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In this study, the application of physical vapor deposition (PVD) coatings on various cermet substrates for the machining of nodular cast iron was investigated, given that cermet materials are traditionally not the primary choice for such applications. Through the evaluation of key parameters including wear on the flank face and surface roughness, and with vibration analysis serving as a supplementary measurement, it was discovered that machining stability is compromised by the inherent brittleness of cermet and the adhesion of material on the rake face. While the application of coatings was found to extend tool life, the cermet-coating combinations did not surpass the performance of other materials such as cemented carbide with multi-layer coatings. Notably, the stability of surface roughness across various stages of tool wear was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of coworking spaces (CWS) on the wellbeing and entrepreneurial satisfaction of remotely working micro-entrepreneurs, highlighting the role of these spaces beyond conventional work locations. It specifically investigates how CWS foster a supportive ecosystem for micro-entrepreneurs, supporting their professional journey. Design/methodology/approach: Employing a mixed-methodological approach, this study uses nearest-neighbor matching and multiple regressions based on quantitative surveys from a representative sample of micro-entrepreneurs, including those working from CWS, and a qualitative focus group with frequent CWS users. This comprehensive approach allows for a nuanced exploration of the impacts of CWS on micro-entrepreneurs' wellbeing and satisfaction. Findings: The study finds that micro-entrepreneurs experience significant benefits from utilizing CWS, most notably in terms of wellbeing and work–life balance. These spaces provide valuable support through community building, networking opportunities and structured work environments. The benefits of CWS are particularly pronounced for women and micro-entrepreneurs with young children, aiding in boundary management and mitigating the challenges of social isolation. Practical implications: We provide clear implications for remotely working micro-entrepreneurs, especially women with young children at home, on why to use CWS as their primary locations. The findings also offer insights for policymakers and CWS providers, underlining the importance of designing CWS environments that meet micro-entrepreneurs' diverse needs. Originality/value: This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a detailed examination of the utilization of CWS among micro-entrepreneurs and the impact of CWS on their wellbeing and entrepreneurial satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In civil-law countries, employers must pay a value-based 'reasonable remuneration' to employee inventors. When dissatisfied with the amount of compensation, employee inventors can ask for a review by an independent board or directly in court and claim additional remuneration. The study explores the existence of ex-ante indicators that would help distinguish inventors entitled to higher/lower additional compensation. We build on the patent quality framework and test the explanatory power of the ex-ante patent value indicator, the patent family size, on the additional rewards awarded to employee inventors. A novel dataset of court cases heard between 1981 and 2017 in three civil-law countries (Germany, France, and Japan) is used. Our findings indicate a consistently positive effect of both simple and GDP-weighted patent family indicators on the additional remuneration granted. The main finding is as follows: if the court grants positive additional compensation, we observe an average 68% increase in compensation when the number of countries covered by the patent doubles; alternatively, if the total GDP of the countries covered by the patent doubles, the compensation increases by app. 59%. These findings, along with others from the study, can be beneficial for R&D managers, intellectual property managers, and other executives, as well as innovative employees, in estimating the remuneration amount for employee inventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to shed more light on the reasons for the regionally uneven distribution of populist attitudes. We take into account both individual-level and contextual drivers and focus mainly on the latter. We argue that regional peripheralization processes are a key contextual condition driving populist attitudes, especially in post-communist settings. The empirical analysis is based on a unique dataset combining comparable items from two representative surveys covering Germany (N = 2112) and the Czech Republic (N = 1000) with economic and demographic characteristics of relevant regional contexts in both countries (167 constituencies in Germany and 77 districts in the Czech Republic). Using multilevel regression models, the article shows that individual-level characteristics do not alone drive populist attitudes. In contrast, the results show that living in peripheral areas of the Czech Republic and eastern Germany increases the likelihood of having populist attitudes. These peripheries are characterized by unfavourable economic conditions in the Czech Republic and demographic decline in eastern Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incineration is currently the standard way of disposing of municipal waste. It uses components protected by high-temperature-resistant layers of materials, such as Inconel alloys. Therefore, the objective of the current paper is to study the mechanical properties and structure of a bimetallic Inconel 625-16Mo3 steel tube. The Inconel 625 layer was 3.5 mm thick and was applied to the surface of the tube with a wall thickness of 7 mm via the cold metal transfer method. The bimetallic tube was bent using a supercritical bend (d ≤ 0.7D). This paper is focused on the investigation of the material changes in the Inconel 625 layer areas influenced by the maximum tensile and compressive stresses after the bend. The change in layer thickness after the bend was evaluated and compared to the non-deformed tube. In addition, the local mechanical properties (nanohardness, Young modulus) across the indicated interfacial areas using quasistatic nanoindentation were investigated. Subsequently, a thorough microstructure observation was carried out in areas with maximum tensile and compressive stresses to determine changes in