea turtles and their conservation

Atomic hydrogen maser measurements with wall surfaces of carbon tetrafluoride

The principal objectives of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory cold maser research programs are given. This work is aimed principally at understanding more about the interaction of hydrogen atoms with wall coatings of fluorinated ethylene propylene (Dupont Teflon FEP-120 co-polymer) and of carbon tetrafluoride (CE4). The principal measured quantity in these experiments is the wall shift of the maser's output frequency. The wall shift per atomic collision was calculated from the measured wall frequency shift. This assumes that the wall surface area is smooth on a molecular scale

Performance data of US Naval Observatory VLG-11 hydrogen masers since September, 1983

In 1983, two VLC-11 masers were delivered to the U.S. Naval Observatory by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Last year the short-term stability of these masers was reported and the effect of this short-term stability on timekeeping performance was examined. Since the date of installation, 13 September 1983, data on the masers' long-term performance have been accumulated. The Allan variance, agma(tau), of the relative frequency between the masers reaches a minimum of about 4 parts in 10 to the 16th power at averaging times 5,000 seconds and rises at longer averaging times due, at least partly, to systematic frequency drift. The systematic frequency drifts, expressed in units of fractional frequency difference per day are discussed

Characterization of the Soluble Nanoparticles Formed through Coulombic Interaction of Bovine Serum Albumin with Anionic Graft Copolymers at Low pH

A static light scattering (SLS) study of bovine serum albumin (BSA) mixtures with two anionic graft copolymers of poly (sodium acrylate-co-sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulphonate)-graft-poly (N, N-dimethylacrylamide), with a high composition in poly (N, N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMAM) side chains, revealed the formation of oppositely charged complexes, at pH lower than 4.9, the isoelectric point of BSA. The core-corona nanoparticles formed at pH = 3.00, were characterized. Their molecular weight and radius of gyration were determined by SLS, while their hydrodynamic radius was determined by dynamic light scattering. Small angle neutron scattering measurements were used to determine the radius of the insoluble complexes, comprising the core of the particles. The values obtained indicated that their size and aggregation number of the nanoparticles, were smaller when the content of the graft copolymers in neutral PDMAM side chains was higher. Such particles should be interesting drug delivery candidates, if the gastrointestinal tract was to be used