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Past human activities can be reflected in the elemental composition of contemporary soils. The paper is tackling the problem whether it is possible to distinguish prehistoric residential and ritual activities based on the elemental composition of soils. Specifically, the paper is addressing the question of whether Neolithic long barrows were built near habitation zones. An extensive set of 1085 soil samples was used, collected from four barrow sites of the Funnel Beaker Culture in the Czech Republic (and a prehistoric settlement as a reference site). Their elemental composition showed significant differences in the amount of P (phosphorus) and other anthropogenic elements (Ca, Cu, Mn, Zn) between the prehistoric habitation zone and the sites of long barrows. This difference was detected both in the A horizon (ploughed) and B horizon (sub-soil), thus, the additional conclusion of this study is that the ploughed A horizon, which is typically neglected by archaeologists, may also contain information about prehistoric land-use. The results of the geochemical analysis were confirmed by magnetometric surveys, recording, on the one hand, the absence of residential features in the vicinity of the barrows and, on the other hand, showing the presence of later funerary/ritual features. It was possible to conclude that the investigated barrows were built from local materials and that there were no human activities related to the accumulation of ash and waste in their surroundings at the time of construction, use or abandonment, which suggests that they were built in separation from Neolithic habitation zones. They continued to influence land-use and the perception of the landscape for thousands of years. [Display omitted] • Late Neolithic Barrows were built on the margins of settlement zones. • Barrows were respected as ritual areas for thousands of years. • Prehistoric habitation zone was characterized by accumulation of P, Ca, Cu, Zn, and Mn. • The arable soil preserves prehistoric chemical signatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed molecular radiation in the spectra of the very bright Benešov bolide. The Benešov bolide appeared over the Czech Republic on May 7, 1991 and reached an absolute magnitude of –19.5. It was caused by a meteoroid larger than 1 m. Small meteorites of various mineralogical types were recovered recently (Spurný et al. [2014] Astron. Astrophys., 570, A39, 14 p.). The spectrum of the bolide, recorded on two photographic plates, is probably the richest meteor spectrum ever obtained. It contains hundreds of atomic emission lines, continuous radiation and molecular bands, and covers the whole bolide trajectory from the altitude of 90–20 km. In this paper we focus on identification and analysis of molecular bands. The identification of FeO, CaO, AlO, and MgO, reported earlier (Borovička and Spurný [1996] Icarus, 121, 484–510) was confirmed. In addition, radiation of N 2 was probably detected. The oxides were best seen in the wake and in the radiating cloud left at the position of the bolide flare at the altitude of 24.5 km. Trace of N 2 was seen only in the meteor at lower altitudes. FeO bands are present in the spectra from the highest altitudes. We suppose that FeO was ablated directly in molecular form at high altitudes. CaO was first detected just below 50 km and its intensity, relatively to FeO, strongly increased toward lower altitudes. AlO, which is similarly refractive as CaO, behaved as FeO rather than CaO at lower altitudes. MgO was observed only in the radiating cloud. The spectrum of the cloud is unique because it contains almost no atomic lines. We compared the data with theoretical calculations of the presence of molecules in the mixture of meteoric vapors and air at various altitudes and temperatures. CN and TiO were not found. The upper limit of CN is in agreement with theory for ordinary chondrite meteoroid. Most of carbon should be in fact present in the form of CO, but CO bands are too weak to be detected. The non-detection of TiO can be explained by the fact that temperature in the wake and the cloud was lower than needed for the presence of TiO bands. However, AlO was found to be about 40 times more abundant than MgO, although comparable abundances are expected. The explanation may be that the abundances are in fact comparable but there are non-equilibrium conditions in the radiating cloud with the excitation temperature of MgO lower than that of AlO. The difference may be caused by higher ablation temperature of Al. Another non-equilibrium effect is the observed difference between the rotational (∼1000 K) and vibrational (∼3000 K) temperature of AlO molecules. This can be explained by short hydrodynamic timescale and the fact that vibrational relaxation time is significantly longer than rotational relaxation time. The vibrational temperature therefore could not decrease so quickly during the cooling and expansion of the cloud because of insufficient number of collisions. FeO and CaO could not be analyzed in detail, because their molecular constants, especially transition probabilities, are not well known. The increase of the CaO/FeO ratio with decreasing altitude could be, nevertheless, explained in scope of equilibrium chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to