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The article presents the results of a study of the dynamics of autumn migration of small birds obtained during their captures with mist nets in the Kurgan Oblast in 2013, 2014 and 2016. Overall, we studied 55 species and report changes in their relative abundance from late July to mid-October as well as the starting, ending and peak dates of the migration for most species. Also, we determined the sequence of their departures from the region, classified the species by the dynamics and the number of main migration waves, defined the dominant species in the captures both for the entire migration period and for its different stages. Moreover, in the article we discuss long-term changes in the timing of autumn bird migration in the forest-steppe Trans-Urals, its direction, duration of stops, timing of migration of individuals from different age and sex groups.

Solar eclipses present rare celestial events that can elicit unique behavioral responses in animals, yet comprehensive studies on these phenomena, particularly concerning bird behavior, remain limited. This study, conducted at the Red Butte Canyon Research Natural Area in Utah during the annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023, aimed to document and analyze avian activity using bird banding data. Leveraging 11 years of banding records, we observed a surprising positive peak in bird captures, indicating increased activity during the eclipse, challenging conventional expectations of decreased activity during peak totality. The unexpected, record-breaking captures on the eclipse day at this location, which also surpassed the average trend in captures over time for 18 other banding days in mid-October, highlights the complexity of bird behavior during celestial events. This study marks the first known published effort to conduct bird banding during a solar eclipse. Quantitative analyses, including species composition and capture trends, contribute to a nuanced understanding of avian responses to the eclipse. This study underscores the importance of empirical research in unraveling the intricacies of how birds navigate and adapt to unique environmental conditions created by solar eclipses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectiveDesignStudy sampleResultsConclusionsTo determine the prevalence and characteristics of problematic tinnitus in a representative United States (US) sample.Cross-sectional study of the NHANES database from 2011–2012 and 2015–2016.8029 records were included for analysis.The prevalence of any tinnitus was 16.32%. Only 1.38% reported tinnitus as a big problem or worse. Univariate analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between tinnitus constancy and duration with severity, where more constant perception and longer duration was related to increased severity (p < 0.0001). Multivariable models showed a clear relationship of increased odds ratio (OR) of problematic tinnitus with constancy of tinnitus but not duration. Furthermore, multivariable models showed higher Body Mass Index (OR= 1.013, 95% CI: 0.99–1.03), sleep trouble (OR = 2.016, 95% CI: 1.52–2.66) and comorbidities (OR = 1.43, 95%CI: 1.06–1.94) were all associated with increased problematic tinnitus, but not non-problematic tinnitus.Our study demonstrated that the prevalence of problematic tinnitus is much lower than the prevalence of any tinnitus. There was also a relationship between BMI, sleep trouble, other comorbidities and increased odds of problematic tinnitus. Tinnitus severity was significantly related to constancy of perception but had a less clear relationship to duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to develop a self-management manual for tinnitus. The study was carried out in three phases. In phase-1, an evidence-based approach was considered by reviewing the literature to select intervention strategies that had proven to reduce tinnitus percept. Further, health literacy recommendations were used to convey the information in the manual to the patient. Phase-2 included expert committee scrutiny and assessing the understandability and actionability of the prepared self-management manual using the Patient Education Material Assessment Tool (PEMAT). In Phase-3, the self-management manual was validated from tinnitus patients. The expert committee mainly gave suggestions regarding the content, word choice and grammatical errors. PEMAT scores from patients and the expert committee revealed that activities provided in the manual are understandable and actionable. The THI and TFI scores were reduced after one month of short-term intervention. The self-management manual effectively reduced tinnitus percept and associated problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El ruiseñor pechiazul ibérico Luscinia svecica azuricollis es una subespecie que cría en zonas de montaña del noroeste de la Península Ibérica y que cuenta con una reducida ventana temporal para mudar entre la cría y la migración. En este artículo se describe la extensión de la muda posjuvenil del ruiseñor pechiazul ibérico a partir de ejemplares capturados en el Sistema Central (concretamente, en Sierra de Béjar) y testamos si difiere de la de las dos subespecies más próximas geográficamente (L. s. namnetum y L. s. cyanecula) que, teóricamente, disponen de un periodo de tiempo mayor para mudar al criar en zonas bajas. La extensión media de la muda posjuvenil del pechiazul ibérico incluye 3,8 grandes cobertoras y 0,10 terciarias. Sólo un 5% de las aves muda las terciarias y menos de un 5% muda la cobertora carpal, álula o rectrices. La extensión de la muda no varió significativamente entre sexos pero sí entre subespecies, siendo el número de grandes cobertoras mudadas en L. s. azuricollis similar a L. s. cyanecula, pero significativamente inferior a L. s. namnetum. En consecuencia, la variabilidad intraespecífica en la extensión de la muda posjuvenil del pechiazul podría reflejar limitaciones de tiempo y recursos provocadas por la latitud y/o altitud de cría. Así, los efectos de la altitud sobre la muda serían equivalentes a los que se dan en poblaciones de latitudes altas. Estos resultados son relevantes al considerar las implicaciones que esto podría acarrear en un contexto de cambio climático. Abstract: The Iberian bluethroat (Luscinia svecica azuricollis) is a subspecies that breeds in the mountain ranges of the north-western part of the Iberian peninsula, with a relatively time-constrained window for moulting after breeding and before the autumn migration. This article aims to describe the extent of the post-juvenile moult of Iberian bluethroats based on birds captured in the Central System (specifically, in Sierra de Béjar), and test whether it differs from that of the other two geographically closest subspecies (L. s. namnetum and L. s. cyanecula) which, theoretically, have a longer period of time for moulting. On average, bluethroats moulted 3.8 greater coverts and 0.10 tertials (95% of the birds did not moult any tertials). The percentage of birds moulting their carpal covert, alula or any rectrice was less than 5%. The extent of the moult did not vary in relation to sex, but subspecifically, with the number of greater coverts moulted in L. s. azuricollis being statistically equal to L. s. cyanecula, but significantly lower than L. s. namnetum. Interannual variability in the extent of post-juvenile moult may reflect the effects of climate change on mountain shrubland habitats in the Mediterranean region, one of the most threatened ecosystems of the Iberian peninsula.

