Open Access Books

Bulgaria is an endemic country for Lyme borreliosis and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF). Sporadic cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and West Nile virus (WNV) encephalitis have been also reported. The reported incidence of Lyme borreliosis in Bulgaria is about 6/100,000 population. Two peaks in the seasonal distribution of cases and more frequent presentation of neuroborreliosis than of Lyme arthritis appear to be characteristics of Lyme borreliosis in Bulgaria. Borrelia afzelii is highly prevalent in Bulgarian Ixodes ricinus ticks. With sporadic cases or small outbreaks, CCHF appeared every year since the 1950s. For the last 10 years, a total of 60 CCHF cases were officially recorded. There is a tendency for CCHF to spread in previously non-endemic areas. The strains causing CCHF in the country belong to lineage Europe 1. A mean of 3.7% CCHF seroprevalence among the Bulgarian population is established. Both Europe 1 and Europe 2 CCHF virus lineages are present in ticks in Bulgaria. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is very unusual. Only a few cases of TBE have been detected. Overall seroprevalence of 0.6% for TBE virus was found in humans. In 2015, a few WNV human cases were detected caused by lineage 2. Overall WNV seroprevalence in human population in the country is 1.5%.

The second volume of the series "Learning and studying in learning workshops" discusses how inclusion can be thematized, problematized and, above all, realized in the context of learning workshops and learning workshop work. After a theoretical embedding of the concept of inclusion in the context of learning workshops and the description of possible potentials that learning workshops at universities have for an inclusion-oriented training of future educators, the learning workshop work is framed as an inclusive didactical concept of higher education. In the third chapter of the volume, results from testing and researching inclusive didactics in the context of university learning workshops are presented. From different perspectives, a multifaceted picture of learning workshops in universities as spaces of inclusive pedagogy emerges, in which diversity is welcome and the balance of valuing individuality and community reference can be lived.

Certain young people are being propelled towards a more promising future than in the past, due to – amongst other things – continuous learning, which guarantees their productive capabilities. Employers are called upon to arrange a cogent value proposition to support young people in their constant growth that would also help them create an autonomous professional identity

El enfoque de la gestión comunitaria del agua en el Ecuador es un tema de vital importancia. El ejemplo del proyecto Pesillo-Imbabura, en donde la organización comunitaria fue fundamental para su ejecución, dio lugar a esta investigación. Reuniones de dirigentes, asambleas de usuarios, protestas, mingas, diálogo con distintos actores y con la cooperación fueron claves en el desarrollo del proyecto Pesillo: un ejemplo de cómo la unión y un objeto común son claves para tener resultados de desarrollo en territorios indígenas. Esta publicación recoge antecedentes históricos sobre las formas de acceso al agua hasta la creación de las Juntas de Administración de Agua Potable Comunitarias. Analiza tanto el derecho al agua como la organización comunitaria y, en Pesillo, encuentra un ejemplo que visibiliza la lucha por el agua a nivel nacional.

This chapter discusses Jan Baptist Van Helmont’s (1579-1644) views on poison in light of his medical alchemy. First, it argues that his approach was fundamentally influenced by the theories of ‘universal poison’ and ‘potent poison’ developed by Theophrastus von Hohenheim, called Paracelsus (1493-1541). Paracelsus’s ideas supported Van Helmont’s own views that medical alchemy was the only key to curing all diseases and poisons. At the same time, Van Helmont sought to set these concepts more clearly in a Christian framework, and also used them to launch a scathing attack on Galenic medicine and practices. Moreover, Van Helmont used poison theory to advance his belief in the existence of a universal solvent Alkahest that could extract medical essences out of any being. The Alkahest could then be used to construct an all-powerful universal medicine that proved God’s special providence to mankind.

Optical communication systems carry the bulk of all data traffic worldwide. This book introduces multi-Terabit/s transmission systems and three key technologies for next generation networks. A software-defined multi-format transmitter, an optical comb source and an optical processing scheme for the fast Fourier transform for Tbit/s signals. Three world records demonstrate the potential: The first single laser 10 Tbit/s and 26 Tbit/s OFDM and the first 32.5 Tbit/s Nyquist WDM experiments.

