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Over the last decades, numerous extreme climate events such as extreme temperatures, droughts, heavy precipitation, and storms associated with climate change have been recorded in many countries, including Bulgaria. As a result, geomorphological hazards such as landslides, debris flows, mudflows, high-speed soil erosion, etc. often occur on the territory of the country. The debris flow is one of the most common hazardous processes in small catchments of the main river basins in Bulgaria. The Kresna Gorge located in the middle part of Struma River valley is a typical area with such processes which often cause the damages to the E79 international highway. The purpose of the present study is to characterize debris flows in Kresna Gorge (southwestern part of Bulgaria) by comparative analysis between the two events (occurred on May 24, 2009 and July 28, 2019). In order to achieve the aim of the study the geomorphological features and flow type of 2019 event were identified and the results were compared with the previous publications which investigated the event on May 24, 2009. In the present paper, the sediments and the type of transportation of the investigated event (July 2019) were determined by grain-size and clast-shape analysis. The impact of weather conditions on debris flow occurrence was shown by the analysis of the synoptic conditions on the day before the event. The results of the study bring to clarifying the geological-geomorphological and meteorological factors for the occurrence of debris flow and are important for geomorphological hazard management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Altogether 12 species from six Diptera families are presented in this paper. The species Lipoptena fortisetosa Maa, 1965 and Euthera fascipennis (Loew, 1854) are new records to Bulgaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intends to depict, from a historical perspective, the Turkish education in Bulgaria which has the largest Turkish population among the Balkan countries, as well as examine, Lower Secondary Turkish Textbooks published in Bulgaria in 1992 and 2019. Turkish language education in Bulgaria from past to present can be classified under six categories: Pre-tanzimat Era, Post-tanzimat Era, Principality Era, Kingdom Era, Communism Era, and Democracy Era. This research provides a detailed depiction of the educational policies implemented during foregoing eras and of the challenges faced with a particular focus on the issues relating to textbooks, and problems attributable to acts of Bulgarian authorities. Introduction section of this study provides a detailed picture of Turkish language education system starting from the Ottoman Era -when the foundations of Turkish language education in Bulgaria were laid- to present. This study further then examines and compares two Lower Secondary Turkish Textbooks that first one published in 1992 with a special education law and the latest one in 2019. This paper first gives all data points of this locally sourced materials and then analyse in terms of formal and content. Concerning Lower Secondary Turkish Textbooks which were examined from various aspects, a general evaluation was provided in the conclusions section. The findings of this study shows that Lower Secondary Turkish Textbooks which published in 1992 are out of date and fall behind the contemporary language education. Additionally, Lower Secondary Turkish Textbooks which published in 2019 and currently used in schools failed to go beyond the traditional education concept and are found to be quite weak in terms of educational competencies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although clinical ethics consultation has existed for more than 40 years in the USA and Europe, it was not available in Bulgaria until recently. In introducing clinical ethics consultation into our country, the Modular, Ethical, Treatment, Allocation of resources, Process (METAP) methodology has been preferred because of its potential to be used in resource-poor settings and its strong educational function. This paper presents the results of a METAP evaluation in a hospital palliative care ward in the town of Vratsa. The evaluation was based on Beauchamp and Childress' four principles of biomedical ethics and involves implementation of specific instruments for clinical ethics decision-making. Research tasks emphasised analyses of ethics meetings in the ward. Data were processed by SPSS v.24 using descriptive statistical analysis. Altogether, 32 ethics meetings of an average duration 20.63 min were conducted on cases involving critically ill patients. Most of the participants (86.0%) expressed satisfaction with the ethics process. The principlist approach supported resolution of conflicts between autonomous patients and their relatives, clarified definitions of "medical benefit" and "social good," and enabled assessments of the risk of unequal treatment. Even as the specific research tasks were achieved, further participant follow-up is necessary to identify any improvement in healthcare personnel's ethical competence. METAP worked well in end-of-life care settings. Participants experienced several benefits, including improved team communication, better understanding of patient preferences, and confidence in the correctness of decisions. Despite the significant educational potential of METAP, the need for additional and ongoing ethics training of health professionals should not be underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results from the first application of molecular-genetic analysis combined with conventional light microscopy (LM) for identification of cylindrospermopsin (CYN) producers in field phytoplankton samples from Bulgaria. In total 68 cyanoprokaryotes were found by LM, out of which 18 were considered potential CYN-producers according to the literature. They occurred in different abundance (0-40%) in five waterbodies. The presence of CYN-producers was sought by application of the primer pair cynsulfF/cylnamR specific for the sulfotransferase gene (cyrJ) considered the best genetic marker for detection of CYN-toxigenic strains. Although CYN was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in two waterbodies (lake Vaya and reservoir Mandra), we did not find cyanoprokaryotes with cyrJ gene. Therefore, Raphidiopsis raciborskii, despite being identified by LM in both waterbodies where CYN occurred, was not the producer of this toxin and belonged to the European nontoxic population of the species. The same was true for the less widely spread Raphidiopsis mediterranea and Chrysosporum bergii (both found in small amounts only in lake Vaya). Our results on CYN occurrence without the assignment of its producer in the collected samples suggest that: 1) CYN remains stable in water after disappearance of the toxigenic species, or, more probably, 2) besides the already known species, there are others that are associated with the production of CYN. Because revealing of novel CYN producers is of ultimate importance for health risk assessment and water management, we propose more analyses to be performed in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staff turnover is a problem that is distinguished by great importance and growing relevance to business practice worldwide. Its importance is directly related to the negative effects it has on the organization dynamic and effectiveness. The main purpose of the paper is to find out and summarize the basic factors that have influence on the employee's decision to leave the company they work for in the tourism sector in Bulgaria. The relevance of the selected topic is confirmed by many challenges