Spatial navigation and memory is considered to be a part of the declarative memory system and it is widely used as an animal model of human declarative me mory. However, spatial tests typically involve only static settings, despite the dynamic nature of the real world. Animals, as well as people constantly need to interact with moving objects, other subjects or even with entire moving environments (flowing water, running stairway). Therefore, we design novel spatial tests in dynamic environments to study brain mechanisms of spatial processing in more natural settings with an interdisciplinary approach including neuropharmacology. We also translate data from neuropharmacological studies and animal models into development of novel therapeutic approaches to neuropsychiatric disorders and more sensitive screening tests for impairments of memory, thought, and behavior., A. Stuchlik ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The idea of the present study is to describe the spatially varying particle size distribution (PSD) along intact aggregate surfaces with the laser diffraction method (LDM) of four silty-loamy and OC enriched horizons of a Dystric Cambisol from the Uhlířská catchment (Czech Republic) with the laser diffraction method (LDM). Besides, the comparability of the LDM with the sieve and pipette method (SPM), the reproducibility, and the effect of pretreatment on the particle size distribution derived by LDM were analysed. The laser diffraction method enables rapid and continuous particle size distribution measurements with required sample amounts of 0.1–0.2 g for each measurement compared to 5–20 g for SPM. The LDM-derived PSD’s can be directly compared with the standardised SPM-derived PSD’s by using regression analysis with coefficients of determination (r²) between 0.83 and 0.93. Sample pretreatment following standardised proceedings indicates a better comparability between the particle size distributions of both methods. Besides, the highest coefficients of variation of up to 78.6 and therefore the lowest reproducibility were found for the unpretreated PSD of the AE and Bs horizon. Thus, limited evaluability and reproducibility of soil material enriched in organic carbon (OC), used in the current study, needs further analysis. For spatial analysis of PSD’s along intact surfaces of soil aggregates and profiles, spatial data interpolation by inverse distance weighting (IDW), kriging, and triangulated irregular networks (TIN) can be used for detailed measuring, mapping, and spatial extension of the sand, silt, and clay fractions at unsampled locations using a set of samples of known locations. The information offers the possibility of comparing and verifying data obtained by non-invasive midinfrared spectroscopy and Vis–NIR spectroscopy by spatial extension for given soil aggregates and profiles.
A three-year experimental study with artificial ground nests was carried out in a highly fragmented agricultural landscape in Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic, to examine whether population density or spatial distribution of active black-billed magpie (Pica pica) nests contributes to the pattern of predation on dummy nests. Out of the total of 335 dummy nests with a known fate, predators robbed 126 (37.6%). The population density of magpies did not affect nest predation significantly, while nests placed closer to active magpie nests were predated significantly more than distant nests in two out of the three years under study. Moreover, the distance to the nearest active magpie nest was found to be the most obvious factor affecting nest predation risk, among such factors as site, individual nest position, habitat type, distance to the nearest forest fragment, habitat diversity, nest concealment, distance to the nearest line habitat, and distance to a perch for avian predators. The study suggests that the spatial pattern of a dominant generalist predator can be a factor explaining the predation pattern on experimentally treated nests.
