Regions Of Bulgaria Research Articles

Epidemiology of lung parasites of European brown hare (Lepus europeus L.) from Bulgaria

During the period 2009–2016, seven hundred and ninety lungs from brown hares (Lepus europeus L.) from different regions of Bulgaria were investigated for presence of parasites. The results showed that 11.14% of the lungs were parasitised. Four parasite species were established: two nematodes – Protostrongylus tauricus and P. cuniculorum (recorded for the first time as a part of the helminth fauna of the country), one cestod – larval form of Taenia pisiformis – Cysticercus pisiformis and one arthropod – larval form of Linguatula serrata – Pentastomum denticulatum. The infected hares came mainly of the south parts of the country. The highest prevalence of infection was observed in the South West region, followed by the South Central and South East regions. From the northern parts of the country parasites were established only in the northeastern districts near to Black Sea and Danube River. The ratio of prevalence of infection in female vs male animals was 1.4:1. Infections with protostrongylids and cysticerci were established at the earliest in hares at the age of 4–6 months and with P. denticulatum: in hares between 7 and 9 months. The prevalence of infection varied in animals from the different age groups. The highest prevalence of infection was observed in the young (4–6 months) and adult hares (over 3 years of age).

Seasonal differences in fatty acid content of white brine cheese offered at the Bulgarian market

The present study provides scientific information for fatty acid composition of white brine cheese from cow milk, produced from all regions of Bulgaria, across seasons for the period 2012–2016. A total of 670 samples produced from different manufacturers and collected from supermarkets by Official control of Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) were examined. Fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography. The milk fat purity of 18 samples was established through gas chromatographic analysis of triglycerides. Seasonal variations were observed in fatty acid composition of white brine cheese. The seasonal changes in the concentration of lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic and α-linolenic acids have largely contributed to the variation of fatty acid composition of cheese. Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) were in the range 68.39–71.53% of total FAs and the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) was 28.44–31.61% of total FAs. Fourty-five out of examined samples have exhibited different fatty acid profile than that established in the present study for cow milk cheese. The determined SFAs were 44.7–57.5% and UFA varied from 42.5% to 55.3%. The fatty acids with short chain (C4:0 ÷ C10:0) were not detected or in traces, lauric and myristic acids were in small amounts, while palmitic and oleic acids predominated in the fatty acid composition of cheese analogues.

REGIONAL ECONOMY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF BIOECONOMY

The importance of bioeconomy for society and its development in the 21st century creates responsibility to monitor how national and regional economies in Europe respond to the cause called bioeconomy. The report aims to trace the change in the sectoral structure of the economy in the NUTS 2 regions in Bulgaria, paying particular attention to those who are primary consumers and producers of biological resources. For the objective and the tasks of the present study methodology for structural analysis based on aggregated nomenclature А10 from the Classification of Economic Activities (NACE.BG 2008) is applied, as well as other economic and statistical methods of analysis - growth rate and accretion, localization quotient and concentration. The indicators used are the number of employees per sector and share in the GVA of each region for four selected economic activities. The results of the study refer to the change in their localization benefits by regions for the period 2007-2016. The conclusions point to the need for a targeted support approach for identifying and developing sectoral and technological niches of bioeconomy that are promising for the respective region as well the need to develop regional statistical information for the bioeconomic sector.

Prevalencija antropometrijskih i kardiovaskularnih faktora rizika kod bugarskih studenata univerziteta

