Survey of Available Web Services for Maritime Tracking

In this paper we present a review of available web-services capable of tracking maritime vessels and containers. Many of the reviewed services are provided directly by the cargo carriers (with 57 such international carriers being catalogued here). They are analysed in-depth with the following criteria being used for evaluation purposes: type of tracking and useful information. We also review a range of services provided by non-carrier organizations specialising in maritime data. Reviewed services from non-carrier organizations are considered as belonging to either one of two broad categories: the ones providing container/vessel tracking and those that provide real time visualization of vessel/cargo position. Sixteen from the first category and 9 from the second are analysed in-depth with the following criteria being used for evaluation purposes: data source, type of tracking, type of access, geographical visualization, data coverage, provision of historical perspective, possibility of notifications and availability of other useful information.JRC.G.4-Maritime affair

GeoLocSI – Web-Based GIS for Verification and Modification of Data Stored in Data Base

Currently there are thousand container events happening daily on more than 20 000 locations in the World. Some of these locations are big international ports and others are just little cities with not precise coordinates in the free available Data Bases (DB). Verification and validation these locations are at the same time a very important task and a challenging one. This paper describes the development of a web-based geographical information system for assisting in verifying and modifying geographical data in DB by interactive intuitive GIS technique. For the proper work of the system, first we collected geographical data for container ports from different open sources according to the known container ports’ names from our ConTraffic System. Then we stored it in a dataset in our DB and we created a map-based application which allows us to see not only the data in tabular view but also the geographical position of the ports over a map. Using this web-based application all the data can be modified quite easy, including the geographical coordinates. They can be modified directly by just typing the correct coordinates or by interactive way (drag the graphical object to the correct geographical position on the map).JRC.G.4-Maritime affair

GOVERNANCE THROUGH COOPERATION A NEW VISION OF CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION (EXAMPLE OF EUROCITY CHAVES-VERIN)

Within the European regions, the cross-border cooperation between Northern Portugal and Galicia is different, the established cultural position is strategic and particular. The mutual understanding between the two regions refers to past cooperation (tribes in Romanization, smuggling routes), which makes the mental border “thinner” and cooperation emerges as the main driver of local and regional development. Given the European vision, cross-border cooperation is seen as a tool to reduce differences between regions, promote convergence and integratio

Web-based Geographical Visualization of Container Itineraries

Around 90% of the world cargo is transported in maritime containers, but only around 2% are physically inspected. This opens the possibility for illicit activities. A viable solution is to control containerized cargo through information-based risk analysis. Container route-based analysis has been considered a key factor in identifying potentially suspicious consignments. Essential part of itinerary analysis is the geographical visualization of the itinerary. In the present paper, we present initial work of a web-based system’s realization for interactive geographical visualization of container itinerary.JRC.G.4-Maritime affair

Contested Parenthood: Attitudes Toward Voluntary Childlessness as a Life Strategy in Post‐Socialist Bulgaria

The article focuses on the social differences in the attitudes toward female and male voluntary childlessness in Bulgaria and their dynamics over time. The analysis is based on data from the European Social Survey conducted in 2006 and 2018 in Bulgaria. By the means of multinomial logistic regression, we test the effect of the period, gender, age, marital status, number of children, education, employment, minority status, and religiosity on attitudes toward childlessness. The results reveal a decrease in negative attitudes and a strong increase of neutral stances. However, higher age of respondents is still associated with an increase in negative attitudes toward voluntary childlessness rather than neutrality. Women are significantly more likely to accept voluntary childlessness than to be neutral compared to men. Respondents who are married, parents, lowly educated, jobless or economically inactive, people belonging to ethnic minority groups, and highly religious people are more likely to disapprove of voluntary childlessness. Perceptions on female or male voluntary childlessness are significantly correlated with attitudes toward extramarital fertility, cohabitation, divorces when children are under twelve years old, and full‐time female employment when children are below the age of three. The analysis of variance reveals that the individuals who accept or are neutral to voluntary childlessness have stronger non‐conformist attitudes emphasizing self‐expression, the idea of "having a good time," and rejection of traditional authorities compared to the respondents with negative attitudes

