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The modern global synthetic ammonia industry owes its heritage to the Italian chemist Luigi Casale, who a century ago founded the forerunner of today's Casale S.A., of Lugano, Switzerland. Since the 1980s, Casale innovations have led in the energy-saving revamping of nitrogen plants, and in the introduction of related technologies, including novel catalysts.

This work purposes to evaluation the fluorescence parameters of cellulose dyed with date pits extract. Fluorescence measurements have been advanced on cellulose models before and later dyeing. The emission spectrum of the nondyed cellulose fibers not demonstrate any bond and, in the opposing, dyed cellulose sample existing important photoluminescence characters and the maximum value was noted at 672 nm.

In recent years, the bismuth compounds have gained much interest due to their potential applications in the field of Photocatalysis. In our present work, Bismuth oxychloride Photocatalyst and Aluminium fluoride doped Bismuth oxychloride photocatalyst were synthesized by simple chemical methods using Bismuth nitrate pentahydrate as the precursor. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by different analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction analyses, Ultra Violet –Diffuse reflectance spectrum, Field Emission – Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy dispersive X-ray analyses,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies and BET surface area analysis. The photocatalytic performances of the as-synthesized doped and undoped Bismuth oxychloride photocatalyst were tested towards the degradation of Acid green 1 dye. The parameters such as the effect of pH, catalyst concentration and initial dye concentration are optimized, and the kinetic studies are carried out for the photocatalytic dye degradation process. The experimental results showed that about 80% of the Acid green 1 dye got decolourized within 90 minutes by effective air purging under natural sunlight radiation in the presence of the AlF-BiOCl photocatalyst under optimized conditions.

Brewing science is an interdisciplinary course taught at many universities in both lecture- and lab-based modalities. The laboratory component of this class typically focuses on the brewing process from malted barley to beer. However, this ignores the malting process—an essential step in making beer, although one typically performed by maltsters outside of the brewhouse. In this report we discuss the development of a malting lab that is suitable to incorporate into introductory brewing science courses in order to help students demonstrate and explain the key process of converting raw barley into malt. During this week-long experiment, students start with raw barley (commercially available in scales that work for all course sizes) and, using small scale and inexpensive custom-made equipment, malt the barley at home for later use in the course. This experiment is suitable for hybrid course laboratories in student homes and apartments with minimal course expenses or requirements and can be implemented in any brewing science course—even those that are predominantly lecture-based.

O texto procura discutir os elementos originários de uma agricultura industrial capitalista com base nos pressupostos teóricos de Karl Marx, ecoando a defesa de John Bellamy Foster acerca da compatibilidade do pensamento marxiano com as demandas da natureza pela preservação ambiental, analisando em seguida os impactos da inter-relação destrutiva entre a química e agricultura industriais em voga até os dias de hoje, sob o prisma da dialética das relações técnicas e sociais proposta por Guillermo Foladori, tratando do desflorestamento e utilização de pesticidas e herbicidas nos cultivos globais, abordando criticamente elementos que procuram sinalizar uma solução no interior do sistema do capital como a agroecologia e a agricultura sintrópica.

Despite continuously significant breakthroughs in academia, organic synthesis remains the rate-limiting step everywhere, especially in a research environment where budget, manpower, and materials are increasingly restricted. Computer-aided synthesis planning (CASP) is a promising area of research with potential to have a tremendous impact on drug discovery, industrial chemistry, and materials science. Recently, there has been a boom in the growth of synthesis data and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in CASP has been revitalized. However, a study of the available resources and approaches that can facilitate AI-driven organic synthesis has not been performed. This review critically examines the state of resources and approaches necessary in CASP, including big data, algorithms, and their features, advantages, limitations, and programming barriers. We conclude by outlining routes to lower the threshold for CASP research, as well as addressing research questions for the present and forecasting their role in next-generation CASP systems.

