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In June 2019, the 12th International Conference on Halophilic Microorganisms – Halophiles 2019, was held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. This thematic issue of FEMS Microbiology Letters contains papers based on lectures and posters presented at the conference. We here provide a short overview of past research on hypersaline environments in Romania and the microorganisms inhabiting them, and briefly present the papers published in this thematic issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Romania, one of the countries with the largest Roma community in Europe, the gap between the majority population and the Roma minority continues to be wide. The paper explores whether there is a sustainability of traditional Roma occupations and crafts or whether we are witnessing a continuous occupational dynamic. The objective of the research is to identify the patterns of traditional and non-traditional economic activities practised in Roma communities in two cities: Timişoara and Cluj-Napoca. The research hypothesis investigates whether there is a wide range of economic activities in analyzed Roma communities, where traditional activities tend to have a negligible share and dynamics compared to non-traditional ones. Also, we analyze whether traditional activities remain relevant in Roma communities and whether they represent a significant occupational resource in the case of external migration. The following statistical hypotheses are presented: there are significant differences between members of Roma communities in Timisoara and Cluj-Napoca. These are observed in the choice of practising non-traditional-traditional economic activities in the country. There are significant differences between members of Roma communities in Timisoara and Cluj-Napoca in the practice of traditional versus non-traditional occupations according to ethnic subgroup membership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research encompasses a qualitative and quantitative analytical result carried out with the purpose of determining the peculiarities of use of the press release in the business section of the daily papers in Cluj-Napoca. The analysis sample specimen consists of Făclia, Monitorul de Cluj, Servus Cluj and Ziua de Cluj articles probed within the period of February the 3rd, 2012 and the 30th of April 2012. Among the criteria underlying the decision to publish the data contained in press releases we identified: the category of organization of which the issuer is part, the information proximity, but also the advertising contracts between newspapers and organizations. The amount of information taken ad litteram from the press release is another aspect on which this research has focused. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international cross-border project GeoSES-Extension of the operational "Space Emergency System" towards monitoring of dangerous natural and man-made geo-processes in the HU-SK-RO-UA cross-border region HUSKROUA 1702 /8.1. / 0065 was included in Thematic objective 8. TO - Common challenges in the field of safety and security, Program priority 8.1 Support to joint activities for the prevention of natural and man-made disasters as well as joint action during emergency situations of the HUSKROUA ENI CBC Program 2014-2020. Technical University of Cluj Napoca was one of the participants in the project together with the Project Leader Uzhhorod National University, Ukraine and Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Budapest University of Technology and Ecomomics, Selfgovernment of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County. The overall objective of the project is geo-monitoring of natural and man-made processes in the cross-border territory with the aim of preventing emergency situations. The project specific objectives are the following: 1. Reduction of the risks of natural disasters by means of geomonitoring of dangerous landslide and mudflow processes in the valley of the Tisza River; 2. Forecasting the occurrence of heavy rainstorms in cross-boundary areas with the aim of preventing unexpected river floods, 3. Development of a joint innovation strategy for preventing ecological disasters and adopting to change climate in the Carpathian Region. Located at the foot of Solovan Hill, Sighetu Marmaiei was subjected to numerous landslides. In these conditions, the role of the Romanian partner in the project was to monitor this situation, operations carried out both globally, for the entire municipal territory and neighborhoods and privately through six locations chosen both due to the gravity of events over time and the fact that these landslides had different causes. The paper presents the GIS mechanisms used to generate the landslide risk analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creative industries, by their nature of innovation through creativity, add value to any territory by giving it spatial functionality, and at the same time, they favour sustainable development through the sustainability of the urban centres in which they operate. This paper develops a GIS methodology based on the implementation of a spatial analysis model that captures, in a comparative way, the spatial functionality of two different urban centres—(Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and Pécs (Hungary))—in terms of spatial extent based on the impact of the spatial distribution of creative industries. The spatial analysis model is based on the management of alpha-numeric databases representing the addresses of the creative industries, based on geolocation, for the development of spatial analyses of pedestrian accessibility. The main aim is to identify the specific areas of 15 and 5 min model cities. The comparative analysis was carried out by implementing a deterministic methodology through which the areas with certain degrees of accessibility were analysed in relation to the total analysed area, with the main aim of standardising the scale of analysis due to the difference between the two urban centres, thus facilitating the use of qualitative boning in the final comparison process. The results obtained highlight the local behaviour, at the same time making it possible to conduct a realistic deterministic comparative analysis of the two urban centres, which are also identifiable from the point of view of local territorial functionality, thereby validating the GIS model implemented in the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents in a concise form, the results and the conclusions of the COLLES survey administered to students of the 2nd year (Romanian and English taught programs) of the Veterinary Medicine from Cluj-Napoca, during the Anatomy course. The interpretation of the specific COLLES scales (combined preferred and actual) form points to some interesting aspects linked either to some of the interpersonal relations and expectations of the students or to some systemic issues related to the specificity of the didactical process in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Romania. These conclusions may serve as a good start for a more ample survey of several subjects within the Moodle platform, targeting some clinical-related topics to build a more complete image of the student's needs and specificities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been documented that patients with mental or physical disabilities can benefit from being placed within the setting of a natural environment. Consequently, the concept of creating spaces that can enhance health preservation or patient recovery, while also augmenting environmental and aesthetic value, has merged as a contemporary discourse. Green areas around hospitals can offer a great opportunity to incorporate healing gardens to benefit their patients and not only. The aim of this paper is to propose a design for a sensory-therapeutic garden based on key principles derived from selected academic literature, focusing on the application of these principles in a healthcare setting in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The design was informed also by onsite data collection and analysis, and it aims to create a healing landscape that addresses the needs of patients, healthcare providers, and visitors. This study seeks to augment the discourse in the field by demonstrating the practical application of key therapeutic garden design principles in a specific context and how these principles impacted the design process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to study the on-going problem of traffic generated noise pollution, focusing on the influence of speed breakers on specific areas of the noise spectrum. We studied different types of speed breakers around the metropolitan area of Cluj-Napoca, measuring a sound spectrum from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Speed breakers have an extensive use all over the world as safety measures near parks, schools, residential areas, but the question to answer is whether they also contribute to the increase in noise pollution and to what measure this contribution is. The study considers the different types of speed breakers used in the metropolitan area and the degree of usage the speed breakers have. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brownfields are a real problem which affects the urban appearance of cities and the quality of life of their inhabitants. In Romania, industrial areas were mainly concentrated on the outskirts of large cities, in the immediate vicinity of residential areas. With the closing of factories and the additional population of the big cities, there was a need for expansion of residential areas with a social-economic function. This paper proposes a case study from the classical surveying measurement equipment (GNSS—Global Navigation Satellite System and TS—Total Station) for land use planning of brownfield regeneration projects. The chosen area is in the northwest part of Romania, in Cluj-Napoca, where a former brick factory was closed, leaving behind unaesthetic and unused land. In this paper, it is suggested that a better understanding of the way in which UAV—Unmanned Aerial Vehicle—aerial photogrammetry can contribute to providing information for the design and development of this area. In addition, this study confirms the advantages of effective and practical use of the obtained geospatial information for the design of a residential complex in the studied area, a complex proposed as a sustainable alternative to the former industrial area. Observation and analysis of the differences between the two topo-geodetic works were carried out with the help of UAV technology, such as GNSS—Global Navigation Satellite System and TS—Total Station technology, respectively, to create a topographic plan, level curves, and 3D models made of the building in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Romanian IT professionals are marketized as young, highly skilled, and full of potential individuals. However, there is a contradiction in their image. In the discourse of international outsourcing, they are presented as cheap labour, while on the national and local level they are considered high earners. Under the privilege of income tax exemption, the IT sector is continuously growing and attracting labour, providing well-paying entry-level jobs and bringing in foreign capital. At the same time, on a symbolic level, it also developed a reputation as a facilitator of social ascension and of importer of European ideas. In this paper I aim to examine what drives people towards professional reorientation to IT. How is the idea of the middle class being used? What is the imaginary that makes people take on the risky and arduous road of re-professionalization and what are its consequences? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lighting Engineering Laboratory - LEL - is one of the major lighting independent consultants in the north-west side of Romania. The laboratory is affiliated to the Building Services Faculty of the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca. Over the past few years, the Lighting Engineering Laboratory carefully mapped the university's energy use. To estimate the actual level of energy efficiency at our faculty we compared previous consumption data to obtain the trends of energy consumption. The paper presents the energy consumptions recorded for the Building Services Faculty of Cluj-Napoca. This should be the very first step to achieve the most appropriate energy efficiency solutions for the university's buildings. Some lighting refurbishments were also tested as case studies. A new design for an active educational building that will produce more energy that it consumes - was proposed. The present paper tries to determine the detailed aspects of the building energy consumption, proposing at the same time some energy efficiency solutions economically viable for the most educational buildings in the Eastern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper "The role of local press in promoting educational opportunities for young people" explores how the online editions of three local newspapers from Cluj-Napoca: Monitorul de Cluj, Ziua de Cluj and Făclia de Cluj include educational and developmental