Nationalism and Declining Population in Bulgaria after 1990

Dieser Beitrag liegt nur in englischer Sprache vor.This paper aims to illuminate and provide a critical assessment of the nationalist discourse on declining population in Bulgaria. Nationalist discourse is one of the mainstream approaches in Bulgaria and is widely spread through mass media having been voiced by renowned intellectuals, policy experts, scholars and media celebrities. It can be recognised in the political programmes of left-wing and nationalist parties, but also in governmental documents at both national as well as regional levels. The nationalistically oriented advocates articulate current concerns regarding the declining birth rates and declining population in the country labelling the demographic situation as “Bulgarian national catastrophe” and “Bulgaria’s collapse”. They place an emphasis on the decreasing proportion of ethnic Bulgarians and the growth of the ethnic minorities, especially Roma. The latter trend was labelled by the derogatory term “gypsyisation”, i.e. a distortion of the Bulgarian nation and shrinkage of its core ethnicity – ethnic Bulgarians. The threat of the “gypsyisation” of the Bulgarian nation has not only been viewed in quantitative terms, but also through the lens of an alleged worsening of the national human capital (e.g. level of education, professional skills and civic culture of the population). Another set of arguments exploited in the nationalist discourse is the diminishing size of the Bulgarian nation as a threat to national sovereignty, territorial unity and economic stability. We use a qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis of media textual materials in order to reconstruct the main ideas, arguments and strategies of the proponents of the nationalist discourse regarding the consequences of the declining population in Bulgaria, its social policy implications and future demographic prospects.This paper aims to illuminate and provide a critical assessment of the nationalist discourse on declining population in Bulgaria. Nationalist discourse is one of the mainstream approaches in Bulgaria and is widely spread through mass media having been voiced by renowned intellectuals, policy experts, scholars and media celebrities. It can be recognised in the political programmes of left-wing and nationalist parties, but also in governmental documents at both national as well as regional levels. The nationalistically oriented advocates articulate current concerns regarding the declining birth rates and declining population in the country labelling the demographic situation as “Bulgarian national catastrophe” and “Bulgaria’s collapse”. They place an emphasis on the decreasing proportion of ethnic Bulgarians and the growth of the ethnic minorities, especially Roma. The latter trend was labelled by the derogatory term “gypsyisation”, i.e. a distortion of the Bulgarian nation and shrinkage of its core ethnicity – ethnic Bulgarians. The threat of the “gypsyisation” of the Bulgarian nation has not only been viewed in quantitative terms, but also through the lens of an alleged worsening of the national human capital (e.g. level of education, professional skills and civic culture of the population). Another set of arguments exploited in the nationalist discourse is the diminishing size of the Bulgarian nation as a threat to national sovereignty, territorial unity and economic stability. We use a qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis of media textual materials in order to reconstruct the main ideas, arguments and strategies of the proponents of the nationalist discourse regarding the consequences of the declining population in Bulgaria, its social policy implications and future demographic prospects

Legislative Background for Marketing Authorisation of the Biosimilar Medical Products in EU

The article presents a legislative overview of the medicinal products from biotechnological source, which are derived from living organisms so called biosimilars. Since 2004, based on Directive 2004/27/EC the term “biogeneric” does not exist any more and the therapeutic proteins including, recombinant human insulin for the treatment of diabetes, human growth hormone for the treatment of hypo-pituitary dwarfism, interferon, erythropoietin for the treatment of anaemia in cases of chronic renal failure, various blotting factors referred to an original medicinal products are called ""biosimilars"". All these biological medicinal product often heterogeneous so that modern analytical methodology could not always characterize them in terms of differences in conformation, heterogeneity and impurity profiles. Since 20 November 2005 the Marketing authorization way for biosimilars is via the Centralized Procedure pursuant Regulation (EC) 726/2004, Annex 1. In year 2006-2007 the number of the submitted medicinal product to EMEA is 14. The survey follows and discusses the issues which are necessary for the marketing authorization of all these medicinal products to prove the safety, efficacy and quality, where appropriate pre-clinical tests or clinical trials relating to these conditions must be provided

Soc stock in different forest-related land-uses in central Stara planina mountain, Bulgaria

