ASSESSMENT OF VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE HAZARDS IN MUNICIPALITY OF LOM, BULGARIA

Abstract: An important part of the natural hazard's risk management is the vulnerability assessment. There are many publications proposing different systems of indicators and tools for vulnerability assessment, but very few of them are dealing with the problem on community level. The study for municipality of Lom is carried out on the base of a framework for vulnerability assessment which includes the following important elements: hazard probability, exposure, sensitivity and coping capacity. In this paper we use the spatial dimensions of the areas prone to a particular climate hazard as an indicator for the level of exposure to this hazard. We introduce a measure for the system sensitivity as a function of hazard and exposure classes assigned to these areas. On the base of a system of indicators and scores for the hazard, exposure, sensitivity and capacity, is estimated a Vulnerability Index for municipality of Lom. The results from this case study show that implementation of the proposed Vulnerability Assessment Method provide reliable information for the level of vulnerability to ten climate hazards. It may be of use for different risk management purposes

A survey on stress factors among first-year students from the Rehabilitation Therapist program in Medical College - Varna

Стресовите фактори, произтичащи от учебния процес, не позволяват на студентите да развият своя потенциал. Те затрудняват пълноценното усвояване на изучаваните дисциплини. Изграждането на адекватни стратегии за справяне със стреса е важна предпоставка за успешното и устойчиво усвояване на новите знания и умения, необходими за добрата професионална реализация. Целта на настоящото изследване е да се проучи мнението на студентите от първи курс специалност „Рехабилитатор` относно факторите, предизвикващи стрес по време на тяхното обучение, за да се предприемат своевременни мерки за подобряване на академичната среда. Материали и методи: Анализ на литературни източници и анкетен метод. Анкетирани са студенти от първи курс през периода януари-март 2017 г. чрез пряка индивидуална анонимна анкета. Резултати и обсъждане: Повече от половината анкетирани изпитват тревожност и несигурност, свързани с подготовката и представянето си по време на изпитните сесии. Основни източници на стрес при студентите са: обемната информация, недостатъчното време за подготовка, разминаването между очаквания и по лучения резултат от изпитите. Респондентите използват различни техники за справяне със стреса - отделяне на време за забавления (спорт, филми, музика и др.), релаксиране чрез срещи с любими и значими хора. Болничната среда и срещата с пациенти не предизвикват притеснение сред студентите. Заключение: За студентите от първи курс основните източници на стрес са свързани с академичната среда. Възниква потребност за изготвяне на стратегии за овладяване на факторите, водещи до стрес. Това ще допринесе за пълноценно усвояване на нови знания и формиране на професионални компетенции, необходими за успешна професионална реализация.Stress factors as a result of the learning process do not allow students to develop their potential. Thus, students have some difficulties in fully acquiring the subjects they are taught. The setting up of adequate strategies for managing stress is a key factor for successful and long-term acquisition of new knowledge and skills necessary for a professional realization. This research aims to survey the first-year Rehabilitation Therapist Program students on their opinion about factors causing stress during the learning process in order to take appropriate and timely measures for improving the academic environment. Materials and Methods: We have conducted an analysis of literary sources and used a survey method. The survey was carried out by means of a direct individual and anonymous questionnaire that included first-year students in the period January - March 2017. Results and Discussion: More than half of the students that took part in the survey express anxiety and uncertainty related to their preparation and performance during examination periods. For most of them the main stress sources are: great amount of information, insufficient time for preparation and the mismatch between expectations and actual exam results. The respondents use different techniques to fight the stress - dedicating some time to entertainment (sport, films, music, etc.), relaxation and spending time with their loved ones. Spending time in a hospital and meeting patients do not cause anxiety for the students. Conclusion: The main sources of stress for first-year students are related to the academic environment. There is a need to build strategies for coping with stress factors in order to fully acquire new knowledge and develop professional competencies necessary for a successful professional realization

THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF OMNICHANNEL RETAILING

Настоящата статия акцентира върху същността на омниканалната търговия на дребно. Чрез изясняване на предимствата на омниканалността от гледна точка на потребителите и от гледна точка на търговците, в разработката се застъпва тезата, че интегрирането на традиционни и дигитални канали за достигане до крайните клиенти като търговска стратегия за развитие благоприятства запазването на стабилни конкурентни позиции на пазара и извеждането на нови конкурентни предимства. This article focuses on the essence of omnichannel retailing. The author explains the benefits of omnichannel retailing from the viewpoint of the consumers and from the viewpoint of the retailers. The claim is supported that the integration of „brick and mortar” and digital channels to reach end customers as a retail development strategy favors maintaining stable competitive positions on the market and putting new competitive advantages

Optimization of Neutral Comet Assay for studying DNA double-strand breaks in pea and wheat

This study describes an adaptation of the Comet assay under neutral conditions for mono- and dicotyledonous plants pea (Pisum sativum L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Modifications concern lysis and electrophoresis steps, respectively. Electrophoresis was carried out varying the intensity of the electric field. A linear relationship between the percentages of DNA in the tail from control background with alteration of intensity was found. Trypan blue dye exclusion test was used in order to determine the intactness of nuclear membrane of the isolated nuclei from both plant model systems. Assessment was conducted on non-irradiated and irradiated nuclei on a monolayer with three doses of UVC. It was found that the share of intact nuclei (trypan blue negative ones) is about 95% in controls. Gradual dose-related increase of damaged nuclei was observed in both species, reaching statistical significance only at the higher dose applied

NGF-ome: its metabotrophic expression. Homage to Rita Levi-Montalcini

Nowadays, in the postgenome time, many "-ome" studies have emerged including proteome, transcriptome, interactome, metabolome, adipokinome, connectome. In this vein, the catchall term NGF-ome embodies all the actions of NGF in health and disease. Accordingly, the present Festschrift, also tabula gratulatoria, is to honor and acknowledge the contributions of the distinguished neuroscientist and magistra Rita Levi-Montalcini, the Nobel Prize winner-1986 for the discoverer of NGF. Today, NGF and another neurotrophin, brain-derived neuroptrophic factor (BDNF), are well recognized to mediate multiple biological phenomena, ranging from the neurotrophic through immunotrophic and epitheliotrophic to metabotrophic effects. These latter effects are involved in the maintenance of cardiometabolic homeostasis (glucose and lipid metabolism as well as energy balance, and cardioprotection). Circulating and/or tissue levels of NGF and BDNF are altered in cardiometabolic diseases (atherosclerosis, obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and type 3 diabetes/Alzheimer's disease). A hypothesis thus emerged that a metabotrophic deficit due to the reduction of NGF/BDNF availability and/or utilization may be implicated in the pathogenesis of cariometabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. The present challenge is therefore to cultivate a metabotrophic thinking about how we can modulate NGF/BDNF secretion and signaling for the benefit of human cardiometabolic and mood health.Biomedical Reviews 2010; 21: 25-29

Irrigation Water Use in the Danube Basin: Facts, Governance and Approach to Sustainability

In this paper we assess the irrigation water use in the Danube Basin, highlight its complexity, identify future challenges and show the relevance for a basin-wide integrative irrigation management plan as part of a more holistic and coherent resource policy. In this sense, we base our integrative regional assessments of the water-food-energy nexus on insights from an extensive review and scientific synthesis of the Danube Basin and region, experimental field studies on irrigation and agricultural water consumption, current irrigation related policies and strategies in most of the Danube countries, and regulatory frameworks on resources at European Union level. We show that a basin-wide integrative approach to water use calls for the evaluation of resource use trade-offs, resonates with the need for transdisciplinary research in addressing nexus challenges and supports integrative resource management policies within which irrigation water use represents an inherent part. In this respect, we propose a transdisciplinary research framework on sustainable irrigation water use in the Danube Basin. The findings were summarized into four interconnected problem areas in the Danube Basin, which directly or indirectly relate to irrigation strategies and resource policies: prospective water scarcity and Danube water connectedness, agricultural droughts, present and future level of potential yields, and science based proactive decision-making

