FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT

This paper is a fine approach of an actual problem in Romania, analyzed from the point of view of the companies which are socially involved and support this cause. The increasing number of the breast cancer cases represent an alarm signal for Romanian women, this being the reason for which the most important leaders who are well-known for their activity in the area of feminine beauty or for a healthy lifestyle, contribute by solidarity and involvement in the breast cancer problem. Our topic has as objectives the identification of the information level among Romanian women regarding preventive measures and screening of breast cancer, on one hand, and determining the impact of the corporations in supporting the fight against breast cancer, on the other hand. The research methodology consisted in conducting some interviews with Romanian doctors, in order to identify the main obstacles in the way of early detection of cancer, but also in finding solutions for raising the information level among Romanian women. We also analyzed the most important campaigns of the companies which are socially involved in this area and we continued our research with a questionnaire applied to a number of 215 respondents. The results of the quantitative and qualitative research contribute to the awareness on the importance of the companies which practice socially responsible management, in the fight against breast cancer

THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT IN MARKETING

This paper approaches various issues, such as gender discrimination, equality, under the umbrella of a more complex concept like feminism. The feminist movement had several waves, influencing also fields like marketing and serving the interests of great companies, which swing between the image of a housewife or a sexualized woman and that of a powerful and independent one. The paper’s objectives are identifying the portrait of the woman in marketing campaigns and finding solutions for raising the awareness related to discrimination and feminism. The research methodology consisted in a number of 20 interviews that led to establishing research directions and hypothesis for the quantitative research realized by applying a questionnaire on 154 respondents. The results of the qualitative and quantitative research contribute to the awareness of the danger represented by prejudgments and discrimination

Peat bog and alluvial deposits reveal land degradation during 16th and 17th century colonisation of the western Carpathians (Czech Republic)

Wallachian (shepherd) colonisation of the upper parts of Carpathians, the second largest mountain range in Europe, provides a unique opportunity to study human-induced ecological changes and subsequent sediment mobilisation within slope and fluvial systems. The Wallachians came to the nearly pristine landscape in the Czech part of the Western Carpathians during the 16–17th Century bringing large scale deforestation and grazing to the upper parts of its ridges. Despite the importance of this event, there is a lack of high-resolution multi-proxy reconstructions to help to decipher the relative influence of anthropogenic and climate factors on this landscape. Here we provide a ca. 2.1 kyr record obtained from a peat bog where, using chronological, sedimentological and pollen analyses, we were able to differentiate between environmental conditions before, during and after colonisation. Prior to colonisation, climate deterioration following the onset of Little Ice Age caused changes in forest composition and erosion events (causing a ~AD 0–1500 gap in the record). Abrupt human-induced deforestation detected in the pollen record, together with the abundant fine-grained minerogenic content of peat deposits between AD ~1640 and AD 1870, correspond to increased runoff and sheet erosion on slopes; enhanced by Little Ice Age climate deterioration. The sedimentary record in alluvial deposits downstream indicates that the colonisation of the mountain slopes in this region not only had a local effect on soil degradation, but it also increased the net aggradation of overbank deposits within valley floors. After reforestation, net aggradation was replaced by river incision into alluvia

Design, synthesis, and preliminary evaluation for Ti-Mo-Zr-Ta-Si alloys for potential implant applications

Considering the future trends of biomaterials, current studies are focused on the corrosion resistance and the mechanical properties of new materials that need to be considered in the process of strengthening alloys with additive non-toxic elements. Many kinds of titanium alloys with different biocompatible elements (Mo, Si, Zr, etc.,) have been recently developed for their similar properties with human bone. Four new different alloys were obtained and investigated regarding their microstructure, mechanical, chemical, and biological behavior (in vitro and in vivo evaluation), the alloys are as follows: Ti15Mo7Zr15Ta, Ti15Mo7Zr15Ta0.5Si, Ti15Mo7Zr15Ta0.75Si, and Ti15Mo7Zr15Ta1Si. There were changes with the addition of the silicon element such as the hardness and the modulus of elasticity increased. An MTT assay confirmed the in vitro cytocompatibility of the prepared alloys

A 2500-yr late holocenemulti-proxy record of vegetation and hydrologic changes from a cave guano-clay sequence in SW Romania