The aim of this paper is to investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and their conection with health risk anthropometrical factors among Bulgarian university students, the main in the South Bulgaria. The sample population of the study included total 386 young people, of which 303 females and 83 males, between 18-30 years of age i.e. the mean age is 21.3-21.4 years. They were from different regions of Bulgaria, mainly from Southern Bulgaria.The study was conducted transversally in the period between 2015 and 2017. For each person the weight, height, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured. On this base the body mass index and waist to height ratio were calculated by formulas. Underweight was defined as BMI 120 80 <89 mmHg and hypertension when SBP ≥ 140 and/or DBP ≥ 90mmHg. The statistical processing of the data was done using software package Statistica 10.0 and SPSS 20.0 by means of descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The results show that the underweight occurs among 1.2% of the men and among 15.2% of the women, the overweight occur among 32.5% of men and 13.9% of women and obesity was found among 10.8% of the men and 8.6% of the women.Central obesity occur among 32% of males and 17% of females, independently of their nutritional status. The prehypertension occur among 46% of the men and 28% of the women.The hypertension found among 18% of the men and among 2% of the women. Among male students with prehypertension the overweight occur among 35.7%, and obesity occur among 10.7% of participants, while among hypertensive male the overweight and obesity occurs in 18.2% and 36.4%, respectively. In group of prehypertensive females 22.4% are overweight and 14.9% are obese. Hypertension occur among 20% of overweight and 40% of obese female students. In group of central obese male the prehypertension and hypertension occurs among 55% and 20%, respectively. Among central obese females 47.5% are prehypertensive and 7.5% are hypertensive. The results also show that the waist circumference has a serious potential to influence on the blood pressure level at an early adulthood in both sexes. The higher prevalence of elevated blood pressure, overweight, general and central obesity among Bulgarian university students maybe connect with factors such as a sex, hormonal status, hereditary burden and sexual differences in some lifestyle habits as a nutrition, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, individual physiological and biochemical status, psychological stress during student life and other. The prevalence of this risk factors among young Bulgarian adults needs of urgent attention and further evaluation because of the grave consequences of obesity and hypertension and because the hypertension and overweight is an important amendable risk factors in young life.

Radionuclide content in Matricaria chamomilla L., grown in two regions

This article analyses the content of natural radionuclides in chamomile plants collected from two different locations. Both samples have been dried in the shade at room temperature. The chamomile has been collected in July 2016 from two different regions of Bulgaria - Yagnilo village, Varna district and the village of Debeli Rat, Veliko Tarnovo district. They are dried under natural conditions and milled into a fine powder. The measurements are taken on a low-background spectrometer at Shumen University Episkop Konstantin Preslavski. The resulting gamma-spectra are processed with ANGES software. Radioisotopes are determined by their energies. The values of their specific activities are calculated. Approximately the same levels of 226 Ra, 228 Ac, 208 T1 and 40 K are found in the samples from both regions. The highest levels of radionuclides are meаsured for 40 K, the lowest specific activity in the flowers from Yagnilo is found for 208 Tl, and in those from Debeli Rat - for 212 Pb. The levels of their specific activities are within the limits, according to Ordinance №25 on the requirements for protection of people in case of chronic irradiation, as a result of production, trade and use of raw materials, products and goods with increased content of radionuclides and Ordinance №11 on defining the terms and conditions for providing free food and/or supplements to the workers and employees who work in enterprises of a specific nature and organization of work. The public health of consumers is not at risk, given these levels.

Evolution of Tourist Regionalization in Bulgaria: Objectives, Approaches and Results

The issue of defining tourist regions in Bulgaria and their management has been discussed in the country over the last 50 years and is still relevant nowadays. So far, many attempts have been made to develop an acceptable solution in regards of the nature, functions and scope of the tourist regions in the country but for a number of reasons and in different political and economic context they have not been successful. At the same time, the need for tourist regionalization in Bulgaria has been recognized by almost all stakeholders in the tourism sector over the last 10-15 years. The aim of this article is to review and compare the existing tourist regionalization schemes of the country, thus allowing to trace the evolution of tourist regionalization and to highlight the main theoretical deficiencies, as well as the underestimation of scientific principles and approaches that underlie its practical inapplicability. The comparative analysis covers all concepts developed over the last 50 years that present a specific scheme of tourist regions, taking into account the relevant explanatory notes. For the purpose of the comparison, 9 criteria have been selected, which refer both to the approach and objectives, and to the specific schemes and their compliance with basic practical requirements. The results of the comparative analysis are chronologically presented in a table for their clearer and easier perception. The analysis has shown that the numerous tourist regionalization concepts of Bulgaria differ greatly in objectives, approaches and tools applied, and respectively provide different results in terms of country coverage, taxonomy, degree of the schemes’ details, etc. It has also shown significant differences in the tourist structuring of the country’s territory, which are more visible in the period after 1990. The development of a methodologically sound, politically acceptable and applicable scheme of tourist regions is a difficult political and scientific task but it is achievable through a reasonable compromise between the theory and the views of key stakeholders, in compliance with legislation and in the context of its objectives. The effectiveness of tourist regionalization for the purposes of tourism policy and destination marketing ultimately depends on its practical implementation. Otherwise, it could be considered merely as an “academic” exercise, which may have a scientific but not an applied value.