Some peculiarities of ringing, according to the Saarland method have been investigated. The separate aspects to which attention is paid, are the time of the year for ringing, the tools for the purpose, the period of death of the ringed trees, the ways of making rings. A division is made into two main groups of trees -- single trees of invasive species that hinder field work and trees in forest crops where forestry goals are pursued -- encouraging the trees of the future, harvesting quality wood, sustainable application of different forestry concepts according to the habitat. From the natural condition comes the standardization of labor in the ringing of various tree species -- the main goal is to develop a standard -- working hours for one worker per hectare. This rate depends of the season, the tree species and the diameter at breast height. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of the photovoltaic industry; there will be an increasing demand for efficient, high-power density, and low-cost grid interface converters. Compared with two-level inverters, multilevel inverters have the following advantages: (1) lower device voltage ratings; (2) better output filtering spectrum; (3) lower electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise; and (4) higher switching speed capability. However, the complex switching circuit of the multilevel inverter will bring more parasitic inductance, resulting in severe switching overvoltage (ringing). Especially in order to reduce the cost of the inverter, using the long-loop modulation mode, the commutation loop will introduce more parasitic inductance, which will make the overvoltage more serious. Consider that commonly used overvoltage absorption schemes are effective only for overvoltage or suppression of oscillations. Therefore, a new overvoltage absorption circuit is proposed in this paper, which can not only alleviate the overvoltage and ringing phenomena but also suppress the effect of voltage jumps during low-frequency switching on high-frequency input voltage. This overvoltage absorption circuit is characterized by low overvoltage, fast ringing damping, and minimum capacitance. Experiments and simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of this overvoltage absorption circuit using a three-level ANPC inverter as a prototype. The results show that the proposed overvoltage absorption circuit can significantly reduce the overvoltage level, shorten the oscillation time, and reduce the voltage difference between the upper and lower DC bus capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an upscaler technology which is proven to be effective in improving power reduction for IT products at the system level. Proposed upscaler algorithm utilizes Lanczos and bilinear interpolation both of which are widely used in currently existing upscaler designs on the industry, and carefully analyzes the image distortion caused by 2x scaling of the input image and manipulates the possible artifacts by considering the key performance criteria in the up‐scaling. Our experimental results show that image quality distortion due to the proposed scaling algorithm is significantly improved while the small details in the images are preserved at most thanks to the combination of "blended upscale" and "edge enhancement" sub‐functions in the proposed upscaling design. According to our subjective evaluation, we got the average score of 4.39 over 15 persons with 21 images from well‐known image benchmark suites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, it was aimed the determination of the effects of cluster tipping in 1/3 ratio at berry set and ringing on vine stem at verasion on yield and quality of some table grapes. This research was carried out in application vineyard of Agriculture Faculty of Aydın Adnan Menderes University. This research was planned in completely randomized design with three replications. In Samancı Çekirdeksiz cv., while cluster tipping at 1/3 ratio at bery set did not affect yield and cluster weight, it increased berry weight, berry volume and caused fast ripening when compared with control. In Samancı Çekirdeksiz cv. while ringing on the stem at verasion time, in a similar way, did not affect yield and cluster weight, it increased berry weight, berry volume, berry firmness and, caused fast ripening when compared with control. In Alphonse Lavallée cv., cluster tipping at 1/3 at ratio at berry set did not affect yield, cluster weight, berry weight, berry volume and ripening when compared with control. In Alphonse Lavallée cv. while ringing at stem at verasion did not affect yield and cluster weight, ripening, it increased berry weight, berry width when compared with control. It is advised, in Samancı Çekirdeksiz cv., cluster tipping at 1/3 ratio at berry set and ringing on stem at verasion; in Alphonse Lavallée cv., ringing on stem at verasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the quasinormal modes of the Schwarzschild black hole under the extended generalized uncertainty principle (EGUP) with the minimal length