Quality Uncertainty as a Barrier to Business Services Development

Highly performing innovative business services became important factors of competitiveness in modern economies, but their potential contribution is severely restricted by market dysfunctions, as companies reported during previous studies. There is also a lack of adequate policies partly explained by the fact that the services related knowledge is underdeveloped and poorly disseminated among decision makers. Having found that quality uncertainty limit the size of the market and the access of new companies and SMEs to valuable business services, the authors make a review of existing conceptual models of service quality assessment; discuss the implications of information asymmetry and explore with selected service providers the situation in specific industries, as well as the solutions for overcoming the current shortcomings.services quality, business services, information asymmetry, knowledge intensive business services

Environmental friendly flocculants for drinking water treatment

Coagulation-flocculation is an important step for the treatment of drinking water obtained from surface water sources. Various types of flocculants are available in the drinking water treatment market but only some of them are friendly for the environment due to their specific structure, which includes natural compounds. Starch-based flocculants are included in this category and some types of them were tested in our research work, in similar conditions with ordinary polyelectrolytes, in order to prove their efficiencies for turbidity and organic load (COD-Mn) removal. Five types of flocculants based on starch and acrylamide were tested during the classic treatment flow coagulation-flocculation-settling with aluminum sulfate as coagulant (1-10 mg Al/L) and 0.5-10 mL/L flocculant dose (0.2% active substance). Better removal efficiencies of turbidity and organic load (COD-Mn) in case of flocculants based on starch and acrylamide copolymers: over 99% for turbidity and ~90% for COD-Mn in case of 300-400 NTU initial surface water turbidity were registered

Graphene nanoplatelets-sericin surface-modified Gum alloy for improved biological response

In this study a “Gum Metal” titanium-based alloy, Ti-31.7Nb-6.21Zr-1.4Fe-0.16O, was synthesized by melting and characterized in order to evaluate its potential for biomedical applications. The results showed that the newly developed alloy presents a very high strength, high plasticity and a low Young\u27s modulus relative to titanium alloys currently used in medicine. For further bone implant applications, the newly synthesized alloy was surface modified with graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), sericin (SS) and graphene nanoplatelets/sericine (GNP–SS) composite films via Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique. The characterization of each specimen was monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle (CA) measurements, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The materials\u27 surface analyses suggested the successful coating of GNP, SS and GNP–SS onto the alloy surface. Additionally, the activities of pre-osteoblasts such as cell adhesion, cytoskeleton organization, cell proliferation and differentiation potentials exhibited on these substrates were investigated. Results showed that the GNP–SS-coated substrate significantly enhanced the growth and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells when compared to bare and GNP-coated alloy. Collectively, the results show that GNP–SS surface-modified Gum alloy can modulate the bioactivity of the pre-osteoblasts holding promise for improved biological response in vivo

TOURISM POLICY IN ROMANIA: A NECESSARY CHANGE OF DIRECTION

In modern economies services are dominant. As the role of services is increasing, the difference between goods and services is vanishing, but most of our economics and business knowledge is developed from a manufacturing perspective which is no more satisfactory in the new service economy conditions. One important aspect is that the ability of a country to participate effectively to the growing international trade in services depends more and more on its attractiveness as a visitors’ destination. Although there is a well developed understanding of the role of tourism to the general economic and social development, it is less understood the effect of economic and social living conditions as visitor attractiveness factors. Reviewing recent studies, assessments and reports regarding the travel & tourism economy of Romania, authors found out that achieving the economic potential of tourism faces serious challenges due, primarily, to the discrepancy between the conditions visitors are increasingly looking for and the conditions provided by Romanian destinations. In order to accept the challenges with chances of success the tourism policy making should radically change direction. The authors identify three main priorities: focus on general development, put policy in the service of visitors first, improve communication and branding.Romanian tourism, tourism policy, trade in services, local and regional development; travel & tourism industry, travel & tourism competitiveness index, visitors’ economy.

CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE STANDARDIZATION OF SERVICES

The present article provides an overview of European Union preoccupations regarding services standardization, in the way they were perceived by the authors with the occasion of their participation at the Madrid World Café organized as part of the on-going project “CEN Horizontal European Services Standardization Strategy” (CHESSS). Authors share the idea largely supported by experts and various stakeholders that there is a potential for services standardisation to offer advantages in terms of fostering competitiveness and improving satisfaction of consumers and client companies needs, as well as in removing barriers to trade, particularly within the European Union internal market. To date, this potential remains unfulfilled, in part because service providers seek to conserve the information asymmetry that protect them against increased competitive pressures and in part due to a lack of understanding of the nature and process of standardisation and the benefits it can bring This is also the situation in Romania, and thus policy makers are urged to give to services standardization an importance equivalent with the role of services for the socio-economic development. .services standardization, internal market of services, competitiveness

The analysis of the need for SQAM services in Romania

The SQAM services refer to standardization, quality insurance and conformity assessment, accreditation and metrology. The main instruments that ensure the free circulation of merchandise on the big European market are the European directives, harmonized standards, accreditation, conformity certification by a third part (of the management system, of products and services), testing and metrology. The rendition or setting up of these instruments do not signify that the economic agents are immediately capable to use them in an optimal way. It is necessary to build a national infrastructure, alligned with the European and international practices, that can carry out SQAM services for the economic agents so that they can put into practice these instruments, vital for efficiency and competitivity. The paper referrs to the national system for SQAM services and the necessity of its development, to the strong points and their opportunities as well as the advantages given to the Romanian companies with the aim to fructify their competitive potential.standardization, accreditation, conformity assessment, metrology.

