MODERNIZING THE TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN BULGARIA IN ORDER TO PROMOTE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

The scope, the role and the essence of the relationship between tourism and transport are presented conceptually and in terms of their modern aspects, as well as the impact of that correlation upon the development of tourist destinations. We analyse the findings of a quality assessment of the different types of infrastructure in Bulgaria and in several countries which are our immediate rivals as tourist destinations. Evidence is provided to support the thesis that the transport infrastructure in Bulgaria needs to be improved to meet the demands of tourism, including by promoting easier access and mobility, and thus contribute to the image of the country as a sustainable destination. Key aspects for providing more efficient public transport in tourist destinations are identified. The paper also pays attention to strategic transport planning that should meet tourism demands and to improving the coordination between the institutions in both sectors in order to achieve visitors’ satisfaction, especially in terms of transportation

A CONTEMPORARY OVERVIEW OF THE APPLICATION OF COLLABORATIVE CONSUMPTION IN TOURISM

Collaborative consumption is a current global trend which is changing the way in which people use goods and services. This trend also affects the state of the tourism market. With reference to this the article studies the increased use of this business model nowadays by outlining its main characteristic features and the reasons that have caused its appearance. In addition, the article classifies the wide variety of services and products that fall within the scope of this model. Special attention is paid to the factors which limit and stimulate its development. The article also provides a summary of the most widely used digital platforms for sharing tourism – related services. In conclusion, it systematizes the advantages and disadvantages of collaborative consumption and its effects on the conventional supply of tourism products and services

In Search of Social Justice: Current Developments in Higher Education and the Labour Market in Bulgaria

The discussions about social justice date from ancient times, but despite the enduring interest in the topic and the progress made, we are still witnessing injustices throughout the world. Thus, the search for social justice, under some form, is an inseparable part of our lives. In general, social justice may be considered as a critical idea that challenges us to reform our institutions and practices in the name of greater fairness (Miller 1999, p. x). In political and policy debates, social justice is often related to fair access (Brown, 2013) but at the same time its meanings seem to vary when we consider different definitions, perspectives and social theories (Zajda, Majhanovich, & Rust, 2006). When seen in the context of higher education, social justice appears in relevant literature as a buzzword (Patton, Shahjahan, Riyad, & Osei-Kofi, 2010). Within the recent studies of higher education and public debates related to the development of higher education, more emphasis is placed on the link between higher education and the economic growth and how higher education could be more responsive to the labour market demands, and little emphasis has been put on social justice. Given this, the present study attempts to at least partially fill the gap with regard to this apparently very topical issue, especially in the context of the unprecedented worldwide expansion of higher education in the last century (Schofer & Meyer, 2005), an expansion that is expected to continue in the next decades. More specifically, the expansion of higher education intensified in the second part of the 20th century, especially after World War II. It was seen as a result of the intertwined dynamics related to demographic, economic and political pressures (Goastellec, 2008a). This trend undoubtedly contributed to the increase of the size of the student body. To illustrate this trend, we may point out that in the period between 2000 and 2007, the number of tertiary students in the world increased from 98,303,539 to 150,656,459 (UNESCO, 2009, p. 205). This growth occurred in all regions of the world, including Central and Eastern Europe, North America and Western Europe, and contributed to raising the number of tertiary graduates. Thus, in the period between 2000 and 2008, the total number of tertiary graduates in the European Union (EU) 27 increased by a total of 35 percent (or 4.5 percent per year). However, this growth was very uneven, ranging from 21.1 percent in Romania to 0.7 percent in Hungary (European Commission working staff document, 2011). The increase of the number of students and graduates was seen as enhancing the social justice in higher education, since it is assumed that expansion “extends a valued good to a broader spectrum of the population” (Arum, Gamoran, & Shavit, 2007, p. 29). However, concerns for a deep contradiction for 21st-century higher education also emerged with regard to its expansion

On caustics associated with the linearized vorticity equation

summary:The linearized vorticity equation serves to model a number of wave phenomena in geophysical fluid dynamics. One technique that has been applied to this equation is the geometrical optics, or multi-dimensional WKB technique. Near caustics, this technique does not apply. A related technique that does apply near caustics is the Lagrange Manifold Formalism. Here we apply the Lagrange Manifold Formalism to determine an asymptotic solution of the linearized vorticity equation and to study associated wave phenomena on the caustic curve

