Areas Of Central Europe Research Articles

Childhood respiratory allergies and symptoms in highly polluted area of Central Europe

ABSTRACTThe study investigated the associations between the prevalence of the childhood respiratory diseases and the long-term exposure to air pollution in the burdened area of Moravian–Silesian Region in the Czech Republic. The health data were collected during 2014 in 7,239 children 5, 9, 13 and 17 years of age. Exposure to PM10 and NO2 in the residence addresses was based on dispersion models and GIS based traffic-related indicators. PM10 levels were positively associated with both lifetime (OR 1.35; 95%CI 1.09–1.67) and current (OR 1.32; 95%CI 1.05–1.67) allergic rhinitis; current asthma was associated negatively. The associations between traffic indicator and respiratory health were not found. On the other hand, marked positive associations were found between the respiratory diseases and symptom severity structured into ordinal variables, and PM10 and NO2. Modelled long-term exposure to air pollution was associated with childhood allergic rhinitis and deterioration of the respiratory symptoms.

Nitrogen cycling and storage in Gagea spathacea (Liliaceae): ecological insights for protecting a rare woodland species

Strategies to globally protect biological diversity are often hampered by an insufficient ecological knowledge about target species. This also applies to Gagea spathacea (Liliaceae), a ‘vulnerable’ woodland spring geophyte with a distribution largely restricted to the lowlands of Central Europe. We studied whether the species’ linkage to highly fertile forest soils is related to its high nitrogen (N) demands during its short developmental cycle. We hypothesized that the species exhibits a highly efficient N (re)cycling strategy, characterized by efficient resorption of N from the leaves and reallocation to bulbs at the end of the growing season. To test this assumption, we conducted a 15N tracer experiment and quantified 15N flows between soil, leaves, bulbs, and roots. Our findings support our hypothesis that G. spathacea is exceptionally efficient in recycling N, shown by the resorption of 68% of leaf N and its reallocation to bulbs at the end of the growing season. After 6 weeks of growth the plant showed a distinct shift in its N metabolism: The C:N ratio of leaves strongly increased and those of bulbs decreased, leaf 15N enrichment and recovery started to decrease, while total plant 15N recovery remained constant, indicating no further N uptake from the soil. Leaf N reallocation to bulbs was accompanied by a twofold increase of the bulbs’ biomass. Because of the stenoecious behaviour of G. spathacea, a careful protection and sustainable management of G. spathacea forest habitats is necessary, particularly in its Central European core area.

Expanding the trait-based concept of benthic diatoms: Development of trait- and species-based indices for conductivity as the master variable of ecological status in continental saline lakes

Shallow, saline inland lakes occur over large areas in Central-Europe and they bear exceptionally high biological conservation values. Climate change and anthropogenic activities threaten their natural conditions, or even their existence. These aquatic ecosystems are exposed to multiple stress like naturally high conductivity, pH and nutrient load with very low transparency for light. As they are subjects of criteria set by the EC Water Framework Directive and biological conservation managment, there is an urgent need for developing a suitable quality index for their ecological status assessment. As one major Biological Quality Element, benthic diatoms may provide a reliable basis for their ecological status indication. Here, in a large data set covering the soda lakes of the Carpathian basin, we developed a species- and a trait-based diatom ecological status index. First, based on the weighted average method, we developed a type specific, species-based diatom index (DISP = Diatom Index for Soda Pans) using conductivity as master variable of environmental constrains; and therefore the ecological status in soda lakes. Furthermore, by adapting and improving further the widely-used diatom ecological guild concept, we also developed an alternative trait-based index, which helps avoiding some limitations arising from the obvious complexity of the taxonomy-based approach. Our DISP index covered a significantly larger species pool for index calculation, and responded to conductivity in a more reliable way compared to other available indices. In the trait-based index (TBI) motility, small cell size, and less roundish, more elongated shape as functional and morphological traits indicated pristine ecological conditions (i.e high conductivity) of the soda pans. Planktic life form, high and low ecological guild profiles, as well as the large cell size indicated worse ecological conditions (e.g. lower conductivity). Our study highlights that benthic diatoms provide a reliable basis for ecological status assessment in soda lakes. While both the taxonomic and the functional trait approaches performed well in our analysis, the success of the trait-based approach may enable the use of our TBI index in biomonitoring and conservation management of soda lakes outside of the Carpathian basin, independently of the geographic location.

