Do post-socialist urban areas maintain their sustainable compact form? Romanian urban areas as case study

The compact city is regarded as an important concept in promoting sustainable development, especially within the European Union. The socialist urban planning system maintained a high compactness of the urban areas through almost exclusive predominance of the public sector in housing provision, and ideological nature of the planning strategies. After the 1990's, the administrative decentralization allowed local authorities to adopt particular urban development strategies. However, development was directly influenced by the importance of the urban administrative centre. The aim of the paper is to determine if post-socialist urban areas maintained their compact urban form or they encountered different evolution trajectories. We determined the type of changes by calculating urban form indicators at two time moments: 1990 and 2006. Furthermore, the two-way repeated-measurement ANOVA was used to identify significant changes, and to assess the effect of the development level of the urban area on the variance of form indicators. The results show that Romanian post-socialist urban areas either shifted from the compact form, "inherited" after the collapse of socialism, to more dispersed patterns, either expanded in a compact manner. Moreover, as development level got higher, urban areas were more likely to be affected by suburbanization and periurbanization. In order to respond to these challenges, new instruments such as setting of metropolitan areas or spatial framework plans could be used. Furthermore, planning should be adapted to local circumstances and to the different development trajectories of big and mid-sized urban areas

Numerical Experiment to Analyse the Reliability of Coarse Grid Based Numerical Methods for Modelling Groundwater Flow by Drainage Objects Like Wells in Confined Aquifer

AbstractAt the neighbourhood of several drainage objects types in shallow aquifer like fully penetrated wells, partially penetrated wells, well with laterals, horizontal drainages etc. groundwater flow forms contain frequently 2D/3D singular behaviours (e.g. logarithmical or polar singularities), which require special attention by coarse grid simulations Groundwater reservoir modelling. The first objective of the paper is to test the accuracy of Finite Volume Methods with specific reference to one of the most used standard reservoir modelling software in groundwater modelling PMWIN/MODFLOW (i.e. Processing MODFLOW for Window), Chiang (2001). The numerical experiment will be accomplished mainly for fully penetrating well (W) and partially penetrating well (ppW) using various discretization size.It will be shown that the standard Well Index method (Peaceman 1983), currently used by coarse grid simulations, allows the local correction in well blocks only for hydraulic head (or pressure) in the wellbore obtained by coarse grid simulation for imposed global discharge/recharge rate of the well. In the paper an extension of the WI based method will be proposed which allows also the well discharge rate correction by coarse grid modelling for imposed hydraulic head (imposed pressure) in the well. The proposed method is proved with several numerical simulation examples for fully wells and ppWells

Genetic diversity in Babesia canis and associated comorbidities can be fatal in dogs` babesiosis – a case study

The aim of this paper is to briefly present some aspects of Babesia spp. taxonomy, incidence, clinical signs of their infection, and possibilities of prevention, as an introduction to a case study of canine babesiosis presentation. A 7-yearold Malinois dog was presented in August 2020 with signs of generalized icterus, high body temperature and mustard urine, all of them indicating babesiosis. Cytological examination confirmed the large Babesia canis spp., and the biochemical investigations revealed renal and hepatic failure. Although the therapeutic protocol included the specific antidote, imidocarb dipropionate – Imizol® (0.5 ml/10 kg body weight, in a single dose), fluid therapy, vitamin therapy, an antiemetic drug, and supplements for renal and hepatic functions sustaining, the investigated dog died. The postmortem investigation revealed generalized icterus. We consider the delaying of dog presentation at vet an important factor of this outcome; although an infection with various subspecies of Babesia canis was not excluded, the therapeutic intervention would have been the same

Relaxation Dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Re^I(C)O_3(α-diimine)(HisX)^+ (X=83, 107, 109, 124, 126)Cu-^(II) Azurins

