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Amateur breeding of parrots as pets has contributed to many species being found in areas where they never occurred in the wild, particularly in warmer regions, but also in the temperate climates of North America and Europe. Climate change is likely to exacerbate this process. We hypothesised that parrots occurred in the wild in the cities of Poland, especially the rose-ringed parakeet, as there are reports of breeding sites in the literature. Using information on lost, found and sighted parrots posted on social media, we have analysed the extent of parrot emergence in Poland. In a period of less than two years (from October 2018, through 2019 and from June to the end of December 2021), 2,675 parrot specimens of 49 species were found in the wild. The most frequently observed species were cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus (N = 962), budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus (N = 884) and rose-ringed parakeet Psittacula krameri (N = 182). Parrots were most frequently observed in urban areas, in regions characterized by a higher population size, a higher income and a higher proportion of people with a university degree. Our study shows that the occurrence of parrots, especially rose-ringed parakeets in the wild, needs to be monitored as new breeding sites may appear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is observed that in some money exchange operations, every n-variable mean M applied by two market analysts who are acting in different countries should be self reciprocally-conjugate. The main result says that the only homogeneous weighted quasiarithmetic mean satisfying this condition is the weighted geometric mean. In the context of invariance of the geometric mean with respect to the arithmetic-harmonic mean-type mapping, the possibility of the occurring reciprocal-conjugacy in technical sciences is commented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many papers, random modulation of power electronic converters is described as an electromagnetic interference (EMI) mitigation technique, which contributes to the assurance of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of systems consisting of power electronic converters and serial transmission-based control and measuring devices. However, experimental results as well as theoretical analyses of physical phenomenon suggest that the EMI reduction is ostensible and results from the measuring procedure adopted in standards. This article presents the first known approach to compare the influence of deterministic and random modulation of transmission errors rate in serial communication systems. The comparison is based on the especially developed mathematical models, which are validated experimentally, using a simple setup with a dc/dc converter injecting a noise into the USB/RS232 converter representing a serial transmission scheme. The comparison reveals that for the studied switching frequency range from 10 kHz to 1 MHz, on average, there is no significant difference between random and deterministic modulations with respect to the probability of error rate in serial communication systems. Thus, in such systems, random modulation should not be considered as a valid EMC-assuring technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the impact of the new fenced and accident-safe motorway on the mortality of European badgers Meles meles on local roads in western Poland in 2010–2015. We monitored the badgers mortality on local roads of three categories: main roads, secondary roads and county roads. The study was conducted before and after the opening of the motorway in 2012. We hypothesized that the mortality of badgers is lower due to traffic concentration on motorway. Ninety two badgers were killed in collisions with vehicles on all monitored roads. Mean number of killed badgers was lowest in 2010 before the motorway opening and the highest in 2012. The mortality of badgers on regional roads was highest after the opening of the motorway due to the changes in traffic on the access roads. Within the road network, the mortality of badgers was 5.8 individuals/10 km of road per whole study period with the highest rate on main roads 8.5 individuals/10 km. The badgers mortality was highest on county roads but it was lower than expected in relation to the road network density. The highest vehicle collision risk for badgers of both sexes occurred in June. Distance to human settlements was the only environmental factor that was positively related to badger mortality on roads. We conclude that the new motorway did not reduce the mortality rate of badgers on the adjacent roads because the status of local roads has changed and now they mainly function as access roads to the motorway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expressways act as barriers to animals that block free movement in their habitats, especially when the roads are continuously fenced to prevent collisions between animals and vehicles. Various types of animal passages have been repeatedly studied in terms of their utility, albeit rather less frequently in the suburban environment. We conducted our research in a section of the fenced expressway S3 connecting two closely located cities in western Poland (Lubuskie province). Over the course of one year, we monitored four underpasses intended for small- and medium-sized animals using tracks. The underpasses were inspected weekly. Animal traces most frequently found belonged to roe deer Capreolus capreolus (20.9%), red fox Vulpes vulpes (15.1%), wild boar Sus scrofa (14%), and domestic dog Canis l. familiaris (12.4%). Surprisingly, the results of our study indicate that underpasses for small and medium mammals are also used by ungulate mammals. The use of the underpasses varied seasonally, being the highest in spring (37.9%) and the lowest in winter (10.4%). Moreover, seasonal differences in the use of passages were related to particular species/groups