specific to field of tourism. The low-skilled manpower and weak motivation, which in some cases is even lacking are only a few of the well-known challenges that tourism enterprises face in their effort to survive in the Bulgarian market and achieve their goals. Human capital is the key for the success so it is of critical importance to go in depth and analyze factorsthe determine the decision of employees to leave the company in order to work on a strategies to prevent the lost especially of well trained and productive organizational members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intuitionistic fuzzy InterCriteria analysis (ICrA) is a new method for correlation analysis, which is based on the concepts of index matrices (IMs) and intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs), aiming at detecting of the dependencies between pairs of rating criteria in both clear and uncertain environments. In the present paper, which is an extension of [39], our aim is to extend ICrA to multidimensional ICrA (n-D ICrA) under intuitionistic fuzzy environment for situations where the evaluations of the objects against multidimensional criteria are completely unknown and to show its efficiency through an application in identifying correlations between pairs of criteria when referred to actual data gathered through estimates of a restaurant's kitchen staff over a three-year period in Bulgaria. We also present a comparative analysis of the correlations between the evaluated criteria of the kitchen staff, on the basis the application of the correlation methods of ICrA, Pearson (PCA), Spearman (SCA) and Kendall (KCA). The four-correlation analysis yielded very similar correlation coefficients, but only the ICrA can be applied to intuitionistic fuzzy evaluations. It is observed that considerable divergence of the ICrA results from those obtained by the other classical correlation analyzes, is only found when the input data contains mistakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this study is the assessment of the development of the sector by tracking the value of selected indicators and statistics. The paper will analyze and discuss their dynamic changes during the years of regarded period in order to obtain a clear overview of the Economic situation. We are witnesses of the dynamic growth of the sector within the context of the economic recovery during the major part of the observed period. There has been a transformation to economic downturn characterized by deceleration of overall economic growth in 2018 and 2019 and pronounced economic difficulties in 2020. The approach of the study is diachronic as the principal aim is to perceive changes during the years by comparison of a larger period which matches of the last stage of policy of the Common Agrarian Policy in Bulgaria. The aim is not to support or refute conducted CAP in Bulgaria, but to have it in mind and use it as a time frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The innovations take an essential role in the Bulgarian economic environment as well as in the national strategies for economic growth. For many companies, improving and increasing innovation and the ability to develop innovation is the most important factor for growth. The paper explores the innovation activity of the wine industry as a specific sector of the Bulgarian economy. The purpose of the current study is to identify the attitudes of the wine producers towards innovations and to discuss the innovation activity of their enterprises. The methods used include in-person verbal interviews, which were conducted with 15 participants as expert practitioners to test the ideas, build knowledge, and gain insightful context and nuance to the ideas. The results show that although some of the wine producers implement innovations they don't realize it. The focus of their innovations is in the product, process, and technological innovations, because they try to reach a balance between quality and price. It looks like that the institutions are more like obstacle rather than support for such activity. Thus, we can conclude that to a high extent the wine producers in Bulgaria are implementing and willing to implement innovations. However, they are not well aware of the possible innovations, their potential for increasing competitiveness and therefore are focusing only on directly improving their product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in the subsector Wine production is caused, on the one hand, by the growing competition and the rapidly developing world market of wine products, characterised by an increase in consumption and export. On the other hand, the interest in the market continues to grow due to the importance of the subsector for our country. The main objective of this paper is to study the leading winemakers in the South Central Region of Bulgaria. In this regard, some indicators for the activity of the studied 15 wine production enterprises are derived. In particular, three leading market criteria are covered - net sales revenue, sales revenue per employee and relative market share. Based on an analysis of market indicators, conclusions are drawn and trends for the development of wine production in the studied region are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of rural regions and rural disparities are the main issues in the European Union regional policy. The topic continues to be an object of serious discussion among policymakers and scientist. Agriculture plays an important role in rural areas and contributes to generating employment and income. In the past decades, the CAP is reforming and changing to address the challenges in the EU rural regions. The aim of the study is based on the socio-economic analysis of the rural regions in Bulgaria to formulate opportunities for more balanced and sustainable development. The paper observes possibilities and prospects for the rural areas in Bulgaria in the context of the CAP post-2020. The study reveals that depopulation and marginalization of rural regions remain major issues in Bulgaria. Therefore, the implementation of the territorial and local model should dominate in Pillar II for the 2014-2020 programming period. These approaches could stimulate transformations and transition to sustainable regional development. In order to maximize the potential of the Pillar II funding, the national regional policy also should be reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viticulture is one of the priorities of European agricultural policy. The sale of wine is successful when the product offered is competitive in the relevant market. The qualities of wine as a specific product are determined by the following factors - grape variety, wine taste, ecology of the region, wine production technology, etc. In this sense, Bulgaria has all the prerequisites for being among the leading wine producers in Europe and in the world. Our country has a tradition in the vine and wine sectors, in which funds continue to be invested. This is the main reason for the study to be focused on the wine market. The main objective of the scientific research paper is to outline the role of wine production in Bulgaria and to study sales in one of the wine regions - North Central. The subject of the study is the producers from the wine-growing region, members of the National Vine and Wine Chamber. In this regard, the survey was conducted in four of the seven companies, namely: Vinal AD., Lovech; Winery Pleven EAD, Pleven; Winery Svishtov AD., Svishtov and Loviko Lozari, Suhindol. The object of the study is the market indicators of the wine producers in the selected region. These indicators are being summarised and analysed. In