Craniofacial pathologies in an early adolescent from the Funnel Beaker site of Modřice, Czechia

Several craniofacial pathologies are present in an early adolescent from a cemetery (n = 22) associated with a Neolithic Funnel Beaker culture in Modřice, Czechia.The objective of the study was to document anomalies on the Modřice 3871 cranium, with an emphasis on investigating whether the mid-sagittal suture exhibited synostosis or bridging to account for the visible scaphocephaly.All available cranial and postcranial elements of the Modřice 3871 early adolescent were examined macroscopically. The cranial vault was subjected to radiography and compared to macroscopic views.Modřice 3871 is estimated to age to 12–14 years. Macroscopic examination and radiography support a diagnosis of mid-sagittal bridging rather than synostosis for this slender and anteroposteriorly elongated cranium. In comparison, the anterior sagittal, coronal and lambdoidal sutures are completely unfused. Craniofacial asymmetry, cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis of the temporal and the presence of multiple wormian bones indicate additional maturational disruptions.The scaphocephaly observed in Modřice 3871 is not severe compared to modern clinical manifestations of craniosynostosis. Radiocarbon dated to 3,700–3,600 years BCE, Modřice 3871 presents one of the oldest recorded cases of scaphocephaly. The elongated vault is probably not the result of head-binding given the dearth of anthropogenic cranial reshaping in the Neolithic of Europe. This study adds to the growing recognition of prehistoric and historic craniofacial anomalies which will likely continue as additional human remains are excavated. In addition, the study increases the understanding of the lived experience of prehistoric individuals experiencing visible craniofacial pathologies such as cranial asymmetry and scaphocephaly

IT Academy of Sciences Czech Republic Singular Periodic Impulse Problems

Abstract. Existence principle for the impulsive periodic boundary value problem u ′ ′ + c u ′ = g(x) + e(t), u(ti+) = u(ti) + Ji(u, u ′), u ′(ti+) = u ′(ti) + Mi(u, u ′), i = 1,..., m, u(0) = u(T), u ′(0) = u ′(T) is established, where g ∈ C(0, ∞) can have a strong singularity at the origin. Furthermore, we assume that 0 < t1 <... < tm < T, e ∈ L1[0, T], c ∈ R and Ji, Mi, i = 1, 2,..., m, are continuous mappings of G[0, T] × G[0, T] into R, where G[0, T] denotes the space of functions regulated on [0, T]. The principle is based on an averaging procedure similar to that introduced by Manásevich and Mawhin for singular periodic problems with p – Laplacian in [11]

Gender on the move: chronology and exogamic practices at the beginning of farming. The case of north carpathian basin.

Patrilocality, suggested by both strontium isotope analysis and aDNA studies, has become the accepted and dominant kinship model for the Early Neolithic in Central Europe. Such exogamic practices are often implicitly linked to strongly gender- differentiated demographic and dietary patterns, a sexual division of labour, and interpersonal violence, leading to assumptions about women's status and male dominance. In this presentation, we will explore the presence of patrilocality, it's possible consequences for women's quality of life and the construction of the female gender within the first farming communities of the North Carpathian Basin (Moravia, Czech Republic, and Slovakia). Specifically, we will present new strontium isotope and stable isotope data, to consider differences between the sexes, and how these may inform on gendered experiences. These data are analysed within the framework of a new chronology, based on Bayesian modelling of new 14C dates produced in the course of the project. This allows us to assess whether variations seen in the osteological, funerary and isotopic data illustrate trends through time, or differences which shaped social organization and kinship amongst these early farmers. Overall, we suggest that although some general patterns can be identified, gendered identities were dynamic cautioning against assuming a uniform experience of gender and kinship during this time period

The influence of thermo-mechanical treatment on the reverse martensitic transformation in Fe-30Ni alloy

The investigation of Fe-30Ni alloy, in which a martensite transformation can occur during plastic deformation or quenching in liquid nitrogen, was carried out. Application of magnetic methods allowed to determine characteristic temperatures of phase transformations and martensite volume fractions. Martensite produced during thermo-mechanical treatment was subjected to reversed transformation during subsequent annealing in a temperature range AS–AF. Results of microstructural analysis performed by light microscopy were correlated with mechanical properties determined in tensile tests

The influence of thermo-mechanical treatment on the microstructure of Fe-30Ni alloy

The Fe-30Ni alloy investigated exhibits a single-phase austenitic structure. In this alloy the martensitic transformation can occur both during quenching and plastic deformation. Thermo-mechanical treatments applied for Fe-30Ni can result in the formation of a wide range of microstructures with various martensite morphologies and volume fractions, what gives a possibility to achieve different properties of the alloy. In the present work a microstructural analysis of the deformed Fe-30Ni alloy was performed after several variants of thermo-mechanical treatment. The microstructure was examined using light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The determination of the volume fraction of martensite formed in different thermo-mechanical treatments was performed using stereological methods and magnetic measurements. The mechanical properties of the alloy investigated were determined in tensile tests

"Gender on the move: chronology and exogamic practices at the beginning of farming. The case of North Carpathian Basin

Patrilocality, suggested by both strontium isotope analysis and aDNA studies, has traditionally been the accepted and dominant kinship model for the Early Neolithic in Central Europe (Linearbandkeramik culture, LBK: c. 5500-4900 BC). Such exogamic practices have often been implicitly linked to strongly gender-differentiated demographic and dietary patterns, a sexual division of labour and interpersonal violence. However, these proposals present a high level of internal dynamism as a common denominator. Though some general patterns can be identified across the main LBK area, questions as to heterogeneous gender identities and whether or not generalized patterns apply everywhere remain debated. One of the main difficulties in dealing with this heterogeneity is the temporal uncertainty. The lack of a robust chronology does not allow to determine if this variability can be interpreted in synchronous terms, whether on the funerary context's microscale or comparing regions at broadscale. In this presentation we will explore the presence of patrilocality and its possible consequences regarding women and men quality of life within the first farming communities of the North Carpathian Basin (Czech Republic and Slovakia). Specifically, new data on the mobility patterns ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) of some of the most well- known LBK funerary contexts of this region will be presented. The role of temporality on the analysis of this proxy will also be approached through Bayesian Modeling of new sets of 14 C dates, in order to examine if certain patterns could be related to some kind of temporal framework on an intra-inter site level

Regional differences in health, diet and weaning patterns amongst the first Neolithic farmers of central Europe

Across much of central Europe, the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) represents the first Neolithic communities. Arising in Transdanubia around 5500 cal. BC the LBK spread west to the Rhine within two to three hundred years, carrying elements of a mixed agricultural economy and a relatively homogeneous material culture. Colonisation of new regions during this progress would have required economic adaptations to varied ecological conditions within the landscape. This paper investigates whether such adaptation at a local scale affected health patterns and altered the dietary habits of populations that otherwise shared a common cultural and biological origin. Analysis of non-specific stress (linear enamel hypoplasia, porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia) within five LBK populations from across central Europe in conjunction with published carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data from each site revealed a high prevalence of porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia in western populations that was associated with a lower animal protein intake. Hypoplastic enamel was more frequently observed in eastern populations however, and may reflect geographic differences in childhood morbidity and mortality as a result of variation in social practices relating to weaning. Local socio-economic adaptations within the LBK were therefore an important factor in the exposure of populations to non-specific stress