Modelling Electrical Conductivity of the Dilution of Bulgarian Linden Honey

Linden honey is among the most common monofloral types of honey in the region of Bulgaria, and it has no reference values for its electrical conductivity (EC) in the international and national standards. Three variants of a model of the EC dependence on the concentration of linden honey (Gaussian, quadratic and cubic function based ones) are proposed. A standard temperature-compensated (at 250C) EC meter is used to capture experimental data. Then the EC readings are calculated to that temperature specified in the honey standard (200C) using a linear temperature compensation coefficient related to honey (2.6 %/ 0C). Verification of the proposed models and their statistical evaluation is done in MATLAB environment. The models can be further developed, summarized and used as an additional tool for the classification of honey on the basis of its botanical and/or geographical origin.

High seroprevalence for Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in ruminants in the absence of reported human cases in many regions of Bulgaria

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe tick-borne zoonotic disease in humans caused by CCHF virus. It has been observed in Bulgaria since 1952 and over the years more than 1600 cases have been reported in the country. Close contact with viraemic livestock was shown as one of the main causes of the infection. Detection of CCHF virus specific antibodies in livestock can be used as an indicator for virus circulation and risk assessment. CCHF seroprevalence was investigated in 843 cattle, 88 goats and 130 sheep, originating from all 28 districts of Bulgaria. CCHF virus-specific IgG antibodies were observed in 165 cattle (19.6, 95% CI 17.0-22.4%), in 20 goats (22.7, 95% CI 15.2-32.5%) and in 10 sheep (7.7, 95% CI 4.2-13.6%). The highest seroprevalence was detected in the district of Kardzhali, South Bulgaria (86.7, 95% CI 73.8-93.7%), a well-known focus of CCHF in humans. The other two districts with human CCHF cases, Blagoevgrad and Burgas, located in southwest and southeast Bulgaria, showed overall seroprevalences in livestock of 41.9% (95% CI 28.4-56.7%) and 31.3% (95% CI 22.2-42.1%), respectively. Seroprevalences in districts with no history of human CCHF cases varied between 55% (95% CI 39.8-69.3%) and 22.5% (95% CI 12.3-37.5%). These results suggest frequent CCHF virus infections even in regions without human CCHF cases and an enhanced risk of infection for humans in close contact with the infected livestock.

PFGE: a tool for examination of heterogeneity between the bacterial spot-causing xanthomonads of tomato plants in Bulgaria.

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is a highly discriminative molecular typing method that is used for epidemiological studies and investigation of outbreaks caused by different pathogens, including phytopathogenic Xanthomonas species. Bacterial spot (BS) is the most common and one of the most destructive diseases of tomato and pepper plants in Bulgaria. Several Xanthomonas species are known to cause BS, but the global distribution and genetic diversity of these species are not well understood. A collection of 100 BS-causing strains, isolated during the period of 1985-2012 from different tomato cultivars and weeds associated with tomato production areas from 11 geographic regions in Bulgaria, were screened for genetic diversity by genomic DNA restriction with rare-cutting endonucleases (XbaI and SpeI) subsequently resolved by PFGE. Two haplotypes for Xanthomonas vesicatoria and one haplotype for Xanthomonas gardneri strains were found.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in women in Bulgaria: A 2017 update.