A technological quality method was used to compare two methods of sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) production. The first method was the classic spray method (CM) and the second was a dry single-stage method (DSM). The assessment criteria were environmental, based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) evaluation and economic, based on production costs. The technological quality assessment of CM was 6.5% lower in comparison to DSM. LCA environmental analyses showed that the partial environmental quality of DSM was lower by only 4.4% compared to CM. Partial economic quality was lower by 10.3%, mainly due to the lower energy costs (on average 52%) for DSM. The advantage of the new DSM method is the technological progress achieved, mainly due to the application of new technology, design, and apparatus solutions; thus, the basic elements of the activities proposed in the methodology allow for cleaner STPP production.

Based on the theory of direct relation graph (DRG) and sensitivity analysis (SA), a reduced mechanism for diesel-CH4-H2 tri-fuel is constructed. The detailed mechanism of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which has 654 elements and 2827 elementary reactions, is used for mechanism reduction with DRG. Some small thresholds are used in the process of simplifying the detailed mechanism via DRG, and a skeletal mechanism of 266 elements is obtained. Based on the framework of the skeletal mechanism, the time-consuming approach of sensitivity analysis is used for further simplification, and the skeletal mechanism is reduced to 262 elements. Validation of the reduced mechanism is done via a comparison of ignition delay time and laminar flame speed from the calculation using the reduced mechanism and the detailed mechanism or experiment. The reduced mechanism shows good agreement with the detailed mechanism and with related experimental data.

Many innovative technologies have been developed around the world to meet its energy demands using renewable and nonrenewable resources. Solar energy is one of the most important emerging renewable energy resources in recent times. This study aims to present the state-of-the-art of parabolic trough solar collector technology with a focus on different thermal performance analysis methods and components used in the fabrication of collector together with different construction materials and their properties. Further, its industrial applications (such as heating, cooling, or concentrating photovoltaics), solar energy conversion processes, and technological advancements in these areas are discussed. Guidelines on commercial software tools used for performance analysis of parabolic trough collectors, and international standards related to performance analysis, quality of materials, and durability of parabolic trough collectors are compiled. Finally, a market overview is presented to show the importance and feasibility of this technology. We believe the compilation of reviews related to the above aspects will further provide impetus for the development of this technology in the near future.

The paper presents a new design of semimetal gasket, which has been subjected to the optimization process. The main objective function was to achieve the maximum elastic recovery of the gasket at imposed functional and strength limitations. The objective function was described indirectly in the form of the required minimum angle of the gasket’s unload curve inclination, which was a measure of the average value of the elastic modulus at unloading. Strength limitations resulted from not exceeding the ultimate stress of the materials, while functional limitations imposed the achievement of proper contact pressure that ensures a given level of tightness class. The characteristic dimensions describing the cross-section of the gasket’s core were described by five descriptive parameters. As a result of the interrelationship of these parameters, 210 construction models were created that were subjected to compression simulations. This problem was solved using the Finite Element Method. The variant of the gasket fulfilling the imposed limitations and the required minimum objective function was tested experimentally.

The paper provides development status in the EU biofuel market by giving a comprehensive picture of production, consumption and production capacity of the first generation biofuels – biodiesel and bioethanol, while giving also insights into issues related to biofuel feedstocks such as crop production and harvested area. Development of crop production and harvested area for the crop products, used as a feedstock in the production of biofuels, have shown the changes in agriculture due to the growing trend of the biofuel sector. Additionally, the increasing production and consumption of biofuels may also affect the prices of agricultural commodities used as a feedstock for bioenergy production.

Energy is a fundamental factor in cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union; both sides strive for energy security but understand it differently. For Kazakhstan, the European Union is the primary export market for energy resources, a source of investment and technology. For the European Union, Kazakhstani oil and gas are the most valuable energy resources of the Central Asian region. The relevance of the chosen topic is that oil and gas are of crucial importance for the economy of Kazakhstan. In the future, Kazakhstan is going to increase production with the European Union. Kazakhstan’s oil and gas industry can be attributed to one of the leading sectors of the country’s economy. The purpose of the scientific paper is to analyse the oil and gas trade between Kazakhstan and the European Union using a time series model to examine Kazakhstan’s oil and gas trade flow, in order to describe its top 5 trade partners in the European Union, also providing objective information on the results and prospects of development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union in the field of oil and gas trade.

