Search

A novel concept of impedance-transforming transdirectional coupled-line directional couplers that feature maximum available impedance transformation ratio is proposed. It is shown that such couplers can be designed as an appropriate connection of two uncoupled two-wire transmission lines, having electrical lengths equal 90° and 270°. The conditions for ideal impedance match and isolation in such couplers are derived and formulas describing the required characteristic impedances of the two two-wire transmission lines are given. It is shown that in such circuits the input and isolated port can be terminated with different impedances than the coupled and through ports. The major advantage of the proposed circuits is their reciprocity which allows for application in multiport amplifiers. The concept has been verified by the design and measurement of a 3-dB transdirectional coupler operating at a center frequency of 1 GHz that allows for achieving impedance transformation ratio $R =2$ proving the correctness of the presented analysis.

We report the study of a huge optical intraday flare on 2021 November 12 at 2 a.m. UT in the blazar OJ 287. In the binary black hole model, it is associated with an impact of the secondary black hole on the accretion disk of the primary. Our multifrequency observing campaign was set up to search for such a signature of the impact based on a prediction made 8 yr earlier. The first I -band results of the flare have already been reported by Kishore et al. (2024). Here we combine these data with our monitoring in the R -band. There is a big change in the R – I spectral index by 1.0 ± 0.1 between the normal background and the flare, suggesting a new component of radiation. The polarization variation during the rise of the flare suggests the same. The limits on the source size place it most reasonably in the jet of the secondary BH. We then ask why we have not seen this phenomenon before. We show that OJ 287 was never before observed with sufficient sensitivity on the night when the flare should have happened according to the binary model. We also study the probability that this flare is just an oversized example of intraday variability using the Krakow data set of intense monitoring between 2015 and 2023. We find that the occurrence of a flare of this size and rapidity is unlikely. In machine-readable Tables 1 and 2, we give the full orbit-linked historical light curve of OJ 287 as well as the dense monitoring sample of Krakow.

Objectives of the research: Social and emotional competencies are crucial predictors of effective human psychosocial functioning. Although research on social and emotional competencies has been carried out for many years almost worldwide, in the current era of rapid social changes, further research is necessary. Thus, it is still essential to validate international questionnaires to measure social and emotional competencies in different geographic areas, including Poland. This would make it possible to study the dynamics of the development of these competencies and to conduct comparative studies between different countries. Therefore, the aim of the study was to validate the Social and Emotional Competencies Questionnaire (SEC–Q) in Poland. Research methods: This study was conducted with the Social and Emotional Competencies Questionnaire (SEC-Q). A short description of the context of the issue: The Social and Emotional Competencies Questionnaire (SEC-Q) was completed by 1,052 students aged 9 to 16. The psychometric properties of the SEC-Q were tested through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Research findings: The results showed that the SEC-Q has good psychometric properties and, as in its original version, it includes four components: self-awareness, self-management and motivation, social-awareness and relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Conclusions and recommendations: Validation of the SEC-Q will allow for more research on social and emotional competencies in Poland, including an evaluation of programs for increasing social and emotional competencies and international comparative studies.

In this paper we present a broadband monolithic balanced amplifier reaching 30 dBm output power over a range from 5.7 GHz up to 35.1 GHz. To the best of our knowledge, such broad operational bandwidth has never been reported in literature for balanced topology. The amplifier is composed of broadband tandem-cascade directional couplers and amplifying blocks designed in cascode topology. It is worth noticing that for the first time the mixed tandem-cascade couplers have been integrated in monolithic process, in which only one metallization layer is available for transmission-line structures. The broadband balanced amplifier has been fabricated in high power GH15 gallium nitride (GaN) process offered by United Monolithic Semiconductors (UMS). The measured saturation output power and 1-dB compression point are equal to 30 dBm and 27.8 dBm, respectively.

