Age and growth of sharks: do vertebral band pairs record age?

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 1440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa J. Natanson ◽  
Gregory B. Skomal ◽  
Sarah L. Hoffmann ◽  
Marianne E. Porter ◽  
Kenneth J. Goldman ◽  
...  

Inaccurate age estimates can have severe consequences in the management of elasmobranchs. Numerous studies in shark age validation have demonstrated a disconnect between band pair counts and age, resulting in age underestimation, particularly in older individuals. To investigate the relationship between band pairs, vertebral shape and growth, we quantified intracolumn differences in centrum morphology (size and structure) and band pair counts in seven shark species: Squatina dumeril, Carcharodon carcharias, Lamna nasus, Isurus oxyrinchus, Alopias vulpinus, Prionace glauca and Carcharhinus obscurus. In all species examined, band pair deposition was closely related to body girth and the structural properties of the cartilaginous skeleton, relative to maximum size, and body type. These results have strong implications for accurately assessing age for fisheries management of these species.

2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal T. Geraghty ◽  
William G. Macbeth ◽  
Alastair V. Harry ◽  
Jacqueline E. Bell ◽  
Michelle N. Yerman ◽  
...  

Abstract The removal of large predatory sharks from the world's oceans poses profound threats to marine community structure and species conservation. Effective management of exploited shark stocks requires a sound understanding of the life histories of target species. Here we provide the first assessment of age and growth for Carcharhinus brevipinna in Australian waters, and for C. obscurus and C. plumbeus in eastern Australian waters, based on interpretations of vertebral growth bands. In doing so, we provide arguably among the most robust growth parameters to date for the abovementioned taxa on the bases of genetic validation and sample size and distribution, but acknowledge equally a range of limitations—most notably those associated with vertebral ageing and our lack of age validation. Comparatively, the three species displayed both contrasts and consistencies in their growth characteristics off Australia's southeast coast. For all three sharks, rates of growth were greatest in the years immediately after birth, males grew more rapidly than females in the juvenile phase, and females were observed to grow larger, live longer and were generally larger at any given age. Longevity and all modelled growth parameters (L∞, k and L0), however, differed among the three species, and appeared to challenge the findings for conspecific populations in other parts of the world. The validity of these latter comparisons is, however, compromised by a range of confounding factors. Nevertheless, we provide the least conservative k estimates for C. obscurus and C. plumbeus of those previously reported, and extend maximum age estimates for C. brevipinna. In this way, our results have important implications for the assessment of natural mortality, productivity, and hence resilience to stock depletion, in these species in southeastern Australian waters.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (15) ◽  
pp. 32-41
Author(s):  
Jennine Harvey ◽  
Scott Seeman ◽  
Deborah von Hapsburg

The field of Cognitive Hearing Science examines the relationship between cognitive, linguistic, and hearing functions. Although these areas are of particular importance to speech-language pathology, few studies have investigated applications of cognitive hearing science to clinical practice. The purpose of this review article is to (1) explore and present a summary of cognitive hearing science techniques for dual-task and hearing-in-noise procedures and implications to speech-language pathology, and (2) provide a clinical guide for speech-language pathology in adult multitasking intervention with noise. It is well understood that areas of cognitive skill and hearing function decline with age; therefore, additional understanding of the relationship of these functions is of particular importance to speech-language pathologists working with older individuals. This article meets the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA's) Special Interest Group (SIG) 15's mission of “research-to-practice” professional development by “promoting understanding of the effects of normal and pathological aging on cognition, language […] and hearing” (ASHA, 2017), and is intended to be of interest to the SIG 15 readership.