opportunities for young people. Instead of analyzing only the articles related to education in general, the present study adds a new dimension and closely focuses on all the articles that are address to youth. Moreover, the paper analyzes the Youth in Action projects conducted in Cluj-Napoca in order to understand how institutions try to address their projects to local press. The current paper includes one theoretical and one practical part. The first part contains information regarding the previous studies on the topic and on youth and defines concepts used in the study. The practical part contains the actual research that represents a rather new approach on how the online editions of the three local media include youth opportunities in their agenda, and how institutions that undertake Youth in Action projects promote their projects in the local press. The final part consists in the results of the study, but also includes discussions, recommendations and limitations of the study. The research strives to be meaningful for young people, youth workers, NGOs, student journalists, journalist and parents that consume these types of media, as it provides substantial insight into the major opportunities that young people have nowadays, and how they are addressed in local media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the paper is to identify and understand how the Romanian farmers relate to ecological farming in terms of ecological practices and ecological products. To achieve this objective, qualitative research methods were used: hybrid forum method and in-depth interviews. The obtained results reveal that in the county Cluj-Napoca, the stakeholders opt for building an operational social system (balanced functioning of the education, production, research, distribution systems within multi-dimensional political programmes/projects). At the same time, the stakeholders from Suceava opt for building an operational social system where the ecological practices are the core of agricultural systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper highlights the characteristics of the employer brand identity of software and IT companies from Cluj-Napoca. The large IT companies from Cluj-Napoca are mainly Romanian delivery centers of international companies with outsourcing business strategy. Most of the locally based companies are medium or small sized IT companies working for both domestic and foreign markets. The majority of the Romanian delivery centers of international companies have complex employer brand identity which they use to attract the valuable workforce. Romanian medium sized companies from Cluj-Napoca present employer brand identity with medium complexity; however, their employer benefit lists are more modest than those of international companies. Romanian small sized companies from Cluj-Napoca have basic employer brand identity, merely formulated as answers to the request of the labor market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although multiple studies focused on the effects that the Covid-19 pandemic had on students and the strategies adopted for dealing with the effects, few authors looked at what was on the other side of the educational process - teachers. The pandemic had the same influence on teachers as it had on any other social or professional group, leading to increased levels of stress, insomnia, anxiety, uncertainty, fatigue or burnout. However, even faced with these issues, educators had to continue their activity and adapt at a moment's notice to a different paradigm of doing their job and shift from on-site to online teaching. The current qualitative research looks at the multiple effects the public health crisis had on professors in terms of personal and professional life. The paper reviews the measures adopted by educators to adapt to online education, ranging from updates of the course Syllabuses, educational contents, new evaluation methods, video services, and educational platforms used, to communicate and motivate students or the positive and negative facets of e-learn-ing. The interview guide also includes elements related to the future of teaching PA in the post Covid-19 era, the sustainability of online education, and the prospects of returning to the previous paradigm. The empirical research was conducted using semi-structured interviews, the respondents being educators from the Public Administration programs of Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Male and female respondents (N=19) ranged from PhD students at the beginning of their teaching activity to full professors with more than two decades of experience. The lessons derived from the Covid-19 pandemic are useful for understanding how universities as a whole and professors in particular deal with the uncertainties and turbulence generated by crises, focusing on systemic and individual resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let (X, d) be a complete metric space, (Y, ρ) be a metric space and f, g : X → Y be two mappings. The problem is to give metric conditions which imply that, C(f,g) : = {x ∈∈ X \ f(x) = g(x)} ≠ 0. In this paper we give an abstract coincidence point result with respect to which some results such as of Peetre-Rus (I.A. Rus, Teoria punctului fix în analiza funcțională, Babeş-Bolyai Univ., Cluj-Napoca, 1973), A. Buică (A. Buică, Principii de coincidență şi aplicații, Presa Univ. Clujeană, Cluj-Napoca, 2001) and A.V. Arutyunov (A.V. Arutyunov, Covering mappings in metric spaces and fixed points, Dokl. Math., 76(2007), no.2, 665-668) appear as corollaries. In the case of multivalued mappings our result generalizes some results given by A.V. Arutyunov and by A. Petruşel (A. Petruşel, A generalization of Peetre-Rus theorem, Studia Univ. Babeş-Bolyai Math., 35(1990), 81-85). The impact on metric fixed point theory is also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is our pleasure to introduce a special issue of Analytical Letters comprising selected papers presented at the 13th edition of International Conference on Processes in Isotopes and Molecules (PIM 2021) held between 22 and 24 September 2021 and organized by the National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The Conference brought together scientists from academia, research institutes, and industry to discuss their latest results. The scientific program was completed by exhibitors presenting latest equipment and services in the field of molecular and isotopic sciences. The PIM 2021 conference promotes the exchange of ideas, experience and knowledge between scientists and engineers, as well as to encourage collaborative interdisciplinary