Stone statues, indigenous to the early Turks, appeared in the vast territory of the Asian steppes, from Southern Siberia to Central Asia and across the foothills of the Ural Mountains. The custom originated among Cumans in Eastern Europe. The skill of erecting anthropomorphic stelae required proficiency in processing different kinds of stone and wood, and was characterized by artistic value of representations, as well as by the timeless aesthetics of the canon. The author presents the results of her formative studies into the collection of the Cuman sculptures of the Veliko-Anadol Forest Museum, Ukraine. The book delves into the history of research on Cuman stone stelae, resulting in great reading for all archeologists and historians alike.

Ageing and Urban Planning provides a critical analysis of urban planning in the face of demographic change. It emphasises the importance of international approaches and practices to address age-friendly planning. This process requires collaboration between professionals and the community, going beyond mere functionality to connect the micro and macro scales at the city, region, nation, and the global level. With an interdisciplinary and intersectional approach, the book draws on analytical lenses from architecture, gerontology, geography, sociology, and social and urban planning. It offers a thorough critique of popular narratives surrounding ageing and urban planning while presenting diverse case studies on a variety of spatial scales. The volume also covers the history of urban design for ageing and inclusivity in planning governance, as well as a critical look at the concept of "ageing in place" from the perspective of urban planning. The book offers a comprehensive selection of in-depth photos and figures from urban design studios, planning processes, and real-life scenarios. This collection provides a unique network of inspiring ideas. The book ultimately seeks to supplement the debate and promote a broader reflection about the transformations required in urban planning, given the opportunities and challenges related to a world with increased longevity. This valuable resource is recommended for advanced students, researchers, and policymakers in the fields of urban planning, age-related disciplines and professions, and social policy.

Although there is considerable historical literature describing the social and economic impact of drought on the prairies in the 1930s, little has been written about the challenges presented by drought in more contemporary times. The drought of 2001-02 was, for example, the most recent large-area, intense, and prolonged drought in Canada and one of Canada's most costly natural disasters in a century. Vulnerability and Adaptation to Drought describes the impacts of droughts and the adaptations made in prairie agriculture over recent decades. These adaptations have enhanced the capacity of rural communities to withstand drought. However, despite the high levels of technical adaptation that have occurred, and the existing human capital and vibrant social and information networks, agricultural producers in the prairie region remain vulnerable to severe droughts that last more than a couple of years. Research findings and projections suggest that droughts could become more frequent, more severe, and of longer duration in the region over the course of the 21st century. This book provides insights into the conditions generating these challenges and the measures required to reduce vulnerability of prairie communities to them. Developing greater understanding of the social forces and conditions that have contributed to enhanced resilience, as well as those which detract from successful adaptation, is a principal theme of the book. To that end, the book examines drought through an interdisciplinary lens encompassing climate science and the social sciences. Two of the chapters are based on the drought experiences of other countries in order to provide a comparative assessment.

The dramatic increase in resistance to antibiotics and disinfectants of foodborne bacterial pathogens has become a serious health problem for consumers and a growing concern for food safety authorities. In this situation, new strategies are being explored that can be employed as useful alternatives in the fight against these pathogens. Natural compounds are considered among the most promising candidates due to their high acceptability and low levels of toxicity, contributing to increased environmental sustainability. Many of these compounds have different bioactive properties and can act as antimicrobials and/or anti-inflammatories, also showing the ability to inhibit the formation of bacterial biofilms. In this book, the invited authors provide evidence that contributes to the visibility of some of these new antibacterial agents, presenting different strategies potentially applicable in the control of various foodborne pathogens.

This article presents the actions of the imperial army during the Nika revolt. The first use of the army, confirmed by sources, took place on 14, 17, 18 January 532. The first, source- -confirmed, use of the army took place on 14 January. Fighting with the rebels under Belisarius continued until the evening and did not bring the expected results, the uprising continued and brought more and more destruction. On 17 January reinforcements arrived from the surrounding towns. As research shows, the mere appearance of a larger army in the city escalated tensions and paradoxically became the reason for its immediate use. The use of a larger force did not end the uprising and led to the greatest destruction since it began. The mercenaries under the command of Belisarius and Mundus proved to be the key foundation for maintaining Justinian the Great’s power in January 532, as they proved loyal to their superiors and the emperor, compared to the troops of the imperial guard. The source giving the most information about the warfare during the Nika uprising turned out to be the Chronicon Paschale, which details the account of, among others, John Malalas. The account of Procopius of Caesarea seems to be useful only in interpreting the operations of 18 January.