the morphology and size of dendrites related to the effect of tensile or compressive stresses induced by bending. It was found that the grain featured a stretched secondary dendrite axis in the area of tensile stress, but compressive stress imparted a prolongation of the primary dendrite axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body condition of breeding females is an important driver of an individual's fitness and the consequent dynamics of populations. Long‐term changes in female body condition are likely to be affected by recent shifts in climatic and environmental conditions that can result in changes to population demography. To help explain the drivers shaping body condition during the incubation period and its consequences for reproductive success, we examined the long‐term pattern in the body condition of breeding females of two declining sympatric diving duck species: Common Pochard Aythya ferina and Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula. We analysed the data obtained from 139 females of Common Pochard and 251 females of Tufted Duck breeding on fishponds in South Bohemia, Czechia, between 2004 and 2020. We calculated the body condition index of females during late incubation based on the residuals from the relationship between body mass and tarsus length and used the incubation stage as an additional predictor of body mass. Body condition of both species did not decline over the 17 years of the study. The effect of winter weather conditions (winter temperature), water transparency (a proxy for food availability) and reproductive investment on body condition was not confirmed. Female body condition positively affected mean egg mass and hatchability in both studied species, i.e. females in better body condition laid larger eggs and hatched eggs with a higher hatching probability. We conclude that the population declines of the studied species are probably not connected to decreasing body condition of breeding females, but other reasons such as change in breeding propensity or offspring survival and recruitment should be considered in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to investigate the accuracy and dimensional stability of bonded metal and CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic) adherends. The motivation behind this study was to assess the suitability of CFRP for optical devices through the evaluation of precision bonding technology. A binocular was selected as a reference optical device. A technological sample was designed, with required total runout of key dimensions 0.05 mm. The sample underwent testing according to ISO 9022-1. The total runout was evaluated after production and environmental tests. Eight out of 15 samples were turned after gluing due to insufficient accuracy. None of the turned samples exceeded the total runout deviation of 0.01 mm, and the average value of the maximal deviation was 0.0041 mm. The noncalibrated samples performed significantly worse with the average value of the maximal deviation of 0.0164 mm. The measurements during the climatic tests showed that the largest deviation (on average 77.6% of the maximum achieved deviation) occurs at the first temperature loading. Subsequent temperature cycles caused lower deviations. The results highlight the significance of addressing deformations resulting from adhesive volume shrinkage-induced stress as a crucial factor in precision bonding technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the ballistic impact of the 7.62 mm FMJ M80 rifle projectile into the laminated Twaron/UHMWPE composite armor. The armor composition consisted of composite panels made from Twaron CT 747 para-aramid fabric and ultra-high-molecular-weight Endumax Shield XF33 polyethylene. To analyze the ballistic impact and to verify the resistance of the designed armor according to the NATO AEP 4569 STANAG standard, protection level 1, 7.62 × 51 mm FMJ NATO M80 rifle cartridges with lead projectiles were used in the ballistic experiment. After the projectile impact, the damage failure mechanisms of the composite panels were documented. As part of the evaluation of the experiments, the initial microstructure of the composite panels was documented, and subsequently, the damaged areas of the composite armor after the ballistic experiment were also documented. Optical and scanning electron microscopy were used to document the structures. The important parameter of composite armor is its mechanical properties. The surface hardness of the composite panels was measured by the Shore D method using the hardness tester DIGI-Test II. The results obtained from the ballistic experiment demonstrate that the designed Twaron/Endumax armor was not penetrated. This armor has sustained multiple impacts for all three 7.62 mm FMJ M80 projectiles and is suitable for the construction of armor protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant endomembrane system is an elaborate collection of membranebound compartments that perform distinct tasks in plant growth and development, and in responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Most plant viruses are positive-strand RNA viruses that remodel the host endomembrane system to establish intricate replication compartments. Their fundamental role is to create optimal conditions for viral replication, and to protect replication complexes and the cell-to-cell movement machinery from host defenses. In addition to the intracellular antiviral defense, represented mainly by RNA interference and effector-triggered immunity, recent findings indicate that plant antiviral immunity also includes membrane-localized receptor-like kinases that detect viral molecular patterns and trigger immune responses, which are similar to those observed for bacterial and fungal pathogens. Another recently identified part of plant antiviral defenses is executed by selective autophagy that mediates a specific degradation of viral proteins, resulting in an infection arrest. In a perpetual tug-of-war, certain host autophagy components may be exploited by viral proteins to support or protect an effective viral replication. In this review, we present recent advances in the understanding of the molecular interplay between viral components and plant endomembrane-associated pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing research on contextual sources of support for populist parties has revolved around two factors: the unemployment rate and the size of immigrant groups. Conceived as residential characteristics, observation