conclusion, trends are outlined and recommendations for improving the efficiency of the surveyed enterprises in the sector are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioeconomy includes all sectors and systems that rely on biological resources (animals, plants, micro-organisms and biomass, including organic waste), their functions and principles. The use of new technologies in the national economy is a key moment, which will create opportunities for the production of high - quality products from bioeconomy represented by the different types of activities. In the paper presents some of the basic indicators (socio-economic) applicable in the regional economy of the country, based on the principles and factors specific to each region. The transformation of indicators towards the bioeconomy will give greater opportunities for social and economic prosperity in each region of the country according to its specific characteristics. Biomass is a kind of solar energy conserved in plant and animal organisms. Biomass as a resource includes waste products from animals and human activities. On earth, there is a certain amount of "dead" organic matter that can be used once as a non-renewable resource from organic fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper covers an important issue in national and international aspect: the migration processes and the legislation in Bulgaria. About 60,000 to 70,000 immigrants have been registered in the country but according to the National Statistical Institute (NSI) the number of immigrants residing in Bulgaria is between 300 and 350 thousand coming from more than 11 countries. The purpose of this study is to present an up-to-date picture of migration, in particular immigrants in Bulgaria, and their limited access to the labor market, health care, education, and social assistance. The authors use the methods of comparison, analysis, and data pooling. Secondary information from the authors' participation in the seminar Waves of Integration (TSUNAMI) in Caciulata, Romania, 2019 was also analyzed. The results of the survey show that the majority of the Bulgarian population perceives immigrants as a threat due to difficulties in their integration and in relation to the worse economic situation of the country compared to other European countries. In conclusion, migration in the country between 2017 and 2019, including illegal, is relatively low. The refugee crisis affects the Bulgarian population mainly politically and psychologically, and for asylum seekers Bulgaria is not a final destination but a transit territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the problem of educational inequality and the new ways in which it is reproduced within the modern school education system. The sustainable character of educational inequality in Bulgaria is analyzed in the light of its institutional nature, which, despite the European membership of the country, shows a clear tendency towards intensification and reflects the growing social differences between the advantaged and vulnerable groups in Bulgarian society. The intention of the author is aimed at comprehending some current limitations and opportunities for the action of teachers and school institutions, which are conditioned by the peculiarities of the contemporary economic, socio-cultural, and educational situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the nineteenth-century census as an early information technology and a medium for the transnational exchange of ideas in the nineteenth century. In particular, it considers how the ideas discussed by the International Statistical Congresses were directly applied in the newly established kingdom of Bulgaria in the first censuses from 1881 to 1888. It then examines how the legacy of Ottoman rule and the categories of the nineteenth-century Ottoman censuses unconsciously influenced the first census of Bulgaria, despite the desire of the new rulers to mark a significant break with the past. It also demonstrates how the nationalist feeling in the multi-ethnic former territory of the Ottoman Empire influenced the seemingly neutral categories of the first census. These categories then began to produce an implicit representation of the ideal Bulgarian citizen and so started the process of exclusion of the Turkish-speaking or Muslim population from full membership of the new body politic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of interest rates and inflation on GDP growth has been the subject of long debates and many research studies: from purely theoretical analysis of the channels through which this is accomplished, to empirical studies on a broad panel of countries. Because of these shared arguments about the impact of interest rates and inflation on GDP growth, as an area of investigation in this paper we took FYROM, Bulgaria and Romania. The paper examines existing theory to create an analytical framework for the impact of interest rate and inflation on GDP, and to quantitatively evaluate the importance of these variables for economic growth. A cointegration analysis with three variables (interest rate, inflation and GDP growth) and a Granger causality analysis are implemented to examine the relations between these variables. Unit root tests are applied to examine the relationships among the respective data series. The target period is from 2000 until present time, offering a relatively positive first period until the advent of the debt crisis by the end of the 2000s. The basic aim is to investigate the links between monetary and fiscal measures, especially for developing countries that are striving for economic growth without a strong home currency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for cost-effective and environmental friendly building solutions as well as the continued implementation of eco-innovation in construction sector leads to an increase of research interest in passive house. The aim of the paper is to assess the benefits of passive house in Bulgaria which influence on environment, economy and society. On this basis are made general conclusions and recommendations related to benefits of passive house for achieving sustainable housing, their assessment for economy, society and environment and evaluation of factors for increasing the benefits of passive house. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The niche market of rural and agricultural tourism in Bulgaria is underdeveloped, although our country has excellent natural and anthropogenic resources for their development. The rich cultural and historical heritage, the wellpreserved nature, the centuries-old traditions and culinary development create prerequisites for a unique rural tourism product. There are also opportunities to create an integrated tourist service based on rural tourism to contribute to some competitive advantages of destination Bulgaria. A key problem in this direction is the low level of popularity of rural and agricultural tourism in Bulgaria. This is complemented by the relatively low level of professional (theoretical) qualification of those who offer rural tourist services. Reserves to overcome this problem can be found in the creation of training demonstration centers. The goal of the paper is to determine the status and opportunities for development and promotion of rural and agricultural tourism in Bulgaria. For the purpose of screening have been used methods such as analysis, synthesis, monitoring and some statistical methods. To sum up, the following conclusions can be made: 1) Bulgaria has the necessary resources and opportunities for development of rural and agricultural tourism; 2) The development of rural tourism in Bulgaria is at a relatively