Conservation of pollinators in traditional agricultural landscapes – New challenges in Transylvania (Romania) posed by EU accession and recommendations for future research

Farmland biodiversity is strongly declining in most of Western Europe, but still survives in traditional low intensity agricultural landscapes in Central and Eastern Europe. Accession to the EU however intensifies agriculture, which leads to the vanishing of traditional farming. Our aim was to describe the pollinator assemblages of the last remnants of these landscapes, thus set the baseline of sustainable farming for pollination, and to highlight potential measures of conservation. In these traditional farmlands in the Transylvanian Basin, Romania (EU accession in 2007), we studied the major pollinator groups-wild bees, hoverflies and butterflies. Landscape scale effects of semi-natural habitats, land cover diversity, the effects of heterogeneity and woody vegetation cover and on-site flower resources were tested on pollinator communities in traditionally managed arable fields and grasslands. Our results showed: (i) semi-natural habitats at the landscape scale have a positive effect on most pollinators, especially in the case of low heterogeneity of the direct vicinity of the studied sites; (ii) both arable fields and grasslands hold abundant flower resources, thus both land use types are important in sustaining pollinator communities; (iii) thus, pollinator conservation can rely even on arable fields under traditional management regime. This has an indirect message that the tiny flower margins around large intensive fields in west Europe can be insufficient conservation measures to restore pollinator communities at the landscape scale, as this is still far the baseline of necessary flower resources. This hypothesis needs further study, which includes more traditional landscapes providing baseline, and exploration of other factors behind the lower than baseline level biodiversity values of fields under agri-environmental schemes (AES)

Linguistic landscapes and educational spaces /

"The educational turn in linguistic and semiotic landscapes studies is advanced through this volume's broad and detailed analyses. Empirical examinations of interconnections among language, signs, space and practices combine with action research on mobilising linguistic landscapes as pedagogical resources to address scholars and practitioners alike"--Includes bibliographical references and index.The symbolic value of educationscapes -- expanding the intersections between linguistic landscape and education / Edina Krompák, Víctor Fernández-Mallat and Stephan Meyer -- Assessing the linguistic and semiotic landscapes of educational spaces. Linguistic landscapes and constructions of space in a learning club for young refugees in Vienna / Sabine Lehner -- Landscape design for language revitalization : linguistic landscape in and beyond a Māori immersion early childhood centre / Leona Harris, Una Cunningham, Jeanette King, Dyanna Stirling -- Italian linguistic schoolscape : neo-plurilingualism in an age of migration / Carla Bagna and Martina Bellinzona -- Displaying care : the neoliberal semiotic landscape of psychological health services posters on a university campus in Hong Kong / Corey Huang Fanglei -- Promoting indigenous language rights in Saami educational spaces: findings from a preschool in southern Saepmie / Boglárka Straszer and David Kroik -- Blackboard -- a space within a space : visible linguistic and social practices in Swiss primary classrooms / Edina Krompák -- Linguistic landscape as a pedagogical resource. Institutional educationscapes for new speakers in Flanders : language learning campaigns and linguistic integration / Mieke Vandenbroucke -- Using participatory linguistic landscapes as pedagogy for democracy : a didactic study in a primary school classroom / Kirk P.H. Sullivan, Christian Waldmann and Maria Wiklund -- 'Go in practice' : linguistic landscape and outdoor learning / July De Wilde, Johannes Verhoene, Jo Tondeur, Ellen Van Praet -- Linguistic landscape signs in first-language learning materials : from passively illustrative function to meaningful learning experiences / Solvita Burr -- Cultural authenticity in the linguistic landscape : developing additional-language learners' critical intercultural understanding / Yu Li -- Linguistic landscapes in educational contexts : an afterword / Durk Gorter and Jasone Cenoz."The educational turn in linguistic and semiotic landscapes studies is advanced through this volume's broad and detailed analyses. Empirical examinations of interconnections among language, signs, space and practices combine with action research on mobilising linguistic landscapes as pedagogical resources to address scholars and practitioners alike"-

TLR4 signals in B lymphocytes are transduced via the B cell antigen receptor and SYK.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in immune responses to pathogens by transducing signals in innate immune cells in response to microbial products. TLRs are also expressed on B cells, and TLR signaling in B cells contributes to antibody-mediated immunity and autoimmunity. The SYK tyrosine kinase is essential for signaling from the B cell antigen receptor (BCR), and thus for antibody responses. Surprisingly, we find that it is also required for B cell survival, proliferation, and cytokine secretion in response to signaling through several TLRs. We show that treatment of B cells with lipopolysaccharide, the ligand for TLR4, results in SYK activation and that this is dependent on the BCR. Furthermore, we show that B cells lacking the BCR are also defective in TLR-induced B cell activation. Our results demonstrate that TLR4 signals through two distinct pathways, one via the BCR leading to activation of SYK, ERK, and AKT and the other through MYD88 leading to activation of NF-κB

Data from: Does morphology reflect osteohistology-based ontogeny? A case study of Late Cretaceous pterosaur jaw symphyses from Hungary reveals hidden taxonomic diversity

With a single complete mandible and 56 mandibular symphyseal fragments of various sizes, the Late Cretaceous Hungarian azhdarchid material has been considered one of the most extensive monospecific pterosaur assemblages in the world. Representing a broad size range, these elements have been thought to demonstrate a developmental series of Bakonydraco galaczi. As such, they were ideal to test whether absolute size and/or morphology reliably indicate relative ontogenetic stages in this pterosaur. Forty-five specimens were selected for multivariate morphometrics and classified into four size classes. After acquiring the morphometric data set, we thin-sectioned eight symphyses representing all size groups and classified them into relative ontogenetic stages based on qualitative microstructural inspection prior to quantitative histological analyses. Microstructural characters suggestive of developmental state were then quantified for intra- and interindividual uni- and multivariate analyses to test the correspondence among the results of qualitative and quantitative analyses. In contrast to our expectations, histological features identified the smallest specimen as an adult and not an early juvenile. The substantial size difference between this specimen and other adults, along with its distinct microanatomical and histological features, implies the presence of at least two pterosaur taxa in this symphysis assemblage. This hypothesis is further supported by multivariate morphometrics, which separate the smallest symphyses from all other specimens that form one continuous group. Although the latter group also shows considerable size variability in corresponding ontogenetic stages, this suggests developmental plasticity rather than the presence of even more taxa, and indicates that symphysis size and morphology are poor indicators of skeletal maturity in these animals. Hence, bone histology is an important independent test of the assessment of ontogenetic stage using size and morphology