Contested landscapes: territorial conflicts and the production of different ruralities in Brazil

ABSTRACT

From the perspective of Brazilian agrarian geography, the conflicts generated by land tenure disputes have as protagonists the families of the Landless Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra), traditional landowners, and agribusiness corporations. In this article, we present a reflection on land conflicts and the spatial and territorial production of latifundia, peasant smallholders, and large-scale agribusiness through studies of the landscapes of two municipalities in the state of São Paulo. Among the various tools for analysing territorial disputes, Google Earth can be used for local, regional, and international comparative studies of how landscapes have been transformed. Informed by traditional research, the article analyses a diversity of photographs, from satellite to field shots, as evidence of landscapes that express conflicting social relations in disputes over different models of social and territorial development.     

Study of the high temperature oxidation performance of Thermal Barrier Coatings with HVOF sprayed bond coat and incorporating a PVD ceramic interlayer

The performance of an intermediate Cr₃C₂ ceramic layer applied by PVD between the bond coat and the ceramic top coat in a TBC system was evaluated. The thickness of the transitional layer was kept around 1–2 μm. Two substrate materials and two distinct bond coats were combined in the tests. High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) and Atmospheric Plasma Spraying (APS) were used respectively for bond coat and top coat deposition. Isothermal oxidation tests were performed at 1000 °C in static air atmosphere. Thermal grown oxide (TGO) was measured and correlated to the exposition times. Results are discussed in terms of the TGO growth rate and changes in residual stresses. The results suggest an improvement in the oxidation resistance of the bond coat because of the presence of the intermediate layer.     

An approach to calibrate incentives for continuity of supply in the Spanish electricity distribution system

This paper proposes an approach to calibrate incentives for continuity of supply in electricity distribution in Spain. This approach consists on the estimation of the impact of continuity of supply improvements on distribution network costs. For this purpose, distribution costs resulting from different continuity of supply requirements are computed by a reference network model (RNM). The results obtained from the RNM are used to estimate a cost-function that considers continuity of supply a cost driver for distribution costs. This methodology is applied to three Spanish areas of service (an urban one, a semi-urban one and a rural one) in such a way that differences in distribution costs caused by the characteristics of the area type can be taken into account. The analysis indicated that distribution costs are more sensitive to continuity of supply improvements in rural areas of service. It also demonstrated that the incentive for reducing number of service interruptions should be higher than the incentive for reducing duration of service interruptions. Finally, the current Spanish incentive scheme for continuity of supply was analyzed under the perspective of the proposed approach.     

A methodology for screening of microalgae as a decision making tool for energy and green chemical process applications

The increasing interest for biotechnological use of microalgae demands a methodology for selection of species suitable to support the development of technologies based on the use of such non-conventional renewable raw material, i.e., green industrial applications. The vast and expanding collection of experimental data on both cell growth and biomass composition available in the literature can be used to reduce the cost of the experimental investigations required to support process engineering and optimization. Selecting the appropriate organism requires extracting useful information from such data, a cumbersome task since various multidisciplinary factors must be considered. This paper presents a computer-aided methodology for selecting appropriate algal species given an energy or green chemical process application employing microalgae as a renewable raw material. The approach is “system oriented”, based on biomass composition and chemical processing of the biomass downstream of the CO₂ biofixation and harvesting operations. Quantitative performance results are supported by professional process simulation. Besides comparison of a set of species performances, the proposed methodology also allows the discrimination among distinct algal compositions resulting from different growth conditions for a given species. Furthermore, three categories of screening metrics are proposed to be maximized by the decision making procedure in order to elicit the relevant information. To demonstrate the potential of the proposed methodology, a databank of both biochemical and elemental compositions of microalgal biomass was used in three green applications: Assessment of biomass heating value; production of syngas by gasification of the biomass; and production of Bio-H₂. Within the accuracy of the databank employed to illustrate the procedure, the methodology selected Botryococcus braunii and Isochrysis galbana as potential promising candidates, for the three examined applications.     

Strawberries from integrated pest management and organic farming: Phenolic composition and antioxidant properties

Consumer awareness, pesticide and fertilizer contaminations and environmental concerns have resulted in significant demand for organically grown farm produce. Consumption of berries has become popular among health-conscious consumers due to the high levels of valuable antioxidants, such as anthocyanins and other phenolic compounds. The present study evaluated the influence that organic farming (OF) and integrated pest management (IPM) practise exert on the total phenolic content in 22 strawberry samples from four varieties. Postharvest performance of OF and IPM strawberries grown in the same area in the centre of Portugal and harvested at the same maturity stage were compared. Chemical profiles (phenolic compounds) were determined with the aid of HPLC-DAD/MS. Total phenolic content was higher for OF strawberry extracts. This study showed that the main differences in bioactive phytochemicals between organically and IPM grown strawberries concerned their anthocyanin levels. Organically grown strawberries were significantly higher in antioxidant activity than were the IPM strawberries, as measured by DPPH and FRAP assays.     