good level; 3) There is a diversity with regard to the accommodation facilities, but this diversity is missing in terms of the services offered; 4) reserves can be sought in improving the quality of the services offered as well as of the accommodation facilities typical for rural tourism] 5) The promotion of the rural tourism product in the country can be achieved by means of developing demonstration centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both Romania and Bulgaria, the 2014-2020 period is probably a defining period in the country's development, particularly agriculture, taking into account the Commission's intention to abandon the granting of payments in agriculture, after 2020. So, time is critical and highly sensitive, being the last chance to reduce major differences compared to other countries, them benefited from such support on a much higher period than countries new entrants disfavored them up to a large extent thereon. It also represents a tremendous help of direct payments to farmers, contributing to their living standards and continuing their activities in agriculture. This paper seeks to highlight the need for support in agriculture so that by processing the statistical data it can be concluded that in both countries, even after the passing of seven years, regarding the first programming period, the situations are not solved completely, so these measures should be further enforced to help farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the relationship between foreign investment flows and the economic performance of Bulgaria's economic regions. It is a well-known fact that some imbalances exist in the level of development of the economic regions and the territorial localization of foreign direct investments. This uneven distribution - both in terms of economic development and investment allocation - creates serious prerequisites for economic backwardness, depopulation and deepening of demographic problems in some regions. The purpose of this paper is to draw some conclusions and make recommendations using the methods of economic and statistical analysis with a view to overcome the negative consequences and initiate a process of creating prerequisites for a balanced development of Bulgaria's regions and a more even placement of foreign capital flows at both regional and sectoral level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with some problems when applying a correction to reduce the effect of vertical refraction in precise leveling observation. An example for calculating the refraction correction for one first order leveling line with length of 109 km in Bulgaria is given. Comparison between the obtained errors before and after applying refraction correction has been made. The results show that is important to measure the temperatures simultaneously with the leveling by aspiration thermometer with an accuracy of ±0.1 °C. It is recommended to make experimental research and to adopt appropriate for Bulgaria model for taking into account the influence of vertical refraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformations that took place in prehistoric societies in the northern part of the Balkans, on the territories of modern-day Bulgaria, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Northern Greece, around 5500 BC have long been discussed and are vastly accepted as representing the "division point" between the Early and Late Neolithic Periods. The most evident transformation concerns the disappearance of painted pottery, which occurred alongside the appearance and rapid spread of dark (black) burnished wares (though some regional specifics are visible). Extensive research over the last 15 years in the Upper Thracian Plain of Bulgaria provide new insight into the complex transformations that occurred there around 5500 BC. The number of Late Neolithic settlements known so far largely exceeds those of the Early Neolithic Period and new trends in settlement structure and social organization are also visible. While life on the place of the Early Neolithic settlements continued in a similar way, resulting in the formation of the so-called tell-sites, new types of sites also appeared and proliferated on the landscape. These new types of sites include large flat settlements with a dispersed plan, often consisting of (or including) dug-in features interpreted in some cases as pit-dwellings while in other cases as ritual pit complexes. The distribution of new settlements is also connected with a change in animal husbandry practices marked by the increasing importance of cattle over sheep and goat. In this paper, I examine the transformations that occurred during the mid-6th millennium BC in the Upper Thracian Plain, problematize their relationship with a demographic expansion and proposed migration event, and suggest some alternative hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper presents a study of soil water repellency in Technosols, formed on spoils with Pliocene clays after open-cast mining in the area of Maritsa-Iztok Mines, Bulgaria. At present, different soil properties and characteristics have been studied in areas of the mine spoils from Obruchishte village to establish their relationships with soil hydrophobicity and its spatial distribution in the surface and subsurface soil layers. To obtain complete information, the present study characterizes soil water repellency in vertical direction by assessing the similarity and differences in its appearance in depth of the soil profile. The effect of laboratory heating on hydrophobicity in the individual soil layers has been assessed. Extreme water repellency (water drop penetration time (WDPT) 10160 - 13391 s) is found in the 10-80 cm depth of the soil profile, which decreases abruptly after laboratory heating of the soil samples. Extreme acidity pH and high carbon content are reported. Assumptions for the presence of impurities of coal particles in the substrates were checked. Humic organic carbon correlates positively with water drop penetration time (RWDPT-HOC = 0.440*), which confirms its determination so far, as one of the main factors influencing the soil water repellency in the studied technogenic soil profile. A significant correlation between residual fraction of soil organic matter and clay (< 0.001 mm) in soil layers (Rclay- C res. = 0.579**), as well as regarding cation exchange capacity (RCEC- C res. = 0.433*) was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fallow deer (Dama dama Linnaeus, 1758) has a long history of interaction with prehistoric humans. Beginning in the Neolithic, humans introduced fallow deer to several areas of the eastern Mediterranean and mainland Europe, with later additional importing happening in the Bronze and Iron Ages. However, in some parts of southeastern Europe, autochthonous populations of extant fallow deer may have survived through the end of the Pleistocene and into the early Holocene, making them available for exploitation by Neolithic and Chalcolithic communities. Climatic and vegetational regimes favourable to fallow deer covered nearly all of Bulgaria during this period; yet, the heavy use of the species by human communities was restricted to a very small area around southeastern Bulgaria. Eventually, climate deterioration, habitat change and overhunting led to the decline of fallow deer in later prehistory in Bulgaria. This paper offers a discussion of the environmental and cultural background of human‐fallow deer interactions from the sixth to fourth millennium BCE in Bulgaria. Using bivariate scatterplots and log ratio techniques, we demonstrate that Neolithic and Chalcolithic communities exploited a large extant fallow‐deer population, appearing