217 Six-hour holter recording of microvolt T-wave alternans and heart rate turbulence in the CCU compared to classical 24-hour ambulatory ECG

BackgroundT-wave alternans (TWA) and heart rate turbulence (HRT) measured during 24 hour-ECG recordings are 2 powerful non-invasive tools to risk-stratify cardiovascular patients. The aim of our study is to assess whether a fast ECG-holter scan yields different information from classical 24-hour ambulatory ECG regarding TWA and HRT measurements.MethodsAll consecutive 21 patients with a non-ST-elevated myocardial infarction and admitted in intensive care unit of cardiology, have been monitored with an ECG-holter for classical, TWA and HRT analysis over 24 hours. TWA has been measured with the modified moving average method. Routine reading of the holters has been followed by a specific analysis. Each 24-hour period has been divided into four equal periods. Maximal TWA, T-onset and T-slope for HRT over those four 6-hour periods have been analyzed and compared with full day results using a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results16 men and 5 women aged between 31 and 90 (mean 57.5 +/− 24.8) have been included. Mean maximal TWA was 73±25μV. 6-hour maximal TWA was 59 +/− 23μV, 55 +/− 26μV, 56 +/− 30.01 and 48 +/− 23.27μV (p=0.11). HRT as assessed by T onset and T slope were −0.00619% +/− 0.02, 0.00333% +/− 0.04, 0.00571% +/− 0.03, −0.00952% +/− 0.03 (p=0.46) and 3.75 +/− 3.99, 5.46 +/− 7.29, 6.32 +/− 9.13, 5.96 +/− 10.85 (p=0.46) respectively for each time period.ConclusionThis preliminary study suggests that a 6-hour ECG-Holter recording could be a reliable and feasible method to assess cardiovascular mortality and risk of SCD in patients admitted for an acute coronary syndrome in intensive care unit by studying TWA and HRT. Faster risk stratification could thus be done during hospitalization in order to optimize therapeutics and better identify candidate for fast ICU discharge

Acute Toxicity and Pharmacokinetic Profile of an EU-GMP-Certified Cannabis sativa L. in Rodents

The conundrum of Cannabis sativa’s applications for therapeutical purposes is set apart by the hundreds of known and commercially available strains, the social, cultural and historical context, and the legalization of its use for medical purposes in various jurisdictions around the globe. In an era where targeted therapies are continuously being developed and have become the norm, it is imperative to conduct standardized, controlled studies on strains currently cultivated under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification, a standard that guarantees the quality requirements for modern medical and therapeutic use. Thus, the aim of our study is to evaluate the acute toxicity of a 15.6% THC: <1% CBD, EU-GMP certified, Cannabis sativa L. in rodents, following the OECD acute oral toxicity guidelines, and to provide an overview of its pharmacokinetic profile. Groups of healthy female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated orally with a stepwise incremental dose, each step using three animals. The absence or presence of plant-induced mortality in rats dosed at one step determined the next step. For the EU GMP-certified Cannabis sativa L. investigated, we determined an oral LD50 value of over 5000 mg/kg in rats and a human equivalent oral dose of ≈806.45 mg/kg. Additionally, no significant clinical signs of toxicity or gross pathological findings were observed. According to our data, the toxicology, safety and pharmacokinetic profile of the tested EU-GMP-certified Cannabis sativa L. support further investigations through efficacy and chronic toxicity studies in preparation for potential future clinical applications and especially for the treatment of chronic pain

FOOD SECURITY IN ROMANIA

The increasing world population, the limitation of the natural availability for food production, the climate issues and the food consumption need for modification imposed a continuous updating of the food security concept. Although Romania has sufficient natural resources, which may ensure, by means of proper exploitation, the population’s food needs, the lack of a unitary approach at the government level, materialized in the dependence on imports and in fluctuations in the agro-food production, leads to a re-evaluation of national food needs. National food security may be affected by a series of risks and threats, which appeared due to an imbalance connected with the availability, the utility and the stability of the agro-food sector, interdependent elements that must be functional. The present article proposes an analysis of food security in Romania, with a short presentation of the concept in an international context

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE ABOLITION OF THE MILK QUOTA REGIME ON THE ROMANIAN DAIRY SECTOR

Animal breeding for milk represents a basic occupation of the Romanian population, ensuring the best utilization of fodder obtained from natural pastures, steady incomes and local workforce stability. Since 2015 the restrictions imposed to producers from the European Union by the Milk Quota System ceased. The implementation of government strategies to support the national level of production and to efficiently capitalize raw milk and consumption could ensure a healthy nutrition to the population and substantial income. Romanian producers are affected by the quota’s elimination, which overlapped with a decrease in sales by increasing the milk supply on the domestic market due to Russia’s embargo

