Assessment of Organic Carbon Sequestration from Romanian Degraded Soils: Livada Forest Plantation Case Study
To analyse the capacity of a soil to sequester organic carbon and the impact that deforestation and reforestation can have on its physical and chemical properties, specific laboratory analyses are necessary. According to a standard methodology, a number of 16 samples were taken from two different depths (0–10 cm, 10–20 cm) and from two different areas (degraded area and forest area) to identify if the type of land use and sampling depth are the key factors in changing the obtained values and also to prove the hypothesis according to which forest lands may have a higher carbon sequestration capacity. The highest value of soil organic carbon was identified in the forest area at a …
Infrastructure and system programming for digital ecosystems used in natural disaster management
Researchers in most fields of activity must concentrate their efforts to eradicate or at least to mitigate the negative effects of “global warming”, which affect the entire planet. Within this context, we strongly believe that IT&C specialists should also approach the issue. Therefore, this paper presents the results and solutions obtained during the development of a research contract dealing on the one hand with real-time data collection and data centralization in a decision making system, and on the other with the dissemination of information among the people exposed to the effects of natural disasters such as: floods, storms, tsunamis, or other natural disasters which may destroy propert…
Decision Suport System for Manufacturing Processes Reengineering based upon Fuzzy Logic Techniques
Abstract This work presents a method for taking the decision of reengineering a production system, based upon fuzzy techniques. The main advantage of this method is, after authors' opinion, is the ease of its implementation together with the reduced time for gathering data and processing it. Multi-variable decision systems are usually based upon complicated mathematical methods and involved a large amount of data to be processed. The fuzzy approach presented here is based only on five input variables and one output variable. The data for the model are gathered by simple queries and quizzes. Human perception, the main point of fuzzy logic, is widely used here for gathering input data for the…
Accentuating the Interrelation between Consumer Intention and Healthy Packaged Food Selection during COVID-19: A Case Study of Pakistan
This study contemplates the factors that influence consumer intention, before and during the eruption of COVID-19, for the selection of healthy packaged food in Pakistan. The extant studies have identified two distinct attitudes of consumers about food label information: one is its usefulness and the second elucidates the avoidance. Hence forth, the current study contributes to the extant literature while signifying both reasons which motivate consumers to read food labels and reasons which discourage consumers from consult food labels at the point of purchase. Moreover, the impact of subjective norms and self-efficacy for healthy packaged food intentions has also been examined for both bef…
Good practices and actions for sustainable municipal solid waste management in the tourist sector
This paper deals with waste management in the tourism sector, specifically in the agro-tourism structures. Two regions of Romania and Italy have been considered as case studies in order to promote good practices and actions for sustainable municipal solid waste management. Specific criteria to adopt for the sustainable consumption of beverages and food and for the sustainable use of packaging of various types have been analyzed and suggested. The adoption of an indicator at the level of the single tourist structure has been proposed to help self-analysis that is aimed at setting the priorities of intervention for improving its environmental sustainability.
Hazards That Can Affect CNC Machine Tools during Operation—An AHP Approach
CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine tools are highly advanced technological systems, used to machine parts by means of metal cutting processes. Their structure and kinematics are very complex, involving accurate coordinated motions on three to five axes. Operating CNC machine tools is a complicated process, which can easily be affected by errors. Nowadays, safety systems and devices are developed in order to make this process safer and more user friendly. Modern CNC controllers are designed to deal with obvious sources of hazards, such as overloads (by means of various sensor systems) and collisions (by checking the NC code syntax and simulating it on the machine). However, despit…
GREENHOUSE EFFECT REDUCTION THROUGH MINE METHANE VALORIZATION: OVERVIEW AND FEASIBILITY STUDY
Although the main reason for the extraction of methane from coal beds continues to address ensuring the safety of workers, an important driver is the need to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. In order to identify potential technical problems specific for available technologies implementation, we performed a comparative critical analysis, based on which the technically feasible systems resulted, their further selection being based on detailed analysis in financial and investment terms. The research goal was to establish options for using methane gas discharged through central degassing and main ventilation stations currently operational mines in the Jiu Valley collieries; through its lev…
Enabling the Circular Economy Transition in Organizations: A Moderated Mediation Model
The notion of Corporate Environmental Responsibility has been extensively researched in the literature so far, but less is known about how this concept fits into the circular economy paradigm. We performed a moderated mediation analysis in order to identify the mechanism that links corporate environmental responsibility with readiness for change towards a circular economy business model. The findings from 311 respondents show that there is a positive association between corporate environmental responsibility and the readiness for change to a circular model, mediated by perceived circular economy drivers. In addition, perceived circular economy barriers hinder this positive relationship, act…
Warehouse threats and loss prevention management in case of fire
