This study describes a cost-effective screening protocol for parkinsonism based on combined objective and subjective monitoring of balance function. Objective evaluation of balance function was performed using a game industry balance board and an automated analyses of the dynamic of the center of pressure in time, frequency and non-linear domains collected during short series of stand up tests with different modalities and severity of sensorial deprivation. The subjective measurement of balance function was performed using the Dizziness Handicap Inventory questionnaire. Principal (...) component analyses on both objective and subjective measurements of balance function allowed to obtained a specificity and selectivity for parkinsonian patients (v.s. healthy subjects) of 0.67 and 0.71 respectively. The findings are discussed regarding the relevance of cost-effective balance-based screening system as strategy to meet the needs of broader and earlier screening for parkinsonism in communities with limited access to healthcare. (shrink)

Can exposure to media portrayals of human violence impact an individual’s ethical decision making at work? Ethical business failures can result in enormous financial losses to individuals, businesses, and society. We study how exposure to human violence—especially through media—can cause individuals to make less ethical decisions. We present three experiments, each showing a causal link between exposure to human violence and unethical business behavior, and show this relationship is mediated by an increase in individual hostility levels as a result of (...) exposure to violence. Using observational data, we then provide evidence suggesting that this relationship extends beyond the context of our experiments, showing that companies headquartered in locations marked by greater human violence are more likely to fraudulently misstate their financial statements and exhibit more aggressive financial reporting. Combined, our results suggest that exposure to human violence has significant and real effects on an individual’s ethical decision making. (shrink)

Companies are beginning to recognise the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility as presenting a new business model and an opportunity for building innovative forms of competitive advantage. Boards are instrumental in shaping and overseeing such strategies and active engagement around what it means to be a responsible and responsive enterprise can strengthen the Board's potential as a strategic influence on long-term value creation. Yet many companies align with Friedman's contention that adopting and practising CSR is a distraction from their core (...) obligation, which is to act in their shareholders' best interests. Based on directors' perceptions, the paper examines responses by Boards to socially related aspects of their governance role and reports on their external orientation and receptiveness toward wider social obligations. The findings suggest that these Boards hold a narrow view of their fiduciary duty, which is closer to the shareholder model than the stakeholder approach to corporate governance. (shrink)

One of the oldest traditions in the Eastern Orthodox church is Forgiveness Sunday. It’s a festive occasion: the last day to eat dairy before the onset of the fa.

Science education in the early years is vital in assisting young children to come to know about and understand the world around them. Science in Early Childhood covers the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications of teaching science in early childhood settings in way that is engaging and accessible. It is a comprehensive resource for students, as well as early childhood teachers and carers and provides up-to-date coverage of the Early Years Learning Framework. This text explores the current issues and debates (...) in early childhood science education from an Australian perspective, whilst recognising the links to international practice and research. A summary at the start of each chapter helps students identify the key themes and ideas in early science education and application boxes throughout the text illustrate how theories relate to practice. Written by experts in the field, Science in Early Childhood is essential reading for pre-service teachers. (shrink)

A través de la lectura de David McNally y utilizando de apoyo diferentes expresiones artísticas, hacemos un mapeo de los imaginarios resultantes de entender al capital en su monstruosidad, tal y como expuso Marx en sus textos. A partir de esas premisas recorremos el concepto de «marxismo gótico» y abordamos la problemática de la violencia representada visualmente, desde las lecciones de anatomía hasta la noción de «lo gore».

We sometimes face personal choices that are so momentous they appear to give rise to an intrapersonal analogue to the non-identity problem. Where the non-identity problem presents as a problem for morality, the intrapersonal analogue presents as a problem for prudence. The analogy has been explored recently by Das and Paul, and although, as this paper argues, their analysis fails—there is no intrapersonal analogue for the non-identity problem—it functions to highlight a persistent and perplexing puzzle for prudential rationality. This paper (...) offers its own explanation: namely, that the phenomena that motivate the purported intrapersonal problem are better accounted for by conceiving prudence as disjunctive. To this end, I sketch a theory of two varieties of prudence. (shrink)

This chapter addresses a question of onlooker morality. It asks whether it is wrong to be publicly happy, or to engage in certain sorts of leisure, when (as was the case during the pandemic) we are aware that many members of our community are sick and dying.

