Analysis of selection pressure exerted on Plasmopara viticola by organically based fungicides

Downy mildew is one of the most important grape diseases world-wide. The pathogen is a genetically highly diversified organism with a high capacity of adaptation. A monitoring of changes in population structure of P. viticola subjected to new copper replacing products or strategies, studied and developed within REPCO (Replacement of Copper Fungicides in Organic Production of Grapevine and Apple in Europe) is important for assessing selection pressure which could lead to a reduction of efficacy of these new measures. Therefore P. viticola lesions collected on untreated and treated vines were analyzed by means of microsatellite markers. No significant differences in the populations structure were determined among untreated and treated populations, indicating that the applied products didn’t exerted any selection pressure on the P. viticola populations

The Teggiolo zone: a key to the Helvetic-Penninic connection (stratigraphy and tectonics in the Val Bavona, Ticino, Central Alps)

The Teggiolo zone is the sedimentary cover of the Antigorio nappe, one of the lowest tectonic units of the Penninic Central Alps. Detailed mapping, stratigraphic and structural analyses, and comparisons with less metamorphic series in several well-studied domains of the Alps, provide a new stratigraphic interpretation. The Teggiolo zone is comprised of several sedimentary cycles, separated by erosive surfaces and large stratigraphic gaps, which cover the time span from Triassic to Eocene. At Mid-Jurassic times it appears as an uplifted, partially emergent block, marking the southern limit of the main Helvetic basin (the Limiting South-Helvetic Rise LSHR). The main mass of the Teggiolo calcschists, whose base truncates the Triassic-Jurassic cycles and can erode the Antigorio basement, consists of fine-grained clastic sediments analogous to the deep-water flyschoid deposits of Late Cretaceous to Eocene age in the North-Penninic (or Valais s.l.) basins. Thus the Antigorio-Teggiolo domain occupies a crucial paleogeographic position, on the boundary between the Helvetic and Penninic realms: from Triassic to Early Cretaceous its affinity is with the Helvetic; at the end of Cretaceous it is incorporated into the North-Penninic basins. An unexpected result is the discovery of the important role played by complex formations of wildflysch type at the top of the Teggiolo zone. They contain blocks of various sizes. According to their nature, three different associations are distinguished that have specific vertical and lateral distributions. These blocks give clues to the existence of territories that have disappeared from the present-day level of observation and impose constraints on the kinematics of early folding and embryonic nappe emplacement. Tectonics produced several phases of superimposed folds and schistosities, more in the metasediments than in the gneissic basement. Older deformations that predate the amplification of the frontal hinge of the nappe generated the dominant schistosity and the km-wide Vanzèla isoclinal fol

Aux origines des rankings. Le système scolaire français face à la comparaison internationale (1870-1900)

Partant de l’analyse d’un tableau élaboré par le statisticien français Émile Levasseur en 1873, qui dresse une hiérarchie des pays du monde en fonction de leurs performances éducatives, cet article se penche sur la genèse, le développement et les usages sociaux de la statistique scolaire internationale. Il montre, d’une part, comment la statistique contribue à créer l’idée d’un « retard scolaire » de la France par rapport aux autres pays occidentaux, accélérant ainsi l’agenda des réformes nationales. D’autre part, il retrace les débuts d’une collaboration scientifique internationale qui, dans les dernières décennies du xixe siècle, œuvre non seulement à la centralisation des données statistiques nationales mais également à l’uniformisation des mesures. En restituant les usages des chiffres comme « outils de preuve » dans le contexte de construction des systèmes scolaires modernes, l’article permet finalement d’aller aux sources de l’obsession contemporaine pour les classements et les rankings éducatifs.This article examines the origins, development and social uses of international statistics in the field of education. It is based on the analysis of a table elaborated by French statistician Émile Levasseur in 1873, which provides a world ranking of countries according to their educational performance. On the one hand, the article shows how statistics helped to create the idea of France’s “educational backwardness”, and thus accelerated the agenda of national reforms. On the other hand, it highlights the rise of an international scientific collaboration in the latter decades of the nineteenth century which aimed to centralise national statistics and standardise measures. By focusing on the various uses of numbers as “tools of proof” within the context of the construction of modern school systems, this article sheds light on the roots of the contemporary obsession for educational rankings

A method for assessing regional climate change vulnerability : the case of tourism in Switzerland

How is vulnerability to climate change spatially distributed? Which are its causes and its effects? Which are the major climate change vulnerability hotspots in which the implementation of adaptatio

Microsatellite based population structure of Plasmopara viticola at single vine scale

