Eastern Part Of Central Europe Research Articles

Fishes and squamate reptiles from the Pliocene sites of Berești and Mălușteni (eastern Romania) – a reassessment of old but poorly known material

This paper performs a revision of teleost fish and squamate reptile material from the Early Pliocene sites of Berești and Mălușteni (eastern Romania), found in old collections, but never described in detail. The fish assemblage includes a few cyprinid species (Rutilus robustus, Rutilus cf. R. frisii, Scardinius ponticus, Barbus sp., Tinca sp.), Silurus cf. S. soldatovi, pikes (Esox moldavicus and Esox sp.), as well as indeterminate remains of salmonid, percid and sparid fishes. Squamate reptiles are represented by isolated vertebral and cranial material assigned to the anguid lizard Pseudopus pannonicus, as well as by isolated snake vertebrae belonging to the viperid Macrovipera sp. This is the most taxonomically diverse Pliocene ectothermic vertebrate assemblage described so far from the Romanian Carpathian Foreland. The obtained results contribute to a better understanding of continental vertebrate fauna evolution in the eastern part of central Europe.

Non-native tree plantations are weak substitutes for near-natural forests regarding plant diversity and ecological value

While near-natural forest stands are dramatically diminishing, monoculture tree plantations are rapidly spreading globally, including the eastern part of Central Europe. Tree plantations are regarded as simplified and species-poor ecosystems, but their functional and phylogenetic diversity and ecological value are still mostly unknown. In the present study, we investigated near-natural poplar forests and the three most common tree plantation types (native deciduous Populus alba, non-native evergreen Pinus nigra, and non-native deciduous Robinia pseudoacacia plantations) in the Kiskunság Sand Ridge, central Hungary. Our aim was to find out how different the species composition of the studied habitats is, how taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity vary among the four habitat types (i.e., near-natural forests and three types of plantations), and what the ecological value of the studied habitats is. We found that the four habitat types had significantly different species compositions. Although each habitat contained some diagnostic species, near-natural forests had the highest number of diagnostic species. While many of the diagnostic species of near-natural forests were native shrubs, tree plantations had many weeds and non-native herbs as diagnostic species. Near-natural forests had the highest per plot richness of native species and the lowest richness of non-natives. Shannon diversity, functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity were higher in the near-natural forests and two types of plantations (Populus and Pinus) compared to Robinia plantations. Based on naturalness indicator values, near-natural forests were the least degraded and Robinia plantations were the most degraded. Near-natural forests contained the most species of high conservation importance. Overall, near-natural forests proved to be much more valuable from an ecological and conservation perspective than any of the studied plantations; conservation and restoration programs should therefore focus on this type of habitat. Among the plantations, Populus alba plantations are the best substitute option in most respects, although they harbored a relatively high number of non-native species. We suggest that the native Populus alba should be preferred to non-native tree species when plantations are established. In addition, decreasing the extent of Pinus and Robinia plantations is essential on the long run if we aim to maintain the ecological integrity of the region.

A new late Eocene alligatoroid crocodyliform from Transylvania

Here we describe a new eusuchian crocodyliform, collected 130 years ago from a shallow marine limestone of the late Eocene (Priabonian) fossil locality of Cluj-Mănăștur, Transylvania, Romania. Diplocynodon kochi n. sp. is represented by a three-dimensionally preserved incomplete skull that may have belonged to a mature individual. The new taxon possesses a relatively narrow and elongated snout and a mediolaterally shallow but anteroposteriorly wide premaxillary-maxillary notch, strengthened by a prominent bony ridge. The nasals are excluded from the naris and the anterior tip of the frontal forms a broad, complex sutural contact with the nasals. Diplocynodon kochi n. sp. possesses, similarly to other members of the genus, 16-17 maxillary alveoli of which the fourth and fifth alveoli are enlarged and confluent; the lacrimal is longer than the prefrontal; the ectopterygoid is situated close to the posteriormost maxillary tooth alveoli, the dorsal margin of the infratemporal fenestra is bordered by the quadratojugal, preventing the quadrate from reaching the fenestra, and the foramen aëreum is situated on the dorsal surface of the quadrate. The occurrence of D. kochi n. sp. in the Priabonian of the eastern part of Central Europe suggests that the genus was still present and probably widespread across the continent that contributed probably to its survival (at least locally) across the Eocene/Oligocene boundary.

