Tourism – national forest fund: a complex relationship

Fondul turistic forestier naţionl : relaţii complexe. Turismul, ca oricare altă activitate economică, se află într-o strânsă interdependenţă cu patrimoniul natural, care constituie obiect al activităţii turistice. Orice degradare a unei părţi a acestuia determină, treptat, o diminuare a activităţii turistice din acea zonă; de aceea, dezvoltarea turismului trebuie să se realizeze concomitent cu păstrarea funcţionalităţii ecosistemelor. Un echilibru între dezvoltarea zonelor turistice şi păstrarea integrităţii ecologice a acestora este mai mult decât necesar. În aceste condiţii, exploatarea neraţională a pădurilor reprezintă aspecte importante ale activităţii umane care pot conduce la afectarea potenţialului turistic al unei zone. În studiul de faţă ne-am oprit doar la o prezentare generală a situaţiei actuale a fondului forestier naţional care ocupă în prezent 6,2 milioane hectare (26% din suprafaţa ţării), cu contraste mari de la o zonă la alta: alături de păduri de înaltă biodiversitate şi stabilitate (precum făgetele, de exemplu), există multe păduri deteriorate, destabilizate, aflate acum în declin sau chiar în curs de uscare. Alături de zona de munte, relativ bine împădurită, avem întinse suprafeţe de câmpie despădurite, dealuri erodate, câmpiii stepizate etc. Diminuarea suprafeţei forestiere este datorată îndeosebi tăierilor ilicite, mai ales de pe suprafeţele de pădure care au trecut în proprietate privată după 1990. Apreciem că în prezent se manifestă o amplă presiune socială şi economică asupra pădurilor, în condiţiile în care turismul românesc, ca şi cel mondial, îmbracă tot mai mult forma întoarcerii la natură, la modurile tradiţionale de viaţă

The dynamics of poverty and its consequences on regional inequalities in Romania

Poverty has raised growing interest due to its various spatial aspects and implications. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the relationship between poverty and inequality, analysing the way in which a high degree of social and economic inequality influences the different forms of poverty manifestation. We made use of a three-dimension analysis: actual poverty (as expressed by absolute and relative thresholds), inequality of income distribution and regional distribution of these phenomena. Although poverty has diminished, the feeling of poverty remains strong both in relation to the income of other co-nationals and to that of other European countries, Romania continuing to be, unfortunately, one of the poorest countries in EU-28. The investigation carried out revealed the fact that the economic development of the country has been accompanied by a fast decrease in absolute poverty but also by a slight increase in relative poverty

Assessment of Nurses’ Knowledge Level Regarding the Procedure of Blood Transfusion in a Hospital from Bucharest

Background and Aim: Blood transfusion is an invasive procedure with a high risk that could have unwanted consequences for both the patient and the nurses. Therefore, nurses must have the necessary knowledge to perform their roles safely and effectively. The aim of the study was to assess nurses’ knowledge level regarding the procedure of blood transfusion. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional research study was conducted with a randomly selected sample of 26 nurses (response rate of 100%) and used a paper version validated questionnaire to collect the data. The scores of the knowledge <50% were considered as poor, between 50–74% - moderate, and ≥75% - high. The statistical data analysis was carried out using the SPSS version 20. Results: This study included nurses (45.35 ± 7.12 years average age and 18.96 ± 8.31 years average experience) from the medical wards (n=12), surgical wards (n=7), Intensive Care Units (ICU) (n=6) and Blood Transfusion Unit (BTU) (n=1). Most nurses were female, between 40 and 55 years old, post-secondary school graduates, and without specific blood transfusion courses. Based on the scoring system, nurses' overall knowledge of blood transfusion was estimated to be moderate (54 ± 5.16%). The percentage of knowledge calculated for each assessed dimension was 85.5% (Transfusion safety), 15.4% (The last pre-transfusion control), 46.2% (Transfusion administration), 46.2% (Patient monitoring), and 30.8% (Transfusion complications). In general, nurses from BTU, ICU, and surgical wards provided the most correct answers. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicated that the nurses’ knowledge of blood transfusion was at a moderate level, which also corresponds with international research. Extending this study could demonstrate the need to implement courses in the field of transfusion management at the national level

