Heavy metals in bones from Harbour Porpoises Phocoena phocoena from the Western Black Sea Coast

During the last few years, the Western Black Sea coast has documented increase in the number of stranded marine mammals, particularly the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). This species is a subject to threats such as exposure to contaminants, fishery by-catch and introduced new marine species. The aim of this study was to analyse spatial and age trends in bone metal concentration in harbour porpoises from the Western Black Sea Coast. Selected heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd and Ni) were measured in bones of 33 harbour porpoises stranded along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast from 2017. Spatially, we found higher metal levels in the harbour porpoises stranded in the Northern region compared with those from Southern region. The effect of aging was evident only for Zn content – the levels were higher in juveniles than in adults. The obtained results suggested that heavy metal contamination represent an important threat encountered by harbour porpoises

Cetacean mortality along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast during 2017

The present study provides information on the stranding of cetaceans along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast during 2017. Observations were made trough covering transects along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. A total of 198 cetaceans of three species were found - Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), and Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis). The most numerous were the harbor porpoise - 48% followed by the bottlenose dolphin - 15% and common dolphin - 8%. The most significant number of strandings was observed during July and August (54% of all cases). Cetacean strandings events were relatively highly concentrated in the area of Shabla, Varna and Pomorie

Tracking data highlight the importance of human-induced mortality for large migratory birds at a flyway scale

Human-induced direct mortality affects huge numbers of birds each year, threatening hundreds of species worldwide. Tracking technologies can be an important tool to investigate temporal and spatial patterns of bird mortality as well as their drivers. We compiled 1704 mortality records from tracking studies across the African-Eurasian flyway for 45 species, including raptors, storks, and cranes, covering the period from 2003 to 2021. Our results show a higher frequency of human-induced causes of mortality than natural causes across taxonomic groups, geographical areas, and age classes. Moreover, we found that the frequency of human-induced mortality remained stable over the study period. From the human-induced mortality events with a known cause (n = 637), three main causes were identified: electrocution (40.5 %), illegal killing (21.7 %), and poisoning (16.3 %). Additionally, combined energy infrastructure-related mortality (i.e., electrocution, power line collision, and wind-farm collision) represented 49 % of all human-induced mortality events. Using a random forest model, the main predictors of human-induced mortality were found to be taxonomic group, geographic location (latitude and longitude), and human footprint index value at the location of mortality. Despite conservation efforts, human drivers of bird mortality in the African-Eurasian flyway do not appear to have declined over the last 15 years for the studied group of species. Results suggest that stronger conservation actions to address these threats across the flyway can reduce their impacts on species. In particular, projected future development of energy infrastructure is a representative example where application of planning, operation, and mitigation measures can enhance bird conservation

Business Analytics as a Tool to Transforming Information into an Informing System: The Case of the On-Line Course Registration System

Aim/Purpose: Sharing ideas generated in a Business Intelligence (BI) Applications class to upgrade an Information System in to an Informing System. Background: Course Registration is the essential university’s business process in a university that follows a liberal-arts education model. Almost all categories of users are involved, including students, individual faculties and departments, and administration. A typical Information System, designed to support this process, allows departments to schedule selected courses for a particular time slot and location, and allows students to choose courses to study for the semester. Methodology: The course project is to design a BI application. Domain knowledge is essential for such projects and course registration was the natural choice for this class. The assignment includes (1) identifying the categories of stakeholders; (2) identifying the information needs of different categories; (3) identifying available information sources; (4) identifying how is possible to acquire the additional data; and (5) designing the Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) process and interface scenarios in a way to inform clients. Contribution: Contributions are in two directions: (1) pedagogy - involving students in such a project motivates creativity, also enforcing students to think in cost-benefit framework may lead to creation of really effective and efficient solutions; (2) practice - implementation of some of the ideas could be with low cost, but with high impact. Findings: Exploring BI techniques may increase the informing value of existing Information Systems. Recommendations for Practitioners: Careful analysis of information needs and the way information is used, combined with deep domain knowledge and understanding the value provided by Data Mining techniques, is the way to initiate a process of transforming an Retrieval Information System to better inform clients. Recommendation for Researchers : Combining pedagogy with practice allows one to overcome routine thinking and may lead to effective solutions. This needs further structuring and research on outcomes. Impact on Society Transforming Information towards Informing Systems has a significant impact by allowing users to make rational data driven decisions in an efficient way. Future Research: The future of this project is implementation of developed ideas and assessment of the results. Impact on Society : Transforming Information towards Informing Systems has a significant impact by allowing users to make rational data driven decisions in an efficient way. Future Research: The future of this project is implementation of developed ideas and assessment of the results

Feeding site usage by griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) in Bulgaria revealed by camera traps