Bullying and cyberbullying have been intensively studied in many countries, and research on the topic has been fruitful. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to advance knowledge on bullying and cyberbullying in many geographical areas and to discover their risk and protective factors. The objective of this study was to describe and compare the involvement in different bullying and cyberbullying roles in Spain and Poland, identifying risk and protective factors such as moral disengagement, social and emotional competencies, moral emotions and empathy. This study was carried out with a sample of 2535 primary and secondary school students from Spain and Poland. More bullying and cyberbullying involvement were found in Poland in comparison with Spain. Different moral disengagement mechanisms were found to be risk factors for involvement in bullying and cyberbullying in both countries. Low moral emotions were a risk factor for bullying and cyberbullying perpetration in Spain and Poland. Different social and emotional competencies were protective against bullying and cyberbullying in both countries. These results suggest the need to design and implement more programs to promote social, emotional and moral competencies in Spain and Poland to protect children against bullying and cyberbullying.

We report discovering an exoplanet from following up a microlensing event alerted by Gaia. The event Gaia22dkv is toward a disk source rather than the traditional bulge microlensing fields. Our primary analysis yields a Jovian planet with ${M}_{{\rm{p}}}={0.59}_{-0.05}^{+0.15}\,{M}_{{\rm{J}}}$ at a projected orbital separation ${r}_{\perp }={1.4}_{-0.3}^{+0.8}$ au, and the host is a ∼1.1 M _⊙ turnoff star at ∼1.3 kpc. At $r^{\prime} \approx 14$ , the host is far brighter than any previously discovered microlensing planet host, opening up the opportunity to test the microlensing model with radial velocity (RV) observations. RV data can be used to measure the planet’s orbital period and eccentricity, and they also enable searching for inner planets of the microlensing cold Jupiter, as expected from the “inner–outer correlation” inferred from Kepler and RV discoveries. Furthermore, we show that Gaia astrometric microlensing will not only allow precise measurements of its angular Einstein radius θ _E but also directly measure the microlens parallax vector and unambiguously break a geometric light-curve degeneracy, leading to the definitive characterization of the lens system.

The availability of genome-sequencing and genome-editing techniques has increased the applicability of innovative solutions, opening up revolutionary prospects for developments in horticultural plant breeding. The Cucurbitaceae family is a group of plants of great importance in horticulture due to their high nutritional and economic value. These plants serve as important models for elucidating the principles of plant development and refining yield improvement strategies. While traditional breeding approaches have made significant contributions to the production of cucurbits, they have also been limited by the reduced genetic diversity and lower rates of variation inherent in these species. This comprehensive review summarises the latest developments in genome editing in cucurbits. It covers various aspects of enhancing plant traits to resist biotic stresses such as pathogenic fungi and viruses, as well as abiotic stresses such as adverse climate change, especially stresses caused by drought and salinity. This study focused on improvements in plant quality and on the optimisation of plant architecture, sex determination of flowers and fruit features. This review provides insights that may hold great promise for the future of horticultural crop improvement and serves as an important reference for the advancement of genome-sequencing and gene-editing technologies in cucurbits.

The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly has had a negative impact on human psychological wellbeing, as confirmed by numerous studies. Positive psychology identifies optimism and life satisfaction as important factors having to do with the psychological wellbeing of individuals. This article aims to diagnose the level of optimism and life satisfaction of Poles during the 2nd and 4th waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify predictors of optimistic life orientation and life satisfaction in terms of demographic variables. The study was conducted on a group of 1,095 people using the snowball method, via social media. The results confirm a reduction in the level of optimism and life satisfaction of Poles during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the research confirms that resources such as marriage, having children, good education and stable work enhance a person’s level of psychological wellbeing and become a guarantee for better coping during the pandemic.

Carnivorous plants attract animals, trap and kill them, and absorb nutrients from the digested bodies. This unusual (for autotrophs) type of nutrient acquisition evolved through the conversion of photosynthetically active leaves into specialised organs commonly called traps. The genus Nepenthes (pitcher plants) consists of approximately 169 species belonging to the group of carnivorous plants. Pitcher plants are characterised by specialised passive traps filled with a digestive fluid. The digestion that occurs inside the traps of carnivorous plants depends on the activities of many enzymes. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) also participate in the digestive process, but their action is poorly recognised. ROS and RNS, named together as RONS, exhibit concentration-dependent bimodal functions (toxic or signalling). They act as antimicrobial agents, participate in protein modification, and are components of signal transduction cascades. In the human stomach, ROS are considered as the cause of different diseases. RNS have multifaceted functions in the gastrointestinal tract, with both positive and negative impacts on digestion. This review describes the documented and potential impacts of RONS on the digestion in pitcher plant traps, which may be considered as an external stomach.

