Symbolic disappearance of borders in Europe : the Schengen Area - consequences of the change of the concept of borders in the European Union

The establishment the Schengen Area has changed the perception of the borders of nation-states in the classical sense. The division into internal and external borders in the EU, as well as the development of the concept of integrated management of external borders transformed the character of the traditional understanding of the function of state borders. The effects of these changes are noticeable not only in the field of control and surveillance of external borders, but also in the legislation on foreigners (visa policy, migration and asylum) and cooperation in the area of EU internal security. The elimination of controls at internal borders of the Member States of the Schengen Area has become another symbol of the unification of Europe. The realization of freedom of movement was an important step in deepening economic integration. This article attempts to answer the question about the consequences of a change in thinking about the borders in the EU

Symboliczne zanikanie granic w Europie. Strefa Schengen – konsekwencje zmiany koncepcji granic w Unii Europejskiej

The establishment the Schengen Area has changed the perception of the borders of nation-states in the classical sense. The division into internal and external borders in the EU, as well as the development of the concept of integrated management of external borders transformed the character of the traditional understanding of the function of state borders. The effects of these changes are noticeable not only in the field of control and surveillance of external borders, but also in the legislation on foreigners (visa policy, migration and asylum) and cooperation in the area of the EU internal security. The elimination of controls at internal borders of the Member States of the Schengen Area has become another symbol of the unification of Europe. The realization of freedom of movement was an important step in deepening economic integration. This article attempts to answer the question about the consequences of a change in thinking about the borders in the EU.Powstanie strefy Schengen wpłynęło na zmianę postrzegania granic państw narodowych w ich klasycznym ujęciu. Podział na granice wewnętrzne i zewnętrzne UE, a także rozwój koncepcji zintegrowanego zarządzania granicami zewnętrznymi przekształcił charakter tradycyjnego rozumienia funkcji granic państwowych. Efekty tych zmian są dostrzegalne nie tylko w zakresie kontroli i nadzoru granic zewnętrznych, ale także w regulacjach dotyczących cudzoziemców (polityki wizowej, migracyjnej i azylowej) oraz współpracy w zakresie bezpieczeństwa wewnętrznego UE. Zniesienie kontroli na granicach wewnętrznych państw członkowskich strefy Schengen stało się kolejnym symbolem zjednoczenia Europy, gdyż urzeczywistniono swobodę przepływu osób, co stanowiło istotny krok w pogłębieniu integracji ekonomicznej. Niniejszy artykuł stanowi próbę odpowiedzi na pytanie o konsekwencje zmiany charakteru granic w UE

Morphology of Anemone sylvestris L. flower (Ranunculaceae)

During the monitoring of populations of Anemone sylvestris L. (Ranunculaceae), a protected species in Poland, we found that the seed set is impaired. The flower is considered an adaptation that has coevolved to achieve effective pollination and successful fertilization. Therefore we have focused on the morphological and anatomical characteristics of the flowers of A. sylvestris L. as a prelude to the study of the species’ pollination biology and plant breeding system. The large size of the flower (50.6 ± 16.4 mm in dimensions) and its bowl shape fulfil both the biotic pollination syndrome and the aerodynamic requirements for pollen dispersal and capture. The opening and closing of the perianth provide a shelter for beetles. The odourless perianth, absence of nectar, scarcity of pollen (approximately 200 000 pollen grains per flower) and its traits – small size (axis P = 18.52 ± 1.0 μm; E = 16.59 ± 0.9 μm), lack of balsam on the exine surface, starch accumulation in more than 95% of pollen grains correspond to the specialization in anemophily. The stigma is papillous, the dense hairs are situated between single carpels indicating adaptation to capturing dry pollen and specialization in the wind pollination syndrome. The flower of A. sylvestris is an example for an intermediate form between entomophily and anemophily, i.e. a secondary and more advanced feature among Ranunculaceae

Floral phenology and pollen production in the five nocturnal Oenothera species (Onagraceae)

Blooming phenology and pollen production in the five Oenothera species were investigated during the period of 2013–2015 in the Lublin area, SE Poland. The blooming period was relatively long, and flowering usually started in the middle or late June and lasted until late July or the middle of August. The Oenothera species studied exhibited nocturnal anthesis, i.e., the flowers opened in the late evening and lasted overnight until the early morning hours. Plants developed a great number of flowers per individual and per unit area (on average, 158 and 4,136, respectively), and this feature appeared to be species-specific. It was demonstrated that the blooming phase had an impact on the mass of anthers and pollen produced per flower in all Oenothera species. In general, the greatest mass of anthers and pollen was observed at the beginning of blooming, and with the progress of flowering, the values decreased. However, statistical differences were found for O. flaemingina, O. paradoxa, and O. rubricaulis. The mass of pollen produced per unit area was also a species-specific characteristic and was related to the abundance of flowering. The greatest amount of pollen was produced by O. flaemingina (30.6 g m−2), which was almost three times more than that produced by O. rubricaulis (10.9 g m−2). The protein content of pollen grains was relatively low and on average amounted to 15.4%. The Oenothera species examined in this work may be considered valuable pollen yielding plants. Nevertheless, given the invasive potential of species from subsect. Oenothera, precautions are suggested during cultivation and/or planting these taxa in bee pastures, in order to prevent uncontrolled spread into new areas

Search for events in XENON1T associated with Gravitational Waves

We perform a blind search for particle signals in the XENON1T dark matter detector that occur close in time to gravitational wave signals in the LIGO and Virgo observatories. No particle signal is observed in the nuclear recoil, electronic recoil, CE$\nu$NS, and S2-only channels within $\pm$ 500 seconds of observations of the gravitational wave signals GW170104, GW170729, GW170817, GW170818, and GW170823. We use this null result to constrain mono-energetic neutrinos and Beyond Standard Model particles emitted in the closest coalescence GW170817, a binary neutron star merger. We set new upper limits on the fluence (time-integrated flux) of coincident neutrinos down to 17 keV at 90% confidence level. Furthermore, we constrain the product of coincident fluence and cross section of Beyond Standard Model particles to be less than $10^{-29}$ cm$^2$/cm$^2$ in the [5.5-210] keV energy range at 90% confidence level

Flower palate ultrastructure of the carnivorous plant Genlisea hispidula Stapf with remarks on the structure and function of the palate in the subgenus Genlisea (Lentibulariaceae)

In the genus Genlisea as well as in its sister genus Utricularia, the palate probably plays a key role in providing the colour, mechanical and olfactory stimuli to attract insect pollinators and to guide them to the generative structures and the nectary spur. However, information about the micro-morphology of the palate of Genlisea is scarce. This study aims to examine the structure of the palate in Genlisea hispidula in detail as well as the palate from other five species from the subgenus Genlisea. In particular, its aim is to ascertain whether these palates function as an area for the osmophores in the flower or whether they produce nectar. We showed that the palate in all of the species that were examined was the glandular type and that it had capitate, glandular trichomes, which had a similar general architecture across the species that were examined. No nectar secretion was observed on the palates. The ultrastructure of the palate trichomes showed that the palate glandular trichomes most probably function as scent glands that produce an olfactory stimulus for flower pollinators