A Critical Approach on Using Total Water Footprint of Agricultural Products as a Potential Sustainable Development Indicator

Measuring sustainable development represents a fundamental issue which requires a complex approach in identifying relevant indicators to capture the global transformations of the contemporary economic paradigm, within the context of increasing globalization and of the integration of markets and economies. The recent evolutions of the environmenta lanalysis enforced total water footprint as a highly popular and core environmental performance indicator.The paper presents a critical approach on using total water footprint of agricultural products as a potential sustainable development indicator from the EU perspective, by applying a specific research method on clustering and concentration. The results prove that total water footprint of the agricultural products is highly country-specific dependent. The uneven distribution shown by grouping of countries and types of agricultural products consumption confirm this argument

Evaluation of Wheat Flour Dough Rheological Properties by Magnesium Lactate Salt Addition

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the magnesium ions from lactate salt at the level of 100, 150 and 200 mg/100g addition on the rheological properties of the wheat flour dough of 550 type. For this purpose, the empirical dough rheological properties were investigated during mixing, pasting and fermentation process by using the Farinograph, Falling Number, Amylograph and Rheofermentometer devices. During mixing dough hydration capacity decreases with the increased level of magnesium ions addition whereas the dough stability and dough development time decreases at low levels of magnesium ions addition and increases at high levels. The temperature at peak viscosity, total CO2 volume production and the total volume of CO2 lost decreases with the increased level of magnesium addition. PCA analysis shows that the wheat flour with 100 mg and 150 mg /100g magnesium ions addition presents a similar behaviour slightly different to those with 200 mg /100g magnesium ions addition (P < 0.05)

Influence of calcium ions addition from gluconate and lactate salts on refined wheat flour dough rheological properties

This study analysed the effect of calcium ions from gluconate and lactate salts on the rheological properties of wheat flour dough. The empirical rheological properties of wheat flour dough were evaluated on Farinograph, Amylograph, Falling Number and Rheofermentometer devices. In the Farinograph test, both forms of calcium ions increased water absorption and dough stability, whereas the dough development time increased when calcium gluconate was added and decreased when calcium lactate was incorporated. The addition of calcium ions to wheat flour dough increased Amylograph gelatinization temperature and decreased peak viscosity. The Falling Number values decreased and the Rheofermentometer parameter retention coefficient increased with the increased level of calcium ions addition. Dynamic oscillatory rheology in the linear viscoelastic range (frequency sweep and oscillatory temperature sweep test) was studied. Each of the calcium ion forms influenced the rheological behaviour of wheat flour dough; thus, the results obtained are similar to those reported by the Farinograph and Amylograph devices

Effects of Grape Peels Addition on Mixing, Pasting and Fermentation Characteristics of Dough from 480 Wheat Flour Type

In this study, white grape peels were incorporated in wheat flour at levels of 3, 5, 7 and 9% (w/w), with different particle sizes (large, L > 500 mm, medium, 200 mm > M < 500 mm and small fractions, S < 200 mm). The effects of the addition of grape peels flour (GPF) to wheat flour on the viscoelastic properties of dough and both mixing and proofing behaviour is presented. By GPF addition an increase of water absorption and a decrease of dough stability were recorded, whereas dough development time is remarkable influenced by the particle sizes. Alpha-amylase activity and gelatinization temperature increases by the increased of GPF addition level. The presence of GPF at different levels and particle sizes in dough affected fermentation behaviour of dough with GPF. The whole study shown that grape peels can be used as ingredients in breadmaking in order to improve bread quality

Factors Influencing Energy Consumption in the Context of Sustainable Development

Based on the global need to reduce the primary and final energy consumption, as part of the climate change mitigation strategy, the present study aims at determining the influence of different economic, social and environmental factors on the two types of consumption while emphasizing the importance of this topic for the research area. The novelty of the study resides in the factors considered in the panel analysis as well as in the combination of the analysis methods: the panel data analysis and the bibliometric analysis. The main results show that factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, gross domestic product, population and labour growth have a positive relationship with both primary and final energy consumption, which means an increase of energy consumption. Meanwhile, factors such as feminine population increase, healthcare expenditures or energy taxes have a negative relationship, which determine a reduction of energy consumption. The results should be of interest to the authorities in designing new energy reduction policies for contributing to sustainable development goals, as well as to the researchers

On the Deposition Process of Ceramic Layer Thin Films for Low-Carbon Steel Pipe Protection

Ceramic thin films with variable thicknesses have been used in many applications. In order to protect the petroleum transportation pipes against the harmful H2S action, two ceramic materials as thin layers are proposed. In this article, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of ceramic layers by in situ time-resolved optical techniques is investigated. Two ceramic materials were used as targets and real-time monitoring of the PLD process was realized via ICCD fast camera imaging and optical emission spectroscopy. The space&ndash;time displacement of the ceramic emissions was analyzed in order to determine the plasma structure and respective kinetic energies. Spectral-resolved investigation allowed the determination of plasma species individual velocities (in the first case: 43 km/s for C ionic species, 11 km/s for Si, from 25 to 5 km/s for atomic species; in the second case: 32 km/s for C ionic species, 11 km/s for W species, and 15 and 53 km/s for neutral species). SEM and AFM techniques were implemented to analyze the resulting ceramic layers showing homogeneous surfaces with characteristic material droplets. The ablation crater also reveals selective ablation during the deposition process. EDX results show that Al/Si is retained in the thin films similar to the target composition

COVID-19 Vaccination in Romania and the Benefits of the National Electronic Registry of Vaccinations

Background: Recording real-time data of vaccinations performed, vaccine stocks, and adverse events following immunization is a particularly useful activity in the effective development of any vaccination campaign or vaccination program, guiding the decisions of public health authorities. The aim of this paper is to present the benefits of the National Electronic Registry of Vaccinations in providing useful information for the optimization of healthcare vaccination policies, specifically related to COVID-19 vaccination. Methods: We performed a descriptive study using data available in the reports generated from the National Electronic Registry of Vaccinations regarding COVID-19 vaccinations performed between 27 December 2020 and 31 December 2021. Results: A total of 27,980,270 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were distributed. Of these, 15,757,638 (56%) were administered in 4545 vaccination centers: 7,882,458 as the 1st dose (50%), 5,878,698 as the 2nd dose (37%), and 1,996,482 as the 3rd dose (13%). More than 25% of the total doses were administered to people over 65 years of age. A total of 41% of the population received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 4083 adverse events following immunization were reported. Conclusions: The existence of a National Electronic Registry of Vaccinations containing accurate information on vaccinations performed in Romania offers the opportunity to obtain a clear picture of vaccination status that will significantly contribute to the optimization of vaccination strategies and programs