PARTICULARITIES REGARDING THE EXECUTION OF THINNINGS IN TURKEY OAK AND HUNGARIAN OAK STANDS FROM SOUTHERN ROMANIA

The study reveals the results of undertaken research concerning the Hungarian oak and Turkey oak stands in southern Romania, which capture the structural changes following the execution of thinnings in this type of stands. The obtained results, having a great practicability, show that the present structure of the studied stands is far from the optimal one, established in relation to the set type of management objective and their functions. The study also highlights the importance of systematic covering of stands with thinnings and respecting their cycle. In the end, the study gives practical recommendations concerning the mode of intervention (in thinnings execution), consisting of choosing the trees to be extracted in order to improve the stands structure, growth and quality and their functional effectiveness, as well as directing their present composition towards the target composition

CURRENT WORKING TECHNOLOGIES FOR DRAFTING FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS

This paper identifies the technology and working methods used to develop drafts of forest management plans, with therequired activities – executed using modern technologies and existing equipment –being indicated. Each operation in the drafting is described in detail, including the working technologies, organisation of the workplaces, training units, measurement units, instruments and equipment, working conditions with specific influence factors, and elements that contribute to the updating of working methodologies in the drafting and increase labour productivity

APPLICATION OF GPS TEHNOLIGY (GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM) IN FOREST INVENTORY STATISTICS

This paper presents a methodology based on the use of GPS technology to identify network sample areas for statistical inventory stands, purposes. The proposed method facilitates the designer's work on the sample location and materialization, working time is reduced significantly because it is no longer necessary to measure distances between sample plots, and the field orientation is much easier and avoids the subjectivity in establishing the centers of sample areas, meaning their quadratic grid. Therefore, using GPS technology in sample surfaces location brings clear improvements to that one presently used for the statistical inventory works of exploitable stands (both for the precision and the duration of execution), so that its practical application is not only useful, but even recommended

Aspects for the determination of thinning intensity in Quercus cerris and Quercus frainetto stands in Oltenia Plain

The intensity of the thinning, showing quantum of the extracts, makes a balancebetween the competition and the mutual help between the species, and in the same species too. By the made researches, it was established the gathering rating values for the thinning (that express in percentages the extras possible volume to an intervention) specific to Oltenia Plain, and the relation between the average diameter to the extras trees by the thinning and the stand diameter before doing this.The obtain results, with a big application, show that the extraction maximumrealizes in the youth at 30-35 years, when the extracts quantum in about 6,8-7,5% by the total volume, period when the growths in diameter and in base area are maximum, and the average diameter of the trees which can extract by thinning represents 78% by the average diameter to Quercus cerris and 82-83% to the Quercus frainetto

Advances and innovations in thoracic esophageal cancer surgery

Cancerul esofagian este o afecțiune malignă agresivă cu o incidență în continuă creștere și un prognostic nefavorabil. Tratamentul cancerului esofagian a devenit mai eficient in prezent prin abordarea multidisciplinară și prin crearea unor centre de excelență cu un volum mare de patologie esofagiană. Progresele în stadializare, tehnologia chirurgicală, terapia neoadjuvantă și îngrijirea perioperatorie au determinat reducerea morbidității și a mortalității. Principiul de bază actual al tratamentului curativ pentru boala localizată este intervenția chirurgicală, asociată cu radi-ochimioterapia neoadjuvantă pentru stadiile avansate local. Pentru a reduce morbiditatea postoper-atorie, au fost introduse în urmă cu 32 de ani, în arsenalul terapeutic al cancerului esofagian și tehnicile chirurgicale minim invazive. Există însă controverse legate de utilizarea abordului min-im invaziv în practică deoarece necesită o bază tehnică pretențioasă și dificil de accesat, o tehnică operatorie laborioasă și are o curbă lungă de învățare. Utilizarea tehnicilor chirurgicale minim invazive în tratamentul cancerului esofagian toracic, a avut totuși un impact important asupra morbidității și mortalității post-esofagectomie.Esophageal cancer is an aggressive malignancy with an increasing incidence and an unfavorable prognosis. The treatment of esophageal cancer has become more effective nowadays through the multidisciplinary approach and the creation of centers of excellence with a large volume of esoph-ageal pathology. Advances in staging, surgical technology, neoadjuvant therapy, and perioperative care have reduced morbidity and mortality. The current basic principle of curative treatment for localized disease is surgery, associated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced stages. To reduce postoperative morbidity, minimally invasive surgical techniques and surgical techniques were introduced 32 years ago in the therapeutic arsenal of esophageal cancer. However, there is controversy about the use of the minimally invasive approach in practice because it re-quires a demanding and difficult to access technical basis, a laborious surgical technique and a long learning curve. The use of minimally invasive surgical techniques in the treatment of thoracic esophageal cancer, however, had a significant impact on post-esophagectomy morbidity and mortality

