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Red wood ants (RWAs) are a group of keystone species widespread in temperate and boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite this, there is increasing evidence of local declines and extinctions. We reviewed the current protection status of RWAs throughout Europe and their International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat classification. Only some RWA species have been assessed at a global scale, and not all national red lists of the countries where RWAs are present include these species. Different assessment criteria, inventory approaches, and risk categories are used in different countries, and data deficiency is frequent. Legislative protection is even more complex, with some countries protecting RWAs implicitly together with the wildlife fauna and others explicitly protecting the whole group or particular species. This complexity often occurs within countries, for example, in Italy, where, outside of the Alps, only the introduced species are protected, whereas the native species, which are in decline, are not. Therefore, an international, coordinated framework is needed for the protection of RWAs. This first requires that the conservation target should be defined. Due to the similar morphology, complex taxonomy, and frequent hybridization, protecting the entire RWA group seems a more efficient strategy than protecting single species, although with a distinction between autochthonous and introduced species. Second, an update of the current distribution of RWA species is needed throughout Europe. Third, a protection law cannot be effective without the collaboration of forest managers, whose activity influences RWA habitat. Finally, RWA mounds offer a peculiar microhabitat, hosting a multitude of taxa, some of which are obligate myrmecophilous species on the IUCN Red List. Therefore, RWAs' role as umbrella species could facilitate their protection if they are considered not only as target species but also as providers of species-rich microhabitats.Las hormigas rojas de la madera (HRM) conforman un grupo de especies clave con amplia distribución en los bosques templados y boreales del Hemisferio Norte. A pesar de lo anterior, cada vez hay más evidencia de su declinación y extinción local. Revisamos el estado actual de protección de las HRM en toda Europa y su clasificación en la Lista Roja de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (UICN). Sólo se han evaluado algunas especies de HRM a escala mundial y no todas las listas rojas nacionales de los países con presencia de HRM incluyen a estas especies. Los diferentes países usan criterios de evaluación, estrategias de inventario y categorías de riesgo distintos, además de que la información deficiente es habitual. La protección legislativa es todavía más compleja pues algunos países protegen implícitamente a las HRM junto con la fauna silvestre y otros protegen explícitamente a todo el grupo o a una especie particular. Esta complejidad ocurre a menudo en los países (por ejemplo: Italia) en donde, fuera de los Alpes, sólo se protege a las especies introducidas, mientras a las especies nativas, que están declinando, no se les protege. Por lo tanto, se requiere un marco de trabajo internacional y coordinado para proteger a las HRM. Esto necesita primero que se defina el objetivo de conservación. Ya que las HRM tienen similitudes morfológicas, una taxonomía compleja e hibridación frecuente, la protección del grupo completo, con la distinción entre las especies autóctonas y las introducidas, parece ser una estrategia más eficiente que la protección de una sola especie. Segundo, se debe actualizar la distribución actual de las HRM en Europa. Tercero, una ley de protección no puede ser efectiva sin la colaboración de los gestores forestales, cuya actividad influye sobre el hábitat de las HRM Finalmente, los montículos de las HRM ofrecen un microhábitat peculiar pues hospedan a una multitud de taxones, algunos de los cuales son especies mirmecófilas obligadas presentes en la Lista Roja de la UICN. Así, el papel de las HRM como especie paraguas podría facilitar su protección si se les considera no sólo como especies diana sino también como proveedoras de microhábitats con riqueza de especies.红褐山蚁是广泛分布于北半球温带及寒带森林中的一群关键物种。尽管如此, 有越来越多的证据表明红褐山蚁正在发生局部种群下降和灭绝。本研究回顾了整个欧洲的红褐山蚁目前的保护状况及其在世界自然保护联盟(IUCN)的威胁分类。我们发现, 只有部分红褐山蚁物种得到了全球范围内的评估, 而且并非所有存在红褐山蚁分布的国家的红色名录都包括这些物种。不同国家使用不同的评估标准、清查方法和风险类别, 而且经常出现数据缺乏的情况。立法保护则更为复杂, 一些国家的红褐山蚁保护隐含在野生动物群保护之中, 而另一些国家则明确地保护整个群体或特定物种。这种复杂性经常发生在国家内部, 例如在意大利, 在阿尔卑斯山以外的地方, 只有引进种得到保护, 而正在减少的原生种却没有得到保护。因此, 需要一个全球合作框架来保护红褐山蚁。这首先需要确定保护目标。由于形态相似, 分类复杂, 杂交频繁, 保护整个红褐山蚁群似乎是比保护单一物种更有效的策略, 尽管需要区分原生种和引进种。第二, 需要更新红褐山蚁物种在欧洲的分布情况。第三, 保护法发挥作用还需要森林管理者的合作, 因为他们的活动会影响红褐山蚁的栖息地。最后, 红褐山蚁土丘提供了一个特殊的微生境, 容纳了许多类群的物种, 其中一些是《IUCN濒危物种红色名录》中的专性适蚁物种。因此, 如果不仅将红褐山蚁视为目标物种, 同时还将其视为多物种微生境的提供者, 那么红褐山蚁作为伞护种的作用将进一步促进其保护。【翻译:胡怡思;审校:聂永刚】.

