Managing the digital transformation of education as part of the Chinese national project of a “Great Unity” society

The article deals with the phenomenon of digital transformation of the Chinese educational space as the main component of knowledge management system in the society of “Great Unity”. Using the comparative, hermeneutic, historical and philosophical methods, the authors analyse three problem areas – social ideal, forecasting, and national education in China. The conclusion is made that the traditional project of a society of “Great Unity”, that is, the Confucian model of the ideal Datong society, can be transformed into a national foresight project. A well-developed educational system and equal access to education are the key components of this project, digitalization of education being the most important direction of the modern Chinese educational reform. Based on the findings of studies carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic and other materials, various trends in the current digitalization process are described. Historical features of and socio-cultural preconditions for the development of the educational system existing in China today are analysed. The authors conclude that the system rests on a solid socio-cultural foundation and is aimed towards the digital future of the Chinese society

Effect of the Predecessor and the Nitrogen Rate on Productivity and Essential Oil Content of Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) in Southeast Bulgaria

Received: May 31st, 2022 ; Accepted: August 13th, 2022 ; Published: September 19th, 2022 ; Correspondence: [email protected] (Coriandrum sativum L.) is one of the most important essential oil crops on a global scale. Coriander productivity is determined by the genotype, the environmental factors, as well the agronomic practices. A field experiment was conducted in Southeast Bulgaria during three vegetation seasons (2015, 2016, and 2017). The present study aimed at analysing the influence of two crop predecessors (winter wheat and sunflower) and four nitrogen (N) levels (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg ha-1 ). Productivity elements, seed yield, and seed essential oil content of coriander (cv. Mesten drebnoploden) were under evaluation. The results obtained showed that winter wheat was a more suitable predecessor of coriander in comparison to sunflower. The highest results regarding the number of umbels per plant, the umbel’s diameter, the number of umbellets per umbel, the number of seeds per umbel, the seed weight per plant, the 1,000 seed mass, as well as the seed yield for the rate of 80 kg ha-1 of N were recorded. The highest essential oil content after applying 120 kg ha-1 of N was established. Increasing the N level from 0 to 120 kg ha-1 led to a positive and significant effect on essential oil yield. No significant differences between the N rates of 80 and 120 kg ha-1 were recorded. The received results contributed for the evaluatation of the optimum nitrogen level, as well as for the determination of a more suitable predecessor of coriander in order to obtain the highest yield of better quality in the region of Southeast Bulgaria

Managing academic mobility as a tool of «soft power» in contemporary China

The paper deals with the phenomenon of academic mobility in the context of internationalization of higher education in modern China. It focuses on such problems as specificity of Chinese approach to internationalization of higher education and functioning of academic mobility in the context of transformation of international educational space. It is shown that the image of the future educated China is based on the traditional project of “Great Unity” society (Datong society in Confucian concept of social ideal). At the same time the idea of a united humanity is not exceptionally Chinese, but has deep historical roots and a universal nature. Cautious about the supranational extrapolation of this idea, modern China is nevertheless expanding international cooperation and strengthening cross-national contacts, using cross-border academic mobility as one of its “soft power” tools

EVALUATION OF SUITABILITY OF METHODS FOR TESTING BLOOD PROTEIN HYDROLYSATES FOR THEIR BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY AND TOXICITY

The use of high quality nutrient media comprising protein hydrolysates as the main components for maintaining their nutrient value is a critical prerequisite for appropriate fnal product preparation in FMD vaccine biotechnology. The incoming control of raw materials, in particular testing blood protein hydrolysates of different batches for their quality, is of considerable importance. Currently, there are different methods for the determination of hydrolysate efcacy using cell cultures and unicellular organisms as test systems. We used suspended baby hamster kidney (ВНК-21) cell line as a model for testing blood protein hydrolysates in the raw materials intended for FMD vaccine production for their biological activity and toxicity. The validation of the proposed method was carried out to confrm the reliability of the test results obtained. The following main validation characteristics were determined through testing 560 blood protein hydrolysate samples: trueness, specifcity, sensitivity, as well as precision under repeatability and reproducibility conditions. The validation results for the proposed method demonstrated high reliability (Fisher’s criterion – 0.021; ≤0.050) and full compliance with acceptance criteria