to target both males and females equally. Our results are the first step in a larger archaeological investigation of human‐fallow deer relations that unfolded over several millennia, touching upon issues of settlement, migration and perhaps even taming or domestication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines claims made about political representation in recent work on global protest, focusing on two very different authors. Tormey champions the anti-representative claims of various radical movements while Krastev assumes the stance of those political insiders who deplore the failure of protesters to work within established representative institutions. Both turn to examples which seem to best support their positions. Tormey to anarchist inspired movements in Spain and Mexico, his argument being that political representation has been succeed by what he variously calls 'immediate representation' and 'resonance'. Krastev's focus is Russia, Thailand and Bulgaria. His argument is that protest in these countries can be seen are 'a collective act of exit' by middle classes that no longer seek political representation. Using the theorisation of political representation in Rosanvallon's Counter Democracy, I suggest that the global waves of protest of recent years are nothing inherently novel but can be seen as part of the elaborate and complex process of representation that is argued to have always existed beyond and outside of official elected legislative bodies. In conclusion, I suggest that Macron's turn to citizen's assemblies can be seen as informed by just such an understanding of political representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mathematical model has been developed to assess the digitization of the beekeeping sector. For this purpose, the summarized results of questionnaire surveys of 37 apiaries located in the regions of Plovdiv and Pleven municipalities in Bulgaria were used. For evaluation on the degree of digitization of the apiaries we took under consideration only what software and hardware products are used. The results showed a low degree of digitization of the studied apiaries - in 27 out of 37 studied apiaries there were no data about the use of software and hardware applications, and the average level of digitization for the studied apiaries according to the model we developed was within 8-9 %. A survey on the awareness of those employed in the beekeeping about some basic digital products for collecting, storing and distributing information and their willingness to use them in the future was also conducted. It was found that between 21% and 35% of the respondents were not familiar with the basic digital products. Far more worrying was that between 50 % and 70% of respondents stated that they were familiar with the listed digital products, but did not intend to use them in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presented the results of a study carried out of the tendencies and changes in the regional aspect of the production of grapes and wine in Bulgaria in the years after the accession to the EU. The dynamics in absolute and relative values of the indicators gross output of grapes, area of harvested vineyards with wine grape varieties, average yields, production of wine grapes and wine by statistical regions was examined. The characteristic of the changes that occurred in the regional plan during the period 2007-2020 was based on the values of the coefficient of structural changes. The levels of the indicator were higher during the first period of application of the CAP in the country (2007-2013), which was mainly due to the contraction of production in the northern regions. In the second period (2014-2020), the impact of financial mechanisms slowed down the negative trends, but they have not been overcoming. Grape and wine production is mainly concentrated in the Southeast and South Central regions. During the next program period, it is necessary to expand and target the set of measures and mechanisms applicable within the Common Agricultural Policy to achieve synergy between economic, social and environmental results in a regional plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the period 2019-2021, an ecoparasitological study of six fish species - grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella Valenciennes, 1844); silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix Valenciennes, 1844); pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus Linnaeus, 1758); Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio Bloch, 1782); gudgeon (Gobio gobio Linnaeus, 1758); European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus Bloch, 1782) was conducted. The fish were caught from 3 biotopes (Koshava, Kudelin, Novo selo) from the upper section of the Danube River in Bulgaria. A total of two parasite species (Pomphorhynchus laevis Zoega in Müller, 1776) Porta, 1908 and Contracaecum sp. (larvae) were found in two of the investigated fish species. Four fish species were not infected. The ecological indices (mean intensity; mean abundance; prevalence) of parasites were calculated. Kudelin and Koshava biotopes are new habitats for the found helminth species of the infected fish species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African swine fever is a disease that affects representatives from Suidae family and leads to serious economic losses and ecological damage to swine population. A major role in the etiology of the disease is played by wild boars, both as a vector and as a reservoir. Due to this fact, monitoring the spread of the disease among feral pigs is one of the main factors for the prevention of the disease. For this reason, in 2019, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency launched 'Module "Hunt" application. The application allows hunters both easy and quick sending of data on the sample taken from a shot or found dead animal, as well as checking the result just by writing the sample number, while location, date and time of taking the sample are obtained automatically by the application. The current study analyzed both application performance (input, output of data) and data on number of samples taken from hunted feral pigs, percentage positive results from shot animals, proportion of samples taken from wild boars found dead with ratio of positive samples from them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the period 2019-2021, three fish species of the family Cobitidae, caught from the upper section of the Danube River in Bulgaria, were subjected to ecologohelminthological investigation. Four specimens of Cobitis elongata Heckel & Kner, 1858 (two specimens from Kudelin biotope and two from Koshava biotope); six specimens of spined loach (Cobitis taenia Linnaeus, 1758) (from Koshava biotope) and one specimen of Sabanejewia bulgarica Drensky, 1928 (from Kudelin biotope) are objects of research. The trematode Asymphylodora tincae (Modeer, 1790) Lühe, 1909 was reported for the first time as a helminth of S. bulgarica. The nematode Pseudocapillaria tomentosa (Dujardin, 1845) Moravec, 1987 was reported for the first time as a helminth of C. elongat?. Kudelin and Koshava biotopes are new habitats for the found helminth species. During the helminthological examination of C. taenia, infection with helminths was not found. The study provides new data on helminth fauna and ecological indices (MI, MA, and P%) in the helminth communities of C. elongat? and S. bulgarica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of the study of 10 specimens Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758 and 10 specimens Vimba melanops (Heckel, 1837) from the Maritsa River, Aegean water