change the traditional view of the Late Avar belt fittings, which in the 8th century AD delineated an extremely dense communication network within the Carpathian Basin and beyond, by using a groundbreaking combination of iconography, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), lead isotope analysis, digital morphometry and 3D comparative prototyping. It presents a complex analysis of bronze belt ends decorated with an exceptional scene of a snake eating a frog-like creature, discovered in the last decade in Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany. According to the iconography, this motif represents an important cosmogonic and fertility myth, known to various early medieval populations living in Central Europe. Some of these belt ends come from the same workshop and/or are derived from a common model, even though they were found in very distant regions. The study also focuses on the provenance of the raw material used in the production of Avar-style belt fittings in general. For the first time, it was possible to locate the Early Medieval source of copper in the Slovak Ore Mountains, using lead isotope analysis. • First analytical approach to peculiar belt fittings found in Avar and non-Avar contexts. • Combination of elemental, isotopic and morphometric analyses. • Metal source identified in Slovakian Ore Mountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of intentional cranial modification was known in Eurasia since the Bronze Age. It intensified during the Migration Period (4th – 7th c AD) coinciding with the arrival of Huns in the Carpathian basin. The resurgence in the practice has been attributed to the Huns even in regions removed from the Huns in geography and time. As a highly visual symbol, cranial modification clearly played an important role in negotiating social identity. The purpose of this paper is to compare styles of modification in regions across Eurasia to determine the role of cranial modification in conveying different identities. Three-dimensional landmark coordinates were used in a geometric morphometric analysis to compare the shape of 14 non-modified recent crania, 23 modified crania from The Republic of Georgia, 17 from Hungary, 13 from Germany, two from The Czech Republic, one from Austria and one from Crimea. A Generalized Procrustes Analysis was used to standardize size differences and reveal shape differences. Results from principal components and discriminant analysis reveal significant differences in the style and shape of cranial modification among the recent non-modified crania and modified crania from Georgia, Hungary and Germany. A review of the tomb types, burial assemblages and historical records brings up a complex pattern of multiple social groups involved in the practice of cranial modification in each region. In Hungary the style of modification was homogeneous and the practice was local in origin. In Georgia and Germany individuals with modified crania were migrant and did not perpetuate the practice in their new homeland. We suggest that the practice was re-popularized by the Huns during the Migration Period as a means to maintain central control using a visual form of social identity. This was emulated by other nomadic groups acknowledging the importance of the practice for conveying social identity at boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste management is a common public service whose provision is the responsibility of local governments. As is usual with public services, the question of its efficiency naturally arises. The majority of studies focus on such efficiency from the perspective of the provider. This is based on the assumption that waste collection expenditure is a function of available equipment and municipal characteristics. In our opinion this approach has its limitations, and therefore we have used a novel approach based on the demand from municipal citizens for waste collection services. We build on previous results obtained from data concerning social and demographic characteristics, and focus on the relationship between age and expenditure on municipal solid waste, concentrating specifically on the ageing of the population. The ageing of societies in general is a very topical issue, but there is rather little focus in research on the effects of ageing on the demand for various public services. The research that does exist in the area of waste management that takes the age factor into account typically only makes a very rough division of the population into age categories such as children , people of working age and elderly people . Such wide groups naturally contain people with a large variety of needs, and therefore often lead to ambiguous results. The goal of our paper is to examine this topic in more detail, and to estimate the effects of various age categories of municipal citizens on municipal waste expenditure. We use models with age categories differentiated by decades, an approach which provides significantly more detailed information than the age variables used in other studies in this area. We use population age and waste management expenditure data collected from more than 6100 municipalities in the Czech Republic in 2011 and 2014. The results of our investigation have shown that senior citizens of a certain age (approximately at the onset of