Central Europe as an Economic Area? Prospects for Further Economic Integration from an Austrian Perspective

Following the breakdown of central planning in Eastern Europe in 1989, all the reforming countries bordering the EU initiated processes, though at different speeds, to eventually join the EU as members. These countries were, except for Poland, also bordering the then new EU-Member country Austria. It seemed natural, therefore, to learn from the Austrian experience for the integration process of Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). Already from the outset, the following questions come to ones mind: What special role has Austria played in the transformation process and, what role could she play in the integration process of CEECs? What kind of economic area could Austria possibly form with CEECs and which countries should be involved? What could be the meaning of a regional economic area in central Europe when the reforming countries involved are anyway striving for EU membership? The paper investigates the empirical characteristics of the countries compared in order to judge how apt they were for forming some kind of economic area.

Seasonal contribution of assessed sources to submicron and fine particulate matter in a Central European urban area

This study presents the air pollution findings of the submicron (PM1) and fine (PM2.5) particulate matter. The submicron particles are entirely absorbed by the human body and they cause the greatest health risk. For the PM2.5 concentration, there are yearly and/or daily limit values regulations by the European Union (EU) and World Health Organization (WHO). There are no such regulations for PM1 but for health risk reason the knowledge of its concentration is important. This paper presents the seasonal concentration contribution of PM1 and PM2.5, their chemical composition and assessed three basic sources. Daily samples of both fractions were collected from 2nd July 2016 to 27th February 2017 in Krakow, Poland. Apart from PM1 and PM2.5 the concentration of 16 elements, 8 ions and BC for each samples were measured. Based on these chemical species the positive matrix factorization (PMF) receptor modeling was used for the determination of three main sources contribution to the PM1 and PM2.5 concentrations. Daily average concentrations of PM2.5 were 12 μg/m3 in summer and 60 μg/m3 in winter. For PM1 it was 6.9 μg/m3 in summer and 17.3 μg/m3 in winter. These data show a significant difference in percentage contribution of PM1 in PM2.5 in summer (58%) and in winter (29%).For the combustion source, the concentrations calculated from PMF modeling in winter were 4.8 μg/m3 for PM1 and 31 μg/m3 for PM2.5. In summer, the concentrations were smaller than 1 μg/m3 for both fractions. Secondary aerosols' concentration for PM1 was 3.4 μg/m3 in summer and 11 μg/m3 in winter - for PM2.5 these were 7.1 μg/m3 and 17 μg/m3 respectively. The third source - soil, industry and traffic together, had small seasonal variation: for PM1 it was from 1.4 to 1.8 μg/m3 and for PM2.5 from 4.7 to 7.9 μg/m3.

Survey of Hymenoscyphus fraxineus in a central European urban area and exploration of its possible environmental drivers

There are relatively few studies surveying how meteorological and qualitative characteristics of tree sites in urban areas influence Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (T. Kowalski) Baral et al. (≡Chalara fraxinea T. Kowalski, =Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus Queloz et al.) or infection by that. Based on the significance of ash trees in urban areas and the frequent use of ash species and their varieties, it becomes increasingly important to identify factors that drive the pathogen. The aim of this study was to identify the effects of both meteorological parameters and tree characteristics on the severity of the disease in the city of Leipzig, Germany. We assessed 401 ash trees along streets and in green spaces distributed across Leipzig. The assessment included scoring the level of damage by H. fraxineus, visually estimating the degree of soil sealing under a tree’s crown, measuring tree height, the height of crown base and the diameter at breast height, determining sex, year of planting and species variety, as well as recording qualitative characteristics (e.g. secondary pathogens, feeding marks). Mean relative air humidity, mean annual temperature and a combined index of meteorological conditions were used as meteorological parameters. In addition, we sampled tissue of 45 ash trees for the purpose of genetically verifying the occurrence of H. fraxineus. We analysed the effects of all variables on ash dieback by using linear mixed effect models. Results show an extensive damage by H. fraxineus in the whole city area with 70% of trees being infected. Mean relative air humidity and the index of meteorological conditions show a significant positive influence on the severity of ash dieback, whereas year of planting has a negative effect. Trees with feeding marks at the trunk tend to be more damaged by the fungus. Moreover, we found a significant difference in susceptibility between F. excelsior and its variety ‘Atlas’. Both meteorological conditions and the susceptibility of species and their varieties should be taken into account when planting ash trees in urban areas.

Translating Niphargus barcodes from Switzerland into taxonomy with a description of two new species (Amphipoda, Niphargidae).