The genetic structure of a Plasmopara viticola population was characterized on five single vines, one for each cultivar Regent, Merlot, Isabella, Müller-Thurgau and Solaris, using four neutral specific polymorphic microsatellite markers. Five-hundred and seventy samples were collected at four dates in the period between the 10th of July and the 23rd of August 2006. On average over all five cultivars, 67% of the genotypes present on the single selected vines derived from primary infections and caused 37% of the lesions genotyped. Fifty-three percent of these genotypes occurred only once on the vine throughout the survey period, while 14% were able to asexually reproduce on the selected single vine throughout the survey period, causing 23% of the lesions. Thirty-three percent of the genotypes on the single vine derived from other vines, 28% from vines of other cultivars in the other rows, and 5% from vines of the same cultivar in the same row. New primary infections appear all along the sampling dates. The overwhelmingly quantitative role of primary infections at vineyard scale was known, however here we observed the phenomenon also at the single vine scale and the reduced contribution of secondary lesions to the populations present on more resistant cultivars compared to the susceptible cultivars. As the sampling extended almost to defoliation, the results are judged to be representative of a typical P. viticola epidemi

Climate Change and Tourism in Switzerland : Impacts, Vulnerability and Possible Adaptation Measures

This thesis is part of the MIADAC project (Modeling Sectoral Climate Change Policies: Mitigation, Adaptation, and Acceptance) included in Work Package 4 of the NCCR Climate. It deals with adaptation and acceptance of Switzerland for the tourism sector. In particular, it addresses the vulnerability of this domain towards climate change, the costs and benefits involved and the costs and benefits generated by the possible adaptation measures. The general objectives of this work are three: first, we will assess and evaluate the environmental, economic and social effects of climate change on tourism in Switzerland. Secondly, we will investigate and select the appropriate and most effective public and private adaptation strategies on a national, regional and/or local level. Thirdly, we will evaluate the environmental, economic and social costs and benefits of these strategies. Finally, it will help to identify the elements needed to overcome barriers in order to bring adaptation issues to the upfront of political discussion. For better analyzing the implementation of adaptation measures, their costs and benefits, a case study region of particular vulnerability (Aletsch) has been additionally selected and will be studied by means of a participative process

Swiss tourism in the age of climate change:vulnerability, adaptive capacity, and barriers to adaptation

This thesis analyses the impacts of climate change on Swiss tourism. It looks in particular at the regional vulnerability, adaptation, and barriers that hinder this process. The final goal of the work is to make a contribution in bringing about a smoother shift to a more sustainable tourism sector better adapted to the changing conditions. In the first part, the thesis examines the regional vulnerability of Swiss tourism to climate change for a 2030-2050 time horizon in order to define which regions are most in need of taking action. We analyzed in particular the impacts generated by changes in climate suitability for tourism activities, snowpack reduction, glaciers melting, permafrost melting, natural hazards, water scarcity, and changes in landscape and scenic beauty. We selected 70 indicators describing the exposure, the sensitivity and the adaptive capacity of each of the 85 defined areas. We collected, weighted and assembled simulations on the possible impacts and statistical data covering the whole country. The results obtained allowed us to identify the most important drivers influencing vulnerability. Moreover, they permitted the assessment of spatial heterogeneity in vulnerability. Finally, the data allowed us to identify hotspots, areas in which the implementation of adaptation measures is most crucial. To validate the legitimacy of the results and to analyze the perception of people working in the sector, we compared outcomes with the results of an online survey we designed. It was carried out among 566 Swiss tourism stakeholders and asked them to evaluate the vulnerability of their particular region. Differences between the two methods appeared: the outcome of the survey indicated that those living mainly in the Prealpine regions perceived their regions as the most vulnerable. Meanwhile, the outcomes of the geographic “hotspot” analysis showed that the mountainous regions, mostly in the Valais, Ticino, and Uri cantons, were the most vulnerable. Differences may be explained on one hand from the predisposition of stakeholders to be influenced by impacts already visible like snowpack reduction. Therefore, they might be more likely to identify the most vulnerable regions as the ones in which climate change is already affecting the tourism sector. On the other hand, dissimilarities also depend on the scores given by the 13 experts which weighted the various indicators used in the vulnerability map. In the second part of the thesis, we examined adaptation. We analyzed in particular which measures are already being implemented or have already been planned for the future. We also looked at how stakeholders evaluate the efficiency of these measures. Our analysis suggested that adaptation is already taking place in the country. Three categories of adaptation exist. These can be summarized as following: development of the supply, risk reduction, and communication on impacts and on implemented measures. The development of the supply can be seen both as the promotion of year-round tourism, in addition to innovation and diversification of tourism activities offered. It could also include the further development and securing of snow sports activities. The maintenance of winter tourism was a popular option in the past, with the wide spreading of snow cannons. Now, however, this strategy is beginning to show its economic and environmental limits in multiple regions. Various stakeholders in the online survey cited artificial snowmaking as efficient measures only on the short term that should be replaced by other strategies on the long run. Consequently more and more regions are focusing on diversification and innovation, putting more effort in offering year-round tourism. Our results confirm outcomes of past studies on the topic, which found similar results. Moreover, in collaboration with the ClimAlpTour project, we carried out a participative adaptation process in a selected case study region (the Aletsch region). We did this in order to study possible adaptation paths and to analyze possible impediments to the process. Finally, the last part of the thesis looked more in particular at this latter aspect, focusing on barriers to adaptation. Many elements can hinder the implementation of effective and efficient adaptation. These can have either economic, technological, social, or institutional origins. Based on stakeholders’ opinions, we saw that, for Swiss tourism, the barriers relate mainly to economic and social issues. The lack of money can clearly be an impediment to adaptation; also in addition to this, however, we found that the lack of information and coordination among stakeholders can also seriously hinder the process. This even if the willingness to act in order to adapt is high among stakeholders and the acceptability of the measures is important among the population (up to a point to which measures do not lead to maladaptation and that they do not carry too many negative impacts on the society, economy, and environment). Much is already being done at the Swiss national and local levels to combat the impacts of climate change in the country, in particular with the elaboration of the Swiss adaptation strategy. The groundwork for an effective transition of Swiss tourism seems therefore to have been laid. However, it should not be forgotten that the sector is facing many other challenges not directly linked to climate change and which also threaten the viability of the sector. Moreover, due to its significant footprint on the environment and its contribution to greenhouse gasses emission, the sector also needs to incorporate sustanaiblity in its adjustment and change