The article proves the need to intensify investment activities in agricultural enterprises, which is the main condition for the implementation of the principles of sustainable development. Factors that hinder investment processes and the reasons for their manifestation have been identified. The tendencies in realization of capital investments in the fixed capital of agriculture which have positive dynamics are defined, however, their insignificant reduction in 2019 was observed. The structure of sources of financing the activities of agricultural enterprises in 2019 is determined: own funds – 71.1%, loans – 14.1%, foreign investments – 14.4%, state budget funds – only 0.4% and highlights the obstacles to the formation of external and internal sources of investment. According to the results of the survey, the directions of investment activity of agricultural enterprises, restraining factors, and financial opportunities in the implementation of investment projects are determined. It is established that today, 52.7% of enterprises did not make investments that would be environmentally friendly, and only 28.2% invested in the development of social infrastructure and human capital. The main measures to intensify investment activities of agricultural enterprises are substantiated, which include: formation of elements of investment infrastructure in the region, improvement of depreciation policy at enterprises, development of public-private partnership, introduction of state programs for rural development, improvement of agricultural land lease and others.

EU-wide strategy promotes the deployment of green infrastructure across Europe. Integrating green infrastructure in spatial planning, policy and strategy development at regional/national levels is the task of each EU member state. The aim of this article is to give an example and evaluate one of the ongoing projects at national level, namely National project – Support of Biodiversity with Green Infrastructure Elements in Municipalities of Slovakia “Green municipalities of Slovakia“. The aim of the national project is to implement green infrastructure at local level through vegetation elements in order to maintain and restore biodiversity and ecosystems outside of protected areas Natura 2000. The programme supporting tree planting in rural municipalities is an important tool for the creation of basic elements of green infrastructure throughout Slovakia. As part of the national program, an implementation plan for 6 municipalities in Slovakia in 2020 is proposed. Subsequently, the implementation projects in terms of the use of vegetation in different categories of green spaces, types of vegetation, representation of tree species, including costs and benefits, are proposed. Based on the results, the potential and limits of the programme and specific suggestions for its further use are set. In 6 municipalities, a total of 17 suitable localities were selected for the project, which is an average of 2.83 localities per municipality. A total of 467 woody plants individuals were proposed, representing a total of 19 woody plants species. The total cost of planting is an average of €12,601.10 per municipality, €7,312.05 per ha of area, and €161.90 per single tree. The average number of trees per ha is 45.15 individuals and per each municipality it is 77.83 trees. In the conclusions, a potential risk of the programme regarding the subsequent maintenance of trees, which is not funded under the program, is highlighted.

The risk management tools in agriculture enable farmers to anticipate, avoid and react to shocks and agricultural risks. The Common agricultural policy includes mechanisms to support risk management of the European farmers and respond to crises. An ambition of the recent CAP proposal is to increase the focus on risk management and stabilisation of farmers′ income. Under Pillar 2, the CAP offers the support for less favoured farms, which have experienced the production or income loss in the way of insurance premium, mutual funds, and Income stabilisation tool. However, only few European countries have been using these tools operationally. The risk management tools were subjected to criticism, mainly because of many obstacles in their implementation; therefore, since 2018, the risk management toolbox has been further extended. In the paper, we focus on one of the CAP tools from Pillar 2, the Income Stabilisation tool, and examine the potential effect on farmers′ indemnification in Slovak agriculture.