The distribution and prevalence of 33 high-, medium-, and low-risk HPV genotypes were surveyed in women aged between 15 and 54 years and with normal cytology in the biggest cities and regions in Bulgaria (viz., Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas) and in two smaller communities (viz., Pleven and Vidin). This survey was also intended to update previous data collected in 2012 and to assess the results of a national campaign to immunize all 12-year-old girls against HPV, which was also started in 2012. The GenoFlow HPV Array Test Kit was used to analyze HPV status in cervical samples collected in 2012-2016 from 5277 women who had visited 47 gynecological clinics across the study sites. HPV infection was confirmed in 1570 (29.8%). The most common infecting genotype was HPV-16, which was detected in 687 women (13%), followed by HPV-56 in 333 women (6.3%), HPV-33 in 209 cases (4%), and HPV-31 in 190 subjects (3.6%). This is the second study to assess the prevalence of HPV infection in larger Bulgarian cities including the capital and to draw attention to the unusually high proportion of specific infecting genotypes.

Earth’s crust of large deposits of non-ferrous metals in Bulgaria

The proposed publication explores the main results of the study of the Earth’s crust in the largest ore regions in Bulgaria — Panagyurishte and Central Rhodopes. The concept of its continental type has been confirmed, and the more significant accomplishments can be summarized as follows. A number of ruptures of the Moho boundary, characterized by considerable vertical amplitude (from 7—8 to 13—14 km) have been proven, which facilitate and catalyze the endogenous processes, including ore formation one. A large (unique) density of the Earth’s crust layering in depth has been established. Besides the known mantle faults, limiting the main longitudinal tectonic units (the Maritsa fault zone and the Sub-Balkan fault), two more are identified — the South Sredna Gora and the South-Rhodopes ones. From their intersection with the sub-meridional ore concentrating structures (the Panagyurishte and the Central-Rhodopes ones) core-mantle nods are formed and the main ore fields are located in their ranges. As a whole, the Earth’s crust in the studied ore regions is characterized by gradient changes in its depth structure, represented by large fragmentation, high endogenous permeability, intensive magma saturation and significant ore-bearing potential.

BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION OF VACUUM STORED FLOWER BEE POLLEN

Water content, water activity (Аw) and mean microbiological characteristics were determined in fresh and dried flower bee pollen collected from apiary from North east region in Bulgaria. Higher microbial counts were established for fresh than for dried bee pollen after long-time (1 and 2-years) vacuum-packed cold storage (0-4 ºС and - 18 ºС). It was found contamination with Pantoea spp., Prot. mirabilis, Citrob. freundii, Serratia fonticola, Raoultella planticola/ornithinolytica, S. hominis (subspecies hominis), S. sciuri (subspecies sciuri), Flavimonas orizihabitans, Achromobacter denitrificans, Arthrobacter globiformis, Psychrobacter phenylpyruvicus, B. pumilis and Enterococcus faecalis in the dried flower bee pollen intended for human consumption. Fresh bee pollen that is an intermediate product not intended for human consumption besides these contained Prot.vulgaris, E.coli, Staph. epidermidis and B. subtilis.

Study on the continuity of farmer`s breeding activity with Patch Faced Maritza sheep breed

Abstract. The aim of this study was to analyze tendencies in the population of Patch Faced Maritza sheep breed and estimation of sustainability of the breeding program for this breed by analyzing continuity of farmer`s breeding activity. Patch Faced Maritza sheep breed is a local Bulgarian sheep breed typical for lowland regions of South Bulgaria and could be successfully used as local genetic resource in productive strategies for milk and meat production. Data about breeders and population structure of the breed during 27 years (1991-2017) were provided by the breeding association of Maritza sheep breed. The changes in the population structure during the 2005-2017 were tracking. The number of breeders included in the breeding program was increased from 10 to 88 herds. This positive trend in the population and increased farmer`s interest to participate in the breeding program were due to government programs for supporting sheep farming and preserve many indigenous sheep breeds that are part of agricultural heritage. The increased number of herds included in the breeding program led up to enlarge active population in three main reproductive categories: ewes, rams and breeding lambs. Comparatively small number of ewes, rams and breeding lambs which in 2005 were respectively 375, 13 and 180 run to 7678, 493 and 1868 in 2017. This enlarge of active population was achieved by three ways: joining farmers which kept Patch Faced Maritza sheep but not participating in official breeding program of the breed, increasing the breeding lambs for replacement rate and limited upgrade crossing. On the based breeding activity contracts with farmers it was estimated continuity of breeding activity in two categories of breeders: finished breeding activity with the breed and continuing with active breeding activity with the breed. The causes for discontinuing of active farmers breeding work were analysed. A total number of farmers which finished breeding activity was 54 for 27 years. Averaged continuity of farmer`s breeding activity was 4.26 years. The analysis of this information find out five reasons for discontinuing farmers breeding activity: disinterest, death, old age, switching to another business, and changing the breed. From the listed reasons the most important are switching to another business 23 farmers and disinterest for active breeding work 17 farmers. The most important fact results nowadays is the fact that Patch Faced Maritza sheep is occurred already in 11 regions in Bulgaria, although 74.11% of the population is situated in two regions Plovdiv and Pazardzhik.