Simulation Strategy Based on Coupling of Nnumerical Models for the Hydraulic Processes in the Injection System, the Mixture Fornation and the Combustion in Direct Injection Spark Ignition Engines

Die Entwicklungstendenzen bei modernen Ottomotoren in Richtung hoher hubraumbezogener bzw. massenbezogener Leistung stehen teilweise im Widerspruch mit den Forderungen nach einer deutlichen Reduzierung des Kraftstoffverbrauchs und der Schadstoffemission. Um ein Optimum zwischen Produktakzeptanz und gesetzlichen Grenzen zu schaffen, ist es unerlässlich, eine Anpassung zwischen der Steuerung der Innenvorgänge im Motor Ladungswechsel, Gemischbildung und Verbrennung und seiner Konstruktion vorzunehmen. Die innere Gemischbildung mittels Benzin-Direkteinspritzung bietet gekoppelt mit der Aufladung, der variablen Ventilsteuerung und der gesteuerten Selbstzündung durch die damit verbundenen Möglichkeiten zur Prozesskontrolle ein beachtliches Potenzial zur Erhöhung der Leistungsdichte und gleichzeitig zur Senkung der Schadstoffemission. Jedoch ist die Steuerung solcher Prozesse komplizierter und empfindlicher als bei den bisherigen Motoren mit Saugrohreinspritzung. Der Schlüssel zur Anpassung der inneren Gemischbildung an die angrenzenden Prozessabschnitte Ladungswechsel, Verbrennung ist die Betrachtung ihrer Wechselwirkung mit dem Direkt-Einspritzsystem. Das betrifft die Herstellung einer direkten Kopplung, sowie einer Rückkopplung zwischen den Eigenschaften des Einspritzstrahls und Modulation der Einspritzrate mit der Tropfenbewegungsrichtung, geschwindigkeit, -verdampfung und -verteilung innerh b des Brennraums. Das Einspritzsystem und die innere Gemischbildung sind dabei zunächst Gegenstand von separater, spezifischer Optimierung. Die optimierten Prozesse werden dann durch eine Rückkopplung von der Gemischbildung zum Einspritzsystem aneinander angepasst. Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt eine Methode für die wirkungsvolle Optimierung beider Module dar, die durch ein Direkteinspritzsystem mit Hochdruckmodulation belegt wird. Die Methode basiert auf der Anpassung der Prozesse innerhalb des Einspritzsystems, beziehungsweise während der Entwicklung des Strahls, der Gemischbildung und der Verbrennung, durch eine Rückkopplungsstrategie zwischen unterschiedlichen numerischen Simulationsprogrammen mit dem prozessspezifisch optimierten numerischen Modell für jedes Modul. Die Charakterisierung und die Optimierung des Einspritzsystems beziehungsweise der Eigenschaften des Einspritzstrahls wurden auf Basis des 1D-Codes AMESim durchgeführt. Die Analyse der Strahlentwicklung, der Gemischbildung und der Verbrennung wurde hauptsächlich mittels des 3D-Code FIRE durchgeführt. Für den Datenaustausch zwischen den beiden Codes wurde ein neues Element, das im Code AMESim integriert wurde, entwickelt. Für beide 1D- und 3D-Module wurde die Kalibrierung durch Messungen an einem hydraulischen und einem optischen Prüfstand bzw. am Motorprüfstand vorgenommen. Die Arbeit wurde auf die Optimierung von zwei Direkt-Einspritz-Konzepten fokussiert: - Ein Konzept mit einer Einspritzdüse und zwei seitlichen Zündkerzen - Ein neu entwickeltes Direkt-Einspritzkonzept mit zwei Einspritzdüsen pro Zylinder und einer Zündkerze (Doppeleinspritzung), zur besseren Unterstützung der Ladungsschichtung Besondere Aufmerksamkeit wurde in diesem Kontext der Optimierung der Strahleigenschaften, der Lage der Einspritzdüse(n) im Zylinderkopf, sowie der relativen Ausrichtung der Einspritzdüsen (bei der Doppeleinspritzung), des Zündzeitpunkts und der Zünddauer sowie der Zündkerzenposition geschenkt. Der letzte Teil der Arbeit ist als konkretes Ergebnis der Simulationsstrategie den experimentellen Untersuchungen am Motorprüfstand und am Fahrzeug, bei zahlreichen Kombinationen von Kenngrößen, gewidmet. Die zwei Konfigurationen der Benzin-Direkteinspritzung wurden dabei mit dem ursprünglichen, externen Gemischbildungskonzept verglichen. Die Ergebnisse bezüglich der hubraumbezogenen Leistung, des spezifischen Kraftstoffverbrauchs und der Schadstoffemission sowie des Beschleunigungsverhaltens stellen eine Referenz für moderne, kompakte Ottomotoren dar.The development trends of advanced automobile engines towards high power-to-volume and power-to-mass ratios are partially in contradiction with the requirements regarding drastically reduced fuel consumption and pollutant emission. The development way of the engine between customer acceptance and limitations by law is mainly determined by the optimization of scavenging, mixture formation and combustion characteristics, as functional base for the engine design. The internal mixture formation by gasoline direct injection offers within an adaptable correlation with super-/turbo-charging, variable valve control and controlled autoignition a remarkable potential to improve the engine performance and to reduce the pollutant emission, due to the large possibilities of engine process control. However the control mechanisms of the process at speed or load variations are more complex and sensitive than for classical engines with SI external mixture formation. The key of adaptation of the internal mixture formation to the surrounding process sequences gas exchange, combustion is their interactive correlation with the direct injection system. This means a direct connection as well as a feed-back between spray characteristics and injection rate modulation with the droplet direction, velocity, vaporization and distribution within the combustion chamber. In other terms, both direct injection system and internal mixture formation are object of separate, specific optimization, but these optimized processes are to be adapted to each other generally by a feed-back from mixture formation to the injection system. This thesis presents a method for the effective optimization of both optimization modules, which is exemplified by a system with direct injection by high pressure modulation. The method is based on the coupling of the processes within the injection system respectively during the spray evolution, mixture formation and combustion, by a feed-back strategy between separate numerical simulations of the processes, using the most effective, specific model for each module. The characterization and optimization of the injection system respectively of the injection characteristics is performed using the 1D code AMESim. The analysis of the spray evolution, mixture formation and combustion is conducted mainly by mean of the 3D code FIRE. For the data exchange between the two codes a new element integrated in the code AMESim was developed. For both 1D and 3D modules the calibration is ensured by appropriate hydraulically and optically and test bench experimental analysis methods. The work is focused on the optimization of two direct injection concepts: - a concept with a single injector and two spark plugs and - a new direct injection concept with two injectors per cylinder and one spark plug (twin direct injection), for a better support of the stratified charge operation A particularly attention was paid in this context to the optimization of the spray characteristics, of the location of the injector(s) on the engine head as well as to the reciprocate injector location (in the case of the twin injection), the injection timing and duration and of the spark location. The last part of the work is dedicated as a concrete result of the simulation strategy to the compared engine and vehicle tests using different parameter combinations. The two GDI configurations are compared with the original external mixture formation concept in base of experimental analysis at the engine test bench and at the vehicle test bench as well as on road. The results regarding the power-to-volume ratio, the specific fuel consumption, the pollutant emission as well as the acceleration behavior represent a reference for advanced compact engines

