Dung avoidance as a possible mechanism in competition between wild and domestic ungulates: two experiments with chamois Rupicapra rupicapra

Wild ungulates often adjust spatial behaviour where they coexist with livestock. In European mountains, chamois Rupicapra rupicapra or R. pyrenaica commonly avoid alpine pastures used by domestic sheep. Mechanisms leading to competitive losing out of the wild species are not well understood, but mostly, resource competition is inferred and sometimes demonstrated. We hypothesised that chamois need to minimise the risk of intestinal parasite uptake and therefore would avoid pastures contaminated with sheep dung. We tested this in two experiments by contaminating feeding patches of wild and captive chamois with (parasite-free) sheep faeces. Wild chamois did not avoid grazing sites or plots on which sheep dung had been placed at a (low) density representing the commonly encountered situation in the Swiss Alps. Captive chamois strongly reduced browsing time on small trees given for food when the surroundings of the trees were sprayed with a watery faecal solution. We concluded that the odour signalled a potential high risk of parasite infection to the captive chamois, whereas the density of sheep dung on the grazing site of wild chamois was not high enough to be perceived as a risk. The need to minimise endoparasite uptake from faeces may therefore play a role in driving spatial behaviour of wild ungulates and could result in competitive imbalance between wild and domestic ungulate

Genomic characterization of Phenylalanine ammonia lyase gene in buckwheat

Phenylalanine Ammonia Lyase (PAL) gene which plays a key role in bio-synthesis of medicinally important compounds, Rutin/quercetin was sequence characterized for its efficient genomics application. These compounds possessing anti-diabetic and anti-cancer properties and are predominantly produced by Fagopyrum spp. In the present study, PAL gene was sequenced from three Fagopyrum spp. (F. tataricum, F. esculentum and F. dibotrys) and showed the presence of three SNPs and four insertion/deletions at intra and inter specific level. Among them, the potential SNP (position 949th bp G>C) with Parsimony Informative Site was selected and successfully utilised to individuate the zygosity/allelic variation of 16 F. tataricum varieties. Insertion mutations were identified in coding region, which resulted the change of a stretch of 39 amino acids on the putative protein. Our Study revealed that autogamous species (F. tataricum) has lower frequency of observed SNPs as compared to allogamous species (F. dibotrys and F. esculentum). The identified SNPs in F. tataricum didn’t result to amino acid change, while in other two species it caused both conservative and non-conservative variations. Consistent pattern of SNPs across the species revealed their phylogenetic importance. We found two groups of F. tataricum and one of them was closely related with F. dibotrys. Sequence characterization information of PAL gene reported in present investigation can be utilized in genetic improvement of buckwheat in reference to its medicinal value

"Tangible" problems encountered when working with REICAT and MARC 21. Recording General and Specific Material Designations

I problemi che sorgono nella registrazione delle designazioni generiche e specifiche del materiale di REICAT in alcuni campi di MARC 21 sono analizzate attraverso mappature che evidenziano  difficoltà derivanti dalle diverse concezioni sottese ai due strumenti. La prima mappatura confronta la DGM con il Leader/06, il Tipo di registrazione. Essa mostra il modo in cui alcuni tipi di record previsti in MARC 21 restino senza una corrispondenza. Dalla mappatura tra il Leader/06 e la DGM deriva anche la mappatura con i tipi di materiale del campo 008. Le maggiori difformità si riscontrano in questo caso per la DGM "Documenti elettronici", dato che una risorsa elettronica  di natura principalmente testuale riceve come Tipo di registrazione (Leader/06) il codice a, vale a dire Materiale testuale. La terza mappatura si occupa sempre di DGM, in rapporto con il campo 007 di MARC21. In questo caso, tre elementi MARC 21 mancano di corrispondenza: f - Materiale tattile, o - Kit e r - Immagine di telerilevamento. Di recente, il MARC 21 è stato aggiornato per venire incontro alle novità introdotte da Resource Description and Access (RDA). Tuttavia, anche in questo caso la corrispondenza tra i rispettivi elementi non è del tutto univoca, e si riscontrano degli slittamenti tra MARC21, RDA e REICAT. Infine, è analizzato il rapporto tra MARC21 e DSM. Quest'ultima può essere mappata con la "Specific material designation" del "Physical Description Fixed Field - General Information", ma presenta problemi legati al diverso concetto di "testo" presente in REAICAT e MARC21.Problems in recording generic and specific designations of REICAT in some of the fields of MARC21 are analyzed through mappings highlighting some difficulties of the two tools. The first mapping compares GMD (General Material Designation) with Leader/06 (Type of record); it shows that some records in MARC21 have no correspondence in REICAT. From the mapping GMD/ Leader/06 it derives the mapping with materials of the field 8. The main differences in this case appear for GMD "Electronic resources", since a textual electronic resource receives as recording (Leader/06) the a code, "Textual document". The third mapping is related to GMD as well with relation to MARC21 Leader/07: Tactile material, Kit, and Remote-sensing image lack of correspondence. MARC21 has been recently updated to meet the needs of RDA (Resource Description and Access), however the elements correspondence is not univocal, with shifts between MARC21, RDA and REICAT. At the end, the author analyzes the relationship between MARC21 and SMD (Specific Material Designation), that can be mapped as "Specific material designation" of the "Physical Description Fixed Field - General Information", even though presenting some problems related to the different idea of "text" in REICAT and MARC21