research activities. PIM 2021 provided a stimulating communication and discussion platform in a wide range of topics from fundamentals in physics and chemistry, to applied research on energy efficiency, environment, materials and isotopic technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present paper is to offer a glimpse of the public health system in Transylvania in 1900 and to identify the state medical staff in the provincial administration based on the data contained in the Transylvanian Health Database, a new digital tool dedicated to Transylvanian physicians in the past, currently under construction at the Centre for Population Studies of the “Babeș-Bolyai” University of Cluj-Napoca. In order to outline the framework in which these doctors worked, the study reviews the legislation in the field of public health. Health statistics in Hungary, provided by the Magyar Statisztikai Évkönyv, asses the situation of the public health system at county level in numerical values. The picture is completed by the nominal list of doctors who occupied the main posts in this system in Transylvania in 1900. The paper can also be seen as an introduction to the Transylvanian Health Database as a working tool for research in social history and medical history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D projection mappings have become highlights of city festivals in Cluj.1 Based on the aesthetic and symbolic dichotomy of light and shadow, these installations create an experience of augmented reality situated at the conjuncture of the urban space of the city and a virtual environment. This paper investigates from a phenomenological perspective the relationship between the physical materiality of the built architectural heritage of Cluj and the nonmaterial, ephemeral digital space emerging through 3D projection mappings. As such, it distinguishes and unravels two relevant aspects of the complex experience generated by these mappings: the cultural dimension of self-representation expressed and perceived within augmented urban spaces of the city, and the specificities of bodily perception in conjunction with the aesthetic qualities of the observed case studies. It is the hypothesis of this paper that these ephemeral artworks reflect hidden traces of the socio-cultural landscape of Cluj and are instruments of marking ethnic identity within both architectural and digital space. Regarding the phenomenological aesthetics of these installations, the paper uses Gilles Deleuze's idea of tactile optical spaces2 and the example of Moholy Nagy's Light Space Modulator to investigate the perceptual characteristics of these presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the way of design of photovoltaic systems. The objective of this paper is to study the production capacity of electrical energy and the way it is influenced by real time conditions. In order to realize some energetic models that could be implemented on a large scale and used as a model of good practice we used photovoltaic systems of 3 dimensions: 60 PV panels, 100 PV panels and 160 PV panels respectively. The present study considered the climate conditions of the city of Cluj-Napoca for 12 months. It considered the consumption profile (hourly consumption) and the period of the year (summer, winter, etc.) for 3 typical buildings. We used Matlab/Simulink software for simulations. The result is an estimation of the production of electrical energy for renewable sources and the reduction of GreenHouse Gases (GHG). The aim is to reduce both GHG and the energy consumption from conventional sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the status regarding electric vehicles (EVs) and public charging stations managed by Cluj-Napoca City Hall. The types of charging stations and the quantity of the used energy were stated. The behavior of EV owners in charging their vehicles was also studied. The presented work proposes an extension of the EV charging infrastructure to support current and future EV owners. Simulations were carried out in Simulink to create an overview of the existing infrastructure. The simulation results showed the amount of greenhouse gas (CO2 emissions) reduced by using EVs. An estimated number of kilometers traveled with EVs was calculated by tracking the loads in all public charging stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the relatively low rigidities in the vertical and horizontal planes, the structures of the footbridges must be checked from the point of view of their dynamic behavior, so as to avoid the resonance phenomenon and to ensure the walking comfort of the pedestrians. The paper presents some aspects related to the dynamic behaviour, for the pedestrian bridge with a span of 31.5 m that was constructed in The Railway Park area of Cluj-Napoca city, over the Someşul Mic River, in 2022. In terms of pedestrian traffic density, the structure falls into Category III: Footbridges for normal use occasionally crossed by large groups of pedestrians. After the finalization of the project The Revitalization and Activation of the Railway Park in Cluj-Napoca city, the park will include two pedestrian walkways with similar superstructure, which crosses the Someș River, but in the vicinity of the park a road bridge with 4 traffic lanes and two sidewalks was also built during this period. Given the possibility of changing the density of walking in the future, the footbridge was also analysed for higher density conditions, so that there is no need to carry out structural intervention works in the near future, except for known maintenance works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report on a project implemented in July and August 2019, in Babeş-Bolyai University, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, entitled "Digital Cluj-Napoca: Enabling Learning and Research by Integrating the Most Recent Trends for Knowing and Using Urban Areas". This project aimed at developing university students' competences to explore and represent urban space and was developed within an internal fellowship. The main objective of the project was to create an open source digital product for didactic purposes, available online and meant to enable the integration of the theory of representations. This product is a website integrating an interactive map for Cluj-Napoca (https://a60194.wixsite.com/digitalcluj), focusing on the industrial sites within the city. The digital product targeted to enable users' correct learning of the concept of representation, developing their critical thinking and competences necessary for territorial analyses. The research material of this paper is represented