Areas of the Last Glaciation in northern Poland differ widely as to the conditions controlling the formation of river runoff and solute loads. The aim of the research was to identify chief mechanisms of stream alimentation in this area depending on the scale of a catchment. The analysis rested on data from hydrochemical profiling. Three types of systems were found to occur: in spring-head catchments with areas of the order of 10-2 km2, in small catchments (100 km2), and in medium-sized ones (101-102 km2). The first is connected with the mixing of soil- and groundwater, the second, with the mixing of waters from relatively homogeneous subcatchments, and the third, with the mixing of groundwater from various water-bearing horizons. In headwater catchments, river waters reach a new physico-chemical equilibrium at a distance of 20-40 m; in small catchments, two nested autocorrelation structures (150 and 400 m) reflect the sequence of land cover changes and distances between main tributaries; in medium-sized catchments, river waters demonstrate similarity at a distance of between 300 and 450 m and 1.2 km; it is controlled by the sequence of successive valley reaches of different origins (melt-out basins & ravines).The reported analysis justifies the hypothesis that in the areas of northern Poland covered by the Last Glaciation it is possible to identify the zones and forms of channel alimentation on the basis of hydrochemical interpretation of runoff recorded in gauging profiles only in the case of small catchments no larger than n n x 10 0 km2. In larger catchments, it is only possible to differentiate between ''new water'' (direct fall of precipitation on the channel and the overland flow) and ''old water'', composed of a mixture of soil water and the alimentation from various water-bearing horizons. and V oblastiach severného Poľska ovplyvnených posledným zaľadnením existujú veľmi rozdielne podmienky tvorby odtoku a vyplavovania rozpustených látok. Cieľom nášho výskumu bolo identifikovať hlavné mechanizmy prítokov vody do povrchových tokov v tejto oblasti s ohľadom na mierku povodia. Analýza bola založená na údajoch z hydrochemického profilovania. Boli zistené tri typy systémov: pramenné oblasti s plochou rádu do 10-2 km2 , malé povodia (100 km2 ) a stredné povodia (101 -102 km2 ). V prvom systéme pri tvorbe odtoku dominuje miešanie pôdnej a podzemnej vody, v druhom miešanie vôd z relatívne homogénnych subpovodí, v treťom miešanie podzemnej vody z rôznych vodonosných vrstiev. V pramenných oblastiach nadobúda voda v riekach novú fyzikálno-chemickú rovnováhu vo vzdialenosti 20-40 m. V malých povodiach boli zistené dve nadväzujúce autokorelačné štruktúry (150 a 400 m), ktoré odrážajú postupnosť zmien pokrytia územia a vzdialeností medzi hlavnými prítokmi. V stredne veľkých povodiach voda v riekach poukazuje na podobnosť v mierke medzi 300 a 450 m a 1,2 km. Táto podobnosť je daná postupnosťou nadväzujúcich úsekov dolín rôzneho pôvodu (povodia modelované vodou z topiaceho sa ľadovca, resp. strže). Analýzy potvrdzujú hypotézu, že v oblastiach severného Poľska zasiahnutých posledným zaľadnením možno pomocou hydrochemickej interpretácie meraného odtoku identifikovať zóny a formy prítoku vody do tokov iba v malých povodiach nie väčších ako n × 10 0 km2 . Vo väčších povodiach sa dá odlíšiť iba ''nová voda'' (zrážky spadnuté priamo na povrch riečnej siete a povrchový odtok) a ''stará voda'' (zmes pôdnej vody a príspevku z rôznych vodonosných vrstiev).
In grasslands where organic and inorganic resources are alternating at scales of individual plants, the transient character is given to certain wetting properties of soil, which then become highly variable both in space and in time. The objective of presented study was to study wetting pattern within two soil horizons at 5-cm and 10-cm depths respectively and to examine how the wetting patterns relate to hydraulic conductivity determined by Minidisc infiltrometer at suction -2 cm, K(-2 cm). This characteristics is implicitly independent on antecedent soil water content (SWC) since it relates to steady infiltration phase but can be influenced by present soil water repellency (SWR). Field measurements were performed on July 27-28, 2010 on the grassland experimental site located near the village Sekule in Southwest Slovakia. The water drop penetration time (WDPT), SWC and tension Minidisc infiltration measurements were carried out on the 0.64 m2 plot in a regular 8 x 8 grid. The results showed that SWR and SWC influence each other and cause correlation between spatial patterns of studied soil wetting characteristics and between characteristics measured at the two soil depths. Further, it was found out, that calculation of K(-2 cm) according to Zhang may cause apparent correlation of K(-2 cm) with antecedent SWC, which is the artificial effect of sorptivity parameter in the equation on steady stage of infiltration process. This pseudocorrelation has disappeared after adopting of Minasny and McBratney (2000) approaches by calculation of K(-2 cm).
