Effects of Crowding and Wave Exposure on Penis Morphology of the Acorn Barnacle, Semibalanus balanoides

Wave action and low population density can strongly reduce the ability of sessile acorn barnacles to find mates and copulate. For Semibalanus balanoides, penis morphology varies with wave exposure and with characteristics of the mating neighborhood. Field experiments were conducted at five intertidal sites on Long Island, New York, USA from July to December 2005 to determine how wave exposure and aggregation structure influence the length, diameter, mass, and number of annulated folds of the penis. Sparsely crowded barnacles had more annulations in the penis and are inferred to have greater ability to stretch. At higher wave exposure, the diameter of the penis was greater, but the mass was not. This study identifies density of crowding as the most important cue that barnacles respond to when perceiving their mating group and details how penis morphology varies in response to wave exposure

Using Ecological Diversity Analyses to Characterize the Availability of Healthy Food and Socio-Economic Food Deserts

“Food deserts” are usually defined as geographic areas without local access to fresh, healthy food. We used community ecology statistics in supermarkets to quantify the availability of healthy food and to potentially identify food deserts as areas without a diverse selection of food, rather than a binary as to whether fresh food is present or not. We test whether produce diversity is correlated with neighborhood income or demographics. Abundance and diversity of fresh produce was quantified in supermarkets in Broward County, Florida, USA. Neighborhood income level and racial/ethnic makeup were retrieved from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey. Although diversity varied, there were no communities that had consistently less available fresh food, although the percent of a neighborhood identifying as “white” was positively correlated with produce diversity. There may be fewer choices in neighborhoods with a higher proportion of minorities, but there were no consistent patterns of produce diversity in Broward County. This method demonstrates an easy, inexpensive way to characterize food deserts beyond simple distance, and results in precise enough information to identify gaps in the availability of healthy foods

An Individual Barnacle, Semibalanus balanoides, with Two Penises

During the late fall and early winter of 2007, we collected intertidal barnacles and observed reproductive activity. Among these, we found an otherwise normal barnacle that had two penises. At least one of these penises is inferred to have retained normal function and to have fertilized the egg brood of the barnacle\u27s neighbor

A 4-Week Multimodal Intervention for Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability: Examination of Disease-Oriented and Patient-Oriented Outcomes

Context Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) experience disease- and patient-oriented impairments that contribute to both immediate and long-term health detriments. Investigators have demonstrated the ability of targeted interventions to improve these impairments. However, the combined effects of a multimodal intervention have not been evaluated for their effects on a multidimensional profile of health. Objective To examine the effects of a 4-week rehabilitation program on disease- and patient-oriented impairments associated with CAI. Design Controlled laboratory study. Setting Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants Twenty adults (5 males, 15 females; age = 24.35 ± 6.95 years, height = 169.29 ± 10.10 cm, mass = 70.58 ± 12.90 kg) with self-reported CAI participated. Inclusion criteria were at least 1 previous ankle sprain, at least 2 episodes of giving way in the 3 months before the study, and a Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool score ≤24. Intervention(s) Individuals participated in 12 sessions over 4 weeks that consisted of balance training, ankle strengthening, and joint mobilizations. They also completed home ankle-strengthening and -stretching exercises daily. Main Outcome Measure(s) Dorsiflexion range of motion (weight-bearing–lunge test), isometric ankle strength (inversion, eversion, dorsiflexion, plantar flexion), isometric hip strength (abduction, adduction, flexion, extension), dynamic postural control (Y-Balance test), static postural control (eyes-open and -closed time to boundary in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions), and patient-reported outcomes (Foot and Ankle Ability Measure–Activities of Daily Living and Foot and Ankle Ability Measure–Sport, modified Disablement in the Physically Active scale physical and mental summary components, and Fear-Avoidance Belief Questionnaire–Physical Activity and Fear-Avoidance Belief Questionnaire–Work) were assessed at 4 times (baseline, preintervention, postintervention, 2-week follow-up). Results Dorsiflexion range of motion, each direction of the Y-Balance test, 4-way ankle strength, hip-adduction and -extension strength, the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure–Activities of Daily Living score, the modified Disablement in the Physically Active scale–physical summary component score, and the Fear-Avoidance Belief Questionnaire–Physical Activity score were improved at postintervention (P \u3c .001; effect-size range = 0.72–1.73) and at the 2-week follow-up (P \u3c .001; effect-size range = 0.73–1.72) compared with preintervention. Hip-flexion strength was improved at postintervention compared with preintervention (P = .03; effect size = 0.61). Hip-abduction strength was improved at the 2-week follow-up compared with preintervention (P = .001, effect size = 0.96). Time to boundary in the anterior-posterior direction was increased at the 2-week follow-up compared with preintervention (P \u3c .04; effect-size range = 0.61–0.78) and postintervention (P \u3c .04) during the eyes-open condition. Conclusion A 4-week rehabilitation program improved a multidimensional profile of health in participants with CAI

Response Shift After a 4-Week Multimodal Intervention for Chronic Ankle Instability

Context The accurate evaluation of self-reported changes in function throughout the rehabilitation process is important for determining patient progression. Currently, how a response shift (RS) may affect the accuracy of self-reported functional assessment in a population with chronic ankle instability (CAI) is unknown. Objective To examine the RS in individuals with CAI after a 4-week multimodal rehabilitation program. Design Controlled laboratory study. Setting Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants Twenty adults (5 men, 15 women; age = 24.35 ± 6.95 years, height = 169.29 ± 10.10 cm, mass = 70.58 ± 12.90 kg) with self-reported CAI participated. Inclusion criteria were at least 1 previous ankle sprain, at least 2 episodes of the ankle giving way in the 3 months before the study, and a score ≤24 on the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool. Intervention(s) Individuals participated in 12 intervention sessions over 4 weeks and daily home ankle strengthening and stretching. Main Outcome Measure(s) Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were assessed at 4 times (baseline, preintervention, postintervention, and 2-week follow-up). At the postintervention and 2-week follow-up, participants completed then-test assessments to measure RS. Then-test assessments are retrospective evaluations of perceived baseline function completed after an intervention. The PROs consisted of the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure-Activities of Daily Living and Sport subscales, the modified Disablement in the Physically Active scale physical and mental summary components, and the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire Physical Activity and Work subscales. We used repeated-measures analyses of variance to compare preintervention with then-test measurements. Individual-level RSs were examined by determining the number of participants who experienced preintervention to then-test differences that exceeded the calculated minimal detectable change. Results We did not identify an RS for any PRO (F \u3e 2.338, P \u3e .12), indicating no group-level differences between the preintervention and retrospective then-test assessments. Individual- level RS was most prominent in the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure-Sport subscale (n = 6, 30%) and the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire Physical Activity subscale (n = 9, 45%). Conclusions No group-level RS was identified for any PRO after a 4-week multimodal rehabilitation program in individuals with CAI. This finding indicates that traditional assessment of self-reported function was accurate for evaluating the short-term effects of rehabilitation in those with CAI. Low levels of individual-level RS were identified