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Decent Work measurements and monitoring is high in the agenda of International Labour Organization (ILO). “Employment opportunities for personal and professional development” is an indicator with a high rank within accepted emerging set of Decent Work indicators. Research team begins investigation to explore this indicator within area of science and university education and involvement of women. Some examples for contribution of women in achieving girls and women education and development of education system in Bulgaria in historical periods are given. Paper presents data for proportion of women in modern Bulgarian Higher education system. Future research within Decent Work network is anticipated to collect, analyze and compare data for partner universities. La medición y el seguimiento del trabajo decente ocupan un lugar destacado en la agenda de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT). “Oportunidades de empleo para el desarrollo personal y profesional” es un indicador con un alto rango dentro del conjunto emergente aceptado de indicadores de Trabajo Decente. El equipo de investigación comienza a explorar este indicador en el ámbito de la educación científica y universitaria y la participación de las mujeres. Se ofrecen algunos ejemplos de la contribución de las mujeres a la educación de niñas y mujeres y al desarrollo del sistema educativo en Bulgaria en periodos históricos. El documento presenta datos sobre la proporción de mujeres en el moderno sistema búlgaro de enseñanza superior. Se prevé que en el futuro la red de Trabajo Decente recopile, analice y compare los datos de las universidades asociadas.

Background/Aim: A number of biologically active substances were proved as an alternative to conventional anticancer medicines. The aim of the study is in vitro investigation of the anticancer activity of mono- and di-Rhamnolipids (RL-1 and RL-2) against human breast cancer. Additionally, the combination with Cisplatin was analyzed. Materials and Methods: Breast cell lines (MCF-10A, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) were treated with RLs and in combination with Cisplatin. The viability was analyzed using MTT assay, and investigation of autophagy was performed via acridine orange staining. Results: In contrast to the healthy cells, both tested cancer lines exhibited sensitivity to RLs treatment. This effect was accompanied by an influence on the autophagy-related acidic formation process. Only for the triple-negative breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) the synergistic effect of the combined treatment (10 µM Cisplatin and 1 µg/mL RL-2) was observed. Conclusion: Based on studies on the reorganization of membrane models in the presence of RL and the data about a higher amount of lipid rafts in cancer cell membranes than in non-tumorigenic, we suggest a possible mechanism of membrane remodelling by formation of endosomes. Shortly, in order to have a synergistic effect, it is necessary to have Cisplatin andRL-2 as RL2 is a molecule inducingpositive membrane curvature.

Taking into account the rising trend of the incidence of cancers of various organs, effective therapies are urgently needed to control human malignancies. However, almost all chemotherapy drugs currently on the market cause serious side effects. Fortunately, several studies have shown that some non‐toxic biological macromolecules, including algal polysaccharides, possess anti‐cancer activities or can increase the efficacy of conventional chemotherapy drugs. Polysaccharides are characteristic secondary metabolites of many algae. The efficacy of polysaccharides on the normal and cancer cells is not well investigated, but our investigations proved a cell specific effect of a newly isolated extracellular polysaccharide from the red microalga Porphyridium sordidum. The investigated substance was composed of xylose:glucose and galactose:manose:rhamnose in a molar ratio of 1:0.52:0.44:0.31. Reversible electroporation has been exploited to increase the transport through the plasma membrane into the tested breast cancer tumor cells MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB231. Application of 75 µg/mL polysaccharide in combination with 200 V/cm electroporation induced 40% decrease in viability of MDA‐MB231 cells and changes in cell morphology while control cells (MCF10A) remained with normal morphology and kept vitality.

New bacterial strain BN66 was isolated by selective enrichment, identified as Bacillus cereus and proved to degrade crude oil, together with biosurfactant synthesis. Free and cryogel immobilized Bacillus cereus cells were involved in a crude oil degradation process. The studied strain degraded 93% of the aliphatic fraction for 48 h. We immobilized cells in two types of cryogels synthesized from high molar mass polyacrylamide or acrylamide precursors and explored the degradation capability and possibility for re-use of the preparations. Reusability tests revealed that the oil degradation ability of immobilized cells was stable after 47 days (28 °C and shaker speed 120 rpm) and the degradation rate of immobilized cells was maintained at a high level up to the 20th cycle of operation. The matrices obtained from high molar mass polyacrylamide appeared to be more suitable due to their ability to keep the cells within the carrier. The cells immobilized in cryogels exhibited more effective degradation for 22 active cycles at semicontinuous mode of operation compared to only three cycles performed by free cells.