The amphipod genus Niphargus (Amphipoda: Niphargidae Bousfield, 1977) is the most species-rich genus of freshwater amphipods in the World. Species of this genus, which live almost exclusively in subterranean water, offer an interesting model system for basic and applied biodiversity science. Their use, however, is often limited due to the hitherto unresolved taxonomy within the whole genus. As a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the currently >425 Niphargus species is too demanding, it has been suggested that the taxonomy of the genus could be advanced in smaller steps, by reviewing regional faunas, that would eventually integrate into a global revision. In this study, we provide such a revision of Niphargus in Switzerland. First, we molecularly delimited, morphologically diagnosed, and formally described two new species, namely Niphargus luchoffmanni sp. n. and Niphargus tonywhitteni sp. n. Second, we updated and revised a checklist of Niphargus in Switzerland with new findings, and prepared a list of reference sequences for routine molecular identification, available at BOLD and GenBank. All available specimens of 22 known species from the area were morphologically examined, and their morphological variation was compiled in a data file of DEscription Language for TAxonomy, which can be used for automated generation of dichotomous or interactive keys. The data file is freely available at the World Amphipoda Database. Together, the checklist, the library of reference sequences, the DELTA file, but also a list of hitherto unresolved aspects are an important step towards a complete revision of the genus within a well-defined and biogeographically interesting area in Central Europe.

Simplified Direct Water Footprint Model to Support Urban Water Management

Water resources conservation corresponding to urban growth is an increasing challenge for European policy makers. Water footprint (WF) is one of the methods to address this challenge. The objective of this study was to develop a simplified model to assess the WF of direct domestic and non-domestic water use within an urban area and to demonstrate its effectiveness in supporting new urban water management strategies and solutions. The new model was tested on three Central European urban areas with different characteristics i.e., Wroclaw (Poland), Innsbruck (Austria), and Vicenza (Italy). Obtained WFs varied from 291 dm3/(day∙capita) in Wroclaw, 551 dm3/(day∙capita) in Vicezna to 714 dm3/(day∙capita) in Innsbruck. In addition, WF obtained with the proposed model for the city of Vicenza was compared with a more complex approach. The results proved the model to be robust in providing reasonable results using a small amount of data.

Distribution of the entomopathogenic fungusEntomophaga maimaiga(Entomophthorales:Entomophthoraceae) at the northern edge of its range in Europe

AbstractThe gypsy mothLymantria disparis a serious economic pest in European broadleaf forests. However, the entomopathogenic fungusEntomophaga maimaiga, which has a great potential to regulate gypsy moth numbers, has recently spread in the Central and Eastern European area of the moth's range. In the current study, 39 plots in oak forests in the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic were monitored forE. maimaigafrom 2014 to 2016. These plots were located along the northern edge of theE. maimaigarange where gypsy moth outbreaks have occurred in the past. The fungus was detected in 16 of the 39 plots. The results thus confirm thatE. maimaigais quite widespread along the northern edge of its range in Europe and can be considered to be established in that area.

The relationship between self-esteem, aggression and poverty

The Institute of Social Sciences of the CSPS of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice is an interdisciplinary workplace of social sciences and humanities with a primary research focus on the area of Central Europe in the field of social psychology, sociology and history.

Self-expression values of youth as an indicator of changes in Ukraine (based on the refined Shalom Schwartz basic human values scale)

The Institute of Social Sciences of the CSPS of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice is an interdisciplinary workplace of social sciences and humanities with a primary research focus on the area of Central Europe in the field of social psychology, sociology and history.

‘Too much salt’: Czech Swedes, Journalism and (Anti)Xenophobic Discourse

The Institute of Social Sciences of the CSPS of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice is an interdisciplinary workplace of social sciences and humanities with a primary research focus on the area of Central Europe in the field of social psychology, sociology and history.

Attachment styles: A motivational framework of personality dispositions in selection and counseling

The Institute of Social Sciences of the CSPS of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice is an interdisciplinary workplace of social sciences and humanities with a primary research focus on the area of Central Europe in the field of social psychology, sociology and history.

Land-Use Changes at Nest Sites of the Little Owl (Athene noctua) in the South-Moravian Region of the Czech Republic

