Territorial Defense Research Articles

Possibilities of using territorial defense armities to protect the site of a mass disaster

This paper presents the most important issues concerning the use of the Territorial Defense Forces for the task of securing the site of a mass disaster. It discusses the concept and features of a mass disaster, the organization and tasks of Territorial Defense Forces, and the participation of soldiers from this formation in securing the site of a mass disaster. The aim of the article is to present the most important aspects of the participation of Territorial Defense Forces soldiers in securing the site of a mass disaster, mass events. Although the TDF issues have been present and developed in various publications in recent years, there has been no work analyzing the participation of this formation in the activities of securing a mass catastrophe of such events. In the work, classical research methods were used, including the study of sources, their analysis, criticism, heuristics and inference. Established in 2016, the Territorial Defense Forces constitute a valuable new type of the Armed Forces, which can be very useful in activities related to securing the site of a mass disaster, which is part of the crisis management system. Territorial Defense Forces soldiers can be used to help and safeguard, interrupt an incident, mitigate its effects, prevent bystanders from reaching the crash site, which has a significant impact on securing traces and evidence against their loss or distortion. The great advantage of the formation is its territoriality, because in the event of a summons to the site of a mass disaster, it can appear very quickly and, in cooperation with the relevant services, promptly take effective action.

Migration Processes in the Kharkiv Region in the Conditions of Russian Aggression and Their Impact on the Demographic Situation

The study of migration processes, caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, is a rather relevant scientific problem. The main territorial directions of migration processes in Kharkiv region and their impact on the demographic situation in the oblast are defined in the article. Attention is focused on the essence of the terms war fugitives – forced migrants (internally displaced persons) in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees abroad. At the end of February 2022 yet, the offensive of the Russian invaders on Kharkiv has been stopped thanks to the heroic resistance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Territorial Defense troops. Therefore, Kharkiv has been included in the list of the first cities of Ukraine to receive the title of Hero City (March 21, 2022). Temporal differences in migration flows are determined and the peculiarities of the territorial placement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Kharkiv region and other oblasts of Ukraine are defined on the base of the analysis of statistical data provided by the Kharkiv Regional Military-Civil Administration. The scale of these forced migrations is described, primarily in the city of Kharkiv. Its population has been decreased from 1,400,000 people on the eve of the Russian invasion to 300,000 people in April, 2022. According to the estimations of the Kharkiv city authorities, 600,000 people have been evacuated from Kharkiv by railway alone in the spring of 2022. It has been impossible to evacuate from the northern and eastern areas of Kharkiv region in the first months of the war. A significant part of the region territory (territories of 5 out of 7 districts) is under occupation. Attention is focused on the wave of return (re-evacuation) of the population to Kharkiv, which has started in May, 2022 after the liberation of the city’s nearest surroundings from the Russian occupiers and lasted until the spring of 2023, when the population of Kharkiv reaches 1.1 million people. Almost the whole territory of the Kharkiv region has been liberated in September-October, 2022. The ethnic structure of the population of Kharkiv region at the early 21st century is also revealed. It is indicated that a significant part of the forced migrants who have adapted to the new areas will remain there. This applies not only to Ukrainian migrants abroad, but also to Kharkiv residents who live currently in the other regions of Ukraine, especially among those who have lost their homes and jobs in the Kharkiv region. This will objectively negatively affect the already difficult demographic situation in Kharkiv region in the near future.

Behavioral convergence in defense behaviors in pair bonded individuals correlates with neuroendocrine receptors in the medial amygdala