In vitro micropropagation of plants is highly useful for obtaining large quantities of planting material with valuable economic qualities. However, plantlets grow in vitro in a specific environment and the adaptation after the transfer to ex vitro conditions is difficult. Therefore, the acclimatization is a key step, which mostly determines the success of micropropagation. The aim of this investigation was to study the effect of the biofertlizer Lumbrical on ex vitro acclimatization of micropropagated pear rootstock OHF 333 (Pyrus communis L.). Micropropagated and rooted plantlets were potted in peat and perlite (2:1) mixture with or without Lumbrical. They were grown in a growth chamber at a temperature of 22±2 °C and photoperiod of 16/8 hours supplied by cool-white fluorescent lamps (150 µmol m-2 s-1 Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density, PPFD). The plants were covered with transparent foil to maintain the high humidity, and ten days later, the humidity was gradually decreased. Biometric parameters, anatomic-morphological analyses, net photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll a fluorescence (JIP test) were measured 21 days after transplanting the plants to ex vitro conditions. The obtained results showed that the plants, acclimatized ex vitro in the substrate with Lumbrical, presented better growth (stem length, number of leaves, leaf area and fresh mass) and photosynthetic characteristics as compared to the control plants. This biostimulator could also be used to improve acclimatization in other woody species

In recent years, the light emitting diodes (LED) have become an alternative to the fluorescence lamp source of light for plant tissue culture, due to their low energy consumption, low heat emission, specific wavelength irradiation etc. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of LEDs on the growth of in vitro cultivated raspberry (Rubus idaeus L. ‘Lloyd George’). The plantlets were cultivated in vitro under an illumination system based on Philips GreenPower LED research module. Four groups of LEDs emitting in white (W), red (R), blue (B), mixed (W:R:B:far-red=1:1:1:1) lights and fluorescent lamps (control) were used in our studies. Growth parameters, some physiological and biochemical characteristics of the plantlets were measured after three four weeks passages under corresponding light treatment. Our results indicated that different LEDs specifically influence the growth and development of in vitro cultivated raspberry plantlets and could be applied as an efficient lighting system for rapid in vitro micropropagation of Rubus idaeus L. The combination of blue, red, far red and white LEDs (1:1:1:1) stimulated the growth and biomass accumulation, as well as the intensity of net photosynthesis. For optimal results, it would be advisable to shorten the culture period to 3 weeks. This effective and affordable protocol would support the commercial micropropagation of raspberries and other soft fruits.

Isolation and characterization of new biologically active substances affecting cancer cells is an important issue of fundamental research in biomedicine. Trehalose lipid was isolated from Rhodococcus wratislaviensis strain and purified by liquid chromatography. The effect of trehalose lipid on cell viability and migration, together with colony forming assays, were performed on two breast cancer (MCF7&mdash, low metastatic, MDA-MB231&mdash, high metastatic) and one &ldquo, normal&rdquo, (MCF10A) cell lines. Molecular modeling that details the structure of the neutral and anionic form (more stable at physiological pH) of the tetraester was carried out. The tentative sizes of the hydrophilic (7.5 &Aring, ) and hydrophobic (12.5 &Aring, ) portions of the molecule were also determined. Thus, the used trehalose lipid is supposed to interact as a single molecule. The changes in morphology, adhesion, viability, migration, and the possibility of forming colonies in cancer cell lines induced after treatment with trehalose lipid were found to be dose and time dependent. Based on the theoretical calculations, a possible mechanism of action and membrane asymmetry between outer and inner monolayers of the bilayer resulting in endosome formation were suggested. Initial data suggest a mechanism of antitumor activity of the purified trehalose lipid and its potential for biomedical application.

