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The article is an attempt to describe the role of the Institute of International Youth Organizations European space as a component of “soft power”. Examples of promoting a policy of “soft power” in the history of the international youth movement identified some problematic aspects and the main vectors of its development within the framework of the European Youth Forum, which is both international umbrella youth organization and actively supports the conduction of Western values, especially political and humanitarian. As the institutional framework of interaction and mutual influence of pan-European organizational youth milieu, these actors are actively going beyond the traditional forms of activity and unaccounted humanitarian potential in the field of international relations cannot be neglected by specialists. This expansion of the capacity of the activities of international youth actors fits into the overall logic of extending the boundaries of foreign cultural policy of the European Union, the Council of Europe and other regional and sub-regional international organizations. This logic of pan-European practices of Institute of International youth organizations, as a resource of “soft power”, is updated by the problems of studying the international participation of Russian youth actors in the environment and requires to focus on the identification of the creative role of international organizations and on the study of situations where the institution does not act as constructive subject of international humanitarian cooperation.

Regression analysis with compositional response, observations carrying relative information, is an appropriate tool for statistical modelling in many scientific areas (e.g. medicine, geochemistry, geology, economics). Even though this technique has been recently intensively studied, there are still some practical aspects that deserve to be further analysed. Here we discuss the issue related to the coordinate representation of compositional data. It is shown that linear relation between particular orthonormal coordinates and centred log-ratio coordinates can be utilized to simplify the computation concerning regression parameters estimation and hypothesis testing. To enhance interpretation of regression parameters, the orthogonal coordinates and their relation with orthonormal and centred log-ratio coordinates are presented. Further we discuss the quality of prediction in different coordinate system. It is shown that the mean squared error (MSE) for orthonormal coordinates is less or equal to the MSE for log-transformed data. Finally, an illustrative real-world example from geology is presented.

The relationship between contents of clay minerals/grain size and spectral γ-ray record (concentrations of K, U and Th) in sediments is used for interpretation of sedimentary facies in wire-line logs. However, this approach is often complicated by the multi-component nature of mineralogically immature siliciclastics. As mineralogy of the source material and grain-size sorting during transport both contribute to the detrital composition of the final sediment, a joint study of facies and outcrop γ-ray spectra can potentially make the latter an effective tool in provenance studies. This paper provides comparison of outcrop γ-ray data and detailed facies mapping with mineral and chemical composition of the rocks (modal composition; transparent heavy mineral assemblages; WDX SEM chemistry of minerals) and interprets them in terms of provenance changes. We studied the Upper Cretaceous, synorogenic siliciclastic sediments of the Mazák and Godula Formations (Silesian Unit of the Western Carpathians flysch belt). Decreasing mineral maturity of the studied sandstones is consistent with provenance change from craton interior – (Mazák Formation) to transitional continental and recycled orogen sources (Godula Formation). Two major phases of K, U and Th concentration shifts, which occurred close to the Mazák/Godula Formation and Middle/Upper Godula Members boundaries, are consistent with changes in main detrital modes. These trends indicate gradually accelerated influx of material derived from high-grade metamorphic and plutonic rocks during deposition of the Mazák and Godula Formations. These changes are interpreted as reflecting a gradual exhumation and erosion of deeper crustal levels of the source area, the Silesian ridge.

The maar-diatreme volcanic structure in the vicinity of the village of Lomnice near the town of Bruntál (North Moravia, Czech Republic) has been investigated using a set of geophysical methods including ground magnetometry, gravimetry and electrical resistivity tomography. The structure was detected by an aerial magnetic survey in the second half of the 20th century. Since its discovery only limited information about this buried structure has been available. The coherence of the magnetic anomaly of 190 nT and Bouguer anomaly of -4.7 mGal indicates a volcanic origin of the structure. The funnel-shaped maar-diatreme structure is filled with lacustrine clay and colluvium of Car-boniferous greywacke, which forms the country rock. The surface diameter of the structure is about 600 m, the depth is more than 400 m. The spatial association with other volcanic centers in the surroundings of the town of Bruntál infers the relative dating of the Lomnice maar. The phreatic eruption and maar-diatreme formation could be an indirect conse-quence of effusive activity of the nearby Velký Roudný volcano. The Lomnice structure is the first Plio-Pleistocene maar-diatreme ever described in North Moravia and Silesia.