Towards integrated mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services in Bulgaria: The Central Balkan case study

The aim of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 isto maintain and enhance ecosystem services (ES) in Europe and requires all Member States to map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in the respective national territories. The EU-funded project ESMERALDA analyses ES mapping and assessment methods and approaches in their biophysical, social and economical perspectives, as well as their application in different case studies. The project also aims at the development of an integrated and consistent assessment framework. In Bulgaria, methodological guides for evaluation and mapping of the services provided by the nine main types of ecosystems have been prepared together with the respective proposals for their implementation in the national assessment. The Bulgarian research team analyses and tests various aspects of ecosystem services mapping and assessment, such as alternative economic assessments, multi-criteria analyses and biophysical assessment approaches, mapping challenges and local population surveys. In this paper paper, we review the ES activities in Bulgaria and present selected mapping and assessment methods tested in the Central Balkan case study area. It provides relevant examples for the implementation of integrated mapping and assessment of ecosystem services at local and regional level, where different mapping approaches and techniques are embedded within diverse policy contexts. The main goal of the study is to investigate how the assessment results can support the integration of the ecological functions of the Central Balkan National Park with the economic opportunities that it creates for the local and regional communities. A tiered approach has been used to organise the mapping and assessment exercises in the study area, in order to meet the needs for integrated ecosystem assessment and overcome the limitations of data availability. At tier 1, the study performs identification and initial ES mapping of the whole area. At tier 2, it applies economic valuation for the Municipality of Karlovo by using statistical data and the contingent valuation method. At tier 3, the investigation applies modelling methods to assess carbon storage and flood regulation on a larger scale. The results are presented in the form of maps at all levels, which use a uniform 0 to 5 assessment scale. The integrated approach presented here ensures a clear communication of the end results to the respective decision-makers

In the heart of adipobiology: cardiometabolic disease

Published on 1 December 1994 issue of Nature, the Jeffrey Friedman's discovery "gave leptin in the beginning" of the endocrine saga of adipose tissue. Onwards, studies on this tissue have enjoyed an explosive growth that conceptualized a novel field of research, adipobiology. Arguably, in the heart of adipobiology and adipopharmacology are studies focusing on the pathogenesis, prevention and therapy of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) including atherosclerosis, hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome (global cardiometabolic risk), and lipodystrophies.Biomedical Reviews 2009; 20: 1-5

SOS for Homo sapiens obesus

Published on 1 December 1994 issue of Nature, the Jeffrey Friedman's discovery "gave leptin in the beginning" of the endocrine saga of adipose tissue. Onwards, studies on this tissue have enjoyed an explosive growth that conceptualized a novel field of research, adipobiology. Arguably, in the heart of adipobiology and adipopharmacology are studies focusing on the pathogenesis, prevention and therapy of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) including atherosclerosis, hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome (global cardiometabolic risk), and lipodystrophies.Adipobiology 2010; 2: 5-8

A review of nature-based solutions for urban water management in European circular cities: a critical assessment based on case studies and literature

Abstract Nature-based solutions (NBS) can protect, manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems. They are a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to address societal challenges and some natural hazards effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. NBS applications can be easily noticed in circular cities, establishing an urban system that is regenerative and accessible. This paper aims to offer a review on NBS for urban water management from the literature and some relevant projects running within the COST Action 'Implementing nature-based solutions for creating a resourceful circular city'. The method used in the study is based on a detailed tracking of specific keywords in the literature using Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, ScienceDirect and Scopus. Based on this review, three main applications were identified: (i) flood and drought protection; (ii) the water-food-energy nexus; and (iii) water purification. The paper shows that NBS provide additional benefits, such as improving water quality, increasing biodiversity, obtaining social co-benefits, improving urban microclimate, and the reduction of energy consumption by improving indoor climate. The paper concludes that a systemic change to NBS should be given a higher priority and be preferred over conventional water infrastructure