Crystallization of self-propelled hard-discs : a new scenario

We experimentally study the crystallization of a monolayer of vibrated discs with a built-in polar asymmetry, a model system of active liquids, and contrast it with that of vibrated isotropic discs. Increasing the packing fraction $\phi$, the quasi-continuous crystallization reported for isotropic discs is replaced by a transition, or a crossover towards a "self-melting" crystal. Increasing the packing fraction from the liquid phase, clusters of dense hexagonally-ordered packed discs spontaneously form, melt, split and merge leading to a highly intermittent and heterogeneous dynamics. The resulting steady state cluster size distribution decreases monotonically. For packing fraction larger than $\phi^*$, a few large clusters span the system size and the cluster size distribution becomes non monotonic, the transition being signed by a power-law. The system is however never dynamically arrested. The clusters permanently melt from place to place forming droplets of active liquid which rapidly propagate across the system. This state of affair remains up to the highest possible packing fraction questioning the stability of the crystal for active discs, unless at ordered close packing.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 Supp Mat

Influence de la pluviométrie sur la contamination de l'atmosphère et des eaux de pluie par les pesticides

Cette étude a pour objectif d'identifier les facteurs qui influencent la contamination des eaux de pluie par les produits phytosanitaires. Cinq sites contrastés ont été choisis de manière à être représentatifs des zones de productions légumières ou de plein champs et à couvrir les différents modes de contamination des précipitations. Il s'agit des sites de l'Ile de Ouessant, Landivisiau, Plouay, Ploufragan et Rennes. Les évènements pluvieux collectés sont choisis en fonction des caractéristiques de formation de la perturbation et du calendrier des épandages de pesticides.Par ailleurs, les concentrations rencontrées pour le site de Rennes en 2000 (année très humide) ont pu être comparées à celles obtenues lors d'une étude conduite en 1996 sur un site proche mais pour des conditions climatiques plus habituelles (année humide à sèche).Les analyses sont réalisées par extraction en phase solide suivie d'une analyse en chromatographie en phase gazeuse couplée à la spectrométrie de masse, ou par détection azote-phosphore spécifique (NPD) ou détection par capture d'électrons pour les composés halogénés (ECD). Dans ces deux derniers cas, la confirmation de l'identité des produits est réalisée par un système de double colonnes.Sept évènements pluvieux distincts ont été collectés et analysés entre les 15 mars et 15 juillet de l'année 2000. Parmis les produits recherchés six molécules sont régulièrement retrouvées : l'atrazine et son métabolite la déethylatrazine (DEA), l'alachlore, le lindane (gamma HCH) et son isomère le béta HCH ainsi que la desméthryne. Nous avions déjà des observations analogues à l'issu de nos premières investigations de 1996.Les analyses réalisées ont montré l'existence d'une contamination chronique du compartiment atmosphérique par l'atrazine et la DEA pour les zones sous influence agricole. Les niveaux de concentrations rencontrés sont faibles, de l'ordre de 10 ng/L. A ce bruit de fond s'ajoutent en période de traitement, des transferts depuis les parcelles traitées qui conduisent à des valeurs beaucoup plus élevées (de 0,1 à 0,7 µg.L-1). La détection de l'alachlore et de la desmethryne est limitée aux périodes d'application de ces produits.Du lindane, et dans un cas son isomère le béta-HCH, ont pu être mis en évidence sur quelques prélèvements, traduisant une contamination chronique du compartiment aérien due à la rémanence de ce type de composés.Les concentrations dans les pluies, pour un site donné, sont très dépendantes de la pluviométrie. Alors qu'en année de pluviosité normale (1996), les concentrations en période d'application sont élevées, elles restent faibles pour une année humide (2000). Pour s'affranchir de l'effet de dilution, nous avons calculé des retombées massiques (mg.ha-1) pour les deux périodes de collecte de 1996 et 2000. Les résultats de 2000 restent malgré cela très inférieurs à ceux de 1996 (d'un facteur quatre environ). Les surfaces emblavées et les différences d'usage entre les deux années sont trop faibles pour expliquer les écarts obtenus. Ceci nous permet de conclure que c'est l'intensité des transferts sol-air qui détermine les niveaux de contamination de l'atmosphère. L'humidité élevée des sols, pour une année humide, favorise la migration verticale des produits phytosanitaires dans les couches inférieures, réduisant ainsi les concentrations de pesticides susceptibles d'être transférés vers le compartiment aérien.Contamination of rainwater by pesticides was investigated by analyzing samples from 5 locations in Brittany (France). These