of animal species. We found that 22% of animals that entered the passage did not completely traverse it. People accounted for 17.1% of all stated traces in the underpasses. Stagnant water in the underpasses reduced the number of predatory mammals and wild boars using the underpasses but did not affect the activity of roe deer. These studies indicate that animal underpasses located in suburban areas are used by many species of animals despite the activity of humans and domesticated mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bat wings are characterized by high endurance, and these mammals have developed a number of adaptations that protect them from falling into obstacles and potential injuries. However, in bat populations, there are individuals with visible fresh or healed injuries to the flight–enabling body parts. The aim of this research was to determine the differences in the occurrence of wing membrane damages among species of bats that differ in ecology and behavior. The study was conducted in southern and western Poland in the years 2000–2016 and included 3,525 individuals of six species: lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolopus hipposideros, Daubenton’s bat Myotis daubentonii, Natterer’s bat Myotis nattereri, greater mouse–eared bat Myotis myotis, western barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus, and brown long–eared bat Plecotus auritus. In all, 2.9% of the bats studied showed damage to the flight–enabling body parts. Natterer’s bat was the species with the highest number of injured individuals (21.74%). The lowest number of injured individuals (0.3%) was found in the brown long–eared bat. The most frequently observed type of damage was loss of an edge of the wing membrane (29.3%). The bat species studied differed significantly in the occurrence and location of flight enabling body parts damages. Certain behavioral and ecological factors like foraging mode, foraging habitats and habitat types of bat species determine the number of wing and tail membrane damages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic idea of decentralized demand response systems is not new, however, material presented in the subject matter literature is usually limited to general ideas and possible system services. In this paper, the original stochastic decentralized active demand response (DADR) system is presented in the form of an application-ready control algorithm. The results of simulation investigations have confirmed that the proposed stochastic DADR solution, because of its high dynamic response in dealing with disturbance phenomena, might be used as part of both the primary and the secondary load frequency control in electrical power systems. The applicability of the proposed algorithm for control of refrigerators has been numerically tested for various system parameters. Fulfillment of all assumed DADR system requirements concerning high dynamic, “soft” operation, fair share in service as well as minimization of degradation in comfort of use of DADR controlled devices have been confirmed in numerical evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Contemporary historical anthropology and classical archaeology are concerned not only with such fundamental issues as the origins of ancient human populations and migration routes, but also with the formation and development of inter-population relations and the mixing of gene pools as a result of inter-breeding between individuals representing different cultural units. The contribution of immigrants to the analysed autochthonous population and their effect on the gene pool of that population has proven difficult to evaluate with classical morphological methods. The burial of one individual in the studied Napole cemetery located in central Poland had the form of a chamber grave, which is typical of Scandinavian culture from that period. However, this fact cannot be interpreted as absolute proof that the individual (in the biological sense) was allochtonous. This gives rise to the question as to who was actually buried in that cemetery. The ancient DNA results indicate that one of the individuals had an mtDNA haplotype typical of Iron Age northern Europe, which suggests that he could have arrived from that area at a later period. This seems to indirectly confirm the claims of many anthropologists that the development of the early medieval Polish state was significantly and directly influenced by the Scandinavians. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Reliable operation of the smart grid requires assurance of the electromagnetic compatibility of sensitive smart metering systems and power electronic converters, which introduce high-level electromagnetic interference. As it has been experimentally shown, currently available, normalized, and frequency domain tests are ineffective for the evaluation of data transmission error hazards. The mathematical time-domain model proposed in this paper enables assessment of the probability of errors occurring in a given transmission signal for known interference parameters. The validity of the model and its practical applicability have been experimentally verified. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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The chiral separation of several thiobarbiturates on a tris(4-methylbenzoate) phase (Chiralcel OJ-R, 15 × 0.46 cm and Chiralcel OJ-R 15 × 0.20 cm) under reversed-phase conditions is described. The separation properties of a normal sized and a newly developed narrow-bore column were compared. The influence of buffer and organic modifiers on enantioselectvity was investigated. The three mobile phases used were water/acetonitrile (70:30,v/v), water/acetonitrile/methanol (50:25:25, v/v), and water/acetonitrile/methanol (55:15:30, v/v). Of seven thiobarbiturates investigated, five have been resolved. The values of α (1.11–1.85) and Rs (0.71–5.75) have been reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]