Monogamous, pair-bonded animals coordinate intra-pair behavior for spatially separated challenges including territorial defense and nest attendance. Paired California mice, a monogamous, territorial and biparental species, approach intruders together or separately, but often express behavioral convergence across intruder challenges. To gain a more systems-wide perspective of potential mechanisms contributing to behavioral convergence across two conspecific intruder challenges, we conducted an exploratory study correlating behavior and receptor mRNA (Days 10 and 17 post-pairing). We examined associations between convergence variability in pair time for intruder-oriented behaviors with a pair mRNA index for oxytocin (OXTR), androgen (AR), and estrogen alpha (ERα) receptors within the medial amygdala (MeA) and the anterior olfactory nucleus (AON), brain regions associated with social behavior. An intruder behavior index revealed a bimodal distribution of intruder-related behaviors in Challenge 1 and a unimodal distribution in Challenge 2, suggesting population behavioral convergence, but no significant correlations with neuroendocrine measures. However, OXTR, AR, and ERα mRNA in the MeA were positively associated with convergence in individual intruder-related behaviors, suggesting multiple mechanisms may influence convergence. Mice could also occupy the nest during intruder challenges and convergence in nest attendance was positively correlated with MeA OXTR. At an individual level, nest attendance was positively associated with MeA ERα. Vocalizations were positively associated with AR and ERα mRNA. No positive associations were found in the AON. Overall, neuroendocrine receptors were implicated in convergence of a monogamous pair’s defense behavior, highlighting the potential importance of the MeA as part of a circuit underlying convergence.

Predation domes: In‐situ field assays to measure predatory behaviours by fish

Abstract Biotic interactions such as predation are difficult ecological processes to quantify in the wild. This is especially the case in the marine environment due to logistical difficulties in capturing animal behaviour. Common approaches use aquarium‐based experiments, live‐tethering, or assays with bait as proxies for quantifying predation pressure. However, these methods often fail to account for natural interactions between species in the wild and may raise ethical and animal welfare concerns. We designed a novel field‐based method to quantify predator–prey interactions for marine fishes. The “predation dome” is a clear acrylic aquarium that contains a live fish. The dome is filmed and, in contrast to other methods, it allows for natural olfactory and visual cues, and the prey fish is returned to the wild after the assay. Here, we provide a step‐by‐step guide on building and deploying the predation dome in the wild. To demonstrate its use, we quantified predation pressure using the domes in two tropical and two temperate locations. Piscivores were attracted to the domes and displayed predatory behaviours such as circling or striking. Although the overall number of predatory attacks did not differ among locations, predation domes revealed higher predation pressure by piscivores at the tropical locations in comparison to temperate reefs. Our results show that predation domes represent an ethical and complementary approach to measure predation that may better represent piscivory as compared to other behaviours. Predation domes can be also used to measure other biotic interactions such as territorial defence or courtship.

Legal regulation of the interaction of the armed forces of Ukraine and voluntary formations of territorial communitie

The peculiarities of the interaction of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with territorial defense units and voluntary formations of territorial communities in the conditions of aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the problems of legal support for such interaction and the legislative determination of the status of voluntary formations of territorial communities are considered. Formulation of the problem. As a result of the imperfection of the legislation concerning the territorial defense of Ukraine, there are problems of interaction between the Armed Forces, territorial defense and voluntary formations of territorial communities. The contradiction of individual articles of Ukrainian legislation provokes a decrease in the level of effective use of territorial defense and voluntary formations of territorial communities in the conditions of full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Analysis of recent research and publications. The full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has led to the consideration of the problems of regulatory support for the territorial defense of Ukraine and the voluntary formations of territorial communities. A. L. Beikun and O. M. Romashko in their work consider the essence and content of the legal regulation of the security and defense sector of Ukraine, the effectiveness of the interaction of all components of the security and defense sector, including the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the conditions of Russian aggression. Yu. L. Kolhushkin in his dissertation highlights the issue of administrative and legal provision of territorial defense of Ukraine. Troianskyi O. A. analyzes the legal principles of citizens’ participation in the territorial defense of Ukraine and voluntary formations of territorial communities, he analyzes the main components of territorial defense, considers the peculiarities of the formation of voluntary formations of territorial communities. Main material. Legal regulation of the interaction of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and voluntary formations of territorial communities provides for ordering and regulating the behavior of the specified participants in legal relations with the help of legal norms. The need for proper regulation of the interaction of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Defense Forces of Ukraine arose in connection with military operations in the conditions of aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine in accordance with the Law of Ukraine No. 1702-IX “On the Basics of National Resistance”. Territorial defense forces exist in many states and are one of the factors in strengthening the state's defense capability. In most countries, the territorial defense forces are closely related to the armed forces or are their integral part. The legislation of Ukraine defines the voluntary formation of a territorial community as a military-civilian component of territorial defense, a paramilitary unit formed on a voluntary basis from citizens of Ukraine living within the territory of the relevant territorial community which is intended to participate in the preparation and fulfillment of territorial defense tasks. Changes made to the legislation of Ukraine regarding the interaction of the Armed Forces with voluntary formations of territorial communities and the use of units of voluntary formations of territorial communities in the combat zone have created some problems. This concerns the inconsistency between the new content of the status of voluntary formations of territorial communities and the obligations during the formation, material and technical support of voluntary formations of territorial communities as well as rights and guarantees for territorial defense and voluntary formations of territorial communities. It is necessary to emphasize that the regulatory support for the interaction of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the voluntary formations of territorial communities needs further improvement, firstly, a clear definition of the status, rights and guarantees of voluntary formations of territorial communities; secondly, provision of the financial component and, thirdly, material and technical support, including weapons and military equipment.

