Human Factor’s Involvement in the Consumer Protection Management

The study emphasizes the results of the excellence research dedicated to theoretical and practical basics for the human factor involvement in the consumer protection management between 2008 – 2009 at the level of National Authority for Consumer Protection, the Region Committee for Consumer Protection Sibiu, and the Brasov County Committee for Consumer Protection. The article presents several elements regarding consumer protection management and the manager’s profession in the consumer protection field. In order to reflect the human factor’s degree of involvement in the consumer protection management we carried out a survey at the level of National Authority for Consumer Protection (NACP). The findings of our study imply that consumer protection and its management represent a new step of human civilization, a better quality life style, implying the intensive use of information from various fields, involving the human factor not only as a producer, but also as a consumer, with a great economic and social impact. Under these circumstances, consumer protection management at the level of NACP and its local institutions is an important source of information and decision; this is not only as a way of data processing. Moreover, in order to be socially efficient visible it is necessary to imply operational and top management in fields of planning-decision, organization-coordination, training-leading and controlling-monitoring, all of them being in a special position of priority. All these allowed us to present some solutions for improving the activity of NACP, from the point of view of the human factor’s involvement in this institution’s management.consumer protection, human factor, consumer protection management, manager in the field of consumer protection, NACP

Education and Training Needs in the Field of Consumer Protection in the Lower Danube Region

The issues of consumer rights and consumer welfare are increasingly important, especially in the current economic climate in which the ability to make informed choices represents a real advantage in consumers’ daily life. In order to make their purchases with confidence, both in their country and abroad, consumers need easy access to precise information and to professional advice. Taking into account the fact that education and training are a strategic factor for a sustainable development through contribution to human capital development, within the Romania–Bulgaria Cross-Border Cooperation Program 2007–2013, the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, Romania and the D. Tsenov Academy of Economics in Svisthov, Bulgaria decided to collaborate in the field “Cooperation on human resources development – joint development of skills and knowledge”, through the development of cross-border liaisons and exchanges between the two universities. Our objective is to bring up new methods of training in the field of consumer protection in order to train and to supply the labour market with specialized experts in this field in charge with various issues regarding consumers in enterprises, in organizations in charge with elaborating consumer protection policies and in organizations in charge with market supervision and control and also in consumers’ associations. We consider that in this way we meet both consumers’ and employers’ needs because economic agents need professionals in the field as well, in order to advise them in their quest to protect the rights and interests of consumers. Also, Meglena Kuneva, the European Commissioner for Consumer Protection, noted that studies conducted at European level revealed that there is a high level of interest for recruiting qualified experts in the field of consumer protection shown by large companies, national governments, small and medium enterprises and consumers’ associations. In order to evaluate the requirement for education and training in the field of consumer protection in the Lower Danube Region, we decided to collect and study the necessary information, both at EU level as well as those specific to the counties bordering the Danube, information which sustain the need for the establishment of a new form of expert training in this field. As a result, the paper brings up aspects regarding the need for training experts in the field of consumer protection, referring to the Romanian counties bordering the Danube and neighbouring Bulgaria. Also, this report presents the findings of a research project whose aim is to evaluate the availability of prerequisites for seeking educational products in the field of consumer protection in Bulgaria. The institutional framework of the process in Bulgaria has been analyzed and the results of a survey among the representatives of the four parties involved in it – government authorities, NGOs, consumers and suppliers – have been presented. The research presents their point of view regarding the extent to which the process of consumer protection in Bulgaria is developed, what are the major obstacles it faces, what means of improvement are there, to what extent the more active offer of educational products would facilitate the process and based on this, what would the role played by the institutions of higher education be, what types of educational products would best be realized on the market in a short-term and medium term aspect. The motivation for such research is related both to the strive to improve the status of the consumer rights protection in Bulgaria and the intention of Tsenov Academy of Economics in Svishtov, Bulgaria and the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest to collaborate towards intensifying the cross-border co-operation and facilitate the human resource development in the region by jointly offering educational products.consumer protection, educational needs, educational products, training

Ileana Roman, Tudor Rățoi, Enciclopedia Județului Mehedinți – Dicționar (Mehedinti County Encyclopaedia – dictionary), Drobeta-Turnu Severin, PRIER Press, 2021, 928 p.

