Effects of yearling, juvenile and adult survival on reef manta ray (Manta alfredi) demography

Background The trade in manta ray gill plates has considerably increased over the last two decades. The resulting increases in ray mortality, in addition to mortality caused by by-catch, has caused many ray populations to decrease in size. The aim of this study was to ascertain how yearling and juvenile growth and survival, and adult survival and reproduction affect reef manta ray (Manta alfredi) population change, to increase our understanding of manta ray demography and thereby improve conservation research and measures for these fish. Methods We developed a population projection model for reef manta rays, and used published life history data on yearling and juvenile growth and adult reproduction to parameterise the model. Because little is known about reef manta ray yearling and juvenile survival, we conducted our analyses using a range of plausible survival rate values for yearlings, juveniles and adults. Results The model accurately captured observed variation in population growth rate, lifetime reproductive success and cohort generation time in different reef manta ray populations. Our demographic analyses revealed a range of population consequences in response to variation in demographic rates. For example, an increase in yearling or adult survival rates always elicited greater responses in population growth rate, lifetime reproductive success and cohort generation time than the same increase in juvenile survival rate. The population growth rate increased linearly, but lifetime reproductive success and cohort generation time increased at an accelerating rate with increasing yearling or adult survival rates. Hence, even a small increase in survival rate could increase lifetime reproductive success by one pup, and cohort generation time by several years. Elasticity analyses revealed that, depending on survival rate values of all life stages, the population growth rate is either most sensitive to changes in the rate with which juveniles survive but stay juveniles (i.e., do not mature into adults) or to changes in adult survival rate. However, when assessing these results against estimates on population growth and adult survival rates for populations off the coasts of Mozambique and Japan, we found that the population growth rate is predicted to be always most sensitive to changes in the adult survival rate. Discussion It is important to gain an in-depth understanding of reef manta ray life histories, particularly of yearling and adult survival rates, as these can influence reef manta ray population dynamics in a variety of ways. For declining populations in particular, it is crucial to know which life stage should be targeted for their conservation. For one such declining population off the coast of Mozambique, adult annual survival rate has the greatest effect on population growth, and by increasing adult survival by protecting adult aggregation sites, this population’s decline could be halted or even reversed

Toxic mechanism of nickel exposure on cardiac tissue

The incidence of cardiovascular disease has increased in the general population, and cardiac damage is indicated as one important cause of mortality. In addition, pollution and metal exposure have increased in recent years. For this reason, toxic effects of metals, such as nickel, and their relation to cardiac damage should be urgently established. Although free radical-mediated cellular damage and reactive oxygen species have been theorized as contributing to the nickel mechanism of toxicity, recent investigations have established that free radicals may be important contributors to cardiac dysfunction. However, there is little information on the effect of nickel exposure on markers of oxidative stress in cardiac tissue. Nickel exposure (Ni2+ 100 mg L-1 from NiSO4) significantly increased lipoperoxide and total lipid concentrations in cardiac tissue. We also observed increased serum levels of cholesterol (59%), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH-64%), and alanine transaminase (ALT-30%) in study animals. The biochemical parameters recovered to the control values with tocopherol intake (0.2 mg 200 g-1). Vitamin E alone significantly decreased the lipoperoxide concentration and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in the heart. Since no alterations were observed in catalase and GSH-Px activities by nickel exposure while SOD activities were decreased, we conclude that superoxide radical (O2 -) generated by nickel exposure is of primary importance in the pathogenesis of cardiac damage. Tocopherol, by its antioxidant activity, decreased the toxic effects of nickel exposure on heart of rats

Tensile bond strength of adhesive systems: effects of primer and thermocycling Resistência à tração de sistemas adesivos: efeitos do “ primer” e dos ciclos térmicos

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of primer and thermocycling on the bond strength of multi-purpose adhesive systems applied to enamel, under tensile stress. The following bonding systems were applied, according to the manufacturers' instructions, on unground enamel buccal surfaces of 96 premolars, with or without the application of primer: Scotchbond MP, OptiBond FL, Amalgambond Plus and OptiBond (dual-cure). A composite resin (Z100, 3M) was applied and light-cured in a cast metal hollow cone, which was previously fixed to the enamel surfaces. Half of the sample was subjected to 3,000 thermocycles (5-37ºC; 37-55ºC, dwell time of 60 s), and the other half was stored in water at 37ºC for the same period. The data were treated by means of ANOVA and no significant effects were detected, which indicates that tensile bond strength was not affected by the adhesive systems, application of primer or thermocycling.<br>O objetivo desta pesquisa foi o de verificar o efeito do "primer" e dos ciclos térmicos na resistência da união entre adesivos multiuso e esmalte dental, sob ensaios de tração. Os seguintes sistemas adesivos foram aplicados, de acordo com as instruções dos fabricantes, na superfície vestibular (sem desgaste) de 96 pré-molares com ou sem a aplicação prévia do "primer": Scotchbond MP, OptiBond FL, Amalgambond Plus e OptiBond - "dual cure". Após a aplicação do sistema adesivo, foi confeccionado um cone de resina composta (Z100, 3M), e fotoativado dentro de um molde metálico. Metade do total de espécimes foi submetida a 3.000 ciclos térmicos (5-37ºC; 37-55ºC, 60 s de imersão); a outra metade permaneceu imersa em água a 37ºC pelo mesmo tempo dispensado no procedimento anterior. Os dados foram submetidos a uma análise de variância (p = 0,05) e nenhum efeito significante foi detectado, indicando que a resistência de união não foi afetada pelo sistema adesivo, pela aplicação do "primer" ou pelos ciclos térmicos