The importance of GS for understanding Nietzsche’s philosophy cannot be overestimated. While it can be disputed whether or not modern Nietzsche scholarship started with the revaluation of GS—as the editors claim with Giorgio Colli—the work forms an important link between the early and late writings of Nietzsche and especially Z. Klassiker Auslegen—Interpreting Classics—is a series dedicated to interpreting important works of philosophy as a whole through chapters successively discussing the individual chapters of the work. The book at hand consists of (...) two introductions—one for the volume, another one discussing the genesis of the edition of GS—and eight chapters covering each of the preface, the “Prelude in... (shrink)

This chapter addresses a question of onlooker morality. It asks whether it is wrong to be publicly happy, or to engage in certain sorts of leisure, when (as was the case during the pandemic) we are aware that many members of our community are sick and dying.

Business managers regularly employ metaphorical violent rhetoric as a means of motivating their employees to action. While it might be effective to this end, research on violent media suggests that violent rhetoric might have other, less desirable consequences. This study examines how the use of metaphorical violent rhetoric by business managers impacts the ethical decision making of employees. We develop and test a model that explains how the use of violent rhetoric impacts employees’ willingness to break ethical standards, depending on (...) the source of the rhetoric. The results of two experiments suggest that the use of violent rhetoric by a CEO at a competing company increases employees’ willingness to engage in ethical violations while the use of violent rhetoric by employees’ own CEO decreases their willingness to engage in unethical behavior. Furthermore, we find that participants who made less ethical decisions motivated by violent rhetoric used by a competitor’s CEO did not view their decisions as less ethical than the other participants in the experiments. The results of these studies highlight potentially harmful unintended consequences of the use of violent rhetoric, providing knowledge that should be useful to managers and academics who want to increase employee motivation without increasing a willingness to engage in unethical behavior. (shrink)

Start-up organisations are small companies that experience a high level of growth and considerable risk to their very survival until they evolve into stable, established companies. This situation presents a particular set of challenges in terms of corporate governance, yet research on the governance of start-ups is limited. This research paper examines and comments on the governance of start-up organisations in New Zealand. The study replicates and extends previous New Zealand-based research of boards of established companies. From the data gathered (...) from the two surveys, conclusions can be drawn as to the role and focus of boards in start-ups versus established companies. The results are consistent with a model of active ownership which identifies key differences from established companies that could improve the governance of start-ups. The results also highlight the dependence of what might constitute effective corporate governance for a start-up on the strategic context of the company and its life cycle stage. (shrink)

A lo largo de los siglos XVII y XVIII se desarrollaron sucesivas reformulaciones del contrato social a partir de la propuesta hobbesiana, categorizadas hoy en día bajo el rótulo de contractualismo clásico. Dentro de tales propuestas se sostiene que fue con Rousseau con quien el contrato social alcanzó su momento de plena madurez, racionalizándose y profundizándose sus consecuencias democráticas. Así pues, el contrato social es —dentro de la filosofía política— el elemento más significativo para sustentar la teoría del Estado moderno. (...) Sin embargo, una importante consecuencia de dicha teorización es el hecho de que el naciente Estado moderno detente para sí el monopolio de la violencia. Así pues, es posible que un obscuro trasfondo de violencia se oculte tras la formulación contractualista. El artículo que sigue pretende desarrollar un análisis de la teoría del contrato social, particularmente en la formulación de Rousseau, a partir de la teoría mimética de René Girard, con el objetivo de encontrar en su obra más representativa El contrato social, rastros de la violencia mimética y el mecanismo de chivo expiatorio planteados en la teoría girardiana. (shrink)

