Electronic archives of documentary heritage for Balkan Wars

In this article we present information about the activities that were implemented in the project “Electronic Archive of documentary heritage of the Balkan wars”, to build a database of archival documents, photographs, new traced and researched archival materials. Information will be provided about the form and type of documents with which every institution-partner in the project will take part. The article is emphasized on the need this digital archive to include other similar institutions nationwide, and become part of the European digital library – Europeana

FUTURE EURO AREA MEMBERSHIP OF BULGARIA IN TERMS OF THE BUSINESS CYCLE

In the present paper, vector autoregression (VAR) is used to assess the extent to which Bulgaria’s economic cycle is synchronized with the one of the euro area (EA). The main fiscal and monetary factors affecting the coordination of the business cycles of Bulgaria and the EA are identified. Recommendations for macroeconomic policies are formulated to support the synchronization of Bulgaria’s economic cycle with the one of the EA and to prepare our country for the adoption of the euro

UTJECAJ IZRAVNIH STRANIH ULAGANJA NA GOSPODARSKI RAST NOVIH ZEMALJA ČLANICA IZ SREDNJE I ISTOČNE EUROPE

The goal of this paper is to study the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the economic growth of ten new member states (NMS) from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), which joined the European Union (EU) in 2004 and 2007 – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania. Croatia is excluded from the analysis since it became a EU member relatively late - in 2013. A vector autoregression (VAR) of annual data for the period 2007-2019 is employed. The empirical results indicate that FDI does not affect the real GDP growth rate of the NMS from CEE. The research results also show that FDI Granger-causes the economic growth of the NMS from CEE neither in the short run nor in the long term.Cilj ovog rada je proučiti učinke izravnih stranih ulaganja (FDI) na gospodarski rast deset novih država članica (NMS) iz srednje i istočne Europe (CEE), koje su pristupile Europskoj uniji (EU) 2004. i 2007. godine. – Češka, Estonija, Mađarska, Latvija, Litva, Poljska, Slovačka, Slovenija, Bugarska i Rumunjska. Hrvatska je isključena iz analize jer je članica EU postala relativno kasno - 2013. godine. Koristi se vektorska autoregresija (VAR) godišnjih podataka za razdoblje 2007.-2019. Empirijski rezultati pokazuju da izravna strana ulaganja ne utječu na stopu rasta realnog BDP-a novih država članica srednje i istočne Europe. Rezultati istraživanja također pokazuju da izravna strana ulaganja po Grangeru ne uzrokuju gospodarski rast novih država članica iz srednje i istočne Europe niti kratkoročno niti dugoročno

Фискальная политика Болгарии с точки зрения делового цикла и гипотезы двойного дефицита

