AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF ENTREPRENEURIAL QUALITIES AMONG STUDENTS OF CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA

Regardless of country, political or cultural environment, entrepreneurial activity supports economic development, therefore the large interest expressed in this subject is constantly growing. Even if the number of studies that analyse entrepreneurial qualities is close to hundreds, they must be constantly updated in order to understand in real time the constantly changing phenomenon of entrepreneurship. This study attempts to describe the entrepreneurial qualities of students from Cluj-Napoca, Romania within various sectors of the population. In order to analyse the strength of the entrepreneurial qualities of the students from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, we designed a set of 10 questions that deal with certain entrepreneurial traits. Due to the fact that risk taking was the least common entrepreneurial quality, we decided to formulate hypotheses to help us determine what exactly influences this entrepreneurial quality and how strong these influences are

Antibacterial Activity of Monolayer Graphene Film to Standardised Staphylococcus Aureus Strains

Due to its unique, unanimously recognized properties and biocompatibility, graphene has wide potential applications in biology, biomedical science, environmental agriculture and biotechnology. The antibacterial effect of the graphene is presented in a large number of publications. Most studies reported in the specific literature were aimed mainly at understanding the interaction between graphene and graphene-based materials with cells and bacteria. Even so, there are conflicting results in some cases and there are also numerous controversies regarding the antibacterial effect of monolayer graphene film on different types of substrate.The study is aimed at testing the antibacterial activity of monolayer graphene film on a copper substrate that was covered with a Staphylococcus aureus culture, Gram-positive bacteria recognized for resilience in external environment. The antibacterial activity of the graphene was evaluated via cell-viability test. It has thus been observed that the bacterial suspension’s phisical contact with the a large-area graphene produces significant disturbances of the microorganism’s vital processes.This study may provide new insights for the better understanding of antibacterial actions of graphene applied on different substrates and opportunities for biomedical applications

Influence of Sintering Temperature on the Structure of the Yttrium Based Phosphor Nanoparticles

Yttrium-based phosphor materials belonging to the class known as garnets have witnessed a strong return with the development of the first white LEDs. Among these materials, yttrium aluminum garnet doped with cerium has become the best known, being successfully used in generating white light, due to its capacity to convert the blue light emitted by a GaN chip. But its use in optoelectronic applications is subject to the achievement of parameters such as: purity of the crystal phase and particles size in the nanoscale range. In this study, we present a modified sol-gel method for the synthesis of yttrium aluminum garnet doped with cerium (YAG:Ce). In the end, heat treatment will be carried out at various temperatures and the effect of sintering temperature on the crystal phase and morphology will be studied. To highlight the phase transition from amorphous to crystalline state, a Rigaku SmartLab X-ray Diffraction System was used. Moreover, by the X-Ray diffraction pattern we evidenced the presence of the intermediate phases such as the main oxides, the metastable phases with perovskite (YAP) and monoclinic (YAM) structure and finally the garnet phase (YAG). The presence of the dopant in the crystalline structure was demonstrated. The microstructure and morphology evolution of the particles were assessed by using the FEI Nova NanoSEM system. Getting garnet phase and particles with spherical and smooth surfaces at the nanoscale range after a sintering treatment at 1100 °C indicates a phosphor applicable in optoelectronics