Resumen La literatura universal, se encuentra poblada de arquetípicos que comparten una condición de desamparo y marginalidad, siendo la literatura realista de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX la que constata y da cuenta de su condición. En un mismo sentido, también la Biblia presenta un sinnúmero de personajes similares, marcando un punto de inflexión al llamarlo bienaventurados. Así pues, el presente estudio bíblico-literario, se centra en el arquetipo de la “viuda pobre”, sosteniendo dicha ficción literaria es una clave interpretativa (...) de la realidad, a la luz de la teoría literaria de la Estética de la Recepción. El articulo estudia la “viuda pobre” como un imaginario cultural y estableciendo la recepción de dicho imaginario en los cuentos “El Chiflón del diablo” y “El pago” del escritor chileno Baldomero Lillo, demostrando cómo el dialogo entre cultura y Biblia representa un aporte a la comprensión de determinadas ficciones literarias como categorías antropológicas.Universal literature is crowded by archetypical characters who share abandonment and marginalization conditions, being second half 19,h century realistic literature that confirms and exposes those conditions. In that sense, The Holy Bible presents a number of those characters. Resides, it highlights a turning point, hence, The Beatitudes point out: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Thus, the following biblical-literary study, centered in the “Poor widow” archetype, aims to the establishment of literary fiction as interpretative key of reality, under Wolfgang Iser Aesthetics Reception's theory as its methodology. The objective aims to postulate “Poor Widow” as a Cultural imaginary, and finally to establish the reception of that imaginary within the stories “El Chiflón del Diablo” and “El Pago” by the chilean writer Baldomero Lillo, demonstrating that the dialog between culture and The Holy Bible represents a contribution to some literary fiction s as anthropological categories. (shrink)

Resumen En este trabajo se realiza un análisis exploratorio sobre lo que se ha venido concibiendo como un nuevo campo del saber científico desde hace algunas décadas, nos referimos a la neuroteología. También se pretende entender hasta qué punto la filosofía naturalista contemporánea puede estar vinculada con la neuroteología -sobre todo cuando el naturalismo implica, en la mayoría de los casos, un reduccionismo que conduce al materialismo-, teniendo en conside ración que en las distintas áreas neurocientíficas tiene lugar un fisicalismo, (...) esto es, una reducción de las propiedades o procesos cognitivos a meros procesos cerebrales e interacciones neuronales, que, gracias a la tecnología, hoy pueden ser visualizados por distintos instrumentos y técnicas.In this work an exploratory analysis is carried out on what has been conceived as a new field of scientific knowledge for some decades, we refer to neurotheology. It is also intended to under- stand to what extent contemporary naturalistic philosophy can be linked to neurotheology - especially when naturalism implies, in most cases, a reductionism that leads to materialism -, taking into account that in the different neuroscientific areas it has instead a physicalism, that is, a reduction of cognitive properties or processes to mere brain processes and neural interactions, which, thanks to technology, can now be visualized by different instruments and techniques. (shrink)

Global concerns over environmental and social issues in agrifood value chains have increased and are reflected in a number of voluntary sustainability standards and regulatory initiatives. However, these initiatives are often based on poor knowledge of production realities, creating a disconnect between producing and consuming countries. Through narrative analysis, this paper reveals asymmetries in the responsibilities of the various actors participating in Ecuadorian banana value chains, providing clear problem- and solution-framings. Despite the broad range of actors interviewed, our analysis reveals (...) convergence in two main narratives that reflect asymmetries amongst local actors in terms of their ability to participate, ability to maintain participation, and adaptation strategies in view of changing external factors. One narrative relates to sustainability adaptations, the cost of which is not shared among all value chain actors. This is combined with a downward trend in the price of bananas and the lack of a differentiated price to account for losses and costs arising from increasing sustainability standards. Another narrative reflects a value chain structure that threatens small-farm survival. It highlights the urgency of protecting small-farm activity by enforcing national regulation and developing new market segments/models that understand small-scale producer reality. Study results show that the multitude of standards is not seen as beneficial and that downstream actors rather wish for common minimum standards to reduce business costs. Compatibility between standards and local realities should be a priority for global sustainability standards adoption. Building on the problems and solution-framings of local value chain links, we give voice to local actors, and link their perceptions to existing literature and discursive politics while contributing to social transparency and addressing the democratic deficit in agrifood value chains. (shrink)

European Journal of Philosophy, EarlyView.

The purpose of the present study was to examine male and female Olympic taekwondo competitors’ movement patterns according to their tactical actions by applying a Markov processes analysis. To perform this study, 11,474 actions by male competitors and 12,980 actions by female competitors were compiled and analyzed. The results yielded 32 significant sequences among male competitors and 30 among female competitors. Male competitors demonstrated 11 sequences initiated by an attack, 11 initiated by a counterattack, and 10 initiated by a defensive (...) action. Female competitors demonstrated nine sequences initiated by an attack, 11 initiated by a counterattack, and 10 initiated by a defensive move. The five most popular sequences were the opening and dodge, the direct attack and simultaneous counterattack, the dodge with a direct attack, the indirect attack and simultaneous counterattack, and the simultaneous counterattack with a direct attack. Markov chains help provide coaches and researchers with relevant information about the frequency of actions, both in terms of their frequency of occurrence and the order of their occurrence, during a real competition. It is suggested that coaches and athletes focus on these patterns when training for a real competition. (shrink)