Forest conversions may lead to an accumulation of carbon in vegetation, but little is known about changes in soil C storage with establishment of plantation forests. Understanding these effects is important to addressing issues relevant to ecosystem function and productivity, and to global balance of carbon. The study investigated the effects of the created coniferous plantations on former beech and pasture sites on the soil organic carbon storage. The major forest-related land-uses in the high mountainous regions of central Stara Planina Mountain were investigated: mountainous pasture, coniferous plantations (planted on previous pasture and beech forests between four and five decades ago) and natural beech forests. The experimental data of soil properties, conducted in 2005, 2006 and 2007, were used in determining the variations in organic carbon storage in forest litter and in mineral soil under different land-use patterns. At each site five representative soil profiles were opened and described giving a total 75 soil samples from the soil layers respectively at 0-10, 10-30 and 30-50 cm depth. A total of 55 samples from forest floor layers (Aol, Aof, Aoh and greensward) were collected with 25:25 cm plastic frame. The main soil properties were determined in accordance with the standardized methods in the Laboratory of soil science at the Forest Research Institute - BAS. The IPCC Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry was used to estimate the soil organic carbon stock in soil and litter. The results obtained showed that the SOC stock was quite similar among forest land-uses. The conversion of natural beech forests to coniferous plantations in studied region is related with slightly expressed decrease in soil carbon storage. The values of SOC stocks in 0-50 cm soil layer in these sites were 8.5 (±2.1) tones/ha for pine and 11.0 (±1.4) tones/ha for spruce, while under the natural beech forest it was 14.8 (±1.0) tones/ha. The SOC stock in mountainous pasture was 20.7 (± 6.5) tones/ha, while in spruce plantation created on previous pasture it was 13.5 (±2.7) tones/ha. Our finding showed that forest conversions effect in central Stara Planina Mountain is expressed by decrease in SOC stock related with losses of carbon from the upper mineral soil decades after creation of coniferous plantations. Nevertheless the relatively large organic carbon storage in forest litter in the spruce plantations compensated C lost from mineral soil after the land-use change. The overall carbon stock both in forest litter and soil under plantations ranged from 56 tones/ha (pine) to 77 tones/ha (spruce), while under natural beech forest and pasture the values were 70 and 81 tones/ha respectively. But in terms of stability C sequestrated in mineral soil is more desirable than C sequestrated in forest floor which are more vulnerable to decomposition following disturbances. The application of silvicultural activities in coniferous plantations created by conversion of forest lands or grasslands in the region of central Balkan is desirable to improve the carbon sequestration in soils

Development of a Web-Based Geographical Information System for Interactive Visualization and Analysis of Container Itineraries

The paper describes an advanced prototype of a web-based geographical information system for user-friendly, interactive and efficient visualization of containers travelling over the world. The prototype uses ConTraffic Oracle Data Base (DB), where more than 300 000 container’s events are archived daily. The DB contains currently around one billion container movements. In addition, geographical data about the used locations/ports was collected and stored in the same DB on which the prototype is implemented. The prototype system provides users with container traffic information for specific date range, presented in interactive geographical and tabular mode. As a result, the prototype makes efficient visualization for easy visual analysis of container movements and status. The system used in this study gathers in quasi real-time online data from open sources, processes and stores it in DB. Using the proposed GIS application the user can access any time the DB and review on a map the itinerary of a specific container in specific date range, interact with the geographical presentation to receive specific details for the container for the used ports and review the itinerary details in interactive tabular presentation.JRC.G.4-Maritime affair

Efectos negativos del sector pesquero en el medio marino

[ES] El presente trabajo abordará, desde un marco legal y científico, en primer término los principales sistemas productivos de pesca desarrollados en tierra y en mar. Seguidamente se profundizará en el estudio de los principales impactos ambientales perniciosos que dicho sector pesquero ocasiona en el medio marino, a fin de proponer políticas y medidas adicionales a las ya existentes, que redunden en la mejora y salvaguardia del citado ecosistema.[EN] The present work will address, from a legal and scientific framework, first of all the main fishing production systems developed on land and at sea. Next, the study of the main harmful environmental impacts that this fishing sector causes in the marine environment will be deepened, in order to pro-pose additional policies and measures to those already existing, which will result in the improvement and safeguarding of said ecosystem.[CA] El present treball abordarà, des d'un marc legal i científic, en primer terme els principals sistemes productius de pesca desenvolupats en terra i en mar. Seguidament s'aprofundirà en l'estudi dels principals impactes ambientals perniciosos que aquest sector pesquer ocasiona al medi marí, per tal de proposar polítiques i mesures addicionals a les ja existents, que redunden en la millora i salvaguarda de l'esmentat ecosistema.Dimitrova Mineva, T. (2020). Efectos negativos del sector pesquero en el medio marino. Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/158361TFG