Author(s):  
Taishi Tsuji ◽  
Satoru Kanamori ◽  
Yasuhiro Miyaguni ◽  
Katsunori Kondo

This study validates the relationship between community-level sports group participation and the frequency of leaving the house and transtheoretical model stages of behavior change for exercise among older individuals who did not participate in a sports group. We used cross-sectional data from the 2016 Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. The proportion of sports group participants at the community level was calculated using the data from 157,233 older individuals living in 1000 communities. We conducted a multilevel regression analysis to examine the relationship between the proportion of sports group participants and the frequency of leaving the house (1 day/week or less) and the transtheoretical model stages of behavior change for exercise. A statistically significant relationship was observed between a high prevalence of sports group participation and lower risk of homeboundness (odds ratio: 0.94) and high transtheoretical model stages (partial regression coefficient: 0.06) as estimated by 10 percentage points of participation proportion. Older individuals, even those not participating in a sports group, living in a community with a high prevalence of sports group participation are less likely to be homebound; they are highly interested and have numerous opportunities to engage in exercise.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Hartstone-Rose ◽  
Jonathan M. G. Perry

In a recent study, we quantified the scaling of ingested food size (Vb )—the maximum size at which an animal consistently ingests food whole—and found that Vb scaled isometrically between species of captive strepsirrhines. The current study examines the relationship between Vb and body size within species with a focus on the frugivorous Varecia rubra and the folivorous Propithecus coquereli. We found no overlap in Vb between the species (all V. rubra ingested larger pieces of food relative to those eaten by P. coquereli), and least-squares regression of Vb and three different measures of body mass showed no scaling relationship within each species. We believe that this lack of relationship results from the relatively narrow intraspecific body size variation and seemingly patternless individual variation in Vb within species and take this study as further evidence that general scaling questions are best examined interspecifically rather than intraspecifically.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 1534-1553
Author(s):  
Mark Allen Flynn ◽  
Emily Cotchett ◽  
Linda Lin

Previous studies have shown that discrepancy between perceptions of one’s actual body type and the ideal bodies of their peers is an important factor for one’s body satisfaction. However, there is a lack of research assessing the formation of media-specific discrepancies, the impact of different types of discrepancies together, and discrepancies in adult men. The current study explored the impact of adult men’s actual and ideal body perceptions on their body satisfaction. Data were collected on the discrepancies between men’s actual muscularity and perceptions of their off-line male and female peers’ male ideal, and perceptions of the male ideal from men and women on social networking sites (SNSs). A total of 277 adult men ( Mage = 36.55; SD = 11.34) completed a survey online. Actual–ideal discrepancies were present for all four comparison ideals. Overall body satisfaction was significantly linked to the close female friend ideal discrepancy, whereas muscularity satisfaction was connected to all four comparison ideals. Body fat satisfaction was not impacted by any of the discrepancies. The most significant predictor of muscularity satisfaction was the close female friends’ ideal discrepancy. Implications suggest the continued use of self-discrepancy theory in new contexts, and continued importance of off-line relationships, despite SNS use.


2001 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. VYNNYCKY ◽  
N. NAGELKERKE ◽  
M. W. BORGDORFF ◽  
D. VAN SOOLINGEN ◽  
J. D. A. VAN EMBDEN ◽  
...  

Though it is recognized that the extent of ‘clustering’ of isolates from tuberculosis cases in a given population is related to the amount of disease attributable to recent transmission, the relationship between the two statistics is poorly understood. Given age-dependent risks of disease and the fact that a long study (e.g. spanning several years) is more likely to identify transmission-linked cases than a shorter study, both measures, and thus the relationship between them, probably depend strongly on the ages of the cases ascertained and study duration. The contribution of these factors is explored in this paper using an age-structured model which describes the introduction and transmission of M. tuberculosis strains with different DNA fingerprint patterns in The Netherlands during this century, assuming that the number of individuals contacted by each case varies between cases and that DNA fingerprint patterns change over time through random mutations, as observed in several studies.Model predictions of clustering in different age groups and over different time periods between 1993 and 1997 compare well against those observed. According to the model, the proportion of young cases with onset in a given time period who were ‘clustered’ underestimated the proportion of disease attributable to recent transmission in this age group (by up to 25% in males); for older individuals, clustering overestimated this proportion. These under- and overestimates decreased and increased respectively as the time period over which the cases were ascertained increased. These results have important implications for the interpretation of estimates of the proportion of disease attributable to recent transmission, based on ‘clustering’ statistics, as are being derived from studies of the molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis in many populations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 2144-2156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders M Fjell ◽  
Donatas Sederevicius ◽  
Markus H Sneve ◽  
Ann-Marie Glasø de Lange ◽  
Anne CecilieSjøli Bråthen ◽  
...  