Bulgarian Ritual Kinship (Kumstvo)

Among the Orthodox Christians on the Balkans, the rituals of Christian baptism and marriage traditionally give rise to ritual kinship relationships, not only among individuals but also among family groups that were until then unrelated. Only among Bulgarians, Serbians, and Macedonians, these relationships are carried on hereditarily and are constructed according to the patrilineal kinship model. The godfather’s role ( kumstvo) is inherited as symbolic capital by the family-kin groups of both the godparents and the godchildren. These are relations of symbolic inequality and have a ritual character: both the calendar feast cycle and the lifecycle rituals are marked by symbolic rights and obligations, which are still observed until the present day in most Bulgarian families, for example, mandatory gift exchange. The belief in the power of the godparent’s curse is still alive today in a number of regions in Bulgaria. On the other hand, the godparent tradition among Bulgarians acquired new meaning and new dimensions during the decades of socialism and postsocialist transition. During the last two or three decades, the godparent relationship has become a way of building new social networks, often of a clientelist nature. More and more often, ritual kinship relations are used for benefits and hierarchical ascent, similarly to nepotism. This process leads to the reformation of social networks—it still functions as social capital, but to each new generation. Every new family chooses different godparents, thus creating new social networks. Research about godparent relations among Bulgarians and, more generally, on the Balkans, is based on both existing studies on the subject and on the author’s personal fieldwork research in Bulgaria.

Genetic diversity of Bulgarian representatives of genus Carduus L. (Asteraceae) as revealed by variability in sequences of internal transcribed spacers region

ABSTRACTThe biodiversity of genus Carduus in Bulgaria is grossly under-studied with modern methods, which leads to unclear status of species and hampers the assessment of their habitats and conservation status. In this study, we used the variability of internal transcribed spacers (ITS) to investigate the biodiversity of Carduus species collected from different floristic regions of Bulgaria. Thirty-three samples were processed. Among the studied species, C. acanthoides exhibited the highest ITS variability (eight single nucleotide polymorphisms were found). High ITS variability was also found in C. crispus and C. hamulosus, demonstrating that some of the local Carduus species possesses unique genetic diversity, which can serve as source for future divergence of new forms and subspecies. For each species, unique nucleotides suitable as molecular taxonomy markers were identified. However, C. nutans and C. thoermeri displayed completely identical ITS sequences, which is in agreement with all ITS sequences of these species collected elsewhere in the world and deposited in the NCBI database. After careful analyses of both molecular and morphological data, we propose to restore C. nutans and C. thoermeri as one species with two subspecies. Namely, Carduus nutans subsp. nutans and Carduus nutans subsp. thoermeri. We recommend diameter of capitulum, length of peduncle, width of peduncle and width of bract as diagnostic features of taxonomic significance for distinguishing the two subspecies.

Varicella infection in a non-universally vaccinated population: Actual epidemiology in Bulgaria (2013-2015).

Varicella is a common and usually mild disease but it has great importance in regard to general infectious morbidity. The current study aimed to characterize possible risk factors of varicella epidemiology in Bulgaria, a country where infection follows its natural epidemiological pattern as no mandatory or recommended vaccine is currently applied. Administrative regions of Bulgaria were used as units of observation and a set of sociodemographic and economic determinants, as well as geographic location (south or north) were tested for associations with the mean 3-year varicella incidence rates (2013-2015). The proportion of urban population, proportion of females, number of health care units and proportion of urban population aged <10 years were the four sociodemographic variables most strongly and significantly correlated (p<0.05) with varicella frequency (Spearman's rank correlation coefficients of 0.62, 0.47, 0.43, and 0.38, respectively). After reducing the number of intercorrelated factors to a few principal components and accounting for confounders, the demographic component and geographic location remained most robustly associated with varicella incidence in Bulgaria (adjusted R2 of 0.51, p<0.001). The results obtained identify important determinants in the local epidemiology of varicella and show that community characteristics should be considered, to improve our understanding of varicella distribution.