Genetske strukturne populacije brgljuna (Engraulis encrasicolus Linnaeus, 1758) (Osteichthyes: Engraulide) iz Mediterana i Atlantskog oceana

Muscle proteins of the European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus L. were analyzed using starch gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing on thin polyacrylamide ampholine gel. Twenty-two protein loci were analyzed and polymorphism was found in six of them. Based on genetic-biochemical data, we hypothesize that there are two anchovy subspecies, European and African. The former inhabits the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean coast of Europe, and the Aegean, Marmora, Black, and Azov Seas. The latter is found in the Cape Blank region of the Atlantic Ocean and, probably, along the northwestern part of the African coast. The Aegean anchovy consists of hybrid populations, resulting from introgressive hybridization between the European and the African populations. No evidence for subspecies differentiation between the populations from the European coast of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean was found. Genetic distances between the Azov and Black Sea populations show that the former probably entered the Black Sea during the Karangad period and the latter during the last connection of the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. The genetic distance between the Black Sea anchovy and the Azov anchovy shows that they could be specified as two different populations. Probably some earlier subspecies differences disappeared as a result of introgressive hybridization.Analizirani su mišićni proteini europskog brgljuna (Engraulis encrasicolus L.) upotrebom škrobno gelne elektroforeze i izoelektričnog fokusiranja na tankom poliakrilamidnom gelu. Analizirana su 22 proteinska položaja i kod šestorice je dobiven polimorfizam. Postavljena je hipoteza na osnovi genetsko-biokemijskih podataka da postoje 2 podvrste brgljuna: europska i afrička. Prva naseljava Mediteran, mediteranske obale Europe, te Egejsko, Mramorno, Crno i Azovsko more. Druga je nađena u području Cape Blank u Atlantskom oceanu i vjerojatno uzduž sjeverozapadnog dijela afričke obale. Egejski brgljun se sastoji od hibridnih populacija koje su rezultat introgresivne hibridizacije. Nema uvida u diferencijaciju podvrsta između populacija s europske obale Mediterana i Atlantskog oceana. Genetske udaljenosti između populacija Azovskog i Crnog mora ukazuju da je prva ušla u Crno more tijekom karangadskog razdoblja, a druga tijekom zadnje veze Crnog mora i Mediterana. Genetska udaljenost između brgljuna iz Crnog mora i brgljuna iz Azovskog mora upućuje na to da se mogu razlikovati različite populacije. Vjerojatno su neke razlike u podvrstama nastale kao rezultat introgresivne hibridizacije

STUDY ON INFLUENCE OF SOME CONVENTIONAL AND BIOLOGICAL FERTILIZERS ON THE BIOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF FRESH AND DRIED FRUITS OF 'TEGERA' PLUM CULTIVAR

The study presents the results of the effect of different fertilization types on the biochemical composition of fresh and dried plum fruit of 'Tegera' cultivar. The scientific experiment was carried out in 2016 at Research Institute of Mountain Stockbreeding and Agriculture - Troyan. Three fertilization types were applied in the experiment: biological, conventional and granulated chicken manure. Higher values for sugars, anthocyanins, tanning substances and pectin were reported as a result of fertilization in comparison with the control. The highest content of total polyphenols in fresh 210.00 mgGAE/100 and dried 390.00 mgGAE/100 fruit was found in the conventional fertilization. The greatest level of antioxidant activity of fresh fruit was found in the variant of chicken manure - 926.67 μmolTE /100 g and the conventional fertilization - 597.78 μmolTE/100 g, while it was 220.00 μmolTE / 100 g in dried fruit variant with the biological fertilization

O clima organizacional e a satisfação dos trabalhadores na RARI - Construções Metálicas, Engenharia, Projectos e Soluções Industriais, S.A.