Habitat selection of two wood ant species (Formica rufa and F. polyctena) Wood ants play an important role in the forest ecosystem, but knowledge about their spatial distribution is often outdated or scarce in Switzerland. Species-specific habitat requirements remain poorly understood, especially for the two sympatric species Formica rufa and F. polyctena, preventing the development of efficient conservation measures. Following the survey of wood ant mounds in the cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt of 2015/2016, we developed a predictive hierarchical habitat model to investigate the relationships between habitat characteristics (slope, canopy cover, canopy height, vertical structure, distance to forest edge, distance to forest roads, proportion of conifers, and proportion of forest area) and the nest density of F. rufa and F. polyctena. By doing so, we adjusted for imperfect detectability of our census method. Most of the habitat factors have been derived from remote-sensing data (LiDAR, false-color images). We found that the two species differ in their smallscale habitat preferences, especially regarding canopy cover, slope and distance to forest edge. Compared to F. polyctena, F. rufa has less marked habitat preferences and is relatively indifferent to canopy height, proportion of forest area and distance to forest edge. Our results are inconsistent with the claim from other studies that F. rufa occurs more frequently at forest edges than F. polyctena. Furthermore, our study emphasizes the need to take into account the detection probability for a large-scale survey of wood ant mounds.

Distribution of forest ants in the cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt In 2015 and 2016, the forest service of the two Basel cantons and the nature protection service of Basel-Landschaft made an inventory of the distributions of forest ants, by mapping systematically the location of anthills. In total, 1757 anthills were found, which is estimated at two thirds of the real number of anthills. The presence of five species of domestic forest ants was demonstrated. The two most common species, Formica rufa and F. polyctena are mostly at medium altitude in Basel-Landschaft. As expected the nests of F. lugubris and F. paralugubris are found overwhelmingly at high altitude. The anthills of F. pratensis are mostly found in open habitats. The know ledge obtained through this mapping on the distribution of these species will make possible a targeted approach to protecting the nests. In addition, these results will serve as a baseline for future research, and represent a significant contribution to knowledge of fauna in Switzerland.

Lithium-sulfur batteries are highly promising as energy storage device for various applications due to their high theoretical energy densities, though their full potential is not yet reached. The cell component with the highest potential for overcoming the well-known degradation effects of the polysulfide shuttle during cycling is the separator. This study reports on a polymer/ceramic separator, which efficiently enhances the cell performance. Therefore, we prepared a series of polyvinylidenfluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVdF-HFP) membranes with different amounts of a NASICON type ceramic of high intrinsic lithium ion conductivity. Electrochemical testing proves the good ionic conductivity of the composite separator as well as the reduced polysulfide shuttle within the cell.