Preliminary findings indicate nosocomial transmission and Roma population as most affected group in ongoing measles B3 genotype outbreak in Bulgaria, March to August 2017.

From March to August 2017, 165 measles cases were reported from three regions in Bulgaria. The age range was 0−55 years and 66% of the cases were under 9 years. The Roma population was disproportionally affected (89% of cases), 41% cases were unvaccinated and in 24 cases there was nosocomial transmission mostly in paediatric departments. A child under 12 months of age died. Control measures have been taken and the investigation is still ongoing.

Building-specific factors affecting indoor radon concentration variations in different regions in Bulgaria

The study was conducted to assess the spatiality of the building factors’ effect on air quality through evaluation of indoor radon concentration in areas with different geology and geographical position. For that matter, a survey of indoor radon concentration was carried out in 174 kindergartens of three Bulgarian cities. The time-integrated measurements were performed in 777 ground floor rooms using alpha tract detectors, exposed for 3 months in cold period of 2014. The results of indoor radon concentrations vary from 20 to 1117 Bq/m3. The differences in the mean radon concentrations measured in the different cities were related to geology. The effect of building-specific factors: elevator, basement, mechanical ventilation, type of windows, number of floors, building renovation, building materials, type of room, type of heating, construction period, and availability of foundation on radon concentration variations was examined applying univariate and multivariate analysis. Univariate analysis showed that the effects of building-specific factors on radon variation are different in different cities. The influence of building factors on radon concentration variations was more dominant in inland cities in comparison to the city situated on the sea coast. The multivariate analysis, which was applied to evaluate the impact of building factors simultaneously, confirmed this influence too.

Evaluation of the seismic hazard for 20 cities in Romania using Monte Carlo based simulations

This work focuses on the evaluation of the seismic hazard for Romania using earthquake catalogues generated by a Monte Carlo approach. The seismicity of Romania can be attributed to the Vrancea intermediate-depth seismic source and to 13 other crustal seismic sources. The recurrence times of large magnitude seismic events (both crustal and subcrustal), as well as the moment release rates are computed using simulated earthquake catalogues. The results show that the largest contribution to the overall moment release for the crustal seismic sources is from the seismic regions in Bulgaria, while the seismic regions in Romania contribute less than 5% of the overall moment release. In addition, the computations show that the moment release rate for the Vrancea subcrustal seismic source is about ten times larger than that of all the crustal seismic sources. Finally, the Monte Carlo approach is used to evaluate the seismic hazard for 20 cities in Romania with populations larger than 100,000 inhabitants. The results show some differences between the seismic hazard values obtained through Monte-Carlo simulation and those in the Romanian seismic design code P100-1/2013, notably for cities situated in the western part of Romania that are influenced by local crustal seismic sources.

Reflections on discrimination and oppression in contemporary social work practice in Bulgaria

ABSTRACTThis article draws on a study of awareness and sensitivity towards discrimination and oppression in contemporary practice in the Bulgarian social system through the perspectives of helping professionals and social clients. To that end, empirical data were gathered through a study of: the knowledge and awareness about anti-discrimination policy and legislation in the social sphere; awareness and perceptions of discrimination and oppression in society and the social work domain; and reflections on discrimination and oppression in the context of working relationships. Two questionnaires were designed and used to collect data in the period of April–May 2014 in the Southwestern region of Bulgaria. There were two groups consisting of 132 helping professionals (n = 132) and 121 clients/service users (n = 121). Both groups had low awareness of anti-discrimination legislation and regulations in the field of social policy and services. Discrimination and oppression were perceived as widespread phenomena that affected life of disadvantaged groups and also manifested in the social system. Ethnic minority service users needed information about their rights and community resources and claimed for larger involvement in the process of social work.