Macroeconomic management of a small open economy in a currency board arrangement faces two serious problems: first, under a fixed exchange rate, fiscal policy is the only effective macroeconomic instrument for smoothing out the business cycle; second, the twin deficits phenomenon, if it exists, may jeopardize the stability of the currency board arrangement. This paper uses quarterly seasonally adjusted Eurostat data for the period of 1999–2019, the Hodrick–Prescott filter and a vector autoregression (VAR) to answer the three questions that are of utmost importance to Bulgarian policy-makers: first, is the discretionary fiscal policy of the Bulgarian government procyclical or countercyclical? Second, do the automatic stabilizers in the Bulgarian state budget function properly? Finally, is the twin deficits hypothesis valid for Bulgaria? Our findings imply that the fiscal discretion of the Bulgarian government is procyclical, while the automatic fiscal stabilizers do not work effectively. The first part of the twin deficits hypothesis (the causal link between the fiscal balance and the current account balance) is confirmed but the second part of the twin deficits hypothesis (the positive relationship between the fiscal balance and the current account balance) is rejected for Bulgaria. It may be inferred that both sides of the Bulgarian state budget (revenue and expenditure) need to be improved in order to increase the effectiveness of Bulgaria’s fiscal policy. Low budget deficits (not higher than 3% of GDP) are recommended for improving the current account balance and encouraging economic growth.For citationTodorov I., Durova K. The Fiscal Policy of Bulgaria from the Standpoints of the Business Cycle and the Twin Deficits Hypothesis. Journal of Tax Reform. 2020;6(3):256–269. DOI: 10.15826/jtr.2020.6.3.085.Article infoReceived October 2, 2020; Revised November 6, 2020; Accepted November 11, 2020Макроэкономическое управление малой открытой экономикой в рамках механизма валютного регулирования сталкивается с двумя серьезными проблемами: во-первых, при фиксированном обменном курсе фискальная политика является единственным эффективным макроэкономическим инструментом для сглаживания делового цикла; во-вторых, явление двойного дефицита, если оно существует, может поставить под угрозу стабильность механизма валютного управления. С помощью квартальных сезонно скорректированных данных Евростата за период 1999–2019 гг., фильтра Ходрика – Прескотта и векторной авторегрессии (VAR) настоящее исследование пытается ответить на три вопроса, имеющих первостепенное значение для руководителей Болгарии: во-первых, дискреционная фискальная политика правительства Болгарии имеет проциклический или антициклический характер; во-вторых, сделать функциональными автоматические стабилизаторы в болгарском государственном бюджете; и, в-третьих, верна ли гипотеза двойного дефицита для Болгарии? Результаты исследования показывают, что фискальные полномочия болгарского правительства являются проциклическими, а автоматические фискальные стабилизаторы не работают. Таким образом, для Болгарии первая часть гипотезы двойного дефицита (причинно-следственная связь между бюджетным балансом и балансом текущего счета) подтверждается, но вторая часть гипотезы двойного дефицита (положительная связь между бюджетным балансом и балансом текущего счета) отклоняется. Можно сделать вывод, что обе части болгарского государственного бюджета (доходы и расходы) должны быть улучшены, чтобы повысить эффективность налогово-бюджетной политики страны. Низкий бюджетный дефицит (не более 3% ВВП) рекомендуется для улучшения баланса текущего счета и стимулирования экономического роста.Для цитированияТодоров И., Дурова К. Фискальная политика Болгарии с точки зрения делового цикла и гипотезы двойного дефицита // Journal of Tax Reform. – 2020. – Т. 6, № 3. – С. 256–269. – DOI: 10.15826/jtr.2020.6.3.085.Информация о статьеДата поступления 2 октября 2020 г.; дата поступления после рецензирования 6 ноября 2020 г.; дата принятия к печати 11 ноября 2020 г

Impact of Exchange Rate Regimes and Euro Area Membership on the Economic Growth of the New Member States from Central and Eastern Europe

The goal of this paper is to study the effects of exchange rate arrangements and euro area (EA) membership on the economic growth of ten new member states (NMS) from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), which joined the European Union (EU) in 2004 and 2007 – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania. Croatia is excluded from the analysis since it became a EU member relatively late - in 2013. A vector autoregression (VAR) of annual data for the period 2007-2017 is employed. The empirical results provide statistical evidence that flexible exchange rates and EA membership favor the economic growth of the NMS from CEE

Some Aspects Of The Feeling Of Happiness In Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Happiness is an emotional state that reflects the positive feelings and satisfaction of life. We examined the subjective feeling of happiness with a questionnaire (MSQOL-54) including a self-assessment of happiness in 80 MS patients with and without accompanying diseases at an average age of 42.95 ± 10.39 years between 2002 and 2015. The results were processed statistically by correlation analysis. There were statistically significant positive correlations between both the self-assessments of the health status and the sense of happiness of MS patients, as well as between the impact on public activities and the sense of happiness of these patients. There were also statistically significant negative correlations between depression and the sense of hap-piness in MS patients as well as between health-related quality of life assessments and the feeling of happi-ness of these patients

Sexual Disturbances in Patients with Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that is accompanied by different concomitant diseases. We have investigated the frequency of sexual disorders as an element of individual quality of life with a questionnaire (MSQOL-54) in 80 MS patients at an average age of 42.95 ± 10.39 for the period between 2002 and 2015. Forty of them had between one and seven accompanying diseases. There were problems in both group of patients concerning specific indicators of sexual function expressed to varying degrees. Sexual disturbances further aggravate the vitality not only of MS patients, but also of those with MS and concomitant diseases and require timely diagnosis and treatment