Access to education is one of the main human rights. Everyone should have access to education and be capable of benefiting from it. However there are a number who are excluded, not because of a lack of ability but simply because they have a disability or specific need which current education systems do not address. A learning system in which content, tools and interfaces can be personalised and adapted to the individual needs and preferences of a variety of learners, including those with disabilities, becomes inclusive. Assessment is an integral part of an e-learning environment and therefore it has to provide not only inclusive e-learning content but also inclusive e-assessment. The proposed research investigates an intelligent adaptable e-learning system for assessing students' level of skill, knowledge and understanding regardless of their disabilities or accessibility needs. It is based on an innovative use of world's first open source adaptable widget design and authoring toolkit (WIDGaT) as the prototyping environment.

In this study sol-gel hybrid materials in the system SiO2-chitosan (CS) - polyethylene glycol (PEG), as novel structures with potential application in bioremediation were investigated. The organic components - CS and PEG were used as structural modifiers for functionality improvement. The catabolic activity to n-hexadecane of Pseudomonas aeruginosa BN10 free and immobilized cells was estimated. The cell immobilization technique was employed to evaluate its efficiency on biodegradation and protective effect from high levels of hydrocarbons. The characteristics of obtained hybrid materials were investigated via X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) analyses. The obtained results revealed that the organic part in the synthesized hybrids is important for microstructure and defined properties creation. The rate of n-hexadecane mineralization by the bacterial strain was influenced by variation in cell densities applied in the immobilization procedures. Semi-continuous processes with multiple xenobiotic supplies were carried out. The synthesized by the sol-gel method hybrid matrices proved to be suitable carriers for realizing an effective biodegradation process of n-hexadecane by Pseudomonas aeruginosa BN10. Biodegradation of 50 kg/m3 of n-hexadecane was realized by free cells. Significantly greater quantity (150 kg/m3) was mineralized for 15 active cycles by entrapped bacterial cells. Biodegradation process with gradual increase of xenobiotic concentration reaching 30 kg/m3 for 120 h was also accomplished.

The aim of the present study was to establish the growth characteristics of the red-leaf peach hybrid No. 9-205, grown in a nursery, targeting its submission in future for recognition as a new vegetative rootstock for peach and nectarine cultivars. The traditional seedling rootstock 'Elberta' and the vegetative one GF-677 were included in the study. Hybrid No. 9-205 was selected from a population obtained at the Fruit- Growing Institute in Plovdiv by open pollination of Rutgers Red Leaf seedling rootstock for peach, used in the past. It is characterized by high drought resistance and good resistance to diseases and pests. It is easily propagated under in vitro conditions and shows weaker growth compared to GF-677 rootstock. 18 cultivar/rootstock combinations were studied, including two cultivars of each peach type: for fresh consumption, for processing and of the nectarine type. 'Laskava' cultivar for fresh consumption, the processing cultivar 'Spasena' and the cultivar 'Gergana', which is of the nectarine type, are newly established in result of the implementation of the breeding programme at the Fruit-Growing Institute - Plovdiv. They were officially recognized in the period 2009- 2012. The percentage of survival and of grafted bud shooting is high enough and meets the requirements of the production practices in nurseries. The planting material of the vegetative rootstock No. 9-205 is uniform in plant height and stem width and it fully complies with the quality standards.

Access to education is one of the main human rights. Everyone should have access to education and be capable of benefiting from it. However there are a number who are excluded, not because of a lack of ability but simply because they have a disability or specific need which current education systems do not address. A learning system in which content, tools and interfaces can be personalised and adapted to the individual needs and preferences of a variety of learners, including those with disabilities, becomes inclusive. Assessment is an integral part of an e-learning environment and therefore it has to provide not only inclusive e-learning content but also inclusive e-assessment. The proposed research investigates an intelligent adaptable e-learning system for assessing students' level of skill, knowledge and understanding regardless of their disabilities or accessibility needs. It is based on an innovative use of world's first open source adaptable widget design and authoring toolkit (WIDGaT) as the prototyping environment.

