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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex disorder that affects around 5% to 10% of women of childbearing age worldwide, making it the most common source of anovulatory infertility. PCOS is defined by increased levels of androgens, abnormal ovulation, irregular menstrual cycles, and polycystic ovarian morphology in one or both ovaries. Women suffering from this condition have also been shown to frequently associate certain cardiovascular comorbidities, including obesity, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and vascular disease. These factors gradually lead to endothelial dysfunction and coronary artery calcification, thus posing an increased risk for adverse cardiac events. Traditional markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine, along with more novel ones, specifically microRNAs (miRNAs), can accurately signal the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in PCOS women. Furthermore, studies have also reported that increased oxidative stress (OS) coupled with poor antioxidant status significantly add to the increased cardiovascular risk among these patients. OS additionally contributes to the modified ovarian steroidogenesis, consequently leading to hyperandrogenism and infertility. The present review is therefore aimed not only at bringing together the most significant information regarding the role of oxidative stress in promoting CVD among PCOS patients, but also at highlighting the need for determining the efficiency of antioxidant therapy in these patients.

This research was designed to provide the first protocol to establish an efficient solution for direct organogenesis regeneration in Passiflora quadrangularis using nodal explants from young shoots. Passifloraceae tissue culture has been associated with problems such as recalcitrance, sensitivity to ethylene accumulation and browning of explants due to the presence of phenols in the tissues. Due to the high rate of endogenous contamination of the explants, a preliminary experiment was performed. The best results of surface sterilization were obtained using the pretreatment with 70% EtOH, 1 min and 50% NaOCl, 10 min along with the treatment of Rifampicin 15 µg/mL and Benomyl 2 g/L. The effects of plant growth regulators on the induction of direct organogenesis, multiplication of shoots in subcultures and in vitro rooting were evaluated. Additional compounds such as AgNO3 and Pluronic F-68 were added to the culture media in order to reduce the effects of phenols and the sudden browning of the explants. Shoot proliferation increased to the sixth subculture after which it decreased. A maximum of 7.17 shoots were obtained from one shoot on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine and 1 mg/L thidiazuron. Supplementation of ½ MS medium with 1 mg/L 1-naphthaleneacetic acid was conducing to root formation in 61.11% of shoots. After acclimatization, the plants showed vigorous growth, green leaves, and well-developed roots. Although this species has previously shown difficulty in in vitro propagation, this protocol established based on the results proved to be efficient and reproducible.

Accumulated evidence on the clinical roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer prevention and control has revealed the emergence of new genetic techniques that have improved the understanding of the mechanisms essential for pathology induction and progression. Comprehension of the modifications and individual differences of miRNAs and their interactions in the pathogenesis of gynecological malignancies, together with an understanding of the phenotypic variations have considerably improved the management of the diagnosis and personalized treatment for different forms of cancer. In recent years, miRNAs have emerged as signaling molecules in biological pathways involved in different categories of cancer and it has been demonstrated that these molecules could regulate cancer-relevant processes, our focus being on malignancies of the gynecologic tract. The aim of this paper is to summarize novel research findings in the literature regarding the parts that miRNAs play in cancer-relevant processes, specifically regarding gynecological malignancy, while emphasizing their pivotal role in the disruption of cancer-related signaling pathways.

Constructive conflict management in education setting encompasses recognition that conflicts are part of solutions, and usage of conflicts to enhance the quality of school life, teaching and learning. Contrary, by refusing to acknowledge that conflicts are possibility of solutions and by denying their existence schools might contribute to the development of school climate in which both students and teachers feel damaged. The evidence of unskilled conflict resolution processes in Lithuania’s schools has encouraged search of efforts to be taken by administrators and teachers for becoming more skilful in using constructive conflict procedures.The idea of conflict resolution education is discussed in the article. Conflict resolution education programs are that incorporate effective, nonviolent problem-solving concepts into school wide policies and classroom curricula, teach skills that can be used to implement the positive disciplinary procedures, and conduct conflict management skill building (Batton, 2002). Programs addressing conflict resolution are widely used in U.S. schools as they are viewed as effective tools to decrease violence or/and disruptive behaviours in school settings. The aim of the article is to review School Conflict Management Program implemented in the Ohio State (USA) highlighting peculiarities leading to success. The research question is such as: What are the peculiarities of effective CRE curriculum and its’ implementation?There is a considerable evidence that CRE increases students‘ self-control, communication skills, healthy interpersonal/ inner-group relations. However, conflict resolution education is to be addressed not only students, but as well as administrators, teachers, and parents. CRE training and practice are critical to increasing conflict management skills, and implementing a CRE program is an extremely complex process that demands considerable energy and time from adults involved. The Ohio model as an illustration of a good practice might be helpful in defining CRE, its components and issues of implementation, discussing the feasibility (infrastructure, needed support) in a culturally different context.