Single fathers sacrifice their broods and re-mate quickly in a socially monogamous cichlid.

When one of two parents disappears in the midst of caring for offspring, the remaining parent is left with several options. They can either (1) desert the brood, (2) continue caring on their own and reject propositions from new potential partners, or (3) continue caring but remain receptive to re-mating opportunities. The presence of a brood may increase re-mating success of single parents, either because brood care is perceived as a signal of partner quality, or because prospective mates perceive the brood as potential energy source. In this field experiment, we used the socially monogamous, biparental cichlid fish Variabilichromis moorii to examine the re-mating strategy of males with or without dependent offspring after the loss of their female partner. Partner vacancies were filled quickly by new females, and these females engaged in high levels of affiliative behavior with the males. The new females engaged in territorial defense, but focused primarily against intruding conspecifics, likely as a means to repel rivals. The males, in turn, took over the majority of territorial defense against intruding heterospecifics. Interestingly, males that still had offspring from their previous partnerships did not show aggression toward their new female partners, even when those females were infanticidal and cannibalizing the males' current offspring. Overall, our experiment shows that single fathers of a biparental species will re-mate quickly even at the detriment to their current offspring.

From the Territorial Defence Forces to the Army of the Republic – The formation of the Armed Forces in light of the Decisions of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The organization of the Yugoslav armed forces into two strategic components of which the Yugoslav People’s Army was one, while the others were made up from the territorial defence forces of the Yugoslav republics and autonomous regions, was a concept based on the idea of a massive and general popular resistance, modelled on the partisan movement from the times of the Second World War. From the outset their development and organizational forms were significantly determined, among other things, by the relationship between the unitarist and separatist tendencies and policies, which was a permanent feature of the complete development of the Yugoslav political system that had its final expression in the provisions of the Constitution of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia that had been adopted in 1974. The Constitution defined as the right and duty of municipalities, autonomous regions and republics that, in accordance with the system of people’s defence, each one could regulate and organize the people’s defence forces on its own territory. The Law on the people’s defence also delimited and stipulated that the relevant organs of the Federation established the basic plans concerning the development and implementation of Yugoslav armed forces as a whole, securing the unity of their actions and organizing and preparing the Yugoslav People’s Army, while the relevant organs of the republics, regions and municipalities organized and prepared the territorial defence forces and secured the unity of its organization, preparation and action on their respective territories. This was the basic constitutional responsibility in terms of defence which was not changed for the duration of the common state’s existence. Interventions regarding the organization of Yugoslav armed forces that were implemented since the 1980’s were reflected on certain formational solutions, some aspects of relations in the command and control lines and in the selection of personnel for the most responsible duties in the detachments and headquarters of territorial defence forces, but in essence it did not affect the doctrine nor did it change or derogate the constitutional authority of the republics or their state organs in the domain of defence. The state organs of Bosnia and Herzegovina attempted to secure an equal position in the process of Yugoslav dissolution, up to the extent to which this was possible and within the framework of their jurisdiction. In official documents that were adopted in the Assembly in October 1991 and which defined the determination and attitudes of Bosnia and Herzegovina concerning the possible arrangement of the Yugoslav union and the future relations within it, the constitutional authority of the Presidency was confirmed in the domain of defence as well as in the command and control over the territorial defence forces. After the proclamation of state independence and its subsequent international recognition, the dramatic political crisis escalated into an armed aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina. By proclaiming the state of direct military threat, the Presidency assumed the responsibilities of the Assembly, and with a set of legal acts quickly defined the forms, organization and dynamic of the development of its own armed forces. This development was quickly initiated on 8 April 1992 with the abolishment of the Republican headquarters of the Territorial defence forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the establishment of the Headquarters of the Territorial defence forces of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which assumed command over the subordinate headquarters and detachments with an unchanged formation and structure. The Decree with legal power that was passed on 20 May defined that Armed forces in peacetime were made up of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while in wartime they also included the police forces and all other armed units that placed themselves under their command. It was stipulated that until the Army became established, its function in the Armed forces would be performed by the Territorial defence forces of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 4 July 1992 the Presidency as the highest organ of leadership and command passed a Decision about the organization of the Armed forces of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whereby the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was officially formed and put into function, while the Territorial defence forces stopped existing.