A group of griffon vultures in Kresna Gorge was studied for its visit on the feeding station next to Rakitna Village after being reintroduced in the area. A camera trap method was used for a better understanding of the breeding behaviour of the griffon vulture, including the intra- and inter-species relations. A statistically significant difference was found between the independent feeding events during the pre-incubation and incubation periods of vultures. The duration of those events also differs, the ones in the second period being longer. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference was observed between the number of vultures per photo for the two sample periods, as a result of a different number of unmarked wild birds and different activity patterns of the nesting pairs. In spite of the fact that the terrestrial predators are also active during the night, their daytime presence leads to a high enough overlap between the two ecological groups, showing that the carnivores are a disturbance factor for the scavengers. The raven is the most abundant species at the feeding site and thus is a food competitor to the griffon vulture. The two species have adapted their behaviour to use the feeding station more successfully during the different biological periods. A significant decrease in the activity overlap between the individuals of the successfully nesting pairs was observed on the feeding station after the beginning of the incubation period. On the other hand, the activity overlap of the unsuccessfully nesting pairs increased in the second sample period. Camera traps can be used in further studies of the mating ecology for individual breeding pairs, when a direct observation on the nest is hard or impossible. This can be a cheap alternative of the time-consuming field observations

Re-introduction of Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) in the Eastern Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria – completion of the establishment phase 2010-2020

The current study presents and analyses the results from the recently completed 11-year-establishment phase, following the start of the local re-introduction of the Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Kotlenska Planina SPA and Sinite Kamani Nature Park in the Eastern Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria in the period 2010-2020. As a result of the re-introduction efforts and release of 153 individuals, the Griffon Vulture has been successfully reproducing again in the Eastern Balkan Mountains since 2016, after more than 40-50 years of absence. At 2020, the local population consists of some 80 local and up to 80-115 birds, together with sojourn individuals. Amongst them, 23-25 breeding pairs, located in five different colonies and two more frequently used roosting sites. The current average productivity remains relatively low: 0.41 fledglings/territorial pair and fledging success of 0.61 fledglings/breeding pair between 2016 and 2020, but shows a trend to increase with time and the growing experience of the young locally re-introduced population. The mortality confirmed between 2010-2021 accounts for 33%, mostly due to electrocution as a post-release effect in the first six months following their release. Our data show that the newly established population in the Eastern Balkan Mountains mostly forages on feeding sites, having a comparatively small 95% home range: 281.88 ± 91 km2 and 50% core area: 6.6 ± 2.28 km2 (range 4.7–8.5 km2). We, therefore, consider the establishment phase of the re-introduction of Griffon Vulture in this particular site as successfully completed, but management should continue. Furthermore, the area of the Eastern Balkan Mountains can currently be regarded as a "source" for the species within the source-sink population regulation concept in the national and Balkan context

TANGRA multidetector systems for investigation of neutron-nuclear reactions at the JINR Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics

In the framework of TANGRA-project at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics of the Joint Institute for Nuclear research in Dubna (Russia), two experimental setups (Fig. 1) have been designed and tested for investigation of 14-MeV neutron-induced nuclear reactions on a number of important for nuclear science and engineering isotopes. As a source of 14-MeV “tagged” neutrons we are using the VNIIA ING-27 steady-state portable neutron generator with embedded in its vacuum tube 64-pixel charge-particle detector. The “Romashka” system is an array of up-to 24 hexagonal NaI(Tl)-crystal scintillation probes, while the “Romasha” array consists of 18 cylindrical BGO-crystal detectors of neutrons and gamma-rays. In addition to these detectors there is a HPGe gamma-ray spectrometer and a number of Stilbene detectors that can be added for high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry and neutron-gamma detection. The main characteristics of the neutron-induced nuclear reaction products can be investigated by commissioning the detectors in suitable for these experiments’ geometries. Both setups can be used for doing basic and applied scientific research, because they permit simultaneously to measure the energy, angle and multiplicity distributions of gamma-rays and neutrons, produced in the competitive neutron-induced nuclear reactions (n, n’γ), (n,2n), (n, xnγ) and (n, f) in pure or complex substances

TANGRA – an experimental setup for basic and applied nuclear research by means of 14.1 MeV neutrons

For investigation of the basic characteristics of 14.1 MeV neutron induced nuclear reactions on a number of important isotopes for nuclear science and engineering, a new experimental setup TANGRA has been constructed at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna. For testing its performance, the angular distribution of γ-rays (and neutrons) from the inelastic scattering of 14.1 MeV neutrons on high-purity carbon was measured and the angular anisotropy of γ-rays from the reaction 12C(n, n′γ)12C was determined. This reaction is important from fundamental (differential cross-sections) and practical (non-destructive elemental analysis of materials containing carbon) point of view. The preliminary results for the anisotropy of the γ-ray emission from the inelastic scattering of 14.1- MeV neutrons on carbon are compared with already published literature data. A detailed data analysis for determining the correlations between inelastic scattered neutron and γ-ray emission will be published elsewhere

TANGRA – an experimental setup for basic and applied nuclear research by means of 14.1 MeV neutrons

For investigation of the basic characteristics of 14.1 MeV neutron induced nuclear reactions on a number of important isotopes for nuclear science and engineering, a new experimental setup TANGRA has been constructed at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna. For testing its performance, the angular distribution of γ-rays (and neutrons) from the inelastic scattering of 14.1 MeV neutrons on high-purity carbon was measured and the angular anisotropy of γ-rays from the reaction 12C(n, n′γ)12C was determined. This reaction is important from fundamental (differential cross-sections) and practical (non-destructive elemental analysis of materials containing carbon) point of view. The preliminary results for the anisotropy of the γ-ray emission from the inelastic scattering of 14.1- MeV neutrons on carbon are compared with already published literature data. A detailed data analysis for determining the correlations between inelastic scattered neutron and γ-ray emission will be published elsewhere