Aquatic macrophytes of Itaipu Reservoir, Brazil: Survey of species and ecological considerations

In a survey of the aquatic macrophytes of the Itaipu Reservoir, we identified 62 taxa in 25 families and 42 genera. The highest number taxa was observed for the emergent macrophytes (40 taxa). Reduced fluctuation in water level, increased light penetration, and sediment enrichment by nutrients and organic matter following the formation of the reservoir favored the appearance of a species-rich community of submerged macrophytes (23% of the taxa identified). The aquatic macrophytes were found mainly near the mouths of the main tributaries of the reservoir, in shallow area of depth less than 2 meters. In addition to the shallow depth, the greater nutrient input from the tributaries and relative protection from wind explained this distribution. Among the species found, Egeria najas merits mention for its occurrence in all localities sampled, with biomass values varying between 98 and 186 gDW/m2. Some potential nuisance species such as Eichhornia crassipes, Salvinia auriculata, and Pistia stratiotes also deserve attention, since they were also observed to be covering large areas of Itaipu Reservoir. © 1999, Paraná Institute of Technology Publication.

Virtual instrumentation applied to the implementation of IEEE STD 1459-2000 power definitions

This paper discusses the utilization of Virtual Instrumentation to the implementation and evaluation of different power definitions, so that classical formulations and new definitions can be compared without the necessity of acquiring different power meters or analyzers. Accordingly, the definitions of IEEE Standard 1459-2000 for the measurement of power quantities under distorted and unbalanced situations, have been digitally implemented. Thus, several power and power factor components related to the decomposition of the measured voltage and current signals have been obtained. The proposed PC-based Virtual Instrument uses a high performance acquisition board and isolated sensors and transducers. All digital algorithms and routines have been implemented by means of a graphical development system. Regarding to the implementation of STD 1459, this paper also proposes several different algorithms to the required decompositions of voltage, current and power components. © 2005 IEEE.

Focando na variação: Métodos e aplicações do conceito de diversidade beta em ecossistemas aquáticos

Ecologists usually estimate means, but devote much less attention to variation. The study of variation is a key aspect to understand natural systems and to make predictions regarding them. In community ecology, most studies focus on local species diversity (alpha diversity), but only in recent decades have ecologists devoted proper attention to variation in community composition among sites (beta diversity). This is in spite of the fact that the first attempts to estimate beta diversity date back to the pioneering work by Koch and Whittaker in the 1950s. Progress in the last decade has been made in the development both of methods and of hypotheses about the origin and maintenance of variation in community composition. For instance, methods are available to partition total diversity in a region (gamma diversity), in a local component (alpha), and several beta diversities, each corresponding to one scale in a hierarchy. The popularization of the so-called raw-data approach (based on partial constrained ordination techniques) and the distance-based approach (based on correlation of dissimilarity/distance matrices) have allowed many ecologists to address current hypotheses about beta diversity patterns. Overall, these hypotheses are based on niche and neutral theory, accounting for the relative roles of environmental and spatial processes (or a combination of them) in shaping metacommunities. Recent studies have addressed these issues on a variety of spatial and temporal scales, habitats and taxonomic groups. Moreover, life history and functional traits of species such as dispersal abilities and rarity have begun to be considered in studies of beta diversity. In this article we briefly review some of these new tools and approaches developed in recent years, and illustrate them by using case studies in aquatic ecosystems.

Obtenção de fosfatos de cálcio pelo método biomimético sobre a superfície da liga Ti-6Al-4V modificada pelo laser Nd:YAG

In this work, surface modification of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy by irradiation with a Nd:YAG laser beam was studied. The matrix spacing was varied and the other parameters were kept constant. After theirradiation, the samples were immersed into SBF solution (Simulated Body Fluid) for 7 days at 37 ° C for nucleation and formation of calcium phosphates. After this period, the samples were subjected to a heat treatment at 600 °C. X-ray diffraction results indicated the formation of a mixture of phases containing hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate. Infrared analysis demonstrated the presence of bands related to hydroxyapatite. SEM micrographs showed that different matrix spacing used leads to the formation of different morphologies.The 0.01 cm spacing induced the formation of microspheres, characteristic of the hydroxyapatite phase, while for 0.02 cm spacing, only a non-homogeneous coating was obtained. Therefore, the use of laser in the production of active surfaces for deposition of bioceramics proved to be viable, and the final coating has potential for applications in the field of dental implants.