This paper presents the first six-port reflectometer, which is insensitive to power detectors’ impedance mismatch. It exhibits optimum measurement conditions and provides low measurement error regardless the reflection coefficient of the used power detectors. Simultaneously, the developed six-port is of low complexity, comparable to other solutions. A theoretical analysis reveals that by application of identical power detectors the impact of their impedance mismatch on the six-port’s measurement performance is completely eliminated. To validate this concept experimentally two six-port reflectometers are developed i.e., the proposed one and a reference six-port, which for ideally matched power detectors provides theoretically identical power distribution. Both reflectometers are calibrated and applied to measure reflection coefficients over the frequency range from 5.7 GHz to 5.9 GHz with both well-matched and highly reflective power detectors. The obtained results clearly show that the proposed six-port provides low measurement errors for both types of power detectors, whereas the reference six-port cannot operate properly with highly reflective power detectors.

Abstract Multiplet analysis is based on the identification of seismic events with very similar waveforms which are used then to enhance seismological analysis e.g. by precise relocation of sources. In underground fluid injection conditions, it is a tool frequently used for imaging of subsurface fracture system. We identify over 150 repeatedly activated seismic sources within seismicity cluster induced by fluid injection in NW part of The Geysers geothermal field (California). Majority of multiple events (ME) occur along N–S oriented planar structure which we interpret as a fault plane. Remaining ME are distributed along structures interpreted as fractures, forming together a system of interconnected cracks enabling fluid migration. Temporal analysis reveals that during periods of relatively low fluid injection the proportion of ME to non-multiple events is higher than during periods of high injection. Moreover, ME which occur within the fault differ in activity rate and source properties from ME designating the fractures and non-multiple events. In this study we utilize observed differences between ME occurring within various structures and non-multiple events to describe hydraulic conditions within the reservoir. We show that spatial and temporal analysis of multiplets can be used for identification and characterization of dominant fluid migration paths.

We present a summary of the results of the OJ 287 observational campaign, which was carried out during the 2021/2022 observational season. This season is special in the binary model because the major axis of the precessing binary happens to lie almost exactly in the plane of the accretion disc of the primary. This leads to pairs of almost identical impacts between the secondary black hole and the accretion disk in 2005 and 2022. In 2005, a special flare called “blue flash” was observed 35 days after the disk impact, which should have also been verifiable in 2022. We did observe a similar flash and were able to obtain more details of its properties. We describe this in the framework of expanding cloud models. In addition, we were able to identify the flare arising exactly at the time of the disc crossing from its photo-polarimetric and gamma-ray properties. This is an important identification, as it directly confirms the orbit model. Moreover, we saw a huge flare that lasted only one day. We may understand this as the lighting up of the jet of the secondary black hole when its Roche lobe is suddenly flooded by the gas from the primary disk. Therefore, this may be the first time we directly observed the secondary black hole in the OJ 287 binary system.

In this paper, two cathinone derivatives, 4F-3Me-α-PVP and N-ethylheptedrone, seized on the illegal drug market in Poland, were described and characterized by various instrumental analytical methods. The compounds were characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, high-resolution mass spectrometry, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The two tested compounds were confirmed as 1-(4-fluoro-3-methylphenyl)-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)pentan-1-one and N-ethyl-2-amino-1-phenylheptan-1-one hydrochlorides; both are cathinone derivatives available on the market for new psychoactive substances (NPS). The obtained analytical data should be useful for forensic and toxicological purposes in the rapid and reliable identification of compounds.