BackgroundHigh-Fidelity Simulation (HFS) has great potential to improve decision-making in clinical practice. Previous studies have found HFS promotes self-confidence, but its effectiveness in clinical practice has not been established. The aim of this research is to establish if HFS facilitates learning that informs decision-making skills in clinical practice using MultipleCriteria DecisionMaking Theory (MCDMT).MethodsThe sample was 2nd year undergraduate pre-registration adult nursing students.MCDMT was used to measure the students’ experience of HFS and how it developed their clinical decision-making skills. MCDMT requires characteristic measurements which for the learning experience were based on five factors that underpin successful learning, and for clinical decision-making, an analytical framework was used. The study used a repeated-measures design to take two measurements: the first one after the first simulation experience and the second one after clinical placement. Baseline measurements were obtained from academics. Data were analysed using the MCDMT tool.ResultsAfter their initial exposure to simulation learning, students reported that HFS provides a high-quality learning experience (87%) and supports all aspects of clinical decision-making (85%). Following clinical practice, the level of support for clinical decision-making remained at 85%, suggesting that students believe HFS promotes transferability of knowledge to the practice setting.ConclusionOverall, students report a high level of support for learning and developing clinical decision-making skills from HFS. However, there are no comparative data available from classroom teaching of similar content so it cannot be established if these results are due to HFS alone.

The capability of the biosurfactant-producing strain Rhodococcus wratislawiensis BN38 to mineralize both aromatic and aliphatic xeno- biotics was proved. During semicontinuous cultivation 11 g/l phenol was completely degraded within 22 cycles by Rhodococcus free cells. Immobilization in a cryogel matrix was performed for the first time to enhance the biodegradation at multiple use. A stable simultaneous hydrocarbon biodegradation was achieved until the total depletion of 20 g/l phenol and 20 g/l n-hexadecane (40 cycles). The alkanotrophic strain R. wratislawiensis BN38 preferably degraded hexadecane rather than phenol. SEM revealed well preserved cells entrapped in the heterogeneous super-macroporous structure of the cryogel which allowed unhindered mass transfer of xenobiotics. The immobilized strain can be used in real conditions for the treatment of contaminated industrial waste water.

This paper presents the concept of an adaptable personal learning environment (APLE) which meets the personal needs and requirements of the individual students. Such a system responds to the need of providing inclusive learning for a wider range of learners, which is an important agenda item for higher education institutions. For the complete design of an APLE it is necessary to integrate an adaptable personal assessment tool which is able to assess students’ performance, regardless of their specific learning needs and preferences, including those with disabilities.

Herbicide application in the fruit tree nursery as an element of good agrotechnical practice quite often might be risky for the appearance of phytotoxic symptoms in plants. That is why preliminary studies are needed to estimate the effect of different herbicides on the vegetative habits of the rootstocks. The aim of the present research was to study the effect of the soil herbicides Terbacil, Pendimethalin and Napropamide on isolated Prunus cerasifera embryos and some micropropagated rootstocks for fruit species – GF677, ÌÌ106 and Prunus domestica “Wangenheims” under in vitro conditions. Inhibition of root meristem growth and browning of cotyledons were established after the treatment with pendimethalin of Prunus embryos with embryonic roots shorter than 5mm. The soil herbicides terbacil, pendimethalin and napropamid caused phytotoxicity expressed in suppression of the root growth of rooted plants of GF677 under in vitro conditions. Visual symptoms of phytotoxicity in the leaves and stems were not established. Pendimethalin and napropamid depressed the stem and root growth of the apple rootstock MM106 plantlets. After treatment with terbacil of in vitro rooted “Wangenheims” plants no external symptoms of phytotoxicity – chlorosis, necrosis and depressing effect were observed. After treatment with pendimethalin and napropamide, a depressing effect on the root formation and growth of microplants without roots were established. The applied herbicides blocked rooting of Prunus domestica “Wangenheims” under in vitro conditions.

The sol-gel synthesis of both hybrid nanomatrices containing tetraethylortosilicate (TEOS) as an inorganic precursor and lactic acid, or sepharose as an organic component was made. Crystal as well as surface morphology of the hybrids were investigated using different methods: X-ray diffraction, infrared spectra, BET-analysis and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The obtained nanomatrices were applicated for immobilization of the α-galactosidase producing fungal strain Humicola lutea 120-5. The semicontinuous cultivation was carried out in laboratory air-lift bioreactor. Maximal level of enzyme activity (1050-1130 U/l) that was reached in the third to fourth fermentation cycle using TEOS+40% lactic acid was higher than that obtained in the samples with TEOS+20% sepharose (660-770 U/l). The correlation between enzyme productivity and fungal development in the pore structure of the carriers was examined using scanning electron microscopy observation.