This paper explores the ways in which neoliberal schooling is threatening education. We define education as the development of cognitive and imaginative capacities for understanding of and critical engagement with social reality. Education opens horizons of possibility for collective and individual life-experience and activity by exposing the one-sidedness and contradictions of ruling-value systems. Schooling, by contrast, subordinates thought and imagination to the reproduction of the ruling money-value system, narrowing horizons of possibility for collective and individual life to service to the (...) prevailing structure of power. Our paper draws on our overlapping experiences as educators, one in the university system, the other in the adult education system. In both systems, students’ life-requirement for education is subordinated to the capitalist need for compliant wage-labourers and consumers. In opposition to this instrumentalization we will present an interpretation of “real world education” as a unique form of collective work through which teachers and students construct alternatives that can serve as the guiding ideas for new projects for social and political transformation. (shrink)

En el siglo XIX, médicos europeos desarrollaron estudios científicos sobre técnica vocal y su aplicación artística. Profesionales y aficionados al canto deseaban conocer estos nuevos recursos y descubrimientos sobre la fonación, la respiración y las últimas tendencias interpretativas. El objetivo de esta investigación es documentar a través de una metodología descriptiva las principales innovaciones en la técnica vocal que se presentaron en cinco tratodos españoles de canto publicados en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX. La incorporación de estos avances influyeron (...) de forma directa en la enseñanza del canto. (shrink)

La subtitulación cuenta con un gran potencial didáctico que facilita el diseño universal de aprendizaje. Mediante el análisis de percepciones con datos cuantitativos y cualitativos se persigue conocer tanto las ideas previas sobre los usos pedagógicos de la subtitulación como la percepción de los futuros profesores de idiomas de educación secundaria de su potencial como herramienta o recurso didáctico que favorezca la integración. Los resultados muestran que los docentes de lenguas de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria están familiarizados con la subtitulación como (...) consumidores, pero necesitan formación pedagógica para incluirla en su práctica docente y así, hacer la docencia más inclusiva. (shrink)

Tissues are shaped and patterned by mechanical and chemical processes. A key mechanical process is the positioning of the mitotic spindle, which determines the size and location of the daughter cells within the tissue. Recent force and position-fluctuation measurements indicate that pushing forces, mediated by the polymerization of astral microtubules against­ the cell cortex, maintain the mitotic spindle at the cell center in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. The magnitude of the centering forces suggests that the physical limit on the accuracy and (...) precision of this centering mechanism is determined by the number of pushing microtubules rather than by thermally driven fluctuations. In cells that divide asymmetrically, anti-centering, pulling forces generated by cortically located dyneins, in conjunction with microtubule depolymerization, oppose the pushing forces to drive spindle displacements away from the center. Thus, a balance of centering pushing forces and anti-centering pulling forces localize the mitotic spindles within dividing C. elegans cells. We discuss microtubule-based mechanisms of the mitotic spindle positioning, a key mechanical process that shapes and patterns tissues. The magnitude of the centering forces indicates that the physical limit on the accuracy and precision of centering is set by the number of contributing microtubules rather than by thermally driven fluctuations. (shrink)

Animals use their chemosensory systems to detect and discriminate among chemical cues in the environment. Remarkable progress has recently been made in our knowledge of the molecular and cellular basis of chemosensory perception in insects, based largely on studies in Drosophila. This progress has been possible due to the identification of gene families for olfactory and gustatory receptors, the use of electro‐physiological recording techniques on sensory neurons, the multitude of genetic manipulations that are available in this species, and insights from (...) several insect model systems. Recent studies show that the superfamily of chemoreceptor proteins represent the essential elements in chemosensory coding, endowing chemosensory neurons with their abilities to respond to specific sets of odorants, tastants or pheromones. Investigating how insects detect chemicals in their environment can show us how receptor protein structures relate to ligand binding, how nervous systems process complex information, and how chemosensory systems and genes evolve. BioEssays 28:23–34, 2006. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