of these factors has been seen to increase support for radical parties in Western European countries. We identify different contextual (non-individual) drivers of support for populist parties in the post-communist Czech Republic (Czechia). Based on a large sample of voters (n = 23,734), we identify the (contextual) effect of economic hardship and demographic decline on support for populist parties. We interpret these results as supporting the theory of regional peripheralization. This peripheralization has been identified to be particularly strong in the post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and has widened regional socio-economic disparities in this region. We show how these processes have affected voting behaviour and support for political parties. In a second step, we use a sample from eastern Germany (n = 524) to test whether peripheralization affects support for populist parties in other post-communist regions. The results confirm the hypothesis also in the case of east Germany. Our study contributes to the debate by pointing out a novel mechanism that leads to increased support for radical and moderate populist parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research carried out by the authors of this paper is focused on the technological process of Inconel 625 welding with the MAG–CMT (Metal Active Gas-Cold Metal Transfer) method. Inconel 625 was welded to the substrate material, which was 16Mo3 steel. Both materials are used to produce the so-called bimetallic tubes, which in practice serve as a part of the equipment intended for waste incineration. For this reason, the bimetallic tubes must withstand extreme conditions during their operation. Therefore, bimetal pipes are highly stressed composite components that must resist corrosion in a chemically aggressive environment. For this reason, an extensive material and technological analysis of the production of pipe bends with a supercritical bend of 0.7D from bimetal pipes with Inconel 625 cladding was performed. In the welding process, the authors investigated the possibilities of the CMT method with and without using the oscillating movement of the welding head. The most important factor in deciding which method would be appropriate was to measure the amount of iron on the surface of the coating layer. The authors' paper builds on the authors' previous research in this area, which was mainly focused on research on the critical bending of bimetallic tubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drilling into the solid material is one of the basic technological operations, which creates a cylindrical hole in an appropriate time with required quality. Drilling operation demands a favourable removal of chips from the cutting area because a creation of an undesirable shape of chips can impart a lower quality of the drilled hole corresponding with the generation of excess heat due to the intense contact of the chip with drill. The solution for a proper machining is a suitable modification of the drill geometry i.e., point and clearance angles as presented in current study. The tested drills are made of M35 high-speed steel characterized by a very thin core at the point of the drill. An interesting feature of the drills is the use of cutting speed higher than 30 m min−1, with the feed of 0.2 mm per revolution. The surface roughness (Ra and Rz lower than 1 µm and 6 µm respectively), cylindricity (0.045 mm), roundness (0.025 mm), perpendicularity of the hole axis (0.025 mm), diameters and position of the individual holes were achieved for a drill with point angle 138.32°and clearance angle 6.92 respectively. The increase of the drill point angle by 6° resulted in the decrease in the feed force of more than 150 N. In addition, an increase of the clearance angle by 1° resulted with a decrease in the feed force of 70 N. The results of the experiment showed that with the correct geometry of the tool the effective machining without using internal cooling can be realised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) method is an additive technology that is used for the creation of prototypes within Rapid Prototyping (RP) as well as for the creation of final components in piece or small-series production. The possibility of using FFF technology in the creation of final products requires knowledge of the properties of the material and, at the same time, how these properties change due to degradation effects. In this study, the mechanical properties of the selected materials (PLA, PETG, ABS, and ASA) were tested in their non-degenerate state and after exposure of the samples to the selected degradation factors. For the analysis, which was carried out by the tensile test and the Shore D hardness test, samples of normalized shape were prepared. The effects of UV radiation, high temperature environments, high humidity environments, temperature cycles, and exposure to weather conditions were monitored. The parameters obtained from the tests (tensile strength and Shore D hardness) were statistically evaluated, and the influence of degradation factors on the properties of individual materials was assessed. The results showed that even between individual manufacturers of the same filament there are differences, both in the mechanical properties and in the behavior of the material after exposure to degradation effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the study of high-strength M300 maraging steel produced using the selective laser melting method. Heat treatment consists of solution annealing and subsequent aging; the influence of the selected aging temperatures on the final mechanical properties—microhardness and compressive yield strength—and the structure of the maraging steel are described in detail. The microstructure of the samples is examined using optical and electron microscopy. The compressive test results show that the compressive yield strength increased after heat treatment up to a treatment temperature of 480 °C and then gradually decreased. The sample aged at 480 °C also exhibited the highest observed microhardness of 562 HV. The structure of this sample changed from the original melt pools to a relatively fine-grained structure with a high fraction of high-angle grain boundaries (72%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals primarily with the problem of determining the cutting force when machining hardened steels. For this study, the steel used was 100 Cr6, number 1.3505. The secondary aspects of the study focused on the