Dimensions of Cultural Variability among Local Communities in the Town of Ruse (1878-1920 Years)

The aim of this paper is to explore culture as a dynamic system affected by various factors. It looks at the political and environmental factors that influence the development of the town of Ruse at the beginning of the 20 the century. It also seeks to find out how the dynamics of the political situation in the Balkans and the extreme influence of the river Danube acted on the town and its population. The analysis is based on the exploration of cultural variability according to the views of Kluckhohn and Strodbeck, Edward Hall and Geert Hofstede and states the extent to which the ethnic groups living on the territory of the town of Ruse in the reviewed period illustrate them. Theoretical clarification of cultural variability and practical research of how it is addressed in the material and spiritual context has been made. The findings from this analysis illustrate that the ethnic communities in Ruse during that period combine the contemporary concepts of multiculturalism and the variance of values traced in a diachronic aspect. The research results also reveal that the local community of Ruse and its contacts with other cultural communities are based on established attitudes of tolerance and sustainability and continuity of values that can be given as a good example in a time of growing multiculturalism and globalization, both in Europe and worldwide. It can initiate a further discussion concerning notions as multiculturalism and cultural variability on the territory of the Danube region in the period of transition and democracy

Acute toxicity of Galium odoratum to the freshwater cladoceran Moina macrocopa

Galium odoratum (L.) is a medicinal plant with a number of health benefits, used in traditional and modern medicine. The toxicity of the coumarin in Galium odoratum is classified as high, however, no experimental data or data on toxic effects in humans following intake of Galium odoratum are available. The potential toxic effect can be estimated based on the content of coumarin and knowledge of its toxicity.The aim of the current study is to evaluate the acute toxicity effects of a range of concentrations of Galium odoratum water extract on Moina macrocopa and calculate the LC50 within 24 hours. In order to compare the toxicity with those of other, well-known and widely used medicinal plants, extracts of Matricaria chamomilla and Tribulus terrestris are also tested. The results show that LC50 value of Galium odoratum is comparable with those of Matricaria chamomilla and Tribulus terrestris, and Galium odoratum has intermediate toxicity between the two other studied species.&nbsp

The High Representative and EU Foreign Policy Integration: A Comparative Study of Kosovo and Ukraine

This book offers an account of how the institutionalisation of the EU foreign and security policy has impacted processes of European integration. The manuscript proposes a ‘synthetic’ model through which it examines evidence of EU member states’ preference ordering and interest aggregation by the High Representative in the context of EU-Kosovo and EU-Ukraine relations

Die Einbeziehung außerwettbewerblicher Erwägungen in Artikel 81 EGV

Eine der in Art. 3 I lit. g EGV aufgezählten Aufgaben der Gemeinschaft ist die Errichtung eines Systems unverfälschten Wettbewerbs. Dabei nimmt Art. 81 EGV eine Schlüsselstellung ein. Er stellt sicher, dass die abgebauten Handelsbeschränkungen des Staates nicht durch unternehmerische Machtkonzentrationen ersetzen werden. Besonders problematisch für die Anwendung der Vorschrift ist das Verhältnis der Wettbewerbspolitik zu den anderen Gemein-schaftspolitiken. Einerseits kann sie nicht isoliert von den Auswirkungen der anderen Gemeinschaftsziele durchgeführt werden, da sie nur einen von vielen Politikbereichen der Gemeinschaft darstellt. Andererseits könnte die Berücksichtigung allgemeinpolitischer Aspekte im Rahmen des Art. 81 EGV zur Gefährdung der eigenen Zielsetzung der Norm füh-ren. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht, ob und inwieweit außerwettbewerbliche Ziele in Art. 81 EGV einbezogen werden können. Diese Frage stellt sich sowohl auf Tatbestands- als auch auf Rechtfertigungsebene. Der klare Wortlaut des Abs. 1 zeigt, dass die Berücksichtigung anderer als wettbewerblicher Erwägungen im Tatbestand nicht zulässig ist. Dagegen ist dies auf der Rechtfertigungsebene möglich, allerdings nicht losgelöst von den Freistellungsvoraus-setzungen des Abs. 3. Doch hat die VO 1/2003 die Möglichkeit einer gemeinwohlfreundlichen Auslegung der Freistellungsmerkmale in Frage gestellt, da seit deren Inkrafttreten die Behör-den und die Gerichte der Mitgliedstaaten diese unmittelbar, d.h. ohne vorherige Entscheidung der Kommission, anwenden. Daher erzwingt das System der Legalausnahme ein streng wett-bewerbliches Verständnis der Freistellung, um Rechtssicherheit zu gewährleisten und Rechts-missbrauch zu vermeiden. Mithin kann die Wettbewerbspolitik nicht mehr als Mittel zur Verfolgung anderer Gemeinschaftsziele benutzt werden. Schlagworte: Wettbewerbsrecht, Kartellverbot, Allgemeininteressen --Wettbewerbsrecht,Kartellverbot,Allgemeininteressen,rule of reason,nichtwettbewerbliche Ziele,Querschnittsklauseln