The economic theory distinguishes mainly three production factors, namely labour, soil, and capital. Soil, as a product of nature, is not a free good – its amount is not unlimited. It can be used for agricultural purposes, as energy and non-energy source, and for minerals. Soil is one of the factors of production and at the same time the most important natural resource. We have used three indicators, namely the degree of plowing, the degree of agricultural use and area of agricultural and arable land per capita. The result of the work was the finding that in the observed period (10 years), the area of agricultural and arable land in Slovakia is decreasing. To improve the situation in agriculture, the following could be done: merging fragmented land into larger units, changes in the system of inheritance or a change in allocation of subsidies. Especially the inhabitants of the territory should support the state buy buying on the domestic market and supporting domestic production.

The neighbourhoods in the former Soviet Union were after the World War II often planned according to the self-consistent microdistrict concept similar to Clarence Perry's neighbourhood unit. Each residential district was based on the walkable community centre in the middle whereas the area itself was surrounded by arterial streets as the main transport routes with basic services. However, the recent situation of many of those neighbourhoods is rather dim – the bad condition of housing, faded public spaces and unorganised greenery systems are between the most crucial issues. The results of the research made on the case study of the Jubilejny district in the city of Mogilev, Belarus, show that population ageing is the main threat for these areas. Residents are dissatisfied with uncertain housing situation besides inappropriate parking options and lack of opportunities to spend a leisure time outside. Therefore, our proposal to the future development of the Jubilejny district includes short term improvements such as leisure activities within the public spaces or regeneration of green spaces as well as long-term designs regarding a community garden and other nature-based solutions.

This study presents a detailed feasibility analysis of technical and financial assessment for grid-connected Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) configurations by including grid-only, HRES-only and grid-HRES at four different provinces in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), namely; (Al Baha University, University of Jeddah, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, and Tabuk University). The objective of this paper is to search the possibility of supplying the load demand with the optimum system that has the lowest net present cost (NPC) and greenhouse emission CO2. The simulation results show that NPC of a proposed grid/PV system, at the current grid’s tariff, is more sufficient than other configurations with a result in a renewable fraction of more than 50%, a payback time of 17 years, and 54.3% reduction in CO2. The results also show that the integration of 62 kW PV array with the main grid is the best configuration that leads to the minimum cost of energy (COE) of 0.0688 $/kWh and the sell back energy of 9.16% of total energy consumption at Al Baha University. Besides, optimization modeling addresses that HRES-only system can supply the full load demand without power shortage (

XYZ is a company engaged in the port sector. To support the company’s business processes, XYZ uses two applications to carry out operational activities, namely the CARTOS application to manage invoices and the Finance application to record company costs and revenues. To produce a cost accounting report, XYZ is still processing and visualizing it manually with data sources from the two applications mentioned earlier. This resulted in quite a long time processing data into information. So that reporting to management cannot be done in real time. Therefore XYZ needs a system that can help management to analyze and manage data into information in real time. The Business Intelligence (BI) method is one of the solutions for company needs, especially in analyzing and providing access to data to help make better decisions. This study discusses the design and implementation of business intelligence solutions ranging from architecture, data warehouse, ETL processes and visualization in the form of a dashboard in accordance with the needs of XYZ. The method used in developing business intelligence dashboards refers to the executive information system life cycle method which consists of justification, planning, business analysis, design, construction, and dissemination. The results of this research are dashboard visualization using the Power BI tool that displays information and knowledge needed in the monitoring process and becomes material to produce management decisions related to cost accounting reports.

Nowadays, problems related to waste tires are increasing. The worn-out vehicle tires are abundant, together with worthless waste. Besides, it causes environmental pollution and it harms human health. Nowadays, too many car tires are being produced and the old tires are beginning to become a problem. The old tires can be decomposed or burned to get energy or heat. One of the most effective ways to get rid of these problems is to recycle the waste tires and use them in a different area. In this paper, the study was based on basic information about the waste tires and its recycling technologies. Based on this study, the canvas model has been created to show how to run a business with recycling the worn-out tires.

