Les Politiques D’assurance Qualité dans L’enseignement Superior – un Catalyseur pour L’internationalisation des Universités

Nowadays, the academic environment has gradually become global and competitive. Approaches to higher education curriculum design, assessment and evaluation or university management are changing rapidly to take note of new technologies and different perspectives on the educational process.  The University of Bucharest (UB) has undertaken a number of initiatives to support its values-driven approach to internationalization. In fact, one clear initiative is addressed in the quality policy and quality objectives stated by the rector of UB, for this academic year, regarding the realization of an internalization plan for each faculty.  The main objective of our paper is to investigate how the framework generated by the quality assurance policies – embedding a quality culture, implementing the regulations required by the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS), institutional evaluations and quality audits, preparing for future external evaluation and so on – can be correlated with the results obtained regarding internalization aspects like the number of bilateral agreements or the number of foreign students. Our analysis is based on the case of University of Bucharest where quality management and international relations are united under the umbrella of a special vice-rector, strengthening the message of the present paper

AN IMPROVED 1-D SEISMIC VELOCITY MODEL FOR THE ACTIVE TECTONIC DEFORMATION AREA OF THE SOUTH WESTERN CARPATHIAN BEND ZONE (ROMANIA)

Book Chapter in INSIGHTS OF GEOSCIENCES FOR NATURAL HAZARDS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE, Editor: Florina CHITE

In vitro bio-functional performances of the novel superelastic beta-type Ti-23Nb-0.7Ta-2Zr-0.5N alloy

International audienceThe materials used for internal fracture fixations and joint replacements are mainly made of metals which still face problems ranging from higher rigidity than that of natural bone to leaching cytotoxic metallic ions. Beta (β)-type titanium alloys with low elastic modulus made from non-toxic and non-allergenic elements are desirable to reduce stress shielding effect and enhance bone remodeling. In this work, a new β-type Ti-23Nb-0.7Ta-2Zr-0.5N alloy with a Young's modulus of approximately 50 GPa was designed and characterized. The behavior of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts on the new alloy, including adhesion, proliferation and differentiation, was evaluated by examining the cytoskeleton, focal adhesion formation, metabolic activity and extracellular matrix mineralization. Results indicated that the pre-osteoblast cells exhibited a similar degree of attachment and growth on Ti-23Nb-0.7Ta-2Zr-0.5N and Ti-6Al-4V. However, the novel alloy proved to be significantly more efficient in sustaining mineralized matrix deposition upon osteogenic induction of the cells than Ti-6Al-4V control. Further, analysis of RAW 264.7 macrophages cytokine gene and protein expression indicated no significant inflammatory response. Collectively, these findings suggest that the Ti-23Nb-0.7Ta-2Zr-0.5N alloy, which has an increased mechanical biocompatibility with bone, allows a better osteogenic differentiation of osteoblast precursor cells than Ti-6Al-4V and holds great potential for future clinical prosthetic applications

Tungsten Nanoparticles Produced by Magnetron Sputtering Gas Aggregation: Process Characterization and Particle Properties

Tungsten and tungsten nanoparticles are involved in a series of processes, in nanotechnology, metallurgy, and fusion technology. Apart from chemical methods, nanoparticle synthesis by plasma offers advantages as good control of size, shape, and surface chemistry. The plasma methods are also environmentally friendly. In this chapter, we present aspects related to the magnetron sputtering gas aggregation (MSGA) process applied to synthesis of tungsten nanoparticles, with size in the range of tens to hundreds of nanometers. We present the MSGA process and its peculiarities in the case of tungsten nanoparticle synthesis. The properties of the obtained particles with a focus on the influence of the process parameters over the particle production rate, their size, morphology, and structure are discussed. To the end, we emphasize the utility of such particles for assessing the environmental and biological impacts in case of using tungsten as wall material in thermonuclear fusion reactors

