19,484 research outputs found
Assessing the ecological soundness of organic and conventional agriculture by means of life cycle assessment (LCA) - a case study of leek production
Purpose – Sustainable agriculture implies the ability of agro-ecosystems to remain productive in the long-term. It is not easy to point out unambiguously whether or not current production systems meet this sustainability demand. A priori thinking would suggest that organic crops are environmentally favourable, but may ignore the effect of reduced productivity, which shifts the potential impact to other parts of the food provision system. The purpose of this paper is to assess the ecological sustainability of conventional and organic leek production by means of life cycle assessment (LCA).
Design/methodology/approach – A cradle-to-farm gate LCA is applied, based on real farm data from two research centres. For a consistent comparison, two functional units (FU) were defined: 1ha and 1?kg of leek production.
Findings – Assessed on an area basis, organic farming shows a more favourable environmental profile. These overall benefits are strongly reduced when the lower yields are taken into account. Related to organic farming it is therefore important that solutions are found to substantially increase the yields without increasing the environmental burden. Related to conventional farming, important potential for environmental improvements are in optimising the farm nutrient flows, reducing pesticide use and increasing its self-supporting capacity.
Research limitations/implications – The research is a cradle-to-farm gate LCA, future research can be expanded to comprise all phases from cradle-to-grave to get an idea of the total sustainability of our present food consumption patterns. The research is also limited to the case of leek production. Future research can apply the methodology to other crops.
Originality/value – To date, there is still lack of clear evidence of the added value of organic farming compared to conventional farming on environmental basis. Few studies have compared organic and conventional food production by means of LCA. This paper addresses these issues
Group theory for structural analysis and lattice vibrations in phosphorene systems
Group theory analysis for two-dimensional elemental systems related to
phosphorene is presented, including (i) graphene, silicene, germanene and
stanene, (ii) dependence on the number of layers and (iii) two stacking
arrangements. Departing from the most symmetric graphene space
group, the structures are found to have a group-subgroup relation, and analysis
of the irreducible representations of their lattice vibrations makes it
possible to distinguish between the different allotropes. The analysis can be
used to study the effect of strain, to understand structural phase transitions,
to characterize the number of layers, crystallographic orientation and
nonlinear phenomena.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure
Dynamical analysis of the cluster pair: A3407 + A3408
We carried out a dynamical study of the galaxy cluster pair A3407 \& A3408
based on a spectroscopic survey obtained with the 4 meter Blanco telescope at
the CTIO, plus 6dF data, and ROSAT All-Sky-Survey. The sample consists of 122
member galaxies brighter than . Our main goal is to probe the galaxy
dynamics in this field and verify if the sample constitutes a single galaxy
system or corresponds to an ongoing merging process. Statistical tests were
applied to clusters members showing that both the composite system A3407 +
A3408 as well as each individual cluster have Gaussian velocity distribution. A
velocity gradient of was identified around
the principal axis of the projected distribution of galaxies, indicating that
the global field may be rotating. Applying the KMM algorithm to the
distribution of galaxies we found that the solution with two clusters is better
than the single unit solution at the 99\% c.l. This is consistent with the
X-ray distribution around this field, which shows no common X-ray halo
involving A3407 and A3408. We also estimated virial masses and applied a
two-body model to probe the dynamics of the pair. The more likely scenario is
that in which the pair is gravitationally bound and probably experiences a
collapse phase, with the cluster cores crossing in less than 1
Gyr, a pre-merger scenario. The complex X-ray morphology, the gas temperature,
and some signs of galaxy evolution in A3408 suggests a post-merger scenario,
with cores having crossed each other Gyr ago, as an
alternative solution.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, submitted to MNRAS, accepted 2016 May 9.