and momentum are investigated. We derive the EGUP-corrected black hole metric function which indicates quantum effects do not alter the event horizon. Based on this, we consider the perturbation of the quantum-corrected black hole with scalar and electromagnetic fields, derive the Schrödinger-like equation, and analyze the effect of quantum correction on the time evolution with the help of the time-domain integration method. The results show that quantum effects change the damping and decay of the black hole and predict that the imaginary part of the quasinormal frequency will decline as the EGUP parameters (α , β) increase. To verify this prediction, we then calculate the quasinormal frequency using the 6-order WKB method and discuss how quantum correction and multiple number affect the quasinormal frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Tinnitus is a perception of sound in the brain without any external stimulus. Tinnitus patients often complain of more efforts required in listening. They may be ineffective in inhibiting their attention, driven to irrelevant ringing sounds in their ear rather than attending to the relevant target speech stimulus. The study's objective was to evaluate an allocation of cognitive resources among tinnitus patients for concurrent tasks required for understanding speech using an objective dual-task paradigm to assess listening effort. METHODS: We recruited 40 participants with mild to moderately severe sloping sensorineural hearing loss within 60-70 years. They were subgrouped into control and clinical groups. The clinical group had a severe degree of tonal tinnitus bilaterally. The objective listening task used listening effort, and a subjective questionnaire to assess the effort in listening was assessed by each study participant. RESULTS: The results indicated poorer recognition and reduced recall scores in a clinical group than the control group in each signal-to-noise ratio. The recall score in objective listening effort measurement was strongly correlated with subjective questions assessed effort in listening among the clinical group at each signal-to-noise ratio. However, in the control group, the correlation was to a mild degree at 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio only. CONCLUSION: Annoyance caused by tinnitus disrupts attention, thereby limiting the effective use of cognitive resources for concurrent speech processing and recalling reflected in the listening effort task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During migration, landbirds normally need to stop-over in order to rest and/or acquire fuel stores that power their flight. Refuelling strategies become particularly evolutionarily relevant when birds must cross broad geographic barriers, where the chance to land and get food is nil, such as when crossing oceans. Our objective was to learn more about the use of the small islands located close to the mainland coast as stopover areas by small migratory birds that cross the Bay of Biscay. Using data collected in a constant-effort mist-netting programme conducted on Izaro Island (northern Spain) during autumn migration (years 2018 to 2021), we aimed to determine (1) which species land on the island and for how long they stay there, and (2) their fuel load and fuel deposition rate. Structurally, the assemblage was dominated by Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus, which on average accounted for 84% of the abundance. Clustering analyses reveal that the assemblage was rather homogeneous across the four study years. Most birds probably stayed on the island for less than 24 hours, with fewer than 5% being recaptured one or more days after their first capture. The first-capture-event body mass of Willow Warblers captured only once (8.0g, 95%CI 7.8-8.4g) did not differ from the initial body mass of those captured two or more times within a season (8.0g, 95% CI 7.0-9.0g), and those stopping over on Izaro had a negative mean fuel deposition rate of –0.2g/day (SE = 0.1g/d). Overall, Izaro was used as an emergency stopover site during the course of this study, where exhausted birds landed after sea-crossings. From a conservation standpoint, and as compared to other stopover sites used as 'emergency' stopover sites, results suggest that Izaro is of little value for replenishing the fuel stores of these small birds during autumn migration.