Biological reconstruction of the Late Neolithic Lengyel Culture

Abstract of PhD thesis submitted in 2013 to the Doctoral School of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest under the supervision of Gyula Gyenis. Between 2006 and 2009 rescue excavations preceding the construction of M6 Motorway were carried out, in the course of which a settlement and a related cemetery of more than two thousand graves of the Late Neo­lithic-Early Copper Age Lengyel culture have been excavated at the site of Alsónyék-Bátaszék, in Southeastern Transdanubia (Tolna county). Present study considers the northern, so-called 010/B part of the site (cemetery), comprising 862 graves. According to the current archaeological consensus earlier Central European Linearbandkeramik culture (LBK) played a crucial role in the formation of the Lengyel culture, but an infiltration or migration of new populations during this time period cannot be excluded. Present dissertation has been designed to investigate this fundamental question. In addition, I completed a detailed demographic analysis and published the frequency data of several pathological and dental alterations. In the course of the still ongoing investigation a case showing the classic symptoms of tuberculosis had been found.</p

Effect of nitrogen fertilizer placement on nitrogen uptake and yield of sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agricultural Science in Plant Science at Massey University, New Zealand

Five placements of nitrogen fertilizer applied to sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata) at the four fully expanded leaf stage, that is control (no nitrogen), a band of nitrogen placed on the soil surface near the row, on the soil surface between the rows, at 3 cm depth between the rows and at 10 cm depth between the rows were studied following three sowing times. Total plant nitrogen and sap nitrate were determined along with total plant dry weight at six growth stages. Leaf extension and leaf appearance were also followed in order to monitor the response of plants to nitrogen fertilizer applied. Nitrogen fertilizer application resulted in significantly higher nitrogen uptake, plant dry weight and marketable ears under both dry and wet conditions. Nitrogen fertilizer applied at 10 cm depth between rows resulted in significantly higher nitrogen uptake, plant dry weight and marketable ears than that applied on the soil surface between rows under dry condition. Nitrogen fertilizer applied on the soil surface near the plants performed well under both dry and wet conditions. The sap nitrate test was more sensitive than total nitrogen measurement in indicating the timing of nitrogen uptake. Sap nitrate levels were influenced by nitrogen fertilizer application and soil water content. The general critical value of sap nitrate over the vegetative growing period was about 1000 ppm. The sap nitrate test appeared to be a very useful monitoring tool for plant nitrogen status. Further studies in the uses of sap nitrate test, especially the critical value, are needed. Use of leaf extension to detect the response of plants to nitrogen fertilizer applied was not successful. Nitrogen fertilizer application tended to accelerate leaf appearance under the low soil nitrogen status

Effect of nitrogen fertilizer placement on nitrogen uptake and yield of sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agricultural Science in Plant Science at Massey University, New Zealand

Five placements of nitrogen fertilizer applied to sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata) at the four fully expanded leaf stage, that is control (no nitrogen), a band of nitrogen placed on the soil surface near the row, on the soil surface between the rows, at 3 cm depth between the rows and at 10 cm depth between the rows were studied following three sowing times. Total plant nitrogen and sap nitrate were determined along with total plant dry weight at six growth stages. Leaf extension and leaf appearance were also followed in order to monitor the response of plants to nitrogen fertilizer applied. Nitrogen fertilizer application resulted in significantly higher nitrogen uptake, plant dry weight and marketable ears under both dry and wet conditions. Nitrogen fertilizer applied at 10 cm depth between rows resulted in significantly higher nitrogen uptake, plant dry weight and marketable ears than that applied on the soil surface between rows under dry condition. Nitrogen fertilizer applied on the soil surface near the plants performed well under both dry and wet conditions. The sap nitrate test was more sensitive than total nitrogen measurement in indicating the timing of nitrogen uptake. Sap nitrate levels were influenced by nitrogen fertilizer application and soil water content. The general critical value of sap nitrate over the vegetative growing period was about 1000 ppm. The sap nitrate test appeared to be a very useful monitoring tool for plant nitrogen status. Further studies in the uses of sap nitrate test, especially the critical value, are needed. Use of leaf extension to detect the response of plants to nitrogen fertilizer applied was not successful. Nitrogen fertilizer application tended to accelerate leaf appearance under the low soil nitrogen status

"Fair" policies for the coffee trade - protecting people or biodiversity?

We investigate the role that economic instruments can play in the eradication of poverty and preservation of biodiversity in agroforestry management in coffee production. Most of the world's coffee producers live in poverty and manage agroecosystems in regions that culturally and biologically are among the most diverse on the globe. Despite the relatively recent finding that bees can augment pollination and boost coffee crop yields substantially, the short-term revenues to be had from intense monoculture drive land-use decisions that destroy forest strips serving as habitats for pollinating insects. Our study investigates the possibility of multiple equilibria in the adoption of technology in coffee production; farmers specialize in environmentally detrimental (sun-grown) or sustainable (shade-grown) farming or both practices co-exist. We calibrate an empirical model to characterize the equilibria and investigate the ecological and economic impacts of alternative policy instruments, among these protection fees, price premiums and a minimum wage

Properties of minimally tt-tough graphs

A graph $G$ is minimally $t$-tough if the toughness of $G$ is $t$ and the deletion of any edge from $G$ decreases the toughness. Kriesell conjectured that for every minimally $1$-tough graph the minimum degree $\delta(G)=2$. We show that in every minimally $1$-tough graph $\delta(G)\le\frac{n+2}{3}$. We also prove that every minimally $1$-tough claw-free graph is a cycle. On the other hand, we show that for every $t \in \mathbb{Q}$ any graph can be embedded as an induced subgraph into a minimally $t$-tough graph

The complexity of recognizing minimally tough graphs

A graph is called $t$-tough if the removal of any vertex set $S$ that disconnects the graph leaves at most $|S|/t$ components. The toughness of a graph is the largest $t$ for which the graph is $t$-tough. A graph is minimally $t$-tough if the toughness of the graph is $t$ and the deletion of any edge from the graph decreases the toughness. The complexity class DP is the set of all languages that can be expressed as the intersection of a language in NP and a language in coNP. In this paper, we prove that recognizing minimally $t$-tough graphs is DP-complete for any positive rational number $t$. We introduce a new notion called weighted toughness, which has a key role in our proof