Cruise Report C-209 : Scientific Data Collected Aboard SSV Corwith Cramer, Key West, FL – Samana, Dominican Republic – Port Antonio, Jamaica – Key West, FL, 13 February – 22 March 2007

Key West, FL – Samana, Dominican Republic – Port Antonio, Jamaica – Key West, FL, 13 February – 22 March 2007This cruise report provides a summary of scientific activities aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer during cruise C-209 (13 Feb - 22 Mar 07). The 2785 nautical mile cruise served as the second half of a 12-week, semester program with Sea Education Association (SEA), during which extensive oceanographic sampling was conducted for both student research projects (Table 1) and the ongoing SEA research program. Students examined physical, chemical, geological, biological, and environmental oceanographic characteristics in accordance with their written proposals and presented their results in a final poster session and papers (available upon request from SEA). The brief summary of data collected and results of student research projects contained in this report are not intended to represent final data interpretation and should not be excerpted or cited without written permission from SEA.NS

Cruise Report S-222 : scientific data collected aboard SSV Robert C. Seamans, Honolulu, Hawaii – Christmas Island, Kiribati – Papeete, Tahiti, 26 March 2009 – 1 May 2009

Honolulu, Hawaii – Christmas Island, Kiribati – Papeete, Tahiti, 26 March 2009 – 1 May 2009This cruise report provides a summary of scientific activities aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans during cruise S-222 (26 March – 1 May 2009). The 2500 nm cruise served as the second half of the 12-week Sea Semester: Ocean Exploration program with Sea Education Association (SEA), during which extensive oceanographic sampling was conducted for both student research projects (Table 1) and the ongoing SEA research program. Students examined physical, chemical, biological, and environmental oceanographic characteristics in accordance with their written proposals and presented their results in a final poster session and papers

Cruise Report S-217 : scientific data collected aboard SSV Robert C. Seamans, Papeete, Tahiti – Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas – Honolulu, Hawaii, 9 May – 14 June 2008

Papeete, Tahiti – Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas – Honolulu, Hawaii, 9 May – 14 June 2008This cruise report provides a summary of scientific activities aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans during cruise S-217 (9 May – 14 June 08). The cruise served as the second half of a 12-week, semester program with Sea Education Association (SEA), during which extensive oceanographic sampling was conducted for both student research projects (Table 1) and the ongoing SEA research program. Students examined physical, chemical, biological, and environmental oceanographic characteristics in accordance with their written proposals and presented their results in a final poster session and papers

Cruise Report S-220 : scientific data collected aboard SSV Robert C. Seamans, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas – Papeete, Tahiti, 26 November 2008 – 3 January 2009

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas – Papeete, Tahiti, 26 November 2008 – 3 January 2009This cruise report provides a summary of scientific activities aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans during cruise S-220 (26 Nov 2008 – 3 Jan 2009). The cruise served as the second half of the 12-week Sea Semester: Oceans and Climate program with Sea Education Association (SEA), during which extensive oceanographic sampling was conducted for both student research projects (Table 1) and the ongoing SEA research program. Students examined physical, chemical, biological, and environmental oceanographic characteristics in accordance with their written proposals and presented their results in a final poster session and papers

Microplastics in large marine herbivores: Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in Tampa Bay

Although there is growing concern about ingestion of microplastics by marine organisms, little research has been conducted on marine herbivores. This is the first study to document microplastic ingestion within the family Sirenia. Subsamples were collected from five locations in the gastrointestinal tracts (GI) of 26 dead manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) from Tampa Bay, Florida. During gross necropsies, macroplastic pieces were found in seven individuals (26.9%). Careful visual examination of the subsampled portions of the GI contents indicated that 19 individuals (73.1%) contained plastic particles. As five individuals had both macro and microplastic pieces, the overall frequency of occurrence of plastic ingestion was 76.9%. Due to the large volume of cellulose-rich ingested material, it was not feasible to analyze the entire gut contents, nor was it feasible to conduct chemical or enzymatic digestion; therefore, it is very likely that many microplastic pieces were not detected. Despite these technical challenges, it is clear that manatees in Tampa Bay are routinely consuming microplastics in addition to larger plastic pieces. Currently, nothing is known about the physiological effects of microplastic ingestion in sirenians, however environmental plastics could be concentrated by manatees through ingestion and the subsequent production of microplastics-laden feces

Statistical characteristics of finger-tapping data in Huntington’s disease

Measuring the rate of finger tapping is a technique commonly used as an indicator of impairment in degenerative neurological conditions, such as Huntington’s disease. The information it provides can be greatly enhanced by analysing not simply the overall tapping rate, but also the statistical characteristics of the individual times between each successive response. Recent technological improvements in the recording equipment allow the responses to be analysed extremely quickly, and permit modification of the task in the interest of greater clinical specificity. Here we illustrate its use with some pilot data from a group of manifest HD patients and age-matched controls. Even in this small cohort, differences in the responses are apparent that appear to relate to the severity of the disease as measured by conventional behavioural tests

Ingestion of microplastics by copepods in Tampa Bay Estuary, FL

Microplastics have been recognized as an emerging contaminant. Copepods are abundant primary consumers in marine food webs. Interactions between copepods and microplastics can lead to negative health effects to the individual and may have implications for populations and ecosystems through biomagnification. Laboratory and field studies have observed various species of zooplankton ingesting microplastics, however, this is the first study to observe microplastic-copepod interactions in Tampa Bay. Over 2 years (November 2017-January 2020), 14 sampling cruises were conducted with seven stations throughout Tampa Bay. At each station copepods were collected by towing a 200 μm mesh ring net (0.5 m diameter) for 3 min. 1,000 individual Acartia tonsa copepods were picked from each sample and digested to release gut contents. Gut contents were stained in a Nile Red solution and then visualized using epifluorescent microscopy, quantified, photographed and sized using image analysis. In Tampa Bay, A. tonsa consumed fragments over fibers, ranging from 0.018 to 0.642 mm, with an average particle size of 0.076 mm. An overall average of 15.38 particles were ingested per 1,000 copepods, or 6.48 particles m–3 when normalized for environmental copepod concentrations. While significant differences were detected between stations and months, no clear spatial (from head to mouth of estuary) or temporal (between wet and dry seasons) trends in ingestion rate or ingested particle size were evident. These results show that A. tonsa ingested microplastics throughout Tampa Bay. These robust baseline data, for a copepod species that dominates estuarine zooplankton communities around the world, set the stage for valuable comparisons between estuaries with different physical mechanisms and levels of anthropogenic impact, allowing for exploration of how the environmental conditions impact ecological interactions

Color Categorization Independent of Color Naming

Color is continuous, yet we group colors into discrete categories associated with color names (e.g., yellow, blue). Color categorization is a case in point in the debate on how language shapes human cognition. Evidence suggests that color categorization depends on top-down input from the language system to the visual cortex. We directly tested this hypothesis by assessing color categorization in a stroke patient, RDS, with a rare, selective deficit in naming visually presented chromatic colors, and relatively preserved achromatic color naming. Multimodal MRI revealed a left occipito-temporal lesion that directly damaged left color-biased regions, and functionally disconnected their right-hemisphere homologs from the language system. The lesion had a greater effect on RDS’s chromatic color naming than on color categorization, which was relatively preserved on a nonverbal task. Color categorization and naming can thus be independent in the human brain, challenging the mandatory involvement of language in adult human cognition