Proměny pohřebních zvyklostí starší a mladší doby železné ve střední Evropě / Changes in the burial customs in the Early and Late Iron Age in Central Europe

Burial customs underwent gradual changes during the Iron Age, sometimes revealing significant upheavals occurring in the socio-spiritual sphere of the time. Both commonalities and differences between Western and Eastern Europe can be observed in the development of Iron Age burial practices. Particular attention is paid to the differences between the western and eastern parts of Central Europe, which come to the forefront in LT C2 and are probably related to the radical change in religious ideas in the eastern part of Central Europe. Interdisciplinary investigation of the disturbed princely barrow from the Late Hallstatt period in Rovná near Strakonice (South Bohemia) produced new information that has helped clarify the studied topic.

An analysis of clinical effectiveness of electrochemotherapy in the treatment of advanced metastatic malignant melanoma performed in the eastern part of Central Europe: a single-centre experience.

IntroductionPatients with cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM), in case of non-resectability of the lesions, have only a limited pool of the available treatment options. In recent years especially electrochemotherapy (ECT) has become an increasingly important therapy in locoregionally advanced MM.AimIn this study an analysis of the ECT treatment of locoregionally advanced malignant melanoma was presented.Material and methodsSix ECT cycles in 5 patients were performed in the Wroclaw Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Treatment response, long-term observation, technical data downloaded from electroporator and photographs taken before and after the ECT were assessed in the analysis.ResultsIn total, 200 nodules in 5 patients were treated with ECT in palliative intent. After 5 out of 6 ECT cycles, the particular clinical response has been observed. Four patients with primary unresectable lesions underwent 11 surgeries of the cutaneous metastases. In long-term follow-up in 2 patients, of whom one died 19 months after the ECT, the disease progressed and in another two, no recurrence was observed.ConclusionsECT is an encouraging therapy for patients in whom the recurrent cutaneous melanoma cannot be treated with other methods, however, access to this method in eastern part of Central Europe is limited. The presented study seems to confirm the usefulness of this palliative approach in a specific group of patients suffering from cutaneous MM.

Eldre jernalders tjæreproduksjon ut av tåken. Om tidlig norsk tjæreproduksjon med utgangspunkt i et funn på Averøy i Møre og Romsdal

For many years it has been well known that tar was an available commodity in the Norwegian Iron Age, but until recently no production site or installation for such production was known. In this paper two recently discovered tar production sites, in south-eastern and mid-Norway respectively, are presented and discussed. Both are clay-lined funnel-shaped pits that are dug into the ground with an upper part where the wood was stacked and lit, and a lower part where the tar was collected in a container. The Norwegian tar production pits are similar to contemporary Swedish ones found in large numbers in mid-Sweden. The type is also known from the eastern part of Central Europe where they came into use a few centuries later than in Scandinavia.

Analytical potential of 3D data in the ballistic analyses of lithic projectiles

The total entry area of a projectile to the impacted object is a key ballistic parameter of lithic projectiles. Together with the assumed or experimentally testified penetration depth, it forms the first reception of the wounding capability of an individual projectile point, i.e., of the permanent wounding cavity volume. Mathematical operations are used to calculate the entry area, for which the manually measured dimensions of the projectile form input data. Nevertheless, these methods reconstruct only the cross-sectional area at only one point of the longitudinal axis of the object. Here, we propose a method of using high-resolution 3D data for precise measurements of the real entry area of a projectile, even in the case of barbed projectiles whose barbs exceed the width of the projectile body, as well as in cases of projectiles with an asymmetric cross-section. The proposed method of using 3D models to read the numerically expressed values of ballistic parameters was used to analyse almost 400 lithic archery projectiles found in the eastern part of Central Europe, dating from the Late Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age, a culminating period for lithic archery projectiles in the archaeological record.

RADIOCARBON DATING OF ST. GEORGE’S ROTUNDA IN NITRIANSKA BLATNICA (SLOVAKIA): INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM RESULTS

ABSTRACTAn international consortium of radiocarbon (14C) laboratories was established to date the origin of the St. George’s Rotunda in Nitrianska Blatnica (Slovakia), because its age was not well established in previous investigations. Altogether, 20 samples of wood, charcoal, mortar and plaster were analyzed. The 14C results obtained from the different laboratories as well as between the different sample types were in good agreement, resulting in a 14C calibrated age of 783–880 AD (94.2% probability) for the Rotunda. Although the 14C results have very good precision, the specific plateau-shape of the calibration curve in this period caused the wide range of the calibrated age. The probability distribution from OxCal calibration shows, however, that about 86% of the probability distribution lies in the period before 863 AD, implying that the Rotunda could have been constructed before the arrival of Constantine (St. Cyril) and St. Methodius to Great Moravia. The Rotunda thus probably represents the oldest standing purpose-built Christian church in the eastern part of Central Europe.

Use-wear and ballistic analysis of arrowheads from the burial ground of Nitra culture in Holešov–Zdražilovska, Moravia

One of the largest assemblages of lithic projectiles in the eastern part of Central Europe comes from the Nitra burial ground in Holešov–Zdražilovska. Use-wear and ballistic analysis of these artefacts provides new information regarding lithic projectile roles in studied area at the dawn of the Early Bronze Age (2200–1900 BCE). Our evaluation also includes data on the raw material from which the projectiles are made and their context. The specific location of the site in the most important prehistoric transit corridor in Central Europe – the Moravian Gate – is reflected not only in the spectrum of raw materials, but also in other differences in comparison with the recently analysed collections from the Nitra culture burial grounds of Mýtna Nová Ves and Hroznová Lhota.

The scientific report from the first pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) procedures performed in the eastern part of Central Europe.

ObjectiveTo perform a single-centre, detailed analysis of the preparations for the introduction of the first pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) programme in the eastern part of Central Europe.MethodsThe study analysed the 14-month preparation period prior to the performance of the first PIPAC procedure with respect to: (i) general preparations; (ii) patient referral and qualification; (iii) the first PIPAC procedure; (iv) the 2 weeks following PIPAC programme establishment; and (v) general problematic issues that arose.ResultsThe length of time needed to prepare our institution for the first PIPAC procedure was extremely long compared with other European Union PIPAC centres: 14 months versus a standard 3–6 months of preparation. The longest amount of time (12 months) was required to prepare the required paperwork.ConclusionsA new PIPAC programme was successfully established in the eastern part of Central Europe. The length of time to implement this method was significantly longer because of lengthy bureaucratic processes. These current findings should help new centres, especially in this part of Europe, to establish a PIPAC programme more quickly.

Assessment of household food waste in Hungary

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine and quantify the most dominant types of food waste in Hungarian households and to analyse the effect of demographic background and income as influencing factors.Design/methodology/approachData related to solid and liquid food waste were recorded from 100 households for one week. The study primarily focussed on avoidable food waste, however, unavoidable and potentially avoidable food waste were also measured. Appropriate tools and manual were provided to the households to ensure data consistency.FindingsEstimated quantity of total food waste (including liquid waste) per capita is 68.04 kg/year. In all, 48.70 per cent of total food waste would have been avoidable (equals to 33.14 kg/capita/year). Most frequently wasted food categories were meals and bakery products. In case of some demographic categories, different wastage levels were observed. It was also confirmed that income has effect on food waste production that varies by foodstuff categories: bakery product waste was mainly dominant for middle income consumers and fresh fruits were typically wasted by more affluent households. Apart from that, higher income resulted in higher food waste production in general.Practical implicationsThis primary data set about avoidable food waste in Hungary contributes with relevant information to the refining of international estimates. Having specific data on food wastage and the most affected target groups, as well as information on the impact of the income can be applied in planning awareness raising campaigns.Originality/valueThe research is based on measurement of food waste categories in households resulting in detailed data sets. This study is one of the first investigations based on primary data collection from the eastern part of Central Europe and the very first related to Hungary. The study draws attention also to the influence that household income exerts on the issue of food waste.

On the intra-annual variation of cloudiness over the Mediterranean region

The seasonal variability of cloudiness in the Mediterranean region is studied, through the examination of the mean day-to-day intra-annual variation of gridded NCEP/NCAR total cloud cover for the period 1948–2014. A dimensionality reduction process is followed by using a multivariate statistical methodology and three main modes of seasonal variation are found. The first mode is characterized by a winter maximum and a summer minimum and prevails mainly over the Mediterranean and Black Sea areas; a weak see-saw teleconnection over the Alps represents the opposite intra-annual variation. The second mode presents maxima in early autumn and late spring and minima in late summer and winter and prevails over the SW Europe and NW Africa inland regions. The third mode shows a maximum in June and a minimum in October and prevails over the eastern part of central Europe. The main characteristics of these modes are attributed to the seasonal variation of: i) the temperature and humidity of the lower and the middle troposphere affecting static stability and ii) the intensity and the position of the main circulation systems affecting the region, as for example the Azores subtropical anticyclone and the Mediterranean depressions. The examination of inter-decadal changes in the seasonal variation of cloud cover in the above core regions reveals a long-term decrease of cloudiness during the 66-year period 1948–2014. A comparison with contemporary satellite MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and surface based European Climate Assessment & Dataset (ECA&D) station cloud cover data is carried out for the above core regions, evidencing a similarity among the data sets as to their seasonal variability, which supports the validity of the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis cloud cover results.

Horse size and domestication: Early equid bones from the Czech Republic in the European context

ABSTRACT We collected and evaluated, by the ‘logarithmic size index’ (LSI) method, all available postcranial equid bones found in the Czech Republic from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. Material from the Upper Paleolithic (Magdalenien) and Bohemian Late Bronze Age (Knoviz culture) was also included. Two different species of equids were documented: Equus hydruntinus Regalia, 1907 and Equus ferus Boddaert, 1785. The variation in the size of true horses was compared with data published for neighbouring countries. In most periods, the horses are found to be larger in the eastern part of Central Europe than in the western part. The Czech lands appear to span the border of two worlds: the Pannonian plains and the western, geomorphologically diverse regions. The status of horses in the Neolithic Lengyel period from Moravia remains disputable. However, a high size variability in Eneolithic Funnel Beaker culture (TRB, 3800-3350 BC) together with a non-homogeneous distribution in Řivnac culture (3100-2800 BC...

Early Miocene Amphibians (Caudata, Salientia) from the Mokrá-Western Quarry (Czech Republic) with comments on the evolution of Early Miocene amphibian assemblages in Central Europe

The Mokrá-Western Quarry exhibits the rare occurrence of Early Miocene (MN 4) vertebrate fauna within the area of the eastern part of Central Europe. In addition to a rich fauna of reptiles and mammals, two fossiliferous karst joints (Mokrá-Western Quarry, 1/2001 Turtle Joint and Mokrá-Western Quarry, 2/2003 Reptile Joint) yielded a rich fauna of amphibians including 13 amphibian taxa: Salamandridae: Mioproteus sp., Chelotriton sp., type I, Chelotriton sp., type II, Triturus aff. roehrsi, Triturus cf. marmoratus, Triturus sp. ( T. cristatus species group), Chioglossa meini, Mertensiella mera, Salamandridae gen. and sp. indet.; Pelobatidae: Pelobates sanchizi; Ranidae: Rana sp. (synklepton Rana esculenta); Bufonidae: Bufo sp. The first records of the West European species Triturus cf. marmoratus and Chioglossa meini are reported from the eastern part of Central Europe indicating the wide distribution of those taxa throughout the whole of Europe as early as MN 4. The oldest known record of Pelobates sanchizi documents the Early Miocene presence of representatives closely related to the extinct Late Oligocene representatives of Pelobates. The slow evolution of amphibian species is documented by the presence of Triturus cf. marmoratus and the oldest known occurrence of the extinct salamander Mertensiella mera.

Transformations in East-Central Europe from 6000 to 3000 BC: local vs. foreign patterns

In the sixth, fifth and fourth millennium BC, in the basins of the Vistula and the Oder, extremely complex economic, social and ideological transformations took place. They consisted in the emergence and expansion of new systems of circulating information (‘communicative communities’). The majority of these were connected with the Neolithic. The process involved a constant clash between foreign and local patterns. The latter, over time, prevailed. Hence the ultimate dominance of Neolithic communicative communities in the eastern part of Central Europe around the middle of the fourth millennium was essentially a local development. Nonetheless, a considerable portion of the territory continued to remain outside their influence. Therefore, throughout the three millennia, Mesolithic communicative communities not only gradually merged with or evolved into Neolithic ones. They also embraced such transformations, mainly concerning the material culture and ideology, which were completely independent from the advances of the Neolithic, or could have been competitive in relation to them.

Rubus ambrosius (Rubus subsect.Rubus, Rosaceae), a new bramble species from the eastern part of Central Europe

Rubus ambrosius Travnicek etOklejewicz, a widely distributed species from the eastern part of Central Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland), is described.R. ambrosius differs from similar speciesR. sulcatus Vest by more deeply furrowed stems, longer prickles on first-year tems, longer petioles, more prickly petioles, densely hairy leaves beneath and by blunter leaf margin serration with incisions only (2-)1.5–2.5 mm deep. The newly described species is illustrated both by photographs (including the holotype) and a line drawing. A list of localities and a distribution map are presented.

Highlights of twentieth century surgery in Hungary.

On a cold winter morning, in November 1914 a Russian officer was running through the barracks of the camp of the AustrianHungarian prisoners of war in Siberia. He was desperately looking for a prisoner, a Hungarian physician-officer, otologist Robert Barany. At last he found the doctor and handed him a telegram that had just arrived from Sweden. Dr. Barany opened the telegram and saw that it contained the announcement that he was awarded the Nobel Prize. Prince Charles of Sweden, President of the Swedish Red Cross Organization, contacted Prince Konstantin of Russia, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, asking for his help to release Dr. Barany, but the attempt was unsuccessful. However, Dr. Barany was transported from the camp to a hospital in Kazan. Doctor Barany had suffered from a childhood tuberculosis infection in one of his legs, and as a consequence his walk was imperfect the rest of his life. Here, in Kazan, the Russian army doctor, a general, while examining his Hungarian colleague noted this minor alteration. “Ah, you are wounded,” he said. Dr. Barany protested: “I am not wounded.” The Russian officer refused to accept the remark, telling his patient: “To determine who is wounded and who is not, that’s my job and not yours!” Hence Dr. Barany was released as a war-disabled ex-serviceman, and in September 1916 he was able to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony in Sweden. This true story reflects how much Hungarian life and science were affected by the politics of the twentieth century. Hungary, situated in the eastern part of central Europe is 93,000 km after being reduced to a third of its former territory as a result of the Treaty of Trianon, which put an end to World War I. There are 15 million Hungarians living around the world, 5 million of them outside Hungary. The Magyars arrived in the Carpathian Basin in 896 AD. During the years 2000 and 2001 we celebrated not only the turn of a new millennium but also the 1000th anniversary of the coronation of our first King, St. Stephen, who laid the foundations of Hungarian statehood and the acceptance of Christianity in Hungary. The medical profession has been honored and appreciated even from the earliest times in the history of the nation. On the Hungarian royal crown (called the “Holy Crown”) one can find the portraits of the famous twin brothers who were respected physicians during the Middle Ages, the martyrs St. Cosmas and St. Damian. To evaluate Hungarian surgery during the twentieth century we must go back to previous times.

The Oder Flood in July 1997: Transport routes of precipitable water diagnosed with an operational forecast model

A regional simulation of the severe precipitation episode which gave rise to the floods in the eastern part of Central Europe during July 1997 was performed using the meso‐β‐scale weather prediction model DM of Deutscher Wetterdienst. It is shown that the model reproduces the mesoscale precipitation distribution reasonably well as verified against available rain gauge observations. It is therefore used to investigate the transport routes of the bulk of moisture which led to the wide spread heavy precipitation. Inspection of the atmospheric water budget highlights the importance of the cyclonic advection of moist Mediterranean air for the formation of strong precipitation in Central Europe. Autochthonous influences are comparably small.

Bronze Age Economy and Ideology: Central Europe in Focus

Abstract The deposition of huge amounts of copper and bronze items is one of the major changes in ritual which distinguishes the European Bronze Age from previous and later periods. A macroeconomic approach has been chosen for characterizing two transitional phases in Central Europe: The beginning of Early Bronze Age and the formation of Late Bronze Age civilization. Both are characterized by new features on two levels: ritual practices and the organisation of exchange. The general acceptance of copper and bronze for a variety of new functions (medium of exchange, symbols of rank, votive offerings) promoted increased demand. Regional response led to technological progress in sulphide copper smelting which expanded continuously. A crash of the Early Bronze Age cultural system in the eastern part of Central Europe is suspected to have completely altered the situation. The following second phase brought a new cultural network and changed the attitude towards bronze. It promoted an incipient economy of demand...

Long-distance transport ofBetula pollen grains and allergic symptoms

An example of the potential importance of air masses as carriers of aero-allergens from distant source areas is provided. Considerable amount ofBetula pollen is relatively often transported to Fennoscandia before the local birch flowering period, mainly by southeastern air masses from eastern part of central Europe. Although the distance and the transport time in some cases can be extensive, the pollen grains seem to cause allergic reactions among sensitive persons. A comparison between the clinical results andBetula pollen counts from the time before the local flowering season in Stockholm in 1989 is presented.