Produção literária: tecer o imaginário, espaço preenchido da margem

O objetivo deste estudo é analisar como a prática da produção literária interfere, positivamente, na trajetória de indivíduos que se encontram em situação de vulnerabilidade social. A investigação deu-se no Centro Cultural Cartola, situado na comunidade da Mangueira na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, espaço que favorece a experiência individual e social de crianças e jovens por meio de ferramentas pedagógico-culturais: dança, orquestra de violinos, música, capoeira, judô, balé, oficinas literárias de leituras e de composições de texto, que possibilitam a criação de valores culturais da comunidade e dos indivíduos pelo processo de identificação. A oficina Produção Literária: Tecer o Imaginário teve início em maio de 2011, com propostas de estímulo à criação e à leitura de textos ficcionais, possibilitando que a narrativa como um vetor de (re)construção do sujeito e do coletivo, sob o ponto de vista ético e estético. A fase investigativa constou de oficinas de literatura apresentadas de duas formas: Leitura e escrita em grupos pequenos - ou individuais. O trabalho de campo da nossa pesquisa qualitativo-participativa requereu que fizéssemos um recorte espacial de nossa experiência, para que à partir dai pudéssemos inserir o recorte teórico que fosse factível ao nosso objeto de investigação. Importava a dinâmica da ação dos atores sociais. A pesquisa, estruturada sobre a ação, revelou-se detentora de inúmeras possibilidades onde o imaginário se apresenta. A interação por meio de falas que estimulam a imaginação e a reflexão exerce influência no grupo e no indivíduo na construção de si e de seu mundo. Como o objetivo da pesquisa não se adequava somente à prática oral, de contar e ouvir estórias, mas de estimular os atores à inventar e escrevê-las percebemos que este modo prevaleceu. Por exigência de que a criança dominasse de alguma forma essa modalidade, sobretudo porque o ato de escrever validava as histórias inventadas por elas e as dispostas por outras pessoas nos livros. Visto que oralidade pode dispersar a entrada da criança em seu mundo imaginário, tendo importância maior para crianças muito pequenas que não entraram ainda no mundo da linguagem. A maneira que conduzíamos a pesquisa era sempre no sentido de estimular o imaginário, capturando-o, e a partir disso inseri-lo no mundo da linguagem, da simbolização. Para Minayo (1992), O método é o próprio processo do desenvolvimento das coisas.... Nesse sentido, surgia, daquela prática, um texto/sujeito, cujas palavras eram um tronco donde se espalhavam uma infinidade de ideias criativas. O resultado da investigação constatou que a criação ficcional, estimula e desenvolve o imaginário e as representações simbólicas empobrecidas. Evidenciando o quanto é gratificante e prazeroso para crianças e jovens suas participações em atividade que fazem do campo educativo e terapêutico um campo de aventura. Observar o efeito reparador da literatura no individuo, e de consolo nos momentos de lutos e de crises de toda ordem foi evidente em situação fronteiriça, pelo uso do mundo interno dessa potente ferramenta psicopedagogica como fortalecimento psicoemocional

Support for integrated ecosystem assessments of NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS): assessment of ecological condition and stressor impacts in subtidal waters of the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve

A study was conducted in June 2009 to assess the current status of ecological condition and potential human-health risks throughout subtidal estuarine waters of the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve (SINERR) along the coast of Georgia. Samples were collected for multiple indicators of ecosystem condition, including water quality (dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, pH, nutrients and chlorophyll, suspended solids, fecal coliform bacteria and coliphages), sediment quality (granulometry, organic matter content, chemical contaminant concentrations), biological condition (diversity and abundance of benthic fauna, fish tissue contaminant levels and pathologies), and human dimensions (fish-tissue contaminant levels relative to human-health consumption limits, various aesthetic properties). Use of a probabilistic sampling design facilitated the calculation of statistics to estimate the spatial extent of the Reserve classified according to various categories (i.e., Good, Fair, Poor) of ecological condition relative to established thresholds of these indicators, where available. Overall, the majority of subtidal habitat in the SINERR appeared to be healthy, with over half (56.7 %) of the Reserve area having water quality, sediment quality, and benthic biological condition indicators rated in the healthy to intermediate range of corresponding guideline thresholds. None of the stations sampled had one or more indicators in all three categories rated as poor/degraded. While these results are encouraging, it should be noted that one or more indicators were rated as poor/degraded in at least one of the three categories over 40% of the Reserve study area, represented by 12 of the 30 stations sampled. Although measures of fish tissue chemical contamination were not included in any of the above estimates, a number of trace metals, pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were found at low yet detectable levels in some fish at stations where fish were caught. Levels of mercury and total PCBs in some fish specimens fell within EPA guideline values considered safe, given a consumption rate of no more than four fish meals per month. Moreover, PCB congener profiles in sediments and fish in the SINERR exhibit a relative abundance of higher-chlorinated homologs which are uniquely characteristic of Aroclor 1268. It has been well-documented that sediments and fish in the creeks and marshes near the LCP Chemicals Superfund site, near Brunswick, Georgia, also display this congener pattern associated with Aroclor 1268, a highly chlorinated mixture of PCBs used extensively at a chlor-alkali plant that was in operation at the LCP site from 1955-1994. This report provides results suggesting that the protected habitats lying within the boundaries of the SINERR may be experiencing the effects of a legacy of chemical contamination at a site over 40km away. These effects, as well as other potential stressors associated with increased development of nearby coastal areas, underscore the importance of establishing baseline ecological conditions that can be used to track potential changes in the future and to guide management and stewardship of the otherwise relatively unspoiled ecosystems of the SINERR.

Scientific assessment of marine harmful algal blooms

Algae are the most abundant photosynthetic organisms in marine ecosystems and are essential components of marine food webs. Harmful algal bloom or “HAB” species are a small subset of algal species that negatively impact humans or the environment. HABs can pose health hazards for humans or animals through the production of toxins or bioactive compounds. They also can cause deterioration of water quality through the buildup of high biomass, which degrades aesthetic, ecological, and recreational values. Humans and animals can be exposed to marine algal toxins through their food, the water in which they swim, or sea spray. Symptoms from toxin exposure range from neurological impairment to gastrointestinal upset to respiratory irritation, in some cases resulting in severe illness and even death. HABs can also result in lost revenue for coastal economies dependent on seafood harvest or tourism, disruption of subsistence activities, loss of community identity tied to coastal resource use, and disruption of social and cultural practices. Although economic impact assessments to date have been limited in scope, it has been estimated that the economic effects of marine HABs in U.S. communities amount to at least $82 million per year including lost income for fisheries, lost recreational opportunities, decreased business in tourism industries, public health costs of illness, and expenses for monitoring and management. As reviewed in the report, Harmful Algal Research and Response: A Human Dimensions Strategy1, the sociocultural impacts of HABs may be significant, but remain mostly undocumented.

A note on the calorific values of a freshwater teleost, Labeo gonius (Hamilton)

Forty specimens of Labeo gonius (Ham) were analysed for protein, carbohydrate and fat values. The calorific value was calculated by multiplying the value of protein and carbohydrate with the energy factor 4.1 and for fat by 9.3. The average calorific values of fish for protein, carbohydrate and fat were 72.16, 9.55 and 11.90 cal/100 g respectively suggesting that the fishes are highly nutritious.

The narcotising impulse threshold values of certain fresh water fishes

The effect of impulse current on the fish at a particular impulse rate and voltage depends on the size and kind of the fish. It is directly proportional to the temperature and inversely proportional to the conductivity of the medium.

Some biochemical constituents and the calorific values of different regions of the body musculature of pond murrel Channa punctatus Bloch

A study of the distribution of some chemical constituents in the musculature of Channa punctatus Bloch showed it to be fairly heterogeneous. The increase in the levels of protein, fat, ash, total carbohydrates, glycogen, RNA, DNA and cholesterol towards the posterior region of the fillet was the result of increase in the number of cells per unit weight of the sample and in the concentration of myocommata. The distribution of water in the musculature was inversely related to that of the fat. The concentration of protein appeared to be associated with the RNA level. The posterior region of the fillet exhibited more calorific value than the anterior region.