Soil compaction in agricultural areas inhibits plant root growth through increased mechanical resistance, altered water and nutrient supply. The main objective of this study was to evaluate spatial distribution of roots and its effect on water uptake of maize grown on field with subsoil compaction. Two treatments were examined: complex melioration consisting of deep loosening in combination with drainage and control without applied meliorations. Root observations were conducted on vertical and superposed horizontal planes covered with a 2 cm grid short after silking. Root distributions expressed as index of density and/or dry mass density were estimated down to 1m soil depth and with a distance to a plant base. For analysis of root distribution pattern on the horizontal planes, a Variance to Mean Ratio (VMR) test was applied. Soil water monitoring were conducted during the vegetation period. On the vertical planes, root densities were similar in the topsoil of both treatments, but the results were significantly higher in the subsoil of the meliorated one showing deeper allocation of root density. In contrast, the control had more squares with lots of roots (i.e. higher indexes) just at the top- subsoil boundary owing to bunching of roots in macropores. The horizontal planes in the control generally consisted larger areas without visible roots and thus great distances for water and nutrient transmission, especially in the subsoil. The estimated VMR also pointed toward different levels of root clustering. Consequently, an inhibited water extraction from the subsoil in the control, a delay in crop ontogenesis and a less biomass production was established during the observed period. and Zhutnenie poľnohospodárskej pôdy bráni rastu koreňov; je to spôsobené zvýšeným mechanickým odporom pôdy, a zníženým prítokom vody a živín. Cieľom tejto štúdie je zhodnotenie priestorovej variability koreňov, ich vplyvu na odber vody koreňmi kukurice na poli so zhutnenou podorničnou vrstvou. Boli hodnotené dva spôsoby obrábania: komplexná meliorácia pozostávajúca z hlbokého podrývania v kombinácii s drenážou a obrábanie (kontrola) bez melioračných zásahov. Identifikácia rozdelenia koreňov bola vykonaná vo vertikálnych a horizontálnych rovinách s 2-cm sieťou, krátko po metaní. Rozdelenie koreňov bolo vyjadrené ako index hustoty alebo ako hustota suchej biomasy koreňov do hĺbky 1 m; v horizontálnom smere až k susedným rastlinám. Bol použitý test ''Variance to Mean Ratio'' (VMR) na určenie rozdelenia koreňov v horizontálnom smere počas vegetačného obdobia. Hustota koreňov vrchnej vrstvy pôdy vo vertikálnej rovine bola podobná pre obidve varianty, ale pre meliorovanú pôdu boli hodnoty hustoty koreňov v podloží podstatne vyššie a korene zasahovali hlbšie. Ako protiklad, na kontrolnom pozemku bolo viac štvorcov s mnohými koreňmi (t.j. vyššie indexy) práve na hranici orničnej a podorničnej vrstvy, pre enormný rast koreňov v makropóroch. V horizontálnej rovine tento kontrolný pozemok obsahoval veľké oblasti bez viditeľných koreňov, a to znamená veľké vzdialenosti pre prenos vody a živín v podorničnej vrstve. Výsledky aplikácie VMR naznačujú tiež rozdielne úrovne zhlukov koreňov. Z toho vyplýva znížený odber vody koreňmi rastlín na kontrolnom pozemku, ako aj pomalšia ontogenéza a nižšia produkcia biomasy, ktorá bola identifikovaná počas sledovaného obdobia.
Monitoring of groundwater quality in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh, India, was performed at 10 different sites during the years 2005-2006. Obtained quality parameters were treated using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA). The study shows usefulness of multivariate statistical techniques for evaluation and interpretation of groundwater quality data sets. and V letech 2005-2006 byla na deseti odběrných místech v regionu Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, Indie sledována kvalita podzemní vody. Zjištěné kvalitativní parametry byly zpracovány pomocí analýzy hlavního prvku (PCA) a pomocí shlukové analýzy (CA). Studie dokládá vhodnost multivariačních statistických metod pro vyhodnocení a interpretaci změřených výsledků.
The paper deals with the English-speaking community in
Czechoslovakia in the 1950s. It attempts to illustrate that although international communism was supposed to cross national boundaries, it was not always the case in reality. There were invisible boundaries – mental, language, cultural, ethnic and racial – that proved to be difficult to overcome for both the guests and their hosts. The paper concentrates on questions such as the role of Czechoslovakia and Prague in the international communist movement, anti- Western propaganda, political asylum, housing and job related issues the English-speakers had to face, family questions, language issues and free time activities. and Článek zahrnuje poznámkový aparát pod čarou