The Impact of Geography and Ethnicity on EU Enlargement: New Evidence from the Accession of Eastern Europe

In this dissertation I argue that established EU member states slow down accession of Eastern European members because they do not consider them suitable for a western-style liberal democracy due to the pronounced presence of specific factors related to ethnicity and geography in the region. I evaluate EU enlargement on wave-by-wave basis and conclude that the major concern with accessing Eastern Europe is Russia’s increased political influence in the region

Evaluation in Biblical Proverbs: A Linguo-Cultural Study from a Systemic Functional Perspective

The aim of this study is to examine more closely the realizations of evaluation in Biblical proverbs and to explain the role of evaluation in the construction of communities of shared values. The research method used in analyzing the corpus of 425 Biblical proverbs identified by Wolfgang Mieder is the appraisal analysis of J.R. Martin and P.R.R.White in combination with the culturematic analysis of R. Petrova. On the basis of the results obtained conclusions are drawn concerning the indexical and evaluative characteristics of the proverb cultureme. It is argued that the axiological charge proverbs get in actual use as a result of the inherent act of evaluation is an indispensable part of their meaning

Evaluation in Biblical Proverbs: A Linguo-Cultural Study from a Systemic Functional Perspective

The aim of this study is to examine more closely the realizations of evaluation in Biblical proverbs and to explain the role of evaluation in the construction of communities of shared values. The research method used in analyzing the corpus of 425 Biblical proverbs identified by Wolfgang Mieder is the appraisal analysis of J.R. Martin and P.R.R.White in combination with the culturematic analysis of R. Petrova. On the basis of the results obtained conclusions are drawn concerning the indexical and evaluative characteristics of the proverb cultureme. It is argued that the axiological charge proverbs get in actual use as a result of the inherent act of evaluation is an indispensable part of their meaning

A Personalized Diet Plan for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Current Evidence and Future Insights

The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been rising year by year. Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are increasingly diagnosed in both pediatric and adult populations. Since the early 21st century, IBD has become a global health problem. Despite the advances in medical treatment, clinical remission and mucosal healing are still not achieved in many patients. The cause is likely rooted in the fact that the immune system and microbiome of genetically susceptible, with the environment also playing a role, fail to provide an appropriate response, which subsequently leads to chronic inflammation of the gut. Recently increasing evidence has emerged that one of the major environmental factors that play a role in the onset and course of the disease is the diet. This leads to the conclusion that it can be used as part of the strategy to reduce clinical symptoms and intestinal inflammation.The aim of this article is to analyze the available information in the field of personalized dietary patterns with an accent on their level, focus, and scope. The ever-changing evidence for modifiable dietary approaches will give us the opportunity to walk the path from generic advice on a healthy diet to truly personalized dietary plans tailored to meet the needs of each individual patient with IBD

Home Patronage As Part Of Midwifery Students’ Training. The Experience Of Veliko Tarnovo Affiliate

Global experience as well as WHO recommendations indicate that a home visit after delivery done by a midwife is of the utmost importance for the health of both the child and the mother. The home patronage known up to the 1990s in Bulgarian midwifery practice suffered a crash after the reorganization of obstetrics and gynecology in the last 20 years.In compliance with the mission of the Medical University Prof. Dr. P. Stoyanov – Varna, we offer our students experience, which will be useful for them when practicing the profession in countries with regulated postpartum midwifery activities. We revive traditional midwifery skills, expecting the Bulgarian healthcare system to respond effectively to the needs of young families.In this report, we provide the home visit model as part of the midwifery students' training in Velliko Tarnovo Affiliate

The Influence Of The Sexual Debut On The Intimate Life Of The Individual

Introduction: The sexual debut notes a new stage of person`s development. It is a way toward the world of adults, a new stage in development and a revolutionary step in the understanding of love.Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the sexual debut on the next sexual experiences of the person.Materials and Methods: We studied the opinion of 100 women aged 29 to 30 years. An original inquiry card that comprised 8 questions was used. One of the questions included a four-level Likert-type scale for appraising the intimate relationships and love. The study was conducted between 1/05/2018 and 30/06/2018, and the data were analyzed using Excel 2013 software.Results: The results show that the average age for starting a sexual life is 16.6 years. People who have negative experience from their first sexual act are more inclined to split up with their partners, if they stopped loving them, they rarely fall in love, hardly believe in the existence of “eternal love” in comparison with women with positive experience. There is no considerable difference concerning the influence of sexual debut on the stability of the relationship

