Soil pollution assessment in the Baia Mare area after partial closure of ore processing activities

The paper presents the assessment of the soil pollution with Cu, Pb and Zn in the Baia Mare area, historically polluted with metals resulted from mining and processing of non-ferrous ores. Despite the closure of mines and reducing the activity related to ore processing, Baia Mare is still a highly polluted site with Pb, Cu and Zn. The Tessier extraction scheme carried out on soil samples recently collected revealed the residual fraction as dominant for all three metals, followed by the reducible fraction bound to Fe and Mn oxides. The exchangeable fraction, considered as the most mobile fraction and that bound to carbonates, which can be mobilized under acidic conditions, were lower. The presence of the oxidisable metal fraction was also observed

The dynamics of the relationship between just-for-fun online harassment and perceived school safety

[EN] Based on previous analysis needs, our expert team has implemented the project Keeping youth safe from Cyberbullying financed by Erasmus+ KA2, focusing on the in-depth dynamics analysis of the cyberbullying phenomenon that unfortunately has become more and more present in youth online environments. Our team has designed an online questionnaire with the purpose of collecting descriptive data about youth participants, general perception about the cyberbullying particularity incidents, perceived safety of the educational setting and perceived parental support, and lastly a selfrating evaluation scale on self-efficacy perceptions. A total of 92 participants voluntarily responded to. Present research’s focus is the analysis of the association between just-for-fun online harassment type of cyberbullying and youth perceived school safety. Our team has used a curvilinear regression analysis for depicting curvilinear effects, in order to test the hypothesis assuming the curvilinear relationship between youth perceived school safety and just-for-fun online harassment type of cyberbullying. Results confirm the curvilinear relationship, implying the fact that the weaker and as well as the stronger educational context safety is perceived, just-for-fun online harassment type of cyberbullying is present in school; a medium/normal school safety perception triggers a lower just-for-fun online harassment type of cyberbullying incidence in youth. Authors further discuss the implications of these findings, in terms of cyberbullying prevention strategies.Rad, D.; Roman, A.; Dughi, T.; Demeter, E.; Rad, G. (2020). The dynamics of the relationship between just-for-fun online harassment and perceived school safety. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 381-388. https://doi.org/10.4995/INN2019.2019.10233OCS38138

Magnetic and Magnetocaloric Properties of Nano- and Polycrystalline Manganites La_(0.7−x)Eu_xBa_0.3MnO₃

Here, we report synthesis and investigations of bulk and nano-sized La(0.7−x)EuxBa0.3MnO3 (x ≤ 0.4) compounds. The study presents a comparison between the structural and magnetic properties of the nano- and polycrystalline manganites La(0.7−x)EuxBa0.3MnO3, which are potential magnetocaloric materials to be used in domestic magnetic refrigeration close to room temperature. The parent compound, La0.7Ba0.3MnO3, has Curie temperature TC = 340 K. The magnetocaloric effect is at its maximum around TC. To reduce this temperature below 300 K, we partially replaced the La ions with Eu ions. A solid-state reaction was used to prepare bulk polycrystalline materials, and a sol-gel method was used for the nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction was used for the structural characterization of the compounds. Transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM) evidenced nanoparticle sizes in the range of 40–80 nm. Iodometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to investigate the oxygen content of the studied compounds. Critical exponents were calculated for all samples, with bulk samples being governed by tricritical mean field model and nanocrystalline samples governed by the 3D Heisenberg model. The bulk sample with x = 0.05 shows room temperature phase transition TC = 297 K, which decreases with increasing x for the other samples. All nano-sized compounds show lower TC values compared to the same bulk samples. The magnetocaloric effect in bulk samples revealed a greater magnetic entropy change in a relatively narrow temperature range, while nanoparticles show lower values, but in a temperature range several times larger. The relative cooling power for bulk and nano-sized samples exhibit approximately equal values for the same substitution level, and this fact can substantially contribute to applications in magnetic refrigeration near room temperature. By combining the magnetic properties of the nano- and polycrystalline manganites, better magnetocaloric materials can be obtained