THE COMPLAINT ABOUT THE PROTRACTION OF PROCEEDINGS

The complaint about the protraction of proceedings (“contestaţia privind tergiversarea judecății”) has the role of sanctioning the passivity of the court of law which does not use the means necessary for correcting irregular conduct, or even worse, it disregards the legal provisions requiring a certain conduct from the court itself. The complaint about the protraction of proceedings should not be seen as a possibility to sanction the judge empowered to solve the case. This appeal is actually a remedy provided by law, intended to correct those situations in which the court of law is causing undue delay to the cases, or even more, it doesn`t take the necessary measures for protecting the right to a fair trial within a reasonable and foreseeable time

SENSORIAL STRATEGIES IN THE DESIGN OF PUBLIC

The present paper wishes to establish new criteria regarding the aesthetic revitalisation of public means of transport in the big cities of Romania, using the principles of sensorial design. Unlike France, country in which the public transport systems in big cities have been reconfigured and permanently improved by adopting new technical solutions, new materials and upholsteries, in Romania, the rough economic context from the last decades led to the purchase of used vehicles from the West; fact which gradually led to the increase of the aesthetic level of pollution in big cities. Taking into account that in the near-by future one cannot see any financial solutions for renewing the vehicle parks, in Iași, the TRAMCLUB NGO initiated the project “The aesthetic revitalisation of RATP [1] Iași public means of transport”, in partnership with RATP Iași and two private companies as sponsors. The project foresees the aesthetic integration of means of transport in the urban aesthetics through a chromatic unification and increasing the quality of the travel experience by adopting a unitary upholstery resistant to wear and with a high level of washability. With the support of the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design (“G. Enescu” University of Arts, Iași), a workshop for students of all study years was organised, with the purpose of choosing the best version of chairs reupholstering, in full accordance with the new visual identity

