Providing Sustainable Transport Infrastructure through Internalization of External Costs: A Case Study from South-Eastern European Countries

The most important goals for transport systems development in the European countries are related to increasing transport system efficiency and sustainability and pushing national economies’ competitiveness. After a thorough analysis of transport costs, a system of measures should be undertaken to achieve these goals. All these issues are on the top of the political agenda so far, considering the impacts of the COVID pandemic in recent years and the current developments of Just Transition and the European Green Deal ambitions. However, they could not be reached without accounting for transport’s social costs, especially external ones. The chapter’s main objective is to demonstrate the opportunities of the internalization approach and its updates for evaluating marginal external transport costs on a national level for South-Eastern European countries. As a result, a background will be provided to help policymakers in these counties to prioritize measures and projects envisaged in inland modes of transport based on potential savings for the society, which is not done so far. The chapter also discusses the effects of improving transport infrastructure functioning and performance by using internalization of external costs

Characterisation and effectiveness evaluation of microbial biosurfactants for their use in oil spill response

Surfactants are a group of amphiphilic chemical compounds (i.e. having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains) that form an indispensable component in almost every sector of modern industry. Their significance is evidenced from the enormous diversity of applications they are used in, ranging from food and beverage, agriculture, public health, healthcare/medicine, textiles, oil & gas, and bioremediation. This PhD aimed to investigate two hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strains, Halomonas sp. stain TGOS-10 and Pseudomonas sp. strain MCTG214(3b1), for their ability to produce biosurfactants and their usefulness for oil spill response. For this, three strategies were developed. First, the two strains were screened for production of surface-active compounds using sustainable substrates such as glucose and sunflower oil. Surface-active compounds were extracted, purified and their chemical structure was characterised with carbohydrate and amino acid assays, and NMR. Results revealed that both stains produced surface-active compound, TGOS-10 strain produced both an emulsifier and surfactant when grown on different substrates, whereas MCTG214(3b1) strain produced only surfactant. Second, the extracted and purified surfactants were tested for dispersion effectiveness at different concentrations and three oil types by utilising a standard baffled flask test. Both biosurfactants dispersed the crude oil at varying efficiencies depending on concentration and oil type but generally TGOS-10 showed better dispersing results than MCTG214(3b1). Lastly, in a case study from the northeast Atlantic, Illumina MiSeq sequencing was used to determine the response of the natural microbial community when exposed to either chemically-dispersed crude oil (commercial dispersant Finasol) or biosurfactant-dispersed oil (rhamnolipid from P. aeruginosa). In addition, parallel microcosms to determine hydrocarbon degradation were performed and analysed with Gas-Chromatography coupled with Flame Ionization Detection (GC-FID). During incubation for 4 weeks in roller-bottle microcosms, members of psychrophilic oil-degrading Colwellia and Oleispira initially dominated the microbial community in both the rhamnolipid and Finasol treatments. Thereafter, the community structure of these treatments significantly delineated. The microbial diversity was significantly greater in the treatment amended with rhamnolipid compared to that in the dispersant-amended treatment. GC-FID/MS analysis revealed that oil biodegradation was markedly enhanced in the Finasol-amended treatment. However, the “better-performing” qualities of the chemical dispersant Finasol may be in part, at least, conferred by other components that constituent its formulation, and biosurfactants, such as rhamnolipid, could potentially be developed into dispersant formulations with much improved qualities. Ecological null models were also used to better understand and quantify the relative importance of ecological processes in the assembly of microbial communities

How to run an efficient eye care practice during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction:  The COVID-19 pandemic is the defining global health crisis of our time and one of the the greatest challenges the world has faced. During the pandemic there have been significant changes in the healthcare systems, especially in the access to local eye care. That is why it is essential for any eye care practitioner to adopt the proper measures in order to run a successful and efficient eye care practice during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.Aim: The purpose of this article is to share expertise on successful re-opening of eye care practice after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing best protection for the patients, practitioners and support staff. Materials and Methods: Analysis of the possible safety measures and their implementation during the challenging period of re-establishing standard eye care practice after pandemic peak has been conducted. Results: A clear guidelines regarding organization, policy and leadership are provided after their pilot testing. Special solutions include: environment, attire, behavior, media (web-based behavior), communication with patients, how to manage new patients, what to change for better experience and how to improve leadership during the pandemic situation.Conclusion: Taking proper care for each patient and team member during the difficult times of a pandemic is an investment in the future. An eye care practitioner and practice manager must always be informed, flexible and adaptable, especially in challenging situations such as a pandemic

