DSpace 7
DSpace is the world leading open source repository platform that enables organisations to:
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Recent Submissions
Ecologo-taxonomic investigations of fungi on Dragoica Mountain Ridge (Forebalkan) in Bulgaria
(Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2025-11-29) Lacheva, Maria; Radoukova, Tzenka
A list of lignicolous and terricolous fungi recorded on Dragoica mountain ridge is given in this article. Here are presented a total of 169 species, mainly from Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, and the largest part of them belong to the orders: Agaricales, Boletales, Hymenochaetales, Polyporales and Russulales. Of these fungi 76 species are reported for the first time from the Forebalkan floristic region, and for 93 species are reported new localities from the Forebalkan floristic region. Eight (8) species includes in the Red List of Fungi in Bulgaria: Agaricus macrocarpus, Amanita caesarea, A. vittadinii, Discina ancilis, Hericium coralloides, Lenzites warnieri, Tuber aestivum and Tulostoma fimbriatum. The research was conducted in different habitats: beech-oak forest, oak forest, beech- hornbeam forest, azonal vegetation and the shrubs along the Batulska river, Panega river and Malki Iskar river, in meadows and pastures. Of the fungi species registered, 95 are lignicolous and 74 are terricolous. Most of lignicolous species are saprobionts (80) and 15 species are parasites. From terricolous fungi, there are 44 mycorrhizal and 30 saprobionts. Some of the species such as Clavaria fumosa, Geastrum schmidelii, Hygrocybe punicea, Leccinum quercinum, Mycena aetites, M. bulbosa, Lepiota erminea and Vuilleminia cystidiata could be highlighted as rare. Other species such as Armillaria mellea, Bovista plumbea, Lactarius piperatus, Cantharellus cibarius, Marasmius oreades, Russula cyanoxantha, Trametes hirsuta, Xerulla radicata, etc. are abundant in certain periods of the year. The xerothermic species – Leucopaxillus lepistoides deserve special attention.
Continuous integrated monitoring of meteorological conditions and air quality dynamics in the urban core of Plovdiv, Bulgaria
(Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2025-12-01) Paskaleva, Vesselina; Terzyiski, Atanas; Tenev, Stoyan; Kochev, Nikolay
This study provides a comprehensive three-year analysis (2023–2025) of meteorological conditions and air quality parameters in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The research examines the interactions between temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind characteristics, and fine particulate matter concentrations (PM₂.₅), with the goal of improving the understanding of local atmospheric dynamics and pollution patterns. Recorded temperatures ranged from −7.0°C to 40.4°C. The highest pollution episodes were consistently observed during the coldest months, largely due to intensified household heating combined with reduced atmospheric dispersion under stable winter conditions. Wind speed and direction analyses revealed a significant influence on pollutant dispersion, with lower wind speeds promoting the accumulation of airborne particles, particularly in the city’s low-lying zones. Precipitation intensity varied considerably across the study period, with the most intense events reaching up to 94.73 mm/h. These episodes were associated with temporary reductions in airborne particle concentrations due to effective washout processes. Overall, the results demonstrate a strong interdependence between meteorological variability and air pollution dynamics in Plovdiv.
Preparation and investigation of curcumin-containing PLA composite films for food packaging application
(Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2025-12-10) Viraneva, Asya; Grigorov, Aleksandar; Yovcheva, Temenuzhka
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biocompatible and biodegradable natural polymer known as a promising biopolymer that can be used for food packaging due to its good physical and physicochemical properties. This biopolymer possesses excellent thermal processability, good oxygen barrier capacity, and complete biodegradability, and it is one of the materials used as a food packaging material. PLA has a significant potential for optimizing physical properties through material modifications, including in combination with natural additives as different polyphenols. Polyphenols are a class of naturally occurring compounds found in plants, which exhibit a wide range of beneficial properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. In the present paper PLA PLA-based composite films with incorporated polyphenol curcumin with different concentrations were investigated. PLA composite films were prepared using a solution casting method. The films obtained were charged in a corona discharge. The electret properties of the charged samples were studied. The possible surface potential decay mechanisms responsible for the electret’s behavior were discussed. It was established that the surface potential decay depends on the corona polarity and the type of films.
Reintroduced Saker Falcons (Falco cherrug Gray, 1834) are dependent on European ground squirrels during the breeding period in Bulgaria
(Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2025-12-11) Georgiev, Dilian; Petrov, Rusko; Andonova, Yana; Klisurov, Ivaylo; Angelov, Ivaylo; Stamenov, Anton; Gradinarov, Dimitar; Arkumarev, Volen
This study examines the diet of the reintroduced Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) population in Bulgaria. By combining food-remain analysis, visual observations, and camera-trap monitoring, we documented 144 prey items taken by Saker Falcons during the 2020, 2024, and 2025 breeding seasons. The analysis revealed a pronounced dietary specialization: the European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) was the overwhelmingly dominant prey, representing 80.56% of all identified occurrences (N=144). Other rodent species accounted for 8.3% of the food items and birds represented 10.42% of the food items. The pronounced dependence on S. citellus underscores its essential role in the diet of the falcons. Consequently, conservation efforts should prioritize the protection and restoration of pasture systems, and the recovery of declining ground squirrel populations.
An AI-powered knowledge base for scientific abstracts: a case study on environmental DNA (eDNA) in biomonitoring
(Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2025-12-05) Baev, Vesselin; Gecheva, Gana
Environmental DNA (eDNA) refers to genetic material shed by organisms into their environment, such as water, soil, or air. As a non-invasive biomonitoring method, eDNA has revolutionized biodiversity assessment by enabling the detection of species presence without direct observation or capture. This approach is especially critical for tracking invasive, elusive, or endangered species and monitoring ecosystem changes due to climate or anthropogenic pressures. Over the past decade, a growing body of scientific literature has explored eDNA applications, resulting in a fragmented but rich landscape of domain-specific knowledge. Navigating this information is increasingly challenging for researchers and policymakers. To address this, we developed BioTrace, an AI-powered knowledge base designed to support conversational exploration of scientific abstracts focused on eDNA in biodiversity monitoring. BioTrace leverages a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architecture, integrating the mistral-saba-24b large language model via the Groq API for ultra-fast, low-latency inference. Scientific abstracts are indexed using a vector store, and retrieved passages are reranked using the all-MiniLM-L6-v2 model to improve answer relevance. Users can query the system in natural language and receive grounded, context-aware responses that synthesize findings across multiple studies. So far, the knowledge base includes more than 4000 abstracts on eDNA studies. This work demonstrates the potential of large language models (LLMs) to distil scientific literature into accessible, structured knowledge. BioTrace empowers users with real-time, interpretable insights into eDNA research, serving as a blueprint for future AI-based tools in ecological and environmental sciences.