O presente trabalho, visa analisar o Clima Organizacional e a Satisfação dos Trabalhadores numa empresa de construções metálicas, engenharia, projetos e soluções industriais – RARI. O estudo realizado é de natureza quantitativa, transversal e exploratório. O instrumento de análise foi um questionário composto por duas escalas, respetivamente: Clima Organizacional e Satisfação Laboral. A escala referente ao Clima comporta 11 dimensões, designadamente: Comunicação Interna, Carga de Trabalho, Relacionamento Interpessoal, Decisões, Ambiente e Condições de Trabalho, Empenho, Crescimento Profissional, Recompensas, Equidade/Igualdade, Chefe imediato e Imagem da Empresa. Os valores de alfa de Cronbach são, na esmagadora maioria, das subescalas Muito bons ou Excelentes. No que se refere à Satisfação Laboral está dividida em duas subescalas: Satisfação com Recompensas e Incentivos e Satisfação com o Trabalho. Os indicadores dos coeficientes alfa de Cronbach são, igualmente, elevados. A amostra é constituída por 173 trabalhadores. Os resultados evidenciam que: − As dimensões do Clima Organizacional mais pontuadas, por ordem crescente, são: Recompensas, Carga de Trabalho, Comunicação Interna, Ambiente e condições de trabalho, Decisões, Empenho, Crescimento Profissional, Equidade/Igualdade, Relacionamento interpessoal, Imagem da Empresa, Chefe imediato. − Relativamente à Satisfação Laboral e também, por ordem crescente de pontuação, são: Satisfação com Remunerações e Incentivos e Satisfação com o Trabalho. − Através de uma análise de correlações entre as dimensões do Clima Organizacional e da Satisfação Laboral, observou-se que elas demonstram, dum modo geral, fortes correlações positivas e significativas. − Relativamente à Influência dos elementos Sociográficos nas dimensões das Variáveis em análise, recorreu-se ao teste Kruskal Wallis. Os dados obtidos evidenciam que só foram encontradas diferenças, estatisticamente significativas, na influência das variáveis: Categoria Profissional sobre a perceção da Carga de Trabalho e da Antiguidade na Empresa sobre a perceção da Comunicação Interna.This paper aims to analyze the Organizational Climate and the Satisfaction of the Workers in a company of metallic constructions, engineering, projects and industrial solutions - RARI. The study is quantitative, cross-sectional and exploratory. The analysis instrument was a questionnaire composed of two scales, respectively: Organizational Climate and Labor Satisfaction. The Climate scale has 11 dimensions: Internal Communication, Workload, Interpersonal Relationship, Decisions, Environment and Working Conditions, Commitment, Professional Growth, Rewards, Equity / Equality, Immediate Boss and Company Image. Cronbach's alpha values are overwhelmingly Very Good or Excellent. Regarding Job Satisfaction, it is divided into two subscales: Satisfaction with Rewards and Incentives and Satisfaction with Work. Cronbach's alpha coefficient indicators are also high. The sample consists of 173 workers. The results show that: - The highest scoring Organizational Climate dimensions, in ascending order, are: Rewards, Workload, Internal Communication, Work Environment and Conditions, Decisions, Commitment, Professional Growth, Equity / Equality, Interpersonal Relationship, Company Image, Immediate Boss. - Regarding Job Satisfaction and also, in ascending order of score, are: Satisfaction with Compensation and Incentives and Satisfaction with Work. - Through an analysis of correlations between the Organizational Climate and Labor Satisfaction dimensions, it was observed that they generally show strong positive and significant correlations. - Regarding the influence of sociographic elements on the dimensions of the variables under analysis, was used the Kruskal Wallis test. The data show that only statistically significant differences were found in the influence of the variables: Professional Category on the perception of Workload and Seniority in the Company on the perception of Internal Communication

Ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks, a safety method of anesthesia in patients with sepsis with an initial acute respiratory failure - presentation of two clinical cases

Anesthetic management of patients with severe sepsis is a great challenge. Systemic inflammation and acute organ dysfunction in response to infection is a major problem, especially respiratory failure and hemodynamic instability. Avoidance of lung injury during mechanical ventilation is possible with peripheral nerve blocks.Clinical case 1: We present a 73-year-old male hemodialysis patient with sepsis. He had infectious complication of aneurysm formation of A-V fistula. The patient was hypoxic – SpO2 86-88%, with presence of tachypnea, RR-150/75, HR-125/min, Temp -380 C, coagulation abnormalities - INR 1, 58 (clopidogrel intake), elevated CRP and WBC.The patient was indicated for emergency procedures of incision, drainage and ligation of A-V fistula. We performed supraclavicular brachial plexus block + sedation.Clinical case 2: We present a 61-year-old woman with sepsis, with past medical history of diabetes, COPD, and endometrial cancer. She was with clinical presentation of necrotizing fasciitis of the upper extremity.We performed ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block – ”in plane” technique, 30 mL/25 mL ropivacaine 0.5% in moderate sedated patients.During the operation the patients were conscious, hemodynamically and respiratory stable, with oxygen supply by a mask, and with excellent intraoperative and postoperative pain control.We think that ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks are safe and effective alternatives for septic patients with/without coagulation abnormalities