retirement) have a surprisingly strong influence on waste management expenditure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing share of waste material recovery, household plastic waste is one of the biggest problems. In most countries, mainly manual sorting is used. Meanwhile, new automated technologies are being developed to expand the range of classifiable types to increase material recovery. The overall automation of the sorting process can help the EU's established recycling targets to be effectively met. However, the new technologies are feasible only in the case of large-capacity centers, which must be conveniently located in the existing infrastructure. This paper presents a two-stage model aiming to modernize the current sorting infrastructure for plastic waste. The approach uses multi-criteria optimization to minimize environmental impact at a reasonable price. The result is the optimal location of new automatic sorting centers, and waste stream flows using existing manual sorting facilities. The model is applied through an initial case study inspired by the Czech Republic data. Optimization output proposes four new automatic sorting lines with a total capacity of 158 kt per year. In most cases, manual sorting is used to reduce the transported weight of plastic waste, while automatic sorting lines separate the remaining, hardly recognized part. More than 60% of separately collected plastic is sorted and determined for material recovery. • Implementation of new sorting technologies into existing infrastructure. • Multi-criteria model for reducing environmental impact with a cost estimate. • Model tested through a case study inspired by conditions in the Czech Republic. • The results recommend four new high-tech centers with a total capacity of 158 kt. • The emission savings are 264 kt CO 2eq , costing 74 EUR per tonne of CO 2eq. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prioritizing brownfields for redevelopment in real estate portfolios can contribute to more sustainable regeneration and land management. Owners of large real estate and brownfield portfolios are challenged to allocate their limited resources to the development of the most critical or promising sites, in terms of time and cost efficiency. Authorities worried about the negative impacts of brownfields – in particular in the case of potential contamination – on the environment and society also need to prioritize their resources to those brownfields that most urgently deserve attention and intervention. Yet, numerous factors have to be considered for prioritizing actions, in particular when adhering to sustainability principles. Several multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approaches and tools have been suggested in order to support these actors in managing their brownfield portfolios. Based on lessons learned from the literature on success factors, sustainability assessment and MCDA approaches, researchers from a recent EU project have developed the web-based Timbre Brownfield Prioritization Tool (TBPT). It facilitates assessment and prioritization of a portfolio of sites on the basis of the probability of successful and sustainable regeneration or according to individually specified objectives. This paper introduces the challenges of brownfield portfolio management in general and reports about the application of the TBPT in five cases: practical test-uses by two large institutional land owners from Germany, a local and a regional administrative body from the Czech Republic, and an expert from a national environmental authority from Romania. Based on literature requirements for sustainability assessment tools and on the end-users’ feedbacks from the practical tests, we discuss the TBPT's strengths and weaknesses in order to inform and give recommendations for future development of prioritization tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fundamental knowledge at all levels of decision-making related to waste management is the quantity and composition of waste. Many articles deal with methods for estimating the composition of municipal waste, but most details are given as to how many categories should be chosen and what technical procedure should be followed. In order to obtain a broader view and a reasonable evaluation of the results, it is necessary to select the areas where the analyzes will be performed effectively. Current approaches have insufficiently addressed this issue at the regional and national levels. This paper presents a method that uses multi-level stratification to divide municipalities into similar groups to reduce the number of observations needed to obtain an estimate of the composition of waste in a selected area (region or state level). The method combines expert knowledge with statistical considerations and makes use of cluster analysis. Socio-economic and waste-related parameters are used within the individual steps. Regarding the available financial resources and the required accuracy of the results, the municipalities in which the analyzes should take place are selected. These representative municipalities represent other municipalities in the created groups, and thanks to them, it is possible to estimate the composition of waste in any municipality, region, or larger territory. Waste analysis planning is an essential procedure for waste