Social-Status Position of Women Veterans Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The bilateral aggression perpetrated on the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina by its eastern and western neighbors produced the need for the defense of the state, its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Projected plans provided for the appropriation of territories, and alternatively the annexation of certain areas. Armed conflicts caused the commission of numerous war crimes, crimes against humanity and international law against the civilian population. In order to prevent the complete destruction of those who feel and perceive Bosnia and Herzegovina as their homeland, and the execution of genocide on the entire territory of the country, the bare-handed population self-organized. In the very beginnings, the organization was realized in the form of street guards armed with hunting rifles and/or personal pistols, which gradually grew into organizing at the local level, and by being integrated into the structure of the Territorial Defense of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which became the backbone of the creation of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Army represented the only official armed force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the goal of protecting the territorial integrity of the state, citizens, economic, cultural and other assets. In the ranks of the Army there were also 5,360 members of the fairer sex who showed enough courage to put themselves at their disposal in a personal capacity in the most difficult moments of the decisive defense of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state. Among them, special piety goes to the winners of the Golden Lily award - 13 of them. A special honor and respect goes to a special group of women - those who, then, at a time when many were hiding and looking for a way to leave not only the defense line but also the homeland, voluntarily joined the ranks of the Army in order to participate and contribute to the fight for survival, whether they found themselves in combat units on the front line, penetrating enemy lines as saboteurs, scouts, unit commanders, nurses, or engaged in logistical and affiliated units, unit commands. Some of them did not see their freedom. Where are the brave women defenders today? The answer to this question is the topic of the conducted empirical research presented in the titled text, which contains the results of the processes carried out so far in the construction of the culture of memory, as well as the positioning of female volunteers/defenders in legal norms. These are two crucial centers of gravity that position female volunteers/defenders in today's sociological reality.

Does capacity to produce androgens underlie variation in female ornamentation and territoriality in White-shouldered Fairywren (Malurus alboscapulatus)?

Historic bias toward study of sex hormones and sexual ornamentation in males currently constrains our perspective of hormone—behavior—phenotype relationships. Resolving how ornamented female phenotypes evolve is particularly important for understanding the diversity of social signals across taxa. Studies of both males and females in taxa with variable female phenotypes are needed to establish whether sexes share mechanisms underlying expression of signaling phenotypes and behavior. White-shouldered Fairywren (Malurus alboscapulatus) subspecies vary in female ornamentation, baseline circulating androgens, and response to territorial intrusion. The moretoni ornamented female subspecies is characterized by higher female, but lower male baseline androgens, and a stronger pair territorial response relative to pairs from the lorentzi unornamented female subspecies. Here we address whether subspecific differences in female ornamentation, baseline androgens, and pair territoriality are associated with ability to elevate androgens following gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) challenge and in response to simulated territorial intrusion. We find that subspecies do not differ in their capacity to produce androgens in either sex following GnRH or simulated territorial intrusion (STI) challenges. STI-induced androgens were predictive of degree of response to territorial intrusions in females only, but the direction of the effect was mixed. GnRH-induced androgens did not correlate with response to simulated intruders, nor did females sampled during intrusion elevate androgens relative to flushed controls, suggesting that increased androgens are not necessary for the expression of territorial defense behaviors. Collectively, our results suggest that capacity to produce androgens does not underlie subspecific patterns of female ornamentation, territoriality, and baseline plasma androgens.