Undergraduate Student’s Achievements on Determination of Biodiesel Content in Diesel Oil Applying Solvatochromic Effect

This study was carried out to develop a prediction model for soluble solid content (SSC) of intact chestnut and to detect internal defects using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Inversion recovery and Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill (CPMG) pulse sequences used to determine the longitudinal (T1) and transverse (T2) relaxation times, respectively. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was adopted to predict SSCs of chestnuts with NMR data and histograms from MR images. The coefficient of determination (R 2), root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), ratio of prediction to deviation (RPD), and the ratio of error range (RER) of the optimized model to predict SSC were 0.77, 1.41 °Brix, 1.86, and 11.31 with a validation set. Furthermore, an image-processing algorithm has been developed to detect internal defects such as decay, mold, and cavity using MR images. The classification applied with the developed image processing algorithm was over 94% accurate to classify. Based on the results obtained, it was determined that the NMR signal could be applied for grading several levels by SSC, and MRI could be used to evaluate the internal qualities of chestnuts.

Optimized, effective and efficient methodology has been determined in this research work for the recovery of starch from potatoes. Potato starch extraction experimental results have been utilized for the parametric optimization study by using different statistical techniques. In this research work, starch extraction was conducted by employing cellulase enzyme. Response surface methodology (RSM) was put to use to perform statistical analysis to get optimum results. Five-level central composite design (CCD) consisting of three parameters was implemented to investigate the effect of enzyme concentration, contact time and broth dilution. Experiment results revealed that increment in enzyme concentration and contact time enhanced the starch recovery while dilution showed the inverse relation on the recovery of starch. Optimum starch recovery was achieved upto 89% when enzyme concentration (0.5 g/100 g) of potato meal was diluted with 10 mL of water and mixed for 4 h at 45°C.

5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a promising bio‐derived platform chemical with a broad scope of application, for example, in the production of solvents, fuels, polymers, or adhesives. The wood and foundry industries are among the largest adhesive users and currently both rely to a large extent on the use of fossil‐based binders, such as by using formaldehyde as a crosslinker in many commercial adhesive systems. The industry is thus looking for suitable alternatives to replace fossil‐based chemicals. HMF and its derivatives are considered to be key renewable reactants in adhesive systems. The core of this Review is the critical evaluation of the potential of HMF and its derivatives in adhesive systems. The technological performance was assessed in the fields of wood‐based materials, sand casting and composites. As an overall conclusion, HMF and its derivatives have a high application potential in alternative adhesives. Clearly, further research is needed to improve the performance and produce economically competitive adhesives., Sticks like glue: This Review critically assesses the role of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and its derivatives as renewable key reactants in adhesives. Application fields range from wood‐based materials, sand casting, and composites. The technological performance of many HMF‐based adhesives reaches the minimum requirements, but further research on economically feasible HMF‐based resins is needed.

Daqu, a Chinese liquor fermentation starter, contains all kinds of microorganisms and enzymes for Chinese liquor fermentation. The moisture content of Daqu significantly influence on the reproduction of microorganisms in Daqu. This work presents for the first time that determination of moisture content of Daqu with hyperspectral imaging. The characteristic spectrum of water is extracted based on comparative experiments with varying moisture content. The molds based on the full bands and feature bands were established by the support vector regression (SVR) method, which is used to predict moisture content of Daqu during fermentation process. The performance of the model based on the feature bands (R 2 = 0.9870, root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.0091) is comparable to the full bands and the dimensions of the spectral information were significantly reduced. This work presents a novel, rapid and nondestructive approach for detecting the moisture content in Daqu and lays a foundation for the application of hyperspectral imaging.