management, but the respective costs represent a crucial factor at the national level and even more for individual municipalities. Estimating waste composition impacts the transition to sustainable waste management and is thus a key element for further development in this sector. The presented method demonstrates the selection of 10 representative municipalities from the Czech Republic, but an arbitrary number can be set respecting the financial resources. Estimating the composition of the mixed municipal waste for the Czech Republic should cost around 72,000 euros for ten representatives with different distribution of dwelling types. The method is described in general and can be applied to any territory/country in the world, considering local conditions and possibilities. • Stratification of municipalities reduces the cost of waste composition analysis. • Socio-economic parameters applied in multi-level stratification of a large territory. • Country/region composition estimates of mixed municipal waste can be accomplished. • A guideline on how to select representative municipalities was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the progress in the field of total viewshed computation, which was made by the joint efforts of several Slovak and Czech research institutions. The result of the project is eight total viewsheds calculated for the whole territory of Bohemia (57,000 km2) with a relatively high resolution (grid from 5 × 5 to 320 × 320 m, visibility radii from 0.5 to 64 km). Through the principal component analysis, the viewsheds were further processed and derived datasets were created defining the most important gradients of visual affordances of the Bohemian landscape. On a sample of archaeological sites (barrow cemeteries from a part of South Bohemia), it was examined how the resulting models could be interpreted and whether the identified visibility gradients affected people's behaviour in the past, namely the location of their funerary monuments. On the one hand, this study shows that non-random relationships of this type existed, but on the other hand, visibility itself may not always have been the only (or the main) factor in past behaviour, even if it is related to above-standard places in terms of visibility. All total-viewshed datasets are made available for further research through public repository. • A procedure for calculating total viewsheds of large territories was developed and successfully used on a supercomputer infrastructure. • Eight total viewsheds of Bohemia (Czechia, 57,000 km2) were calculated for the visibility radii from 500 m to 64 km, with a resolution of 5 × 5 to 320 × 320 m. • Using the principal component analysis, three main visibility gradients were identified combining total-viewshed values from different distances. • The location of barrows is demonstrably related to visibility, but the intentionality can be assumed only on a local scale. • Analysis revealed patterns interpreted as the vertical division, distinguishing the world of the living and the world of ancestors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The white inlayed decorations represent a distinctive phenomenon of prehistoric Europe, and are known to have been produced in diverse areas since the Neolithic. This paper reveals how the raw materials were gathered and utilized, as well as the complex technological processes of the inlay decorations, from the period of their widest production and use. A large set of shards of Late Copper Age Bell Beakers and Early Bronze Age vessels from Moravia (Czech Republic) were examined, with a focus on material analyses of the white inlay decorations. Based on x-ray diffraction analyses, five technology groups were defined: kaolin, bone material, carbonates, gypsum plaster, and mixtures of some of those materials. The gypsum plaster inlay represents the oldest evidence of gypsum production and application in Central Europe. The results indicate both regional and chronological aspects in the selection of the raw materials. In contrast to the bone and gypsum, the kaolin inlay was not thermally treated. Based on the physical properties of bones and the crystallinity of bone hydroxylapatite, it can be presumed that the encrusting slurry was prepared out of fired bones. These facts prove a knowledge of the different properties of the individual raw materials; hence, the need for different production chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to make sense how organized crime is constructed by the Czech government. Drawing on the intention-based model of organized crime (Sergi, 2017), this study specifically examines whether the country's national policy frames organized crime as a profit- or power-oriented phenomenon. To this end, an analysis of the government-issued Concepts for Combating Organized Crime was conducted, focusing on the rationale behind the adopted legal measures designed to combat organized crime. Qualitative content analysis was applied to first identify the relevant measures and then to examine their rationale in light of the intention-based model. The analysis revealed that the legal measures were primarily designed to counter profit-driven criminal groups operating in legitimate markets alongside legal and respectable actors, where such groups benefit from being virtually invisible to