basin, Bulgaria, infection with 5 helminth species are presented (Allocreadium isoporum (Loos, 1894); Proteocephalus percae (Müller, 1780); Caryophyllaeus laticeps (Pallas, 1781); Contracaecum sp., larvae and Acanthocephalus lucii (Müller, 1776)). All identified parasite species are autogenous to the parasite communities of the perch and Macedonian vimba, except Contracaecum sp., which is an allogeneic species. Infection indices are discussed and pathways of helminth flux circulation are traced. The dominant structure of the helminth communities was analyzed. New data on the helminths and their communities in the two species of freshwater fish, as well as on the ecological status of the studied biotopes of the freshwater ecosystem are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The White Stork is one of the iconic bird species that is easily recognized by humans as it inhabits and nests in settlements as well as other places and structures located near lakes, rivers, dams, rice fields, wet meadows, and others. Given its feeding habitats, the species is a typical farmland bird. In many settlements in Bulgaria, including the village of Belozem, several dozen nesting pairs have been established, and this number is significantly higher than the average for the country. Some of the largest rice fields in the country, which are key foraging habitats for the species, are located around Belozem. In the village of Belozem, the stork colony formed on the roof of the local school is very impressive and counts over 20 nests, which represent almost half of the pairs nesting in the village - about 40 in total. In the current study, 41 to 53 stork nests were recorded, and 35-37 pairs successfully reared at least one juvenile each. The number of fledglings leaving the nest ranged from 94 to 115. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During 2019-2021, six specimens of pontic shad (Alosa immaculata Bennett, 1835); family Clupeidae were examined for parasites. The specimens were collected from three biotopes (Kudelin, Yasen, and Koshava) located in the section of the Danube River in the northwestern part of Bulgaria. Infection with 3 species of helminths was found - 1 species of the class Trematoda (Lecithaster confusus Odhner, 1905); 1 species of the class Acanthocephala (Pomphorhynchus laevis (Zoega in Müller, 1776) Porta, 1908) and 1 species of the class Nematoda (Hysterothylacium gadi aduncum (Rudolphi, 1802) Deardorff et Overstreet, 1981 (larvae)). Ecological indices of the found helminth species were examined. The purpose of the study is to provide new data on the helminth fauna of the pontic shad from the freshwater ecosystem of the Danube River in Bulgaria. Al. immaculata is a new host for one endohelminth species (L. confusus). Two of the investigated biotopes (Koshava and Yasen) are new habitats for the found endohelminths in pontic shad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is the first to reveal the helminth fauna and helminth community's structure of Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) from Maritsa River, Bulgaria. In 2022, ten Prussian carp specimens were collected from the Maritsa River and examined for parasites. 90% of the studied hosts harbour parasites. Two species of helminths were fixed: one from class Acanthocephala (Acanthocephalus anguillae Muller, 1780) and one from class Nematoda (Pseudocapillaria tomentosa Dujardin, 1843). The established nematode species is distinguished with high prevalence. Carassius gibelio is reported for the first time as a host for Pseudocapillaria tomentosa in Bulgaria. The river ecosystem of Maritsa is a new locality record for Pseudocapillaria tomentosa in Bulgaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observation was made on a herd of Karakachan horses, bred freely in the area of the village of Prisadets, Southern Bulgaria. The study covers a period of one year, with 24-hour field surveys conducted every month. The analysis shows that horses drink water relatively rarely. Although not statistically proven, the highest percentage of horses drink water at moderate ambient temperatures - about 22oC, while at high temperatures around 36oC, when standing in the shade, the percentage of horses drinking water drops to 46.15%. Karakachan horses spend most of their time grazing. Most horses graze at noon (91.28%), and the least at night (40.90%). The factor time of the day had a significant effect on the following traits of behavior: grazing (P <0.001), sleeping / resting lying down (P <0.001), sleeping/resting standing (P <0.01), standing on alert (P <0.01) and standing in the shade (P <0.01). Ambient temperature affects resting behavior: lying down (P <0.01) and standing (P <0.01), chasing insects with a tail and head (P <0.001), and standing on alert (P < 0.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bulgarian Dairy Synthetic Population (BDSP) is the most numerous breed in Bulgaria. FABP3 gene plays a crucial role in hormone action and cellular functions. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship of FABP3 gene polymorphism with litter size in ewes of BDSP. This experiment involved 110 ewes from the herd of the Agricultural Institute-Shumen. Ewes were selected by birth type (singles, twins, triplets) and with records of the number of lambs born from a minimum of two consecutive lambing. The average number lambing of ewe is 3.94. Two alleles and two genotypes were identified in the studied animals in exon 2 of the FABP3 gene (SNP3) by the PCR-RFLP technique with BseDI endonuclease. The association of FABP3 gene polymorphism with total litter size and litter size depending on the parity and type of birth of ewes was studied by the one-way analysis model of variance ANOVA. A certain superiority was observed in the examined traits of the animals born as twins and triplets, but no significant differences were found between the individual groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to identify the degree of direct payments concentration in selected Central and Eastern European Member States (compared to the entire EU) and outline the perspectives and recommendations for the next programming period. The spatial scope of the study includes Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria. The time scope covers the period 2009–2019. The survey indicates that the payments distribution in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and to a lesser extent also in Poland, is highly unbalanced. The analysed countries used the redistribution instruments, optional for the Member States, which were introduced by the 2013 CAP reform, to a moderate extent, in order to ensure a more even funds distribution between the beneficiaries. It cannot be ruled out that instruments ensuring a more even funds distribution would be politically easier to introduce at the EU level than at the national level. Nevertheless, also in the next financial perspective, in line with the subsidiarity principle, this issue is left to the Member States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The affordability of transport is a long-standing concern of both transport and economic geography. However, despite the growing influence of relational and heterodox economic thinking in a range of geographic sub-disciplines, the cost of transport is still largely conceptualised in universalising, binary, and purely quantitative terms, as either affordable or unaffordable. The present paper proposes the concept of transport un/affordability to bring together perspectives from the geographies of everyday mobility, and research on everyday economic lives, in order to examine how affording transport takes place. The paper draws on