735 research outputs found
The advent of organic farming models: analysis of the current situation and perspectives in Brazil.
This text analyses the development of organic farming in Brazil. It shows the great variability of social models of organic production recognised by Brazilian Law: organic, agroecological, ecological or biodynamic agriculture, permaculture etc.. It depicts how the political and social concerns in the spheres of family farming and environment caused the reorganisation of production systems, in the agricultural practices and n the new relationships with the market and with natural resources. Based on interviews with farmers and stakeholders involved in the development of various organic systems, we qualified the related models of production as well as the related social and cultural values. We also present some aspects of the historical roots of this agroecological movement and the way family farmers adapt to the new challenges of ecological production
Steady state fluctuation relations for systems driven by an external random force
We experimentally study the fluctuations of the work done by an external
Gaussian random force on two different stochastic systems coupled to a thermal
bath: a colloidal particle in an optical trap and an atomic force microscopy
cantilever. We determine the corresponding probability density functions for
different random forcing amplitudes ranging from a small fraction to several
times the amplitude of the thermal noise. In both systems for sufficiently weak
forcing amplitudes the work fluctuations satisfy the usual steady state
fluctuation theorem. As the forcing amplitude drives the system far from
equilibrium, deviations of the fluctuation theorem increase monotonically. The
deviations can be recasted to a single master curve which only depends on the
kind of stochastic external force.Comment: 6 pages, submitted to EP
Thermal noise of microcantilevers in viscous fluids
International audienceWe present a simple theoretical framework to describe the thermal noise of a microscopic mechanical beam in a viscous fluid: we use the Sader approach to describe the effect of the surrounding fluid (added mass and viscous drag), and the fluctuation dissipation theorem for each flexural modes of the system to derive a general expression for the power spectrum density of fluctuations. This prediction is compared with an experimental measurement on a commercial atomic force microscopy cantilever in a frequency range covering the two first resonances. A very good agreement is found on the whole spectrum, with no adjustable parameters but the thickness of the cantilever
Brazilian multifaceted ecologically-based agriculture: Between conventionalization and agroecological principles application.
Thermal noise properties of two aging materials
In this lecture we review several aspects of the thermal noise properties in
two aging materials: a polymer and a colloidal glass.
The measurements have been performed after a quench for the polymer and
during the transition from a fluid-like to a solid-like state for the gel. Two
kind of noise has been measured: the electrical noise and the mechanical noise.
For both materials we have observed that the electric noise is characterized
by a strong intermittency, which induces a large violation of the Fluctuation
Dissipation Theorem (FDT) during the aging time, and may persist for several
hours at low frequency. The statistics of these intermittent signals and their
dependance on the quench speed for the polymer or on sample concentration for
the gel are studied. The results are in a qualitative agreement with recent
models of aging, that predict an intermittent dynamics. For the mechanical
noise the results are unclear. In the polymer the mechanical thermal noise is
still intermittent whereas for the gel the violation of FDT, if it exists, is
extremely small.Comment: to be published in the Proceedings of the XIX Sitges Conference on
''Jammming, Yielding and Irreversible Deformation in Condensed Matter'',
M.-C.Miguel and M. Rubi eds.,Springer Verlag, Berli
Convection-induced compositional patterning at grain boundaries in irradiated alloys
We consider the stability of precipitates formed at grain boundaries (GBs) by
radiation-induced segregation in dilute alloys subjected to irradiation. The
effects of grain size and misorientation of symmetric-tilt GBs are quantified
using phase field modeling. A novel regime is identified where, at long times,
GBs are decorated by precipitate patterns that resist coarsening. Maps of the
diffusional P\'eclet number indicate that arrested coarsening takes place when
solute advection dominates over thermal diffusion right up to the
precipitate/matrix interface, overwhelming capillary effects. This contrasts
with liquid-solid mixtures where convection only accelerates coarsening.Comment: 29 pages, main text with 3 figures, 1 table, 1 supplemental
information documen
Organic farming and climate change: major conclusions of the Clermont-Ferrand seminar (2008)
This seminar confirmed that less greenhouse gas (GHG) is emitted per unit area under organic agriculture than under conventional agriculture, and that our eating patterns have a strong impact on factors involved in climate change. Moreover, it shed new light on and contributed original information to a variety of fields. The two major advantages of organic farming in terms of the mitigation of GHG emissions are its ability to store carbon in the ground and the non-use of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers. Means for improving practices and research priorities were identified
Caracterização molecular de acessos de mandioca biofortificados com potencial de uso no melhoramento genético.
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