Mismatches between phenotype and environment shape fitness at hyperlocal scales.

In the era of human-driven climate change, understanding whether behavioural buffering of temperature change is linked with organismal fitness is essential. According to the 'cost-benefit' model of thermoregulation, animals that live in environments with high frequencies of favourable thermal microclimates should incur lower thermoregulatory costs, thermoregulate more efficiently and shunt the associated savings in time and energy towards other vital tasks such as feeding, territory defence and mate acquisition, increasing fitness. Here, we explore how thermal landscapes at the scale of individual territories, physiological performance and behaviour interact and shape fitness in the southern rock agama lizard (Agama atra). We integrated laboratory assays of whole organism performance with behavioural observations in the field, fine-scale estimates of environmental temperature, and paternity assignment of offspring to test whether fitness is predicted by territory thermal quality (i.e. the number of hours that operative temperatures in a territory fall within an individual's performance breadth). Male lizards that occupied territories of low thermal quality spent more time behaviourally compensating for sub-optimal temperatures and displayed less. Further, display rate was positively associated with lizard fitness, suggesting that there is an opportunity cost to engaging in thermoregulatory behaviour that will change as climate change progresses.

Modern Army for Modern Times or Private Paramilitary? Polish Territorial Defense Force as a Benchmark Case in Conflict Evolution

ABSTRACT The new Polish military branch, the Territorial Defense Force (TDF), has been described both as a defensive tool against Russian hybrid warfare and as a private paramilitary force of the incumbent Law and Justice Party. This paper examines the strategic, political, and military purposes of the Territorial Defense Force using two theoretical models. One is designed for analyzing units intended to protect against external threats, the second for units targeting internal threats. Comparing these models with the officially declared objectives of the TDF, our results indicate a stronger correlation of the new branch with the second model and reveal distinct political motivations for its creation.

Agonism does not covary with territoriality in a gregarious reptile

Natural selection for territoriality is theorised to occur under conditions favouring intra-sexual phenotypic variation in physiology, morphology, and behaviour. In this context, certain suites of behavioural traits associated with territoriality are expected to consistently covary among individuals (sometimes referred to as ‘behavioural syndromes’) within sexes. Agonism (conflict-associated behaviours that may or may not be associated with physical aggression) and movement—for example, ranging, or relocation within or across seasons—are two behavioural components that are associated with territoriality and may be expected to covary in this context. Territorial males are expected to employ agonistic behaviours to actively establish and defend areas and resources and show more stability in their location across the landscape. However, the interaction between agonism and movement especially for wild reptiles has rarely been tested. We investigated whether agonistic and movement behaviours correlate at the individual level both within one year and across multiple years, in a wild population of Australian eastern water dragons, Intellagama lesueurii. Although both types of behaviours exhibited among-individual repeatability over year and multi-year scales, we found no evidence of an agonistic-movement behavioural syndrome. These findings indicate that agonistic and movement behaviours are likely independent traits, and thus, territoriality may not drive shared selective pressures for both. It is possible that other social behaviours and strategies are in place to maintain social structure in this wild population.Significance statementMales of many animals establish and maintain or defend territories. Territory defence is expected to be associated with behaviours associated with conflict or expressions of dominance, to signal territory boundaries to encroaching individuals, or more aggressive approaches for active defence. We investigated whether such agonistic behaviours correlated with the distances individuals ranged or dispersed within and between years, as an indicator of territoriality. Through thousands of observations of a wild population of Australian eastern water dragons, Intellagama lesueurii, we found that although individuals showed repeatable patterns of both agonistic and movement behaviours, we found no evidence that these were correlated. It appears that territory establishment and defence may therefore not rely on agonistic signals in this species in direct contrast to other taxa, indicating that other systems are in place to maintain social structures.