sites were chosen on the basis of various characteristics including agricultural practices around the site, the direction of prevailing winds (west to east) and the proximity to heavily populated areas. The sites chosen were: Ile de Ouessant (a natural reserve without pesticide application), Landivisiau (a semi-natural zone), Plouay (a rural site with intensive agriculture, mainly cereals and vegetables), Ploufragan (a suburban site) and Rennes (an urban area surrounded by intensive agriculture and orchards). The pesticides to be monitored included the compounds most commonly used in Brittany. New molecules were added to this list to take into account new homologues or uses. Some organochlorines and pesticides with specific application modes were thus included in the list. Analytical techniques involved solid-liquid extraction procedures followed by GC-NPD, GC-ECD or GC-MS after prior derivatisation. Derivatisation was performed with heptafluorobutyric acid to detect urea and sulfonylurea herbicides. Quantification limits were about 5 ng/L for GC-ECD or GC-NPD, and 50 ng/L for molecules detected by GC-MS after derivatisation.Rain episodes were selected according to the prevailing meteorological conditions and the air mass trajectory. Only precipitation events greater than 6 mm were considered, in order to collect sufficient volume for analyses. Thirty-five samples (7 per location) were collected between 15 March and 15 July 2000, corresponding to various weather fronts.Six pesticides were detected: atrazine and its metabolite de-ethylatrazine (DEA), alachlor, desmethryne, lindane and its isomer (beta HCH). Among those detected most concentrations were below 100 ng/L but higher concentrations were occasionally detected during and after spraying in agricultural areas. Lindane was detected at low concentration (<10 ng/L) in several samples collected during different periods and locations. These results demonstrate chronic atmospheric contamination due to the presence of this substance even though its use has been banned in the Economic European Community (EEC) (e.g. in 1999 in France).The most frequently detected compound was atrazine, detected in 60 % of the samples. The presence of atrazine and its metabolite DEA in rainfall indicate chronic contamination of the atmosphere outside of spraying time (mid-March to mid-April). Detection of these compounds was generally limited to agricultural sites, and could also indicate transfer from agricultural areas during soil preparation for maize sowing. These hypotheses will be tested by monitoring atrazine in rainwater during a complete agricultural cycle. Important contamination by atrazine was detected during spraying time at agricultural locations, where concentrations ranged from 10 to 60 ng/L. Detection of alachlor was limited to application periods and rural sites, at levels ranging from 20 to 240 ng/L. However, amounts of alachlor were also detected in Ouessant, even though its use is banned on this isle. This presence was presumably due to the specific conditions of formation of the weather fronts that resulted in rainfall.Concentrations of pesticides in rainwater obtained in 2000 were generally lower than those described in literature or in a previous study done in Brittany. Alachlor and atrazine concentrations were compared to those of a previous study conducted in Brittany in 1996. The two sites chosen were Rennes in 2000 and Le Rheu in 1996. These two locations, separated by 5 km, were not significantly different since Rennes is directly downwind of Le Rheu. Pluviometry was very important in the year 2000, showing a 30 % increase in rainfall compared to the average from 1961-1990. The concentrations of pesticides in both years were also very different. During a year of normal rainfall (e.g., 1996) concentrations of pesticides in application periods were high, but they remained low during wet years (e.g., 2000). These differences could not be explained by a dilution effect - when fall-out was calculated (mg/ha) to correct for the dilution effect, the differences remained important. Maize surfaces (132 000 ha in 1996 compared to 128 000 ha in 2000) and the quantities of pesticides applied (580 tonnes in 1994 in Brittany compared to 350 tonnes for atrazine, and 263 tonnes in 1998 compared to 119 tonnes in 1994 for alachlor) were too similar to explain the differences observed in 1998. Photodegradation processes, which are more important during normal or dry years, should also favour higher concentrations in 2000 than in 1996. Rain concentrations and fallout observed in 2000 remained lower than those obtained in 1996. Thus, it can be concluded that atmospheric contamination is lower for wet years (e.g., 2000) than for normal or dry years (e.g., 1996). Soil humidity, high for wet years, favours the vertical migration of these substances to lower soil layers, reducing pesticide concentrations available to be transferred to the atmosphere