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

SummaryBackground Azithromycin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 on the basis of its immunomodulatoryactions. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of azithromycin in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19Therapy [RECOVERY]), several possible treatments were compared with usual care in patients admitted to hospitalwith COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 176 hospitals in the UK. Eligible and consenting patients wererandomly allocated to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus azithromycin 500 mg once perday by mouth or intravenously for 10 days or until discharge (or allocation to one of the other RECOVERY treatmentgroups). Patients were assigned via web-based simple (unstratified) randomisation with allocation concealment andwere twice as likely to be randomly assigned to usual care than to any of the active treatment groups. Participants andlocal study staff were not masked to the allocated treatment, but all others involved in the trial were masked to theoutcome data during the trial. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality, assessed in the intention-to-treatpopulation. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936.Findings Between April 7 and Nov 27, 2020, of 16 442 patients enrolled in the RECOVERY trial, 9433 (57%) wereeligible and 7763 were included in the assessment of azithromycin. The mean age of these study participants was65·3 years (SD 15·7) and approximately a third were women (2944 [38%] of 7763). 2582 patients were randomlyallocated to receive azithromycin and 5181 patients were randomly allocated to usual care alone. Overall,561 (22%) patients allocated to azithromycin and 1162 (22%) patients allocated to usual care died within 28 days(rate ratio 0·97, 95% CI 0·87–1·07; p=0·50). No significant difference was seen in duration of hospital stay (median10 days [IQR 5 to >28] vs 11 days [5 to >28]) or the proportion of patients discharged from hospital alive within 28 days(rate ratio 1·04, 95% CI 0·98–1·10; p=0·19). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at baseline, nosignificant difference was seen in the proportion meeting the composite endpoint of invasive mechanical ventilationor death (risk ratio 0·95, 95% CI 0·87–1·03; p=0·24).Interpretation In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, azithromycin did not improve survival or otherprespecified clinical outcomes. Azithromycin use in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 should be restrictedto patients in whom there is a clear antimicrobial indication

The Impact of the European Union Sugar Sector Policy on Brazilian Poverty

This study assesses the impact of the European Union (EU) common sugar policy on Brazilian poverty levels. First, using a simple linear regression, the Brazilian and EU sugar exports to common third countries were analysed, the results showing an insignificant connection between the two. However, due to the impossibility to segregate raw and refined sugar, it was concluded that the results returned by the linear regression function were uncertain. Yet, a visual observation of the trade data revealed an augment of Brazilian sugar exports to certain third countries simultaneously with a plunge in the EU sugar exports to the same states. Considering, in addition, the vast opportunities for Brazilian sugar cane sector to expand at low production costs, it was deduced that Brazil might partly fulfil the gap left by the EU after the 2006 common market organization (CMO) for sugar reform. Next, several regression analyses and correlation matrices were performed evaluating the relations between the Brazilian the expansion of the states’ and municipalities’ sugar cane sectors, and development indicators. The analyses of the municipalities with a high importance of the sugar cane industry showed strong links between the sugar cane sector growth, and the municipalities’ changes of the GDP per capita and Human Development Indices, and educational and health systems. Yet, the correlations between the variables diverged, confirming the heterogeneity of each municipality and state. The main conclusion was that the sugar sector growth can have different outcomes for development, depending on the region, therefore the Brazilian government has to direct its resources to the sectors which are the most likely to alleviate poverty

THE INFLUENCE OF EDUCATION ON THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BEHAVIOUR IN ROMANIA

The aim of this paper is to analyze the existence of a correlation between education and the difficulties the Romanian entrepreneur faces. In order to reach this objective we studied specialized literature, which tried to define the entrepreneur, to identify his/her characteristics, behaviour, education, its importance and the link between the entrepreneur and the level of education. In the case study elaborated within this paper we analyzed quantitative variables, expressed as percentages, which describe the entrepreneur’s level of education and the difficulties he/she faces in relation to obtaining contracts and to supply and demand. The data used are annual; they refer to a period of time between 1995 and 2013 and were collected by the Romanian National Institute for Statistics. We used as analysis instruments both Microsoft Excel 2010 and the SPSS 17 statistics programme (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). We elaborated statistical tests which would confirm or contradict the existence of certain tighter or weaker links between the entrepreneur’s education and the difficulties he/she faces. The results have proven the existence of strong positive correlations between the entrepreneurs who face supply and demand difficulties and the primary, secondary and vocational levels of education. In other words, as the number of entrepreneurs with the above-mentioned levels of education increases, so does the number of entrepreneurs who face supply and demand-related difficulties. Things change when the number of entrepreneurs with high school and university education increases because the number of entrepreneurs who face supply and demand-related difficulties decreases. Limited access to credit, lack of technology and raw materials are not correlated with the entrepreneur’s level of education. Moreover, the increase in education level increases the probability that the entrepreneur face difficulties related to the low market price, the fact that the company is not well-known and lack of marketing skills. This research his useful both from a theoretical viewpoint, and from a practical one, offering an answer with regard to the correlation between education and the difficulties the Romanian entrepreneur faces