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

Design status of ASPIICS, an externally occulted coronagraph for PROBA-3

The "sonic region" of the Sun corona remains extremely difficult to observe with spatial resolution and sensitivity sufficient to understand the fine scale phenomena that govern the quiescent solar corona, as well as phenomena that lead to coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which influence space weather. Improvement on this front requires eclipse-like conditions over long observation times. The space-borne coronagraphs flown so far provided a continuous coverage of the external parts of the corona but their over-occulting system did not permit to analyse the part of the white-light corona where the main coronal mass is concentrated. The proposed PROBA-3 Coronagraph System, also known as ASPIICS (Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun), with its novel design, will be the first space coronagraph to cover the range of radial distances between ~1.08 and 3 solar radii where the magnetic field plays a crucial role in the coronal dynamics, thus providing continuous observational conditions very close to those during a total solar eclipse. PROBA-3 is first a mission devoted to the in-orbit demonstration of precise formation flying techniques and technologies for future European missions, which will fly ASPIICS as primary payload. The instrument is distributed over two satellites flying in formation (approx. 150m apart) to form a giant coronagraph capable of producing a nearly perfect eclipse allowing observing the sun corona closer to the rim than ever before. The coronagraph instrument is developed by a large European consortium including about 20 partners from 7 countries under the auspices of the European Space Agency. This paper is reviewing the recent improvements and design updates of the ASPIICS instrument as it is stepping into the detailed design phase

Les Politiques D’assurance Qualité dans L’enseignement Superior – un Catalyseur pour L’internationalisation des Universités

Nowadays, the academic environment has gradually become global and competitive.Approaches to higher education curriculum design, assessment and evaluation or universitymanagement are changing rapidly to take note of new technologies and different perspectives on theeducational process. The University of Bucharest (UB) has undertaken a number of initiatives tosupport its values-driven approach to internationalization. In fact, one clear initiative is addressed inthe quality policy and quality objectives stated by the rector of UB, for this academic year, regardingthe realization of an internalization plan for each faculty. The main objective of our paper is toinvestigate how the framework generated by the quality assurance policies – embedding a qualityculture, implementing the regulations required by the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance inHigher Education (ARACIS), institutional evaluations and quality audits, preparing for futureexternal evaluation and so on – can be correlated with the results obtained regarding internalizationaspects like the number of bilateral agreements or the number of foreign students. Our analysis isbased on the case of University of Bucharest where quality management and international relationsare united under the umbrella of a special vice-rector, strengthening the message of the present paper

The effect of 2020 COVID-19 lockdown measures on seismic noise recorded in Romania

International audienceAfter the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020, Romania followed the example of many other countries and imposed a series of restrictive measures, including restricting people's mobility and closing social, cultural, and industrial activities to prevent the spread of the disease. In this study, we analyze continuous vertical component recordings from the stations of the Romanian Seismic Network - one of the largest networks in Europe, consisting of 148 stations - to explore the seismic noise variation associated with the reduced human mobility and activity due to the Romanian measures against COVID-19 in detail. We focused our investigation on four frequency bands - 2-8, 4-14, 15-25 and 25-40 Hz - and found that the largest reductions in seismic noise associated with the lockdown correspond to the high-frequency range of 15-40 Hz. We found that all the stations with large reductions in seismic noise (>∼ 40 %) are located inside and near schools or in buildings, indicating that at these frequencies the drop is related to the drastic reduction of human activity in these edifices. In the lower-frequency range (2-8 and 4-14 Hz) the variability of the noise reduction among the stations is lower than in the high-frequency range, corresponding to about 35 % on average. This drop is due to reduced traffic during the lockdown, as most of the stations showing such changes in seismic noise in these bands are located within cities and near main or side streets. In addition to the noise reduction observed at stations located in populated areas, we also found seismic noise lockdown-related changes at several stations located far from urban areas, with movement of people in the vicinity of the station explaining the noise reductions