Abstract The Little Owl is currently endangered bird species of agricultural lowland areas in Central Europe. Nesting sites of the Little Owl are often old trees as well as buildings and quarries with suitable nesting cavities. The Little Owl has severely declined in a major part of Europe during the past decades. Information on habitat requirements of the Little Owl and data related to land-use changes at nest sites (covering both the breeding and foraging habitats) are needed for conservation programmes aimed at this bird species. Land-use changes in farmland rank among frequently discussed negative factors causing the population decline of the Little Owl. The aim of this study is to analyse land-use changes at nest sites of the Little Owl in the South-Moravian region (Czech Republic) between the years 1976/1977 and 2014. In both studied periods (1976/1977 and 2014), the most important land-use type within 500 m from the nest sites of the Little Owl was arable land (66.94 % – 62.25 %), followed by built-up areas (19.97 % –22.41 %), while the other land-use types made up less than 5 %. The proportion of the particular land-use type did not change significantly between the years 1976/1977 and 2014. The most important change in comparison with the period 1976/1977 was the decrease in the area of arable land by 4.69 % and that of orchards and gardens by 1.99 %, while the surface of built-up areas increased slightly by 2.45 % and that of meadows and pastures by 1.5 %. The analysis shows that at the known nest sites of the Little Owl in the South-Moravian region (Czech Republic), there were no significant changes in the proportion of the particular land-use types within 500 m from the nests between the years 1976/1977 and 2014. Based on these results, we can conclude that in comparison with the availability of nest sites, which seems to be the important limiting factor for the occurrence and population density of the Little Owl, land-use changes in study area were not very important factor influencing decline of the Little Owl.

Why Have Constitutional Courts Been so Important for Democracy in Central Europe (…And So Hated by Those in Power)?

The contribution reacts to various thoughts about the present state of constitutionalism in the V4 countries. The author argues that the constitutional court, an institutional check on majoritarian decision-making, has been an indispensable component of constitutional-building in the Central European area. However, the model of a highly esteemed constitutional court, with its justices, nominated in a bipartisan manner, has been regularly contested, especially by those who were supposed to be constrained thereby. To outlive current and future populist waves, a result of vibrant discourse between political branches of government and a self-restrained constitutional court has a strong potential to stabilize democracy in the region, marked by authoritarian governments of the second half of the 20th century. Thus, the article will reason that we, the Central Europeans, need “more”, rather than “less” constitutionalism to protect the legacy of the last democratic revolution.

Comparative Literature as Educational Means of Understanding and Communication

Abstract The paper explores possibilities of a more intensive use of comparative literature within literary education in which the adoration of national literature prevails together with the abstraction of the concept of world literature. This means putting more emphasis on area and comparative approaches. Emphasising comparative literature may bring in a search and respect for otherness, since it is not connected to any national language and literature, to any concrete tradition and culture, but refers to their variability, with the aim of explaining the contact with the other, which can be close as well as different. More effort should be put especially on the attempt to point to the interconnectedness and mutual influencing. The so-called educational, didactically applied comparatistics is a field of comparative literary studies aimed at overcoming binary, ethnolinguistic opposition of “the national” and “the worldly” in education, and, as far as literary education is concerned, it could become a new methodological stimulus. As a methodological basis of this educational comparative studies is being used the hermeneutic understanding of otherness, though not the interculturally remote one, but a close otherness which exists, for example, in the intertextuality of a particular work emerging within the framework of the “neighbourhood” of common Central European area. What is meant here is, first of all, the so-called innovated imagology, concentrated on the interpretation of images by means of which verbal text renders foreign countries and nations. The overall meaning of imagological impulses can also be seen on the weakening of the opposition of the traditional categories of “national” and “world”, as well as in the overcoming of the ideas of some cultures being more developed at the expense of other ones. Applying the area and comparative approach, educational comparative studies may facilitate the dialogue of literature as art also with other spheres, and have integrating as well as didactic function, or develop the feeling of mutuality and the ability to “compare”, not only in linguistic and ethnic circumstances, but in the value-contextual ones as well.

Competition for water in a xeric forest ecosystem – Effects of understory removal on soil micro-climate, growth and physiology of dominant Scots pine trees

Abstract In many Central European areas, forests have been altered by century-long management practices, including grazing with domestic ungulates and litter harvesting. During the last century, most of these agro-forestry practices have been abandoned in many regions of Switzerland. As a consequence, stand density has increased, leading to higher competition for resources among trees, and particularly between overstory trees and understory vegetation. Only few studies investigated the effects of understory on the growth and physiology of overstory trees. We conducted an understory removal experiment at a xeric Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forest in an inner-Alpine valley of Switzerland over a period of 5 years and compared data of soil temperature and water content, needle and shoot length, and radial growth and sap flow. The removal of the understory increased soil temperature as well as soil water content at 5 to 60 cm soil depth, and led to a 4.6-fold higher mean annual radial growth and significantly longer needles and shoots. The removal of the understory further decreased tree water deficit and increased sap flow. We conclude that reduced competition for soil water after removal of the understory vegetation was the primary cause of the increased performance of the overstory trees since light was not a limiting factor already before the understory removal. Thus, increases in understory density due to altered forest management may have exacerbated observed drought-induced decline processes. Therefore, our study demonstrates the need for a careful disentangling of climate and land-use change processes as they may evolve in parallel and potentially intensify their impact on the ecosystems. In contrast, the findings suggest decreasing understory density as a suitable management practice to increase overstory tree growth and vigour, and hence reduce mortality risk for a species like Scots pine in a drought-prone environment.

