Transitions in coral reef accretion rates linked to intrinsic ecological shifts on turbid-zone nearshore reefs

Nearshore coral communities within turbid settings are typically perceived to have limited reef-building capacity. However, several recent studies have reported reef growth over millennial time scales within such environments and have hypothesized that depth-variable community assemblages may act as equally important controls on reef growth as they do in clear-water settings. Here, we explicitly test this idea using a newly compiled chronostratigraphic record (31 cores, 142 radiometric dates) from seven proximal (but discrete) nearshore coral reefs located along the central Great Barrier Reef (Australia). Uniquely, these reefs span distinct stages of geomorphological maturity, as reflected in their elevations below sea level. Integrated age-depth and ecological data sets indicate that contemporary coral assemblage shifts, associated with changing light availability and wave exposure as reefs shallowed, coincided with transitions in accretion rates at equivalent core depths. Reef initiation followed a regional ∼1 m drop in sea level (1200–800 calibrated yr B.P.) which would have lowered the photic floor and exposed new substrate for coral recruitment by winnowing away fine seafloor sediments. We propose that a two-way feedback mechanism exists where past growth history influences current reef morphology and ecology, ultimately driving future reef accumulation and morphological change. These findings provide the first empirical evidence that nearshore reef growth trajectories are intrinsically driven by changes in coral community structure as reefs move toward sea level, a finding of direct significance for predicting the impacts of extrinsically driven ecological change (e.g., coral-algal phase shifts) on reef growth potential within the wider coastal zone on the Great Barrier Reef

Screening for autism in preterm children : diagnostic utility of the Social Communication Questionnaire

Objective Preterm survivors are at high risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The diagnostic utility of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) in screening for ASD was assessed in extremely preterm children at 11 years of age. Design All babies born at <26 weeks gestation in UK and Ireland from March through December 1995 were recruited to the EPICure Study. Of 307 survivors, 219 (71%) were assessed at 11 years. Parents of 173 children completed the SCQ to screen for autistic features and the Development and Well Being Assessment (DAWBA) psychiatric interview. A consensus diagnosis of ASD was assigned by two child psychiatrists following review of the DAWBA parental interview and corresponding DAWBA teacher questionnaire. Setting Community-based follow-up. Results Using the established SCQ cut-off (scores ≥15), 28 (16%) extremely preterm children screened positive for ASD. Eleven (6%) were assigned a diagnosis of ASD. Using this cut-off, the SCQ had 82% sensitivity and 88% specifi city for identifying ASD in this population. Using a receiver operating characteristic curve, SCQ scores ≥14 had optimal diagnostic utility (area under curve: 0.94; sensitivity: 91%; specifi city: 86%). Positive predictive value was relatively low (31%) resulting in numerous over-referrals. However, children with false positive screens had signifi cantly worse neuro-developmental, cognitive and behavioural outcomes than those with true negative screens. Conclusion The SCQ has good diagnostic utility for identifying ASD in extremely preterm children and is a useful screening tool in this population. Children with false positive screens represent a high-risk group in whom further diagnostic assessment would be benefi cial

Comparing Student Assessments and Perceptions of Online and Face-to-Face Versions of an Introductory Linguistics Course

This article examines the issue of whether linguistics is better suited for a face-to-face (F2F) environment than an online teaching environment. Specifically, it examines assessment scores and student perceptions of the effectiveness of an introductory linguistics course at an undergraduate state university that has been taught multiple times in both online and F2F modes. To study this issue data was collected about the types of students enrolled in either version of the course, including their GPAs and course grades. A survey with both closed- and open-ended questions was also used to ask students about their experiences and perceptions of the two environments. Students responded to questions on factors such as procrastination, engagement with socially sensitive discussion topics, preferences for discussion modality, and motivations for course enrollment. Results of the data problematize the notion that linguistics (and perhaps other disciplines) is equally suited for an online and F2F environment since students fare better academically and engage more with the F2F linguistics course. Results also show that students with higher GPAs gravitate toward F2F classes. Regarding the course itself, convenience is the primary category that students consistently noted as a reason for selecting the online linguistics course versus its F2F counterpart. Even so, results do show some effectiveness in treating linguistic content online. Suggestions and strategies are offered to further strengthen online delivery of linguistic material to overcome some of the structural hurdles presented by student enrollment patterns and (dis)engagement

Effects of Calcium Treatment on Forest Floor Organic Matter Composition Along an Elevation Gradient

Calcium amendment is a restorative option for nutrient-depleted, acidic soils in the forests of the northeastern United States. We studied the effects of watershed-scale wollastonite (CaSiO3) application on the structural composition of soil organic matter (SOM) and hot-water extractable organic matter (HWEOM) at the Hubbard Brook Experiment Forest in New Hampshire 7-9 years after treatment, along an elevation gradient. Soils in the high-elevation spruce/fir/birch (SFB) zone contained significantly greater amounts of HWEOM compared to lower elevation hardwood soils, likely due to differences in litter quality and slower decomposition rates in colder soils at higher elevation. The only significant difference in hot-water extractable organic carbon (HWEOC) concentration between reference and calcium-treated watersheds was in Oie horizons of the SFB zone, which also exhibited the greatest degree of soil chemical change after treatment. The 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra showed no significant patterns in O-alkyl C abundance for either soil or HWEOM along the elevation gradient, suggesting that there were no elevation-related patterns in carbohydrate concentration. The general absence of long-term effects in this study suggests that effects of Ca amendment at this dosage on the composition of soil organic matter were small or short-lived

