Inferring functional extinction based on sighting records

© The Author(s), 2016. This is the author's version of the work and is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Biological Conservation 199 (2016): 84-87, doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2016.04.034.The term functional extinction is used to describe a permanent failure of reproduction or recruitment in a population. Functional extinction results in a truncation of the age distribution, but this can be very difficult to detect in poorly studied populations. Here, we describe a novel statistical method for detecting functional extinction based on a sighting record of individuals of known or estimated ages. The method is based on a simple population dynamics model and simulation results show that it works well even with limited data. The method is illustrated using a sighting record of the ship sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris) in the Danube River. The results indicate that this population is functionally extinct, most likely by 2002. Management implications of this finding are discussed.The authors also acknowledge the sponsorship provided by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Federal German Ministry for Education and Research, as well as the support by the Project No. 173045, funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia.2017-05-1

DOES SPECIALIZATION IN KARATE AFFECT REACTION TIME IN SPECIFIC KARATE KUMITE SITUATIONS?

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of karate specialization on the reaction time in specific karate kumite situations. In order to maximize the ecological validity of experimental set-up, we used our recently proposed and evaluated video-based method (Mudric et al., 2015). Within this method, the reaction time is calculated from the kinematic parameters recorded on both offensive action stimuli and defensive action responses. The results obtained from three groups of subjects (i.e., karate kumite, karate kata and beginners) indicate significant differences in reaction time between the beginners and both specialized karate groups. There were also prominent but not significant differences between the karate kumite and karate kata. These findings suggest that particular sport specialization could improve reaction time of an athlete in specific sport situations

A SIMPLE METHOD FOR ASSESSMENT OF MUSCLE MECHANICAL CAPACITIES FROM FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT TASKS

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the level of agreement between the routinely used multiple-load method and a simple two-load method based on direct assessment of the F-V relationship from only 2 external loads applied. Twelve participants were tested on the maximum performance vertical jumps, cycling, bench press throws, and bench pull performed against a variety of different loads. All four tested tasks revealed both exceptionally strong relationships between the parameters of the 2 methods (median R = 0.98) and a lack of meaningful differences between their magnitudes (fixed bias below 3.4%). Therefore, addition of another load to the standard tests of various functional tasks typically conducted under a single set of mechanical conditions could allow for the assessment of the muscle mechanical properties, such as the muscle F, V, and P producing capacities

Societal attention toward extinction threats : a comparison between climate change and biological invasions

Public attention and interest in the fate of endangered species is a crucial prerequisite for effective conservation programs. Societal awareness and values will largely determine whether conservation initiatives receive necessary support and lead to adequate policy change. Using text data mining, we assessed general public attention in France, Germany and the United Kingdom toward climate change and biological invasions in relation to endangered amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal species. Our analysis revealed that public attention patterns differed among species groups and countries but was globally higher for climate change than for biological invasions. Both threats received better recognition in threatened than in non-threatened species, as well as in native species than in species from other countries and regions. We conclude that more efficient communication regarding the threat from biological invasions should be developed, and that conservation practitioners should take advantage of the existing attention toward climate change.Peer reviewe

Femtomolar detection of the heart failure biomarker NT-proBNP in artificial saliva using an immersible liquid-gated aptasensor with reduced graphene oxide

Measuring NT-proBNP biomarker is recommended for preliminary diagnostics of the heart failure. Recent studies suggest a possibility of early screening of biomarkers in saliva for non-invasive identification of cardiac diseases at the point-of-care. However, NT-proBNP concentrations in saliva can be thousand time lower than in blood plasma, going down to pg/mL level. To reach this level, we developed a label-free aptasensor based on a liquid-gated field effect transistor using a film of reduced graphene oxide monolayer (rGO-FET) with immobilized NT-proBNP specific aptamer. We found that, depending on ionic strength of tested solutions, there were different levels of correlation in responses of electrical parameters of the rGO-FET aptasensor, namely, the Dirac point shift and transconductance change. The correlation in response to NT-proBNP was high for 1.6 mM phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and zero for 16 mM PBS in a wide range of analyte concentrations, varied from 1 fg/mL to 10 ng/mL. The effects of transconductance and Dirac point shift in PBS solutions of different concentrations are discussed. The biosensor exhibited a high sensitivity for both transconductance (2 uS/decade) and Dirac point shift (2.3 mV/decade) in diluted PBS with the linear range from 10 fg/mL to 1 pg/mL. The aptasensor performance has been also demonstrated in undiluted artificial saliva with the achieved limit of detection down to 41 fg/mL (~4.6 fM)

Concentrations of 17 elements in muscle, gills, liver and gonads of five economically important fish species from the Danube River

The Danube River in the vicinity of the city of Belgrade receives large amounts of untreated or poorly treated communal and industrial waste waters. The aim of this study was to assess elemental accumulation patterns in a number of economically important fish species in this area that belong to different trophic levels. Concentrations of 17 elements (Al, As, B, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr and Zn) were assessedin liver, muscle, gills and gonads of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), freshwater bream (Abramis brama), white bream (Blicca bjoerkna), common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and wels catfish (Silurus glanis) from the Danube River in Serbia by the use of ICP-OES. Silver carp specimens were differentiated from the other four species by high concentrations of Al and Fe in the liver. Common carp specimens were differentiated by high concentrations of Zn in gills, muscle and liver. Distribution of elements among different tissues had a consistent pattern among the species. Concentrations of Pb, Cd, As, Zn, Cu and Fe in muscle were at acceptable levels for human consumption, while concentrations of Fe and Zn were above maximum acceptable concentrations in liver and gonads

Mapping differential elemental accumulation in fish tissues: importance of fish tissue sampling standardization

The concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn in the muscle, gills, liver and intestine of the wels catfish (Silurus glanis) from the Danube River were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The aim of the study was to determine whether in complex muscle/skin, gill filament/gill arch, proximal/distal liver and proximal/median/distal intestine samples, particular components differ in concentrations of the analyzed elements. Results indicated that there were no differences in the accumulation of different elements between the proximal and distal liver segments and between the proximal and median intestine sections. Conversely, elemental accumulation patterns in muscle and skin differed significantly. Significant differences were also observed between the gill arch and filaments, as well as between the distal and the two upper intestine sections. Findings indicated the importance of detailed reporting of tissue sampling, i. e. whether the skin was included in the muscle sample, as well as if the gill arch and filaments were analyzed together. Due to a potential bias that can be produced by different muscle/skin or gill arch/filament ratios included in the sample, we strongly recommend that they should not be analyzed together. Results of the present study might be of interest to the scientific community and stakeholders involved in aquatic ecosystem monitoring programs