1,254 research outputs found
Validation of Factors Influencing Successful Small Scale Farming in North Carolina
This phase of the research project involves developing a survey instrument to test the validity and predictive value of the variables identified in previous case studies. Given the importance of small farm viability, this research project focuses on identifying ways to further enhance successful small farming in North Carolina. The survey instrument was designed to solicit production and financial data, attitudes and beliefs about farming, as well as demographic questions. The results demonstrated that successful farmers indicators were the âlove of farmingâ and âmanageable debtâ. Other strong indicators of successful farmers included a combination of marketing strategies that utilize technology such as websites as well as local farmers markets and educational level. Knowledge about the successful small farm is likely to provide valuable information about how to evaluate the âsuccessfulnessâ of small farm operations and produce best practices models for small scale farm operations.Small Farmers, Agribusiness, Agribusiness, Farm Management,
Case Studies of Successful Small Scale Farming in North Carolina
The goal of this study focuses on determining factors that contribute to a successful small farm in North Carolina and on identifying ways to further enhance successful small farming. North Carolina farms vary extensively in size and other characteristics, ranging from very small retirement and residential farms to establishments with millions of dollars in sales. Farming continues to be a distinctive industry in part because most production, even among very large farms, is carried out on family-operated farms whose operators often balance farm and off-farm employment and investment decisions. The case studies of successful small farmers conducted in November 2007 were the primary sources of data. The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Program identified three âsuccessfulâ farmers from its sampling frame to participate in the case studies. Researchers identified sets of variables associated with small farm success through various literature, published and unpublished reports and recommendations from experts in the field. After the variables were operationalized, a questionnaire was developed as a guide for conducting the case studies interview protocols. Each case study consisted of a one-visit protocol with electronic follow-up. Researchers conducted on-site interviews, and then toured the individual farms. The case study farmers used a diverse mix of enterprises including specialty crops and a combination of marketing strategies. The educational level ranged from post high school to Ph.D. although all farmers attended several workshops. All farmers minimized risk through diversity, contractual sales and insurance. Only one farmer used computers for record keeping and finance. The overall âlove of farmingâ seemed to be the biggest driving force behind the farmerâs view of success.Small Farmer, Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,
A 3-Dimensional study of the Local Environment of Bright IRAS Galaxies: The AGN/Starburst connection
We present a 3-dimensional study of the local ( kpc) and the
large scale ( 1 Mpc) environment of Bright IRAS Galaxies
(BIRGs). For this purpose we use 87 BIRGs located at high galactic latitudes
(with 0.0080.018) as well as a control sample of non-active
galaxies having the same morphological, redshift and diameter size
distributions as the corresponding BIRG sample. Using the Center for
Astrophysics (CfA2) and Southern Sky Redshift Survey (SSRS) galaxy catalogues
()as well as our own spectroscopic observations
() for a subsample of the original BIRG sample, we find that
the fraction of BIRGs with a close neighbor is significantly higher than that
of their control sample. Comparing with a related analysis of Sy1 and Sy2
galaxies of Koulouridis et al. (2006) we find that BIRGs have a similar
environment as Sy2s, although the fraction of BIRGs with a bright close
neighbor is even higher than that of Sy2 galaxies. An additional analysis of
the relation between FIR colors and the type of activity of each BIRG shows a
significant difference between the colors of strongly-interacting and
non-interacting starbursts and a resemblance between the colors of
non-interacting starbursts and Sy2s. Our results support the view where close
interactions can drive molecular clouds towards the galactic center, triggering
starburst activity and obscuring the nuclear activity. When the close neighbor
moves away, starburst activity is reduced with the simultaneous appearance of
an obscured (type 2) AGN. Finally, the complete disentanglement of the pair
gives birth to an unobscured (type 1) AGN.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal,10 pages, 4
figure
Data model issues in the Cherenkov Telescope Array project
The planned Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), a future ground-based
Very-High-Energy (VHE) gamma-ray observatory, will be the largest project of
its kind. It aims to provide an order of magnitude increase in sensitivity
compared to currently operating VHE experiments and open access to guest
observers. These features, together with the thirty years lifetime planned for
the installation, impose severe constraints on the data model currently being
developed for the project.
In this contribution we analyze the challenges faced by the CTA data model
development and present the requirements imposed to face them. While the full
data model is still not completed we show the organization of the work, status
of the design, and an overview of the prototyping efforts carried out so far.