Application of dexamethasone as an adjuvant to the local anesthetic in the performance of a US-guided femoral block for postoperative analgesia on patients after total knee joint replacement

Introduction: The article discusses the use of dexamethasone as an adjuvant to local anesthetic solution for ultrasound (US)-guided femoral nerve block in patients after total knee joint replacement. A literature review on the clinical use of other adjuvants is also presented.Design: This was a clinical prospective randomized study.Aim: The aim of this article is to investigate the effect of dexamethasone adjuvant on the local anesthetic solution when performing a US-guided femoral block in patients after total knee joint replacement.Methods: The study included 53 patients, randomized into two groups:  Group 1: single shot femoral nerve block (FNB) + constant infusion through a perineural catheter 15 mL bolus (ropivacaine 0.5%/levobupivacaine 0.375%) with a subsequent infusion of 5-9 mL per hour, including 20 patients; Group 2: single shot FNB  20 mL bolus (ropivacaine 0.5%/levobupivacaine 0.375%) +/- dexamethasone 4 mg, including 33 patients.  In Group 2, 2 subgroups were formed: patients with single shot FNB with chirocain - 10 patients; patients with single shot FNB with ropivacaine - 23 patients. Of these, 15 patients were fasted with single shot FNB  with ropivacaine + dexamethasone 4 mg, and 8 patients with pure ropivacaine.Evaluation of effective control of pain relief symptoms was done on 2nd, 4th, 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th, and 36th hours postoperatively according to the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).Results: No statistically significant difference in VAS scores was observed between the two groups in the 2nd, 6th, 12th, 18th and 36th hours. Such was found only in the 24th hour. We did not detect statistically significant benefits of this adjuvant. We do not have clinically registered adverse drug reactions (ADRs). We have not established a correlation between these occurrences and the use of dexamethasone.Conclusion: Although our results correspond to those of authors who refute the benefits of dexamethasone as an adjuvant to the peripheral nerve block (PNB), we believe, based on clinical observation data, that it actually attenuated reversible hyperalgesia (patients did not report abruptly, acute, sudden onset of pain), therefore prolongation of the analgesic effect was observed until the 18th, 20th postoperative hour

Phytosanitary Status of Wheat Crops in Northeastern Bulgaria

In the present work, the results of a survey of wheat crops in the area of the IASS quot%253BObraztsov chiflikquot%253B ndash%253B Ruse are presented. The study was carried out during the period 2018-2021, at the experimental field of the institute, according to accepted methods for weed infestation, species composition of the entomofauna and economically important wheat diseases. The aim of the study is to determine the species composition of weeds, diseases and insect pest in wheat crops under the relevant agro-climatic conditions. Weed species composition differed by year, with a total of 15 weed species from 10 families recorded. Veronica agrestis L., Lamium purpureum L., Anthemis arvensis L., Convolvulus arvensis L. and Cirsium arvense L. are ubiquitous in surveyed crop. Insects belonging to the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Homoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Neuroptera and Orthoptera were identified. The proportion of the orders to which the species belonged in the three years of the study differed in culture. The total number of insects detected during the three years of the test varied on average (CV%253D15.63%25) ndash%253B 373 pcs. in 2019, 280 pcs. in 2020 and 372 pcs. in 2021. During the period, 3 fungal pathogens of the genera Puccinia, Erysiphe and Septoria were identified. The development of Puccinia and Erysiphe pathogens during the study period was within acceptable limits according to the SEV scale (from 10%25 to 25%25). Massive development of the pathogen Septoria sp. was observed, with the affected plant area reaching up to 65%25, according to the SEV scale