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Smart city is no longer fiction, which targets the future - it is now around us and requires immediate action in different directions: environment, transport, energy, social and cultural life, healthcare, etc. This article presents the current efforts of GATE Institute at Sofia University for building an urban data space based on data from a variety of sources in the Bulgarian capital. It has an open architecture, based on a private cloud, which allows the integration of diverse data and provides different data processing capabilities and services necessary to build integral data spaces. The pilot implementation currently performs monitoring and analysis of the environmental factors in Sofia using a set of bespoke components, which implement data management and data analysis algorithms from simple filtering and correlation to data analytics and prediction using historical data, static modelled data and dynamic data from environmental sensors in real-time. It serves as a basis for data enrichment based on different sources and cross-domain analysis using a variety of methods. This new opportunity has a huge potential and will have a significant impact on urban life - from planning the infrastructure and managing the communal services to the personalization of social services for the citizens.

Strategies to enhance the induction of high magnitude T cell responses through vaccination are urgently needed. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II–associated invariant chain (Ii) plays a critical role in antigen presentation, forming MHC class II peptide complexes for the generation of CD4+ T cell responses. Preclinical studies evaluating the fusion of Ii to antigens encoded in vector delivery systems have shown that this strategy may enhance T cell immune responses to the encoded antigen. We now assess this strategy in humans, using chimpanzee adenovirus 3 and modified vaccinia Ankara vectors encoding human Ii fused to the nonstructural (NS) antigens of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a heterologous prime/boost regimen. Vaccination was well tolerated and enhanced the peak magnitude, breadth, and proliferative capacity of anti-HCV T cell responses compared to non-Ii vaccines in humans. Very high frequencies of HCV-specific T cells were elicited in humans. Polyfunctional HCV-specific CD8+ and CD4+ responses were induced with up to 30% of CD3+CD8+ cells targeting single HCV epitopes; these were mostly effector memory cells with a high proportion expressing T cell activation and cytolytic markers. No volunteers developed anti-Ii T cell or antibody responses. Using a mouse model and in vitro experiments, we show that Ii fused to NS increases HCV immune responses through enhanced ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. This strategy could be used to develop more potent HCV vaccines that may contribute to the HCV elimination targets and paves the way for developing class II Ii vaccines against cancer and other infections.

Background: Nearly 3 million people worldwide are coinfected with HIV and HCV. Affordable strategies for prevention are needed. We developed a novel vaccination regimen involving replication-defective and serologically distinct chimpanzee adenovirus (ChAd3, ChAd63) vector priming followed by modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) boosts, for simultaneous delivery of HCV non-structural (NSmut) and HIV-1 conserved (HIVconsv) region immunogens. Methods: We conducted a phase I trial in which 33 healthy volunteers were sequentially enrolled and vaccinated via the intramuscular route as follows: 9 received ChAd3-NSmut [2.5 × 1010 vp] and MVA-NSmut [2 × 108 pfu] at weeks 0 and 8, respectively; 8 received ChAdV63.HIVconsv [5 × 1010 vp] and MVA.HIVconsv [2 × 108 pfu] at the same interval; 16 were co-primed with ChAd3-NSmut [2.5 × 1010 vp] and ChAdV63.HIVconsv [5 × 1010 vp] followed at week 8 by MVA-NSmut and MVA.HIVconsv [both 1 × 108 pfu]. Immunogenicity was assessed using peptide pools in ex vivo ELISpot and intracellular cytokine assays. Vaccine-induced whole blood transcriptome changes were assessed by microarray analysis. Results: All vaccines were well tolerated and no vaccine-related serious adverse events occurred. Co-administration of the prime-boost vaccine regimens induced high magnitude and broad T cell responses that were similar to those observed following immunization with either regimen alone. Median (interquartile range, IQR) peak responses to NSmut were 3,480 (2,728–4,464) and 3,405 (2,307–7,804) spot-forming cells (SFC)/106 PBMC for single and combined HCV vaccinations, respectively (p = 0.8). Median (IQR) peak responses to HIVconsv were 1,305 (1,095–4,967) and 1,005 (169–2,482) SFC/106 PBMC for single and combined HIV-1 vaccinations, respectively (p = 0.5). Responses were maintained above baseline to 34 weeks post-vaccination. Intracellular cytokine analysis indicated that the responding populations comprised polyfunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Canonical pathway analysis showed that in the single and combined vaccination groups, pathways associated with antiviral and innate immune responses were enriched for upregulated interferon-stimulated genes 24 h after priming and boosting vaccinations. Conclusions: Serologically distinct adenoviral vectors encoding HCV and HIV-1 immunogens can be safely co-administered without reducing the immunogenicity of either vaccine. This provides a novel strategy for targeting these viruses simultaneously and for other pathogens that affect the same populations. Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov, identifier: NCT02362217