Urgent problems and perspectives of the national Ukrainian language functioning

The article discovers actual problems of the Ukrainian language functioning and developing as of the national state language during the wartime, specifies perspective aspects of the national language safety for the future. On the one hand, our national culture causes increasing concern in the world, encourages learning Ukrainian to stand in solidarity with the nation courageously fighting against Russian invaders, reinforcing considerable part of the Ukrainian society to national values, rejecting Russian as a hostile means of communication. On the other hand, there have been noticeable mitigation of firm positions in the language policy on different levels, some tolerance to russification, unpretentious attitude to the use of Russian in media, in official communication etc. And this is occurring on the background of linguicide, denationalization on the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian Federation army.
 In the publication the attention is focused on the dissemination of the Ukrainian language in Europe and in the world in the past 2022, relevance of the national legislation. There has been made an emphasis on the necessity of systemic legal protection of the national language with a wide range of influence functions with punishment, among others, when the current laws are not fulfilled. 
 We outline linguistic problems and ways to resolve them, in particular, we consider it important to expand horizons of Ukrainian as a foreign language abroad. On time is functioning of effective Ukrainian-speaking front with the use of all possible media resources as well as realization of wide inventory of the national onymicon. It is recommended to consider Ukrainian latynytsya, translation studies, books publishing, editor institution, slovnykarstvo, documentary science, linguistic expertise, moderate purism, folklore etc. We emphasize the necessity to create «Novy Ukrainsky Pravopys» – the only literary standard of orthography and punctuation for all Ukrainians in the world. It is important to change the third sentence in article 10 of the Constitution, return to initial recommendations of the National Commission of the national language standards concerning the exam on the Ukrainian language proficiency for state officials and those acquiring citizenship, make international Ukrainian rewards, festivals, competitions prestigious and the Ukrainian language must be heard on the platforms of the most authoritative and influential international institutions. It is absolutely necessary to expand and establish Ukrainian-speaking impact in such spheres: on all levels of state power institutions, in the Armed forces of Ukraine, in territory defense forces, national guard, border troops, customs, law enforcement agencies, national police, courts, prosecutor’s office, justice, military establishments, education, science, media, economy, business, tourism, catering and beauty industries. Ukrainian outlook is to dominate in historical realm, museum and archive affairs, cinema, theatre, art, in religious communities etc.

The relationships of breeding stage to daytime singing behaviour and song perch height in Bermuda white‐eyed vireos Vireo griseus bermudianus

Bird song is crucial for attracting mates and defending territories, but different types of song or different singing behaviours may be involved in acquiring or maintaining each resource. Furthermore, male songbirds may adjust when and where they sing throughout the breeding season, depending on their breeding stage. However, such relationships remain untested in several avian taxa. Here, we studied male Bermuda white‐eyed vireos Vireo griseus bermudianus, a passerine with two distinct song types (discrete and rambling), to test the mate attraction and territory defence hypotheses. We compare song production and song perch height among different stages of the breeding season and during the non‐breeding season. We show that male vireos produce both song types during the breeding and non‐breeding seasons, suggesting dual roles in mate choice and territorial defence. Song production did not differ significantly between the breeding and non‐breeding seasons, but, within the breeding season, males without nesting duties sang significantly more songs than males with nesting duties. Song perch height was higher during the breeding season versus non‐breeding season, among males without nesting duties compared to males with nesting duties, and when males produced discrete versus rambling songs. Our findings suggest that male vireos increase their conspicuousness to prospecting females by increasing song production and song perch height, and that they sing during the breeding and non‐breeding seasons to defend year‐round territories. Collectively, our study supports the mate attraction and territory defence hypotheses of bird song.