interviews with public transport users in Sofia, Bulgaria, demonstrating how fares act as one type of socio-material affordance which enables, precludes, or transforms un/affordability in situated and contingent ways. The everyday spaces and times within which transport un/affordability takes place are examined through the three interrelated dimensions of transport un/affordability: transactions, journeys, and budgets. The paper considers the implications of conceptualising transport un/affordability relationally, particularly in the context of transport geography's empirical and theoretical engagements with transport justice, and amidst processes of profound technological change within both payment systems and transport systems globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of vineyard sector in Bulgaria is determined from one side by appropriate natural and climatic conditions and existing vineyard structure, as well as the traditions in selection of varieties and technology in wine producing. The aim of the paper is to analyze and assess the financing in the vineyard sector for the period 2007-2013 under the measure "Restructuring and conversion of vineyards" and on this basis to make generalized conclusions for, implementation of the measure in the previous programming period and to provide guidelines to enhance the potential of the sector through the use of funding in the new programming period. The paper presents the analysis of the possibilities for funding under the measure "Restructuring and conversion of vineyards"; analysis of the fund distribution of the measure for the period 2007-2013;analysis of the disbursed budget; analysis of maximal financial support per ha for different activities, evaluation of financial application and impact of the measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North Macedonia’s foreign policy goals have not been completely achieved. This is in part due to the complex processes of international establishment of a small state in the Balkans. Unlike the creating of establishment of other countries after the break-up of the former Yugoslavia where military conflicts took place, Macedonia managed to secure its independence in a peaceful way. However continuous challenges from its neighboring Greece and Bulgaria, who are Guided by residual policies from the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) and the division of the former Ottoman province of Macedonia, Athens and Sofia imposed revisionism on Macedonian reality. Instead of developing mutual cooperation, bilateral relations were burdened with conditioning, threats and imposed political disputes. It negatively affected the domestic political scene, compromising Macedonia’s position on the international stage and distancing it from achieving its most important goals, membership in NATO and the European Union. However, Following the conclusion of the Good Neighbor and Friendship Agreement with Bulgaria and the Prespa Agreement with Greece, the country with the new name Republic of North Macedonia became a full member of NATO in 2020 and expects the start of negotiations with the EU regarding its membership. This paper examines the key aspects of efforts spanning almost three-decades in order to achieve the previously mentioned Macedonian foreign policy goals, drawing conclusions about the most important moments of the country's European and Euro-Atlantic integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note aims at analyzing Bulgaria's high inflation regime during the 1990s. Two competing causes of high inflation are explored: changes in the rate of growth of the money supply in the economy and changes in the foreign exchange rate. Both correspond to traditional theoretical explanations: the monetarist view and the balance of payments approach. Evidence suggests that a variation in the exchange rate is significant in explaining the high inflation regime in Bulgaria whereas monetary growth appears to be insignificant. Consequently, the paper underlines the importance of stabilizing the exchange rate in the short run in order to avoid high inflation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: The goal of the study is to analyse the advantages in the Bulgarian full educational vertical in wellness culture, in two professional fields and establish the external evaluation for proposed knowledge, intellectual and practical skills of specialised personnel in Bulgarian niche tourism by defining the importance of the studied indicators. METHODS: We apply a psychometric assessment of customers' opinions to obtain results on the meanings of numbers (points/weight). The respondents' opinions we measure with an adaptive version of the questionnaire for studying through the usage of smart tools of google drive. RESULTS: This paper offers an analysis of advantages for accredited and integrated into the practice innovations in support of Niche tourism. We created new educational programs in response to the latest changes in the Bulgarian educational and scientific policies and regulations. In the last 10 years, Bulgaria has successfully integrated six new specialized (in niche tourism) programs in two professional categories - Healthcare & sport and is establishing a Centre for Excellence. CONCLUSIONS: The established regularities are a valuable reference point to build the full educational vertical from secondary level to doctoral level with innovative programs in support of smart services for Niche tourism and knowledge-based economy in Bulgaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarises the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the effects of R&D investment on the essential components of the economic development such as economic growth, competitiveness, labour market and inequality reduction. The main purpose of the research is to highlight the position of Bulgaria in the world economy concerning R&D development. In the article frame, the authors compared the R&D expenditures dynamics of Bulgaria and the EU28 by the prism of innovations in business and higher education. Systematisation literary sources and approaches for solving the problem indicated that R&D caused the changes in the job market that led to the necessity to adjust the university system. There is currently a lag. Methodological tools of this research were as follows: the method of processing quantitative data, content and comparative analyses, situational and sectoral analyses, and graphical dynamic analysis. The object of research is the dynamics of investments in innovations in Bulgaria and EU28. The emphasis is placed on the role of research centres, enterprises, clusters and education institutions in R&D development to assess the level of innovation achieved through R&D. The obtained results of an empirical analysis showed that the cluster approach raised R&D to a new level and helped to bring universities and business together. Rethinking of the public policies and investing in technology centres will help for the adaptation to the new realities of the labour market. The research results could be useful for employers, high tech research centres and universities. This study is expected to be the base for further studies dedicated to boosting economic competitiveness and social welfare due to the promoting implementation of innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an outbreak provoked by methicillin-resistant strains of coagulase-positive S. aureus (CPS), produced staphylococcal enterotoxins (se) in pig meatballs and potato salad consumed from 70 people in the village Mamarchevo, Bulgaria. Eighteen women aged 50 to 70 years, and two children aged 4 and 5 years have demonstrated a severe