1,366 research outputs found
Advanced memory effects in the aging of a polymer glass
A new kind of memory effect on low frequency dielectric measurements on
plexiglass (PMMA) is described. These measurements show that cooling and
heating the sample at constant rate give an hysteretic dependence on
temperature of the dielectric constant . A temporary stop of cooling
produces a downward relaxation of . Two main features are observed i)
when cooling is resumed goes back to the values obtained without the
cooling stop (i.e. the low temperature state is independent of the cooling
history) ii) upon reheating keeps the memory of all the cooling
stops({\it Advanced memory}).
The dependence of this effect on frequency and on the cooling rate is
analyzed. The memory deletion is studied too. Finally the results are compared
with those of similar experiments done in spin glasses and with the famous
experiments of Kovacs.Comment: to be published in the European Physical Journa
A comment on free-fermion conditions for lattice models in two and more dimensions
We analyze free-fermion conditions on vertex models. We show --by examining
examples of vertex models on square, triangular, and cubic lattices-- how they
amount to degeneration conditions for known symmetries of the Boltzmann
weights, and propose a general scheme for such a process in two and more
dimensions.Comment: 12 pages, plain Late
Singularity, complexity, and quasi--integrability of rational mappings
We investigate global properties of the mappings entering the description of
symmetries of integrable spin and vertex models, by exploiting their nature of
birational transformations of projective spaces. We give an algorithmic
analysis of the structure of invariants of such mappings. We discuss some
characteristic conditions for their (quasi)--integrability, and in particular
its links with their singularities (in the 2--plane). Finally, we describe some
of their properties {\it qua\/} dynamical systems, making contact with
Arnol'd's notion of complexity, and exemplify remarkable behaviours.Comment: Latex file. 17 pages. To appear in CM
Agroecology: Polysemy, Pluralism And Controversies
In recent years, a growing number of actors and institutions, in different countries, have begun using the notion of Agroecology, which has led to an expansion of its polysemy and its controversies. Taking this into account, this paper analyzes, based on the Brazilian and French experiences, the peculiarities of Agroecology in four different fields: science, social movements, government policies, and education. It also discusses three other issues: the analytical, programmatic and normative discourses; the different definitions, in the fields of science and education, of the object of study of Agroecology; and the different formulations regarding its fundamental principles. It is argued that, in this new context, recognition of this pluralism and the controversies acquires a central role in the construction of knowledge in the various fields linked to Agroecology.19312
On the Symmetries of Integrability
We show that the Yang-Baxter equations for two dimensional models admit as a
group of symmetry the infinite discrete group . The existence of
this symmetry explains the presence of a spectral parameter in the solutions of
the equations. We show that similarly, for three-dimensional vertex models and
the associated tetrahedron equations, there also exists an infinite discrete
group of symmetry. Although generalizing naturally the previous one, it is a
much bigger hyperbolic Coxeter group. We indicate how this symmetry can help to
resolve the Yang-Baxter equations and their higher-dimensional generalizations
and initiate the study of three-dimensional vertex models. These symmetries are
naturally represented as birational projective transformations. They may
preserve non trivial algebraic varieties, and lead to proper parametrizations
of the models, be they integrable or not. We mention the relation existing
between spin models and the Bose-Messner algebras of algebraic combinatorics.
Our results also yield the generalization of the condition so often
mentioned in the theory of quantum groups, when no parameter is available.Comment: 23 page
Baxterization, dynamical systems, and the symmetries of integrability
We resolve the `baxterization' problem with the help of the automorphism
group of the Yang-Baxter (resp. star-triangle, tetrahedron, \dots) equations.
This infinite group of symmetries is realized as a non-linear (birational)
Coxeter group acting on matrices, and exists as such, {\em beyond the narrow
context of strict integrability}. It yields among other things an unexpected
elliptic parametrization of the non-integrable sixteen-vertex model. It
provides us with a class of discrete dynamical systems, and we address some
related problems, such as characterizing the complexity of iterations.Comment: 25 pages, Latex file (epsf style). WARNING: Postscript figures are
BIG (600kB compressed, 4.3MB uncompressed). If necessary request hardcopy to
[email protected] and give your postal mail addres
Analysis of transition forms towards more ecologically-oriented farming: the case of organic farming and integrated crop protection
Interdisciplinary approaches developed concerning the conversion to organic farming show that the types of conversion trajectories can be differentiated on the basis of the progression of crop protection changes within a larger framework where relationships to other “objects” are transformed – the soil, products, rotations, work organisation, marketing, social networks and knowledge acquisition. In the case of integrated plant production, the extent of changes depends on the degree of recomposition of agronomic practices. This transition implies major knowledge acquisition that relies on the support and contribution of advisors and on the group dynamics that develop within a group of farmers. Transitions towards integrated crop protection are, by their nature, more reversible and therefore more fragile than the conversion to organic farming. This is due to the fact that they are not stabilised by a certification or by the market, and analysis shows that their sustainability is linked in part to their integration within a group dynamics
- …