Remarks on the theories on the origin of Muslims in Bulgarian Lands : nineteenth-century and present perspectives

Niniejszy artykuł ma na celu przedstawienie wybranych dziewiętnastowiecznych teorii o pochodzeniu muzułmanów żyjących na ziemiach bułgarskich oraz skonfrontowanie ich z obecnym stanem wiedzy o tym zagadnieniu. Opisano koncepcje dotyczące dwóch grup etnicznych: muzułmanów bułgarskojęzycznych (tzw. Pomaków) oraz Turków.The paper is aimed to present selected nineteenth-century theories about the origin of Muslims living in Bulgarian lands and to confront them with the present state of knowledge. The paper also presents concepts regarding two ethnic groups: the Bulgarian-speaking Muslims (the so-called Pomaks) and Turks

Altered lymphocyte activation and macrophage apoptosis in diabetic mice

Thesis (M.S.D.)--Boston University, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, 2004 (Periodontology).Includes bibliography (leaves 41-50).The purpose of this study was to explore whether lymphocyte activation and mononuclear cell apoptosis is dis-regulated by a diabetic situation which results in altered responses to bacterial infection. Based on other investigator's results NO production by macrophages is increased in diabetic mice therefore, the effects of NO on these processes are also examined. Diabetic (db-/db-) and background matched control (db+/db-) mice were injected with or without LPS. An iNOS inhibitor (AMT) was used in selected experiments. Activation of spleen lymphocytes and apoptosis of the mononuclear cells was examined using flow cytometry and ELISA. The results suggest that diabetes could affect lymphocyte activation and macrophage apoptosis. Nitric oxide may play a role in CD69 expression by diabetic T lymphocytes and have an opposite effect on B lymphocytes. These findings support the hypothesis that the kinetics and magnitude of the host response in diabetic and normal mice are different, which leads to an altered inflammatory course during the microbial infection

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationClosed-loop control of wireless capsule endoscopes is an active area of research because it would drastically improve screening of the gastrointestinal tract. Traditional endoscopic procedures are unable to view the entire gastrointestinal tract and current commercial wireless capsule endoscopes are limited in their effectiveness due to their passive nature. This dissertation advances the field of active capsule endoscopy by developing methods to localize the full six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) pose of a screw-type magnetic capsule while it is being propelled through a lumen (such as the small intestines) using an external rotating magnetic dipole. The same external magnetic dipole is utilized for both propulsion and localization. Hardware was designed and constructed to enable testing of the magnetic localization and propulsion methods, including a robotic end-effector used as the external actuator magnet, and a prototype capsule embedded with Hall-effect sensors. Due to the use of a rotating magnetic field for propulsion, at any given time, the capsule can be in one of three regimes: synchronously rotating with the applied field, in "step-out" where it is free to move but the external field is rotating too quickly for the capsule to remain synchronously rotating, or completely stationary. We show that it is only necessary to distinguish whether or not the capsule is synchronously rotating (i.e., a single localization method can be used for a capsule in either the step-out or stationary regimes). Two magnetic localization methods are developed. The first uses nonlinear least squares to estimate the capsule's pose when it has no (or approximately no) net motion (e.g., to find the initial capsule pose or when it is stuck in an intestinal fold). The second method estimates the 6-DOF capsule pose as it synchronously rotates with the applied magnetic field using a square-root variant of the Unscented Kalman filter. A simple process model is adopted that restricts the capsule's movement to translation along and rotation about its principle axis. The capsule is actively propelled forward or backward, but it is not actively steered, rather, steering is provided by the lumen. The propulsion parameters that transform magnetic force and torque to the capsule's spatial velocity and angular velocity are estimated with an additional square-root Unscented Kalman filter to enable the capsule to navigate heterogeneous environments such as the small intestines. An optimized localization-propulsion system is described using the two localization algorithms and prior work in screw-type magnetic capsule propulsion with a single rotating dipole field. The capsule's regime is determined and the corresponding localization method is employed. Based on the capsule's estimated pose and the current estimates of its propulsion parameters, the actuator magnet's pose relative to the capsule is optimized to maximize the capsule's forward propulsion. Using this system, our prototype magnetic capsule successfully completed U-shaped and S-shaped trajectories in fresh bovine intestines with an average forward velocity of 5.5mm/s and 3.5 mm/s, respectively. At this rate it would take approximately 18-30 minutes to traverse the 6 meters of a typical human small intestine