Making Collaboration Count: A Tool for Tracking and Building Participation in Community Collaboratives and Coalitions

Evaluation is necessary not only for assessing the impact of programs and interventions, but also for gathering actionable feedback on the ways in which organizations work together. Continuous evaluation of collaboratives themselves can help to address common issues, such as getting the right people at the table, balancing multiple stakeholder priorities, avoiding tokenism, and perhaps most importantly, encouraging participation and maintaining it over time. With the growing interest in collaborative processes over the past several years—and with collaboration and coalition development as a key practice competency identified by the Society for Community Research and Action (2012)—it is necessary to identify new tools that can be used to evaluate coalition processes, promote participation, and to ensure that these groups function in a way that promotes working toward collective goals. This article presents a tool and supporting strategies for tracking and encouraging participation in&nbsp; collaborative processes, as well as a case example illustrating how this tool has been utilized within the North Jersey Health Collaborative

Making Collaboration Count: A Tool for Tracking and Building Participation in Community Collaboratives and Coalitions

Evaluation is necessary not only for assessing the impact of programs and interventions, but also for gathering actionable feedback on the ways in which organizations work together. Continuous evaluation of collaboratives themselves can help to address common issues, such as getting the right people at the table, balancing multiple stakeholder priorities, avoiding tokenism, and perhaps most importantly, encouraging participation and maintaining it over time. With the growing interest in collaborative processes over the past several years—and with collaboration and coalition development as a key practice competency identified by the Society for Community Research and Action (2012)—it is necessary to identify new tools that can be used to evaluate coalition processes, promote participation, and to ensure that these groups function in a way that promotes working toward collective goals. This article presents a tool and supporting strategies for tracking and encouraging participation in&nbsp; collaborative processes, as well as a case example illustrating how this tool has been utilized within the North Jersey Health Collaborative

Comparing the Identification of Recommendations by Different Accident Investigators Using a Common Methodology

Accident reports play a key role in the safety of complex systems. These reports present the recommendations that are intended to help avoid any recurrence of past failures. However, the value of these findings depends upon the causal analysis that helps to identify the reasons why an accident occurred. Various techniques have been developed to help investigators distinguish root causes from contributory factors and contextual information. This paper presents the results from a study into the individual differences that can arise when a group of investigators independently apply the same technique to identify the causes of an accident. This work is important if we are to increase the consistency and coherence of investigations following major accidents

Secular change in TTG compositions: Implications for the evolution of Archaean geodynamics

It is estimated that around three quarters of Earth's first generation continental crust had been produced by the end of the Archaean Eon, 2.5 billion years ago. This ancient continental crust is mostly composed of variably deformed and metamorphosed magmatic rocks of the tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) suite that formed by partial melting of hydrated mafic rocks. However, the geodynamic regime under which TTG magmas formed is a matter of ongoing debate. Using a filtered global geochemical dataset of 563 samples with ages ranging from the Eoarchaean to Neoarchaean (4.0–2.5 Ga), we interrogate the bulk rock major oxide and trace element composition of TTGs to assess evidence for secular change. Despite a high degree of scatter in the data, the concentrations or ratios of several key major oxides and trace elements show statistically significant trends that indicate maxima, minima and/or transitions in the interval 3.3–3.0 Ga. Importantly, a change point analysis of K2O/Na2O, Sr/Y and LaN/YbN demonstrates a statistically significant (&gt;99% confidence) change during this 300 Ma period. These shifts may be linked to a fundamental change in geodynamic regime around the peak in upper mantle temperatures from one dominated by non-uniformitarian, deformable stagnant lid processes to another dominated by the emergence of global mobile lid or plate tectonic processes by the end of the Archaean. A notable change is also evident at 2.8–2.7 Ga that coincides with a major jump in the rate of survival of metamorphic rocks with contrasting thermal gradients, which may relate to the emergence of more potassic continental arc magmas and an increased preservation potential during collisional orogenesis. In many cases, the chemical composition of TTGs shows an increasing spread through the Archaean, reflecting the irreversible differentiation of the lithosphere

Preventing Isolated Perioperative Reintubation: Who is at highest risk?

Objectives: 1. We aim to characterize IPR nationally through a retrospective review of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program participant user file (NSQIP PUF). 2.Identify risk factors for IPR including analysis of procedure type and preoperative characteristics.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/patientsafetyposters/1041/thumbnail.jp

U-Pb (zircon) age, petrology, and tectonic setting of the Canaan River pluton, southeastern New Brunswick, Canada

 The Canaan River pluton comprises megacrystic monzogranite and quartz diorite to monzodiorite that is exposed in several small inliers on the Carboniferous New Brunswick Platform west of Moncton in southeastern New Brunswick. Its distinct geophysical signature and borehole data suggest that the Canaan River pluton is part of a large buried felsic to mafic intrusive body that lies at relatively shallow depths beneath flat-lying Pennsylvanian sandstone on the platform. New laser ablation ICP-MS in situ analysis of the megacrystic monzogranite yielded a U-Pb zircon concordia age of 412.6 ± 2.1 Ma, indicating that the intrusion is of Early Devonian (upper Lochkovian) age.The new radiometric data along with lithological, geochemical, and isotopic data suggest that the Canaan River pluton is most like the megacrystic Hawkshaw Granite of upper Lochkovian age in the Pokiok Batholith in southwestern New Brunswick. The similarities shown by these granites suggests that they may have been generated in the same complex tectonomagmatic setting related to the successive arrival of the leading edge of Ganderia and Avalonia at the composite Laurentian margin during the Salinic and Acadian orogenies.