Many currents of thought are put forward as partial alternatives to the traditional industrial company. Some of them, partially codified, give birth to methods, introduced and experimented in some large companies, for “fluidizing” their functioning. As these methods all require a radical change in the professional culture, in particular concerning the auto-organization of the producers and the end of the hierarchies, one may wonder why a part of the leader staffs and executives are so enthusiastic with respect to the introduction of these “organizational innovations”. And which are the social-professional consequences of their implementation? In order to answer these questions, we examine the first phases of the implementation of “agile methods” in the IT division of a multinational company. First of all, we underline the common features between the principles of the “open source”, of the freedom-form company and of the agile methods. These proximities constitute the background of shared representations and aspirations which will facilitate, not only the introduction of agile methods by promoters (leaders), but also explain, at least partially, the involvement of some ICT professionals (pioneers) as well as their efforts to overcome, thanks to their initiatives, the (organizational and technological) tensions inherent to this “agility”. Such a personal investment is only possible, considering the structural constraints faced, because the pioneers are convinced of the interest of their mission (convert their peers to the new method) and because the encouragements received from their managers, authorizing them to cobble together ad hoc solutions, guarantee them simultaneously autonomy – limited indeed, but real - and recognition of their peers.

Immunotherapy represents a promising strategy for the treatment of cancer, which functions via the reprogramming and activation of antitumor immunity. However, adverse events resulting from immunotherapy that are related to the low specificity of tumor cell-targeting represent a limitation of immunotherapy’s efficacy. The potential of nanotechnologies is represented by the possibilities of immunotherapeutical agents being carried by nanoparticles with various material types, shapes, sizes, coated ligands, associated loading methods, hydrophilicities, elasticities, and biocompatibilities. In this review, the principal types of nanovectors (nanopharmaceutics and bioinspired nanoparticles) are summarized along with the shortcomings in nanoparticle delivery and the main factors that modulate efficacy (the EPR effect, protein coronas, and microbiota). The mechanisms by which nanovectors can target cancer cells, the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), and the peripheral immune system are also presented. A possible mathematical model for the cellular communication mechanisms related to exosomes as nanocarriers is proposed.

Unusually high power loads on the beryllium limiter caused by neutral beam re-ionisation, and much cooler divertor target surfaces were observed during the recent JET tokamak tritium campaign. As both phenomena are driven by scrape-off layer (SOL) physics, the SOL features of 72 tritium H-mode discharges and their deuterium references have been studied. The majority (70) of tritium H-mode discharges had exponentially decaying SOL profiles. The tritium plasmas are observed to have increased separatrix density and collisionality compared to their deuterium references. This is associated with $ \approx 2 - 3$ times broader SOL width for both density and temperature profiles. This is consistent with previous observations in highly collisional deuterium H-mode plasma on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak (Sun et al 2015 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 57 125011) and interpreted as high collisionality enhancing cross-field transport across the separatrix and resulting in the broadening of near SOL above a critical value. The other two tritium H-mode discharges had near flat SOL density profiles, similar to the so-called ‘ density shoulder formation ’ observed in L-mode plasma. The SOL collisionality of these two pulses lies within the range of T pulses without density shoulder formation. This supports the conclusion of previous studies (Vianello et al 2017 Nucl. Fusion 57 116014; Wynn et al 2018 Nucl. Fusion 58 056001) that increased collisionality is not sufficient for the formation of a ‘ density shoulder ’ and additional factors, likely divertor condition or interaction with neutrals, are required. JET tritium plasma provides evidence of favourable and unfavourable effects of enhanced cross-field SOL transport on machine operation. The larger limiter power loads due to re-ionisation of neutral beam injection observed in the T pulses relative to their D references has been shown to be consistent with the combined effects of the broadening of the SOL profile and larger beam ion Larmor radius. The enhanced cross-field particle transport and the resulting broader SOL width provides more particles to ionize the fast Beam neutrals, causing the unfavourable power load issue on the beryllium limiter. The broader near SOL profiles of the T plasma spreads the heat load over a larger area and, together with the increased separatrix density, results in a favourably cooler divertor target surface.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are gaining considerable interest in transportation engineering in order to monitor and analyze traffic. This systematic review surveys the scientific contributions in the application of UAVs for civil engineering, especially those related to traffic monitoring. Following the PRISMA framework, 34 papers were identified in five scientific databases. First, this paper introduces previous works in this field. In addition, the selected papers were analyzed, and some conclusions were drawn to complement the findings. It can be stated that this is still a field in its infancy and that progress in advanced image processing techniques and technologies used in the construction of UAVs will lead to an explosion in the number of applications, which will result in increased benefits for society, reducing unpleasant situations, such as congestion and collisions in major urban centers of the world.