QoS-aware optimization of sensor network queries

The resource-constrained nature of mote-level wireless sensor networks (WSNs) poses challenges for the design of a general-purpose sensor network query processors (SNQPs). Existing SNQPs tend to generate query execution plans (QEPs) that are selected on the basis of a fixed, implicit expectation, for example, that energy consumption should be kept as small as possible. However, in WSN applications, the same query may be subject to several, possibly conflicting, quality-of-service (QoS) expectations concomitantly (for example maximizing data acquisition rates subject to keeping energy consumption low). It is also not uncommon for the QoS expectations to change over the lifetime of a deployment (for example from low to high data acquisition rates). This paper describes optimization algorithms that respond to stated QoS expectations (about acquisition rate, delivery time, energy consumption and lifetime) when making routing, placement, and timing decisions for in-WSN query processing. The paper shows experimentally that QoS-awareness offers significant benefits in responding to, and reconciling, diverse QoS expectations, thereby enabling QoS-aware SNQPs to generate efficient QEPs for a broader range WSN applications than has hitherto been possible.     

Product mix strategy and manufacturing flexibility

The manufacturing industry is facing a turbulent and constantly changing environment, with growing complexity and high levels of customisation. Any investment solution should address these problems for a dynamic market and within limited budget boundaries, so that companies try to remain competitive. The authors propose a real options model to support firms making important investment decisions, specifically decisions associated with the acquisition of new equipment aimed at allowing firms to increase their manufacturing flexibility for the production of both standard and customized products. This paper is partially based on a real operating experience related to visual finishing technology features in an industrial company that conforms to the definitions of the product mix. The authors’ motivation for this work is driven by firms’ desire to satisfy specific customer needs, and to respond to them quickly under uncertain demand. Our goal, using theories from finance, production management, and product offering management, is to conclude that there is a relevant difference between the evaluation of the technology that is to be chosen, and the potential value due to product mix adaptations that are able to provide the maximum return from investment. We address problems related to standard and customized production systems, and the decision to invest in a set of resources that will enable this choice.     

Effects of supplemental progesterone after artificial insemination on expression of interferon-stimulated genes and fertility in dairy cows

The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the effects of supplemental progesterone after artificial insemination (AI) on expression of IFN-stimulated genes (ISG) in blood leukocytes and fertility in lactating dairy cows. Weekly cohorts of Holstein cows were blocked by parity (575 primiparous and 923 multiparous) and method of insemination (timed AI or AI on estrus) and allocated randomly within each block to untreated controls, a controlled internal drug release (CIDR) containing 1.38 g of progesterone from d 4 to 18 after AI (CIDR4), or a CIDR on d 4 and another on d 7 after AI and both removed on d 18 (CIDR4+7). Blood was sampled to quantify progesterone concentrations in plasma and mRNA expression in leukocytes for the ubiquitin-like IFN-stimulated gene 15-kDa protein (ISG15) and receptor transporter protein-4 (RTP4) genes. Pregnancy was diagnosed on d 34 ± 3 and 62 ± 3 after AI. Treatment increased progesterone concentrations between d 5 and 18 after AI in a dose-dependent manner (control = 3.42, CIDR4 = 4.97, and CIDR4+7 = 5.46 ng/mL). Cows supplemented with progesterone tended to have increased luteolysis by d 19 after AI (control = 17.2; CIDR4 = 29.1; CIDR4+7 = 30.2%), which resulted in a shorter AI interval for those reinseminated after study d 18. Pregnancy upregulated expression of ISG in leukocytes on d 19 of gestation, but supplementing progesterone did not increase mRNA abundance for ISG15 and RTP4 on d 16 after insemination and tended to reduce mRNA expression on d 19 after AI. For RTP4 on d 19, the negative effect of supplemental progesterone was observed only in the nonpregnant cows. No overall effect of treatment was observed on pregnancy per AI on d 62 after insemination and averaged 28.6, 32.7, and 29.5% for control, CIDR4, and CIDR4+7, respectively. Interestingly, an interaction between level of supplemental progesterone and method of AI was observed for pregnancy per AI. For cows receiving exogenous progesterone, the lower supplementation with CIDR4 increased pregnancy per AI on d 62 in cows inseminated following timed AI (CIDR4 = 39.2; CIDR4+7 = 27.5%); in those inseminated following detection of estrus, however, the use of a second insert on d 7 resulted in greater pregnancy per AI (CIDR4 = 26.9; CIDR4+7 = 31.5%). Pregnancy loss did not differ among treatments. Supplemental progesterone post-AI using a single intravaginal insert on d 4 was beneficial to pregnancy in cows inseminated following timed AI, but incremental progesterone with a second insert on d 7 did not improve fertility of dairy cows.