An assessment of the scope and effectiveness of soft measures to handle plastic pollution in the Baltic Sea Region.

As a semi-closed sea, the Baltic Sea is especially vulnerable to human activities and pressures, such as tourism, industry, and increasing population size, which is also associated with increasing levels of plastic pollution. Apart from legal frameworks and technical solutions (e.g.

Fertilizer use and agricultural practices in the paradox of maize crop production and environmental sustainability.

The enduring existence of pollution presents a substantial danger to human health, natural systems, and social welfare. Human activities mostly generate greenhouse gas emissions, namely carbon dioxide, which negatively impacts the environment. This study used annual datasets to examine the association between maize crop production, maize yield, fertilizer consumption, agricultural land use, and environmental quality in China.

Reusability of Scrap Rubber, Tire Shredding, Recycled PVC and Fly Ash for Development of Composites with Vibration Damping Ability.

The study focuses on harnessing recycled materials to create sustainable and efficient composites, addressing both environmental issues related to waste management and industrial requirements for materials with improved vibration damping properties. The research involves the analysis of the physico-mechanical properties of the obtained composites and the evaluation of their performance in practical applications. Composite materials were tested in terms of their tensile strength and vibration damping capabilities, considering stress-strain diagrams, vibration amplitudes, frequency response functions (FRFs) and vibration modes.

Analysis regarding the impact of 'fake news' on the quality of life of the population in a region affected by earthquake activity. The case of Romania-Northern Oltenia.

Purpose: The study aims to examine the impact of the wave of seismic activity in the northern region of Oltenia (Gorj County, Romania) in February 2023 and the belief in 'fake news' (circulated regarding causality, manifestations, and future developments of the seismic activity) on the quality of life of the affected population. It was considered opportune to conduct this study, given the novelty of such a situation, as the mentioned geographical area is not known to have a high seismic risk.

Methods: The study was built based on the questionnaire to which 975 respondents, present/residing in Gorj County during the earthquakes and at least 14 days after, and with a minimum age of 18 years, responded.

A Cotton Fabric Composite with Light Mineral Oil and Magnetite Nanoparticles: Effects of a Magnetic Field and Uniform Compressions on Electrical Conductivity.

Over the past few decades, tactile sensors have become an emerging field of research with direct applications in the area of biomedical engineering. New types of tactile sensors, called magneto-tactile sensors, have recently been developed. The aim of our work was to create a low-cost composite whose electrical conductivity depends on mechanical compressions that can be finely tuned using a magnetic field for magneto-tactile sensor fabrication.

Study on the Vaccination of the Population of Romania against Monkeypox in Terms of Medical Security.

Although it has been shown in numerous studies that immunization of the population by vaccination is the most effective way to protect against smallpox or other polioviruses, the anti-vaccination public rhetoric recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to influence the populations acceptance of vaccination against newly emerging viruses. This fact influenced our decision to study the vaccination of the Romanian population against the virus that causes monkeypox, aiming to identify the degree of compliance regarding the decision related to vaccination acceptance/non-acceptance/hesitation, based on the survey of a representative sample of respondents. The study is based on an online questionnaire completed between 1 July and 31 July 2022 by 820 individuals, aged 18 years or above, with a permanent residency in Romania.

Survey upon the Reasons of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance in Romania.

Aim: The present study aims to observe the reasons for which the participants have chosen to uptake one of the COVID-19 vaccines approved in Romania. Thus, it will help us to determine whether the reasons are medical in nature, with the respondents' scope to stay healthy, or if there are other motivations. High rates of vaccine acceptance are essential in the struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic, and trust indicators in other inoculations may be vital for the good management of the vaccination campaign.

Magneto-Tactile Sensor Based on a Commercial Polyurethane Sponge.

In this paper, we present the procedure for fabricating a new magneto-tactile sensor (MTS) based on a low-cost commercial polyurethane sponge, including the experimental test configuration, the experimental process, and a description of the mechanisms that lead to obtaining the MTS and its characteristics. It is shown that by using a polyurethane sponge, microparticles of carbonyl iron, ethanol, and copper foil with electroconductive adhesive, we can obtain a high-performance and low-cost MTS. With the experimental assembly described in this paper, the variation in time of the electrical capacity of the MTS was measured in the presence of a deforming force field, a magnetic field, and a magnetic field superimposed over a deformation field.

Promoting gender equality across the sustainable development goals.

Unlabelled: Gender issues, and gender equality in particular, can be regarded as cross-cutting issues in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), even though it is unclear how they are taken into account. This study addresses this information gap by performing an assessment of the emphasis on gender issues across all the other 16 SDGs, in addition to SDG5, through a literature review and case study analysis, the basis for the newly developed framework, highlighting specific actions associated to each SDG. The 13 countries addressed in the 16 case studies include China, India, or Australia and illustrate the inclusion of SDG5 into the SDGs.

Analysis of the impact of the armed conflict in Ukraine on the population of Romania.

Purpose: The study aims to highlight the behavior of people in a state in the vicinity of a military conflict zone. Specifically, it highlights the psychological behavior of Romanian citizens after the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. It was considered appropriate to carry out this study, given the novelty of such a situation, since, after the end of the Second World War, Europe has no longer faced major problems of insecurity caused by armed conflicts of this magnitude.

Parental COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy for Children in Romania: National Survey.

Purpose: Once vaccination against COVID-19 was also possible for children over 12 years of age, parents/legal guardians had to give their consent for their vaccination. It is a crucial moment, given the large number of infected people in Romania and the fact that these children are a source of transmission of the virus in the community. The refusal or hesitation of the parents/legal guardians, regarding the agreement for the vaccination of the children, determined us to focus on this subject, wishing, based on the questioning of as many parents as possible, to extract the reasons underlying these decisions.

Study on the Refusal of Vaccination against COVID-19 in Romania.

The refusal to be inoculated with the anti-COVID-19 vaccine by a part of the Romanian population becomes a barrier against controlling and stopping this particularly infectious virus. The rapid evolution of COVID-19 vaccines has created confusion regarding health and safety. Many Romanian citizens refuse vaccination because of fears generated by uncertainties based on information obtained from fake news.

Correlation of clinical and biological evidence - a dominant therapeutic element of succeeding in ectopic pregnancy.

Tubal pathology, smoking, pelvic inflammatory disease, miscarriage, medical or surgical abortion, usage of intrauterine devices (IUDs) for women with salpingitis latent injuries, older than 40 years, are risk factors for ectopic pregnancy. The objective of this study concerns the correlation of the clinical and biological evidence for the early diagnosis of the ectopic pregnancy and, as soon as possible, for the estimation for eventual risk of complications that may appear. The transvaginal ultrasound test, minimal increases in serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) dynamics and blood counts are investigations of choice in achieving our objective.