Palacký University Olomouc is the oldest university in Moravia and the second-oldest in the Czech Republic. It was established in 1573 as a public university led by the Jesuit order in Olomouc, which was at that time the capital of Moravia and the seat of the episcopacy. At first it taught only theology, but soon the fields of philosophy, law and medicine were added. After the Bohemian King Joseph II's reforms in the 1770s the university became increasingly state-directed, while today it is a public university. During the Revolution of 1848 university students and professors played a very active role on the side of democratisation. The conservative king Francis Joseph I closed most of its faculties during the 1850s, but they were reopened by an act of the Interim National Assembly passed on 21 February 1946. This act also extended the name from University of Olomouc to Palacký University Olomouc, naming it for František Palacký, a 19th-century Moravian historian and politician. Today the university is an example of an old university in a small town, like Yale University in New Haven and the University of Tübingen in Tübingen. The town of Olomouc has 100,000 inhabitants (and as many again in its suburbs), and some 25,000 university students (including those at Moravian College Olomouc), which is the highest density of university students in Central Europe. The town itself is very old and picturesque and it is surrounded by sports facilities and nature. Many distinguished figures have taught, worked and studied here including Albrecht von Wallenstein and Gregor Mendel.
Erosion in intensively farmed landscapes threatens above- and below-ground biodiversity. While impacts on soil physical and chemical properties (which affect soil inhabiting biota) are well documented, effects on ground-associated fauna (distribution, diversity, abundance) remain less understood. A likely very strong factor is the direct transport of epigeon together with the eroded soil. We assessed how water-erosion processes shape communities of epigeic invertebrates along agricultural slopes in the Chernozem region of South Moravia (Czech Republic). Ground-dwelling invertebrates were sampled over five years (May-September) in conventionally managed maize fields using pitfall traps across 18 sloping fields. Three slope positions were compared per field (control, erosional, depositional; 54 positions in total). Community patterns were evaluated using Canonical Correspondence Analysis with covariates (month, year, slope position, site), and species responses to key drivers were analysed using Generalised Additive Models. Across the full dataset, Shannon diversity and species richness did not differ significantly among slope positions; however, total invertebrate abundance was significantly lower in erosional parts. Interannual variation was pronounced and linked to precipitation: wet conditions increased diversity and richness at depositional positions, whereas dry conditions reduced diversity downslope. Ordination and GAM results identified erosion intensity and relative precipitation/temperature anomalies as important predictors, with most dominant species showing higher abundances under low to moderate erosion. These findings indicate that epigeic invertebrate communities along slopes can serve as indicators of erosion force.
Knowledge of species distributions is essential for informing policies on nature conservation and restoration. However, updating them on a regular basis and doing so in a harmonized manner at the international level is difficult. The European Bird Census Council integrated national monitoring data covering 5 years to update farmland bird distributions and assessed how they changed. We used these data on 50 farmland bird species to generate 10×10 km maps showing their probability of occurrence from 2018 to 2022. We produced these maps with weighted ensemble species distribution models. We also developed models for the previous 5 years and plotted the differences in probabilities of occurrence per 10 × 10-km area between the two periods as calibrated change maps. We evaluated model performance at continental and regional levels and interpreted changes in probability of occurrence in relation to known abundance trends. Models showed good predictive performance (mean AUC ≈ 0.84; mean squared error ≈ 0.13). Change estimates were reliable for 43 species (high accuracy, low bias), and distribution changes were positively correlated with independent abundance trends (Pearson's r ≈ 0.50). Thus, the distribution maps for the two periods accurately captured species' distribution patterns and their temporal changes for all species at the European scale and for the majority of species in all regions except southeastern Europe. Among the 43 species with reliable estimates, predicted occurrences declined for 33 species, increased for nine, and were the same for one species. For most species, the direction of change in distribution was consistent with changes in species overall abundance in the same period, except for four species. Overall, our results indicated a recent contraction of farmland bird distributions in Europe, highlighting the strong capacity of existing bird monitoring networks to provide continent-wide species maps that can be updated regularly.
Minimising honey bee colony losses requires healthy colonies. An important contributor to maintaining good colony health and vitality is effective colony management, but individual beekeepers vary greatly in their knowledge and application of optimal management practices. Beekeepers become knowledgeable through the acquisition of reliable information, but whilst there are many available information sources for the beekeepers, these vary greatly in quality. The COLOSS B-RAP (Bridging Research and Practice) group, a Core Project of the COLOSS (prevention of honey bee COlony LOSSes) honey bee research association, studies the means for the effective transfer of the latest beekeeping knowledge from scientists and extension workers to practising beekeepers. A purpose-designed questionnaire was used in an international online survey, translated and published by volunteer national coordinators, to collect data on the information sources preferred and most used by the beekeepers, in order to understand the best means for communication and beekeeping education. The study covered 71 countries and received 11,351 responses, mainly from Europe, Asia, North America and Latin America. It was found that knowledge acquisition differed significantly according to various beekeeper characteristics, with the most influential factors being continent, beekeeper age, beekeeping experience and beekeeping education. The results demonstrate the necessity for researchers and beekeeping advisors to diversify their usage of information channels so that a majority of the beekeeping community can access important new bee research results.
Senescent cells accumulate with age and contribute to tissue dysfunction and chronic inflammation. Senolytic agents that selectively eliminate senescent cells hold therapeutic promise; however, few mechanistic classes have been established. Using Cell Painting-based morphological profiling, we identified a distinct cluster of senolytic compounds comprised of both known and novel autophagy inhibitors, including AZ191, bafilomycin A1, chloroquine, daurisoline, dauricine, MCOPPB, and its derivative MS1108. These compounds selectively eliminated senescent cells by disrupting autophagic flux. Our findings reveal senescent cell dependence on autophagy as an essential survival mechanism, define the existence of a mechanistically distinct class of senolytics acting through autophagy inhibition, and demonstrate the predictive value of Cell Painting in aging-related drug discovery. Our results provide new insights into senescent cell vulnerability and expand the therapeutic landscape for aging-related pathologies by highlighting autophagy as a targetable dependency.
A novel three-step synthetic approach for modification of betulin at position C-30 was developed starting from commercially available betulin diacetate. The scope of this procedure exceeds significantly the previously used methods while providing higher yields. The final Mitsunobu reaction was the pivotal step of the synthesis, and after optimization, 39 new derivativesethers, esters, and amineswere synthesized in good to high yields. All the novel compounds were tested for in vitro cytotoxic activity against six cancer cell lines and two noncancer cell lines. Compounds 30 and 37 show potent cytotoxicity against CCRF-CEM leukemia cells (IC50 around 5 μM). In addition, 37 exhibits broad activity across multiple cancer cell lines, suggesting a promising multitargeted anticancer activity. Both compounds impair DNA and RNA synthesis, with 37 strongly inhibiting transcription at high doses. Analysis of apoptosis induction shows a divergent profile in both compounds; while 30 promotes robust apoptosis, derivative 37 appears to engage alternative cell death pathways. Biosynthetic disruption emerges as a promising anticancer strategy, with 37 as a top lead candidate.