—Betanzos-Lejarraga, L., Guzmán, I., Escandell, R., Unamuno, E. & Arizaga, J. (2023). Stopover ecology of passerine birds on an islet in the Bay of Biscay in autumn reveals a pattern similar to their use of small Mediterranean islands in spring. Ardeola, 70: 241-255. Durante la migración, las aves terrestres normalmente necesitan detenerse para descansar o adquirir las reservas que después consumirán durante el vuelo. Las estrategias para ganar estas reservas se vuelven particularmente relevantes desde el punto de vista evolutivo cuando las aves han de cruzar grandes barreras geográficas en las que la posibilidad de aterrizar y alimentarse es nula, como ocurre al atravesar océanos. El objetivo de este artículo es profundizar en el uso de las pequeñas islas situadas cerca de la costa por las pequeñas aves migratorias que cruzan el golfo de Vizcaya. Utilizando los datos que fueron recolectados mediante un programa de anillamiento científico desarrollado en la isla de Izaro (norte de España) durante el periodo de paso posnupcial (años 2018 a 2021), se pretendió identificar (1) cuáles son las especies que usan la isla y cuánto tiempo permanecen allí, y (2) cuál es su cantidad y tasa de deposición de reservas. Estructuralmente, el ensamblado estuvo dominado por el mosquitero musical Phylloscopus trochilus, que en promedio representó el 84% de la abundancia. Los análisis de clusters revelaron un ensamblado muy homogéneo a lo largo de todo el periodo de estudio. En general el periodo de estancia en la isla fue de un día para la mayoría de los ejemplares capturados para anillamiento, y de ellos menos del 5% fueron recapturados uno o más días después de su primera captura. La masa corporal de la primera captura no varió entre mosquiteros musicales capturados una sola vez en la isla (8,0 g, IC 95 % 7,8-8,4 g) y capturados dos o más veces en la temporada (8,0 g, IC 95 % 7,0-9,0 g). La tasa de ganancia de reservas de los recapturados fue negativa (–0,2 g/d; SE = 0,1 g/d). En general, nuestros resultados sugieren que Izaro es usada como punto de parada migratoria de emergencia por las aves que, tras cruzar el Cantábrico, llegan exhaustas a la costa del norte de España. Desde el punto de vista de la conservación, y en comparación con otros sitios de parada migratoria utilizados, Izaro parece tener poco valor como punto de ganancia de reservas durante el periodo de paso posnupcial. —Betanzos-Lejarraga, L., Guzmán, I., Escandell, R., Unamuno, E. y Arizaga, J. (2023). La ecología de parada de descanso migratorio de las aves paseriformes en un islote del golfo de Vizcaya en otoño revela un patrón similar al uso de las pequeñas islas mediterráneas en primavera. Ardeola, 70: 241-255. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is a monomorphic passerine, for which it is impossible to differentiate between males and females based on external characteristics. Being a species frequently captured for ringing, having a reliable method to determine sex from conventional biometric measurements would facilitate its study and be very useful for the correct management and conservation of this declining species. In the present study, we used biometric measurements recorded in 66 individuals captured with mist nets in communal roosts in northern Spain during the winter and sexed them using molecular techniques. We conducted a discriminant function analysis (DFA) to derive equations that allowed us to determine the sex of the specimens from some of the measurements recorded in the field. Significant differences were found between males and females in wing length, third primary length, badge width and height and body weight. The DFA provided two functions that correctly classified the sex of 94.7% of the individuals using wing length and badge width, and 98.2% if weight was added to the analysis. Our results allow sexing from measurements that can be easily recorded in the field with the tools commonly used in banding sessions and without the need for additional training. Considerations of Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules on body size and the use of DFA in different populations are discussed.

Seasonal differences of bird assemblages were studied using mist-netting method during four seasons (May, July, September, and December) in two years (2014 and 2021) in a secondary wetland habitat (7 mist-nets in willow grove, reed, and scrubland) in Zvolen town, central Slovakia. Altogether 54 species and 876 individuals of birds were captured during 24 days of eight trapping sessions (in 84 m of mist-nets at 7.3 ha study plot). The highest number of mist-netted species and individuals was found in July (36 species, 290 individuals), the lowest was in December (16 species, 153 individuals), pooled for both years. The most abundant species were breeding species Sylvia atricapilla, Parus major, Cyanistes caeruleus and Turdus merula. The characteristic reedbed birds included four Acrocephalus species, Locustella luscinioides, Emberiza schoeniclus, and scrubland species Luscinia megarhynchos, Sylvia communis and Remiz pendulinus. Seasonal differences in species number and abundance are discussed. Regular wintering was found in migratory species Prunella modularis and Erithacus rubecula north of the known winter quarters of their central European breeding populations. The site fidelity and between-season retraps were confirmed in 10 species and 54 individuals (18.5% of all mist-netted species and 6.2% of all individuals). Based on retrapped individuals, the resident species P. major, C. caeruleus, Aegithalos caudatus and T. merula were the most faithful to the site, whereas inter-seasonal retraps of migratory species were rare (e. g. Sylvia atricapilla, Luscinia megarhynchos and Phylloscopus collybita).