In October 2021 Prier Press, from Drobeta-Turnu Severin, added to the Romanian historiographical treasure a valuable lexicographical work entitled The Encyclopedia of Mehedinţi County – Dictionary, “a premiere, not only for Mehedinţi County” (p. 5), made by Ileana Roman and Tudor Răţoi, authors and coordinators

BASAL STERILITY OF WHEAT EARS - INDEX OF SENSITIVITY TO DELAYED SPRING FROZEN AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH YIELD AND PRODUCTIVITY ELEMENTS, IN THE CLIMATIC CONDITIONS OF 2020 YEAR AT ARDS CARACAL

The special climatic conditions manifested in the spring of 2020 at ARDS Caracal by the appearance of frosts delayed for 2 consecutive days, brought changes in the architecture of the wheat ear by the appearance of the phenomenon of basal sterility. For 200 wheat varieties of different origins (Romanian, French, Austrian, German, Swiss, mixed, hybrid wheat germplasm) the basal sterility manifested was determined at maturity. Ten ears of each variety / replication constituted the analyzed sample. Mixed germplasm (52 wheat varieties from all over Europe) had an basal sterility average rate of 11.4% - the lowest in the experiment. At the opposite pole was the German germplasm with an average percentage of 17.1%. The lowest amplitudes between the maximum and minimum valuesof basal sterility were recorded in hybrid wheat and Romanian germplasm (13.5-13.6%). The highest amplitude was recorded in the French germplasm – 19,1 %. The correlations performed highlighted the distinctly significant negative relationship between the basal sterility and the yield obtained; the significant positive relationship between yield and the note reflecting frost resistance; the significant negative relationship between the test weight and the days from 01.01 to heading date

RESEARCH REGARDING THE BEHAVIOR OF SOME RAPE HYBRIDS CULTIVATED IN CARACAL PLAIN

The paper aims is to draw the attention of specialists in agriculture and farmers,especially those from the area of influence of the Agricultural Research Development Station Caracal, of the importance of choosing hybrids of rape, taking in account thenclimate and soil conditions in the region of Caracal Plain.Precocity of hybrids, blooming period, productivity elements and STAS grain production parameters are investigated and analyzed in the experiences carried out during 2013 - 2014 using vegetable creations from companies’ representative in Romania for rape crops. The assortment of hybrids tested capitalized very well the climatic conditions of the area, generating productions between 3200 and 4100 kg/ha, values obtained as the average of two years of experimentation, with a small variations of production, which highlights the stability of production and hence quality of the vegetable creations marketed by firms whose portfolio contain

Comparative Characterization of the TiN and TiAlN Coatings Deposited on a New WC-Co Tool Using a CAE-PVD Technique

The main objective of this work was to assess and compare the structure and mechanical properties of the TiN and TiAlN coatings deposited on a new WC-Co tool using the cathodic arc evaporation vacuum deposition (CAE-PVD) technique. The cutting tool was sintered at high temperature and high pressure using a powder tungsten carbide matrix ligated with cobalt (WC-Co). Powdered grain growth inhibitors (TiC, TaC, and NbC) were admixed into the matrix to enhance its strength and to facilitate the adhesion of the Ti base coatings. Detailed scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were performed, aiming to substantiate the effectiveness of the inhibitor additions. XRD data were thoroughly exploited to estimate the phase contents, average crystallite sizes (D), coating thicknesses (t), texture coefficients (Thkl), and residual stress levels (σ). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to calculate the average roughness (Ra) and the root mean square (Rq). The microhardness (µHV) was measured using the Vickers method. The TiAlN characteristics (D = 55 nm, t = 3.6 μm, T200 = 1.55, µHV = 3187; σ = −2.8 GPa, Ra = 209 nm, Rq = 268 nm) compared to TiN ones (D = 66 nm, t = 4.3 μm, T111 = 1.52, µHV = 2174; σ = +2.2 GPa, Ra = 246 nm, Rq = 309 nm) substantiate the better adequacy of the TiAlN coating for the WC-Co substrate. The structural features and data on the TiN and TiAlN coatings, the tool type, the different stress kinds exerted into these coatings, and the way of discrimination of the coating adequacy are the novelties addressed in the paper