Addiction is increasingly described as a “chronic and relapsing brain disease”. The potential impact of the brain disease model on the treatment of addiction or addicted individuals’ treatment behaviour remains uncertain. We conducted a qualitative study to examine: (i) the extent to which leading Australian addiction neuroscientists and clinicians accept the brain disease view of addiction; and (ii) their views on the likely impacts of this view on addicted individuals’ beliefs and behaviour. Thirty-one Australian addiction neuroscientists and clinicians (10 females (...) and 21 males; 16 with clinical experience and 15 with no clinical experience) took part in 1 h semi-structured interviews. Most addiction neuroscientists and clinicians did not uncritically support the use of brain disease model of addiction. Most were cautious about the potential for adverse impacts on individuals’ recovery and motivation to enter treatment. While some recognised the possibility that the brain disease model of addiction may provide a rationale for addicted persons to seek treatment and motivate behaviour change, Australian addiction neuroscientist and clinicians do not assume that messages about “diseased brains” will always lead to increased treatment-seeking and reduced drug use. Research is needed on how neuroscience research could be used in ways that optimise positive outcomes for addicted persons. (shrink)

This chapter argues that the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the limits of the mainstream individualistic notion of resilience and, in light of these limits, it advances a new, relational notion of the concept of resilience that contributes to the individuals’ well-being and takes into consideration the role of systemic inequality. The first half of the paper argues that the individualistic notion is flawed in two ways: i) it can foster ill-being because it is cognitively taxing, and ii) it discounts systemic (...) inequality because it transfers the responsibility of any achievement and failure onto the single individual without regard for conditions of oppression. The second half of the paper reconceptualizes the concept of resilience as a relational notion that takes into account structural support as well as conditions of oppression and marginalization. According to this latter notion of resilience, the chapter argues that oppression, lack of material conditions, or lack of structural support are elements that can impact the appropriateness of calls to be resilient. A relational notion of resilience fosters well-being because it puts the collective community at the center (instead of the individual) and it takes into consideration material conditions and structural injustices. (shrink)

Twitter sirve plataforma a movimientos feministas como #MeeToo y potencia el uso del lenguaje inclusivo con textismos específicos que utilizan la -@ y -x como marca de género inclusivo. Se estudia el uso de docentes que trabajan con adolescentes de estas marcas en comunidades educativas virtuales en Twitter mediante minería de datos y análisis de texto. Los resultados muestran un elevado uso de -@ y -x entre los docentes en sus interacciones, lo que los convierte en modelos de la adopción (...) de propuestas lingüísticas innovadoras por la igualdad que posteriormente pueden ser adoptadas por los adolescentes en sus comunicaciones digitales. (shrink)

El comentario de texto es una práctica habitual en la enseñanza de la filosofía y de otras disciplinas. En general, los modelos existentes se centran en la comprensión del texto y del contexto del autor y la época, pero menos en la apropiación dialogada por parte del lector de los problemas a los que el texto hace frente. Basados en las aportaciones de algunas de las corrientes hermenéuticas más significativas del siglo XX, los autores fundamentan y exponen un modelo de (...) comentario de texto centrado en el diálogo establecido entre el lector y el texto. (shrink)

Con este documento queremos proponer una caracterización de nuestra experiencia como docentes que hemos situado nuestras prácticas investigativas desde la Educación Matemática Crítica y la Etnomatemática, en la que confluye una idea de sujeto político que transforma las concepciones de ser profesor(a) de matemáticas. Nosotros coincidimos hace algunos años en un congreso académico internacional en el que se discutían propuestas investigativas y prácticas pedagógicas enmarcadas en perspectivas alejadas de enfoques cognitivistas y más próximas a dimensiones sociales, políticas y culturales. Allí, (...) compartimos nuestros trabajos académicos y años más tarde nos reencontramos en el II Encuentro de la Red de Educadores Matemáticos Críticos, notando que, si bien nuestros intereses no habían cambiado, estábamos interesados en reconocer la voz del sujeto al relatar sus experiencias investigativas situadas desde enfoques sociales, políticos y culturales de la educación matemática. Para ello usamos las narrativas orales y escritas para estudiar y reflexionar sobre nuestras propias experiencias como docentes de matemáticas. Para lograrlo, teóricamente nos fundamentamos en las ideas del enfoque social, político y cultural, especialmente, en la Educación Matemática Crítica y la Etnomatemática, caracterizando tanto la idea de sujeto político como de contexto sociopolítico. Con relación a la metodología, retomamos la idea de experiencia de Jorge Larrosa y las características de la investigación biográfico-narrativa, usando particularmente los escritos autobiográficos producidos por los autores del presente documento. Buscamos dar vida a la voz del sujeto al narrar sus propias experiencias como docentes e investigadores de carne y hueso que intentan privilegiar en el aula de clase espacios de discusión sobre asuntos sociales, políticos y culturales que se inscriben en los contextos cotidianos de las escuelas colombianas. Además, reconocemos la importancia de usar las matemáticas como herramienta que nos permite leer, interpretar y transformar el mundo y las condiciones de nuestra sociedad actual, reconociéndonos como sujetos políticos agentes de cambio. (shrink)