Assessment of the frequency of consumption of selected food products by territory defense soldiers, depending on nutritional knowledge in the context of a healthy lifestyle

Introduction: The problem of rational, proper nutrition that ensures the body's proper performance and quality of work is of particular importance in the army. This is related to the specificity of military service, with a significant physical and mental burden, and this makes it very important to properly meet the nutritional needs of young soldiers, significantly affecting combat ability and mental toughness. The aim of the article is to analyze the frequency of consumption of selected food products and to evaluate the lifestyle of soldiers of the territorial defense forces Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the frequency of consumption of food products by soldiers of the territorial defense forces in connection with lifestyle. Material and methods: The study was conducted among 100 male soldiers of the Territorial Defense Forces, using the KomPAN questionnaire for examining views and eating habits for people aged 16 to 65, from which part B concerning the frequency of food consumption and part C related to lifestyle were selected for the study. Results: With age, the percentage of surveyed soldiers who were found to be overweight increased, while the percentage of soldiers maintaining a normal body weight decreased. In the diet of soldiers there are too few vegetables, fruits and fish, while white bread and sweetened drinks appear too often. The surveyed group believes that the level of their nutritional knowledge is insufficient, while the majority declare that their nutrition is correct Conclusions: Based on the conducted research, it appears that soldiers should continue to be trained and the basic knowledge about proper nutrition should be systematized, including the nutritional prevention of diet-related diseases of civilization. The specificity and requirements of a given military service as well as the soldier's individual health condition should be taken into account.

Preparedness among Reserve Officers' Training Corps Graduates on the Rigors of ROTC and Defense Security: Basis for Policy Enhancement

The Philippines Reserve Officers' Training Corps aims to provide military education and training for students to mobilize them for national defense preparedness. This study aimed to assess the rigor of the Philippine Reserve Officers' Training Corps, and defense and security preparedness among ROTC graduates in selected universities in the Philippines, and determined the significant difference in the perceived level of preparedness on the rigor of the Philippine RTOC among Military Science courses graduates in selected universities such as: physical organization of cadets, combat training of individual soldiers, regional annual administrative and tactical inspection, drill and ceremonies, infantry, rescue, field artillery, and; civil operation activities as assessed by the three groups of respondents. Moreover, the study also determined the significant difference in the perceived level of preparedness on defense and security such as: internal security operations, territorial defense, disaster response, international defense, security engagements, international humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping operations, and support to national development as assessed by the two (2) groups of respondents. This study utilized a descriptive correlational research design. The study covered 200 respondents; composed of 100 Military Science 42 Graduates, and 100 Military Science 43 graduates conducted during the School Year 2022 – 2023. Generally, the respondents were Highly Prepared for the rigor of the Reserved Officers Training Corps. On the other hand, the respondents were Highly Prepared on defense and security as embedded in the Reserved Officers Training Corps. Further studies may be conducted using empirical evidence to further the implementation of ROTC mandates, supplementation to an early career in AFP, and the impact of ROTC on both high school and college graduates in the Philippines.

Sound detection and production mechanisms in aquatic decapod and stomatopod crustaceans.

The sensory systems of crustaceans (aquatic decapods and stomatopods) have adapted to a diverse range of aquatic ecosystems. Sound production in aquatic crustaceans is more widespread than previously thought, and has been shown to play a major role in many of their life-history strategies; however, there are still many gaps in our understanding of their sound reception abilities. Crustaceans have three main sensory receptors for sound - the statocyst, superficial hair cells and chordotonal organs - which are all sensitive to the particle motion component of the sound field, rather than the pressure component. Our current understanding of these receptors is that they are sensitive to low-frequency sounds (<2000 Hz). There are a wide variety of sound-producing mechanisms employed by these animals, ranging from stridulation to implosive cavitation (see Glossary). These signals are used for a range of social behaviours, such as courtship, territorial defence and assessing 'resource guarding'. Furthermore, there are examples of sound signals that exceed their hearing range, highlighting a mismatch in our understanding of their hearing systems. This mismatch provides weight to the suggestion that another sound transmission channel - substrate-borne vibrations - might be at play, particularly because most crustaceans live on or near the seafloor. Finally, suggestions are made regarding potential future work that is needed to fill the substantial gaps in our understanding of how crustaceans hear and produce sound.

