RAYS OF HOPE 2019 FULL

'This is a record breaking point-to-point movement for a reef manta ray, improving our understanding of the potential home range for this species,' Ms Armstrong said. The researchers were surprised to discover that individual rays had travelled from North Stradbroke Island to the wreck of SS Yongala, just south of Townsville, a distance of more than 1,000 kilometres. 'When a sighting is matched to an existing record we gain insights into the ray's movements and population dynamics.' 'Each time an animal is photographed we record the date, time and location of the sighting, along with any additional information, like its sex, maturity status, injuries and behaviour.ДЄ diver lines up the perfect ID shot of a manta ray, staying nice and low and allowing the animal to approach uninhibited. 'Manta rays have a unique spot pattern on their belly, which allows individuals to be identified from one another,' Ms Armstrong said. Once images and videos were captured, they were analysed to isolate the distances individual rays were travelling.

'With Project Manta, we relied on the cameras and eyes of both trained researchers and volunteers, who helped us build a catalogue of more than 1300 individual reef manta rays, from in excess of 7000 sightings.' 'Everyone loves them, and they offer a wonderful platform for getting people involved in marine conservation, as people protect what they love. 'Manta rays are a great ambassador species for conservation,' Ms Armstrong said. candidate Asia Armstrong, who led the study, hopes the data will inform conservation planning and management along the coast. Work supported by the Center emphasizes a deeper mechanistic understanding of how obesity, diabetes and environmental exposures interact to alter breast cancer risk and prognosis.The University of Queensland initiative-Project Manta-relied on these citizen scientists to photograph or video individual reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) across Australia's east coast. The Center brings together a group of talented scientists with diverse areas of expertise to create a team that is deeply committed to dramatically reducing the impact of breast cancer. It is supported by a $1.5M grant from the Rays of Hope, which is a Springfield-based charity representing Western Massachusetts. The Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research was established in 2011. Understanding the basis for the diversity of breast cancers is a critical step that will lead to the development of personalized approaches in both the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

RAYS OF HOPE 2019 FULL

Although a full term pregnancy, early in life is associated with a short-term increase in the incidence of breast cancer but reduces lifetime risk by up to one half.Д¬ancer treatment also has many variables as aggressive therapy may be life-saving for some women but unnecessary for others. The relationship is less clearly defined however, prior to menopause and as in adolescent girls, being overweight has actually been linked to a reduced risk. Among postmenopausal women, obesity is clearly linked to higher likelihood of developing breast cancer.

Risk factors such as obesity and age at first pregnancy have been demonstrated in both the human population as well as in animal models. Breast cancer can result from the combined effects of lifestyle, environmental exposures and inherited susceptibility, but the effects of risk factors are not clear cut. Predicting breast cancer risk in individuals is presently imprecise and poses a major dilemma for both clinicians and patients. See the history of Rays of Hope and listen to the podcasts: Celebrate How Far We've Come!

Rays of hope 2019