A microwave sensor realized in monolithic technology, intended for permittivity estimation with the use of a highly sensitive coupled-line section, is presented in this paper. It also contains a dedicated measurement circuitry realized as a five-port correlator, therefore, a simple scalar power measurement can be utilized to obtain vector signal corresponding to the measured material without the usage of an external vector network analyzer. To suppress systematic measurement errors arising from the manufactured circuit's imperfections it is equipped with an integrated calibration block, the parameters of which can be simply tuned with two biasing voltages. The sensor is calibrated following a recently reported procedure, which requires neither known nor specific calibration values, in contrast to other methods with much stronger constraints. It is shown for the first time, that a measurement system incorporating a multiport correlator can be successfully calibrated with such arbitrarily chosen settings of the calibration block. To experimentally validate correctness of the calibration's convergence, the developed sensor is calibrated multiple times with different sets of the calibration block's settings, each time resulting in the same output values. It proves that the approach to calibration of measurement systems incorporating the multiport correlator can be significantly simplified with no impact on calibration accuracy. Finally, the measurement of the sensor's response for two dielectric samples clearly demonstrates the advantages of the utilized calibration.

A new concept of broadband equal-split coupled-line directional couplers is proposed. The proposed couplers are based on coupled-line sections, all having the same coupling coefficient, and feature frequency characteristics similar to the ones obtained for classic symmetrical three-section coupled-line couplers. It is shown that appropriate cascade- and tandem-connected coupled-line sections, having all the same coupling coefficients and different electrical lengths allow for achieving equal power split in a broadband frequency range together with the quadrature differential phase response. Therefore, a very flexible design process is possible, in which directional couplers with different bandwidths and coupling imbalances can be realized by changing solely the electrical lengths of the coupled-line sections. Moreover, the proposed networks require significantly lower coupling coefficients and feature slightly shorter overall electrical lengths than their classic counterparts. The theoretical analysis of the proposed circuits is shown in the paper and is followed by the design and measurements of two broadband equal-split quadrature directional couplers operating at the center frequency of 2 GHz.

This study aimed to learn about causes of stress among adult Poles and their ways of dealing with stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey questionnaire was used, as well as two standardized research tools: Endler and Parker’s Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), and Watson and Clark’s Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The research group comprised 595 people, including 80.5% women. They were 18–75 years old. The most important stress factors were concern for one’s health, as well as the current political and economic situation in the country. Most of the participants lean toward avoidance-oriented coping with stress, fewer of them prefer emotion-oriented coping, and the remaining ones focus on task-oriented coping. Task-oriented style is typical of those who are older, married and those who have children. Emotion-oriented coping is more common among women, young people, unmarried people and those without children. Avoidance-oriented style is connected with those who are single, childless, and combining study with work. The most adaptive style of dealing with stress in terms of emotions was task-oriented coping. Psychological support focused on strengthening adaptive strategies of coping with stressful situations is an important task for professionals in the field.

Artykuł podejmuje tematykę inteligencji emocjonalnej i kompetencji społecznych nauczycieli. Po wprowadzeniu teoretycznym zostały przedstawione założenia metodologiczne oraz wyniki badań własnych. Przedmiotem badań była inteligencja emocjonalna i kompetencje społeczne nauczycieli szkół specjalnych dla dzieci i młodzieży z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną. Celem badań było określenie poziomu oraz ocena poszczególnych aspektów inteligencji emocjonalnej i kompetencji społecznych badanych nauczycieli. Podstawowym problemem badawczym było zatem pytanie: Jak kształtuje się poziom inteligencji emocjonalnej i kompetencji społecznych badanych nauczycieli? Badania zostały przeprowadzone za pomocą dwóch wystandaryzowanych narzędzi badawczych: Popularnego Kwestionariusza Inteligencji Emocjonalnej (PKIE) oraz Profilu Kompetencji Społecznych PROPOS. W badaniu wzięło udział 100 nauczycieli pracujących w szkołach specjalnych lub ośrodkach szkolno-wychowawczych dla dzieci i młodzieży z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną (90% kobiet, 10% mężczyzn; średnia wieku 45 lat). Wyniki badań wskazują, że ogólny poziom inteligencji emocjonalnej oraz kompetencji społecznych badanych nauczycieli jest na średnim poziomie (6,61 stena; 6,19). Jeśli zaś chodzi o poszczególne aspekty inteligencji emocjonalnej, to badani wysokie wyniki uzyskali w skali kontroli własnych stanów emocjonalnych (7,15 stena). Biorąc pod uwagę, że poziom kompetencji emocjonalno-społecznych nauczycieli jest związany z poziomem tych kompetencji uczniów, zaleca się promowanie rozwoju tych kompetencji u nauczycieli już na poziomie kształcenia akademickiego.