The objective of this work was to provide a rapid and nondestructive imaging method for evaluating the hygroscopic behavior of thermally modified lignocellulosic materials (softwood and hardwood). The difference in the hygroscopic behavior was explained by moisture content (MC) mapping results and molecular association characteristics of absorbed water (i.e. weakly, moderately, and strongly hydrogen-bonded water molecules) with wood at various relative humidities (RH). To achieve this goal, near-infrared (NIR) spectral images in the wavelength range 1816–2130 nm (covering the combination of stretching and deformation vibrations for OH) were used to visualize MC distributions over the surface of Japanese cedar and European beech samples which had been thermally treated at different temperatures. A curve fitting method was utilized to explore changes in water-wood structure characteristics based on shifts to longer wavelength in spectral signals caused by increasing MC. The curve fitting results support the recent nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies that different bound water stabilities may pool in different compartments of the wood cell wall. Furthermore, water was firmly bound to wood at low RHs and H-bonds gained mobility as the number of absorbed molecules increased. It is concluded that NIR hyperspectral imaging also has the potential to be a complementary methodology for studying the transient changes of wood-water interactions before equilibrium.

The aim of this research was to explore the potential of acoustic impact test to evaluate the condition of hardwood logs in regard to internal decay, void, crack and defect ratio using an acoustic signal separation and enhancement algorithm. Longitudinal acoustic signals were obtained from 15 logs of four hardwood species through acoustic impact testing. The defect components were separated from the acoustic response signals and enhanced based on the autoregressive minimum entropy deconvolution (AR-MED) method, and from which the kurtosis was derived and used as the global feature parameter for evaluating the internal condition of logs. Compared with the acoustic velocity obtained directly from the original signal, the kurtosis was deemed to be a more powerful predictor of log defect ratio with higher coefficient of determination (R 2 = 0.89) and was not affected by log species. To identify the type of defects, a complex Morlet wavelet-based spectral kurtosis (SK) method was proposed. The research results indicated that the SK can not only determine the type and primary and secondary major defects, but also be able to identify those that were not detectable by global acoustic parameters.

The rapidly increasing number of mobile devices, voluminous data, and higher data rate is pushing the development of the fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications. The 5G networks are broadly characterized by three unique features: ubiquitous connectivity, extremely low latency, and very high-speed data transfer via adoption of new technology to equip future millimeter band wireless communication systems at nanoscale and massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) with extreme base station and device densities, as well as unprecedented numbers of nanoantennas. In this article, these new technologies of 5G are presented so as to figure out the advanced requirements proposed for the nanomaterials applied to antennas in particular. Because of massive MIMO and ultra-densification technology, conventional antennas are unable to serve the new frequency for smaller sizes, and the nanoantennas are used in 5G. The nanomaterials for nanoantennas applied in wideband millimeter waves are introduced. Four types of nanomaterials including graphene, carbon nanotubes, metallic nanomaterials, and metamaterials are illustrated with a focus on their morphology and electromagnetic properties. The challenges for the commercialization of 5G and nanomaterials are also discussed. An atomistic modeling approach is proposed for the development of novel nanomaterials applied in 5G and beyond.

The design of flow field greatly influences Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) performance, as it not only distributes the reactants, also removes the product (water) from the cell. Improper water removal blocks the reaction sites, which results in mass transport losses. A complete 3-D numerical model of PEMFC with a single serpentine (1-S), double serpentine (2-S),triple serpentine (3-S) and 3-2-1 serpentine flow fields with round corner was designed with the help of commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code ANSYS FLUENT. Simulations were carried out to investigate the effect of four flow fields on distribution of pressure, mass fraction of H2, O2, current flux density distribution, water content of membrane, and liquid water activity in the flow channels as well as the functioning of cells. Performance properties of proposed four designs were evaluated and found that 3-2-1 serpentine flow field performance is better than the 1-S, 2-S, and 3-S flow fields for the given flow rates of reactants and this 3-2-1 serpentine flow field model was validated with literature experimental data. The results also show that the velocity in channels increases with a decrease in the number of flow passes, which improve the reactions in the catalyst layers, reaction product removal from the cell thus reduces the concentration losses and improves the cell performance.

