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One of the serious public questions for years has been related to the size of government expenditure and government revenues and the formed government budget. The latter determines the amount of government intervention in the economy and the public goods provided by the state. The growth of government expenditure is influenced by various factors, both on the demand side of public goods and on the supply side. In this context, in the present article the author's interest is focused on the study of the dependence between basic socio-demographic characteristics of the population and the size of government expenditure on social protection. The guiding working hypothesis for the research is that there is a positive relationship between government expenditure on social protection in the European Union (EU) Member States from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and basic sociodemographic characteristics of the population. The verification of the hypothesis is carried out in the following sequence: first, on the basis of a study of literary sources, quantitative indicators reflecting basic socio-demographic characteristics of the population are substantiated; secondly, on the basis of the adopted indicators, socio-demographic population indices are calculated for the EU Member States from Central and Eastern Europe; third, the relationship between the government expenditure on social protection and the socio-demographic population index is measured by means of the coefficient of K. Pearson. The working hypothesis has been confirmed, as it has been established that there is a positive relationship between the studied variables in each year of the analyzed period 2017-2021. The values of the correlation coefficient during the period 2017-2021 in chronological order are as follows: 0.7336; 0.7128; 0.7011; 0.7006; 0.7063. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to classify 25 EU member states into homogeneous groups based on the relative shares of GDP of eight subgroups of government expenditures on economic affairs (according to the Classification of the Functions of Government - COFOG) and thus compare the extent of their governments' intervention in economic affairs. The homogeneous groups were defined by means of a non-hierarchical cluster analysis (K-means) method using the Euclidean distance as a measure of dissimilarity. The results of the clustering of the 25 EU member states by government expenditure by economic function (according to COFOG) reveals the similarities and differences among these countries in terms of their economic interventionism. They also define which economic affairs need government intervention to mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an experimental analysis on surface structuring of polydimethylsiloxane films with UV (263 nm) femtosecond laser pulses, in air. Laser processed areas are analyzed by optical microscopy, SEM, and μ-Raman spectroscopy. The laser-treated sample shows the formation of a randomly nanostructured surface morphology. μ-Raman spectra, carried out at both 514 and 785nm excitation wavelengths, prior and after laser treatment allow evidencing the changes in the sample structure. The influence of the laser fluence on the surface morphology is studied. Finally, successful electro-less metallization of the laser-processed sample is achieved, even after several months from the lasertreatment contrary to previous observation with nanosecond pulses. Our findings address the effectiveness of fs-laser treatment and chemical metallization of polydimethylsiloxane films with perspective technological interest in micro-fabrication devices for MEMS and nano-electromechanical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on literature review, seven indicators, which characterise the national forestry competitiveness, were justified. By means of factor analysis application and seven indicators, national forestry competitiveness of fifteen EU-countries was measured. On the basis of factor analysis results, recommendations for improvement of national forestry competitiveness in some of the analyzed countries are done: France and Germany - to be competitive to Sweden and Finland they should increase their investment in forestry and productivity; Italy and Austria - the first one should improve its productivity, which does not correspond to country's forest resources and investment in forestry, while the second one should increase its investment in forestry; Romania and Czech Republic - they have nearly equal output and net entrepreneurial income, but fall behind Portugal by the level of productivity, due to this the recommendation to both countries is to raise their productivity; Slovenia and Slovakia - the first one should increase its output and the second one its productivity; Bulgaria and Croatia - they should raise their level of investment, productivity and net entrepreneurial income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opportunities for integrated management of the forest territories, falling within the administrative-territorial scope of the Kardzhali and Chernoochene Municipalities, managed by the Jenda State Forestry and Hunting Enterprise, have been studied. We conducted an empirical sociological survey. Representatives of different stakeholders were interviewed to establish their views and expectations related to forest management within the research site. Forecasts for the future development of forest plantations have been prepared through using the information system for supporting management decision-making Sibyla. The program modelled the development of forest plantations under different scenarios of forest impact. The Net Present Value (NPV) was used estimated to the financial effect of the various forest management scenarios for a period of 30 years. The obtained results provide a good basis for revealing the opportunities for achieving integrated forest management in the study area. This innovative and socially meaningful approach could balance the stakeholders interests involved in the multifunctional forest planning process of defining guidelines for the future forests development within the Jenda State Forestry and Hunting Enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Observations of the interaction of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) sheet (210 μm thick) with KrF excimer laser irradiation (λ = 248 nm), with low energy of 50 mJ/pulse are presented. The negative ablation or swelling of the material caused by low frequency pulse irradiation is characterized by optical microscopy, μ-Raman spectrometry and X-ray micro-tomography. The appearance of defected areas in the form of cones inside the sheet and changes of material chemistry are discussed. These phenomena are considered as a precursor of the ablation occurring after passing a threshold of absorbed laser irradiation energy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44541. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Danube river can be perceived as a cultural and mythical cross-border in ancient and medieval Balkan history. It has served as a contact point between diverse cultures particularly in the early Middle Ages (IX-XII centuries). The large river splitting the civilized Christian imperial Byzantine world from the “barbarian" and pagan northern cultural area (Scandinavians, Pechenegs, Scythians) is a component of the “water labyrinth" mythologem. The Danube is a mystical space which the real historical hero had to cross in order to achieve his goal. For instance, the Bulgars led by khan Asparuh had to cross it in order to create the state of the Bulgars. In that sense, the Danube river has been considered a border zone between the known space (North for Scandinavians) and the unknown foreign space (the mystical but attractive Byzantine South). This river, the same as the Dnepr for Scandinavians, can be considered a place of trial which the crossing historical hero (Viking chieftain) should overcome to establish in the attractive South (the Byzantine Empire). Hence, this river is a dividing line between the elements of ours and theirs, between us and them. The regions northwards of the Danube were populated by Germanic tribes (and Dacians), whereas the South represented the unknown but the cultural area desired by the Scandinavians who intended to establish in the warmer and richer Byzantine lands. Therefore, the Danube has been deemed by medieval Byzantine chroniclers and modern Bulgarian scholars as a divisive rather than a uniting point. It is simply a border; it does not connect, it divides. So, from a real historical viewpoint the Danube has been considered a dangerous place staying on the path of the migration throughout the axis North-South particularly in the period between IX and XII centuries. And the lower Danube is precisely the part of the river where the abovementioned features most accurately apply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]