The Necessity of Reconsidering the Concept of Non-formal Education

AbstractReaching the educational finalities that derive from the educational ideal of the Romanian school, stipulated into the National Education Law no. 1/2011, article 1, line (3), is conditioned by the ensuring of a functional complementarity between the three forms of education: formal, non-formal and informal.In the present study we suggest both a re-consideration and a re-signification of the concept of non-formal education taking into consideration the current educational paradigms, the conceptual, curricular and methodological current evolutions and the legal context

Screening for phenotypic and genotypic resistance to antibiotics in Gram positive pathogens

Gram positive bacteria such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin resistant enterococci or multidrug resistant Streptococcus spp. are increasingly involved in severe infections with serious clinical consequences. The aim of this study is to investigate phenotypic and genotypic resistance traits in Gram positive pathogens isolated from clinical specimens in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. A total number of 31 Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. strains were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disc diffusion, while the carriage of 26 antibiotic resistance genes and of class 1 integron was assessed by PCR. Bacterial pathogens included in this study were mostly susceptible to folate pathway inhibitors (100%), oxazolidinones (97%), fosfomycins (93%) and glycopeptides (92%). Enterococci, staphylococci and streptococci displayed high levels of phenotypic resistance to penicillins, tetracyclines and macrolides, a percentage of 42% being multidrug resistant. The strains under this study proved to be able to produce β-lactamase enzymes encoded by the TEM-1 gene and aminoglycoside modifying enzymes due to the carriage of aac(6’)-Ie-aph(2”) gene, to possess ribosomal protection mechanisms for macrolide and tetracycline resistance associated with ermB, ermC and tet(M) genes and to bear efflux genes tet(A), tet(B), tet(C) ant tet(L). Class 1 integron integrase was detected in 16% of the isolates, but no significant correlations were found between the carriage of intI1 gene and the phenotypic or genotypic resistance among the Gram positive pathogens investigated. Farcas et al (PDF

Evolution of the Birth Rates and Infant Mortality Rates between 1990-2007 in Cluj District

The quality of drinking-water in Cluj-Napoca is controlled through a combination of measures: protection of water sources, control of treatment processes and management of the distribution and handling of the water. The first component, protection of water sources may be done only knowing as much of water quality and of the factors that threaten it. The present paper reveals the water source of Cluj, Gilău Lake and his affluent Someşul Rece River monitoring in a period of 5 years, between 2005 and 2009, their physical, chemical and microbiological parameters being monitored once a month, watching on the evolution of water quality. This surveillance offers a review of the safety and acceptability of drinking water supplies in Cluj County and contributes with several applicative aspects towards water quality supervision and evolution in time of the big dam reservoirs and their tributaries, which may be a major source of pollution downstream. Descriptive analyses, including the mean value, variability, trends, correlations and graphic displays were performed; SPSS and Epi-Info 2000 statistical software were used. Data analysis revealed that the good quality of Gilău Lake regarding physical and chemical parameters led to its framing in A1 quality category, except for ammonium and microbiological parameters, which allowed the framing in A2 quality category. Major averages in Someşul Rece than in Gilău Lake, up to 14 fold for faecal coliforms indicates the fact that the river worked out an important and constant pollution cause for Gilău water source during the period of time considered