Preliminary Results in Anatomic All-inside Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Introduction: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most common lesions in knee traumatology; therefore the number of ACL reconstructions is increasing worldwide. Usually, an anteromedial (AM) accessory portal is required in anatomical positioning of the femoral tunnel, which is not absolutely necessary in this technique. Aim: Assessment of all-inside ACL reconstruction preliminary clinical results with adjustable loops and buttons on both femoral and tibial surfaces. Method: Our prospective study included 28 subjects (19 male, 9 female) with chronic ACL ruptures. The mean age of the study population was 27.72 ± 8.23 years. In all cases ACL reconstruction was carried out with the use of quadrupled semitendinosus auto-grafts with adjustable loops and buttons on the femoral and tibial surfaces and anatomic placement of both tunnels, using an outside-in technique, with flipcutters (Arthrex®). Clinical and radiological evaluations were carried out before surgery and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively, with the Lysholm scoring system, the Tegner activity scale and anterior-posterior and latero-lateral X-rays. Anterior knee laxity was measured in 25° of flexion using a portable arthrometer (RolimeterTM, Aircast®) and maximum manual force. Results: During the final follow-up, the Lysholm score was good and excellent in 27 cases, with a mean Lysholm score of 95.55 ± 4.63; all results were classified as good. The mean preoperative Tegner activity score was 3.46 ± 1.71 (range: 1-7), and the post-operative mean score was 5.75 ± 2.24 (range: 2-10). We found no graft ruptures. Preoperative knee laxity measurements showed a mean displacement of 11.5 ± 3.1 mm and side-to-side differences of 5.6 ± 3.5 mm, while the postoperative measurements at the last follow-up were 6.3 ± 1.54 mm and 2.65 ± 1.86 mm, respectively. Conclusion: Short-term clinical outcomes of all-inside ACL restoration with anatomic placement femoral and tibial tunnels seem to recommend this surgical option, with good subjective and objective results. Additional research will have to prove the long-term success

Novel Surgical Technique for Bone Marrow Lesion — Case Report

Introduction: Bone marrow lesions (BMLs) are commonly described as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings associated with stress injuries or trauma. The presence of BMLs closely correlates with pain and rapid joint deterioration. Case presentation: A 51-year-old healthy man presented to our clinic with severe knee pain due to BMLs. After 3 months of conservative treatment, arthroscopy and subchondroplasty (SCP) of the medial femoral condyle was performed. The IKDC (International Knee Documentation Committee) score improved from 39.9 to 66.7 at 6 months, and to 87.4 at 1 year after surgery. The KOOS (Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome) score improved from 38.5 to 77.7 at 6 months, and to 92.6 at 1 year after surgery. The Tegner Lysholm score improved from 23 to 80 at 6 months, and to 95 at 1 year after surgery. Conclusion: SCP may provide a viable approach to reduce pain associated with BML, with minimal risk of significant complications

Single- or Double-Bundle Technique in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction — Current Concepts and Review of the Literature

The treatment for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficient knee consists in its surgical reconstruction. There are several available and validated techniques, but there are still numerous questions to be answered concerning the best approach in terms of stability, functional outcome, and avoiding further damage in the knee. This paper sought to analyze the studies published in the literature comparing the outcomes of ACL restoration with single-bundle versus double-bundle techniques. The results demonstrate that even if biomechanical studies find an increased steadiness with double-bundle ACL reconstruction, there seems to be no clinical or functional benefit compared with single-bundle reconstruction

Outcomes in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Surgery

Improving the outcomes in reconstructive surgery of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) requires a rigorous and permanent assessment of specific parameters. Therefore, we can increase the degree of reproducibility of the procedure and identify particular aspects in order to achieve an adequate and individualized therapeutic approach for each case. In order to accomplish this goal, the use of complex means (scores) of quantifying results is required. That includes objective means of verifying the parameters in knee surgery, and a subjective evaluation of the patient in order to compare the results

Prevention of Primary ACL Injuries: A Novel, Innovative Approach

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are increasing amongst professional and recreational athletes, and creating prevention programs to reduce the occurrence of ACL damages is becoming a necessity. To prevent an ACL tear, it is necessary to comprehend the mechanisms and the risk factors of injury. Biomechanical and clinical studies try to understand these complex mechanisms in order to identify factors that can be improved and to develop training programs to prevent at least non-contact ACL injuries. There are several promising programs, but there are still many questions to answer. This paper analyzes the risk factors for ACL injuries and some aspects of the modern programs developed to decrease the rate of ACL tears

ACL Surgical Technique — Staying Out of Trouble

The incidence of ACL tear and reconstruction has increased over time, and failure of ACL reconstruction is not perfectly defined among surgeons. Atraumatic failure of ACL surgery represents approximately 70% of causes, and occurs in diagnostic errors, technical errors and problems of ACL graft integrations. Regarding surgical technique, we should answer certain questions about our choice of surgery, tunnel position, graft type, graft suture, tensioning the graft, and how we deal with certain incidents or intraoperative accidents. The purpose of this article is to review the current information and trends of ACL reconstruction, and presents some tips and tricks we use in our current practice