Abstract Warehouses play an important role when it comes to the reception, delivery and storage of various types of goods. Due to the complex scenarios that may occur, as well as the heterogeneous nature of goods, warehouses bear a higher risk of accidents. Regardless if we’re taking about removing hassle or standardizing operations we speak the same language: insuring efficiency and increased efficiency leads to smart cost maintenances. In the article hear by we will observe the behavior of different warehouse materials in the case of trigger fired. Starting from the results obtained during the low scale tests and completing the premises with the large scale experiment (warehouse scale), w…
TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL OF TYRES: TWO EU APPROACHES. A REVIEW
The treatment and disposal of tyres from vehicles has long been of considerable environmental importance. The main problem lies in the mixed composition of the tyres. Studies have been undertaken to modify the structure of the tyres, especially with reference to the percentage of granulated rubber incorporated, in order to improve their performance, and also to reduce their environmental impact during normal functioning (noise, particulates, etc.) and facilitate recycling and final disposal. The aim of the present study is to review and compare how used tyres are treated and disposed of in two different EU countries. The first is Italy, which has been part of the European Union since its in…
IT Technology Implications Analysis on the Occupational Risk: Cloud Computing Architecture
Abstract The present paper is divided into three major areas: the analysis of occupational risk implications at national and international level, the European priorities in terms of occupational risk and the existing cloud computing services. Since human resource is present within each organization, it is required a comprehensive and actual assessment of the processes in which they participate. Like in any daily activity, processes and people contribute to the emergence of risks. If each organization creates healthy and safe workplaces that means that it contributes to the sustainable development of the area in which it operates. It can be said that occupational risk assessment and occupati…
Consumer Satisfaction towards Green Products: Empirical Insights from Romania
The current model of linear economy is causing accelerated consumption and an extensive use of natural resources that accentuates the effects of the current global environmental crisis. In this context, green products are becoming a key element in the transition to a sustainable consumption and production model. The main goal of this paper is to identify the factors predicting youth consumer satisfaction towards green products and to analyze the public perception of green brand products in Romania. Considering these goals, a questionnaire was developed and applied to 268 participants. The results show that a positive attitude towards green products and the level of information held by the c…
Optimal Solutions for the Use of Sewage Sludge on Agricultural Lands
The use of sewage sludge in agriculture decreases the pressure on landfills. In Romania, massive investments have been made in wastewater treatment stations, which have resulted in the accumulation of important quantities of sewage sludge. The presence of these sewage sludges coincides with large areas of degraded agricultural land. The aim of the present article is to identify the best technological combinations meant to solve these problems simultaneously. Adapting the quality and parameters of the sludge to the specificity of the land solves the possible compatibility problems, thus reducing the impact on the environment. The physico-chemical characteristics of the fermented sludge were …
Detecting Bridge Anaphora
The paper presents one of most important issues in natural language processing (NLP), namely the automated recognition of semantic relations (in this case, bridge anaphora). In this sense, we propose to recognize automatically, as accurately as possible, this type of relations in a literary corpus (the novel Quo Vadis), knowing that the diversity and complexity of relations between entities is impressive. Furthermore, we defined and classified the bridge anaphora type relations based on annotation conventions. In order to achieve the main goal, we developed a computational instrument, BAT (Bridge Anaphora Tool), currently still in a test (and implicitly an improvable) version. This study is…
Industrial Symbiosis through the Use of Biosolids as Fertilizer in Romanian Agriculture
Biosolids’ use in agriculture is an example of industrial symbiosis. The application of biosolids (BS) in agriculture is considered one of the most sustainable sewage sludge (SS) management options, but the quality of biosolids has to meet certain requirements regarding the characteristics of the sludge, those of the land and of the type of crop. Web of Science database has been used to search for the relevant literature. The review of studies undertaken in order to determine the economic effects of the use of biosolids in agriculture shows, in the majority, an increase in crop yield and the reduction in costs, due to the reduction in the requirements for the application of chemical or synt…
Impact of Engineer Personality on Sustainable Environment
Engineers are the ones who design the anthropic space and apply the principles of sustainable development. The way they feel and see reality is projected on their work and finished products. The purpose of this research is to identify sensory stimuli that produce pleasure and comfort in the socio-professional category of engineers. The questionnaire survey revealed that engineers prefer materials that promote a sustainable economy, as well as the organization of the anthropological environment by the model of nature, practicing in the unconscious psyche a mimicry of the natural environment.
Characterization of automotive shredder residues before and five years after landfill disposal
The paper illustrates the results of an extensive analytical characterization study of automotive shredder residues (ASR), also known as "fluff". The analyses concerned material fractions and their content, with special reference to heavy metals (e.g. Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Cu) and arsenic. Elution tests on the original materials were also conducted. Moreover, chemical concentrations of ASR samples after about five years' landfill residence was assessed, in order to verify possible changes resulting from both in-situ leaching and organic matter degradation phenomena. Results show that lead seems to be the most critical element in view of possible ASR acceptance in non-hazardous waste landfills bec…