Abstract Sleep problems are related to the elevated levels of the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarker β-amyloid (Aβ). Hypotheses about the causes of this relationship can be generated from molecular markers of sleep problems identified in rodents. A major marker of sleep deprivation is Homer1a, a neural protein coded by the HOMER1 gene, which has also been implicated in brain Aβ accumulation. Here, we tested whether the relationship between cortical Aβ accumulation and self-reported sleep quality, as well as changes in sleep quality over 3 years, was stronger in cortical regions with high HOMER1 mRNA expression levels. In a sample of 154 cognitively healthy older adults, Aβ correlated with poorer sleep quality cross-sectionally and longitudinally (n = 62), but more strongly in the younger than in older individuals. Effects were mainly found in regions with high expression of HOMER1. The anatomical distribution of the sleep-Aβ relationship followed closely the Aβ accumulation pattern in 69 patients with mild cognitive impairment or AD. Thus, the results indicate that the relationship between sleep problems and Aβ accumulation may involve Homer1 activity in the cortical regions, where harbor Aβ deposits in AD. The findings may advance our understanding of the relationship between sleep problems and AD risk.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 3617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Grubb ◽  
Christian R. Vogl

Substantial urbanization has allowed individuals to become increasingly spatially and psychologically distanced from the food system and agricultural practices. Food literacy (FL) has been described as a promising approach to reconnect the city with the country and furthermore address public health issues such as obesity and diet-related disease. The present study examined urban gardening through the lens of the FL approach to determine whether a relationship exists between gardening and FL. The research further investigated the relationship between FL and gardener demographics, participation in educational garden events and socialization among gardeners. Data was collected using an online questionnaire targeted to reach community gardeners (n = 181) in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The research utilized a novel exam and self-perception based measurement tool to assess gardeners’ level of FL. Results indicated a moderately positive relationship between the years of gardening experience and higher individual FL scores. Participants with higher levels of FL were older individuals and more highly educated. There was no significant difference in FL between gardeners who attended educational events and those that had not. The present research presents an initial investigation into the relationship between food literacy and gardening. This research indicates gardening may warrant consideration in holistic approaches to food literacy but further investigation would be valuable.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S263-S264
Author(s):  
Denise M Kresevic ◽  
muralidahar pallaki ◽  
Christopher J Burant ◽  
Clare Gideon ◽  
Emily Schroeder ◽  
...  

Abstract Evidence continues to mount that sleep apnea (SA) occurs in 10-25% of Americans and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality (Schulman 2018). Among veterans, SA has been reported four times more often as compared to other non-veteran cohorts. (Wong 2015). The risk of developing dementia is increased in older individuals with OSA (Shastri, Bangar, & Holmes, 2015). The prevalence and characteristics of older adults with dementia and sleep apnea is not well known and long-term population-based studies on mortality have been lacking. Recent studies have reported overall mortality rates of 19%, in those individuals with SA, an increased rate of 1.5-3 times the mortality rate as compared to those individuals those without SA. Current recommendations support SA screening of high risk individuals including those with symptoms of snoring, fatigue, memory and concentration problems and mood changes. (Krist 2018). Despite a large number of older adults with suspected SA and comorbidities, the majority are not screened, referred, diagnosed and treated. In this VA pilot study of outpatient older male veterans with dementia and SA, N=195, mean age 75.83 years, SD=9.1, 51.3% were white, 37.5% were black. Frequently found comorbidities were: hypertension 88%, congestive heart failure 41%, Diabetes. 62% and, stroke 21%. Of note, among those who died, SA was significantly related to congested heart failure (r=.32, p<.001) and COPD (r=.40, p<.001). The overall mortality rate of 27% was higher than previous reports. Further investigation is needed to better understand the relationship between comorbidities, and SA, screening, treatment and mortality.


Author(s):  
Jéssica T. Corsso ◽  
Otto B. F. Gadig ◽  
Fabio P. Caltabellotta ◽  
Rodrigo Barreto ◽  
Fabio S. Motta

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