THE FUTURE IN CENTRAL BANKS ACTIVITY – CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY –

Developments in recent years in the technologies that underpin money transfers and financial investments have challenged banking in general and central banking in particular. On the one hand, with the onset and manifestation of the 2008 crisis, the banking system is being called into question as to whether it can be trusted, and on the other hand, also in the same historical context, blockchain technology is emerging and is seen as a threat by banks. Lately, there has been interest in Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) which are a digital replacement for banknotes and coins in physical form. In this paper we will highlight the features of CBDCs and the proposed Ethereum-based central bank money technology

Young Romanians’ Transition from School to Work in a Path Dependence Context

For the past 25 years, Romania crossed a contradictory evolution between the social&#8315;educational and economic aspects. From the inflexible educational system of the totalitarian regime, when all graduates from different levels of education immediately received a job (to avoid unemployment&#8212;a phenomenon that the communist authorities did not tolerate), there was a transition to an educational system marked by frequent structural and methodological changes and by an increasing gap between the educational offer and the real necessities of the labor market. In this context, the aim of this paper was to analyzes, in the light of the sociology of education, the difficulties met by the new generations that enter the labor market after following a previously established educational model, often intended to be changed according to European sociological principles, but with deeply rooted mentalities and structure, actually difficult to alter. The ability to adapt to the new socio-economic context and to adjust educational programs to the new labor market requirements, in a strong correlation with the European policies, is constantly taken into account by interpreting the results in the spirit of the sociology of education and sustainable development

Demographic Resilience in the Rural Area of Romania. A Statistical-Territorial Approach of the Last Hundred Years

The deep demographic crisis that Romania has been going through, like most Eastern European states, requires complex analyses. The present study aims at analyzing the numerical evolution of the rural population of Romania, extended for more than 100 years (1912–2020), on the basis of which a multivariate analysis was subsequently performed. The manifestation of specific patterns of territorial evolution and the identification of the incidence of some physical–geographical and socio-economic factors are investigated by means of the dynamics of certain distinct processes, such as rural depopulation or ability to adapt to various transitions. The identification of the fragile and dynamic areas allows discussions on the need for public policies better oriented towards mending excesses, illustrated by the persistence of some gaps, in terms of access to basic services. At the same time, the identification of trends towards a shrinking population system, with an increasingly evident concentration of the population in peri-urban areas or along major transport routes, calls for specific policies geared more towards environmental management in depopulated and depopulating areas, or towards creating the conditions for sustainable spatial planning in high-density areas. For the time being, the disadvantaged areas are rather ignored, while the extension of metropolitan areas is rather chaotic and poorly regulated

Trends in Life Expectancy in Romania between 1990 and 2018. A Territorial Analysis of Its Determinants

The present study proposes a multiscale analysis of the dynamics of life expectancy at birth in Romania from 1990 to 2018, starting from the hypothesis of its dependence on the level of economic development or the quality of the public health infrastructure. Information from official sources (National Institute of Statistics (INS), Eurostat) was processed using agglomerative hierarchical clustering, principal component analysis and multiple regression. The main part of the analysis is devoted to the evolution of this indicator by gender and residence area. The conclusions of this study converge towards certifying the existence of some strong correlations between the evolution of life expectancy at birth at the territorial level and the illustrative factors of the level of economic and social development or of the quality of the environment. The persistence or amplification of territorial disparities attests to the general process of regional polarization. The results of the study confirm the hypothesis of a significant correlation between the level of economic development and that of the quality of the public health infrastructure, expressed through the dynamics of life expectancy at birth