Photoinduced relaxation processes of five structurally characterized Pseudomonas aeruginosa Re^I(CO)_3(α-diimine)(HisX) (X = 83, 107, 109, 124, 126)Cu^(II) azurins have been investigated by time-resolved (ps−ns) IR spectroscopy and emission spectroscopy. Crystal structures reveal the presence of Re-azurin dimers and trimers that in two cases (X = 107, 124) involve van der Waals interactions between interdigitated diimine aromatic rings. Time-dependent emission anisotropy measurements confirm that the proteins aggregate in mM solutions (D2O, KPi buffer, pD = 7.1). Excited-state DFT calculations show that extensive charge redistribution in the ReI(CO)_3 → diimine ^3MLCT state occurs: excitation of this ^3MLCT state triggers several relaxation processes in Re-azurins whose kinetics strongly depend on the location of the metallolabel on the protein surface. Relaxation is manifested by dynamic blue shifts of excited-state ν(CO) IR bands that occur with triexponential kinetics: intramolecular vibrational redistribution together with vibrational and solvent relaxation give rise to subps, 2, and 8−20 ps components, while the ~10^2 ps kinetics are attributed to displacement (reorientation) of the Re^I(CO)_3(phen)(im) unit relative to the peptide chain, which optimizes Coulombic interactions of the Re^I excited-state electron density with solvated peptide groups. Evidence also suggests that additional segmental movements of Re-bearing β-strands occur without perturbing the reaction field or interactions with the peptide. Our work demonstrates that time-resolved IR spectroscopy and emission anisotropy of Re^I carbonyl−diimine complexes are powerful probes of molecular dynamics at or around the surfaces of proteins and protein−protein interfacial regions

Diagnostic methods and therapeutic options in dog skin allergies – a short review

Allergy is an exaggerated reaction of the body, which occurs after the contact with various substances that the immune system considers foreign and acts against them. Like humans, dogs can be allergic to various substances which, when inhaled or absorbed through the skin, airways or gastrointestinal tract, stimulate the immune system by releasing histamine that induces inflammation, erythema, edema and itching. It is considered that all the cases of allergies, whether low, moderate or severe, are genetic in nature. Dogs that become allergic to drugs, vaccines, food, dust, pollen, fleas, various household substances, etc., are "genetically programmed" to have an immune system capable of producing an allergic reaction. The allergic reaction is not due to medication, biological products, food or the environment, but it is considered to be a genetic trait inherited from parents. Because there are different types of allergies and many conditions that can cause skin problems in dogs, the symptoms they present differ from one allergy to another, from one patient to another, requiring both diagnosis and treatment to be made differential for each type of allergy and for each individual. The symptoms of allergic reactions can be diagnosed through allergic tests (intradermal or blood tests), the individual removal of allergens from the dog's living environment (in case of parasitic allergy), or by reagent therapy. Fighting allergies involves the use of antihistamines, antiinflammatory corticosteroids, topical antipruritic substances, leukotrienes inhibitors, as well as various plant extracts with antiallergic effect

Polymorphism of the Prolactin (PRL) Gene and Its Effect on Milk Production Traits in Romanian Cattle Breeds

In the present study, we investigated one polymorphism of the PRL gene (rs211032652 SNP) and assessed its influence on milk production and chemical composition in two Romanian cattle breeds. A total of 119 cattle from two breeds reared in Western Romania (64 Romanian Spotted and 55 Romanian Brown) were included in the research herd. A PCR-RFLP genotyping assay was used for the identification of the rs211032652 SNP variants. Shapiro’s test and Levene’s test were used to verify ANOVA assumptions and ANOVA and Tukey’s test were employed to test the associations between PRL genotypes and five milk traits. Among the studied breeds, our results showed that PRL genotypes were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with fat and protein percentage in the milk of Romanian Brown cattle. The AA genotype was associated with a higher fat percentage in milk (4.76 ± 0.28) compared to the GG genotype (4.04 ± 0.22, p = 0.048), as well as a higher protein percentage (3.96 ± 0.32% vs. 3.43 ± 0.15%, p = 0.027) in Romanian Brown cattle. Moreover, the PRL locus favored a significantly higher fat (p = 0.021) and protein (p = 0.028) percentage in the milk of Romanian Brown cattle compared to the Romanian Spotted breed, with a difference of 0.263% and 0.170%, respectively

Enhancing Sustainable Cosmetics Brand Purchase: A Comprehensive Approach Based on the SOR Model and the Triple Bottom Line

Profitable and dynamic, the cosmetics industry strives to conform to the environmental ideals and practices of the 21st century. For years, NGOs, the media, and consumers have accused cosmetics brands of pollution, environmental disasters, and safety concerns. These allegations can spread faster in the online environment and cause genuine brand crises. Many cosmetic company managers continue to assess the necessity of accelerating their business toward sustainability initiatives and being more consumer centric. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the impact of economic, social, and environmental sustainability on brand attachment and brand attractiveness, which may result in a positive WOM, enhance purchase intention, and finally lead to the intention to join online brand communities. To implement the research scope, the authors developed a conceptual model based on the triple bottom line (TBL) and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) approach. To assess the conceptual model, the authors have conducted quantitative research, through an online questionnaire, with data being collected from consumers via an online survey platform. The snowball sample comprised 1632 valid responses from consumers of sustainable cosmetics brands. Further on, the conceptual model was assessed employing structural equations modelling via SmartPLS. The results confirm the impact of the three pillars of TBL (i.e., economic, social, and environmental sustainability) (stimuli) on brand attachment and brand attractiveness (organism), which finally generates positive WOM, triggers purchase intention, and enhances consumers&rsquo; intention to join an online brand community (response). From a theoretical perspective, our research contributes to extending knowledge based on the SOR approach and TBL applied to sustainable cosmetics brands. Considering the significant effects of economic, social, and environmental sustainability on consumer perception and intention, the study also pinpoints some major management implications for the cosmetic industry

Enhancing Sustainable Cosmetics Brand Purchase: A Comprehensive Approach Based on the SOR Model and the Triple Bottom Line

Profitable and dynamic, the cosmetics industry strives to conform to the environmental ideals and practices of the 21st century. For years, NGOs, the media, and consumers have accused cosmetics brands of pollution, environmental disasters, and safety concerns. These allegations can spread faster in the online environment and cause genuine brand crises. Many cosmetic company managers continue to assess the necessity of accelerating their business toward sustainability initiatives and being more consumer centric. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the impact of economic, social, and environmental sustainability on brand attachment and brand attractiveness, which may result in a positive WOM, enhance purchase intention, and finally lead to the intention to join online brand communities. To implement the research scope, the authors developed a conceptual model based on the triple bottom line (TBL) and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) approach. To assess the conceptual model, the authors have conducted quantitative research, through an online questionnaire, with data being collected from consumers via an online survey platform. The snowball sample comprised 1632 valid responses from consumers of sustainable cosmetics brands. Further on, the conceptual model was assessed employing structural equations modelling via SmartPLS. The results confirm the impact of the three pillars of TBL (i.e., economic, social, and environmental sustainability) (stimuli) on brand attachment and brand attractiveness (organism), which finally generates positive WOM, triggers purchase intention, and enhances consumers’ intention to join an online brand community (response). From a theoretical perspective, our research contributes to extending knowledge based on the SOR approach and TBL applied to sustainable cosmetics brands. Considering the significant effects of economic, social, and environmental sustainability on consumer perception and intention, the study also pinpoints some major management implications for the cosmetic industry

The Biochemistry and Effectiveness of Antioxidants in Food, Fruits, and Marine Algae

It is more effective to maintain good health than to regain it after losing it. This work focuses on the biochemical defense mechanisms against free radicals and their role in building and maintaining antioxidant shields, aiming to show how to balance, as much as possible, the situations in which we are exposed to free radicals. To achieve this aim, foods, fruits, and marine algae with a high antioxidant content should constitute the basis of nutritional elements, since natural products are known to have significantly greater assimilation efficiency. This review also gives the perspective in which the use of antioxidants can extend the life of food products, by protecting them from damage caused by oxidation as well as their use as food additives

Are Spatial Planning Objectives Reflected in the Evolution of Urban Landscape Patterns? A Framework for the Evaluation of Spatial Planning Outcomes

The evaluation of spatial planning results, or outcomes, has been rather neglected by scholars and practitioners. The causes of this neglect are linked to the characteristics of the planning systems in use or difficulties in quantifying results. To advance the state of the art of outcome evaluation, this paper focuses on assessing the implementation of national spatial planning objectives in urban landscapes through the use of an evaluation framework, which makes use of spatially explicit information. The framework is built around four dimensions, which reflect the main domains of spatial planning: efficient built-up development, conservation of agricultural land, landscape preservation and human perception. Indicators that are capable of capturing landscape changes in both time and space are used to verify the degree of conformance between adopted objectives and actual development patterns. We make use of spatially explicit data, as well as assess whether and where landscape changes occurred, by integrating the framework into a multi-criteria analysis. In the present study, the framework is tested in two study areas located in Switzerland and Romania, while the results are interpreted from the perspective of spatial planning approaches in the two countries. The efficiency and utility of the framework are demonstrated by the ability to provide valuable information that facilitates improvement in the performance of planning processes, such as identifying where the implementation of objectives is less effective, and the domains of affected spatial planning. Our findings indicate that the distance between objectives and outcomes can be attributed to differences in countries’ spatial planning approaches, which should also be placed into the wider economic, institutional and legislative context. Our study provides valuable insights for the integration of time series of spatial data into the evaluation procedure