Geophysical data are used not only, in geological mapping, exploration of mineral resources, hydrogeology, but are also important for other branches such as environmental protection, civil engineering and archeology. That is why, within the project CzechGeo/EPOS (www.czechgeo.cz), geophysical data access is solved as a separate topic under the guidance of the Czech Geological Survey (hereinafter CGS). In accordance with the current needs of national and international activities (INSPIRE, EPOS, IAGA), an inventory of available data, its consolidation and harmonization according to national and international standards is conducted. The aim is to store securely and permanently valuable data, which in many cases cannot be reinstated. On the example from the Nízký Jeseník Mts. possible advantages and utilization of Archive data for mapping and verification of the movement tendencies gained from GNSS networks – EPN, EAST SUDETEN and MORAVA are demonstrated. Very valuable information for the interpretation of structural and tectonic conditions is provided by geophysical data (seismic reflection profiles, gravity and magnetic data, etc.) in the area of interest, especially in terms of monitoring the main fault systems and the character of the basement structures.
The use of wooden (modified Stratmann) boxes by bats was studied in three different tree stands (80-year old beech forest, 150-year old oak-beech forest with admixture of pine, 50–70-year old pine forest) of a managed woodland (Darżlubska Forest) in northern Poland. Two species (Pipistrellus nathusii and Plecotus auritus) inhabited these boxes after 2–13 months. The occupation of shelters in pine monoculture was several tens of times higher than in both deciduous forests. The main factors responsible for such differences are: 1) almost complete lack of natural roosts (tree holes) in young pine forest, 2) unfavourable (colder and more humid) microclimate in broadleaf (especially beech) forests, 3) much higher abundance of some invertebrates (mainly gastropods), that make boxes in beech forest unattractive for bats.
Review article presents utilisation of coal in industry, coal in power generation, gas production, Czech energy policy and outlook and application of clean coal technology in the Czech power stations. The further exploitation and utilisation of Czech coal resources requires the implementation of development programme aimed at the application of the new, economically effective technologies, of coal mining, utilisation, gasification. Emissions of GHG in CR., Václav Roubíček, Pavel Kolat and Jaroslav Buchtele., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Cultivated fruits can serve as an important winter food resource for medium-sized carnivores in rural areas that experience heavy snowfall. However, studies on the food analysis of medium-sized carnivores in heavy snowfall areas, particularly on the use of cultivated fruits, are limited. We evaluated the use of cultivated fruits by medium-sized carnivores during winter in a heavy snowfall area by comparing their feeding habits in rural and forest landscapes. We conducted faecal analysis of Japanese martens (Martes melampus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in rural and forest landscapes in north-eastern Japan during periods of snow cover. Based on a faecal analysis in the rural landscape, both Japanese martens and red foxes consumed mammals, birds, fruits, and other plant material. In the forest landscape, mammals and insects were consumed by Japanese martens and mammals, fruits, and other plant material were consumed by red foxes. Our results showed that cultivated fruits, such as persimmons and apples, were a major food source in snowy environments, suggesting a wider range of available resources and overlapping feeding habits. It has been suggested that red foxes in forest landscapes move long distances (several kilometres) to consume cultivated fruits. This study suggests that cultivated fruits may also indirectly feed wildlife, even in areas with heavy snowfall.
Research of the physiological traits of a long-distance migratory insect, the common cutworm Spodoptera litura, in relation to flight and reproduction, was focused on triacylglycerol (TG) levels and their fatty acid composition.
Tethered flight experiments demonstrated that three-day old male moths can fly more than 20 h. Among eight identified fatty acids of which the adult TG is composed, the ratios of the following unsaturated fatty acids, palmitoleic acid (C 16:1), oleic acid (C 18:1), linoleic acid (C 18:2) and linolenic acid (C 18:3), gradually declined with longer flight duration. On the other hand, the TG levels of non-flown males reared for ten days on only water, were the same as those of three-day old males after 12 hr of flight, but the ratios of these unsaturated fatty acids in TG's remained nearly unchanged. These results suggest that the unsaturated fatty acids in TG are mainly used as a flight energy source.
As ovarian development in females of this species occurs shortly after adult emergence, long-distance migratory capacity has been regarded as highly unlikely. In fact, ovarian development was completed within three days after adult emergence and females laid eggs thereafter. During this three day period TG increased in the ovary, accompanied by increasing ratios of unsaturated fatty acids in the TG's and the ovary eventually occupied most of the abdomen, in spite of a nearly constant level of TG in the abdomen and unchanged ratio of its unsaturated fatty acids. These facts support the transfer of TG from the fat body to the ovary, and further suggest that the mature females utilize the TG deposited in the ovaries as a flight energy source. Then if they migrate a long distance, they use residual TG after flight for egg production.
