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CONTEXT Many women undergoing cervical cancer screening lack appropriate understanding of the Pap test. It is important to evaluate knowledge and informational needs about Pap testing among groups who may have difficulty accessing care or a relatively low likelihood of obtaining follow‐up for an abnormal result, such as minority and low‐income women. METHODS A sample of 338 women undergoing cervical screening at two clinics in Texas completed a questionnaire measuring their knowledge of Pap testing and asking what specific information they would like to know about the test. Group comparisons and qualitative analyses were conducted. RESULTS Women correctly answered an average of 8.7 out of 20 questions; the range was 0‐17. Mean scores were higher among white women (10.2) than among blacks (8.4) and Hispanics (7.4), among women with more than a high school education than among their less educated counterparts (10.0 vs. 7.9) and among women with an annual household income of at least $10,000 than among those with a lower income (9.3 vs. 8.4). Knowledge scores did not differ according to Pap history. Open‐ended questioning identified a need for information on the purpose of the test, exam procedures, abnormal test results and prognosis. CONCLUSIONS Minority women and those of low socioeconomic status had poor understanding of Pap testing. Identifying misunderstandings in this vulnerable population and improving patient education on the most basic aspects of Pap testing may increase adherence to follow‐up when abnormalities are detected.

In the last decade, the ocean has absorbed a quarter of the Earth's greenhouse gas emissions through the carbon (C) cycle, a naturally occurring process. Aspects of the ocean C cycle are now being incorporated into climate change mitigation and adaptation plans. Currently, too little is known about marine vertebrate C functions for their inclusion in policies. Fortunately, marine vertebrate biology, behavior, and ecology through the lens of C and nutrient cycling and flux is an emerging area of research that is rich in existing data. This review uses literature and trusted data sources to describe marine vertebrate C interactions, provides quantification where possible, and highlights knowledge gaps. Implications of better understanding the integral functions of marine vertebrates in the ocean C cycle include the need for consideration of these functions both in policies on nature-based climate change mitigation and adaptation, and in management of marine vertebrate populations. ll

We evaluated the use of naturally occurring nose scars to identify individual sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in Simpson Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. We spent 520 hours over 103 days conducting photo‐identification surveys from June to August 2002 and 2003. Altogether, we identified 114 individuals. The number of sightings per individual ranged from 1 to 26, with an average of 3.3. The maximum number of sightings of an individual within a single year was 19. We saw 54 otters (47%)on >1 day, with an average of 8.1 sightings per individual for those seen more than once. We identified 8 individuals (19% of those identified in 2002) in both years. Males and otters of undetermined sex that we first sighted in June had the highest re‐sighting rates. We considered 45% of all individuals encountered identifiable from nose scars. Nose scars were present in 63% (n = 19) of males, 45% (n = 45) of females, and 40% (n = 49) of otters of undetermined sex. Our results are similar to the results of photo‐identification studies of other marine mammals, suggesting that this technique may be a useful tool for the individual identification of sea otters as well.