Criados rurales: el caso de Italia desde una perspectiva comparada (siglos XVI al XX)

Con las ideas que reconocidos expertos han expuesto acerca del presunto perfil de los criados rurales italianos como punto de partida, este artículo da cuenta de la significación y las características de este colectivo, al tiempo que entra en contradicción con aquellas. Si bien el porcentaje de sirvientes en la población rural difiere en función de la época y el lugar considerados, este fue en algunos casos tan elevado como en diversas áreas del centro y norte de Europa. En varias zonas de Italia en las que el número de criados rurales fue relevante, también fueron comunes las familias complejas; un hecho que cuestiona el vínculo establecido entre el life-cycle service y la neolocalidad. Asimismo, y aun cuando en aquellas mismas zonas el acceso al matrimonio fue más bien bastante tardío, no hay indicios de que en gran parte de Italia (exceptuando Cerdeña y algunas partes del antiguo Tirol austríaco, hoy bajo dominio italiano) haya existido una vinculación entre la presencia de life-cycle servants y el matrimonio tardío. Aunque es preciso examinar la cuestión con más detalle, el modelo que parece imponerse en Italia implicaba que los jóvenes comenzaran muy pronto a trabajar como criados agrícolas y dejaran de serlo antes de los 20 años; por tanto, mucho antes de casarse. La principal razón por la que dejaban su hogar para servir no era tanto acumular recursos con miras al matrimonio cuanto aliviar las cargas familiares. Las implicaciones teóricas de estos resultados son también aquí objeto de discusión.

Chronostratigraphic interpretation of intermediate layer formation cycles based on OSL-dates from intercalated slope wash sediments

Stratified periglacial sediments extensively cover the slopes of central European low mountain areas. Periglacial cover beds and loess-like sediments as most abundant strata influence many near-surface processes, forming an important component of the Earth's critical zone.The present study focusses on the analysis of a complex sequence of periglacial slope deposits with multiple intermediate layers and intercalated slope wash sediments in order to determine and date periods of intermediate layer formation.Since luminescence dating often provides inconsistent data for cover beds, there is need to reconsider the numerical dating strategy. This study hence places stronger emphasis on numerical dating of interbedded, sufficiently bleached slope wash sediments. The gained OSL-ages are more reliable and consistent and thus, provide a temporal framework for relative dating of intermediate layer formation cycles. In combination with paleosol relics the numerical ages allowed a chronostratigraphic interpretation of Late Pleistocene paleoenvironmental dynamics and slope evolution.Our findings not only prove multiple phases of intermediate layer formation in the study area during the last glacial period but also enabled the correlation of single intermediate layers with specific time spans, including Early and Middle Weichselian as well as the Late Glacial. Remnants of the Eemian soil in the studied sequence even indicate a Saalian age for the lowermost intermediate layer.The present study shows that luminescence dating of intercalated slope wash deposits instead of cover beds is a promising numerical dating strategy for the chronostratigraphic interpretation of cover bed sequences. The findings further illustrate that complex, fanned out periglacial sediment sequences form despite their scarcity important paleoenvironmental archives for Late Pleistocene periglacial landscape dynamics in central European low mountain areas.

Long-term effects of rotational wetland mowing on breeding birds: evidence from a 30-year experiment

Wetlands are amongst the richest, yet most threatened types of habitats on Earth. One major threat is the modification of water regime for human activities, which disrupts normal ecosystem equilibrium. In lacustrine wetlands, reduced flooding allows shrubs to take over, ultimately leading to a shift towards woody communities. To counter this, wetland managers have initiated a variety of measures, including mowing, burning, and pasturing. Because of the short time frames of previous studies on the subject, little is known on their potential negative side effects on the ecosystem. Here, we evaluate the long-term effect of mowing on breeding populations of the five most abundant species in our central European study area (the reed warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus, the common reed bunting Emberiza schoeniclus, Savi’s warbler Locustella luscinioides, the water rail Rallus aquaticus, and the bearded reedling Panurus biarmicus). This study, of an unprecedented time scale (30 years), shows that rotational mowing has no long-term detrimental effects on birds. However, optimal mowing regime for the birds might often be less frequent than what is usually applied. We recommend that mowing be spaced every 3 years at least, and ideally every 6 years or more. We discuss additional measures that could be implemented to complement mowing. Because of the widespread distribution of the target habitat and species, our study provides readily applicable information for wetland managers in Europe and worldwide.