Multilingual or monolingual? : the minority languages in Bulgaria after 1878

In the first years after gaining the independence in 1878, the Bulgarian lands were divided into two parts: the Principality of Bulgaria (a Turkish vassal and a Russian protectorate) and Eastern Rumelia (an autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire). In the Principality, there was only one official language - Bulgarian, whereas in Eastern Rumelia: Bulgarian, Turkish, and Greek. After the unification in 1885, the whole territory used only Bulgarian in administration. However, the practice was more complicated due to the multi-ethnic character of these lands: in 1887, about 73.75% (2 326 250) inhabitants pointed out Bulgarian as their native language, 19.25% (607 331) - Turkish, 1.85% (58 326) - Greek, 0.75% (23 541) - "Jewish" (Ladino), 1.59% (50 291) - Roma etc. The users of different languages than Bulgarian had an important impact on the public sphere of the country. The paper presents the place of minorities languages in the Bulgarian reality by the examples of the parliaments (the National Assembly in the Principality of Bulgaria and the Provincial Assembly in Eastern Rumelia), local administration, elections, courts, and schools

ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIORS OF COMPETITIVE ATHLETES IN RELATION TO THE USE OF SPECIALIZED DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS DESIGNED FOR PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES

Introduction. Competitive sport entails constant demands on the body to take on physical and mental exertions on a level far exceeding the average demand in relation to the general population. Only with the right combination of diet and food products could an athlete's body be able to protect against the negative balance of calories. Therefore, supplementation is necessary, as a complement to a balanced diet. The choice of supplementation depends on the characteristics of physical activity. The aim of this study was to analyze the behaviors of athletes in competitive sports, in relation to the use of specialized dietary supplements designed for professional athletes.Test material and test methods. Respondents were selected at random among a select group of athletes professionally practicing basketball in the I and II league, Ukrainian and Polish. The numeric state of respondents was as follows: Segment: "entire population"; 154 respondents in total, including 60 female and 94 male athletes; Segment: "Poland": total 78; 27 female athletes; 51 male athletes; Segment: "Ukraine": total 76; 33 female players; 43 male players.The data obtained from the survey were analyzed with the use of R 3.2.2 statistical software package (R Development Core Team (2009). A p‑value of 0.05 was required for statistical significance.Keywords: supplementation, basketball players, behavior analysis

De-Ottomanisation of land : Muslim migrations and ownership in the Bulgarian countryside after 1878

The turn of the 19th and 20th c. brought about deep changes in the Bulgarian ownership structure: what the Russians labeled the Agrarian Revolution, related to all processes of land changing hands from Muslim to Bulgarian ones. The basis for most activities related to seizures of Muslim estates were migrations and the abandonment of property during the war in 1877-1878. During the period of the Provisional Russian Administration in Bulgaria (March 1878-June 1879) the Agrarian Revolution was one of the most important tasks that the Tsar's representatives addressed in Bulgaria. Bulgarian control over land was to be the foundation of Christian domination in the state, which the Russians also saw as a guarantee of their continued influence in the Eastern Balkans. This involved both dispossessions and lotting out chiftliks among the agrarian workers who cultivated the land, as well as taking control over properties abandoned by war refugees (so-called muhajirs). The article is focused on the Muslim medium and small peasants, the cases of owners of chiftliks will not be considered, according to a large range of the topic

Artificial Life Simulator

Oblast umělého života je velmi rozsáhlá. Tato práce je zaměřena na simulace s reaktivními agenty. Je popsán návrh simulátoru umělého života a jazyka pro definování chování agenta. Jsou popsány návrhy a výsledky provedených simulací.Area of artificial life is very extensive. Simulations with reactive agents are the target of this work. Simulator of artificial life and language for definition agent's behavior are described in this work. Porposals a results of simulation made are described in this work.

