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Mediterranean temporary ponds are recognized as conservation priority habitats that face anthropogenic threats and are important habitats for a number of aquatic and terrestrial animals and plants. Bats are a diverse group of animals that use ponds for drinking and feeding on emerging aquatic insects and terrestrial insects in the riparian zone. We investigated the importance of temporary ponds for bats in Greece by acoustically sampling bat community structures and activity at temporary ponds throughout the year. We sampled monthly, from 3 to 13 months in 2019–2020, at sites at the pond edge and approximately 150–300 m away from the edge, at four temporary ponds in northern and southern Greece. Our results confirm the importance of temporary ponds for bats as activity was recorded year-round and was high in all but the winter months. In general, the distance to the edge of the pond and the presence of water in the pond explained bat activity together with air temperature. Importantly, whether dry or not, all ponds supported bat activity, independent of their particular characteristics. This study highlights the urgent need for the conservation of temporary ponds, especially in areas with limited water availability.

Poster for the DH Benelux conference 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. How to simulate hands-on media practices in a virtual environment using 3D-represented cultural heritage objects in such a way that the material characteristics of the objects and their usages become part of the virtual and immersive user experience? In this project, we have explored this question by focusing on two media historical objects: the Kinora motion picture viewer (ca. 1907) and the Pathé Baby 9.5mm film projector (ca. 1924) as early-twentieth-century technologies of home cinema. The application development was carried out in four stages: (1) digitization, (2) conceptualization, (3) contextualization, and (4) digital storytelling. The project was developed within the framework of a research internship at the Open University of the Netherlands in collaboration with Maastricht University, the Netherlands. It was conducted in support of the project CRAFTED: Enrich and promote traditional and contemporary crafts, co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Commission. Video demonstration of the application:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UnoPSDZCiw. Application:https://zenodo.org/record/8011420

Background The Schreiber’s bat, Miniopterus schreibersii, is adapted to long-distance flight, yet long distance movements have only been recorded sporadically using capture-mark-recapture. In this study, we used the hydrogen isotopic composition of 208 wing and 335 fur specimens from across the species' European range to test the hypothesis that the species migrates over long distances. Results After obtaining the hydrogen isotopic composition (δ2H) of each sample, we performed geographic assignment tests by comparing the δ2H of samples with the δ2H of sampling sites. We found that 95 bats out of 325 showed evidence of long-distance movement, based on the analysis of either fur or wing samples. The eastern European part of the species range (Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia) had the highest numbers of bats that had moved. The assignment tests also helped identify possible migratory routes, such as movement between the Alps and the Balkans. Conclusions This is the first continental-scale study to provide evidence of migratory behaviour of M. schreibersii throughout its European range. The work highlights the need for further investigation of this behaviour to provide appropriate conservation strategies.

In the present study we investigated the diet of Eleonora’s falcons in Greece and assessed the regional dietary pattern of 16 breeding colonies of the Aegean. Overall 224 nests were visited and a t...

Research studies provide some evidence that computing and education robotics have a positive impact on female students’ engagement in Computational Thinking (CT) practices and their self-efficacy for CT. Other issues raised by research concern the decontextualization of computing education from the actual lives of students which causes problems for students underrepresented in the fields of computing and engineering, such as female students. To tackle this problem, paper aimed to develop (STEM-Computational Thinking (CT)-Computing) scenarios related to students’ actual lives and their local communities in order to help female students to develop STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) competences, when core disciplinary ideas and cross-cutting concepts are infused in the scenarios. All scenarios were implemented using the didactic model of inquiry teaching and learning and the engineering design thinking instruction strategy using physical computing activities. A validated questionnaire for self-efficacy and CT practices was applied before and after the intervention to female prospective engineering school teachers studying at Higher Education Institutes in Greece. Results show a strong evidence for the effectiveness (enhancement of CT efficacy of female students) by using the STEM content epistemology through activities implemented with physical computing platforms.

Cellular subpopulations within the colorectal tumor microenvironment (TME) include CD3+ and CD8+ lymphocytes, CD68+ and CD163+ macrophages, and tumor buds (TBs), all of which have known prognostic significance in stage II colorectal cancer. However, the prognostic relevance of their spatial interactions remains unknown. Here, by applying automated image analysis and machine learning approaches, we evaluate the prognostic significance of these cellular subpopulations and their spatial interactions. Resultant data, from a training cohort retrospectively collated from Edinburgh, UK hospitals (n = 113), were used to create a combinatorial prognostic model, which identified a subpopulation of patients who exhibit 100% survival over a 5-year follow-up period. The combinatorial model integrated lymphocytic infiltration, the number of lymphocytes within 50-μm proximity to TBs, and the CD68+/CD163+ macrophage ratio. This finding was confirmed on an independent validation cohort, which included patients treated in Japan and Scotland (n = 117). This work shows that by analyzing multiple cellular subpopulations from the complex TME, it is possible to identify patients for whom surgical resection alone may be curative.

