Microfossil association of the Štíty locality
My thesis focuses on studying Cretaceous microfossil specimens from the excavation of former brickworks in Štíty, especially foraminifera. In the theoretical part, I have covered the structure of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin area, especially Bystřice Lithofacial Development. I have also processed previous paleontological researches from the locality. Emphasis was placed on field research and subsequently on laboratory research of the site. I have examined the present state of the location and gathered samples of silt clay containing a wide variety of fossils. I have acquired the microfossils, determined them, and ordered them systematically. The most important part of the thesis is the systematic and palaeoecological processing of the collection of microfossils from the locality. The thesis continues the research of the last year of SOČ, where I have gathered a collection of fossil macrofauna, flora, and ichnofauna. My collection is supplemented mainly by benthic and planktonic foraminifers. I have confirmed that the specimens found are typical representatives of marine fauna belonging to the Upper Cretaceous Coniacian. The paleoecological characteristics of the locality correspond to a nutrient-rich shallow-water environment, occasionally disturbed by storm waves.
The influence of lanscape on nest preferences and behavior of twig nesting Hymenoptera
The occurrence and behavior of insects is significantly affected by the environment they live in. In this thesis, I dealt with the influence of structure of landscape on nesting preferences of Hymenoptera. For this comparison I had chosen to work with twig-nesting Hymenoptera, for which I have placed artificial nest opportunities into four biotopes – heath, edge of a heath, country lanes between fields and field. The studied location is located south of Znojmo near Podyjí national park. Particularly, I have focused on small carpenter bees of genus Ceratina. My results show that there is a big difference in the species distribution between the habitates of field and heath. The habitats of edge of a heath and country lanes make up a gradient between these two biotopes. The ecosystem of fields was preferred by a sphecid wasp Pemphredon lethifer and Ceratina cyanea. On the other hand, the ecosystem of heath was preferred by Ceratina chalybea, Ceratina nigrolabiata and megachille bee Hoplitis tridentata. I had also found out that in species that are more abundant on heaths, there is higher mortality of offsprings. Heaths were a place of the highest competition between species, as a result of which species with a lower body weight (Ceratina nigrolabiata) have been pushed into narrower twigs by larger species (Ceratina chalybea). I recorded a high number of nests in biparental bee Ceratina nigrolabiata, which were guarded only by mother in fields and country lane habitats. This may indicate that Ceratina nigrolabiata is only facultatively biparental, not strictly biparental as was considered until now.
Modification of silica surface with supercritical water as a tool indicating new possibilities of existing separation methods
Silica capillaries have been an integral part of the instrumentation used in many areas of analytical chemistry for decades, especially in analytical separations. In most cases, they are used without treatment, occasionally forceless chemical surface treatments are made to suppress or enhance the activity of silanol groups. The aim of this work was to disrupt the inner surface of the capillary, perfectly smooth from manufactory, so that relatively coarse and various structures would be created, and to study their influence on the separation efficiency. The uniqueness of the used solution is based on the use of special properties of water exposed to high temperatures and pressures (supercritical water), which is able to disrupt this chemically inert material because of its aggressivity. In total, over 2000 experiments were carried out in order to define conditions suitable for the formation of various types of surface structures. Due to the high amount of resulting data, our own database application was created, allowing not only to save the picture of the structure and experimental conditions information, but also to clearly sort them out and create image reports according to the specified parameters. Samples representing individual types of structures were then selected from this database and a number of silica capillaries with a configuration suitable for electromigration analyzes were prepared. The creation of a structured surface in the input part of the separation capillary enabled the separation of some classes of substances and biosamples, which cannot be analyzed on standard capillaries with a smooth surface. An example is the complete separation of two strains of Staphyllococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA and MSSA), or the use of the absorbing capabilities of a structured surface to study the interactions of these bacteria with bacteriophages. This ability was also used in the determination of Aspergillus fungus in a sample taken directly from the patient's lungs, where there was achieved a significant increase in the sensitivity of the analysis. Structured capillaries can also be used in the analysis of food samples, i.e., for the separation of β-lactoglobulins A and B in cow's milk, which belong to its main allergens.
