11,442 research outputs found

    Confirmation of low genetic diversity and multiple breeding females in a social group of Eurasian badgers from microsatellite and field data

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    The Eurasian badger ( Meles meles ) is a facultatively social carnivore that shows only rudimentary co-operative behaviour and a poorly defined social hierarchy. Behavioural evidence and limited genetic data have suggested that more than one female may breed in a social group. We combine pregnancy detection by ultrasound and microsatellite locus scores from a well-studied badger population from Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire, UK, to demonstrate that multiple females reproduce within a social group. We found that at least three of seven potential mothers reproduced in a group that contained 11 reproductive age females and nine offspring. Twelve primers showed variability across the species range and only five of these were variable in Wytham. The microsatellites showed a reduced repeat number, a significantly higher number of nonperfect repeats, and moderate heterozygosity levels in Wytham. The high frequency of imperfect repeats and demographic phenomena might be responsible for the reduced levels of variability observed in the badger

    Uncovering the sources of DNA found on the Turin Shroud

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    The Turin Shroud is traditionally considered to be the burial cloth in which the body of Jesus Christ was wrapped after his death approximately 2000 years ago. Here, we report the main findings from the analysis of genomic DNA extracted from dust particles vacuumed from parts of the body image and the lateral edge used for radiocarbon dating. Several plant taxa native to the Mediterranean area were identified as well as species with a primary center of origin in Asia, the Middle East or the Americas but introduced in a historical interval later than the Medieval period. Regarding human mitogenome lineages, our analyses detected sequences from multiple subjects of different ethnic origins, which clustered into a number of Western Eurasian haplogroups, including some known to be typical of Western Europe, the Near East, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian sub-continent. Such diversity does not exclude a Medieval origin in Europe but it would be also compatible with the historic path followed by the Turin Shroud during its presumed journey from the Near East. Furthermore, the results raise the possibility of an Indian manufacture of the linen cloth

    An RFID Primer and Intellectual Freedom Caution

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    RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is here. RFID commonly refers to both a system of identifying unique individual items via radio signals and to the tags that are attached to or embedded in those items. Whether pronounced as “are-fids” or spelled out as “R-F-I-Ds,” the system and its tags are appearing throughout society – including Indiana libraries. The Mooresville and Speedway Public Libraries are just two examples of recent installations

    Near Field Communications: Features and Considerations

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    The increased availability of wireless technologies to transfer data and information between mobile devices is changing the service expectations of medical library customers. In response, medical librarians have investigated and implemented a variety of services that utilize the emerging wireless technologies being built into each generation of mobile devices. One such wireless technology now available on many smartphones is Near Field Communication. This column provides an overview of wireless technologies, describes the basic features of the near field communications, and discusses considerations to help guide libraries in developing their mobile strategies.Publisher allows immediate open acces

    Special Libraries, May-June 1945

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    Volume 36, Issue 5https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1945/1004/thumbnail.jp

    Com decidir-se per un sistema RFID: l'experiència de la Biblioteca Campus Gandia, UPV

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    La tecnologia RFID (Radio Freqüència i Identificació) està en aquests moments en plena expansió en l'àmbit bibliotecari a Espanya com a eina per a la gestió de la col·lecció i els serveis. En aquesta comunicació es presenta tot el procés desenvolupat per la Biblioteca Campus Gandia (UPV) en la presa de decisió per a la implantació d'aquesta tecnologia RFID, des de la fase inicial d'estudi d'aquesta fins a la posada en marxa del sistema. Es descriuen les accions relacionades amb l'anàlisi de la Biblioteca (característiques, tipus de fons, compatibilitats...), l'avaluació de proveïdors i costos, la conversió i etiquetatge, i la posada en marxa de la tecnologia. Finalment es valoren els avantatges per a la Biblioteca, sobretot en l'escenari quotidià, els beneficis i les primeres impressions generals.Sastre Miralles, N.; Llodrá Sendra, MA.; López González, A.; Dos Santos Pérez, CM. (2010). Com decidir-se per un sistema RFID: l'experiència de la Biblioteca Campus Gandia, UPV. COBDC. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/833

    Library inventory using a RFID wand: contribution of tag and book specific factors on the read rate

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    Purpose Low read rates are a general problem in library inventories. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that contribute to the success of library inventory by means of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) inventory taker. The factors investigated were tag position, tag orientation, book thickness, tag density (related to thickness of a sequence of books) and position on the shelf. Design/methodology/approach A total of 210 books were placed in eight random permutations on three fixed book shelves. For each configuration, the RFID tags were read forty times. The resulting data were analysed by means of a generalized linear model, relating the combined contribution of tag position, tag orientation, book thickness and position on the bookshelf to the read rate. Findings The tags positioned directly next to the spine were always read, but those near the opening of the book (far from the spine and inventory reader) were not always read. Considering only books with tags near the opening, tag orientation and position on the shelf appeared not to be related to the read rate, while book thickness, thickness over three books and spine tag density appeared to have a small positive contribution to the read rate. Practical implications Low read rates during a library inventory can be prevented by placing the tags near the book spine – the other book specific factors (listed in the previous paragraph) are of little influence. When not scanned during a first sweep, repeated scanning can increase the read rate with 0.15. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to analyse the influence of tag location and book specific factors on the read rate of RFID tags in library books. The experimental approach sets an example for future work

    Identification of hepatitis a virus mimotopes by phage display, antigenicity and immunogenicity

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    A phage-displayed peptide approach was used to identify ligands mimicking antigenic determinants of hepatitis A virus (HAV) for the first time. Bacteriophages displaying HAV mimotopes were isolated from a phage-display peptide library by affinity selection on serum antibodies from hepatitis A patients. Selected phage-peptides were screened for reactivity with sera from HAV infected patients and healthy controls. Four cloned peptides with different sequences were identified as mimotopes of HAV; three of them showed similarity in their amino acid sequences with at least one of the VP3 and VP1 antigenic proteins of HAV. One clone was recognised by 92% of the positive sera. The phagotopes competed effectively with HAV for absorption of anti-HAV-specific antibodies in human sera, as determined by ELISA. The four phage clones induced neutralising anti-HAV antibodies in immunised mice. These results demonstrate the potential of this method to elucidate the disease related epitopes of HAV and to use these mimotopes in diagnostic applications or in the development of a mimotope-based hepatitis A vaccine without the necessity of manipulation of the virus
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