Science cafés for a sustainable future. Transdisciplinary communication to understand the impacts of climate change on cultural heritage in the Danube River Basin

The project addresses lack of transdisciplinary research in dealing with impacts of climate change on cultural heritage in the Danube River Basin, which are not sufficiently understood by science and inadequately treated by routine. Fostering mutual learning between lay public, policy-makers and scientists will lead to an improved state of the art in science, to more effective policies and to a raised lay public’s awareness of this real world problem. We aim to address these issues through 5 scientific cafés and the accompanying events in 5 cities in the DRB, each of them hosting one transdisciplinary team. The main activities to promote transdisciplinary research will include plenary discussions, facilitated by experts in communication, following screenings of films or panel discussions. Excursions will also foster understanding of discussed problems by representatives of all three involved groups. Transdisciplinary results will be disseminated e.g. through scientific papers, publications for politicians, a film and permanent exhibitions for lay public

Diagnostic challenges in a patient with cognitive and motor disturbances: is it Huntington's disease?

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities usually during their prime working years and there is no cure. HD is known as the quintessential family disease because every child of a parent with HD has a 50% chance of inheriting the faulty gene. Symptoms usually appear between the ages of 30 to 50, and worsen over a 10- to 25-year period. Ultimately, the weakened individual succumbs to pneumonia, heart failure or other complications. Everyone has the gene that causes HD, but only those that inherit the expansion of the gene will develop HD and perhaps pass it on to each of their children. Every person who inherits the expanded HD gene will eventually develop the disease. Over time, HD affects the individual’s ability to reason, walk and speak. Hereby, we describe the case of a 35-year-old patient with HD presenting with cognitive and motor disturbances to underline the diagnostic challenges and differential diagnostic options.

Intraoral scanning systems based on the principle of confocal laser microscopy used in the modern prosthetic dentistry

С представянето на CAD/CAM технологията за първи път през 60-те години на 20 в. и навлизането й в денталната практика с научните разработки и първи прототипи през 70-те и 80-те години се слага началото на един нов дял от дентална медицина - дигиталната дентална медицина. Със създаването и въвеждането на CAD/CAM технологията се е целяло да се решат няколко основни предизвикателства в денталната медицина и в частност протетичната дентална медицина - да се увеличи точността и здравината на конструкциите, особено на тези в дисталната област; да се създават конструкции с по-естествен външен вид; да се улесни и съкрати процесът на тяхната изработка и не на последно място да се повиши комфортът както на лекарите, така и на техните пациенти. С намаляване на разходите, представяне на нови интраорални сканиращи системи и фрезоващи машини, непрекъснато подобряване и обновяване на софтуера, използване на иновативни материали, CAD/CAM индустрията еволюира с бързи темпове. Поради тази причина е важно да се знаят предимствата и недостатъците на отделните системи, какво предлага всяка от тях както в хардуерно, така и в софтуерно естество и коя би била най-подходяща за конкретната индивидуална практика.With the introduction of CAD/CAM (Computer- aided design and Computer-aided manufacturing) technology first in the 1960s and its entry into the dental practice with the scientific works and first prototypes created in the 1970s and 1980s a new field in dentistry has been created - digital dental medicine.The CAD/CAM technology was created and implemented in prosthetic dentistry in particular to help solving several major challenges - to increase the accuracy and to ensure an adequate strength of the restorations, especially in the posterior area; to create restorations with more natural appearance; to make the process of the restoration manufacturing easier and faster; to increase the comfort of both doctors and their patients.By reducing the cost of production, introducing new intraoral scanners and milling machines, constantly updating and improving the software, using innovative materials, the CAD/CAM industry is evolving fast. Therefore, it is important to know the advantages and disadvantages of the different systems and to understand what each of them has to offer in order to meet the needs of every practice individually