In this work we report a novel way of reducing the polysulfide shuttle in lithium-sulfur batteries by a new separator material. Polyvinylsulfate potassium salt (PVSK) as polymeric additive is introduced into a polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVdF-HFP) matrix membrane to improve the battery performance. PVSK is expected to lower the polysulfide mobility due to interaction with the sulfonic group. PVdF-HFP/PVSK blend membranes are prepared and an UV/Vis polysulfide diffusion test clearly demonstrates the positive effect of PVSK. Electrochemical testing reveals a significant improvement of cycling stability up to more than 200 cycles. In addition, the effect of separator porosity to the polysulfide shuttle is investigated with PVdF-HFP membranes of different porosity. A simple polysulfide diffusion test and potentiostatic charge/discharge cycling clearly demonstrate that low separator porosity is favorable in a lithium-sulfur cell.

Mound-building red wood ants (Formica rufa group) fulfill keystone roles in forest ecosystems, and several species are on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Nonetheless, detailed information on their distribution and habitat requirements is lacking, yet needed to evaluate population changes and develop conservation strategies. To assess their status in Switzerland, we studied red wood ant mounds in a nationwide, systematic survey of forests (Swiss National Forest Inventory). We identified key predictors of mound occurrence and mound size related to forest structure, forest composition, climate, and topography. Red wood ants were found to be relatively rare across Switzerland (1.4 mounds per ha of forest), especially at lower elevations (0.16 mounds per ha). Formica lugubris and F. paralugubris were common only in mountainous areas. Few F. rufa and F. polyctena mounds were found countrywide, the latter mostly at lower elevations. Formica aquilonia was restricted to the Engadine region of the Alps. Wood ants mainly depended on slope aspect, climate, forest structure, and conifer abundance, but did not depend on forest fragment size, distance to forest edges, or woody vegetation diversity. Our baseline data will enable population changes of red wood ants to be quantified, to reassess their conservation and protection status. For now, based on their observed rarity, conservation measures for red wood ants seem advisable in Switzerland. Our data suggest that red wood ants are not restricted to large, continuous, or diverse forests. Conservation strategies could thus focus on optimizing the structure of coniferous forests.

In zahlreichen krankheitsrelevanten Prozessen wie der Entstehung und Progression von Krebs und Autoimmunerkrankungen sind Proteinkinasen uberaktiviert. Sie gezielt zu hemmen, ist nicht einfach. Die medizinische Chemie hat diese Herausforderung angenommen und prasentiert erste Losungen.

Martijn L. Vandegehuchte, Beat Wermelinger, Marielle Fraefel, Andri Baltensweiler, Christoph Düggelin, Urs-Beat Brändli, Anne Freitag, Christian Bernasconi, Daniel Cherix, Anita C. Risch (2017): Distribution and habitat requirements of red wood ants in Switzerland: Implications for conservation. Biological Conservation 212: 366-375, DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2017.06.008

Freitag, Anne (2018): Société Vaudoise D'Entomologie (Sve). Entomo Helvetica 11: 195-197, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8007877