Functional Microbial Features Driving Community Assembly During Seed Germination and Emergence

Microbial interactions occurring on and around seeds are especially important for plant fitness since seed-borne microorganisms are the initial source of inoculum for the plant microbiota. In this study, we analyze structural and functional changes occurring within the plant microbiota at these early stages of the plant cycle, namely germination and emergence. To this purpose, we performed shotgun DNA sequencing of microbial assemblages associated to seeds, germinating seeds and seedlings of two plant species: bean and radish. We observed an enrichment of and during emergence and a set of functional traits linked to copiotrophy that could be responsible for this selection as a result of an increase of nutrient availability after germination. Representative bacterial isolates of taxa that are selected in seedlings showed indeed faster bacterial growth rate in comparison to seed-associated bacteria isolates. Finally, binning of metagenomics contigs results in the reconstruction of population genomes of the major bacterial taxa associated to the samples. Together, our results demonstrate that, although seed microbiota varied across plant species, nutrient availability during germination elicits changes of the composition of microbial communities by potentially selecting microbial groups with functional traits linked to copiotrophy. The data presented here represents the first attempts to empirically assess changes in the microbial community during plant emergence and moves us toward a more holistic understanding of the plant microbiome

Thin film transistors fabricated by in-situ doped unhydrogenated polysilicon films obtained by solid phase crystallization

International audienceHigh mobility low temperature (≤ 600°C) unhydrogenated in-situ doped polysilicon thin film transistors are made. Polysilicon layers are grown by a LPCVD technique and crystallized in vacuum by a thermal annealing. Source and drain regions are in-situ doped. Gate insulator is made of an APCVD silicon dioxide. Hydrogen passivation is not performed on the transistors. One type of transistors is made of two polysilicon layers, the other one is constituted of a single polysilicon layer. The electrical properties are better for transistors made of single polysilicon layer: a low threshold voltage (1.2 V), a subthreshold slope S = 0.7 V/dec, a high field effect mobility (≈ 100 cm2/Vs) and a On/Off state current ratio higher than 107 for a drain voltage Vds = 1 V. At low drain voltage, for both transistors, the Off state current results from a pure thermal emission of trapped carriers. However, at high drain voltage, the electrical behavior is different: in the case of single polysilicon TFTs, the current obeys the field-assisted (Poole-Frenkel) thermal emission model of trapped carriers while for TFTs made of two polysilicon layers, the higher Off state current results from a field-enhanced thermal emission

Assessing architectural evolution: A case study

This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 SpringerThis paper proposes to use a historical perspective on generic laws, principles, and guidelines, like Lehman’s software evolution laws and Martin’s design principles, in order to achieve a multi-faceted process and structural assessment of a system’s architectural evolution. We present a simple structural model with associated historical metrics and visualizations that could form part of an architect’s dashboard. We perform such an assessment for the Eclipse SDK, as a case study of a large, complex, and long-lived system for which sustained effective architectural evolution is paramount. The twofold aim of checking generic principles on a well-know system is, on the one hand, to see whether there are certain lessons that could be learned for best practice of architectural evolution, and on the other hand to get more insights about the applicability of such principles. We find that while the Eclipse SDK does follow several of the laws and principles, there are some deviations, and we discuss areas of architectural improvement and limitations of the assessment approach