If the catalogue spoke... Five axioms of catalogue communication

L’articolo cerca di applicare i criteri usati nell’analisi della comunicazione alla ‘comunicazione catalografica’, ossia allo scambio consapevole e inconsapevole di informazioni che avviene tra un catalogo e un utente durante l’intera fase di ricerca. La triade emittente-messaggio-ricevente viene individuata in biblioteche/bibliotecari-sistemi-utenti. Prendendo spunto dalle teorie di Paul Watzlawick, vengono proposti cinque assiomi della comunicazione catalografica: 1) è impossibile per un sistema di ricerca non comunicare; 2) i sistemi stabiliscono anche una meta-comunicazione con gli utenti che va oltre i risultati di una ricerca; 3) esiste una ‘punteggiatura’ che scandisce la comunicazione catalogo-utente e che è costituita dalla sequenza di azioni (ricerca, navigazione, selezione ecc.); 4) esiste una comunicazione ‘digitale’, ossia i dati, e una comunicazione ‘analogica’, ovvero le informazioni relative al catalogo (biblioteche rappresentate, copertura catalografica ecc.); 5) la comunicazione catalografica può essere simmetrica, quando emittente e ricevente sono sullo stesso piano, o complementare, quando vi è una differenza di livello.Se il catalogo è uno strumento di comunicazione, allora è possibile analizzarlo attraverso i fattori e le tecniche che determinano una comunicazione efficace (professionalità, credibilità, conoscenza dell’audience, sviluppare il discorso, anticipare le obiezioni, recepire i feedback ecc.) al fine di migliorarne le funzionalità.The article applies the criteria used in communication analysis to the ‘catalogue communication’, namely to the conscious or unconscious information exchange between the catalogue and the user realized during the whole research activity. The triad sender-message-receiver can be pinpointed in libraries/librarians-search systems-users. Inspired by Paul Watzlawick’s theories, five axioms of catalogue communication are introduced: 1) a search system cannot ‘not’ communicate, even in case of a 0 results query; 2) in addition to search results, search systems establish a meta-communication with users; 3) the communication between catalogue and user is articulated by the punctuation, that is the sequence of actions performed by the user (search, navigation, selection, etc.); 4) two communications exist: a ‘digital’ one, that is the data, and an ‘analog’ one, that is the information about the catalogue (which libraries are included, cataloguing coverage and features, etc.); 5) catalogue communication can be either symmetric, when both sender and receiver are at the same level, or complementary, when a gap of status exists.Considering the catalogue a communication tool allows an analysis by means of factors and techniques that realize an effective communication (professionalism, trust, knowledge about the audience, abilities to develop the subject, to foresee the objections, to receipt feedback, etc.) in order to improve catalogue’s functionalities

What is the point of teaching philosophy in disciplinary education? design / invention of philosophical learning in transdisciplinary education

Es una contribución en dirección a la metamorfosis del régimen disciplinario de la educación en vigor, teniendo en cuenta la importancia de una formación filosófica adecuada para el pleno desarrollo espiritual, humano y transdisciplinar. Critica la enseñanza de la filosofía como “ilustración” y afirma una filosofía como “creación” compartida de aprender a pensar, con vistas a una transformación humana común y responsable del mundo de la vida en su totalidad, una y múltiple simultáneamente. A partir de la quiebra del sistema educativo disciplinario, se desarrolla el argumento de una educación transdisciplinar, donde la filosofía se entiende como la actitud de aprendizaje radical y creativa. Y no como una disciplina aislada de un currículo fragmentario. Una línea utópica de formación humana se proyecta con la filosofía como método de investigación, y no como repetición de una tradición ilustrada. No se niega la importancia de los clásicos e ilustres del pensamiento, sino la forma de enseñanza actual que no conduce a la potenciación del pensamiento de los estudiantes. Se busca construir una educación transdisciplinar, donde el filósofo es (usa) el mismo método de aprendizaje en todas las actividades, un conocimiento para todos los estudiantes. Sin el cual, nadie podría salir de la cueva de Platón y volverla transformada

Structural characterization of the DRF1 gene of Aegilops speltoides and comparison of its sequence with those of B and other Triticeae genomes

The genus Aegilops L. has been intensively investigated due to its close relationship with wheat (Triticum L.) as contributor of B and D subgenomes. Because of their vast genetic diversity, Aegilops species represent a rich source of alleles of agronomic interest, which could be used to widen the wheat gene pool and improve tolerance to diseases, pests, drought, cold and other environmental stresses. We report the isolation and characterization of the Dehydration Responsive Factor 1 (DRF1) gene in three accessions of Ae. speltoides coming from different regions of the Fertile Crescent. The DRF1 gene belongs to the DREB gene family and encodes transcription factors which play a key role in plant response to water stress. As in other cereals, the DRF1 gene in Aegilops speltoides consists of four exons and three introns and undergoes alternative splicing. A processed pseudogene was also identified and compared with the sequence of an actual mRNA transcript, breaking new ground in the understanding of the complex regulation mechanism of this gene. The genetic diversity was evaluated by comparison of inter- and intra-species variation among some Aegilops and Triticeae, by considering both the whole gene and exon 4 sequences. The phylogenetic analyses were able to cluster the sequences in well-supported clades attributable to the genomes analysed. The overall results suggest that there is a high similarity between the B and S genome copies of the DRF1 gene but also features indicating that the two genomes have evolved independently