The Emigration of Muslims from the Greek state in the 19th century. An Outline

Modern Greek statehood began to take shape with the War of Independence that broke out in 1821 and continued with varying intensity for the next years. As a result of these events, the Greeks cast of the foreign rule, which for many not only meant separation from the Ottoman Empire, but also the expulsion of Muslims living in these lands. During the uprising, about 25 000 Muslims lost their lives, and a similar number emigrated from the territory of the future Greek state. The next great exodus of Muslims from Greek lands was related to the annexation of Thessaly by the Hellenic Kingdom, which was to a larger extent spread over time. Since the region was incorporated into Greece until the beginning of the 20th century, the 40 000-strong Islamic community had virtually disappeared.Modern Greek statehood began to take shape with the War of Independence that broke out in 1821 and continued with varying intensity for the next years. As a result of these events, the Greeks cast of the foreign rule, which for many not only meant separation from the Ottoman Empire, but also the expulsion of Muslims living in these lands. During the uprising, about 25 000 Muslims lost their lives, and a similar number emigrated from the territory of the future Greek state. The next great exodus of Muslims from Greek lands was related to the annexation of Thessaly by the Hellenic Kingdom, which was to a larger extent spread over time. Since the region was incorporated into Greece until the beginning of the 20th century, the 40 000-strong Islamic community had virtually disappeared

The Functioning of the Mufti Institution in Bulgaria at the Beginning of the 20th Century. A Case Study

Autor analizuje działalność muftich, jednej z najważniejszych instytucji administracji muzułmańskiej w Bułgarii w okresie Trzeciego stanu (1878–1944). Przedstawione zostały trzy przypadki: Afiza M. Mustafowa, Afiz Suleymanova i Sali Effendiego, które ilustrują szereg zjawisk związanych z funkcjonowaniem muzułmańskich autonomicznych instytucji w Bułgarii na przełomie XIX i XX w. Studia przypadków oparte są na materiałach z Centralnego Archiwum Państwowego Bułgarii w Sofii. The author analyses the functioning of the muftis in Bulgaria, one of the most important institution of the Muslim religious-administrative autonomy in that Balkan country during the Third State period (1878–1944). The presented three cases of Afiz M. Mustafow, Afiz Suleymanov, and Sali Effendi illustrated series of phenomenon linked to the functioning of mufti and Muslim autonomous institutions in Bulgaria in the turn of the 19th and 20th century. The case studies are based on the materials from the Central State Archive of Bulgaria in Sofia

Bulgarian-Serbian rapprochement in 1904 as the basis for the unification of the South Slavs : remarks on Boncho Boev’s federalist concepts

The article discusses the federalist concepts of the Bulgarian economist Boncho Boev, formulated during the Bulgarian-Serbian rapprochement in 1904. The creation of a South-Slavic State would take place through the economic integration of Serbia and Bulgaria, which, by improving their economic position, would simultaneously strengthen their political situation and join Macedonia. Boev’s views are presented on the basis of speeches given during the Student Balkan Congress in Sofia on 6-8 March (22-24 February old style) 1904, and subsequently published in the Journal of the Bulgarian Economic Society as “Посещението на Сръбски крал и сръбско-българското сближение” [The Visit of the King of Serbia and the Serbian-Bulgarian Rapprochement] and "Балканската федерация като идеал на сръбско-българската младеж" [The Balkan Federation as the Ideal of the Bulgarian-Serb Youth]