Determination of VEGFR-2 (KDR) 604A>G Polymorphism in Pancreatic Disorders

Pancreatic disorders have a high prevalence worldwide. Despite the fact that screening methods became more effective and the knowledge we have nowadays about pancreatic diseases has enhanced, their incidence remains high. Our purpose was to determine whether single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of VEGFR-2/KDR (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2/kinase insert domain receptor) influences susceptibility to develop pancreatic pathology. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples collected from patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis (n = 110), chronic pancreatitis (n = 25), pancreatic cancer (n = 82) and healthy controls (n = 232). VEGFR-2 (KDR) 604A>G (rs2071559) polymorphism frequency was determined with TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Statistical assessment was performed by associating genetic polymorphism with clinical and pathological data. In both pancreatic disorders and healthy control groups the polymorphism we studied was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Association between increased risk for pancreatic disorders and studied polymorphism was statistically significant. KDR 604AG and AG + GG genotypes were more prevalent in acute pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer patients than in controls. These genotypes influence disease development in a low rate. No association was found between chronic pancreatitis and KDR 604AG and AG + GG genotypes. In Romanian cohort, we found an association between the KDR 604A→G polymorphism and acute pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Carriers of the -604G variant allele were more frequent among acute pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer than among controls, suggesting that KDR 604G allele may confer an increased risk for these diseases. In the future, more extensive studies on larger groups are necessary, in order to clarify the role of VEGFR2 polymorphisms in pancreatic pathology

Design, Characterization, and Anticancer and Antimicrobial Activities of Mucoadhesive Oral Patches Loaded with Usnea barbata (L.) F. H. Wigg Ethanol Extract F-UBE-HPMC

The oral cavity’s common pathologies are tooth decay, periodontal disease, and oral cancer; oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most frequent oral malignancy, with a high mortality rate. Our study aims to formulate, develop, characterize, and pharmacologically investigate the oral mucoadhesive patches (F-UBE-HPMC) loaded with Usnea barbata (L.) F.H. Wigg dry ethanol extract (UBE), using HPMC K100 as a film-forming polymer. Each patch contains 312 µg UBE, with a total phenolic content (TPC) of 178.849 µg and 33.924 µg usnic acid. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were performed for their morphological characterization, followed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Pharmacotechnical evaluation involved the measurement of the specific parameters for mucoadhesive oral patches as follows: weight uniformity, thickness, folding endurance, tensile strength, elongation, moisture content, pH, disintegration time, swelling rate, and ex vivo mucoadhesion time. Thus, each F-UBE-HPMC has 104 ± 4.31 mg, a pH = 7.05 ± 0.04, a disintegration time of 130 ± 4.14 s, a swelling ratio of 272 ± 6.31% after 6 h, and a mucoadhesion time of 102 ± 3.22 min. Then, F-UBE-HPMCs pharmacological effects were investigated using brine shrimp lethality assay (BSL assay) as a cytotoxicity prescreening test, followed by complex flow cytometry analyses on blood cell cultures and oral epithelial squamous cell carcinoma CLS-354 cell line. The results revealed significant anticancer effects by considerably increasing oxidative stress and blocking DNA synthesis in CLS-354 cancer cells. The antimicrobial potential against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27353, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, and Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019 was assessed by a Resazurin-based 96-well plate microdilution method. The patches moderately inhibited both bacteria strains growing and displayed a significant antifungal effect, higher on C. albicans than on C. parapsilosis. All these properties lead to considering F-UBE-HPMC suitable for oral disease prevention and therapy