Sample Abstracts

The Kemp's ridley sea turtle possesses temperature dependent sex determination (TSD) in which the incubation termperature of the egg determines sex. This means that the ratio of males to females can vary each nexting season and can lead to possible advantages and disadvantages for the recovery of the species. The Kemp's ridley is an endangered species and many conservational programs such as the Kemp's Ridley Recovery Program at Padre Island National Seashore are working to save tihs turtle. Monitoring the sex ratios of the Kemp's ridleys produced at Padre Island can allow scientists to better evaluate and potentially enhance the recovery of this species. In this study of sex ratios, 30% of the nests from the 2006 nesting season were examined using histological techniques. It was found that out of 220 hatchlings, 135 were females, 24 were males, and 55 were unknown due to the decomposition of hte tissue. These results showed a strong female bias. Since the Kemp's ridley is an endangered species, a female bias could be very beneficial in the recovery of the population as long as the males do not become limiting.

Five Alabama women with breast cancer grapple with surgery, chemo, and radiation, as well as the relationships with their family and with themselves in face of this disease. They decide to transform their grueling experience with the breast cancer into something positive for other women. They want to raise money for research and palliative care, and lead educational efforts about breast cancer. They band together to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, one of the world's tallest peaks, in and effort to show that breast cancer survivors can achieve great things. 'Cancer changes you,' Marilyn McCormick, the youngest breast cancer survivor says. Her husband struggles to understand why the mother of their three children, all under six years old, has changed and why she feels compelled to leave the country for the first time in her life to climb a mountain in Africa for breast cancer. For triathlete Stacey Gordon, the climb is a way to prove to herself that she has conquered the fear that cancer introduced into her life. Likewise, Penny Wright found that cancer was a wake-up call to live life to the fullest, not just roll along. Valerie Richardson, a nurse who spends her free time volunteering to help the poor through her church, felt compelled to free herself from her shyness and speak about cancer. Jane Webb, a mother with two daughters who had breast cancer, knew she must climb the mountain in their honor and memory. The film follows their journey.