The digestive fluid of pitcher plants is a rich source of enzymes and secondary metabolites, but its impact on higher plant growth and development remains unknown. The aim of the study was to determine the phytotoxicity of the digestive fluid of the pitcher plant (Nepenthes x ventrata) on the germination of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seeds, elongation growth and cell viability of roots of tomato seedlings. The digestive fluid was collected from pitchers before feeding and four days after feeding; the pH and electrical conductivity of the fluid were determined. Undiluted and 50% fluids were used in the study. An inhibition of germination of tomato seeds, by around 30% and 55%, was respectively observed in 50% and 100% digestive fluids collected before and after feeding. Digestive fluid did not affect the root growth of tomato seedlings; a slight (6%) inhibition was only observed after the application of 100% digestive fluid from an unfed trap. The roots of the tomato seedlings treated with undiluted fluid were characterized by reduced cell viability. Reactive oxygen species (H2O2 and O2•−) were mainly localized in the root apex regardless of the used phytotoxic cocktail, and did not differ in comparison to control plants.

The carnivorous pitcher plant, Nepenthes × ventrata (Hort. ex Fleming = N. ventricosa Blanco × N. alata Blanco), produces passive traps containing digestive fluid. Although reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the fluid were detected in some pitcher plants, the participation of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in the digestion process has not yet been examined. The aim of this work was to investigate the production of superoxide anion (O2•−), nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrite (ONOO−) levels in the digestive fluid of traps throughout organ development. We revealed the ROS and RNS occurrence in the digestive fluid, linked to the ROS-scavenging capacity and total phenolics content. In digestive fluid from the fed traps, NO emission was higher than in the fluid from the developed unfed pitcher. The concentration of nitrite (NO2−) decreased in the fluid from the fed traps in comparison to the unfed ones, pointing at NO2− as the key source of NO. The enhanced emission of NO was associated with lowered content of ONOO− in the fluid, probably due to lower production of O2•−. At the same time, despite a decline in total phenolics, the maximum ROS scavenging capacity was detected. In addition, ROS and RNS were noted even in closed traps, suggesting their involvement not only in digestion per se but also their action as signaling agents in trap ontogeny.

The pine-tree lappet moth, D. pini, is a harmful defoliator of pine forests in Europe and Asia and a potentially invasive species in North America. The lures for trapping D. pini males based on two known components of its sex pheromone appeared weakly attractive to male moths. Identification of all components of the sex pheromone might allow for the development of more effective lures. The pheromone was sampled from virgin females using SPME and analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Four new likely components ((Z5)-dodecenal, (Z5)-dodecen-1-ol, (Z5)-decen-1-yl acetate, (Z5)-tetradecen-1-yl acetate) and two known components ((Z5,E7)-dodecadienal, (Z5,E7)-dodecadien-1-ol) were identified based on comparison against authentic standards, Kováts indices and spectra libraries. The samples also contained several sesquiterpenes. Wind tunnel and field experiments showed that some blends of synthetic pheromone components alone or enriched with Scots pine essential oil (SPEO) were attractive to D. pini males. One component—(Z5)-decen-1-yl acetate—had a repelling effect. The presented knowledge of D. pini sex pheromone provides a basis for developing optimal lures for monitoring or controlling insect populations.

This article shows the results of research focused on the phenomena of bullying and cyberbullying among Polish and Spanish children and adolescents. The first part of this article describes the characteristics of the topic, including genesis and definitions of terms and descriptions of the nature of the phenomena, highlighting the negative consequences of this kind of violence. The second part of this article describes different studies focused on bullying and cyberbullying across the world and in Poland. Against this background, the author’s own research results are described. The aim of this study is to compare the prevalence of bullying and cyberbullying among students enrolled in Polish and Spanish schools. An additional aim is to discover developmental tendencies in Poland and Spain whilst taking into account the age and gender of the participants. This research was conducted with the use of international measurement tools. The study included 1,052 Polish and 1,483 Spanish students. The results show that the prevalence of the phenomena is high. In Poland, around 70% of the participants are involved in some form of bullying and around 35% are involved in cyberbullying. In Spain, around 50% of the participants are involved in a form of bullying and around 20% in cyberbullying. Conclusions include the implications for pedagogical practice. Prevention and intervention programs against this kind of violence are needed and should be conducted in both countries.