[Display omitted] • The molten substances generated from oily sludge causes refractory brick erosion. • The refractory brick erosion depth is 3.1 mm when roasting for 36 h at 1350 °C. • Refractory brick erosion aggravates ringing during oily sludge incineration. • The existence of iron oxides leads to the high cohesion strength of rings. Rotary kiln incineration is a desirable disposal option for steel-rolling oily sludge. However, ringing remains a key challenge in the highly efficient operation of rotary kilns. This study investigates the erosion behaviour of refractory bricks in a rotary kiln during steel-rolling oily sludge incineration and its effects on ringing. The degree of refractory brick erosion (i.e. iron permeation-depth and quantity) depends on the roasting temperature and time. The iron permeation-depth (3.1 mm) after 36 h of roasting at 1350 °C is greater than that (0.7 mm) after 12 h of roasting at 1200 °C. In the same zones of the refractory bricks, iron permeation increases with the roasting temperature and time. This is because the molten substances generated from the steel-rolling oily sludge erode the refractory bricks, whereas the loosened surface of the eroded refractory bricks is conducive to the continual permeation of molten substances in the refractory bricks. Steel-rolling oily sludge is mixed with refractory brick powder to produce briquettes, which are then used to simulate the permeation and erosion processes. Adding 20% refractory bricks to the briquettes decreases the cohesion strength of the briquettes from 9.07 to 11.71 kN to 2.97–4.44 kN when roasting is performed at 1250 °C for 5–30 min. Although haematite contributes to the high cohesive strength of the rings, the primary components of the refractory brick are transformed into eutectic substances, which decreases the cohesive strength of the rings. These findings provide a useful reference for developing ringing mitigation methods for rotary kilns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EUMETSAT is currently developing the on-ground processing chain of the infrared sounders (IRS) on-board the Meteosat third-generation sounding satellites (MTG-S). In this context, the authors investigated the impact of a particular type of radiometric error, called hereafter calibration ringing. It arises in Fourier transform spectrometers when the instrument's radiometric transfer function (RTF) varies within the domain of the instrument's spectral response function (SRF). The expected radiometric errors were simulated in the context of the MTG-S IRS instrument in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) band. Making use of a principal components (PCs) decomposition, a software correction, called RTF uniformisation, was designed and its performance was assessed in the context of MTG-S IRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexibility in migratory behaviour may have significant consequences for the adaptability of birds to ongoing environmental changes. Shifts in arrival and departure dates, migration distance and even direction of migration have all been demonstrated over the last few decades in a variety of species, mostly passerines. Less well understood is the spatio-temporal dynamics of migration at so-called migratory divides, i.e. contact zones of populations with different migratory strategies. We used data on 58 White Storks Ciconia ciconia ringed as nestlings in a part of the Central European migratory divide in the Czech Republic during the period 1947–2018 and recovered during their first winter season in October to February, to test the hypotheses of (1) shortening migratory distance over the years and (2) a shift in the proportion of adopted migratory strategies being a proximate factor of changes in migration distance. Using regression analysis, we provided evidence of gradual linear decrease over the years in mean recovery distance of ringed nestlings during their first winter. Results of multinomial regression analysis showed that this decrease has been proximately driven by an increase in the proportion of storks recovered within 500 km from their natal site, a decreasing proportion of storks recovered on the eastern migratory flyway and an increasing proportion of storks recovered on the western migratory flyway. Evidence for Czech Storks migrating via the western migratory flyway first appeared in 2003. The apparent shift of young Storks to migrate via the western flyway from the Czech Republic is most likely a result of immigration by individuals from growing western populations. This leads to diluting of populations migrating via the eastern flyway with migrants using the western flyway. Our study provides evidence that behavioural flexibility may drive dynamics of migration at the migratory divide, with changes of similar magnitudes as those driven by genetic change, as reported in passerines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of the photovoltaic industry; there will be an increasing demand for efficient, high-power density, and low-cost grid interface converters. Compared with two-level inverters, multilevel inverters have the following advantages: (1) lower device voltage ratings; (2) better output filtering spectrum; (3) lower electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise; and (4) higher switching speed capability. However, the complex switching circuit of the multilevel inverter will bring more parasitic inductance, resulting in severe switching overvoltage (ringing). Especially in order to reduce the cost of the inverter, using the long-loop modulation mode, the commutation loop will introduce more parasitic inductance, which will make the overvoltage more serious. Consider that commonly used overvoltage absorption schemes are effective only for overvoltage or suppression of oscillations. Therefore, a new overvoltage absorption circuit is proposed in this paper, which can not only alleviate the overvoltage and ringing phenomena but also suppress the effect of voltage jumps during low-frequency switching on high-frequency input voltage. This overvoltage absorption circuit is characterized by low overvoltage, fast ringing damping, and minimum capacitance. Experiments and simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of this overvoltage absorption circuit using a three-level ANPC inverter as a prototype. The results show that the proposed overvoltage absorption circuit can significantly reduce the overvoltage level, shorten the oscillation time, and reduce the voltage difference between the upper and lower DC bus capacitors.