Sex differences of parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons in the rat brain

During the last two decades numerous studies have proven the existence of sexual dimorphism in the brain of lower vertebrates, birds, and mammals. Differences between males and females have been found in various components of central nervous system (CNS), including volumes of certain nuclei, numbers of neurons and synaptic contacts, size of somata and outgrowths, as well as differences in neurotransmitter systems. The mechanisms by which these dimorphic features appear remain an open question for further elucidation. It is not clear yet how the morphological variations observed between sexes during development could be related to functional consequences in the adult organism.Biomedical Reviews 1997; 7: 91-96

Social Life Cycle Assessment of a Concentrated Solar Power Plant in Spain: A Methodological Proposal

Measuring the sustainability of goods and services in a systematic and objective manner has become an issue of paramount importance. Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) is a holistic methodology whose aim is to integrate into a compatible format the analysis of the three pillars of sustainability, namely, economy, environment, and society. Social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) is a novel methodology still under development, used to cover the social aspects of sustainability within LCSA. The aim of this article is to provide additional discussion on the practical application of S-LCA by suggesting a new classification and characterization model that builds upon previous methodological developments. The structure of the social analysis has been adapted to maintain coherence with that of standard LCA. The application of this methodology is demonstrated using a case study—the analysis of power generation in a concentrated solar power plant in Spain. The inventory phase was completed by using the indicators proposed by the United Nations Environment Program/Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (UNEP/SETAC) Guidelines on S-LCA. The impact assessment phase was approached by developing a social performance indicator that builds on performance reference points, an activity variable, and a numeric scale with positive and negative values. The social performance indicator obtained (+0.42 over a range of –2 to +2) shows that the deployment of the solar power plant increases the social welfare of Spain, especially in the impact categories of socioeconomic sustainability and fairness of relationships, whose results were 1.38 and 0.29, respectively

Context Regulation of Mind Wandering in ADHD

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to understand the association between MW frequency and clinical measures, context regulation of MW and group differences in task performance. METHOD: 27 adults with ADHD and 29 controls performed tasks manipulating demand on working memory and sustained attention, and recorded their MW frequency using probes. RESULTS: A significant association between MW frequency and the clinical measures was demonstrated. Along with increased MW frequency, individuals with ADHD reported decreasing MW frequency during increasing demands on working memory (context regulation), but not on sustained attention (deficient context regulation). Controls, however, maintained continuous task focus across all conditions. Group differences in task performance were no longer significant after adding MW frequency as a covariate. CONCLUSION: Deficient context regulation during increasing demands on sustained attention suggests that sustained attention deficits may play a more important role in regulation of MW in ADHD. MW frequency might also underpin performance deficits in ADHD