Population Demographics and Sexual Reproduction Potential of the Pillar Coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, on the Florida Reef Tract

The pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, has been commonly described as widely distributed, but rare throughout its geographical range in the Caribbean. Having recently been listed as Threatened under the US Endangered Species Act, an understanding of population status is needed to promote species conservation and population recovery. Previous to this study the status of the pillar coral population in the state waters of Florida, U.S.A, was relatively unknown primarily due to few colonies being recorded and no comprehensive summary of population abundance, distribution or health being completed. Along with various environmental and anthropogenic factors affecting the pillar coral population on the Florida Reef Tract (FRT), it appears that reproductive limitations may also be contributing to species decline and limiting population recovery as evidenced by the lack of reported juvenile D. cylindrus colonies reported on the Florida Reef Tract (FRT) in the past 17 years. The factors contributing to this phenomenon are currently unknown, however are suspected to be derived from the pillar corals reproductive biology. Being described as a gonochoric, broadcast spawner, sexual reproduction relies on the synchronous release of gametes from colonies of separate sexes, and with low adult colony densities reported for the pillar coral on the FRT, gamete concentrations from both sexes may be too low for fertilization to occur. In 2014 submissions of pillar coral locations from the scientific and lay community were compiled and 610 D. cylindrus colonies along Florida Reef Tract were identified (Lunz et al. 2016). In my study, I describe the population structure of D. cylindrus for the southeast Florida region of the FRT which includes 65 of the total 610 colonies. For each of the 65 colonies, colony depth, demographic, and condition data were recorded including size (length, width, and height), percent of recent mortality, and presence and severity of disease and bleaching. Out of all locations identified in this region, about 50% contained only a single colony of D. cylindrus and the maximum number of colonies per site was 14. Throughout the duration of the study, devastating losses of live tissue were observed following the bleaching and disease events impacting the Florida Reef Tract in 2014, 2015, and 2016 and the status of the southeast Florida population of pillar coral is at serious risk of local extinction. To investigate the ability of colonies of D. cylindrus to sexually reproduce (referred to as sexual reproduction potential) tissue samples were collected from 95 colonies within 15 sites along the FRT and were prepared for histological analysis. The sex of each colony, sizes of gametes in mature developmental stages, the abundance of gametes per cm2 of tissue, and sex ratios for locations on the FRT were reported. All tissue samples from male and female colonies contained gametes that were ≥90% mature; however sex ratios were found to be skewed in all locations, deviating significantly from the 1:1 ratio expected for typical resource allocation in random mating. Hermaphroditic colonies of D. cylindrus are described for the first time throughout its geographical range in this study and comparisons to gonochoristic colonies confirmed that these hermaphrodites are sexually reproductive individuals. Results from this effort provide a more thorough understanding of the reproductive biology of D. cylindrus and essential data for the support of future conservation management and restoration strategies for this FRT population and comparative data for other Caribbean populations

Understanding the importance of Eperythrozoon ovis infection in sheep

Assigning priorities for research on sheep diseases relies in part on understanding the prevalence and economic impact of each disease. Eperythrozoon ovis infection in sheep, for example is a common, but not costly, disease

The Relationship between Athletic Training Students Critical Thinking Skills and Clinical Instructor Supervision: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this study was to 1) assess the critical thinking skill level of the athletic training student at onset and end of the clinical education experience 2) to examine the influence of the students\u27 critical thinking skills and the CIs\u27 supervision responses to the changes in the students\u27 critical thinking skills and 3) to compare the students\u27 and the clinical instructors\u27 perceptions of the CIs\u27 supervision responses to the athletic training students\u27 critical thinking skill levels. Methods: A descriptive research study design was used. To explore the critical thinking skill levels of the athletic training students (ATSs), the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) was used. Perceived clinical supervision responses of the Clinical Instructors (CIs) to the ATSs\u27 level of thinking were analyzed using two tools developed for this study-ATS Perception of Clinical Instructor Supervision Response (S-PS) and the CI Self-Evaluation of Supervision Response (CI-S) assessments. The S-PS and CI-S were assessed for validity and reliability. Data were collected at the beginning and at the end of the students\u27 clinical education experiences. A sample of convience was used from the CAATE approved programs in the state of Pennsylvania. 121 students from eight participating institutions chose to participate in the study. The CIs of each participating student were solicitated to participate in the study. 23 CIs completed and returned the suvey at the beginning and at the end of the students\u27 clinical education expeiences. Correlations and paired t-tests were used to analyze the data. Results: The students demonstrated an overall moderate critical thinking skill level. Although there was a decrease in the overall CCTST score over time, the score did not fall below the moderate critical thinking level. There was no statistically significant difference between the critical thinking skill levels of the students who had completed 3 or more years of higher education and the students who completed 1-2 years of higher education. The athletic training students perceived a statistically significant change in the CIs\u27 supervision responses over the period of one clinical education experience. The ATSs perceived an increase in the amount of autonomy given to the ATSs by the CIs during their clinical education experiences, as well as increases in their own motivation and self-awareness occurring during those clinical education experiences. The data reflected no statistically significant changes in the CIs\u27 self-perception of their supervision responses to the students\u27 levels of critical thinking over time. The CIs did perceive that they gave the students greater amounts of autonomy in the clinical experiences, as well as provided higher levels of motivation and encouraged greater self-awareness in the students than what the students perceived occurred. Conclusion: Clinical education for students in this sample may not be structured in the most effective way to encourage development of the students\u27 critical thinking skills. This sample demonstrated little improvement in CTS and exemplified the need for better ways to develop of higher levels of critical thinking during their entry-level athletic training preparation. One way this concern may be addressed is that during clinical education experiences, the CIs could adapt their supervision responses to better challenge students and force them to integrate critical thinking skills more often and at higher levels into their decision making processes to advance to higher levels of thinking over time. An improvement in the type of reflection by the students, combined with more frequent and critical evaluation and feedback to the students during clinical education experiences may improve the students\u27 levels of thinking. A more active role of the clinical education coordinator in clinical education of the students also may assist in improving the students\u27 levels of critical thinkin

