EXTRACURRICULAR ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY OF THE STUDENTS - IS IT CONSIDERED AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO STAND OUT OR SIMPLY ADDITIONAL PRESSURE

Introduction: The participation of students in various activities organized outside of school hours is an activity that is encouraged at MU-Varna. The celebrations of significant dates and holidays, the organization of meetings, sports holidays, excursions, etc. are an opportunity for students to get to know each other in an informal environment, to learn something new, to visit historical landmarks, to get to know the city in which they will live and study, to discover new talents and interests, to be physically active, to deepen and detail their knowledge on a certain problem, to rest and reduce stress from exams, to discover a new favorite activity, etc. Participation in various forms of extracurricular employment is an activity that enriches and motivates students to achieve higher learning results. Aim: To study the attitude and motivation of students to participate in various forms of extracurricular activities. Materials and methods: A survey was conducted among students from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th university year by the "Midwife" magazine, MU - Varna (124) through a direct anonymous survey in May 2023. Applied methods - documentary, sociological, statistical and graphic processing of the results. Results and discussion: More than half of the surveyed students have participated in events organized outside of school hours (65%). The majority of respondents confirm that such events are regularly organized by the institution where they study (76.5%). The preferred forms of extracurricular employment are courses, trainings (52.9%), discussion (35.3%), circle (29.4%) and work meeting (23.5%). Most of the students believe that these events have the effect of increasing awareness of certain issues (76.5%), uniting the team-spitit(58.8%), for 71% they are an opportunity to express themselves, contribute to the creation of traditions (57.7%). The event attended at MU-Varna with the greatest emotional charge was the graduation ceremony of the students after completion of their last year at the university. Conclusions: Most of the students from the magazine "Akusherka" of MU-Varna have been involved in events organized outside of school hours. Students prefer forms of extracurricular activities, such as workshops, discussion, training, aimed at the practical aspects of the profession. Students are aware of the positive effects of extracurricular activities for team building, new knowledge, the opportunity to express themselves, and the creation of traditions, which impacts their motivation to participate

Erbium lasers in periodontology

There are many advantages to using lasers in periodontal therapy, including better visualization of cutting, patient acceptance, and detoxification of a periodontal pocket. Other advantages are less invasive surgery to gain access, minimal wound contraction and scarring. Many of these concepts of laser therapy are posi­tive, although others still require research. There are clearly many favorable applications for lasers in peri­odontal therapy but further studies are necessary to determine in which procedures laser therapy can be best applied

Un nouveau faciès lamellaire du début du Paléolithique supérieur dans les Balkans

Après Bacho Kiro et Temnata, la grotte de Kozarnika est la troisième grande séquence pléistocène récemment établie dans la région de l‘est des Balkans. La fouille, menée dans le cadre d’une coopération entre l’Académie bulgare des sciences – Institut d’Archéologie à Sofia et UMR 5199 du CNRS, PACEA - Université Bordeaux 1, a permis la découverte d’une séquence, datant du Paléolithique inférieur (non Acheuléen), Paléolithique moyen (Moustérien - Levallois) et du Paléolithique supérieur, daté entre 39 et 11 Ka BP (Guadelli et al. 2005). Le niveau VII, localisé à la base du Paléolithique supérieur, daté entre 39 et 36 Ka BP a livré une industrie lithique à débitage et outillage lamellaire, inédite à l’échelle régionale. Cet outillage est composé de pièces à dos et à retouche fine, abrupte, et semi-abrupte, parfois bilatérale directe appointant ou alterne. Dénommée “ Kozarnikien ” en attente d’études plus complètes, cette industrie présente des analogies dans la composante lamellaire tant avec l’Ahmarien ancien du Levant qu’avec certains ensembles de proto-Aurignacien au sud de l’Europe. En l’absence d’autres éléments caractéristiques de l’Aurignacien typique, cette industrie montre des tendances technologiques et typologiques dont on trouve la continuité dans les niveaux sus-jacents gravettiens de la séquence. Le Kozarnikien peut donc représenter une étape précoce de formation de technocomplexe lamellaire à pièces à dos. Le Kozarnikien suggère aussi qu’on ne peut plus soutenir le rôle exclusif de l’Aurignacien dans le passage du moustérien européen au Paléolithique supérieur. Il devient de plus en plus évident qu’au tout début de cette transformation, ont été engagées des traditions culturelles différentes et précédant l’Aurignacien.With Bacho Kiro and Temnata, Kozranika cave is the third major pleistocene sequence recently investigated in the Eastern Balkans. Excavations, conducted in collaboration of the Bulgarian Academy of sciences-National Institute of Archaeology at Sofia and the University of Bordeaux 1- Institute of Prehistory and Quaternary Geology –CNRS, PACEA, UMR 5199, revealed a sequence starting with non-Acheulean Lower Palaeolithic (LP), Levaloisian Moustérian Middle Palaeolithic (MP) and Upper Palaeolithic(UP) dated between 39 Ky BP and 11 Ky BP (Guadelli et al. 2005). Level VII, at the base of the UP (39-36 Ky BP) contains an assemblage locally unknown, characterized by a bladelet technology and tools made on bladelets: regular backed pieces and bladelets with thin, abrupt or semi-abrupt, often bilateral convergent or alternate retouch. Named temporarily “ Kozarnikian ” awaiting for further studies, this assemblage shows some analogies with the archaic Ahmarian from Levant and South-European Proto-Aurignacian as well. Given the lack of diagnostic artefacts of typical Aurignacian, this assemblage shows technological and typological tendencies observed in the overlaying Gravettian industries. The Kozarnikian might be considered as a possible precursor of technocomplexes with bladelet technology and backed pieces and thus,suggesting that the role of Aurignacian in transition between the European Mousterian and the UP is not unique nor exclusive. It becomes more and more obvious that, at the beginning of this transformation, preceding the Aurignacian, different cultural traditions where involved