by the written feedback given by the members of the Digital Cluj Team. Their feedback concerned their research process. A general conclusion is that the project reached its aim as (at a first feedback) it is considered efficient from a research and didactic perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metropolitan planning has been a dominant trend in spatial development for decades. In this context, Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) have emerged as a concept to illustrate the economic interdependencies between an urban core and its hinterland, being typically determined by commuting patterns or accessibility criteria. In Romania, FUAs were defined for the county capitals (40 cities) as areas where urban development projects could be financed from regional development funds. This paper analyzes the territorial dynamics in one of Romania's fastest-growing functional urban areas, Cluj-Napoca, using a comparative analysis of satellite images and selected indicators. The results demonstrate the spatial impact of economic development in the past 20 years, revealing expanding boundaries of artificial surface and housing units in FUAs. Unfortunately, the current fragmented territorial configuration is unable to manage the new functional relationships generated by real estate dynamics. Therefore, we support the need to introduce a normative territorial plan at the intercommunity level to correlate the spatial development vision between the main city and its fast-growing suburban areas. Such an instrument will not only support an efficient land-use management and enhanced living conditions, but it will also provide a framework to systematically integrate territorial investments around major cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove that the sequence of the sum of the squares of the Bernstein polynomials is pointwise log-convex. There are given two proofs of this result: one by relating our sequence to the Legendre polynomials sequence and one by induction. I know of this problem from Professor Ioan Rasa, Cluj-Napoca. This work was presented at the International Conference on Approximation Theory and its Applications, Sibiu, 2022, dedicated to the scientific work of Professor Ioan Rasa on the occasion of his 70th anniversary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has held the spotlight over the past years, the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) phenomenon continues to develop in an alarming manner. The lack of strict antibiotic regulation added to the overuse of antimicrobials fueled the AMR pandemic. This paper aims to analyze and identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antibiotic resistance patterns of Enterococcus spp. The study was designed as a retrospective observational study. Enterococcus spp. infections data were collected from one academic hospital in Cluj-Napoca, Romania over 18 months. A statistical analysis was performed to compare antibiotic resistance phenotypes identified. We recorded an increase in the isolation rates of Enterococcus spp. strains, from 26 isolates (26.53%) during Period A (November 2020–April 2021) to 42 strains (42.85%) during Period C (November 2021–April 2022). The number of strains with resistance to vancomycin increased from 8 during Period A to 17 during Period C. Of the total 36 strains with resistance to vancomycin, 25 were identified as E. faecium. SARS-CoV-2 patients (n = 29) proved to be at risk to develop an E. faecium co-infection (n = 18). We observed that strains with resistance to ampicillin (n = 20) and vancomycin (n = 15) are more often isolated from these patients. All changes identified in our study are to be considered in the light of COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the threatening AMR phenomenon in Romania. Further studies should be performed to quantify the worldwide effects of these pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Diesel engines seems to be destined to end in a decade or so. We wonder if it is the best idea to throw the Diesel engine out of the market. Are there any arguments or defensible positions to use Diesel engines furthermore in the future? Some may argue that Diesel engines are obsolete and overpassed in efficiency by electric cars, but others may argue that compression ignited engines can be used safely and reliably in the future due to their low consumption and high energy efficiency. In the present paper we put together the ethical and technical arguments for using Diesel engines in future transportation to improve fuel efficiency. Based on experimental research and testing the vehicle in combined road traffic we have collected solid data for a comparison of the studied Diesel fuel vehicle versus electric vehicles. The first testing package has been conducted on 150 km in combined road traffic with a medium size Diesel vehicle from city of Cluj-Napoca to city of Gherla (reaching a consumption of 2.2 l/100km which equals to 19.6 kWh), then to city of Dej (reaching a consumption of 2.3 l/100km which equals to 20.45 kWh), through Bistrița and toward the city of Vatra Dornei in the mountains (reaching 2.4 l/100km which equals 21.4 kWh). The second specific test was made on 1600 km from Cluj-Napoca to city of Năvodari and other sites in Constanța county (reaching 2.6 l/100km which equals 23.11 kWh) competing with popular EVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to extend some fixed point results from [Şerban, M. A., Teoria punctului fix pentru operatori definiți pe produs cartezian, Presa Universitară Clujeană, Cluj-Napoca, 2002] and [Prešić, S. B., Sur une classe d' inéquations aux différences finite et sur la convergence de certaines suites, Publ. Inst. Math. (Beograd) (N. S.). 