REORGANIZATION OF THE NATIONAL DEFENCE SECTOR CRISIS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Each developed system of crisis management, including that functioning in Poland, has to provide protection of population against the effects of natural disasters or technological failures (Majchrzak, 2016). Potential of forces and assets being at the disposal of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland and the level of their readiness indicate on significant meaning of the national defence sector for assisting the states internal security by an active participation in crisis reactions (Michailiuk, Stpie, Denysiuk, 2016). Unfortunately, the national defence sector crisis management system has faced the second serious change for recent 10 years, and this time during the war in Ukraine. A quite legible division can be observed between the Command of Territorial Defence Troops and the Operational Headquarter of Armed Forces Services on the area of assignments protecting the population against the effects of natural disasters or technical failures in the first case, and on the area of assignments aimed to assist the services in keeping the internal security, including counteractions against terroristic threats, and ending on counteracting the military threats in the second case, what is presented in the paper. Unfortunately, it is not a holistic approach from the scientific point of view, and it also is not in line with the wordings of the National Security Strategy of the Republic of Poland from 2020. The justification for implementation of these changes can be proved by experience and conclusions of consecutive months and years, but it has to be added that the security environment is changing on a daily basis in this part of Europe.

Linking vocal behaviours to habitat structure to create behavioural landscapes

The recent development of animal-borne sensors coupled with location data can provide insights into how individuals modify their behaviour with respect to specific habitat features. Animals can express a diverse array of behaviours as they navigate heterogenous landscapes, yet few studies have specifically evaluated the interaction of behaviours with habitat characteristics. We used a novel broadcast acoustic transmitter to investigate the interaction between vocal behaviours of an endemic Hawaiian thrush, the ʻōmaʻo, Myadestes obscurus, and habitat features across a naturally fragmented forest landscape. Through the development of behavioural landscape models that link specific vocalizations with space use, we found that the use of different vocalization types (calls, songs, whisper songs) were highly variable across the landscape but were associated with distinct habitat features. The likelihood of calls increased in an open lava matrix between forest patches, while whisper songs were more strongly associated with the dense interior areas of forest fragments. In contrast, the rate of ʻōmaʻo vocalizations overall decreased in the open lava matrix, suggesting that ʻōmaʻo may shift behaviours from territory defence to foraging as they transition through different habitats. Our study revealed context-specific changes in behaviour across ʻōmaʻo home ranges, including courtship, aggression and social interactions between individuals. Combining the use of a novel acoustic tool with automated radiotelemetry allowed us to overcome challenges associated with detection and analysis of variation in behaviour and resource selection across a highly heterogeneous landscape that would have been otherwise difficult to impossible.

Testosterone treatment unveils testosterone-insensitive song in an early-branched hummingbird

Birdsong often plays a crucial role in sexual behavior, including territorial defense and mate attraction. This behavior is particularly well studied in species in which only males sing and respond to gonadal testosterone depending on the breeding season. Although hummingbirds are long known to sing in a breeding context, the sensitivity of these vocalizations to testosterone in both sexes remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated (i) which vocalizations are emitted during their breeding season, (ii) the testosterone levels in free-ranging birds, and (iii) the effect of testosterone on these vocalizations in a semi-natural environment in both sexes of the black jacobin (Florisuga fusca), an early-branched hummingbird. Females and males of black jacobin produced the same set of vocalizations (high-pitched song and chirp call) at a similar rate during the breeding season, although testosterone levels in males were significantly higher. Testosterone treatment did not affect the vocal activity or acoustic parameters of their song in both sexes. However, testosterone maintained high levels of aggression in treated birds of both sexes and hyper-developed the oviduct of females. In contrast to almost all well-studied bird species studied so far, the vocal behavior of the black jacobins in their breeding season seems to be insensitive to high testosterone levels.