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Neural networks adaptive predefined-time control for pure-feedback nonlinear systems: a case study on robotic exoskeleton systems
Correction to “Synthesis and Stability of Biomolecules in C–H–O–N Fluids under Earth’s Upper Mantle Conditions”
Individual evaluation of attachment strength at each adhered point in the silk foothold constructed by bagworms for walking and dangling
Synthesis, Characterization, and Catalytic Activity of Ni(0) (DQ)dtbbpy, an Air-Stable, Bifunctional Red-Light-Sensitive Precatalyst
Author Correction: Using isometric log-ratio in compositional data analysis for developing a groundwater pollution index
Topological Design of Highly Conductive Weakly Solvating Electrolytes for Ultrastable Sodium Metal Batteries Operating at −60 °C and Below
A novel approach for evaluating geology-engineering dual sweet spots in tight gas reservoirs in the LX block of China
Cryogenic Organometallic Carbon–Fluoride Bond Functionalization with Broad Functional Group Tolerance
Metformin combined with CB-839 specifically inhibits KRAS-mutant ovarian cancer
3D Electron Diffraction Structure of an Organic Semiconductor Reveals Conformational Polymorphism
Micro-CT analysis reveals porosity driven growth banding in Caribbean coral Siderastrea siderea
Abstract X-radiography of massive scleractinian coral skeletons reveal light and dark couplets termed “growth bands”, which are commonly related to seasonal fluctuations in environmental parameters including insolation and sea surface temperature (SST). Massive corals grow by extension of skeletal structures followed by thickening within the surface tissue layer. Therefore, an understanding of the depth in which skeletal thickening occurs is important to aid the interpretation of seasonal banding patterns. In this study, two colonies of Caribbean coral Siderastrea siderea were sampled from the north-west coast of Barbados at water depths of 5 and 15 m. The three-dimensional skeletal structure of each sample was reconstructed at high spatial resolutions using micro-computed tomography (µCT) scanning. A pixel segmentation algorithm was developed to classify different microstructures within the skeleton and to quantify spatial variations in corallite and theca porosity at the micrometer scale. The porosity reconstructions of the deeper sample reveal clearer growth banding, with a more dominant signal originating from within the corallite. Skeletal thickening occurs within the top two-thirds of the total depth of soft tissues and the rate of thickening varies between microstructures. Seasonality in the shallower sample is less clear, although porosity variability with depth is more similar across microstructures. The difference in signal origin and clarity between the two samples is attributed to the varying stability of water depth-dependent variables (i.e., insolation and wave energy). This study provides a new, powerful method of reconstructing and understanding growth strategies in massive scleractinian corals.