5(19) (1965), 75-78] in the framework of b-metric spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the tourism sector in the county of Cluj, combining physical and geographical, historical and economic elements favored over time by the emergence of tourism activities in the area. This paper presents an analysis of several components of the tourism sector as well as tourism potential of the county, adjacent infrastructure and sector-specific types and forms of tourism practiced in Cluj by the existing natural potential, movement and tourism demand. The major objectives of this work are: establishment of the potential attractiveness of the county by inventorying and assessing its natural and anthropogenic aspects; determining the extent to which infrastructure present here is valued and able to contribute to the economic development of the county and determining how tourist traffic has evolved over time. The data were provided by Cluj County Council, Cluj County Development Strategy 2007 - 2013, and National Institute of Statistics, Cluj. The data were processed and converted into tables, graphs and then analyzed. The presence in various proportions of the attractive natural resources and the different accessibility of the road network and the position in the territory of Cluj-Napoca - a nodal landmark, the dispersion of tourist flows in Cluj County and the entire region of North -West constitute the favorable conditions for practicing a wide variety of different types and forms of tourism. (with whom they could develop new forms, provided accommodation is in charge of planning and modernization, diversification and functional readjustment) and allow drawing a tourism profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I examine one of the effects of László Ravasz's (1882-1975) theological thinking, former professor of Practical Theology at Protestant Theological Institute, Kolzosvár-Cluj-Napoca, namely the development of his spiritual life and its impact on his theological scientific position. Due to the limitations of the scope of this paper, I could present the less well-known views of Ravasz's work on the mission. John R. Mott's lecture in Kolozsvár-Cluj-Napoca provides, among others, the certainty that in the modern theoretical approach of the young Ravasz he approached the tasks of pastoral ministry, preaching, dissemination of the gospel, theological education in a modern and actual way. This notion was not perfect, but it helped to bring about a new impetus for the Hungarian Protestant worldview that was stuck in rationalism and liberalism, and for the value theology to constitute a positive transition to the dialectical theology. Ravasz was an authentic representative of this transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The noise perceiving issue is very subjective and depends on several factors, such as: the living environment in which each person has grown and developed, the education they have received, the culture in which their life principles have formed and, last but not least, the social and financial status. Therefore, in order to establish effective actions in multiple directions when it comes to any urban noise analysis, it is very important to know the perception and the subjective reactions of the individuals involved. The paper respects this idea, presenting the results of a sociological study on urban noise, applied in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The intention was to capture the reactions of the permanent residents of the city, but also of the people in transit, as well as to analyse the changes that occurred as result of the implementation of the Environmental Noise Directive (European Commission). The study shows that 75.2% of the respondents consider that the noise in the city has increased in the last ten years and 58% of them have rated the noise as level 4 or 5 on a five point scale. Information related to noise maps and actions taken to reduce community noise has no sufficient dissemination. There is also a medium to low reaction of the population in correlation to the declared noise annoyance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has had a significant influence on public transportation usage and service provision. As many countries begin to return to normality, new public transportation planning standards are being developed. Considering these new standards, there is a critical shortage of understanding the possible impact of the pandemic on public transportation systems and models that can help service planning face these challenges. This paper analyzes data collected in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), from late- February 2020 to late-March 2021. As local authorities began to remove restrictions aimed at limiting the propagation of the SARSCoV-2 virus, the study investigates the travel changes in various modes of transportation, travel plans, and user categories. Results confirm that low-income groups depend on public transit the most; consequently, they had considerably lower declines in usage during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also identifies various daily average patterns of demand for public transportation in Cluj-Napoca throughout each stage of the pandemic. All of these data contribute to extending the global understanding about COVID-19's influence on transport usage by comparing these outcomes with the ones from other cities. They offer pertinent information for transportation authorities to develop adaptation policies to a major event like this pandemic. Although there is still apprehension about using public transportation, the collected data show that the regular public transport users from before the pandemic have been gradually returning to their transport of choice once the restrictions have been relaxed (March-May 2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the bird skin collection housed in the Zoological Museum of Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The collection includes 925 specimens, belonging to 193 species from 53 families and 20 orders, collected between 1859 and 2021. Due to its historical background and the presence of rare species, it is considered to be one of most important ornithological collections in Eastern Europe. Such a collection can serve as a basis for valuable ornithological studies. Furthermore, a map representation with new distribution data for bird species is provided, which represents a source of information for the status of the avifauna of the Carpathian basin in the 19th and 20th centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper follows the extent to which the requirements on the content of the abstracts in four scientific journals from Cluj-Napoca publishing psychology articles are met: The Annual Review (Yearbook) of the «George Barițiu» History Institute in Cluj-Napoca, Series Humanistica; Cognition, Brain, Behavior. An Interdisciplinary Journal; Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies, and Studia Psychologia-Paedagogia. Requirements on the content of abstracts have been formulated from the consultations dedicated to this topic and are generally based on the indications given by The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, sixth edition. They are dependent on the type of research described in the article accompanied by the abstract. The following types of research have been considered: empirical research, narrative review (nonsystematic review, literature reviews), systematic reviews (research synthesis), meta-analysis, case