The Old Man and the Sea: Reconstructing the History of Ocean Life around Ascension Island

In 2016, the UK government announced plans for a large-scale Marine Protected Area (MPA) around Ascension Island, a UK Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic. Legal designation is expected in 2019 and research is underway to inform its management. To establish accurate baselines of marine life and assess change over time, extensive historical sources were examined. One hundred and thirty-nine interviews were also conducted to identify perceptions of change in the marine environment by past and present Ascension Island inhabitants. Historical sources indicate seabird and turtle populations declined substantially following human settlement, and despite recent population recoveries, pre-settlement abundance has not been reached. Reported fish abundance was high and remained relatively consistent throughout the historical references, but residents have noticed recent changes, notably in fishing effort, declines in yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), and increases of Galapagos sharks (Carcharhinus galapagensis). Two shark attacks occurred in 2017, with their increased aggression completely new to most interviewees. However, previous periods of high shark abundance with threatening behaviour were noted, including a likely shark attack in 1879. Overall, Ascension appears to have largely avoided depletion of fish stocks from commercial fishing pressure, but recent changes highlight the need for precautionary management with strong protection to safeguard the island’s extraordinary assets

Adapting the Marine Stewardship Council risk-based framework to estimate impacts on seabirds, marine mammals, marine turtles and sea snakes

Information available on impacts of fisheries on target or bycatch species varies greatly, requiring development of risk assessment tools to determine potentially unacceptable levels. Seabirds, marine mammals, marine turtles and sea snakes are particularly vulnerable given their extreme life histories, and data are often lacking on their populations or bycatch rates with which to quantify fisheries impacts. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) use a semi-quantitative Productivity Susceptibility Analysis (PSA) that is applicable to all species, target and non-target, to calculate risk of impact and to provide a score for relevant Performance Indicators for fisheries undertaking certification. The most recent MSC Fisheries Standard Review provided an opportunity to test the appropriateness of using this tool and whether it was sufficiently precautionary for seabirds, marine mammals and reptiles . The existing PSA was tested on a range of species and fisheries and reviewed in relation to literature on these species groups. New taxa-specific PSAs were produced and then reviewed by taxa-specific experts and other relevant stakeholders (e.g., assessors, fisheries managers, non-governmental conservation organizations). The conclusions of the Fishery Standard Review process were that the new taxa-specific PSAs were more appropriate than the existing PSA for assessing fisheries risk for seabirds, marine mammals and reptiles, and that, as intended, they resulted in precautionary outcomes. The taxa-specific PSAs provide useful tools for true data-deficient fisheries to assess relative risk of impact. Where some data are available, the MSC could consider developing or adapting other approaches to support robust and relevant risk assessments

Intensive versus Guideline Blood Pressure and Lipid Lowering in Patients with Previous Stroke: Main Results from the Pilot 'Prevention of Decline in Cognition after Stroke Trial' (PODCAST) Randomised Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is associated with the development of cognitive impairment and dementia. We assessed the effect of intensive blood pressure (BP) and/or lipid lowering on cognitive outcomes in patients with recent stroke in a pilot trial. METHODS: In a multicentre, partial-factorial trial, patients with recent stroke, absence of dementia, and systolic BP (SBP) 125-170 mmHg were assigned randomly to at least 6 months of intensive (target SBP <125 mmHg) or guideline (target SBP <140 mmHg) BP lowering. The subset of patients with ischaemic stroke and total cholesterol 3.0-8.0 mmol/l were also assigned randomly to intensive (target LDL-cholesterol <1.3 mmol/l) or guideline (target LDL-c <3.0 mmol/l) lipid lowering. The primary outcome was the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R). RESULTS: We enrolled 83 patients, mean age 74.0 (6.8) years, and median 4.5 months after stroke. The median follow-up was 24 months (range 1-48). Mean BP was significantly reduced with intensive compared to guideline treatment (difference -10·6/-5·5 mmHg; p<0·01), as was total/LDL-cholesterol with intensive lipid lowering compared to guideline (difference -0·54/-0·44 mmol/l; p<0·01). The ACE-R score during treatment did not differ for either treatment comparison; mean difference for BP lowering -3.6 (95% CI -9.7 to 2.4), and lipid lowering 4.4 (95% CI -2.1 to 10.9). However, intensive lipid lowering therapy was significantly associated with improved scores for ACE-R at 6 months, trail making A, modified Rankin Scale and Euro-Qol Visual Analogue Scale. There was no difference in rates of dementia or serious adverse events for either comparison. CONCLUSION: In patients with recent stroke and normal cognition, intensive BP and lipid lowering were feasible and safe, but did not alter cognition over two years. The association between intensive lipid lowering and improved scores for some secondary outcomes suggests further trials are warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN ISRCTN85562386.The trial was funded equally by grants from Alzheimer’s Society and Stroke Association in the UK. There was no commercial support for the trial, and antihypertensive and lipid lowering drugs were prescribed by the responsible physician and sourced locally. The grant applicants conceived and designed the trial and wrote the protocol. Study data were collected, monitored, and analysed by the PODCAST Coordinating Centre in Nottingham, UK. Analysis, interpretation, and report writing were done independently of the funders and sponsor. The corresponding author and two other authors (PS, LW) had full access to all the data in the study; additionally, the corresponding author had final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication, and is the guarantor for the study. This study is registered as ISRCTN85562386 (http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN85562386)

Organometallic neptunium(III) complexes

Studies of transuranic organometallic complexes provide a particularly valuable insight into covalent contributions to the metal–ligand bonding, in which the subtle differences between the transuranium actinide ions and their lighter lanthanide counterparts are of fundamental importance for the effective remediation of nuclear waste. Unlike the organometallic chemistry of uranium, which has focused strongly on UIII and has seen some spectacular advances, that of the transuranics is significantly technically more challenging and has remained dormant. In the case of neptunium, it is limited mainly to NpIV. Here we report the synthesis of three new NpIII organometallic compounds and the characterization of their molecular and electronic structures. These studies suggest that NpIII complexes could act as single-molecule magnets, and that the lower oxidation state of NpII is chemically accessible. In comparison with lanthanide analogues, significant d- and f-electron contributions to key NpIII orbitals are observed, which shows that fundamental neptunium organometallic chemistry can provide new insights into the behaviour of f-elements