Simple Summary: We provided basic morphological information on Eurasian Tree Sparrow from the Iberian Peninsula, and sexed a sample of individuals using molecular methods, with the aim of deriving sexing criteria in the field. The use of two measurements, wing length and badge width, allows the correct sexing of more than 90% of the tree sparrows in the Iberian Peninsula using only the usual tools used in ringing programs. The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is a monomorphic passerine, for which it is impossible to differentiate between males and females based on external characteristics. Being a species frequently captured for ringing, having a reliable method to determine sex from conventional biometric measurements would facilitate its study and be very useful for the correct management and conservation of this declining species. In the present study, we used biometric measurements recorded in 66 individuals captured with mist nets in communal roosts in northern Spain during the winter and sexed them using molecular techniques. We conducted a discriminant function analysis (DFA) to derive equations that allowed us to determine the sex of the specimens from some of the measurements recorded in the field. Significant differences were found between males and females in wing length, third primary length, badge width and height and body weight. The DFA provided two functions that correctly classified the sex of 94.7% of the individuals using wing length and badge width, and 98.2% if weight was added to the analysis. Our results allow sexing from measurements that can be easily recorded in the field with the tools commonly used in banding sessions and without the need for additional training. Considerations of Bergmann's and Allen's rules on body size and the use of DFA in different populations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first Black-headed Penduline Tit (Remiz macronyx) in Turkey was recorded in April 2022, where it was captured and ringed at the Aras River Ornithological Research Station. This is a poorly studied species with a disjunct range consisting of four subspecies. We provide an overview of how to identify, age, and sex individuals within this species in comparison to the similar Eurasian Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus), as well as insight into the age and sex of our bird, and summarize current knowledge on the taxonomic situation and challenges of identifying this species. This study brings awareness to a poorly known species and can be useful for others that may either be looking for or potentially encounter this species as a vagrant in the Caucasian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El escribano palustre iberoriental está catalogado como “en peligro de extinción”. Sus zonas de cría son generalmente bien conocidas, pero no lo son tanto sus posibles desplazamientos fuera de la época reproductora ni sus localidades de invernada, periodo en la que coincide con numerosos palustres de procedencia europea. Por ello es muy importante distinguir ambas subespecies. Se realiza el estudio biométrico más completo hasta la fecha de las dos subespecies de escribano palustre presentes en el valle del río Ebro, la iberoriental E.s. witherbyi y la norteña E.s. schoeniclus. Los resultados muestran diferencias significativas entre subespecies, aunque las diferencias entre sexos o edades dentro de la misma subespecie no arrojó resultados significativos. La gran curvatura del culmen en la mandíbula superior de E.s. witherbyi resulta distinguible cuando se compara con el culmen, mucho más aplanado, de E.s. schoeniclus. Con el detallado estudio biométrico realizado, con medidas estandarizadas y testadas, se ha generado una sencilla función discriminante [D = (Altopico*5,2)-(Ala*0,13)-15] para separar ambas subespecies de forma segura, en la que los valores mayores a cinco determinan a E.s. witherbyi, y los menores de cinco a E.s. schoeniclus en el 100% de los casos estudiados. ABSTRACT: The Iberian Reed Bunting is listed as endangered. Although its breeding areas are well documented, little is known about its movements in the non-breeding period and wintering sites. During the non-breeding season, this subspecies overlaps with nominate wintering Reed Buntings coming from Europe. For this reason, the correct identification of both subspecies is so important. We performed the most complete biometric study to date comprising both reed bunting subspecies present in the Ebro river valley, i.e., the Iberian E.s. witherbyi and the northern E.s. schoeniclus. Although our results show statistical differences between the two subspecies, an analysis of the differences between sexes and age classes within the same subspecies yielded no significant results. The curved shape of the upper mandible of E.s. witherbyi is distinguishable when compared with the more flattened culmen of E.s. schoeniclus. This detailed biometric study was done with standardised and tested measurements. For a secure identification, we found a simple discriminant formula [D = bill height * 5.2) – (wing length * 0.13) – 15]. In all (100%) studied individuals, values higher than 5 identify E.s. witherbyi, while values under 5 correspond to E.s. schoeniclus.

EUMETSAT is currently developing the on-ground processing chain of the infrared sounders (IRS) on-board the Meteosat third-generation sounding satellites (MTG-S). In this context, the authors investigated the impact of a particular type of radiometric error, called hereafter calibration ringing. It arises in Fourier transform spectrometers when the instrument’s radiometric transfer function (RTF) varies within the domain of the instrument’s spectral response function (SRF). The expected radiometric errors were simulated in the context of the MTG-S IRS instrument in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) band. Making use of a principal components (PCs) decomposition, a software correction, called RTF uniformisation, was designed and its performance was assessed in the context of MTG-S IRS.