Regional contamination of southern Moravia (SE part of the Czech Republic) by heavy metals and magnetic particles during the 20th century was quantified in fluvial sediments of the Morava River. The influence of local sources to the regional contamination of the river sediments and impact of sampling sites heterogeneity were studied in profiles with different sedimentology (facies) and lithology. For this purpose, hundreds of samples were obtained from regulated channel banks and naturally inundated floodplains and proxy elementary analyses have been carried out by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (ED XRF), further calibrated by ICP MS. Magnetic susceptibility as a proxy of industrial contamination was determined and the age model has been obtained by 210Pb dating method. After establishing the lithological background from floodplain profiles, assessment of heavy metal contamination was done by using enrichment factors (EFs) of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr) and magnetic susceptibility. Floodplain sedimentary profiles were found to be realiable for assessment of contamination and reconstruction of large scale, i.e. a really averaged regional contamination, while regulated channel banks are suitable for obtaining of more or less qualitative information of influence of local point sources in the area because sediments from regulated river banks qualitatively reflect the actual local contamination of the river system. It allowed us to distinguish the influence of local sources of contamination by comparing with more spatially averaged contamination signal from more distal floodplain profiles. The study area is rather weakly contaminated (EF ∼ 1-2), while individual sediment strata from regulated channel banks contains several times larger concentrations of heavy metals.

Understanding the spatial variation in lithology is crucial for characterizing reservoirs, as it governs the distribution of petrophysical characteristics. This study focuses on predicting the lithology of carbonate rocks (limestone, argillaceous limestone, marly limestone, and marl) within the Kometan Formation, Khabbaz Oil Field, Northern Iraq, using well logs. Precise lithology prediction was achieved by applying multivariate regression method on neutron, sonic, and density logs. Gamma-ray and elemental concentrations from bulk-rock X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy were employed to identify clay minerals, paleoenvironments, and quantify the shale content. The results indicate that the Kometan Formation predominantly comprises limestone, marl, marly limestone, and argillaceous limestone in the middle section. The middle part exhibits a higher shale content compared to the lower and upper parts. A statistically significant correlation (R 2  = 0.83-0.85) between described and predicted lithology was established. The model with a higher coefficient of determination (0.85) was tested for further predictions in other wells in the Kirkuk Oil Field. This research can be valuable for lithological and petrophysical characterization of carbonate reservoirs and electrofacies analysis, particularly in situations where core data is unavailable., Competing Interests: The author whose name is listed immediately below certifies that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript., (© 2024 The Authors.)

While numerous studies of dam reservoirs contamination are reported world-wide, we present a missing link in the study of reservoirs sourced from multiple river catchments. In such reservoirs, different point sources of contaminants and variable composition of their sedimentary matrices add to extremely complex geochemical patterns. We studied a unique, step-wise filled Nové Mlýny dam reservoir, Czech Republic, which consists of three interconnected sub-basins. Their source areas are located in units with contrasting geology and different levels and sources of contamination. The aim of this study is to provide an insight into the provenance of the sediment, including lithogenic elements and anthropogenic pollutants, to investigate the sediment dispersal across the reservoir, and to assess the heavy metal pollution in each basin. The study is based on multi-proxy stratigraphic analysis and geochemistry of sediment cores. There is a considerable gradient in the sediment grain size, brightness, MS and geochemistry, which reflects changing hydrodynamic energy conditions and primary pelagic production of CaCO 3 . The thickness of sediments generally decreases from proximal to distal parts, but underwater currents can accumulate higher amounts of sediments in distal parts near the thalweg line. Average sedimentation rates vary over a wide range from 0.58cm/yr to 2.33cm/yr. In addition, the petrophysical patterns, concentrations of lithogenic elements and their ratios made it possible to identify two main provenance areas, the Dyje River catchment (upper basin) and the Svratka and Jihlava River catchments (middle and lower basin). Enrichment factors (EF) were used for distinguishing the anthropogenic element contribution from the local background levels. We found moderate Zn and Cu pollution (EF ~2 to 5) in the upper basin and Zn, Cu and Pb (EF ~2 to 4.5) in the middle basin with the peak contamination in the late 1980s, indicating that the two basins have different contamination histories., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)