During the last decades, ground-based microwave radiometry has matured into an established remote sensing technique for measuring vertical profiles of a number of gases in the stratosphere and the mesosphere. Microwave radiometry is the only ground-based technique that can provide vertical profiles of gases in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere both day and night, and even during cloudy conditions. Except for microwave instruments placed at high-altitude sites, or at sites with dry atmospheric conditions, only molecules with significant emission lines below 150 GHz, such as CO, H2O, and O3, can be observed. Vertical profiles of these molecules can give important information about chemistry and dynamics in the middle atmosphere. Today these measurements are performed at relatively few sites; more simple and reliable instrument solutions are required to make the measurement technique more widely spread. This need is urgent today as the number of satellite sensors observing the middle atmosphere is about to decrease drastically. In this study a compact double-sideband frequency-switched radiometer system for simultaneous observations of mesospheric CO at 115.27 GHz and O3 at 110.84 GHz is presented. The radiometer, its calibration scheme, and its observation method are presented. The retrieval procedure, including compensation of the different tropospheric attenuations at the two frequencies and error characterization, are also described. The first measurement series from October 2014 until April 2015 taken at the Onsala Space Observatory, OSO (57° N, 12° E), is analysed. The retrieved vertical profiles are compared with co-located CO and O3 data from the MLS instrument on the Aura satellite. The data sets from the instruments agree well with each other. The main differences are the higher OSO volume mixing ratios of O3 in the upper mesosphere during the winter nights and the higher OSO volume mixing ratios of CO in the mesosphere during the winter. The low bias of mesospheric winter values of CO from MLS compared to ground-based instruments was reported earlier.

Based mainly on literature data and results of the monitoring program of the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water, the long-term changes of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), suspended solids and chlorophyll-concentrations in the Bulgarian–Romanian section of the Lower Danube during the period 1950–2014 were studied. The addition of more recent data from years 2008–2014 revealed stable lowering with values of PO4 3- concentrations close to those reported in the earliest 1962–1965 interval. The calculated load of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) showed a continuous but not significant decrease, while the PO4-P load dropped at the end of the 1950–2014 period to the values of its beginning. These changes of nitrogen and phosphorus led to a substantial shift of the N P-1 ratio towards phosphorus limitation of phytoplankton growth in the 2008–2014 period. The second part of the paper presented and analyzed the process of restoration of wetlands on the example of Srebarna Lake. The primary goal of this restoration was to sustain the valuable biodiversity supported by this lake, but as a wetland it should provide also most other services, one of which was nutrient removal. The monitoring of lake restoration started in 1990 and lasted with gaps until 2015. The main force driving the changes of other lake characteristics was the lake water level. Thus the lake water level correlated positively with water column transparency and negatively with chlorophyll-a, phytoplankton biovolume and the share of blue-greens from it. Since 1994 only one canal connected the lake with the Danube River, which seemed to be the reason for the limited success of the wetland restoration. На основу, пре свега, података из литературе и резултата програма праћења Министарства за животну средину и воде Бугарске, проучене су дугорочне промене нутријената (азота и фосфора), суспендованих чврстих честица и концентрација хлорофила у бугарско-румунском делу доњег тока Дунава током периода 1950–2014. године. Анализом и скоријих података за године 2008–2014, регистровано је стабилно снижавање са вредностима концентрација PO4 3- близу онима које су забележене у најранијем интервалу – у годинама 1962–1965. Израчунатo оптерећење раствореног неорганског азота (DIN) показало је стално, али не значајно смањење, док је оптерећење PO4-P пало крајем периода 1950–2014. на вредности са почетка. Те промене азота и фосфора довеле су до значајне промене показатеља N P-1 ка фосфорном ограничењу раста фитопланктона у периоду 2008–2014. године. У другом делу рада представљен је и анализиран процес санације мочварних подручја на примеру језера Сребарна. Главни циљ санације јесте одржавање вредног биодиверзитета који подржава то језеро; међутим, као мочварно подручје, оно треба да пружи и већину других услуга, које укључују, између осталог, уклањање нутријената. Праћење санације језера почело је 1990. и с прекидима трајало до 2015. године. Главни покретач промена других карактеристика језера био је ниво воде у језеру. Постојала је позитивна корелација између нивоа воде у језеру и прозирности воденог стуба и негативна корелација са хлорофилом а, биозапремином фитопланктона и уделом њихових плавозелених облика. Од 1994. године, само један канал повезује језеро са Дунавом, што вероватно представља разлог ограниченог успеха санације мочварног подручја. 8. Конференција академија подунавске регије

The paper proposes an interactive method solving the multiple criteria choice problem (MCCP) with a large number of discrete alternatives and a small number of quantitative criteria. The decision maker (DM) sets his preferences in terms of desired directions of improving or relaxing of the criteria. On this base the so called reference cone is constructed. A small subset of relatively closed alternatives is defined according to this cone and to the maximal deterioration of the criteria values at each iteration. This subset is evaluated by the DM, who selects the most preferred alternative or enters his/her new preferences. The method suggested has user-friendly dialog. It enables the DM to explore the set of alternatives comparatively quickly and easy. The method is included in a DSS. It is tested by a number of real multiple criteria choice problems., AMS subject classification: 90C29.

The paper summarizes the first stage of the work for development of a virtual archaeological museum carried under the EU Copernicus ArchTerra project. It describes a new implementation of a database with museum information after the CIDOC standard. The system reported here is developed using Oracle CASE methodology and is currently implemented as an Oracle 8i database. The data model it is based on enhances the CIDOC object-oriented data model in several important directions for realistic museum data processing, such as artefact duplication, conservation and Internet browsing. It clearly separates the domain ontology from the specific domain knowledge through the concept of a terminological thesuarus, thus making it applicable to other kind of museum information systems, e.g. in ethnography, natural sciences, etc. The paper discuss also future directions of further development, especially in the direction of data exchange between CIDOC compliant databases containing information related to cultural heritage management.