The main goal of this study was to describe in detail the structure and phenology of flocks of the Common Linnet (Linaria cannabina) passing through eastern Spain. Data were compiled during the spring and autumn migrations of 2019 to 2021 (excluding spring 2020), by counting and by capture for ringing. We counted 6151 flocks, comprising 17 732 birds, of which 7638 individuals were captured. The size of flocks ranged from 1 to 30 Linnets (mean ± 95% CI, 2.8 ± 0.1), with a higher proportion of solitary migrants in spring (46.8%) than in autumn (33.8%). Passage in spring peaked during the third hour after dawn, whilst in autumn this peak was just after dawn. There were more females than males (56%), probably as an indicator of latitudinal differential migration. Juveniles were significantly more abundant (c. 80%) than adults. The phenological pattern of the passage was more variable in spring than in autumn, and such variation could be useful to explore potential impacts of climate change on the migration ecology of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theory of nonuniform transmission line taper with almost linear transmission phase characteristics has been proposed in this article. The proposed taper provides a preferably flat group delay with optimum time domain characteristics compared to the conventional tapers. Closed-form expressions for the impedance profile of the optimum taper has been discussed here. A stripline and dispersive microstrip line implementation of the taper has been measured to validate the proposed theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few practical products of synchronous rectification (SR) in the automotive alternator has been reported, though the driving technology of SR is abundant. Continuously and statistically changing switch frequency caused by rotor speed poses a significant challenge to the driving circuit design under the specified application area. In this article, a directly frequency tracking (D-FT) method is first proposed to ensure the switching tube's safe conduction time adapted to the rotor speed, making the SR immune to circuit oscillation or spurious ringing. The proposed self-driven circuit generates correct gate driving signals requiring no additional sensing circuits or sensors for detecting rotor speed. A hardware algorithm based on the D-FT method is built, which is convenient to implement to other kind of alternators and systems. This method is verified by prototype simulation and practical tests under the alternator test bench. A six-phase full bridge is trial-manufactured after the driver chip's tape out and performs well under 0–150 A output current and 0–18 000 r/min rotor speed. The test results show that the Verband der Automobilindustrie standard efficiency of the proposed rectifier obtains an 8% improvement compared to that of the conventional diode rectifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallium nitride (GaN) power devices in the process of application may appear misdirection, voltage peak and ringing, overvoltage, overcurrent problems. According to briefly analyze the dynamic characteristics of GaN power devices and the causes of fault problems, an independent pull irrigation output and overcurrent classification protection gate driver of GaN power device was designed . When the over-current phenomenon within two times of the switch tube occurs, the switch tube can be quickly turned off. When the over-current phenomenon of the switch tube occurs more than twice, the switch tube can be slowly turned off to protect the device. The rationality of the design was verified by LT-spice simulation software and the establishment of experimental platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a joint restoration convolutional neural network (JRCNN) is proposed to produce a visually pleasing super resolution (SR) image from a single low-quality (LQ) image. The LQ image is a low resolution (LR) image with ringing, blocking and blurring artifacts arising due to compression. JRCNN consists of three deep dense residual blocks (DRB). Each DRB comprises of parallel convolutional layers with cross residual connections. The representational power of JRCNN is improved by depth-wise concatenation of feature representations from each of the DRBs. Moreover, these connections mitigate the problem of vanishing of gradients. Different from the previous networks, JRCNN exploits the contextual information directly in the LR image space without using any interpolation. This strategy improves the training efficiency of the network. The exhaustive experimentation on different datasets show that the proposed JRCNN produces state-of-the-art performance. Furthermore, ablation experiments are performed to assess the effectiveness of JRCNN. In addition, individual experiments are conducted for SR and compression artifact removal on benchmark datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of an effective method for studying the local headings of migrants using 'orientation cages' has made it possible to study the migration patterns of small passerine nocturnal migrants. Numerous papers have been published on varied samples of local data collected using this method. A rough generalization was presented at the 2019 Meeting of the European Ornithologists Union and subsequently published in The Ring. Case studies on data collected for the Blackcap have already been published, and further studies on other species were suggested. The presented work is the next study of this kind, on the migration pattern of the Garden Warbler, using data from orientation tests collected in autumn as part of the work of the SEEN (SE European Bird Migration Network). The data comprises 2,593 tests performed at 31 ringing sites in Central/Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The paper continues the discussion of application of the method to present migration patterns in a geographically wide territory. The general data evaluation methods in this work are exactly as described in the earlier papers. The paper discusses azimuths of arrival and departure tracks at every ringing site, their linearity, number relations between departing and arriving headings, and the general pattern of migration streams followed by different groups of migrants. The hypothesis put forth earlier, stating that the arrival/departure heading axes shown in studies using orientation cages are situated linearly, is once again confirmed and can be used as a general assumption in this type of study. The average deviations are very small and are negligible for drawing general migration patterns. In some cases, however, there were deviations caused by the geographic location of the study site. This problem should be discussed in more detail when more species data become available. Nine migration streams are defined in the study area, which are presented, for simplicity, using different names and colours on maps. Southward and south-eastward streams are dominant and distributed similarly to the streams of the Blackcap. The most pronounced is a stream shown in yellow (YELLOW stream), which is directed from the wide area of central and eastern Europe to the Arabian Peninsula. The BLACK and NAVY streams are the most intriguing (running nearly longitudinally) and require a great deal of attention in further analyses of migration in the Mediterranean. Two styles of presentation of the species migration pattern are discussed, of which the location style of presentation seems to be more precise. The simpler presentation style that shows only general heading axes could be used to compare the general patterns of different species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presentation of a general pattern of migration is very difficult in the case of small passerines, especially nocturnal migrants, as the few accepted methods are inefficient here. It is difficult to follow