Viral load and lymphocyte subpopulations in newly diagnosed patients with chronic Hepatitis B

INTRODUCTION: The immune response against Hepatitis B virus (HBV) represents a key factor for infection outcome. However, the relation between viral replication and host immune reactivity is still a matter of investigation. AIM: To investigate whether the cellular immune response of newly diagnosed treatment naïve chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients may be influenced by the replicative status of HBV.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 45 (17 female and 28 male) newly diagnosed untreated CHB patients aged 42.48±13.19 years (19÷71 years) were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided in two groups according to the viral load: >0÷≤104 copies/ml (n=25) and >10 4÷<108 copies/ml (n=17). Flowcytometric immunophenotyping was performed for evaluation of the cellular immunity. Serum HBV DNA load was assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.RESULTS: Similar alterations were observed in both patients` groups in comparison with healthy controls which could be summarized as follows: decreased total T cells (CD3+) due to low helper-inducer (CD3+CD4+) and suppressor-cytotoxic (CD3+CD8+) subpopulations; reduced effector cytotoxic (CD8+CD11b-; CD8+CD28+) and activated (CD3+HLA-DR+, CD8+CD38+) T-cell subsets; increased CD57+CD8- cells; elevated percentage of B lymphocytes. No significant differences in the studied immune parameters were detected between both patients` groups except the significantly elevated CD4/CD8 ratio in individuals with higher in comparison to those with lower HBV DNA levels.CONCLUSION: Alterations in the cellular immune repertoire of CHB patients were observed resulting mainly in significantly decreased T-cell subpopulations, particularly those with effector cell immune phenotype regardless of the viral load

A Novel C1q Domain-Containing Protein Isolated from the Mollusk Modiolus kurilensis Recognizing Glycans Enriched with Acidic Galactans and Mannans

C1q domain-containing (C1qDC) proteins are a group of biopolymers involved in immune response as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in a lectin-like manner. A new protein MkC1qDC from the hemolymph plasma of Modiolus kurilensis bivalve mollusk widespread in the Northwest Pacific was purified. The isolation procedure included ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by affinity chromatography on pectin-Sepharose. The full-length MkC1qDC sequence was assembled using de novo mass-spectrometry peptide sequencing complemented with N-terminal Edman’s degradation, and included 176 amino acid residues with molecular mass of 19 kDa displaying high homology to bivalve C1qDC proteins. MkC1qDC demonstrated antibacterial properties against Gram-negative and Gram-positive strains. MkC1qDC binds to a number of saccharides in Ca(2+)-dependent manner which characterized by structural meta-similarity in acidic group enrichment of galactose and mannose derivatives incorporated in diversified molecular species of glycans. Alginate, κ-carrageenan, fucoidan, and pectin were found to be highly effective inhibitors of MkC1qDC activity. Yeast mannan, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), peptidoglycan (PGN) and mucin showed an inhibitory effect at concentrations three orders of magnitude greater than for the most effective saccharides. MkC1qDC localized to the mussel hemal system and interstitial compartment. Intriguingly, MkC1qDC was found to suppress proliferation of human adenocarcinoma HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner, indicating to the biomedical potential of MkC1qDC protein

Sediment properties as important predictors of carbon storage in zostera marina meadows: a comparison of four European areas

Seagrass ecosystems are important natural carbon sinks but their efficiency varies greatly depending on species composition and environmental conditions. What causes this variation is not fully known and could have important implications for management and protection of the seagrass habitat to continue to act as a natural carbon sink. Here, we assessed sedimentary organic carbon in Zostera marina meadows (and adjacent unvegetated sediment) in four distinct areas of Europe (Gullmar Fjord on the Swedish Skagerrak coast, Asko in the Baltic Sea, Sozopol in the Black Sea and Ria Formosa in southern Portugal) down to similar to 35 cm depth. We also tested how sedimentary organic carbon in Z. marina meadows relates to different sediment characteristics, a range of seagrass-associated variables and water depth. The seagrass carbon storage varied greatly among areas, with an average organic carbon content ranging from 2.79 +/- 0.50% in the Gullmar Fjord to 0.17 +/- 0.02% in the area of Sozopol. We found that a high proportion of fine grain size, high porosity and low density of the sediment is strongly related to high carbon content in Z. marina sediment. We suggest that sediment properties should be included as an important factor when evaluating high priority areas in management of Z. marina generated carbon sinks