study, and method or instrument development. All the psychology articles from the four journals published in 2009-2018 (N = 550) were analyzed. None of the journals specify in the author's instructions what information should be included in the abstracts. For this reason, the content of abstracts analyzed differs according to the authors of the articles. For each type of research, there is a very low frequency of abstracts that meet all or almost all of the requirements. The research should be extended to all journals containing psychology articles published in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this scientific paper is to promote sustainable methods with beneficial effects on the environment, with aesthetic effect on urban and rural landscapes. This paper highlights and promotes ecological and aesthetic role of spontaneous flora in sustainable landscape planning. This method in which spontaneous flora is an important environmental factor is minimal valued in terms of landscape, even less implemented in Romania. By covering current bibliographic references, by analysing contemporary urban landscape in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in the present study, are exposed principles, benefits, constraints and legitimate questions about sustainable landscapes by introducing spontaneous flora or, more simply, through its conservation, practical examples of successful integration in the contemporary landscape of ruderal landscapes. Conclusions from this study refer specifically to the role of spontaneous landscapes in urban ecology, to the management of these landscapes and exposure of minimum guidelines so that this method has a decent start in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of clubfoot new cases in Romania is on the rise. According to orthopedic research, the Ponseti method is the elective treatment for clubfeet. This paper aims to provide an overview of the current facilitators and barriers in accessing clubfoot treatment services in Romania and to assess the impact of care-related factors on patients' well-being. Our research shows that nationally, few orthopedic surgeons are using the Ponseti method and most of them are concentrated only in Cluj-Napoca. Moreover, gynecologists, neonatologists, and family physicians were not informed about the initial diagnosis and the current treatment of clubfoot. Primary medical care was significantly postponed in some cases. Moreover, no clubfoot organizations were mentioned by the parents included in the study, and psychological support was provided neither for the parents nor for the children. Based on the results of our study, we conclude that more efforts need to be done for the diagnosis and treatment of children with clubfeet. These include actions which are focused on raising awareness around this abnormality and more well-developed treatment guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revue d'Économie Régionale & urbaine is the property of Librairie Armand Colin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Summary: This research paper presents the case study results on generating electricity based on solar resources for an existing residential building with conventional electric energy demand located in Cluj‐Napoca, Romania. The solar energy system proposed for analysis has provided the back‐up energy through two types of state‐of‐the‐art energy storage technologies: (a) Tesla batteries and (b) hydrogen vector energy, obtained electrolytically on‐site. Starting from the main imposed condition that all the building's electric energy demand be provided by the solar resource, sustainable technical solutions for renewable energy storage are of crucial importance for the successful implementation of power systems based on clean solar energy. New solar energy storage technologies are imperative for the superior harnessing of solar resources at the production site, whether it is short‐term energy storage such as Tesla batteries or long‐term energy storage such as hydrogen energy vector. The main objective of this work is to assess the feasibility of the proposed grid‐independent energy system, which is pairing solar power to sustainable energy storage technologies within an existing residential building with conventional electric energy demand. This study aims to evaluate the optimal sizing of the solar units implemented in the design along with the optimal back‐up energy storage capacities to fulfil the building's daily electricity demand in an uninterrupted mode. This article investigates the possibility of supplying 100% solar power to the existing residential building with conventional electric energy demand under constraints and limitations conditions due to the stochastic nature of building electricity consumption, volatile and intermittent nature of solar resources, local meteorological conditions specific to the building's placement and space limitations for the positioning of the photovoltaic panels. The average daily load that has been calculated for the building has a value of 6.50 kWh. To reach the proposed target of integral solar power supply, photovoltaic panels with an installed power of 7.84 kWp paired with a Tesla batteries bank with a storage capacity of 7.4 kWh are needed, and in the case of storing solar energy in the form of electrolytic hydrogen it is necessary to pair the photovoltaic panels with an installed power of 15.12 kWp, 3 kW electrolyser, 2 kW fuel cell and H2 tank of 7 kg. The annual energy demand of 2369 kWh is achieved of 43.27% directly from photovoltaic panels and 56.73% through the back‐up energy in case of pairing the batteries as an energy storage medium, and in case of pairing hydrogen as an energy vector, 41.53% is powered directly by photovoltaic panels and 58.46% comes from the energy reserve stored through hydrogen technologies. The environmental analysis highlights an average decrease of up to 85% in carbon dioxide emissions generated by the implementation of clean energy systems analysed compared to the grid electricity. Also, the results of this study show that the investment costs in photovoltaic panels and storage systems are still high, limiting their use in residential buildings, but we are witnessing technological developments to improve the performance and durability of these electricity storage solutions at low costs, which will allow them to be marketed on a large scale, particularly widespread for residential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lingua (Language & Culture) is the property of Lingua Centre for the Development & Improvement of Communication in the Public Sphere