Corneal Biomechanical Changes in Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Background and Objectives: There is a clear evidence that pregnancy is associated with high production of sex hormones. During the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy, blood hormones levels increase gradually. Cells with affinity for sex hormones have been identified in different ocular tissues, such as: lid, lacrimal gland, meibomian gland, bulbar and palpebral conjunctivae, cornea, iris, ciliary body, lens, retina (retinal pigment epithelium) and choroid. This is why pregnancy is associated with changes at ocular level, involving anterior and posterior segments. Several clinical trials have been made trying to highlight changes in corneal biomechanics during pregnancy. By conducting this review, we want to evaluate both the changes in parameters that define corneal biomechanics and intraocular pressure values in pregnant. Materials and Methods: Following a systematic search in the literature related mainly to changes in corneal biomechanics during pregnancy, focusing on the paper published in the last decade, we included in a meta-analysis the cumulative results of three prospective comparative studies. Results: Important changes in corneal biomechanics (corneal hysteresis and corneal resistance factor) parameters were observed in women in the third trimester of pregnancy, but these variations were not statistically significant. Also, a decrease in intraocular pressure was mentioned in these women, but only the corneal compensation intraocular pressure showed a decrease with statistical significance. Conclusions: A decrease in corneal compensatory intraocular pressure was observed in pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy, but without other statistically significant changes resulting from the analysis of the other three parameters (corneal hysteresis, corneal resistance factor and Goldmann-correlated intraocular pressure)

Investigation into Thermomechanical Response of Polymer Composite Materials Produced through Additive Manufacturing Technologies

This paper presents the static mechanical behavior and the dynamic thermomechanical properties of four market-available reinforced and non-reinforced thermoplastics and photopolymer materials used as precursors in different additive manufacturing technologies. This article proposes a characterization approach to further address development of aeronautic secondary structures via 3D-printed composite materials replacing conventional manufactured carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites. Different 3D printing materials, technologies, printing directions, and parameters were investigated. Experimental results showed that carbon-reinforced ONYX_R material exhibits a transition point at 114 &deg;C, a 600 MPa tensile strength, and an average tensile strain of 2.5%, comparable with conventional CFRP composites manufactured via autoclave, making it a suitable candidate for replacing CFRP composites, in the aim of taking advantage of 3D printing technologies. ONYX material exhibits higher stiffness than Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Copolymer (ABS), or conventional Nylon 6/6 polyamide, the flexural modulus being 2.5 GPa; nevertheless, the 27 &deg;C determined transition temperature limits its stability at higher temperature. Daylight High Tensile (further called HTS) resin exhibits a tensile strength and strain increase when shifting the printing direction from transversal to longitudinal, while no effect was observed in HighTemp DL400 resin (further called HTP)

Biocompatible materials for orbital wall reconstruction - an overview

The reconstruction of an orbit after complex craniofacial fractures can be extremely demanding. For satisfactory functional and aesthetic results, it is necessary to restore the orbital walls and the craniofacial skeleton using various types of materials. The reconstruction materials can be divided into autografts (bone or cartilage tissue) or allografts (metals, ceramics, or plastic materials, and combinations of these materials). Over time, different types of materials have been used, considering characteristics such as their stability, biocompatibility, cost, safety, and intraoperative flexibility. Although the ideal material for orbital reconstruction could not be unanimously identified, much progress has been achieved in recent years. In this article, we summarise the advantages and disadvantages of each category of reconstruction materials. We also provide an update on improvements in material properties through various modern processing techniques. Good results in reconstructive surgery of the orbit require both material and technological innovations.Nanyang Technological UniversityNational Medical Research Council (NMRC)National Research Foundation (NRF)Published versionThe study is funded by National Medical Research Council (grants CG/C010A/2017, OFIRG/0048/2017, OFLCG/004a/2018, and TA/MOH-000249-00/2018), the National Research Foundation Singapore, A*STAR (A20H4b0141), the Singapore Eye Research Institute & Nanyang Technological University (SERI-NTU Advanced Ocular Engineering (STANCE) Program), the DukeNUS Medical School (Duke-NUS-KP(Coll)/2018/0009A) and the SERI-Lee Foundation (LF1019-1)