Additional file 1. Summary of sampling sites and result outputs.

WOS: 000375896000026, PubMed ID: 27001602, The isolation of populations in the Iberian, Italian and Balkan peninsulas during the ice ages define four main paradigms that explain much of the known distribution of intraspecific genetic diversity in Europe. In this study we investigated the phylogeography of a wide-spread bat species, the bent-winged bat, Miniopterus schreibersii around the Mediterranean basin and in the Caucasus. Environmental Niche Modeling (ENM) analysis was applied to predict both the current distribution of the species and its distribution during the last glacial maximum (LGM). The combination of genetics and ENM results suggest that the populations of M. schreibersii in Europe, the Caucasus and Anatolia went extinct during the LGM, and the refugium for the species was a relatively small area to the east of the Levantine Sea, corresponding to the Mediterranean coasts of present-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and northeastern and northwestern Egypt. Subsequently the species first repopulated Anatolia, diversified there, and afterwards expanded into the Caucasus, continental Europe and North Africa after the end of the LGM. The fossil record in Iberia and the ENM results indicate continuous presence of Miniopterus in this peninsula that most probably was related to the Maghrebian lineage during the LGM, which did not persist afterwards. Using our results combined with similar findings in previous studies, we propose a new paradigm explaining the general distribution of genetic diversity in Europe involving the recolonization of the continent, with the main contribution from refugial populations in Anatolia and the Middle East. The study shows how genetics and ENM approaches can complement each other in providing a more detailed picture of intraspecific evolution. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved., Research Fund of Bogazici University, Istanbul [08M104, 09S101, 11Y00P2]; Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, TUBITAK [112T698]; Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia [IF/0497/2013]; IRCSET-Marie Curie International Mobility Fellowship in Science, Engineering and Technology; Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic [DKRVO 00023272], We would like to thank Elizabeth Hemond and three anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. We also would like to thank Simos Demetropoulos, Petros Lymperakis, Dina Kovac, Vida Zrncic, Darija Josic, Sanja Drakulic, Tea Knapic, Yannis Kazoglou, Elena Papadatou, Xavier Gremillet, Monika Podgorelec, Peter Vallo, Thierry Disca, Vincent Prie, members of the Win-timdouine expedition (Morocco), Wassim M. Hizem, Pr. Said Nouira, and the "Direction generale des fork de Tunisie" for their assistance with the fieldwork. This study was supported by grants from the Research Fund of Bogazici University, Istanbul (08M104, 09S101 and 11Y00P2) and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, TUBITAK (112T698) to RB, from Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (research contract IF/0497/2013) to HR, from the IRCSET-Marie Curie International Mobility Fellowship in Science, Engineering and Technology to SJP, and from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (# DKRVO 00023272) to PB.

Mediterranean forests have been exploited by humans for centuries, but their present area and condition have been shaped mostly during the recent decades. Overgrazing resulting from national and EU policies, increasing fires and touristic development have led to the shrinkage of forest, threatening forest species. In this study, we examine the relation of Pipistrellus hanaki, a bat species limited to Cyrenaica, Libya and Crete, with the relict forests of Crete. Radiotracking of males (in autumn) and lactating females (in early summer) showed that P. hanaki uses a range of roost types, but Quercus forest stands and old tree cultivations are largely preferred for foraging, while open areas, young Cupressus stands and Mediterranean maquis are avoided. To unveil larger-scale patterns of habitat suitability by the species, we used Maxent to model its potential distribution on Crete using Chelsa Climatology. The resulted model showed high distribution probability around the mountains of central and western Crete, where native Cupressus, Pinus and Quercus stands are still present, and the climatic conditions are favourable. The strong dependence of this strictly southeast Mediterranean bat on forests and old tree cultivations stresses the need for conservation of these habitat types. In situ forest protection and environmental friendly livestock and farming practices are necessary to ensure the long-term survival of the species in Crete.

Miniopterus schreibersii is a cave-dwelling bat species with a wide distribution in the western Palearctic spanning southern and central Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, the Middle East, and the Caucasus. We investigated the social structure and its effects on the genetic makeup of this species, using 10 nuclear microsatellite markers and a partial fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Samples were examined from the species' entire circum-Mediterranean range. Local structuring that was previously detected among populations of M. schreibersii using mitochondrial markers was not observed for microsatellite markers, indicating male-biased dispersal for the species. Some support was found for postglacial expansions in Europe, with Anatolia potentially acting as the primary refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, support for this hypothesis is not as strong as that previously detected using mitochondrial DNA markers. This is likely due to the diminishing effect of male-mediated dispersal, replenishing the nuclear diversity faster than the mitochondrial diversity in regions that are relatively far from the glacial refugia.