Objects and installations of the Varna artist Ilia Yankov from the 1980s and 1990s

The article examines objects and installations of the Varna artist Ilia Yankov, created in the 1980s and 1990s. The author works at the boundary between visual art and design, creating aesthetic works of glass and other materials with a dominant role of light. In terms of aesthetics this kind of creative searches are peripheral to postmodern visual practices, in which the principle of profane and grotesque comes to the fore

Mezzanine financing

Das Mezzanine-Kapital verbindet in sich Elemente des Eigen- und des Fremdkapitals und deshalb ist eine außerordentlich flexible Finanzierungsquelle. In bestimmten Fällen kann ein Mezzanine-Instrument auf eine solche Art und Weise strukturiert werden, die dem Mezzanine-Investor die Beteiligung an der Verteilung des infolge der Erhöhung des Unternehmenswerts im Laufe der Zeit generierten zusätzlichen Gewinns durch die Umwandlung eines Teils des Darlehens in Eigenkapital garantiert. In anderen Fällen, wenn der Zinsertrag während der Lebenszeit des Instruments im Vordergrund steht, ähnelt die Struktur eines Mezzanine-Produkts der Struktur einer Bankschuld. Diese sich aus der Hybridnatur des Mezzanine-Kapitals ergebende Flexibilität erlaubt die Errichtung der möglichst optimalen Finanzierungsstruktur einer Transaktion, die sowohl für den Mezzanine-Anbieter als auch für die eine Finanzierungsquelle suchende Gesellschaft günstig ist. Bei den mit Optionsscheinen strukturierten Mezzanine-Investitionen ist der Mezzanine-Investor an der erfolgreichen Performance der Gesellschaft in Zukunft interessiert. Nämlich die optionsähnliche Charakteristik reduziert fast zum Minimum die Informationsasymmetrie und schützt den Investor vor der Möglichkeit, dass das Managementteam das Risiko der Gesellschaft erhöht. Aus dem praktischen Gesichtspunkt sollte die eine Mezzanine-Finanzierung in Anspruch nehmende Gesellschaft ihre mit dem Mezzanine-Instrument verbundenen Pflichten gewissenhaft erfüllen, weil dank seines Vorhandenseins die erzielte Rentabilität des angelegten eigenen Risikokapitals erhöht wird sowie die Möglichkeiten zur Tätigung wertvoller Investitionen, welche die Gesellschaft sonst nicht finanzieren könnte. Aus dem Gesichtspunkt der bevorzugten Gläubiger verbessert die Verwendung eines Mezzanin-Instruments in der Finanzierungsstruktur einer Transaktion ihre Position in der Sicherungshierarchie, weil das Mezzanin-Kapital infolge seines untergeordneten Charakters gegenüber der Bankschuld praktisch als Eigenkapital funktioniert. In den Fällen, in denen die Transaktionen mit Mezzanin-Finanzierung eine Refinanzierung und eine Umstrukturierung einschließen, haben die bevorzugten Gläubiger sogar die Möglichkeit, die Höhe ihrer Kreditexposition und auf diese Art und Weise auch ihr Risiko zu reduzieren. Abschließend können wir behaupten, dass die Mezzanine-Investoren nicht nur in ihrem eigenen besten Interesse handeln, sondern auch gewissermaßen die Interessen sowohl der Banken als Gläubigerinnen als auch der Investitionsempfänger wahren und so die Effektivität verbessern und zum optimalen Funktionieren der Kapitalmärkte beitragen. Die Verbreitung der Mezzanin-Finanzierung in Bulgarien wird die Palette der Finanzoptionen im Inland für die Finanzierung von Unternehmen mit guter Bonität und innovativen Geschäftsideen abrunden und könnte zur Erhöhung ihrer Anzahl in Zukunft führen. Nämlich die vielfältigen Möglichkeiten zur Ressourcenbeschaffung sind für die Bildung eines guten Ökosystems für das bulgarische Business entscheidend. Im gegenwärtigen Zeitpunkt, wenn die Bereitstellung von Finanzierung oder Refinanzierung in Bulgarien sehr schwer ist und wenn die traditionellen Kanäle für die Kapitalbeschaffung oder Schuldenfinanzierung stark begrenzt sind und in absehbarer Zukunft so bleiben werden, könnte die Vorstellung der Mezzanine-Instrumente auf dem bulgarischen Kapitalmarkt als eine Finanzierungsalternative den in den Jahren der tobenden Finanzkrise entstandenen Abgrund füllen.Mezzanine capital combines elements of own and external capital, which makes it an extremely flexible source of financing. In some cases, a mezzanine instrument may be structured in a way guaranteeing the participation of a mezzanine investor in the distribution of any extra profit generated