Le Historiae adversus paganos volgarizzate da Bono Giamboni: tre carotaggi stilistici

This paper intends to investigate the stylistic consciousness of Bono Giamboni, who translated Orosius’ Historiae adversus paganos in the vernacular. In the Middle Ages, the Historiae were appreciated not only as a history manual, but also for their style, rich in parallelisms, chiasmi and hyperbates. The intention is therefore to understand if and how Bono Giamboni was able to account for the formal care in Orosius’ text. The article begins with a comparison between the stylistic devices present in the Historiae and those present in the translation in the vernacular; it then examines some passages of the translation that are particularly attentive from a formal point of view and finally dwells on some syntactic peculiarities of the vernacularisation prose. A prose which, in light of these investigations, on the one hand has the connotations of a no-frills service translation, but on the other hand presents the peculiarities of art prose, full of figures of speech. It is precisely the mixture of both components that represents the stylistic code of the work as a whole

Les peuples à l’école. Expositions universelles et circulation des idées pédagogiques en Europe (1867-1878)

Cet article examine la place de l’éducation au sein des expositions universelles ainsi que sa progressive affirmation en tant qu’enjeu international au cours des années 1860 et 1870. À partir du cas français, il met notamment en lumière la double fonction remplie par les sections scolaires organisées lors de ces événements. D’une part, celles-ci permettent de promouvoir les réussites éducatives sur la scène internationale. L’arrivée de visiteurs et d’observateurs étrangers est en effet exploitée pour valoriser les politiques volontaristes de scolarisation de l’ensemble de la population. D’autre part, les expositions sont des espaces d’apprentissage, les réformateurs et le public national ayant l’opportunité de se familiariser avec les systèmes scolaires et les méthodes d’enseignement en vigueur dans plusieurs pays du monde. En France, ce rapport constant avec l’étranger contribue à structurer les débats sur l’éducation primaire et populaire, témoignant ainsi de l’importance des dimensions transnationales des réformes scolaires européennes.This article examines the place of education within World’s Fairs and its progressive emergence as a matter of international concern during the 1860s and 1870s. Taking France as a case study, it particularly highlights the double function of the exhibitions’ educational sections. On the one hand, they served as a vector to promote national achievements among an international audience. The presence of foreign visitors and observers was exploited to showcase the extent and scope of governmental policies towards universal education. On the other hand, world’s fairs allowed French reformers to acquaint themselves with school systems and teaching methods from all around the world. This permanent relationship with foreign experiences deeply shaped debates on primary and popular education in France, thus demonstrating the importance of the transnational dimensions of European school reforms.Der Artikel untersucht die Stellung des Themas Erziehung in Weltausstellungen und zeichnet seine schrittweise Etablierung als international bedeutende Angelegenheit in den 1860er- und 1870er-Jahren nach. Anhand von Frankreich wird die Doppelrolle der Sektionen, die sich der Schule widmeten, herausgestellt. Auf der einen Seite erlaubten sie es, die Errungenschaften des eigenen Bildungssystems auf der internationalen Bühne anzupreisen. In der Tat wurden den anwesenden Besuchern und Beobachtern aus dem Ausland gezielt die Erfolge einer Politik vorgeführt, die auf Schulbildung der gesamten Bevölkerung setzte. Auf der anderen Seite waren die Ausstellungen Räume des Lernens, die den Verfechtern von Reformen und der nationalen Öffentlichkeit die Möglichkeit gaben, Schulsysteme und Unterrichtsmethoden verschiedener Länder kennenzulernen. In Frankreich prägte dieser ständige Kontakt mit dem Ausland die Debatten über Primarschulen und die Ausbildung der Massen, wodurch die hohe Bedeutung der transnationalen Dimensionen europäischer Schulreformen deutlich wird