evaluation of the surface quality of machined samples and the recommendation of cutting conditions. A wide variety of components are used in engineering, the final heat treatment of which is hardening. These components are usually critical in a particular product. The quality of these components determines the correct functioning of the entire body of technical equipment, and ultimately, its service life. In our study, these are the core parts of thrust bearings, specifically the rolling elements. The subject of this experiment involves machining these components in the hardened state with cubic boron nitride tools and the continuous measurement of the cutting force using a dynamometer. The machining is carried out on a conventional lathe. A total of 12 combinations of cutting conditions were set. Specifically, for three cutting speeds of 130, 155 and 180 m·min−1, the feed rates of 0.05 and 0.1 mm·rev−1 and the cutting widths of 0.2 and 0.35 mm, were evaluated The evaluation assessed the surface quality by both touch and non-touch methods. A structural equation with the appropriate constants and exponents was then constructed from the data obtained using the dynamometer. The experiment confirmed the potential of achieving a value of the average arithmetic profile deviation Ra in the range of 0.3–0.4 when turning hardened steels with cubic boron nitride. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a new statistical model to analyse time‐varying ranking data. The model can be used with a large number of ranked items, accommodates exogenous time‐varying covariates and partial rankings, and is estimated via the maximum likelihood in a straightforward manner. Rankings are modelled using the Plackett–Luce distribution with time‐varying worth parameters that follow a mean‐reverting time series process. To capture the dependence of the worth parameters on past rankings, we utilise the conditional score in the fashion of the generalised autoregressive score models. Simulation experiments show that the small‐sample properties of the maximum‐likelihood estimator improve rapidly with the length of the time series and suggest that statistical inference relying on conventional Hessian‐based standard errors is usable even for medium‐sized samples. In an empirical study, we apply the model to the results of the Ice Hockey World Championships. We also discuss applications to rankings based on underlying indices, repeated surveys and non‐parametric efficiency analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of plasma nitriding and gas nitriding processes on the change of surface roughness and dimensional accuracy of 42CrMo4 steel was investigated in this paper. Both processes almost always led to changes in the surface texture. After plasma nitriding, clusters of nitride ions were formed on the surface of steel, while gas nitriding very often led to the new creation of a formation of a "plate-like" surface texture. In both cases of these processes, a compound layer in specific thickness was formed, although the parameters of the processes were chosen with the aim of suppressing it. After the optimizing of nitriding parameters during nitriding processes, it was found that there were no changes in the surface roughness evaluated using the Ra parameter. However, it turned out that when using a multi-parameter evaluation of roughness (the parameters Rz, Rsk and Rku were used), there were presented some changes in roughness due to nitriding processes, which affect the functional behavior of the components. Roughness changes were also detected by evaluating surface roughness profiles, where nitriding led to changes in peak heights and valley depths. Nitriding processes further led to changes in dimensions in the form of an increase of 0.032 mm on average. However, the magnitude of the change has some context on chemical composition of material. A larger increase in dimensions was found with gas nitriding. The change in the degree of IT accuracy is closely related to the change in dimension. For both processes, there was a change of one degree of IT accuracy compared to the ground part (from IT8 to IT9). On the basis of the achieved dimensional accuracy results, a coefficient of change in the degree of accuracy IT was created, which can be used to predict changes in the dimensional accuracy of ground surfaces after nitriding processes in degrees of accuracy IT3–IT10. In this study, a tool for predicting changes in degrees of accuracy of ground parts after nitriding processes is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the use of mediation in custody and civil disputes in court practice in the Czech Republic. The option for a court to order mediation in a dispute was enabled by the Mediation Act of 2012, with the proclaimed benefit of shortening the length of the dispute. We put these claims to test using data provided by the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic based on the so-called statistical sheets of district and regional courts. The dataset covers over 2 million custody and civil disputes resolved between 2013 and 2018. Descriptive analysis reveals that the courts' use of mediation is still sporadic and regionally clustered. Regression analyses show that, contrary to the expectations, the custody (civil) disputes with mandated mediation were on average 3 (2.5) times longer than their counterparts without mediation, after accounting for several control variables. This effect varies over time and with the dispute's subject matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical field systems are an essential part of the traditional cultural landscape of societies with primarily agricultural subsistence. They embody many functions and values, as they affect the productional, ecological and hydrological functioning of the landscape, its cultural values, the way people perceive the landscape, and their impact on present-day farming. As an aspect of the historical landscape, field systems are a topic investigated in landscape archaeology, environmental studies, historical geography, landscape ecology, and related disciplines. Historical field systems can form many complex spatial structures, shapes and patterns. This paper focuses on identifying environmental and historical/cultural driving forces during the formation and the historical development of various field pattern types. We worked with 523 settlements established in the medieval to the early modern period (approx. 