Artykuł przedstawia zagadnienie zawierania umów o przyłączenie do sieci ciepłowniczej z perspektywy prawa ochrony konkurencji i konsumentów. Omówiono obowiązki spoczywające na przedsiębiorstwie energetycznym, przede wszystkim obowiązek przyłączenia do sieci ciepłowniczej nowych odbiorców. Kluczową kwestią przedstawioną w artykule jest rozkład ryzyka pomiędzy przedsiębiorstwem ciepłowniczym i przyłączanym podmiotem, jeżeli pierwotne zamierzenia inwestora, w szczególności dewelopera, okazują się niewykonalne. Nadmierne zabezpieczenie się przedsiębiorstwa ciepłowniczego na taką okoliczność może skutkować zarzutem nadużycia pozycji dominującej, a próba przerzucenia ryzyka na odbiorców – konsumentów, zarzutem naruszenia zbiorowych interesów konsumentów. Trudno jednak oczekiwać od przedsiębiorstwa ciepłowniczego, aby przejęło na siebie całość ryzyka inwestycyjnego związanego z nowymi przyłączeniami. Wyważenie właściwych proporcji pomiędzy sprzecznymi interesami stron powinno być kształtowane poprzez rozwój orzecznictwa organów ochrony konkurencji i konsumentów.

CEL NAUKOWY: Celem badań była diagnoza nastroju i emocji dorosłych Polaków w czasie pandemii COVID‑19 oraz analiza związku między wymiarami nastroju i emocjami a zmiennymi socjodemograficznymi. PROBLEM I METODY BADAWCZE: Aby odpowiedzieć na pytanie, jaki nastrój i jakie emocje do‑ minują u Polaków w czasie pandemii COVID‑19, zastosowano dwa wystandaryzowane narzędzia badawcze: Przymiotnikową Skalę Nastroju (UMACL) Matthewsa, Chamberlaina i Jonesa w polskiej adaptacji Goryńskiej i Skalę Uczuć Pozytywnych i Negatywnych (SUPIN) Watsona i Clark w pol‑ skiej adaptacji Brzozowskiego. W badaniu wzięło udział 595 uczestników, wśród których 80,50% to kobiety, 19,50% to mężczyźni. Badani byli w wieku od 18 do 75 lat. PROCES WYWODU: Przeprowadzono analizę statystyczną z wykorzystaniem metod statystyki opisowej oraz testów nieparametrycznych: Manna‑Whitneya i Kruskala‑Wallisa. Po wykryciu istot‑ nych statystycznie różnic wykonano analizę post‑hoc testem Dunna w celu zidentyfikowania róż‑ niących się istotnie statystycznie grup. WYNIKI ANALIZY NAUKOWEJ: Przewlekła pandemijna codzienność w znaczący sposób wpły‑ nęła na kondycję psychiczną Polaków, powodując obniżenie nastroju i dominację uczuć negatyw‑ nych. Obecne ustalenia sugerują, że pandemia COVID‑19 ma negatywne konsekwencje dla zdrowia psychicznego, zwłaszcza wśród kobiet (płeć żeńska związana z nasileniem pobudzenia napięcio‑ wego i negatywnymi uczuciami) oraz osób z niższym wykształceniem, w tym uczniów i studentów. WNIOSKI, INNOWACJE, REKOMENDACJE: Niniejsze badanie wnosi istotny wkład w identyfika‑ cję potencjalnych grup ryzyka dla zaburzeń zdrowia psychicznego podczas pandemii COVID‑19. Te grupy mogą wymagać szczególnej uwagi i wsparcia poprzez wdrażanie programów profilaktycznych lub opieki psychologicznej w celu zapobiegania długoterminowym negatywnym konsekwencjom dla zdrowia psychicznego.