Larvae of the stag beetle, Dorcus rectus, feed on decaying wood, which they digest with the aid of symbiotic yeasts; however, they can be successfully reared on artificial diets containing only fungal tissue. In this study we tested whether D. rectus larvae can utilize fungal cell walls, which are an insoluble component of mycelium. Lyophilized Bjerkandera adusta mycelium cultured in potato-dextrose liquid medium consisted of a 47.6% hot-water insoluble fraction by mass, which contains 53.7% of the total nitrogen in the mycelium. D. rectus larvae that hatched from surface-sterilized eggs were reared for 14 days on agar-based diets containing either the soluble fraction, insoluble fraction or both, extracted from 100 mg of mycelium. The larvae increased in mass most on the mixed diet, and there was no difference in their growth on the mixed and positive control diets. Both the soluble and insoluble fractions improved larval growth compared to the negative control diet; however, the growth rates were much lower than those expected from the nitrogen dose-growth response curve obtained in a previous study. Addition of b-chitin to the soluble fraction did not positively affect larval growth. Therefore, we conclude that (1) D. rectus larvae need both the soluble and insoluble fractions of mycelium and (2) the larvae digest the insoluble fraction using their own enzymes., Masahiko Tanahashi, Kôhei Kubota., and Seznam literatury
Etnogeneze Slovanů zůstává frekventovaným tématem historického a archeologického výzkumu. Etnicitu nahlížejí nyní archeologové i historici v zásadě jako akt vědomého přihlášení, což vysvětluje důraz kladený na identitu jako kategorii historické analýzy. Na základě rozboru historického a archeologického dokladového materiálu vztahujícího se k 6. a 7. stol. předkládá článek argumentaci v tom smyslu, že v zájmu dalšího rozvoje poznání by se bádání o (slovanské) etnogenezi mělo oprostit od opakování stereotypů uložených v pozdně antické etnografii. Současně autor předkládá nový analytický model, odvozený ze současných přístupů ke konstrukci etnicity prostřednictvím hmotné kultury, a ilustruje některé důsledky, které z něho pro české a moravské země vyplývají and The ethnogenesis of the Slavs remains a popular topic of historical and archaeological research. Ethnicity is now viewed by both archaeologists and historians as fundamentally performative, which explains the emphasis placed on identity as a category of historical analysis. On the basis of an analysis of the historical and the archaeological evidence pertaining to the 6th and 7th centuries, this paper argues that in order to make any progress the research on (Slavic) ethnogenesis needs to distance itself from the practice of perpetuating the stereotypes embedded in the late antique ethnography. At the same time, the author advances a new model of analysis derived from recent approaches to the construction of ethnicity through material culture, and illustrates some of its implications for the Czech and Moravian lands.
In this minireview, the factors involved in the development of corneal injury due to an increased amount of UVB rays are summarized. Experimental studies have shown that an increased number of UVB rays leads to a profound decrease in corneal antioxidants (high molecular weight, antioxidant enzymes as well as low molecular weight, mainly ascorbic acid) so that a prooxidant/antioxidant imbalance appears. The decrease of corneal antioxidant protective mechanisms results in oxidative injury of the cornea and causes damage of the inner parts of the eye by UVB rays and by reactive oxygen species generated by them.
The purpose of this study was to determine the production of metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9 following UV-B irradiation in human corneal epithelial cells and fibroblasts. Epithelial cells and fibroblasts were separated from human donor corneas and exposed to UV-B lamp irradiation for 20, 40, 80 and 120 s. Media samples were collected at 8, 24, 48 and 72 h and gelatinase A and B production was assayed by the ELISA test. Statistical significance of production was assessed by the paired t-test. Increased production of MMP-2 was found in human corneal fibroblasts in response to UV-B irradiation. A statistically significant production of MMP-2 was not observed in human corneal epithelial cells following UV-B exposure. We did not detect any increase in MMP-9 after irradiation in either epithelial cells or fibroblasts. MMP-2 is produced by the corneal fibroblasts in the acute phase after UV-B irradiation. MMP-9 is not released in vitro following UV-B irradiation damage and therefore does not directly participate in the pathophysiology of acute photokeratitis., I. Kozák, D. Klisenbauer, T. Juhás., and Obsahuje bibliografii