Maize Stalk Material for On-Site Treatment of Highly Polluted Leachate and Mine Wastewater

New research applications involving the use of cellulosic material derived from maize stalk for on-site treatment of leachate were evaluated for specific removal of Cu(II) and Fe(III) from real, highly polluted tailing pond and mine wastewater samples. Two major issues generated by anthropic mining activities were also tackled: wastewater metal content decrease to improve water quality and subsequently metal specific recovery, increasing the economic efficiency of metal production by using a green technology for residual management. Rapid saturation of the maize stalk mass determined in batch studies and the mine pilot experiment led to diminished metal concentrations in the second pilot experiment, where Cu(II) and Pb(II) from synthetic solutions were monitored in order to test biomaterial performances. In addition, in the second pilot experiment, maize stalk removed Pb(II) in the first 36 h, below the determination limit of the analytical method. The biomaterial bed in the column was saturated after 252 h of inflow solution. FTIR-ATR, TG and SEM techniques probed the interaction between maize stalk polar groups C=O, –OH, C–O and tailing water metallic ions by large FTIR band displacements, intensity decrease and shape changes, modification of thermal stability and by changes in the appearance of adsorbent microstructure images owing mainly to ion exchange mechanism

Sensitivity of Pathogenic Bacteria Strains to Treated Mine Water

Mine water as a result of meteoric and/or underground water’s contact with tailings and underground workings could have an elevated content of metals associated with sulfate, often acidic, due to the bio-oxidation of sulfides. When entering aquatic ecosystems, the mine water can cause significant changes in the species’ trophic levels, therefore a treatment is required to adjust the alkalinity and to remove the heavy metals and metalloids. The conventional mine water treatment removes metals, but in many cases it does not reduce the sulfate content. This paper aimed to predict the impact of conventionally treated mine water on the receiving river by assessing the genotoxic activity on an engineered Escherichia coli and by evaluating the toxic effects generated on two Gram-negative bacterial strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. Although the main chemical impact is the severe increases of calcium and sulfate concentrations, no significant genotoxic characteristics were detected on the Escherichia coli strain and on the cell-viability with a positive survival rate higher than 80%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was more resistant than Escherichia coli in the presence of 1890 mg SO42−/L. This paper reveals different sensitivities and adaptabilities of pathogenic bacteria to high concentrations of sulfates in mine waters

Thin Films of Metal-Organic Framework Interfaces Obtained by Laser Evaporation

Properties such as large surface area, high pore volume, high chemical and thermal stability, and structural flexibility render zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) well-suited materials for gas separation, chemical sensors, and optical and electrical devices. For such applications, film processing is a prerequisite. Herein, matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) was successfully used as a single-step deposition process to fabricate ZIF-8 films. By correlating laser fluency and controlling the specific transfer of lab-synthesized ZIF-8, films with user-controlled physical and chemical properties were obtained. Films’ characteristics were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The analysis showed that frameworks of ZIF-8 can be deposited successfully and controllably to yield polycrystalline films. The deposited films maintained the integrity of the individual ZIF-8 framework, while undergoing minor crystalline and surface chemistry changes. No significant changes in particle size were observed. Our study demonstrated control over both the MAPLE deposition conditions and the outcome, as well as the suitability of the listed deposition method to create composite architectures that could potentially be used in applications ranging from selective membranes to gas sensors

Deep vein thrombosis following the treatment of lower limb pathologic bone fractures – a comparative study

Abstract Background Deep vein thrombosis is a well-known complication of fracture occurrence, lower limb surgery and periods of prolonged immobilisation. Its incidence can be increased even more in specific cases with metastatic bone disease and adjuvant treatment. There is a small amount of literature that addresses the incidence of DVT by comparing osteosynthesis and arthroplasty as surgical treatments. Current recommended anticoagulation protocols might be inadequate for specific groups of cancer patients undergoing osteosynthesis or arthroplasty. Methods The study was designed and performed in a retrospective manner and carried out on patients that presented at our Emergency Clinical County Hospital between 01.01.2008–31.12.2016. The patients’ evolution was followed for a standard of 2 months. All our deep vein thrombosis events were diagnosed via venous duplex imaging. The studied lot (n = 85) was paired with a control group (n = 170) with similar baseline characteristics. Results Our lot was comprised of 85 patients that underwent 85 surgeries, on both of our hospital’s Orthopaedic and Traumatology wards. When performing the student t-test and calculating OR (odds ratio) and RR (risk ratio) we encountered 11 cases of DVT in our studied group and 12 cases of DVT in our control group (p < 0.04). We found statistical significance when correlating DVT with type of implant (prosthesis), the presence of metastases over primary tumour and the choice of implant (prosthesis over intramedullary nail). There was no statistical significance found when correlating DVT events with the type of anticoagulation and the amount of blood transfusion units required. Conclusion Patients who undergo surgical treatment for lower limb pathological fracture due to malignancy are at increased risk of DVT or death due to PE under current general thromboprophylaxis regimens. The risk is higher for the immediate postoperative period (10 days). The risk is increased by metastasis, arthroplasty and adjuvant therapy (radiotherapy, chemotherapy), and we think that a more aggressive prophylactic protocol should be used