official authorities and are tolerated by other market actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 19th and early to mid-20th centuries, a rush to better understand the European Palaeolithic led to the substantive removal of deposits from limestone caves. In the 21st century the situation has changed. Many caves are now excavated, leaving behind a human-made environment of diminished cave sediments and large spoil heaps, with the latter now targeted by those searching for artefacts missed during the original excavations. In an age in which archaeologists are increasingly attempting to balance their roles as cultural heritage educators and destroyers, the question remains - how much do we know about the taphonomy of these features? In this paper we report results from the excavation of a large spoil heap outside Švédův Stůl Cave, in the Moravian Karst region of Czech Republic. Results show heterogeneous sediment formation (revealed primarily through their field characteristics and ED-XRF and Itrax geochemical analyses) and patterns in artefact distributions (evident through assessment of Iron Age, Neolithic and modern artefacts) and faunal remains. This allows partial context to be provided for some artefacts and a methodology to be developed for excavation of overburden. • Identify intact contexts within archaeological spoil. • Insight into hominin activity in Czech Republic during mid-late Palaeolithic. • Demonstrate how XRF (ED-XRF and Itrax) may unravel complex sediment histories. • Provide a new methodology for excavating overburden. • Flag urgent need to apply these methods before excavation destroys these features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes trends in educational homogamy in six European countries (Sweden, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Italy). We use vital statistics on all marriages contracted between 1990 and 2016. Absolute educational homogamy increases in all countries (very moderately in the Czech Republic and Italy), it changes its structure, and the absolute educational hypogamy of women increases. The trends over time and among countries in relative educational homogamy are tested using log-linear and log-multiplicative models. We expand a regression-type layer effect model (the Goodman-Hout model) into a four-way table. The results indicate differing assortative mating by educational categories. Relative homogamy decreases in tertiary education. In lower educational categories, relative homogamy increases. We present the hypothesis that a decrease in relative homogamy in tertiary education is a consequence of the rise of social homogamy. We conceptualize this homogamy balance as a "complementary maintained homogamy." Because changes in relative educational homogamies are the same in all countries, the cross-country differences remain constant over time. We conceptualize this as a "maintained flux." The European countries are not in convergence, even though the relative homogamies delineated by educational categories change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In various research fields, from archaeology to landscape history and ecology, it is important to know the date of the origin of historical settlements (i.e. towns, villages, hamlets, isolated farms) as precisely as possible. In Central Europe, there are two primary ways to obtain the date when a settlement was founded: "historical dating" (based on historical written sources) and "archaeological dating" (based on archaeological findings). Historical dating usually does not reflect the real time of origin, since the first reference to a settlement in written sources can be recorded many years after the real origin of the settlement. However, the time lag is unknown. Until now, no study has attempted to show exactly how the time lag differs in different centuries, or whether the time lag has been affected by any geographical factors. This paper compares the dates of origin from archaeological data and from written sources of medieval and early modern settlements (n = 527, AD 850–1600) in the present-day Czech Republic. We also tested the influence of local environmental conditions on the time lag. Our comparison shows that the time lag has been decreasing with the passing of calendar years (from a time lag of 250 years for AD 1000 to approx. 80 years for AD 1400). Towns and places close to major towns also have a shorter time lag in their historical dating (the difference is almost 100 years). These results make an interpretation of the historical dating of medieval towns and villages more complicated. The length of the time lag and its dispersion means that, for the purposes of settlement dating, historical dating needs to be combined with other dating methods (especially in the medieval period). Our results also identify a possible bias in the chronology of landscape transformation. • Written sources are not reliable for dating medieval settlements in Central Europe. • We have assessed the concordance between written sources and archaeological data. • The usual time lag in written sources decreases with increasing calendar year. • Around AD 1200, the typical time lag of written sources is 150 years. • Around AD 1600, written sources agree with archaeological data in 70% of the cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]