« Les géants de la littérature du dix-neuvième siècle sont venus à Marseille poussés par un rêve. La fortune, l’amour, le voyage, les mythes orientaux, la civilisation méditerranéenne, tout prétexte était bon pour mettre le cap sur le Midi et découvrir des horizons nouveaux. Et la littérature, toujours, sort gagnante de l’expédition ; les écrivains ont pour la plupart les poches vides, mais repartent de l’escale phocéenne la tête pleine. »Stendhal, qui n’est encore que le jeune Henri Beyle, fut le pionnier. Après lui, tous y viendront : l’immense Balzac, mais encore Dumas, Nerval, Hugo, Sand, Flaubert, Zola, Maupassant… Chacun avec son fantasme, chacun avec son idée en tête, chacun avec ses bonnes surprises et ses mauvaises fortunes. Marseille s’ouvre à toutes les voix et influence toutes les œuvres.Une promenade littéraire éblouissante dans le sillage des plus grands écrivains, au cœur de la ville des espoirs les plus fous.

Internal marketing is an interesting area of scientific reflection on the role of the human factor in building the market success of an organisation, unfortunately, so far it has not been frequently undertaken by researchers. Although its importance for the development of management sciences and business practice is undisputed, so far it has not been widely reflected in scientific literature, which results from the complicated nature of research and the need to grasp the essence of internal marketing from various points of view: psychological, sociological, economic, legal, or managerial. The perspective proposed by the author places considerations in human resources management, because the origins of the concept of internal marketing come from this area - very resistant to introducing changes, especially innovative management solutions. There are many reasons for this, one of which is the lack of expected results in the short term. The approach to the human factor is still based on the traditional perception of its roles in the organisation, which does not match the contemporary conditions resulting from the dynamics of changes in the environment. Internal marketing meets the "weaknesses" of human management, but in order for it to become effective in practice - it is necessary to verify the behaviour of both superiors and employees so far - their ways of thinking and habits leading to overcoming the previous stereotypes concerning the "employer-subordinate" relationship. This requires a marketing approach to the management instruments used to perform a personal function and the recognition of employees as internal customers, to whom the organization should identify needs and expectations in order to take adequate action leading to satisfaction, commitment and creation of loyalty to the company. Therefore, the intention of the authors was to pay special attention to innovative activities that cause proactive attitudes of employees in the scope of: building internal organisational relations, exchanging values, which the parties care about - using the negotiated dimension of agreeing on positions, methods of communication or creating value for the stakeholders. This publication is conceptual and mainly based on a critical analysis of scientific literature, taking into account the possibilities of implementing the assumptions of internal marketing in practice. It is mainly dedicated to the management staff of various levels - from managers to persons occupying the highest positions in companies, as well as to research workers, students of economic and management faculties, or sociology and psychology, and all persons whose intention is to improve their management competences.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the education sector offers many unprecedented opportunities, a comprehensive search of academic articles, books and technical papers for artificial intelligence (AI) used in the education sector was conducted. Special databases such as PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar and Scopus were used using keywords such as “artificial intelligence in education”, “learning” and “benefits”. This methodology provides a systematic and rigorous approach to review the literature on a particular topic that can provide a comprehensive and up-to-date view of the research topic. Educational artificial intelligence (AI) offers a wide range of possibilities, from learning to administrative tasks. This greatly improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the educational process. These aspects require a careful balance between the use of AI and possible limitations and risk considerations.

Contra la opinión de parte de la crítica, que ve en los escritos religiosos de DAVID HUME (1711-1776) mera curiosidad culturalista, o incluso irreverencia e ironía, el interés del pensador escocés por que sus Diálogos sobre la religión natural se vieran publicados aun después de su muerte desmiente que diera poca importancia a este tema. Si bien la actitud de Hume hacia la experiencia religiosa pudo ser escéptica, la indudable presencia en esta obra -como apunta en su prólogo Carlos Mellizo- de todos aquellos temas básicos presentes en todo sistema de ideas o creencias religiosas hacen de ella no sólo una indagación sobre la religión, sino también, en su dimensión estrictamente filosófica, uno de los pilares fundamentales del pensamiento moderno en torno al tema del teísmo especulativo