Territorial behaviour of the Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) during autumn migration and wintering in the urban environment of Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
In the present paper I studied the winter territories of the Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) in the urban environment of the city of Hradec Králové. The males of this species were detected through the aggressive reactions to the playback of its conspecific call. The Eurasian Wren territories were detected at seven out of the ten observation points in the city. The frequency of the territories decreased during the observation period from October to January and it was also affected by the structure of the biotope. It seemed that the wrens preferred trees and avoided lawns and isolated growths. That illustrates how important it is to maintain wildlife corridors in the cities. Individuals of seven other bird species were seen reacting to the playback of Eurasian Wren songs or warning calls. Eurasian Wren may be applied as an indicator species of the ecological value of the urban environment. Through this species, we can access such quality also for the human inhabitants.
Application of Technical Analysis to the Stock Market
Money drives the world and in times of crisis, money is more important than ever. Most political, economic and, as we have seen recently, health crises are accompanied by pressure on the economy. With such pressure, ordinary citizens are worried about their money, which is at risk either from inflation or from an uncertain economic outlook. In such times, some people resort to appreciating their money by investing. It is wise investments that can protect savings from inflation, or at least mitigate the effects of inflation. Investing in the stock market is among the most popular ways of investing. During the global coronavirus crisis, the number of small investors more than doubled (Galik and Brody [2022]), and in 2021, Covid (new) investors accounted for 15 % of investors in the U.S. market (Schwab [2021]). It is this phenomenon that inspired the author to write this paper. Investing in the stock market is one of the riskiest forms of investment, which means that there is a high probability of losing the originally invested capital. Some companies that allow retail investors to invest state that more than 90 % of their users lose their capital when investing in the stock market. On the other hand, investing in the stock market has one of the greatest potentials for profit. In the case of a long-term investment in index funds, for example, an average annual appreciation of between 8 % and 12 % can be expected (the average appreciation of the S&P 500, the most famous US index). However, it is necessary to wait several years for stable results. To see appreciation in a long-term portfolio, it is recommended to wait at least 12 years. This is because if a recession or a simple market correction comes, said portfolio can lose up to 50 % of its value in a year. But as history shows, markets do rise over the long term, and that is what long-term investors bet on, waiting for their capital to appreciate over time. But the market does not grow all the time. The market often changes price trends, and in some rare cases a long-term trend can reverse for up to several tens of months. This phenomenon, volatility, is attempted to be exploited by so-called speculators. A speculator is an investor who sells and buys in short periods of time and thus speculates on price movements. The speculator therefore needs a way to determine the likely behaviour of the price in the foreseeable future in order to make their trades profitable. The two main ways of analysing price behaviour are fundamental and technical analysis. And since fundamental analysis incorporates a large amount of diverse information into its predictions, this paper concentrates on working with technical analysis.
Two Klatovy copies of Šimon Brixi's Domine ad Ad juvandum me festina and his time
The main goal of this paper was a creation of musical score for the composition from the 18th century Domine ad Ad juvandum in A minor and C major composed by Šimon Brixi. Another goal was finding as much information as possible related to this composition and summarize everything possible that was written previously. Separate parts were transcribed into one partiture. Nevertheless there were difficulties like mistakes in sheet music (corrected according to harmony of other voices), missing beats (replaced by identical parts of score), differences in period station. Hard times also bring on differences of period notation. The resulting musical scores can be directly used for music production, which is schemed for the next year. The second part was researching new or never-published information related to these compositions. Here I describe Š. Brixi´s life. I managed to read out the cause of Šimon Brixi death in a chronicle, which was not in the publication I found. Brixi died of tuberculosis like his son. Transcriptors, J.V.Flaška and J.J.Hoffman, are also mentioned. Lastly the information about sheet music itself and its historical context were described. Another discovery was an identification of watermark on sheet music paper. Assuming the sheet music is truly transcribed in 1742 the Kolinec paper mill watermark on the sheet music paper is the oldest evidence of its use. In this paper I summarized the historical context of the baroque era including social life, art and culture.I mentioned the most important events that were crucial for historical development in Bohemia and especially in the Klatovy region. This context can be useful for today’s musicians who want to understand the historical background and express the composition with full respect to the time of its creation.