The Seminar as a Site of Critical Pedagogy: Progressing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Across EUt+

A concern for inclusivity has become a strategic planning of higher education institutions throughout Europe. The purpose of this A key mechanism through which this concern for inclusivity can be realised is through an approach to processes of curriculum design and teaching practice that are informed by the core commitments of critical pedagogy. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the extent to which seminars organised around the themes of inclusivity successfully enacted a critical pedagogical approach in each of our respective contexts. Our paper reflects on our experiences organising and engaging in these seminars with the view to offering ‘lessons learned’ for future seminars within EUt+

Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of Development of the Fires in Confined Spaces

The mathematical models of fire distribution in a confined space–in underground garages and in buildings—are described. Integral and computational fluid mechanics methods are used. The chapter presents the results of a fire simulation using the software Fluent. It uses Reynolds-type turbulence models of the Fire Dynamic Simulation or PyroSim graphical interface with a solution model describing a turbulence. For both cases, the pictures of the spread of fire and smoke over time in an atrium of an administrative building and a five-story building of the TUS were presented

Experimental investigation of acid mining water

In presented work is made an experimental study for purification of mining water. Depending on the specific requirements, the required methodology is used. It is made an analysis of the obtain results. Experimental studies to determine the levels of purification of impurities monitored in the treated mine water depending on the chosen method for their treatment were conducted on the basis of the compared results for the content of monitored pollutants - mainly insoluble substances, iron, manganese and metal cations

Methods for personal cooling in hot environment used in clothing and wearables

The use of an efficient personal cooling system in hot environments is becoming increasingly popular, as the increased air temperature provokes thermophysiological discomfort, heat stress, reduced productivity and could lead to several health issues. Different methods and devices for personal and local cooling have been developed over the years. The paper summarises the cooling methods applied in clothing and wearable items: phase-change materials, Peltier elements, evaporative cooling, water cooling and hybrid cooling. The local vs total (of the whole body) cooling is examined. The passive and active colling are analysed in terms of advantages, disadvantages and application

A concept for flood early warning

Bulgaria is exposed to a number of natural hazards and risks negative consequences have a significant impact on the environment and the population, industry, infrastructure, cultural heritage, etc. Floods are the second most common disaster in Bulgaria. In the present work a statistical analysis of the floods in Bulgaria for the period 2010-2020 is made. The present paper also proposes an idea for an early warning system for floods. The idea is to work on early forecasting, which will help to timely notify municipalities and regional fire departments in order to quickly control the floods and its consequences

Assessment of the effect of climate change on the floods in Bulgaria

Global warming intensifies the water cycle. The intensified water cycle is considered to be among the reasons for the increment of floods in several regions on Earth. The floods and the ensuing disaster situations, which have increased over the past year, have caused massive material damage and economic losses to the Bulgarian population. The occurrence of floods was directly associated with the amount of rainfall in a given period. Therefore, the present study aims to assess the trends in rainfall changes in Bulgaria and their correlation with the floods over 8 years: from 2010 to 2017

Exhaled Carbon Dioxide as a Physiological Source of Deterioration of Indoor Air Quality in Non-Industrial Environments: Influence of Air Temperature

People are the main reason for the deterioration of indoor air quality (IAQ) due to the continuous physiological metabolism processes in their bodies, including respiration. We present results from an investigation of the influence of indoor air temperature on the concentration of exhaled carbon dioxide (CO2). The investigation was preconditioned by previous findings on the effect of air temperature on human metabolism. However, our literature survey showed a lack of studies on the influence of the indoor air temperature on the exhaled CO2 (or metabolic CO2), which leads to the novelty of our results. Our experiments had two phases: measurement in a university classroom with an installed heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system during regular classes and measurement in a specially designed small climate chamber, where the time variations of the CO2 concentrations, together with some physiological parameters, were measured. Two indoor air temperatures were set: 23 °C and 27 °C. The results obtained and their respective analyses show the strong effect of the two air temperatures on the CO2 concentration due to exhalation. In the classroom, the CO2 concentration at 27 °C was higher by 6.2% than at 23 °C. In the climate chamber, the CO2 concentration at 27 °C was higher by 9.6% than at 23 °C. Physiological parameters (oxygen saturation pressure, pulse rate, end-tidal CO2, and respiration rate) and their dependence on the air temperature were also measured in the climate chamber, establishing an effect of the temperature on the pulse rate