In order to investigate the effect of the slot ends of the melt-blowing die on the three-dimensional airflow field distribution and the fiber draft, the numerical calculation was carried out. The computational domain of the slot die was established with Gambit, and the flow field was calculated using FLUENT. Compared with the experimental data collected by a hot-wire anemometer, the numerical calculation results are credible. The results show that the slot end face has a certain influence on the three-dimensional flow field distribution under the melt-blowing die. The air velocity and temperature in the center region are quite different from those near the slot-end face. As the distance from the center of the flow field increases, the velocity and temperature on the spinning line begin to decrease. The velocity and temperature distributions of the spinning lines in the central area and nearby areas are almost the same; the temperature and velocity values on the spinning lines near the slot end are the lowest. The distribution characteristics of the three-dimensional airflow field could affect the uniformity of the fiber diameter and the meltblowing products.

Awareness of best safety practices in the industrial sector will allow students in chemistry and chemical engineering programs to apply these approaches to their own safety assessments. Process safety is a critical function within the pharmaceutical industry to ensure safety when performing reactions. An introduction to process safety and a series of case studies illustrating how safety is routinely considered within the pharmaceutical industry is presented. The concepts presented herein are applicable to multiple industries, academic research, and chemical reactions conducted on all scales. The case studies include examples where a synthesis was redesigned to afford a triazole intermediate without forming potentially explosive byproducts, an exothermic reaction was controlled by understanding the heat output with time and developing a portion-wise addition procedure, and a reaction that displayed extremely fast gas evolution was managed by using an alternative solvent and controlling the rate of reagent addition.

The new internet technologies have changed radically the communication between consumers and companies and they had an important role in changing the way consumer data is gathered. In comparison to the traditional way in which several surveys and experiments have been done, nowadays the consumer data is stored with the help of different technologies. Nowadays the consumer is online most of the time and his/her entire activity is monitored by the intelligent systems and applications installed on his mobile device. This storage of consumer data gives companies the possibility to personalize the interaction to the consumer, but in the same time it gives an insight in the private life of the consumer. In our research we investigate the attitude and awareness of consumers towards the advantages and disadvantages of the storage of cookies and browsing history. The results show that there is an average perception on the advantages and a higher awareness on the disadvantages.

Today we are witnesses an explosion of online business, developed on the internet – a special environment that requires own resources and tools and it is governed by specific rules. In this context, a new type of technology has been developed – the distributed ledger system, which allowed the creation of a new form of the agreement - the smart contracts. Smart contract is the next step forward in the process of digitalized contracts, after using the PDF documents with electronic signatures, and it favors the businesses to be carried out completely automatically, without the need for human intervention, and to gain greater efficiency and reduction in costs. This paper will try to provide the answers to several questions, such as: what is a smart contract?; how smart contract will be used?; how smart contract will be enforced?; etc. Moreover, it will be emphasized the advantages of smart contract and the new developments such as “Ricardian” contracts representing more efficient and transparent agreements that can be drafted and enforced on platform. Most important issue of this paper consists in analysis of legal framework of smart contracts using the basic principles of contract law combined with blockchain regulations, taking into account changing the paradigm from “code is law” to “law is code”.

The literature regarding the new organizational philosophies has constantly enriched and has approached the challenges related to the desire to increase the organizational sustainability. On this thematic background, in which is increasing the role of the decision makers who move the organizations from the place they are to where they should be, the issues such as the attitude, the organizational behavior, the positioning of the firm actor at the level of the leadership architecture becomes the priority topics. In the context in which specialists have more and more arguments to claim that a new techno-industrial paradigm has been advanced (one specific to the fourth industrial revolution) one can even speak of drivers that boost analysts from the academic environment but also from business and institutional decision makers to quantify the impact that progress can have on cognitive skills, aptitudes and abilities. A leader must hold the organization and guide its employees in a turbulent and uncertain environment. For this, it is necessary for them to develop a comprehensive vision on how technology affects the quality of life of their employees and how to reshape the economic, social, cultural environments at the macro level. The present paper aims to highlight the main challenges of leadership in relation to the fourth industrial revolution, but also what are the transformations through which it is necessary to undergo it for a good correlation of human capital with technological progress and moreover with those indicators that fall under the umbrella of quality of life. The focus is on new skills, creativity, innovation, so that new business models can be developed and applied in a constantly changing environment.