migration visually (by visual field observations or moon watching). Classic ringing must be extremely intensive due to low or very low recovery rates, especially in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, which additionally rule out any reasonable estimation of the intensity of migration towards different destinations. Radar studies tell us nothing about the migration of individual species. Even the most modern methods, such as geolocation and radio tracking, are of very limited use for population studies. For these reasons, in most cases our knowledge in this area is fragmentary and insufficient for a satisfactory description of migration. In many cases only the breeding areas have been faunistically described in detail, while the winter-quarters and areas where the species is observed during migration are frequently described with less precision. The introduction of an effective method for studying local headings of migrants, using 'orientation cages', has made it possible to study the migration patterns of small passerine nocturnal migrants. The presented work is a case study on the migration pattern of the Blackcap, using data from orientation tests collected in autumn as part of the work of SEEN (SE European Bird Migration Network), consisting of 5,392 tests performed at 28 ringing sites in Central/Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The paper continues the discussion of the problem of applying the method to presentation of migration patterns in a geographically wide territory (Busse 2018, 2019, 2020). The hypothesis put forth by Busse (2019) that the arrival/departure heading axes are generally linear is accurate to within about one 10° sector was confirmed earlier. Here it was confirmed at the level of local patterns for the study sites. In general, the average deviation from the straight line is below 1°. However, there is some geographical variation, and this problem could be discussed when many more results of this kind become available for a few more species. Eight headings/streams of migrants are defined for the Blackcap within the area. Southward and south-eastern streams dominate in most of the study area. However, a very special, nearly longitudinal heading was found in southern Europe and the Middle East, which requires further study. Comparison of the patterns obtained from three different procedures strongly suggests that the general picture of Blackcap migration in Central/Eastern Europe and the Middle East is clear and coherent. Some variation in migration stream parameters (linearity and reversed heading share) suggests that further research in this direction should be conducted using data from other species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ringing is one of the most commonly used techniques to monitor bird individuals and collect data on various aspects of their life history. However, this method involves practices (capturing and handling) that might affect individuals' behaviour. Wild animals can remember and learn from previous experiences, and, thus, they anticipate risks and modify their response in subsequent similar situations. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of playback-associated mist netting on the behaviour of the tawny pipit, Anthus campestris , a medium-sized migratory passerine bird. In playback experiments simulating territorial intrusion of a conspecific male, we examined aggressive responses of individuals attracted in the past by conspecific song playback to a mist net ('experienced' males) and compared them to the responses of individuals without such an experience ('naïve' males). The interval between the capture of experienced males and the playback experiments ranged from several weeks to more than 5 years. Our results revealed prominent differences between the behaviour of naïve tawny pipit males and those experienced with a capturing event. Although all tested males responded to the stimulus, experienced males tended to be substantially less aggressive and more cautious in comparison to naïve individuals; prominent differences were observed, in particular, in the avoidance of close proximity to the loudspeaker by the majority of experienced males. There were no significant differences in responses to playbacks between the experienced males captured and exposed to subsequent experiments within the same or next season and those that underwent playback experiments later, up to 5 years after having been previously trapped. These findings suggest that male tawny pipits may negatively associate playback stimulation with capturing events and remember such experiences over a time period comparable to the expected life span of this species in the wild. • Tawny pipits apparently remember a capture after playback of conspecific songs. • Males experienced with mist-netting and handling behave differently to naïve ones. • More cautious and less aggressive behaviour persists even 5 years after trapping. • This period is comparable to the species' expected life span in the wild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Conceived by the National Ringing Centre ISPRA and MUSE (Trento, formerly MTSN), the Alps Project was launched in 1997 in order to understand the post-breeding migration strategies of birds across the Italian Alps. The project is realized thanks to the support offered by MUSE and several institutions at a local scale, not to mention the collaboration of over one hundred ringers. In more than twenty years, 40 stations located in sites of passage (alpine and pre-alpine passes) and stop-over (valley floors and slopes) have taken part in the project, leading to a dataset of 666,471 ringed individuals and 191 species (as to 2017). After a first exploratory phase (1997-2002), in which the migration was investigated in its many aspects of specific composition and spatial-temporal variation, the project has been restricted to a smaller number of stations since 2007. Those stations are characterized by working in a standardized and continuous way during the whole period (August-November) or during the migration period of the intra-Palearctic species (end of September-October). In this paper we describe the aims, protocols and organizational aspects of the project, with a special focus on monitoring trends and changes in the long-term phenology. This ongoing project (2021) is part of the ISPRA national ringing plan to monitor bird migration across the country]. [Article in Italian]

This paper aims to extract the correlation between parasitic capacitances of the Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) and its influence in Electromagnetic (EM) Emission level of non-synchronous buck converter. In order to validate the proposed concept, the non-synchronous buck converter is designed and validated with dissimilar kind of MOSFETs which have different parasitic specifications. The effect of parasitic capacitance in MOSFET switching and transient characteristics are analyzed with time domain waveforms and the resultant electromagnetic emission due to those switching transients are analyzed and correlated with practical electromagnetic radiated and conducted emission results. The analysis and testing results shows the significant role of MOSFET parasitic capacitances in determining MOSFET switching transients, controlling the magnitude of electromagnetic emission and determining the frequency of EM noise propagation. Along with the time domain and frequency domain analysis the near field Electromagnetic scanning also performed to prove the proposed concept and reason for targeting MOSFET parasitic elements alone to control the EM emission level of the converter. The obtained results provide the evidence of controlling Electromagnetic emissions is possible with optimal selection of MOSFET parasitic capacitances without any additional control or filter circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]