Atmospheric hypoxia limits selection for large body size in insects

Recent geological models indicate a marked increase in atmospheric oxygen partial pressure (aPO~2~) to 32 kPa in the Permo-Carboniferous (approx. 300 million years ago), subsequently falling to 13 kPa in the Triassic^1^.These aPO~2~ changes have been hypothesized to cause multiple major evolutionary events^2^ including the appearance and subsequent extinction of giant insects and other taxa^3, 4^. Patterns of increasing tracheal investment in larger insects support this hypothesis^5^, as do observations of positive relationships between aPO~2~ and body size in single- or multi-generational experiments with _Drosophila melanogaster_ and other insects^6^. Large species likely result from many generations of selection for large body size driven by predation, competition or sexual selection^7^. Thus a crucial question is whether aPO~2~ influences the capacity of such selection to increase insect size. We tested that possibility by selecting for large body size in five _Drosophila melanogaster_ populations for 11 generations in hypoxic (10 kPa), normoxic (21 kPa) and hyperoxic (40 kPa) aPO~2~, followed by three generations of normoxia without size selection to test for evolved responses. Average body sizes increased by 15% during 11 generations of size selection in 21 and 40 kPa aPO~2~ flies and even stronger responses were observed for the flies in the largest quartile of body masses. However, flies selected for large size in 10 kPa aPO~2~ had strongly reduced sizes compared to those in higher aPO~2~. Upon return to normoxia, all flies had similar, enlarged sizes relative to the starting populations. These results demonstrated that positive size selection had equivalent genetic effects on all flies independent of aPO~2~, but that hypoxia provided a physical constraint on body size even in a relatively small insect under strong selection for larger mass. Our data support the hypothesis that Triassic hypoxia may have contributed to a reduction in insect size

LANGUAGE DOCUMENTATION ON JAVANESE: A SHIFT TOWARDS RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING COLLOQUIAL VARIETIES

Javanese has benefitted from a long history of linguistic study. To focus on grammars, Javanese boasts grammars in French by Favre (1866); in Dutch by Kiliaan (1919), Prijohoetomo (1937), Arps et al. (2000); in Indonesian by Suharno (1982), Sudaryanto (1991; ed), Wedhawati et al. (2006); in English by Horne (1961), Keeler (1992), Robson (2014); among others. Although Javanese already has a stable scholarly tradition, the focus has been almost exclusively on the Standard variety, spoken in the principalities of Yogyakarta and Solo, constituting a small sliver of the attested language. Given its vast dialectal variation, there is still a huge need for linguistic research on Javanese. With the advent of establishing language documentation as a branch of linguistics (Himmelmann 1991), some progress has been made in the documentation and description of colloquial varieties: for example, Suwadji (1981) on Javanese varieties on the north coast of Central Java; Conners (2008) on Tengger Javanese; Hoogervorst (2010) on Surabayan Javanese; Vander Klok (2012) on Paciran Javanese. These works represent a shift towards the recognition and validation of non-standard varieties of Javanese, which were unnoticed in the past. We advocate for the continuation of this trend. In particular, we present our work on the documentation of two colloquial varieties of Javanese, Malang Javanese and Semarang Javanese, for which the outcome of this project is a reference grammar. We end by highlighting the importance of such documentation, especially of non-standard varieties, for language maintenance: even large languages are susceptible to language endangerment, and Javanese is no exception (e.g. Kurniasih 2006; Smith-Hefner 2009; Cohn et al. 2013)

Green knowledge exchange Turkey-The Netherlands : priority issues identified for cooperation in the field of biodiversity protection and conservation : interviews with experts from Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations based in Turkey and based in The Netherlands

As a consequence of its geographical location Turkey is very rich in biodiversity; its flora is richest, both in terms of overall plant diversity and level of endemism compared to Europe, North Africa, or countries in the Middle East. This report gives an overview of important biodiversity issues in Turkey and priorities for cooperation selected by Turkish and Dutch parties. The project aimed to facilitate the set up of a long-term cooperation between Turkey and The Netherlands in a structural ‘Green Knowledge Exchange’ between officials and experts of the two countries. Reports of interviews with (non)governmental organizations (Netherlands and Turkey) form the backbone of this publication. It also provides a SWOT analysis and comparison of the information obtained from Turkish side and the information provided by organisations based in The Netherlands

Developments in Dutch Environmental Policy: Target Rationality or Cultural Shift?

In this article we have discussed developments in Dutch environmental policy from a certain 'rational' and a certain 'cultural' perspective. Both perspectives appear to be satisfactory only to a certain degree. The interpretation of the development of policy as a consequence\ud of a learning process leaves important questions unanswered. The changes towards a consensual approach and standards that are based more on group ties can only be understood on the basis of cultural theory if a shift in orientation within the various subcultures is assumed. This is contrary to theory, however. After all, according to theory such situations are not 'viable'

Stabilization of colloidal palladium particles by a block copolymer of polystyrene and a block containing amide sidegroups

A block copolymer of polystyrene and poly(tert-butylmethacrylate) was prepared by anionic polymerization. The ester groups of the poly(tert-butylmethacrylate) were hydrolyzed, after wich the remaining carboxyl groups were reacted with pyrrolidine. The resulting block copolymer with amide sidegroups was used for stabilization of a palladium colloid in toluene

The detection of main factors that influence on the development of rural tourism

Rural tourism is examined as an innovative method which increases the standard of living and profits of rural population. A set of factors that influence the development of agricultural tourism has been defined. Some recommendations for the future realization of this activity have been suggested