Wood ants ( Formica rufa group) are the ecological centre of many temperate and boreal forest ecosystems, with influence over ecosystem processes and other organisms. Owing to their dominance and keystone role, there are many reasons why it may be desirable or necessary to sample or monitor wood ants. Most field-based studies are based on exploring the relationships between red wood ants and their environment, be it the effects wood ants have on their surroundings via their nesting or foraging activities, or the effect a changing environment has on the ants. Given their keystone roles with the ecosystem, red wood ants can be useful indicators of ecosystem health, environmental degradation or restoration, or climate change (Torossian 1977b; Sorvari and Hakkarainen 2007b). With many species in Eurasia threatened and those in North America little understood, there is often simply a requirement to assess whether a species is present or not, or whether introductions or translocations have been successful. Unlike most other invertebrates, and indeed even other ant species, most red wood ants build conspicuous and long-lasting mound nests that facilitate their census. However, as for other ant species, this social living presents particular challenges for sampling and monitoring. Careful planning and the application of considered methods are needed to overcome these difficulties. This chapter provides an overview of the sampling methods and approaches that have been directly applied to wood ants, and the theory underpinning them. Where methods or approaches are ineffective or warrant further development, these are highlighted. The goal is to recommend a set of reliable and easy to use methods that can provide accurate and repeatable data, which are comparable between studies. The challenges of studying red wood ants Consideration of life cycle and seasonality Effective sampling or monitoring of wood ants presents considerable theoretical and practical problems. Wood ants are social insects which are patchily distributed and territorial. Moreover, there are seasonal patterns to the abundance and presence of certain castes. The queen (or queens) and some workers are present throughout the year, though not always visibly so. Males and particular stages of brood are present only for part of the year and this can depend on factors such as colony size and age, food availability and local environmental variables.

Wood ants in Switzerland: situation and outlook of a monitoring The authors summarise their state of knowledge about wood ants and their role in the forest ecosystem. They also describe the situation in Switzerland, their past development and their conservation status. In several regions, mainly in the Plateau, wood ants seem to diminish, despite their total protection since 1966. The reasons for this regression are not well known, but the fragmentation of forest habitats in the Plateau region and direct damage to ant nests seem to play a certain role. A new project in which the development of wood ant nests is monitored in Swiss forest reserves (Formica-Forêts-CH) was recently started in the Swiss national park. It is to be extended, in collaboration with the forest services, over the whole of Switzerland.

Anne Freitag (2015): Société Neuchâteloise D'Entomologie. Entomo Helvetica 8: 200-201, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8010320

Anne Freitag (2015): Société Fribourgeoise D'Entomologie (Sfe). Entomo Helvetica 8: 205, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8011216

Anne Freitag (2015): LAFRANCHIS T., JUTZELER D., GUILLOSSON J.-Y., KAN P. & KAN B. 2015 La vie des papillons Ecologie, biologie et comportement des Rhopalocères de France. Entomo Helvetica 8: 118, ISBN: 978-2-9521620-6-7, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8014650

The importance of complete elucidation of the biological functions of phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K) was realized years ago. They generate 3-phosphoinositides, which are known to function as important second messengers in many inter- and intracellular signaling pathways. However, the functional role of class II PI3Ks is still unclear. Herein, we describe the synthesis of a panel of compounds that were tested against all eight mammalian PI3K-isoforms. We found inhibitors with some selectivity for class II PI3K-C2γ and also compounds with preferred inhibition of class II PI3K-C2β, providing structural leads to develop selective tool compounds.

Aims: The traditionally used biological markers for alcoholism include a wide range of sensitivity and specificity as single tests. This study focuses on the combination of established laboratory parameters with new meaningful biomarkers to advance the significance regarding alcohol dependence. Design: We analyzed blood samples from alcohol-dependent patients (n = 177) compared with a control group (n = 181). In the statistical calculation we included carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), mean corpuscular erythrocyte volume (MCV), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), total plasma homocysteine, and folate. Results: None of the examined biomarkers reached sensitivity above 90% while all markers showed a good specificity. Combinations of different markers led to a significant elevation in sensitivity. Best values for men were achieved by using a combination of MCV, CDT, GGT, homocysteine and folate in different weightings (sensitivity: 98.6%, specificity: 86.4%). For women, similar results were yielded by combining MCV and CDT (sensitivity: 94.1%, specificity: 96%). The addition of homocysteine and folate in different weightings did not result in further enhancement. Conclusions: Gender-specific clusters including MCV, CDT, GGT, homocysteine and folate led to an increase in sensitivity compared to single laboratory markers. This is a reliable help to identify patients with regular heavy drinking in clinical practice which might prevent further complications.