We also show examples of specific aspects of the data model currently under
development.Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at
arXiv:1508.0589
Neutron-proton interaction in rare-earth nuclei: Role of tensor force
We investigate the role of the tensor force in the description of doubly odd
deformed nuclei within the framework of the particle-rotor model. We study the
rare-earth nuclei 174Lu, 180Ta, 182Ta, and 188Re using a finite-range
interaction, with and without tensor terms. Attention is focused on the lowest
K=0 and K=1 bands, where the effects of the residual neutron-proton interaction
are particularly evident. Comparison of the calculated results with
experimental data evidences the importance of the tensor-force effects.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, to be published on Physical Review
Active Galactic Nuclei under the scrutiny of CTA
Active Galactic Nuclei (hereafter AGN) produce powerful outflows which offer
excellent conditions for efficient particle acceleration in internal and
external shocks, turbulence, and magnetic reconnection events. The jets as well
as particle accelerating regions close to the supermassive black holes
(hereafter SMBH) at the intersection of plasma inflows and outflows, can
produce readily detectable very high energy gamma-ray emission. As of now, more
than 45 AGN including 41 blazars and 4 radiogalaxies have been detected by the
present ground-based gamma-ray telescopes, which represents more than one third
of the cosmic sources detected so far in the VHE gamma-ray regime. The future
Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) should boost the sample of AGN detected in the
VHE range by about one order of magnitude, shedding new light on AGN population
studies, and AGN classification and unification schemes. CTA will be a unique
tool to scrutinize the extreme high-energy tail of accelerated particles in
SMBH environments, to revisit the central engines and their associated
relativistic jets, and to study the particle acceleration and emission
mechanisms, particularly exploring the missing link between accretion physics,
SMBH magnetospheres and jet formation. Monitoring of distant AGN will be an
extremely rewarding observing program which will inform us about the inner
workings and evolution of AGN. Furthermore these AGN are bright beacons of
gamma-rays which will allow us to constrain the extragalactic infrared and
optical backgrounds as well as the intergalactic magnetic field, and will
enable tests of quantum gravity and other "exotic" phenomena.Comment: 28 pages, 23 figure
The origin of the strong soft excess and puzzling iron line complex in Mkn 841
Mkn 841 has been observed during 3 different periods (January 2001, January
2005 and July 2005) by XMM-Newton for a total cumulated exposure time of ~108
ks. We present in this paper a broad band spectral analysis of the complete
EPIC-pn data sets. These observations confirm the presence of the strong soft
excess and complex iron line profile known to be present in this source since a
long time. They also reveal their extreme and puzzling spectral and temporal
behaviors. Indeed, the 0.5-2 keV soft X-ray flux decreases by a factor 3
between 2001 and 2005 and the line shape appears to be a mixed of broad and
narrow components, both variable but on differen timescales. The broad-band
0.5-10 keV spectra are well described by a model including a primary power law
continuum, a blurred photoionized reflection and a narrow iron line, the
blurred reflection fitting self-consistently the soft excess and the broad line
component. The origin and nature of the narrow component is unclear.Comment: 4 pages, 6 Figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomische
Nachrichten, proceedings of the ESAC Workshop "Variable and Broad Iron Lines
around Black Holes
Physical Conditions in the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 2992
This paper presents long slit spectral maps of the bi-cone shaped extended
narrow line region (ENLR) in the Seyfert galaxy NGC 2992. We investigate the
physical properties of the ENLR via emission line diagnostics, and compare the
observations to shock and photoionization models for the excitation mechanism
of the gas. The line ratios vary as a function of position in the ENLR, and the
loci of the observed points on line ratio diagrams are shown to be most
consistent with shock+precursor model grids. We consider the energetics of a
nuclear ionizing source for the ENLR, and perform the q-test in which the rate
of ionizing photons from the nucleus is inferred from measurements of the
density and ionization parameter. The q-test is shown to be invalid in the case
of NGC 2992 because of the limitations of the [S II]6717/6731 density
diagnostic. The excitation of the gas is shown to be broadly consistent with
the kinematics, with higher [N II]6583/H-alpha present in the more dynamically
active region. We also show that the pressure associated with the X-ray
emitting plasma may provide a large fraction of the pressure required to power
the ENLR via shocks.Comment: 55 pages, 49 figures, ApJ accepted September 9, 1998. Figures 1a-f
are provided in jpeg forma
PKS 0537-441: extended [O II] emission and a binary QSO?
We present high-resolution imaging and low-resolution spectroscopy of the BL
Lac object PKS 0537-441 (z = 0.893) and its environment. The observations were
designed to clarify, whether the properties of PKS 0537-441 are affected by
gravitational microlensing, or whether PKS 0537-441 and its environment act as
a lensing system itself. Our observations show that neither case seems to be
likely. We did not find a galaxy along the line-of-sight to the BL Lac as
claimed previously, our spectroscopy shows that none of the four closest
companion galaxies is at high redshift. Two of the four nearby companion
galaxies to PKS 0537-441 are within 200 km/s of the systemic velocity of the BL
Lac (z = 0.892 and 0.895, respectively). The third companion galaxy is at
higher redshift (z = 0.947). The fourth companion galaxy shows evidence of Mg
II absorption redwards of its systemic velocity and is perhaps a mini low
ionization BAL QSO at z = 0.885. If the latter can be confirmed, PKS 0537-441
is the first BL Lacertae object being a member of a binary Quasar. We also
detected extended [O II] emission in the off-nuclear spectrum of PKS 05371-441,
which is most likely due to photoionization from the active nucleus.
Alternatively, the extended [O II] emission is due to jet-cloud interaction
with the counterjet of PKS 0537-441. Our clustering analysis indicates that PKS
0537-441 is located in a cluster environment as rich as Abell type 0-1. This is
supported by the detection of four galaxies in the field with similar redshifts
as the BL Lac (Delta z < 0.002). We found serendipitously even more galaxies at
somewhat higher redshifts (z = 0.9-1). Thus, PKS0537-441 might be located in
front of a galaxy cluster at somewhat higher redshift or even be part of a
large-scale structure with an extension towards the BL Lac.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&
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