Computational Prediction of Capillary Number Impact on Droplets Formation in Microchannels

AbstractThe present microfluidic study is emphasizing the flow behavior of two immiscible fluids within a Y shape micro-bifurcation with two inlets and one outlet. We report here a numerical investigation on the interface shape dynamics manifested at different capillary numbers (Ca), by a variation of the flow rate ratios (FRR) over the inlets. The numerical flow patterns are found to be in good agreement with the experimental manifestations. We demonstrated numerically that the Ca variation has an important impact on the droplet frequency formation. Changing only the FRR of the inlets, the droplets behavior modifies drastically. From the numerical point of view, the interface shape is used to characterize the manifestation of droplet formation

THE INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC ASPECTS UPON BUSINESS ETHICS IN ROMANIAN INDIVIDUALS

The purpose of this research was to analyze the existence in Romania of a correlation between the level of business ethics and three variables (age, gender and background). In order to achieve this objective, we studied the scientific literature which tries to define ethics and business ethics, its characteristics, the elements which influence it. In the case study designed within this paper, the presence of business ethics as entrepreneurial quality in Romanian individuals is analyzed based on the data collected from the responses provided by 1460 respondents in a questionnaire. The variables refer both to the level at which business ethics is found in the behaviour of Romanians, and to their gender, age and background. The database thus put together was processed with the Microsoft Excel Programme and the statistics software SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). The analysis shows that almost half of the respondents (43.56%) have a very high level of business ethics, being followed by those whose level of this entrepreneurial quality is high (29.11%). Those with an average level of business ethics represent 13.42%; 7.88% represent individuals with low level of business ethics, and 6.03% are those with a very low level of this entrepreneurial quality. Then we studied the relations between the occurrence of business ethics in the behaviour of the respondents and their age, gender and background. We carried out statistical tests which would support or reject the existence of some tighter or weaker relations between business ethics and the three variables. Of the three variables analyzed in relation to business ethics, it was proven that the latter is in correlation with all of them. This means that age, gender and background have a major contribution to acquiring this entrepreneurial quality. The results of this research can represent a major source of information for the political decision makers who have to implement measures for helping those living in rural areas, for supporting the youth, and for fighting gender-based discriminatio

A Preliminary Investigation of Female Entrepreneurs’ Behavior in Romania

The aim of this paper is to carry out a preliminary analysis of the Romanian female entrepreneurs’ behavior. In order to reach this aim we studied the specialized literature which tries to define the entrepreneur, the feminine entrepreneur, to identify the women’s motivation to become entrepreneurs, the required skills, as well as the potential similarities and differences between female and male entrepreneurs. In the case study we elaborated in this paper, the percentage of women-entrepreneurs from the total number of entrepreneurs who set up a new business represents the independent variable. We used as dependent variable quantitative variables expressed in percentages which describe the situation of newly founded enterprises one year into their set up (active, inactive and liquidated), the size of the newly founded enterprise (0 employees, 1 to 49 employees, and over 49 employees) and the type of employment (employers, full-time employees, part-time employees). The data we used are annual, refer to a period of time ranging from 1995 to 2013, and were gathered by the Romanian National Institute of Statistics. The conclusions show that the percentage of Romanian women-entrepreneurs is in tight link with the percentage of active companies one year into their set up. As regards the size of the company, we noticed that women-entrepreneurs own companies with fewer employees. And when referring to the head-office of the company, we notices that it is not influenced by the increase or decrease of the percentage of Romanian women-entrepreneurs

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AND THE INTERNAL MIGRATION IN ROMANIA

This article analyzes the influence of the internal population migration phenomenon on unemployment in Romania. During the analyzed period, the years between 1991 and 2015, Romania has gone through important economic and social changes and the long-time economic crisis generated a high unemployment rate involving reduced chances of re-employing the unemployed. At the same time the internal migration rate from urban to urban area, respectively from urban to rural area shows the fact that in Romania the population living in cities is influenced by the professional status and they take risks easier than the ones that come from rural area. The conducted research has a high degree of novelty as it refers to internal migration that, besides the external one, may generate economic unbalances and this is the reason why we take into consideration that these analyzed aspects and tendencies be known and taken into consideration especially by the decision factors at socioeconomic level