900–1600 AD) in the present-day Czech Republic. We have determined the proportions of different field pattern types in the examined cadastres and have statistically compared them with a variety of environmental and geographical predictors. Our results indicate a strong influence of environmental predictors (terrain undulation, cadastre size), the impact of specific historical events and associated social changes (e.g. land confiscations by the state in the seventeenth century), and a significant relationship between field pattern types and settlement layout types. Furthermore, we have observed the different adaptations of field pattern types to similar environmental conditions, as well as the impact of social and political factors on the processes of landscape formation. Our paper provides the first detailed analysis of the geographical distribution of traditional field systems on the scale of an entire modern state, and emphasizes the importance of transdisciplinary research on cultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the herein presented research, we studied the applicability of flax fabrics for composite parts in personal watercrafts in order to enhance damping of vibrations from the engine and noise reduction (which is relatively high for contemporary carbon constructions). Since the composite parts are intended to be exposed to humid environments requiring high levels of mechanical properties, a carbon–flax composite was selected. Samples of carbon, fiberglass, flax, and hybrid carbon–flax twill and biax fabrics were subjected to tensile and three-point bending tests. The mechanical properties were also tested after exposure of the samples to a humid environment. Damping was assessed by vibration and noise measurements directly on the complete float for samples as well as real parts. The hybrid carbon–flax material exhibited lower values of tensile strength than the carbon material (760 MPa compared to 463 MPa), but, at the same time, significantly higher than the other tested materials, or flax itself (115 MPa for a twill fabric). A similar trend in the results was observed for the three-point bending tests. Vibration tests and noise measurements showed reductions in vibration amplitude and frequency when using the carbon–flax hybrid material; the frequency response function for the watercraft part assembled from the hybrid material was 50% lower than for that made of carbon. Testing of samples located in a humid environment showed the necessity of surface treatment to prevent moisture absorption (mechanical properties were reduced at minimum by 28%). The tests confirmed that the hybrid material is satisfactory in terms of strength and its contribution to noise and vibration damping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding species habitat use and factors affecting changes in their distributions are necessary to promote the conservation of any biological community. We evaluated the changes in wetland use of the non‐breeding waterbird community. Based on long‐term citizen‐science data (1988–2020), we tested the hypotheses that wetland use is associated with species diet and potential range‐shift drivers (the tendency to occupy the same sites in consecutive years—site affinity—and the species' average temperature across its wintering range—species temperature index).We analysed species‐specific wetland use of 25 species of waterbirds wintering in Czechia over a period of 33 years. The analyses explained variability in trends in numbers of the studied waterbird species across four inland wetland types: reservoirs; fishponds; industrial waters created by flooding of former mining sites; and running waters.Trends in waterbird abundance positively correlated with species' diet on fishponds, industrial and running waters. Among the diet groups, invertivores showed the largest increase in abundances on industrial waters, closely followed by herbivores. Herbivores showed the largest increase in abundances in fishponds, and piscivores did so in running waters. Regarding range‐shift drivers, species with higher site affinity showed higher abundances on running waters, while species with low species temperature index (i.e. wintering on average in sites with lower temperature) were more abundant on reservoirs. The abundance of both warm‐dwelling and species with low site affinity increased on fishponds and industrial waters.Our findings suggest that the increased importance of the wetland types considered here for wintering waterbirds is likely to be linked to diet related changes in habitat use and changes in species distributions; and highlight that wintering waterbirds are expected to select sites with higher availability of food, higher energy content, and lower foraging cost.Recent and rapid changes in species distributions may lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of national and international conservation efforts. When planning conservation measures, it should be kept in mind that climate change does not only imply large‐scale north/north‐eastwards shifts of entire waterbird distributions, but can also modify the use of the habitats by waterbird species inside their traditional wintering range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bimetal pipes are highly stressed composite components that must resist corrosion in a chemically aggressive environment. They are made by welding resistive material to commonly available carbon steel pipes. The production of pipe bends with a supercritical bend of 0.7D, which are part of serpentine systems, is very complex and technologically demanding because very often undesired cracks occur. To increase the service life of these serpentine systems, the use of a 16Mo3 base steel pipe with a cladding layer of Inconel 625 material was proposed for their production in order to significantly increase their corrosion resistance. For this reason, an extensive analysis of the production of pipe bends with a supercritical bend of 0.7D from bimetal pipes with Inconel 625 cladding was performed, which addressed not only the bend but also the mechanical properties of the pipe with Inconel 625 cladding. It was found that the production of the bent pipes with a bend of 0.7D is feasible completely without defects with perfectly satisfactory mechanical properties, under appropriate technological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors and mechanisms involved in vacuolar transport in plants, and in particular those directing vesicles to their target endomembrane compartment, remain largely unknown. To identify components of the vacuolar trafficking machinery, we searched for Arabidopsis modified transport to the vacuole (mtv) mutants that abnormally secrete the synthetic vacuolar cargo VAC2. We report here on the identification of 17 mtv mutations, corresponding to mutant alleles of MTV2/VSR4, MTV3/PTEN2A MTV7/EREL1, MTV8/ARFC1, MTV9/PUF2, MTV10/VPS3, MTV11/VPS15, MTV12/GRV2, MTV14/GFS10, MTV15/BET11, MTV16/VPS51, MTV17/VPS54, and MTV18/VSR1. Eight of the MTV proteins localize at the interface between the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and the multivesicular bodies (MVBs), supporting that the trafficking step between these compartments is essential for segregating vacuolar proteins from those destined for secretion. Importantly, the GARP tethering complex subunits MTV16/VPS51 and MTV17/VPS54 were found at endoplasmic reticulum (ER)- and microtubule-associated compartments (EMACs). Moreover, MTV16/VPS51 interacts with the motor domain of kinesins, suggesting that, in addition to tethering vesicles, the GARP complex may regulate the motors that transport them. Our findings unveil a previously uncharacterized compartment of the plant vacuolar trafficking pathway and support a role for microtubules and kinesins in GARP-dependent transport of soluble vacuolar cargo in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capsule: Observations of individually marked females of three diving duck species showed that the stage of breeding season and census month most affected their resighting probability in the breeding season. Aims: To evaluate the efficiency of a diving duck census in the breeding season based on an analysis of the resighting probability of individually marked female ducks. Methods: We used monitoring data from 2004 to 2015 of individually marked females of Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula and Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. Using a model selection approach, the resighting probabilities of females were modelled incorporating covariate parameters, such as stage of breeding, census month, year, numbers of counted individuals, individual species, water surface area and proportion of emergent vegetation. Results: We demonstrated the significant effect of the stage of breeding, year and census month on the resighting probability of females, while the number of individuals, water surface area and proportion of emergent vegetation did not contribute to the best models. Moreover, the three investigated species with different local population sizes did not differ in resighting probabilities. The incubation period of the females (i.e. June) corresponded to the lowest detection probability in the study area. Conclusions: Our approach of using individually marked females contributed to modelling to show census accuracy for diving ducks was substantially enhanced by avoiding counting females during the incubation period. Ultimately, these findings are crucial to increase the accuracy of their breeding population size estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The phytohormone cytokinin has been shown to affect many aspects of plant development ranging from the regulation of the shoot apical meristem to leaf senescence. However, some studies have reported contradictory effects of cytokinin on leaf physiology. Therefore cytokinin treatments cause both chlorosis and increased greening and both lead to decrease or increase in cell size. To elucidate this multifaceted role of cytokinin in leaf development, we have employed a system of temporal controls over the cytokinin pool and investigated the consequences of modulated cytokinin levels in the third leaf of Arabidopsis. We show that, at the cell proliferation phase, cytokinin is needed to maintain cell proliferation by blocking the transition to cell expansion and the onset of photosynthesis. Transcriptome profiling revealed regulation by cytokinin of a gene suite previously shown to affect cell proliferation and expansion and thereby a molecular mechanism by which cytokinin modulates a molecular network underlying the cellular responses. During the cell expansion phase, cytokinin stimulates cell expansion and differentiation. Consequently, a cytokinin excess at the cell expansion phase results in an increased leaf and rosette size fueled by higher cell expansion rate, yielding higher shoot biomass. Proteome profiling revealed the stimulation of primary metabolism by cytokinin, in line with an increased sugar content that is expected to increase turgor pressure, representing the driving force of cell expansion. Therefore, the developmental timing of cytokinin content fluctuations, together with a tight control of primary metabolism, is a key factor mediating transitions from cell proliferation to cell expansion in leaves. Significance statement: Our experimental setup allowed us to obtain insights into distinct cytokinin actions throughout leaf development that affect final leaf size and structure. Transcriptome and proteome profiling targeted to specific developmental windows of a particular leaf resulted in the identification of cytokinin‐responsive genes and proteins. These regulations have remained unrevealed in previous profiling studies because they might have been absent in young seedlings and hidden in bulk rosette samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterbird species have different requirements with respect to their non‐breeding areas, aiming to survive and gain condition during the non‐breeding period. Selection of non‐breeding areas could change over time and space driven by climate change and species habitat requirements. To help explain the mechanism shaping non‐breeding area selection, we provide site‐specific analyses of distributional changes in wintering waterbirds in central Europe, located at the centre of their flyways. We use wintering waterbirds as a highly dynamic model group monitored over a long‐time scale of 50 years (1966–2015). We identified species habitat requirements and changes in habitat use at the level of 733 individual non‐breeding (specifically wintering) sites for 12 waterbird species using citizen‐science monitoring data. We calculated site‐specific mean numbers and estimated site‐specific trends in numbers. The site‐specific approach revealed a general effect of mean winter temperature of site (seven of 12 species), wetland type (all species) and land cover (all species) on site‐specific numbers. We found increasing site‐specific trends in numbers in the northern and/or eastern part of the study area (Mute Swan Cygnus olor, Eurasian Teal Anas crecca, Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo and Eurasian Coot Fulica atra). Common Merganser Mergus merganser, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, Common Pochard, Eurasian Coot and Common Moorhen Galinulla chloropus increased their site‐specific numbers on standing industrial waters with traditionally low fish stock. The site‐specific dynamics of bird numbers helped us to identify general preference for sites reducing winter harshness (warmer areas, running waters and more wetlands in the site vicinity), as well as indicating climate‐driven changes in spatial use of wintering sites (northern/north‐eastern range changes and changes in preference for industrial waters). This fine‐scale (site‐specific) approach can reveal large‐scale range and distribution shifts driven by climate and environmental changes regardless of the availability of large‐scale datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capsule: Numbers of breeding Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina in the Czech Republic were positively correlated with reproductive success in the previous year, yet annual productivity, declined with increasing numbers of females at the beginning of the breeding season, suggesting local limiting factors on this population. Aims: To test the hypothesis that long-term increases in numbers of a breeding population of Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina can be explained by the productivity (numbers of ducklings fledged) in the previous year. We also test for the potential adverse effect of population size on population productivity in the current year. Methods: Data from 2004 to 2016 from South Bohemia, Czech Republic, were analysed using TRends and Indices for Monitoring Data software to investigate changes in numbers of adults, numbers of females at the start of the breeding season and number of broods produced. Results: There was a significant increase in the numbers of adults and females at the beginning of each breeding season. Numbers of adults in May positively correlated with productivity (numbers of ducklings fledged) in the previous breeding season, but relative productivity (broods per adult female) in the current year was negatively correlated with females abundance at the beginning of the breeding season. Conclusions: The study identifies density-dependent regulation as a factor in the population productivity of Red-crested Pochards using intensively managed fishponds as a breeding ground. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International migration influences economies of both the home and the host country. Some countries perceive immigration as a threat and consider limitations to their social security system to protect the domestic economy. Within the European Union, both the economic and the legal side of the issue must be taken into account. The paper presents an empirical analysis of natives' and immigrants' unemployment rates in EU15 countries and discusses a possible use of the findings in intra-EU migration policy. Using Labour Force Survey Data for 2012, we estimate a series of logistic regressions in order to compare the immigrant/native unemployment rates, considering the differences in the structure of both subpopulations (in terms of age, sex, education and types of jobs). We conclude that a substantial part of the gap between natives' and immigrants' unemployment rates can be explained by these additional characteristics in most of the EU15 countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does direct democracy lead to increased electoral turnout? Research in the United States has demonstrated this effect and proposed two reasons for it: (1) the process of being involved in direct political participation may educate citizens and lead to their increased long-term political engagement (this explanation draws on the theory of participatory democracy) and/or (2) underlying issues and competitive campaigning draw public interest and cause higher turnout, although this effect is election-specific and short term. Recent empirical findings overwhelmingly favor the latter hypothesis although both mechanisms seem to apply. However, research on this topic is made difficult by the fact that direct democracy and elections take place simultaneously in the United States, which makes it hard to disentangle the effects of each. We present a study from the Czech Republic where direct democracy is not tied to elections. We analyze the effects of local/municipality direct democracy and demonstrate that it leads to increased turnout in upcoming local and national elections. We demonstrate a strong effect sparked by competitive direct democracy campaigns as well as a relatively weak long-term institutional effect of direct democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change can cause pronounced changes in speciesʼ migratory behaviour. Numerous recent studies have demonstrated climate-driven changes in migration distance and spring arrival date in waterbirds, but detailed studies based on long-term records of individual recapture or re-sighting events are scarce. Using re-sighting data from 430 marked individuals spanning a 60-year period (winters 1956/1957 to 2015/2016), we assessed patterns in migration distance and spring arrival date, wintering-site fidelity and survival in the increasing central European breeding population of Greylag Geese Anser anser. We demonstrate a long-term decrease in migration distance, changes in the wintering range caused by winter partial short-stopping, and the earlier arrival of geese on their breeding grounds. Greylag Geese marked on central Europe moulting grounds have not been recorded wintering in Spain since 1986 or in Tunisia and Algeria since 2004. The migration distance and spring arrival of geese indicated an effect of temperature at the breeding site and values of the NAO index. Greylag Geese migrate shorter distances and arrive earlier in milder winters. We suggest that shifts in the migratory behaviour of Central European Greylag Geese are individual temperature-dependent decisions to take advantage of wintering grounds becoming more favourable closer to their breeding grounds, allowing birds to acquire breeding territories earlier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the issue of online advertising efficiency in the context of the 'banner blindness' phenomenon. We extend the traditional exposure metric of banner efficiency by allowing the effect of a banner display (exposure effect, EE) to vary depending on the sequence of pages that lead to the display. Within a user session on the given website, we assume that EE differs for a banner carried over from the previous page (low EE), from the case where the banner suddenly appears in a previously unoccupied place (high EE). This assumption implies that a banner's efficiency can be increased by optimising its placement throughout the website's structure; to this end, we develop a simple model framework. First, we formalize the efficiency metric based on expected total EE for a representative user, using a Markov chain model estimable from the website's clickstream data. Next, we formulate the selection of efficient banner placement as a mixed integer linear programming problem. We consider two scenarios: (i) a static one, where banner placement is fixed throughout the day, and (ii) a dynamic one, where banner placement is allowed to vary in different time intervals in order to respond to changes in browsing patterns. Finally, we demonstrate the use of our model on an empiric case study, and analyse the effect of different parameter settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a PQ oligopoly, firms pick prices and quantities simultaneously, and unlike with the traditional Cournot and Bertrand models, market clearing is not imposed. It is thus necessary to specify the rationing rule. Proportional rationing is one of the popular choices, often justified through a notion of randomly ordered consumers with varied reservation prices. However, such a setting would render firm-specific demand a random variable, a fact overlooked in existing models. In the paper, we (1) formalise the notion of randomly ordered consumers into a new stochastic version of the proportional rationing scheme, (2) derive the probabilistic properties of firm-specific demand under this new scheme, and (3) show that the results of the stochastic and deterministic versions are not entirely consistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unfavorable environmental and developmental conditions may cause disturbances in protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that are recognized and counteracted by components of the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) signaling pathways. The early cellular responses include transcriptional changes to increase the folding and processing capacity of the ER. In this study, we systematically screened a collection of inducible transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing a library of transcription factors for resistance toward UPR-inducing chemicals. We identified 23 candidate genes that may function as novel regulators of the UPR and of which only three genes (bZIP10, TBF1, and NF-YB3) were previously associated with the UPR. The putative role of identified candidate genes in the UPR signaling is supported by favorable expression patterns in both developmental and stress transcriptional analyses. We demonstrated that WRKY75 is a genuine regulator of the ER-stress cellular responses as its expression was found to be directly responding to ER stress-inducing chemicals. In addition, transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing WRKY75 showed resistance toward salt stress, connecting abiotic and ER-stress responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost nothing is known about the natural vocal behavior of lesser galagos living in zoos. This is perhaps because they are usually kept in nocturnal exhibits separated from the visitors by a transparent and acoustically insulating glass barrier. The aim of the present study was therefore to fill this gap in knowledge of the vocal behavior of lesser galagos from zoos. This knowledge might be beneficial because the vocalizations of these small primates can be used for species determination. We performed a 10-day-long acoustic monitoring of vocal activity in each of seven various groups of Galago senegalensis and G. moholi living at four zoos. We quantitatively evaluated the occurrence of four loud vocalization types present in both species, including the most species-specific advertisement call. We found that qualitative as well as quantitative differences exist in the vocal behavior of the studied groups. We confirmed that the observed vocalization types can be collected from lesser galagos living at zoos, and the success can be increased by selecting larger and more diverse groups. We found two distinct patterns of diel vocal activity in the most vocally active groups. G. senegalensis groups were most vocally active at the beginning and at the end of their activity period, whereas one G. moholi group showed an opposite pattern. The latter is surprising, as it is generally accepted that lesser galagos emit advertisement calls especially at dawn and dusk, i.e., at the beginning and at the end of their diel activity. Zoo Biol. 35:147-156, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) emits alarm calls that warn conspecifics of potential danger. Although it has been observed that inexperienced juveniles of this species emit alarm calls that sound similar to those of adults, studies focusing on juvenile alarm calls are lacking. We analyzed the acoustic structure of alarm calls emitted by six permanently marked European ground squirrels living in a semi-natural enclosure when they were juveniles and after 1 year as adults. We found that the acoustic structure of the juvenile alarm calls was significantly different from those of adults and that the alarm calls underwent nearly the same changes in all studied individuals. All juveniles emitted alarm calls consisting of one element with almost constant frequency, but their alarm calls included a second frequency-modulated element after their first hibernation as adults. Our data show that the duration of the first element is significantly shorter in adults than in juveniles. Additionally, the frequency of the first element is significantly higher in adults than in juveniles. Similar to previous findings in other Palearctic ground squirrel species, our data are inconsistent with the assumption that juvenile mammals emit vocalizations with higher fundamental frequencies than adults. However, our results do not support the previously suggested hypothesis that juvenile ground squirrels conceal information regarding their age in their alarm calls because we found significant differences in alarm calls of juveniles and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]