We provide sedimentological, geochemical, mineral magnetic, stable carbon isotope, charcoal, and pollen-based evidence froma guano/clay sequence in Gaura cuMuscă Cave (SWRomania), fromwhichwe deduced that from ~1230 BC to ~AD 1240 climate oscillated betweenwet and dry. From ~1230 BC to AD 1000 the climate was wetter than the present, prompting flooding of the cave, preventing bats fromroosting, and resulting in a slowrate of clay accumulation. The second half of the MedievalWarm Period (MWP) was generally drier; the cave experienced occasional flash flooding in between which maternity bat roosts established in the cave. One extremely wet event occurred around AD 1170, when Fe/Mn and Ti/Zr ratios show the highest values coincident with a substantial increase of sediment load in the underground stream. The mineral magnetic characteristics for the second part of the MWP indicate the partial input of surface-sourced sediments reflecting agricultural development and forest clearance in the area. Pollen and microcharcoal studies confirm that the overall vegetation cover and human land use have not changed much in this region since the medieval times

Palaeoenvironmental information from the palynology of an 800 year old bat guano deposit from Măgurici Cave, NW Transylvania (Romania)

Pollen analysis of a 270 cm deep guano deposit from Măgurici Cave (NW Romania) was performed to understand the vegetation dynamics and the influence of deforestation and farming activities that unfolded in the Transylvania area over the past 800 years. The study discusses the value of cave guano as a source of palaeoclimate data and tests if guano sequences record the same signals as other proxies (tree rings, speleothems, lakes or peat). The pollen record extracted from Măgurici Cave guano is consistent with the known vegetation history during the Late Subatlantic period, exhibiting two climate events: the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age. Human influence on vegetation is also revealed, especially in modern times, by the decrease of arboreal pollen, the increase of herbaceous taxa related to grazing and the occurrences of cereals. Cave bat guano is emphasized as a source of valuable palaeoclimate data, especially in areas where no conventional archives are available

Assortative mixing of opinions about COVID-19 vaccination in personal networks

Abstract Many countries worldwide had difficulties reaching a sufficiently high vaccination uptake during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given this context, we collected data from a panel of 30,000 individuals, which were representative of the population of Romania (a country in Eastern Europe with a low 42.6% vaccination rate) to determine whether people are more likely to be connected to peers displaying similar opinions about COVID-19 vaccination. We extracted 443 personal networks, amounting to 4430 alters. We estimated multilevel logistic regression models with random-ego-level intercepts to predict individual opinions about COVID-19 vaccination. Our evidence indicates positive opinions about the COVID-19 vaccination cluster. Namely, the likelihood of having a positive opinion about COVID-19 vaccination increases when peers have, on average, a more positive attitude than the rest of the nodes in the network (OR 1.31, p < 0.001). We also found that individuals with higher education and age are more likely to hold a positive opinion about COVID-19 vaccination. With the given empirical data, our study cannot reveal whether this assortative mixing of opinions is due to social influence or social selection. However, it may nevertheless have implications for public health interventions, especially in countries that strive to reach higher uptake rates. Understanding opinions about vaccination can act as an early warning system for potential outbreaks, inform predictions about vaccination uptake, or help supply chain management for vaccine distribution

Macrocharcoal analysis of a 4200 year old lake sediment profile from Northern Romania - fire regimes and climate implications

Macroscopic charcoal particles, magnetic susceptibility and AMS C14 dates were performed on a sediment sequence from a small subalpine lake (Buhaescu Mare), Rodnei Mts. in order to reconstruct fire regimes in the area.  Specifically we aim to distinguish between natural fire activity and human driven fires. Buhaescu Mare lake, also known as Rebra lake (0.4 ha; 1920 m a.s.l.,) is today surrounded by mire vegetation, Ericaceae, Carex and Pinus mugo patches further away, being situated just above the current tree line. The sedimentary profile, with a total length of 98 cm is composed of clayey silt (98-80 cm) and gyttja (80-0 cm). Magnetic susceptibility was used to support the charcoal results, this parameter being expected to rise during episodes of intense fire and subsequent erosive events.The results from the charcoal record indicate periods of high charcoal activity at about 4200 cal. BP, 3000 cal. BP, 2700 cal BP, 2000 cal BP and 1350 cal BP. and point to a succession of warm/dry and cold/wet periods. The increase in charcoal particles over the last 2000 years was probably related to human impact, but this remains to be documented through the analysis of pollen and coprophilous fungi record.</p