Classification of Pulmonary Damage Stages Caused by COVID-19 Disease from CT Scans via Transfer Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced social and economic changes that are still affecting our lives. The coronavirus is proinflammatory, it is replicating, and it is quickly spreading. The most affected organ is the lung, and the evolution of the disease can degenerate very rapidly from the early phase, also known as mild to moderate and even severe stages, where the percentage of recovered patients is very low. Therefore, a fast and automatic method to detect the disease stages for patients who underwent a computer tomography investigation can improve the clinical protocol. Transfer learning is used do tackle this issue, mainly by decreasing the computational time. The dataset is composed of images from public databases from 118 patients and new data from 55 patients collected during the COVID-19 spread in Romania in the spring of 2020. Even if the disease detection by the computerized tomography scans was studied using deep learning algorithms, to our knowledge, there are no studies related to the multiclass classification of the images into pulmonary damage stages. This could be helpful for physicians to automatically establish the disease severity and decide on the proper treatment for patients and any special surveillance, if needed. An evaluation study was completed by considering six different pre-trained CNNs. The results are encouraging, assuring an accuracy of around 87%. The clinical impact is still huge, even if the disease spread and severity are currently diminished

Prediction of the Damage Effect on Fiberglass-Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites for Wind Turbine Blades

The structure of wind turbine blades (WTBs) is characterized by complex geometry and materials that must resist various loading over a long period. Because of the components’ exposure to highly aggressive environmental conditions, the blade material suffers cracks, delamination, or even ruptures. The prediction of the damage effects on the mechanical behavior of WTBs, using finite element analysis, is very useful for design optimization, manufacturing processes, and for monitoring the health integrity of WTBs. This paper focuses on the sensitivity analysis of the effects of the delamination degree of fiberglass-reinforced polymer composites in the structure of wind turbine blades. Using finite element analysis, the composite was modeled as a laminated structure with five plies (0/45/90/45/0) and investigated regarding the stress states around the damaged areas. Thus, the normal and shear stresses corresponding to each element of delaminated areas were extracted from each ply of the composites. It was observed that the maximum values of normal and shear stresses occurred in relation to the orientation of the composite layer. Tensile stresses were developed along the WTB with maximum values in the upper and lower plies (Ply 1 and Ply 5), while the maximum tensile stresses were reached in the perpendicular direction (on the thickness of the composite), in the median area of the thickness, compared to the outer layers where compression stresses were obtained. Taking into account the delamination cases, there was a sinuous-type fluctuation of the shear stress distribution in relation to the thickness of the composite and the orientation of the layer

A Pilot Study on the Association between Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Coronary Artery Calcification in a Group of Patients Investigated via Cardiac Computed Tomography in a European Country with High Cardiovascular Risk

(1) Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide; the prevention and early detection of coronary artery disease are of critical importance; and the coronary artery calcium score is a powerful method in the assessment of coronary artery disease. Among European countries, Romania ranks as a country with a very high risk of cardiovascular diseases, but the data are limited in regard to the prevalence of the calcium score. (2) Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to establish the coronary calcium score in a group of patients investigated via cardiac CT and to determine the correlation with the presence of cardiovascular risk factors. (3) Results: According to the Agatston calcium score, 50% of the patients had a positive calcium score. High calcium scores above 400 UA were present in 12.6% of patients. Regarding the association between the presence of cardiovascular risk factors and the levels of coronary artery calcification, a mild level of calcification was associated with age over 50 years (X2 = 3.88, p = 0.04, OR = 3.25; 95% CI 0.94–11.14); a moderate level of calcification with the age of patients over 50 years (X2 = 6.54, p = 0.01, OR = 5.58; 95% CI 1.29–24.16), dyslipidemia (X2 = 7.28, p = 0.007, OR = 3.37; 95% CI 1.34–8.51), and arterial hypertension (X2 = 5.37, p = 0.02, OR = 2.88; 95% CI 1.14–7.27); a severe level of calcification with hypertension (X2 = 4.61, p = 0.03, OR = 7.03; 95% CI 0.90–54.81); and a very severe level of calcification with hypertension (X2 = 4.61, p = 0.03, OR = 7.03; 95% CI 0.90–54.81), smoking (X2 = 8.07, p = 0.004, OR = 4.44; 95% CI 1.47–13.44), and diabetes (X2 = 13.65, p = 0.001, OR = 6.59; 95% CI 2.5–20.18). (4) Conclusion: Half of the patients investigated by using cardiac CT had a calcium score of zero. Predictors for coronary calcium scores in relation to risk factors varied. For the very severe coronary calcification level, the strongest predictor was the presence of smoking and diabetes, which increased the odds for very severe calcification by 13.46 times. Patients who had multiple cardiovascular risk factors, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking were 9.18 times more likely to have very severe calcification