α-Galactosidase production by the fungal strains Penicillium chrysogenum LN33 and Aspergillus niger M47 cultivated in shaking and stationary conditions using soya meal extract as nutrient medium was investigated. Submerged shake flask fermentation was preferred over stationary cultivation for P. chrysogenum LN33 as it gave a high α-galactosidase yield (4200U/l). Because of pellet formation the semicontinuous shake-flask fermentation was carried out for P. chrysogenum LN33 α-galactosidase production during 32 days. The maximum α-galactosidase activity by A. niger M47 (7000U/l) was obtained in stationary conditions of cultivation which is 27–28% greater as compared with the enzyme titer in shaking cultures. Air-lift laboratory bioreactor cultivation of both P. chrysogenum LN33 and A. niger M47 resulted in high-yield production of α-galactosidase (8700U/l and 11200U/l, respectively), which is of particular interest for biotechnological application in food processing.

α-Galactosidase production by the fungus Humicola lutea 120-5 immobilized in a hybrid sol-gel matrix, consisting of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a precursor and a mixture of polyethyleneglycol (PEG) and polyvinylalcohol (PVA), was investigated under semicontinuous shake flask cultivation and compared to the enzyme secretion by free cells. The influence of the carrier weight on the α-galactosidase biosynthesis in repeated batch experiments was followed. Best results were obtained with 2 g of the sol-gel particles per culture flask using 144-h runs. The growth behaviour of the immobilized mycelium during both the growth and productive phases was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The presence of abundant mycelial growth of intact hyphae correlated with a 2-fold higher enzyme activity compared to free cells. The obtained biocatalyst retained a high level of enzyme titer exceeding the activity of free cells during four cycles of operation (24 days). This result is confirmed by the micrographs showing the retained viability of the growing vegetative cells due to the protective role of the carrier.

Soy meal extract presenting a waste product from soy protein concentrate manufacture was applied as cultivation medium for the production of extracellular α-galactosidase in submerged fermentation of the filamentous fungus Humicola lutea 120–5. Maximum enzyme activity (2000 U.l−1) was produced when the soy meal extract containing 5% dry substances (∼1% raffinose oligosaccharides) was used at 120th h cultivation and 35°C. Chromatography on Sephadex G-100 and DEAE-cellulose resulted in a purified α-galactosidase fraction with specific enzyme activity of 37 U.mg−1. The optimum conditions for the enzyme reaction were pH 4.0 to 4.5 at 50°C. The partially purified enzyme was stable up to 40°C at pH 2.0 to 7.5. The crude enzyme preparation readily hydrolyzes raffinose according HPLC analysis, but no activity against disaccharides as sucrose and melibiose was observed. The soy meal waste extract can be recommended as a suitable medium for the industrial cultivation of strains producing α-galactosidase for...

The chapter presents the importance of providing high quality e-learning and the need to apply the requirements of the standards from ISO 9000 series for continual improvement of the quality management systems in education. The work applies the main principles for multiple criteria decision making. An approach for satisfaction measurement is developed. It uses weighting coefficients as qualitative valuation of the importance of the quality characteristics and numerical valuation for the level of satisfaction with the quality characteristics. The suggested approach is suitable to apply for different purposes in education in order to achieve high quality e-learning. It is also suitable to apply to different areas within quality management systems.

Electron microscopic cytochemical procedures were used to determine the cellular location of acid phosphatase in the fungus Humicola lutea grown in casein-containing medium lacking in mineral orthophosphates. In our investigations acid phosphatase in nongerminating conidia was localized on the outer side of the cell wall, in the cell wall, and on the exterior surface of the plasma membrane. The reaction product of acid phosphatase in germinating conidia was seen in the outer wall layer while in young mycelium on the cell surface and in the exocellular space. The relationship between phosphatase activities localized in the cell wall and their role in the enzymatic degradation of the phosphoprotein casein providing available phosphates for cell growth is discussed.