as a result of the increase in enterprise value over time, by converting part of the loan into equity. In other cases, where interest income accumulated during the life of the instrument comes first, the structure of a mezzanine product resembles that of a bank debt. This flexibility, arising out of the hybrid nature of mezzanine capital, enables the development of the most optimal structure of financing of a transaction, which is favourable to both the mezzanine provider and the company seeking sources of financing. In the case of mezzanine investments structured with warrants, the mezzanine investor is interested in entity’s successful performance in the future. The option like feature is the one that reduces almost to a minimum the information asymmetry and protects the investor against the possibility that the management team will increase the risk of the company. From the practical point of view, the company attracting mezzanine financing should duly perform its obligations relating to the mezzanine instrument, as thanks to its existence, the return on its own risky capital is improved and thus, new possibilities to make valuable investments occur, which the company would not be able to finance otherwise. From the point of view of senior creditors, the inclusion of a mezzanine instrument into the structure of financing of a transaction improves their position within the hierarchy of security, since in practice the mezzanine capital functions as equity due to its subordinate nature to bank debt. In the cases where the transactions with mezzanine financing involve refinancing and restructuring, senior creditors can even reduce the amount of their credit exposure and thus, to reduce the risk faced by them. In conclusion, we may summarise that mezzanine investors not only act in their own best interest, but to a certain extent also protect the interests of banks and investees, thus improving the effectiveness and contributing to the optimal functioning of capital markets. If mezzanine financing spreads in Bulgaria, this will complete the palette of financial options available in the country to finance companies with good credit ratings and innovative business ideas, and therefore, it could increase their number in the future. And namely the diversity of options for finding resources is of key importance to the formation of a friendly eco system for the Bulgarian business. At times when it is difficult to find financing and refinancing in Bulgaria, when the traditional channels for attracting capital or debt financing are very limited and will remain such in the foreseeable future, to provide the Bulgarian capital market with mezzanine instruments, as an alternative financing, could fill in the gap formed throughout the years of a tempestuous financial crisis

Valorization of Peanut and Walnut Shells through Utilisation as Biosorbents for the Removal of Textile Dyes from Water

The present research focuses on the application of peanut and walnut shells, in their natural state, for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from water solutions in batch and dynamic (flow-through) conditions. Under batch conditions, at a 100 mg/L MB concentration of aqueous solution, the optimum dose of the studied biosorbents was determined to be 2.5 g/L, reaching about 95–97% efficiency of MB removal for both materials. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were used to model and evaluate the experimental data under different initial concentrations of MB (25 to 100 mg/L). The determined maximum adsorption capacities are 41.50 mg/g for walnut shells and 46.80 mg/g for peanut shells. Under flow-through conditions, breakthrough curves are determined for three sizes of fractions (<0.25 mm, 0.315–0.5 mm, and 0.8–1.6 mm). For peanut shells, the smaller the particle size, the higher the adsorption capacity and the column breakthrough time. For walnut shells, however, the particle size seems to have a more complex influence on the adsorption process parameters, and this phenomenon deserves future investigation. The adsorption capacity for one and the same fraction size of 0.315–0.5 mm and initial MB concentration of 50 mg/L is higher under dynamic flow conditions, i.e., 51 mg/g compared to 20 mg/g for walnut shells and 46 mg/g compared to 17.5 mg/g for peanut shells