Australia does not allow adult smokers to buy or use electronic nicotine delivery systems that contain nicotine without a prescription. This paper critically evaluates the empirical and ethical justifications provided for the policy by Federal and State governments, public health advocates and health organisations. These are: that ENDS should only be approved as products for smoking cessation when there is evidence from randomised controlled trials that they are effective; that as a matter of precaution we should not allow the sale (...) of ENDS to smokers as consumer products because we do not know what their long-term effects will be; and that allowing ENDS to be sold as consumer goods will enable the tobacco industry to market ENDS to young people which will also lead to an increase in youth smoking. We show that the arguments and evidence offered in support of all these claims is very weak. We also argue that even if the evidence were stronger, it would not justify denying adult smokers the right to use ENDS either to quit smoking or as a long-term alternative to smoking cigarettes. We outline ENDS policies that would more ethically address the public health concerns that motivated the current policy by allowing adult smokers to access ENDS for smoking cessation or tobacco harm reduction under tight regulations that discourage commercial promotion and adolescent use. (shrink)

This book examines influential conceptions of sport and then analyses the interplay of challenging borderline cases with the standard definitions of sport. It is meant to inspire more thought and debate on just what sport is, how it relates to other activities and human endeavors, and what we can learn about ourselves by studying sport.

En este texto se analizan los motivos gastronómicos de la obra del escritor japonés Junichiro Tanizaki, con el fin de discutir sus implicaciones estéticas y metafísicas. Para ello, se ofrece una breve semblanza del autor y se plantea la problemática de cómo interpretar sus textos, en un marcado contraste con la hermenéutica filosófica de corte occidental, y en función de una digresión filosófica sobre las nociones de utopía y heterotopía de Paul Ricœur y Michel Foucault.

With 163 authoritative entries providing definitive explanations and critiques of the fundamental principles and practices of corporate governance, this timely Encyclopedia is a comprehensive overview of the economic, political, social, legal and environmental impacts of corporations across the globe. Bringing together almost 100 leading experts, the Encyclopedia addresses the meaning and purpose of corporate governance and how this term has evolved over time. Philosophical perspectives on corporate governance, as well as its origins and history are laid out, alongside critical theories (...) and methodologies on governance. The Encyclopedia then examines different aspects of governance related to governance regimes, neoliberalism, finance, accounting and corporate reporting, law and regulation, strategy and forms of governance. Board processes and performance, leadership in the boardroom, board directors and board diversity are explained. Focus is drawn to emerging societal problems and crises related to corporate governance and how these have been addressed by different institutions, such as digital era governance, corporate social responsibility and corporate sustainability and regeneration of the natural world. The Elgar Encyclopedia of Corporate Governance is an essential reference source for academics, researchers and students of business and management, economics and finance and environmental studies. Professionals and policymakers working in the sectors of corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, management and sustainability and strategic management will also find this to be an indispensable reference work. Key Features: 163 distinct entries structured by theme Combines empirical findings with real-world examples Adopts a comparative global analysis from leading academics Accessible explanations of fundamental concepts and principles. (shrink)

Coral reefs provide substantial benefits to humans by generating biologically diverse ecosystems and reducing coastal hazards. However, in recent years, mass mortality of coral reefs due to bleaching has been witnessed in the ocean worldwide. Bleaching induced by the loss of the symbiotic relationship between algae and coral is mainly attributed to climate change. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can effectively prevent local disturbances but are less likely to conserve the coral reefs from global events like climate (...) change. Other conservation and restoration methods can be useful to protect and replenish the coral population temporarily, but whether they are feasible as sustainable conservation strategies is still equivocal. Coral reef mass mortality is not an exceptional occurrence but is linked to various instances of ecological loss, serving as an S.O.S. signal of severe prolonged climate extremes. (shrink)