Recobrimentos cerâmicos bioativos pelo processo sol-gel sobre Ti c.p. modificado por laser empregados em implantes

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Síntese e funcionalização de superfícies de óxido de ferro superparamagnéticos

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Ideofones: um estudo no falar paraense

O estudo aqui empreendido sobre o Simbolismo sonoro no Português Brasileiro foi um desafio. Principalmente, pelas parcas referências sobre o assunto na língua portuguesa. Tal processo ainda não foi estudado, com particular inclinação no Português brasileiro, mas, entre poucos, alguns estudos existentes podem ser encontrados em outras línguas, como: bengali (DIMOCK, 1957), Bini (WESCOTT, 1973), koreano (LEE, 1992), na variedade do inglês falado em Singapura (LIM, 1998) e japonês (TAKEMOTO 1998). O atual estudo propõe-se a verificar a presença de ideofônes no Português brasileiro, a partir de dados do falar paraense. Porém, se faz necessário um estudo amplo e integrado que contemple uma descrição do processo no falar de todas as regiões brasileiras.

Variance partitioning of deconstructed periphyton communities: does the use of biological traits matter?

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Metacommunity structuring in stream networks: roles of dispersal mode, distance type, and regional environmental context

Within a metacommunity, both environmental and spatial processes regulate variation in local community structure. The strength of these processes may vary depending on species traits (e.g., dispersal mode) or the characteristics of the regions studied (e.g., spatial extent, environmental heterogeneity). We studied the metacommunity structuring of three groups of stream macroinvertebrates differing in their overland dispersal mode (passive dispersers with aquatic adults; passive dispersers with terrestrial adults; active dispersers with terrestrial adults). We predicted that environmental structuring should be more important for active dispersers, because of their better ability to track environmental variability, and that spatial structuring should be more important for species with aquatic adults, because of stronger dispersal limitation. We sampled a total of 70 stream riffle sites in three drainage basins. Environmental heterogeneity was unrelated to spatial extent among our study regions, allowing us to examine the effects of these two factors on metacommunity structuring. We used partial redundancy analysis and Moran's eigenvector maps based on overland and watercourse distances to study the relative importance of environmental control and spatial structuring. We found that, compared with environmental control, spatial structuring was generally negligible, and it did not vary according to our predictions. In general, active dispersers with terrestrial adults showed stronger environmental control than the two passively dispersing groups, suggesting that the species dispersing actively are better able to track environmental variability. There were no clear differences in the results based on watercourse and overland distances. The variability in metacommunity structuring among basins was not related to the differences in the environmental heterogeneity and spatial extent. Our study emphasized that (1) environmental control is prevailing in stream metacommunities, (2) dispersal mode may have an important effect on metacommunity structuring, and (3) some factors other than spatial extent or environmental heterogeneity contributed to the differences among the basins.

Nutrient enrichment is related to two facets of beta diversity for stream invertebrates across the united states

Beta diversity, the spatial or temporal variability of species composition, is a key concept in community ecology. However, our ability to predict the relative importance of the main drivers of beta diversity (e. g., environmental heterogeneity, dispersal limitation, and environmental productivity) remains limited. Using a comprehensive data set on stream invertebrate assemblages across the continental United States, we found a hump-shaped relationship between beta diversity and within-ecoregion nutrient concentrations. Within-ecoregion compositional dissimilarity matrices were mainly related to environmental distances in most of the 30 ecoregions analyzed, suggesting a stronger role for species-sorting than for spatial processes. The strength of these relationships varied considerably among ecoregions, but they were unrelated to within-ecoregion environmental heterogeneity or spatial extent. Instead, we detected a negative correlation between the strength of species sorting and nutrient concentrations. We suggest that eutrophication is a major mechanism disassembling invertebrate assemblages in streams at a continental scale.

Perspectives on the use of lakes and ponds as model systems for macroecological research

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A comparative analysis reveals weak relationships between ecological factors and beta diversity of stream insect metacommunities at two spatial levels

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Biodiversity analyses: are aquatic ecologists doing any better and differently than terrestrial ecologists?

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Metacommunity organisation, spatial extent and dispersal in aquatic systems: patterns, processes and prospects

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Combined measurement of the Higgs Boson Mass in pp collisions at root s=7 and 8 TeV with the ATLAS and CMS experiments

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)