Received 2016 May 9; in original form 2016 April 1
Nanometric pitch in modulated structures of twist-bend nematic liquid crystals
The extended Frank elastic energy density is used to investigate the
existence of a stable periodically modulate structure that appears as a ground
state exhibiting a twist-bend molecular arrangement. For an unbounded sample,
we show that the twist-bend nematic phase is characterized by a
heliconical structure with a pitch in the nano-metric range, in agreement with
experimental results. For a sample of finite thickness, we show that the wave
vector of the stable periodic structure depends not only on the elastic
parameters but also on the anchoring energy, easy axis direction, and the
thickness of the sample.Comment: 11 page
General scalar products in the arbitrary six-vertex model
In this work we use the algebraic Bethe ansatz to derive the general scalar
product in the six-vertex model for generic Boltzmann weights. We performed
this calculation using only the unitarity property, the Yang-Baxter algebra and
the Yang-Baxter equation. We have derived a recurrence relation for the scalar
product. The solution of this relation was written in terms of the domain wall
partition functions. By its turn, these partition functions were also obtained
for generic Boltzmann weights, which provided us with an explicit expression
for the general scalar product.Comment: 24 page
Thermal radio emission from novae & symbiotics with the Square Kilometre Array
The thermal radio emission of novae during outburst enables us to derive
fundamental quantities such as the ejected mass, kinetic energy, and density
profile of the ejecta. Recent observations with newly-upgraded facilities such
as the VLA and e-MERLIN are just beginning to reveal the incredibly complex
processes of mass ejection in novae (ejections appear to often proceed in
multiple phases and over prolonged timescales). Symbiotic stars can also
exhibit outbursts, which are sometimes accompanied by the expulsion of material
in jets. However, unlike novae, the long-term thermal radio emission of
symbiotics originates in the wind of the giant secondary star, which is
irradiated by the hot white dwarf. The effect of the white dwarf on the giant's
wind is strongly time variable, and the physical mechanism driving these
variations remains a mystery (possibilities include accretion instabilities and
time-variable nuclear burning on the white dwarf's surface).
The exquisite sensitivity of SKA1 will enable us to survey novae throughout
the Galaxy, unveiling statistically complete populations. With SKA2 it will be
possible to carry out similar studies in the Magellanic Clouds. This will
enable high-quality tests of the theory behind accretion and mass loss from
accreting white dwarfs, with significant implications for determining their
possible role as Type Ia supernova progenitors. Observations with SKA1-MID in
particular, over a broad range of frequencies, but with emphasis on the higher
frequencies, will provide an unparalleled view of the physical processes
driving mass ejection and resulting in the diversity of novae, whilst also
determining the accretion processes and rates in symbiotic stars.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, in proceedings of "Advancing Astrophysics with
the Square Kilometre Array", PoS(AASKA14)116, in pres
Disorder effects at low temperatures in La_{0.7-x}Y_{x}Ca_{0.3}MnO_{3} manganites
With the aim of probing the effect of magnetic disorder in the
low-temperature excitations of manganites, specific-heat measurements were
performed in zero field, and in magnetic fields up to 9 T in polycrystalline
samples of La_{0.7-x}Y_{x}Ca_{0.3}MnO_{3}, with Y concentrations x=0, 0.10, and
0.15. Yttrium doping yielded the appearance of a cluster-glass state, giving
rise to unusual low-temperature behavior of the specific-heat. The main feature
observed in the results is a strong enhancement of the specific-heat linear
term, which is interpreted as a direct consequence of magnetic disorder. The
analysis was further corroborated by resistivity measurements in the same
compounds.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure
Effectiveness of Psycho-Educational Intervention in HIV Patients' Treatment
Adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) is the main prognostic factor associated with HIV disease progression and death. The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a psycho-educational program to promote adherence to HAART in HIV patients. A longitudinal study (n = 102) over 9 months in an Infectious Diseases Hospital was carried out. Adherence to HAART was measured with standardized scales and values of viral load. Two groups were defined: adherents and non-adherents. In the latter, a psycho-educational program was implemented and 6 months later measured adherence to HAART. Knowledge about the infection, CD4 T lymphocytes and HIV-ribonucleic acid values were measured before and after this program. The sample was predominantly male (70%), heterosexual (78%), with a mean age of 49 (SD = 12.7) years, and 48% of participants were not adhering to HAART. After the program, non-adherence decreased to 21.6%. Knowledge about the infection increased from 79 to 97%. A significant increase in CD4 T lymphocytes (mean 540-580) and a decrease in viral load (mean 5411-3052) were observed, the latter of statistical significance. This program seems to be feasible and efficient, improving adherence to HAART
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