and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal for Neurology & Psychiatry of Child & Adolescent in Romania is the property of Romanian Society of Child & Adolescent Neurology & Psychiatry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The main topics of the paper are the geographical aspects of cultural identity, mostly focused on the representation of urban space in contemporary Hungarian poetic texts from Cluj-Napoca and Pécs. In two introductory chapters the article firstly tries to show the methods of national tradition-inventing in 18-19th century, mainly in relation to the ideologies of national language and the geographical space. And the other preliminary chapter delineates the postmodern, postcolonial doubts in connection with the concept of sameness in unified national identity, through the notions of Jacques Derrida’s Monolingualism of the Other. The second part of the paper presents and analyzes some poems from the Kolozsváros anthology (2019) and the volumes of Ferenc André and Balázs Mohácsi. The interpretation of these poems emphasizes the importance of language, home and responsibility in the representation of the urban space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The usage of complex mixture for temporary grassland is an important source of fodder in terms of climate changes in the last decades. The establishment of temporary pastures in Cluj County is a viable technological alternative. The research results presented in this paper show the evolution of floristic composition of complex mixtures of 8 perennial grasses and legumes, fertilized on three levels (0N0P2O5; 60N70P2O5; 120N70P2O5 kg ha-1) in the environmental conditions at Jucu, a representative pratoecosistem in Someşelor Plateau. In 2010, regardless of the fertilizer, the legumes developed best in mixture 7 (76%), composed of Trifolium pratense L., Lotus corniculatus L., Trifolium alexandrium L., Dactylis glomerata L., Festuca pratensis Huds., Lolium x hybridum Hausskn. In 2011, the legumes (79%) developed beste in mixture 3 (Lotus corniculatus L., Onorbrychis viciifolia Purpose., Dactylis glomerata L., Festuca pratensis Huds., Bromus inermis Leyss.), the unfertilized version. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Urban Studies (Sage Publications, Ltd.) is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The accentuated dynamics of the real estate markets of the last 20 years, determined that a large part of the territories in the immediate vicinity of the big urban centers, to change their category of land use, in an accelerated rhythm. Most of the time, the land use changes according to the market requirements, the predominantly agricultural lands being occupied by constructions with residential or industrial functions. Identifying these changes is a difficult task due to the heterogeneity of spatial databases that come from different real estate development projects, so determining and implementing new methods to track land changes are currently highly required. This paper presents a methodologically innovative index-based approach for the rapid mapping of built-up areas, using Landsat-5, Landsat-7, and Landsat-8 satellite imagery. The approach described in this study differs from other conventional methods by the way the analysis was performed and also by the thematic indices used in the processes of built-up area delineation. The method, structured in a complex model, based on Remote Sensing and GIS techniques, can be divided into three distinct phases. The first stage is related to the pre-processing of the remote sensing data. The second stage involves the calculation of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI), and the bare soil index (BI) correlated with the extraction of all areas not covered by vegetation; respectively, the elimination from the result of all areas covered by water, bare land, or uncultivated arable land. The result of this stage is represented by a distinct thematic layer that contains only built-up areas and other associated territories. The last step of the model is represented by the validation of the results, which was performed based on statistical methods and also by direct comparison with field reality, obtaining a validation coefficient which is generally above 85% for any of the methods used. The validation process shows us that by applying this method, the fast mapping of the built-up areas is significantly enhanced and the model is suitable to be implemented on a larger scale in any practical and theoretical application that aims at the rapid mapping of the built-up areas and their evolutionary modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effect of build environment regulations for facades emergency repairs and embellishment, as implemented by the city of Cluj-Napoca, the second largest municipality in Romania. The scope was to identify to what extent the over taxation measure was efficient in generating compliant behaviour and what secondary effects it may have generated in people's attitude towards the local authorities. We conducted structured interviews with 25 homeowners targeted by the policy. The qualitative analysis uncovers structural issues on how the policy was implemented and communicated to the population. It further acknowledges difficulties in managing mixed property and collective actions. We interpret the findings as a first step towards building a more comprehensive research framework focused also on included behavioural insights, as captured by our recommendations. Namely, they illustrate that homeowners were critical about the measure, both in its rationale and its implementation, and were unable to act upon a cost-benefit analysis given the ambiguous available information. The findings further acknowledge difficulties in managing mixed property and collective actions, but they also hint favourably towards the role of peer effects, expressed here as compliant neighbours' behaviour. We interpret the results of this exploratory case study as a first step towards building a more comprehensive approach to serve as a toolkit in examining the development of innovative local policies in post-communist environments, through a combined research framework including also the significant contribution of behavioural insights, next to the traditional rational actor theories. Naturally, the usual limitations of the method also apply to our study, in the sense of non-generalizable conclusions. This fuels up the need for further research on similar regional and urban challenges in an extended multiplecase study scheme. Keywords: compliant behaviour, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]