Fraud related to EU funds. The case of Romania

According to the latest PIF report on the protection of the financial interests of the European Union, in 2021 Romania reported to the European Commission fraud related to European projects worth 1.4 billion euros. The reported amount is quite impressive as it represents over 80% of the total amounts reported as being fraudulently obtained in 2021 by all member states, making Romania a true performer in this regard at the European level. Starting from these values, using descriptive statistics, the study analyzes the data reported by Romania in the last ten years, compared to the other EU member states, data extracted from the PIF Reports (2012-2021), trying to verify if Romania’s status as a champion in terms of fraud with European funds is fully deserved or circumstantial. Although the numbers show that Romania is indeed a performer in this regard, both in terms of value and the number of reported cases, these values must be viewed in context, as they are influenced by a wide series of factors, including reporting errors, the capacity and willingness of member states to detect irregularities, as well as the particularities of the awarding procedures and contracting periods. Also, in the end, the paper presents some recommendations for strengthening efforts to combat the phenomenon of fraud related to EU funds in Romania

Automatic approach procedure of a flying vehicle on a mobile platform using backstepping controller

This paper presents the automatic approach procedure of a flying vehicle, attached to an ABB 7600 robot, and a mobile platform, attached to a Stewart platform. Due to a nonlinear dynamic behavior, it is necessary to implement complex control, stabilization and guidance schemes. The proposed solution for this system includes the development of an algorithm based on a backstepping control method, the controller design methodology being based on Lyapunov's stability theory. The proposed command law requires that the states are known, but it is also necessary to introduce a series of state estimators. Tracking a mobile platform is critical in surveillance, reconnaissance and tracking missions, with the control methodology defining a clear distinction between translational and rotational dynamics. The proposed algorithm is developed by separating two types of states involving an inverse kinematics, known as algebraic kinematics, in which the dynamic movements of the two pieces of equipment are used. The dynamics of the ABB 7600 robot involves a movement with seven degrees of freedom, while the Stewart platform can be used with a movement of six degrees of freedom. The proposed algorithm is implemented in both Matlab software and experimental testing. This paper provides results in terms of generating dynamics for both devices that can be used for simulating different scenarios of aerospace missions

The minimally invasive approach to adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction - the experience of the Sf Maria General and Esophageal Surgery Clinic

Chirurgia minim invazivă este din ce în ce mai indicată în patologia oncologică. Deși esofagectomia este o operație dificilă cu o curbă lungă de învățare, există de fapt o deplasare către abordarea laparoscopică/toracoscopică/robotică datorită avantajelor vizualizării, confortului chirurgului (chirurgie robotică) și posibilității întregii echipe de a vedea operația in acelasi fel ca si chirurgul operator. Deși în prezent există încă multe subiecte controversate despre tratamentul chirurgical al pacienților cu adenocarcinom al joncțiunii esogastrice, cum ar fi tipul de abord chirurgical deschis sau minim invaziv, tipul de rezecție esogastrică, tipul de limfodisecție și altele, abordul minim invaziv s-a dovedit o modalitate de reducere a complicațiilor postoperatorii ale esofagectomiei, în special a complicațiilor pulmonare. Implementarea noilor tehnologii a permis lărgirea gamei de indicații pentru acest tip de abord chirurgical. Rezultatele obtinute imediat si la distanta, precum beneficiile pentru pacient - agresivitate chirurgicala redusa, recuperare rapida si nu in ultimul rand beneficiul estetic, ofera acestui tip de tratament chirurgical premisele dezvoltarii viitoare. Aceasta prezentare trece în revistă experienta Clinicii de Chirurgie Generala si Esofagiana Sf Maria privind abordarea minim invazivă pentru adenocarcinomul joncțiunii esofago-gastrice.Minimally invasive surgery is increasingly indicated in oncological pathology. Although esophagectomy is a difficult operation with a long learning curve, there is actually a shift towards the laparoscopic/thoracoscopic/robotic approach due to the advantages of visualization, surgeon comfort (robotic surgery) and the possibility of the whole team to see the operation as well as and the operating surgeon. Although currently there are still many controversial topics about the surgical treatment of patients with esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma, such as the type of open or minimally invasive surgical approach, the type of esogastric resection, the type of lymph node dissection and others, the minimally invasive approach has proven to be a way to reduce postoperative complications of esophagectomy, especially by reducing pulmonary complications. The implementation of new technologies allowed the widening of the range of indications for this type of surgical approach. The results obtained immediately and at a distance, as well as the benefits for the patient - reduced surgical aggression, quick recovery and last but not least the aesthetic benefit, offer this type of surgical treatment the premises for future development. This presentation reviews the experience of the General Surgery and Esophageal Clinic of Sf Maria regarding the minimally invasive approach for esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma

Effect of natalizumab on disease progression in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (ASCEND). a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with an open-label extension

Background: Although several disease-modifying treatments are available for relapsing multiple sclerosis, treatment effects have been more modest in progressive multiple sclerosis and have been observed particularly in actively relapsing subgroups or those with lesion activity on imaging. We sought to assess whether natalizumab slows disease progression in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, independent of relapses. Methods: ASCEND was a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (part 1) with an optional 2 year open-label extension (part 2). Enrolled patients aged 18–58 years were natalizumab-naive and had secondary progressive multiple sclerosis for 2 years or more, disability progression unrelated to relapses in the previous year, and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores of 3·0–6·5. In part 1, patients from 163 sites in 17 countries were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive 300 mg intravenous natalizumab or placebo every 4 weeks for 2 years. Patients were stratified by site and by EDSS score (3·0–5·5 vs 6·0–6·5). Patients completing part 1 could enrol in part 2, in which all patients received natalizumab every 4 weeks until the end of the study. Throughout both parts, patients and staff were masked to the treatment received in part 1. The primary outcome in part 1 was the proportion of patients with sustained disability progression, assessed by one or more of three measures: the EDSS, Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW), and 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT). The primary outcome in part 2 was the incidence of adverse events and serious adverse events. Efficacy and safety analyses were done in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01416181. Findings: Between Sept 13, 2011, and July 16, 2015, 889 patients were randomly assigned (n=440 to the natalizumab group, n=449 to the placebo group). In part 1, 195 (44%) of 439 natalizumab-treated patients and 214 (48%) of 448 placebo-treated patients had confirmed disability progression (odds ratio [OR] 0·86; 95% CI 0·66–1·13; p=0·287). No treatment effect was observed on the EDSS (OR 1·06, 95% CI 0·74–1·53; nominal p=0·753) or the T25FW (0·98, 0·74–1·30; nominal p=0·914) components of the primary outcome. However, natalizumab treatment reduced 9HPT progression (OR 0·56, 95% CI 0·40–0·80; nominal p=0·001). In part 1, 100 (22%) placebo-treated and 90 (20%) natalizumab-treated patients had serious adverse events. In part 2, 291 natalizumab-continuing patients and 274 natalizumab-naive patients received natalizumab (median follow-up 160 weeks [range 108–221]). Serious adverse events occurred in 39 (13%) patients continuing natalizumab and in 24 (9%) patients initiating natalizumab. Two deaths occurred in part 1, neither of which was considered related to study treatment. No progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy occurred. Interpretation: Natalizumab treatment for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis did not reduce progression on the primary multicomponent disability endpoint in part 1, but it did reduce progression on its upper-limb component. Longer-term trials are needed to assess whether treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis might produce benefits on additional disability components. Funding: Biogen

Les droits disciplinaires des fonctions publiques : « unification », « harmonisation » ou « distanciation ». A propos de la loi du 26 avril 2016 relative à la déontologie et aux droits et obligations des fonctionnaires

The production of tt‾ , W+bb‾ and W+cc‾ is studied in the forward region of proton–proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.98±0.02 fb−1 . The W bosons are reconstructed in the decays W→ℓν , where ℓ denotes muon or electron, while the b and c quarks are reconstructed as jets. All measured cross-sections are in agreement with next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions.The production of $t\overline{t}$, $W+b\overline{b}$ and $W+c\overline{c}$ is studied in the forward region of proton-proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.98 $\pm$ 0.02 \mbox{fb}^{-1}. The $W$ bosons are reconstructed in the decays $W\rightarrow\ell\nu$, where $\ell$ denotes muon or electron, while the $b$ and $c$ quarks are reconstructed as jets. All measured cross-sections are in agreement with next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions