Stories told by corals, algae, and sea-urchins in a Mesoamerican coral reef: degradation trumps succession.

Understanding the mechanisms that allow the permanence of coral reefs and the constancy of their characteristics is necessary to alleviate the effects of chronic environmental changes. After a disturbance, healthy coral reefs display trajectories that allow regaining coral cover and the establishment of framework building corals. Through a comparative approach, in a patch reef partially affected by a ship grounding, we analyzed the successional trajectories in affected and unaffected sectors. Fleshy algae (which do not promote the recruitment of corals) dominated the reef surface irrespective of the impact of the ship grounding incident. Acropora species had near-zero contributions to community structure, whereas non-framework building corals like Porites sp. had a slightly higher recruitment. Cover of coral and calcareous crustose algae decreased over time, and neither the latter nor adult coral colonies had any effect on the occurrence probabilities of small corals. Sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) densities were generally low, and thus unlikely to contribute to reverting algal dominance. The successional trajectories of the community in the impacted and non-impacted sectors of the coral patch reef agree with the inhibition successional model, leading to the development of a degraded state dominated by fleshy algae. It is probable that the stability and resilience of this degraded state are high due to the ability of fleshy algae to monopolize space, along with low coral recovery potential.

Protection of Grid Connected Photovoltaic Systems (GCPVS)

ABSTRACT Installations of photovoltaic systems connected or not to the electrical network have become increasingly popular, but it is often carried out by unqualified people using low quality components. The present study aims to describe the methodology adopted for the protection of grid connected photovoltaic systems (GCPVS) and the implications caused by their lack. Photovoltaic modules are typically installed in galvanized, painted, stainless aluminum or steel structures, which must be connected to a common ground, as these structures and any other components of the system could be energized by the photovoltaic array and may cause serious injuries or even death during routine maintenance, these fatalities can still result in ramifications for the entire industry, with millions of dollars in liability (for death or injury), negative publicity for GCPVS, and increased complications in obtaining licenses. Also, its components must be of good quality and the systems of protection must be well dimensioned and correctly installed, in order to avoid fire and electric damages, with reduction of possible damages in cases of short circuits.

Restoration and monitoring of a vessel grounding on a shallow reef in the Florida Keys

This paper summarizes the results of a monitoring event designed to track the recovery of a repaired coral reef injured by the M/V Alec Owen Maitland vessel grounding incident of October 25, 1989. This grounding occurred within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, NOAA recovers money for injury to Sanctuary resources, and uses it to restore those resources. A monitoring program tracks patterns of recovery, in order to determine the success of restoration measures. To evaluate success, reference habitats adjacent to the restoration site are concurrently monitored to compare the condition of restored areas with natural areas. Restoration of this site was completed in September 1995 by means of cement and limestone rock, and the monitoring results from summer 2007 are presented. Monitoring consisted of omparison of the biological conditions in the restored area with the reference area. Monitored corals are divided into the Orders: Gorgonians, Milleporans, and Scleractinians. Densities at the restored and reference areas are compared, and are shown to be greater in the restored. Size-class frequency distributions for the most abundant Scleractinians are examined, and reveal that the restoration is converging on the reference area. Also, for the Scleractinians, number and percentage of colonies by species, as well as several common biodiversity indices are provided; measures for the restored area approximate the reference area. A quantitative comparison of colony substrate settlement preference in the restored area is provided for all Orders, and for Scleractinians is further broken down for the two most frequent Genera. Rev. Biol. Trop. 58 (Suppl. 3): 151-161. Epub 2010 October 01.

Este artículo sintetiza los resultados del seguimiento diseñado para medir la recuperación de un arrecife restaurado que fue impactado por el encallamiento del M/V Alec Owen Maitland el 25 de octubre de 1989. Este encallamiento ocurrió en el área que comprende el Santuario Marino Nacional de los Cayos de Florida. De acuerdo con la Ley de los Santuarios Marinos Nacionales, la NOAA cobra dinero por daños a los recursos del Santuario y los usa para restaurar dichos recursos. Un programa de seguimiento o monitoreo mide los patrones de recuperación para determinar el éxito de las medidas de restauración. Para evaluar el éxito, hábitats de referencia adyacentes al sitio de restauración son examinados para comparar las condiciones de las áreas restauradas con las naturales. La restauración de este lugar se completó en septiembre de 1995 utilizando roca de cemento y caliza y los resultados del seguimiento desde el verano del 2007 son presentados. Se compararon las condiciones biológicas entre el área restaurada y la de referencia. Los corales evaluados se dividieron en tres Órdenes: Gorgonios, Milleporinos y Escleractinios. Se compararon las densidades en las áreas de restauración y de referencia, siendo la densidad más grande en las áreas restauradas. Se examinaron las distribuciones de frecuencia de tamaño y clase para los Escleractinios más abundantes, lo que mostró que las áreas restauradas están convergiendo con las de referencia. Para los Escleractinios, también se presentan números y porcentajes de colonias por especie al igual que varios índices comunes de biodiversidad. Las medidas para el área restaurada se aproximan al área de referencia. Una comparación cuantitativa del sustrato preferido para el asentamiento de las colonias en el área de restauración se presenta para todos los Órdenes; para el caso de Escleractinios se presenta más detalle de los dos géneros más frecuentes.

Bioenergética e massagem: diferentes formas de acordar o corpo / Bioenergetics and massage different ways to awake the body

O artigo tem como objetivo traçar um paralelo entre Terapia Bioenergética e Massagem Terapêutica, salientando seus objetivos para proporcionar autorregulação no organismo. Enfatiza a importância da integridade do Sistema Nervoso na consciência corporal e no registro de experiências com o toque terapêutico. Afirma que o despertar da saúde física e emocional advém de um trabalho interior profundo, de autopercepção, na construção da identidade do indivíduo e de sua verdade pessoal(AU)