Symptomatic L4-L5 Disc Herniation in a Professional Hockey Player

In volume 4, Issue 1 of the JSMAHS you will find Professional Research Abstracts, as well as Bachelor Student Research Abstracts and Case Reports. Thank you for viewing this 4th Annual OATA Special Editio

Pumice as Precursor in Geopolymer Paste and Mortar

Natural rocks of magmatic origin are alternative precursors in alkali-activated materials and provide opportunities in the search for more environmentally friendly binders compared to portland cement. The pumice is one of these rocks and its amorphous structure and chemical composition make it one of the candidates as a precursor in producing geopolymer binder when finely ground. Since the majority of the pumice reserves are located in Turkey increases its potential utilization in this area, even more. This paper evaluates the physical, mechanical, and microstructural properties of geopolymer pastes and mortars manufactured with pumice powder (PP) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (BFS) with the activating agents sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), and sodium silicate (SS) solution. The experimental results showed that the compressive strength of the geopolymer pastes was mainly affected by the activator concentration and the PP ratio, rather than the activator type, for single activator mixes. However, the incorporation of SS changed this trend as the KOH and SS combination resulted in higher compressive strength compared to the NaOH and SS. The gradual increase of the PP ratio in the mix design decreased the density and thermal conductivity, on the other hand, increased the water absorption values of the geopolymer mortars. However, the physical properties were insignificantly changed in geopolymer mortars incorporating 60, 70, and 80% of PP in the binder

Effect of Prewetted Pumice Aggregate Addition on Concrete Properties under Different Curing Conditions

This study researches the effects of different curing conditions on the properties of high strength concrete containing presoaked pumice aggregate (PA). Fine normal weight aggregate is substituted by an equal volume of 1h and 24h presoaked PA at 50% and 100% fractions and a total of five concrete mixtures were prepared. After kept in water, air and hot weather, the performance of concretes were evaluated by determining their physical and mechanical properties at 28 days. Hot weather was found to be the most detrimental condition where the highest strength drops were observed. Frost resistance of concretes was improved with the use of presoaked PA at 50% replacement ratio. The use of presoaked PA also decreased the shrinkage values of concrete specimens. The results showed that the use of presoaked PA in high strength concrete at 50% replacement ratio could contribute to concrete properties when exposed to inadequate curing conditions

The left sternalis muscle variation detected during mastectomy

The sternalis muscle variation is a well-known anatomical situation. It is present in 8.7% of women and 6.4% of men, although the incidence varies according to sex, race and ethnicity. During a left modified radical mastectomy operation on a 46-year-old female patient a sternalis muscle was detected on the pectoralis major muscle in the superficial fascia. It was in craniocaudal position and was parallel to the body of the sternum. The cylindrical muscle was approximately 8 cm in length and 2 cm in diameter. Such variations are considered to have their origin in embryological development. Awareness of muscular variations and their identification is important both for procedure through the proper dissection planes during breast surgery and in radiological examination and follow-up

Temperature stress and disease drives the extirpation of the threatened pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, in southeast Florida

Rare species population dynamics can elucidate the resilience of an ecosystem. On coral reefs, climate change and local anthropogenic stressors are threatening stony coral persistence, increasing the need to assess vulnerable species locally. Here, we monitored the threatened pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, population in southeast Florida, USA, in relation to consecutive heat stress events in 2014 and 2015. In the fall of each year, D. cylindrus colonies bleached following intense thermal stress and by June 2020 all monitored colonies died from a white-syndrome type disease. This resulted in the ecological extinction of D. cylindrus in the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area (ECA). White-syndrome type disease was first seen in February 2014 on four colonies (19% prevalence) near the major international port, Port Everglades and disease prevalence peaked in fall 2015 (58%). Disease prevalence increased with maximum water temperature, while disease related mortality increased with mean water temperature. Our findings suggest that thermal stress exacerbated underlying stony coral disease, resulting in an outbreak contributing to the ecological extirpation of D. cylindrus in the ECA. We suggest that stony coral resilience is severely compromised by chronic environmental disturbance which hinders community recovery