The paper represents an analysis of the public policies implemented in the First District of Bucharest related to the energy efficiency. Energy represents a strategic factor for the socio-economic development of Romania and finding the best solutions for increasing energy efficiency will contribute to the objectives for durability and competitiveness in the European Union. The importance of the theme is given by the requirement of the European Union through Energy Efficiency Directive that require member states to set up plans at every three years and evaluate the progress towards energy efficiency annually. Also, for the next period, 2021-2030, all member states must elaborate the 10-year integrated national energy and climate plan (NECP), presenting the solutions in order to meet the different targets for 2030, including energy efficiency. The objective of the article is to find the best solutions for increasing the energy efficiency, having as case study the 1-st District of Bucharest. The author is presenting three solutions, as follows: multistorey thermal rehabilitation, domestic elevators modernization, individual houses thermal rehabilitation. The impact of the solutions presented in the paper are the following: decrease of energy consumption, decrease of CO2 emissions, safety increase.

This paper deals with presenting the main aspects of the assessment of learning in higher education, with an emphasis on the challenges that the evolution of the society imposed to this process. The main assessment techniques are presented and explained, insisting on their ability of coping with different objectives that can be assumed by the evaluation process. The paper insists on the importance of choosing the adequate methods for the assessment of learning and on the need to create new ones able to fit better to the needs of the new generations. It also tackles the limits of using these methods and the nexus generated by the conflict between adopting the optimal methods for the assessment of learning from a scientific point of view and the need for imposing working procedures and standards in the higher education system that sometimes prevent from achieving the optimum. Also, the factors that have a role to play in the choice of the design of the assessment of learning process are described in a special section. The paper also insists on the need of creating a versatile assessment of learning process that would offer the right combination of assessment methods able to support the learning process and that can be achieved only if a large liberty is given to the professional judgement of the teachers as opposed to bureaucratical procedures imposed by the society.

Cultural tourism has seen a growing trend in the past years and beside the vast financial advantages that are brought to the host country, it must also cope with the responsibility of educating individuals in an efficient manner. This paper proposes to analyse to what extent collaborative internet based platforms can influence cultural tourism. As it is a complex relationship, we must evaluate and interpret the results of this study from different perspectives. The most appropriate example of cultural tourism in Romania is the Museum. In the past years, the concept of cultural hub became more prominent in our country and by becoming its main representative, mainly due to its intelligent use of technology and internet platforms, the Museum can actively contribute to civic education and to the increase of social cohesion - these are deficient aspects whose improvement should concern as many responsible factors in society as possible.

Community legislation in the field of internal managerial control (IMC) is largely made up of general principles of good practice, which are accepted also internationally. The manner in which these principles are transposed in the internal control systems is specific to each country, being determined mainly by the legislative, administrative, cultural conditions etc. It is necessary to deepen these aspects of IMC from the development perspective of the managerial decision making point of view. In the public domain, according to the requirements of the specific normative acts in Romania, as well as the European Commission, the rigorous, efficient, effective and transparent use of public funds is essential. For monitoring the managerial decisions in order to meet these requirements, the IMC system in public entities is established at both national and international level. The implementation of the IMC system is a necessary measure, in the context in which the public institutions are managing, both public funds that are allocated to them, and the public patrimony that is under their management. From this perspective, it is obvious that, in the absence of an IMC system, it is not possible to reasonably ensure the efficiency, the effectiveness and the economy of the operations carried out by the public entities. In this context, the current study is proposing a holistic analysis on the correlation between expectation and achievements regarding the application of the IMC system in Romanian public entities. Thus, starting with the latest report published in august 2019 by the Internal Managerial Control and Interinstitutional Relations Department from the Romanian Government’s General Secretariat (DCIMRI, 2019) regarding the IMC implementation in Romania, the aim of the paper is to point out the issues identified in the implementation practice of IMC standards and to judge the results in terms of expectations.