malaise with vomiting and indigestion. Two food samples and isolates of CPS were received in the laboratory of Bulgarian Food Safety Agency. Both samples were found to have a high level of CPS. The level of S. aureus contamination in the potato salad was 8.3 logs CFU/g and 7.7 logs CFU/g in roasted meatballs, which was a significant reason to doubt the production of the toxin. The samples were analyzed according to the European Screening Method v5 using mini VIDAS SET2. The results showed a presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin (TV 2.67 for meatballs and TV 3.27 for potato salad), which was the reason for the ensuing food intoxication. EURL CPS applying quantitative indirect sandwich-type ELISA confirmed the presence of sea, sec and sed in the potato salad and sea and sed in the roasted meatballs. Two CPS isolates were confirmed as S. aureus by a species-specific 23S rRNA targeted PCR test. Real-time PCR method detected sea, sed, seg, sei, sej, and ser genes in S. aureus strains, found in both matrixes. Multiplex PCR method proved the existence of the mecA gene in both S. aureus strains. Resistance to cefoxitin (>16 mg/L), penicillin (>2 mg/L), kanamycin (64 mg/L) and sulfamethoxazole (>512 mg/L) was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper builds on the results of an empirical report prepared in the context of the European project MAR.CH. and a review of the literature on the use of ICT in school. An original study on the role of the teacher in contemporary online (interactive) teaching is presented. The effectiveness of interactive methods for education was analyzed with the help of original online questionnaire. Our results contribute to understanding the effectiveness of interactive education in secondary schools in Bulgaria and Europe, as well. The conclusion is that in online lectures or distance learning via multimedia presentations, it is preferable to have good visualisation of the material. Furthermore, this type of teaching is mostly preferred by the students as a mean for self-training and to research additional information rather than as a primary method for learning new material. The role of the teacher’s actual appearance in the videos and multimedia presentations does not seem to be crucial to the teaching of the material. Much more important though are the technical characteristics and the postprocessing of the video, ensuring good visibility of the slides with the material. We also stress that, based on our research, distance learning is generally not preferred as a the principal method for teaching. The results, published here for the first time, have lead to a successful defense of a Master’s Thesis at the Faculty of Physics at the Sofia University in July 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates Bulgaria's trade strategy towards the European Economic Community (EEC) in the 1970s: a decade of intensified economic exchange between East and West thanks to détente and, simultaneously, of growing trade barriers due to the consolidation of the EEC's Common Market. The successes and failures of Bulgaria's endeavours are discussed through a study of economic cooperation with Denmark before and after its accession to the EEC in 1973. The main argument is that while Bulgarian economic policy focused on the rising regulatory impediments to trade with EEC members, it neglected the structural deficiencies of Bulgarian export production. Thereby, Bulgarian state officials strove to resolve foreign trade problems through diplomatic negotiations over customs regulations instead of advancing domestic economic reforms. This argument is supported by analysis of intergovernmental economic negotiations and trade deals between Bulgaria and Denmark during the 1970s. It highlights the different ways in which Bulgarian trade envoys in Copenhagen and top officials at home evaluated recurrent problems in accessing the Danish market and formulated solutions for these problems. Thus, instead of tackling internal structural problems, the blueprints for Bulgaria's foreign trade focused on external foes, namely trade discrimination against socialist countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The clinical and economic burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus on society is rising. Effective and efficient preventive measures may stop the increasing prevalence, given that type 2 diabetes mellitus is mainly a lifestyle-driven disease. The Feel4Diabetes-study aimed to tackle unhealthy lifestyle (unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and excess weight) of families with a child in the first grades of elementary school. These schools were located in regions with a relatively low socio-economic status in Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Hungary and Spain. Special attention was paid to families with a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: The aim of this paper is to describe the detailed methodology of the intervention's cost-effectiveness analysis. Based on the health economic evaluation of the Toybox-study, both a decision analytic part and a Markov model have been designed to assess the long-term (time horizon of 70 year with one-year cycles) intervention's value for money. Data sources used for the calculation of health state incidences, transition probabilities between health states, health state costs, and health state utilities are listed. Intervention-related costs were collected by questionnaires and diaries, and attributed to either all families or high risk families only. Conclusions: The optimal use of limited resources is pivotal. The future results of the health economic evaluation of the Feel4Diabetes-study will contribute to the efficient use of those resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present paper presents a comparative characteristic of soil organic matter in reclaimed Technosols with agricultural land use, differing in their geographical location and type of geological materials. Based on published data, non-humus reclaimed mine spoils were selected from the two largest coal-mining regions in Bulgaria - Maritsa-Iztok (mine spoil Iztok, mine spoil Ovcharitsa and experimental site Galabovo) and town of Pernik (Moshino site). Data for four soil profiles with different post-reclamation period and different crops were compared. As a result of the comparative characteristic, it is supported the hypothesis for influence of agricultural land use on the fractional composition of soil organic matter in Technosols, which is observed in natural arable soils. It is confirmed the creation of favourable conditions for soil organic matter accumulation in studied Technosols in association with clay mechanical composition and alkaline pH. The correlation in the fractional composition of soil organic matter between Maritsa-Iztok profiles and the difference to Moshino site is probably due to the peculiar conditions under the influence of the type of geological materials and specific climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the post-communist region, new parties are gaining support from voters by promising to reject the status quo and orthodox policy. Some have come to govern on the basis of such promises and their "outsider" identity. But do these new parties actually make different post-crisis policy once they are in government? This paper compares policies adopted to address economic crisis in Bulgaria and Romania. Both governments pursue a standard set of austerity measures, but the Bulgarian government was able to take a more aggressive stance for a much longer time before losing support due to its outsider image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]