Rapid Population Decline of the Pillar Coral Dendrogyra cylindrus Along the Florida Reef Tract

Coral reefs worldwide are in a state of decline, but the population status and impacts of stressors for rare species are generally not well documented using broad-scale monitoring protocols. We fate-tracked all known colonies of the pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, on the Florida Reef Tract (FRT) from 2013 to 2020 to assess population condition and trend, and to document the relative impacts of chronic and acute stressors. Large average colony size, an absence of juveniles, and large geographic distances between genotypes suggest that the Florida D. cylindrus population has been reproductively extinct for decades. During the study period, low-intensity chronic stressors were balanced by regrowth, while back-to-back years of coral bleaching and thermally-exacerbated disease led to declines that the subsequent recovery rates suggest would require 11 uninterrupted years to overcome. The most recent stressor on Florida’s D. cylindrus population is “stony coral tissue loss disease” (SCTLD). Following the appearance of the disease in Florida in 2014, unrecoverable losses occurred within the D. cylindrus population as tissue, colonies, and whole genotypes suffered complete mortality. Losses of 94% of coral tissue, 93% of colonies, and 86% of genotypes between 2014 and the end of 2020 have led to functional extinction of D. cylindrus on the FRT

Percepcija epilepsije u Turskoj u svjetlu dvaju gradova

The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of epilepsy in Turkey, from west to east, in Kutahya and Yuksekova, two cities of different sociocultural and ethnic status. This was a retrospective comparison study which evaluated the results of two prior studies investigating stigmatization of patients diagnosed with epilepsy and their first-degree relatives in two different cities of Turkey, Kutahya and Yuksekova. The Survey of Epileptic Patient Relatives on the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Regarding the Disorder was used and included questions on descriptive characteristics, familiarity with epilepsy, attitudes toward epilepsy, and understanding of epilepsy. Data collected by use of the SPSS 15.0 software were analyzed with χ2-test. In Yuksekova group, 88.5% of first-degree relatives of people with epilepsy felt primarily fear when they heard the diagnosis of epilepsy in their relatives; in Kutahya group, the respective rate was 19.1% (p<0.05). The number of participants who objected their child marrying someone with epilepsy was significantly higher in Yuksekova group (p<0.05); however, if married, the Yuksekova group significantly stated that they should have a baby, revealing the importance of children as an indicator of power and dignity in the eastern region of Turkey (p<0.05). Although understanding of epilepsy was favorable, educating the community about epilepsy and personal contacts are the major strategies against epileptic stigmatization.Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati percepciju epilepsije u Turskoj, od zapada do istoka, u gradovima Kutahya i Yuksekova različitog sociokulturalnog i etničkog statusa. Istraživanje je provedeno kao retrospektivna, usporedbena studija u kojoj su se procjenjivali rezultati dviju prethodnih studija koje su ispitivale stigmatizaciju bolesnika s dijagnosticiranom epilepsijom i njihovih srodnika prvog stupnja u dva različita turska grada, Kutahya i Yuksekova. Primijenjeno je anketiranje rodbine epileptičnih bolesnika o znanju, stavovima i ponašanju u odnosu na bolest, a obuhvaćena su pitanja o deskriptivnim značajkama, poznavanju epilepsije, stavovima prema epilepsiji i razumijevanju epilepsije. Podaci prikupljeni uz pomoć statističkog programa SPSS 15.0 analizirani su primjenom χ2-testa. U skupini Yuksekova 88,5% srodnika prvog stupnja osoba s epilepsijom osjetilo je prvenstveno strah kad su čuli za dijagnozu epilepsije postavljenu kod njihovih rođaka, dok je u skupini Kutahya taj postotak bio 19,1% (p<0,05). Broj sudionika koji su svom djetetu zamjerali sklapanje braka s nekim tko boluje od epilepsije bio je značajno viši u skupini Yuksekova (p<0,05). No kad je takav brak već sklopljen, značajan broj sudionika skupine Yuksekova ustvrdio je kako bi oni trebali imati djecu, što ukazuje na važnost djece u istočnom dijelu Turske kao pokazatelja snage i dostojanstva (p<0,05). Iako se razumijevanje epilepsije pokazalo povoljnim, izobrazba lokalne zajednice o epilepsiji i osobni kontakti glavne su strategije protiv stigmatiziranja osoba s epilepsijom