Mineral content and some optical properties of aloe vera juice

Introduction: Aloe (Aloe barbadensis Miller) is the most used medicinal plant in the world. Many of its beneficial properties are due to the presence of proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, trace elements, etc. in the gel found in its leaves. It is part of various nutritional supplements, juices, cosmetic products, etc.Aim: The aim of the present study is to compare the elemental composition and fluorescence spectra of a natural aloe vera gel and one with different additives.Materials and Methods: The present study investigated and compared two types of commercial products, pure aloe vera gel and aloe vera supplemented with other plant species (aloe vera &). The content of some minerals in the two products was analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). A fiber optic spectrometer was used to measure the fluorescence spectrum of the studied samples. Results: The emission peaks of the fluorescence spectrum of the samples are due to the content of phenolic compounds and antioxidants. Addition of honey, agave syrup, and acai puree to aloe vera gel resulted in a significant change in Mg and Fe contents, while Mn, Zn, and Cu were less affected. Conclusion: Both tested aloe vera gel products (with and without additives) showed the presence of phenolic compounds, antioxidants, and high concentrations of magnesium

Serum drops—the last resort for topical treatment after refractive surgery and laser in situ keratomileusis-induced neuropathic epitheliopathy (LINE)

Introduction: The idea to apply blood or blood product topical treatment is not new in ophthalmology, but about 40 years ago Ralph was the first to publish this idea. The biochemical properties of serum eye drops are very similar to the water component of the tears. Serum contains several growth factors, including epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor-β and platelet-derived growth factors, nutrients and proteins, all of which are key components for tissue regeneration.Aim: The aim of this article is to set a prospective study in order to identify and follow patients with laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK)-induced neuropathic epitheliopathy (LINE) and analyze the benefits of the application of 20% autologous serum drops.Materials and Methods: A total of 16 subjects (10 females and 6 males) at a mean age of 34 years (19 the youngest and 41 the oldest) were recruited prospectively. All patients were seeking second opinion as they were bothered by discomfort, visual fluctuations, chronic red eye, and pain with different characteristics. Each patient was advised to have a week of wash-out period when only non-preserved artificial tears (Hyabak 0.15%, Thea ®) were applied. Then patients were advised to apply autologous serum drops four times (during the day), and assessment was done on 4th and 8th week. The primary outcome parameters were ocular surface disease index (OSDI), tear break-up time (TBUT) and corneal staining, the secondary included visual acuity and redness. Preparation of the autologous serum drops followed the in-house methodology.Results: The patients were significantly affected by their underdiagnosed condition. Statistical analysis of the outcome parameters demonstrated that only visual acuity did not change significantly. The main outcome parameter OSDI presented highest improvement from 57 ± 12 to 12 ± 6 after 8 weeks of application of 20% autologous serum drops. Corneal staining decreased and TBUT improved in all subjects.Conclusion: Epithelial complications after LASIK are not uncommon and their recognition is the first step to long-term satisfaction of the patients with refractive procedures. After diagnosis of LINE after LASIK, especially with microkeratome, 20% autologous serum drops are an efficient long-term solution. The standard topical treatment usually takes 8 weeks to achieve good results.

Key issues in economic sustainability of road transport in bulgaria

The stable economic conditions are fundamental for the sustainable development of transport. For this reason the contribution of transport, respectively road transport, to GDP per year and to the gross value added (GVA) are the main indicators for assessment of economic sustainability of road transport presented in the paper. Along with the indices such as share of transport in GDP, the consumers’ expenditure on transport, the volume of freight and passenger transport by modes, share of road transport, traffic volumes and transport infrastructure capacity, the analysis provides a base for the assessment of the economic sustainability of road transport in Bulgaria. Comparisons with the relative indicators in the EU-27 are made in order to clarify the Bulgarian position on the European market. Furthermore, the level of infrastructure provision is evaluated through the analysis of investments on new infrastructures. Thus the long term sustainability of road transport is assessed too and some opportunities for the future development based on an economic sustainability are outlined. As a result of the analysis the opportunities for improving transport services and for decrease in road transport costs in Bulgaria have been revealed

User charges for the railway infrastructure in Bulgaria

The proposed article has been developed as a result of a research project funded by Marie Curie Programme and performed under the Economics, Policy and Appraisal Training Site in Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds. The article presents an analysis of the current charges for the use of rail infrastructure. The results of this analysis are used to evaluate the pricing principles and approaches to charging infrastructure costs in Bulgaria. The deficiencies of the existing infrastructure charging system are discussed and appropriate measures for their overcoming are outlined. The paper gives an outline for the way ahead and suggests a model for rail infrastructure costs estimation which will be developed on the basis of the opportunities for transferability of scientific methodology for infrastructure charging assessed according to the UNITE research project performed with participation of the ITS.