What can normally be observed on the market, is often considered like the premises of developing marketing as a science, but what is seen, is it always true? It remains to be investigate. It is possible to study what is really happening without any intervention, but in order to obtain different and significant results, there can be manipulated certain independent variables for analyzing their influence, by measuring the effect on dependent variables reflected in consumer’s behavior. Marketing experiments have proven to be highly effective in identifying relevant results over time, representing a method of research into the different phenomena encountered on the market for various products and services. In fact, marketing experiment method measures the cause and effect relationship. This paper proposes to contribute to the development of the specialized literature by presenting the tools used for a marketing experiment. It has been used as a method of investigation, analysis of the secondary databases. Against the backdrop of technology development, an inventory of new tools used in applying such a research method is needed to highlight scientific researches as a modern and current tool in marketing research.

The Romanian foreign trade was significantly changed after 1990. The privatization, economic restructuring and EU accession had an impact not only on the size and foreign trade diversity but also on the structure and commerce routes. Moreover, Romania’s Integration in the European Union on January 1st, 2007, eliminates the trade barriers between member countries, increasing the trade relations within the region and facilitating the expansion of intra-industry trade. This paper aims to analyze the level and structure of foreign trade in Romania after 1989 by analyzing the dependency and the stability indicators. The Grubel Lloyd index is computed by type of ownership of firm’s capital and specific activity of companies – export of high-tech products, inward processing transactions, etc. The main conclusion is that Romania should keep a right balance between dependency on EU single market and developing trade relations with other non-EU countries where it can have either an exceeding trade balance or comparative advantages based on high-tech exports.

We live in times where we have to learn to come together, to join, although the geographical distances between us are great. We owe it (or is due to) the phenomenon of globalization. Globalization affects our lives and, at the same time, challenges us. The process of globalization gives a new challenge for the humanity by the emergence of transnational corporations. How do we handle them? Can they operate on the basis of management only in their own interests or do they have social obligations? But can they operate on the basis of a minimum legal (juridical) code or does it require a deliberate assumption of moral responsibility? It seems that by looking at the specialty literature, we can see that, in the context of globalization, companies should adopt, in addition to those written rules, a minimum standard of non-specific rules (morals) specific to a community at a time. Thus, going beyond legal responsibility to corporate moral responsibility balances the relationship between business and society. Moreover, it helps the business to withstand the market and at the same time to participate in the common good. Research on this topic has resulted in the development of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility. The concept could help corporations to develop a management that can meet both the requirements of the economy and the demands of society. The assertion can be argued by the existence of constituent components of the concept of economic, social and ethical domains.

In Romania, in the recent years, privatization, economic restructuring, diversifying and business modernization were not accompanied by a special policy on job quality improvement or on improving/modernising working conditions. There is a general legislative framework providing a threshold for working conditions, but a lot of jobs and occupational groups are exposed to multiple vulnerabilities, i.e. about 10% of the employees working more than 8 hours a day. In contrast with economic restructuring efforts, foreign direct investments and high technology transfers, employment quality have not changed substantially, in some cases the vulnerability level being even higher. The main contribution of our paper is to identify the most vulnerable occupations in Romania by using the available national indicators. Using Principal Component Analysis, we identify two main sources of vulnerability in employment: one related to working time and the other employment’s attributes i.e. the level of earnings and contract type (part time or full time). The correlations of these variables allowed us to identify the main occupations with multiple sources of vulnerability – ISCO5, ISCO 6 and ISCO 7 – appear to be the most vulnerable in terms of working time and earnings in Romania.

Every year, in every market and in any country, advertisers spend increasing budgets on advertising to influence consumer behavior. Finding the ideal marketing channel mix is a continuous challenge for every brand on every local market. This paper is aiming to analyze overall media investment in CEE region trying to find patterns of media mix based on economic context and local market status that supports media investment (internet and Facebook statistics, TV audiences). In the paper are used multidimensional methods like: principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering techniques. Thirteen Central and Eastern European countries are clustered based on 2017 data from Media Factbook. Two main patterns are described in the paper based on these data. The first one is characterized by high Internet usage, high Print and Digital advertising share. In terms of inverstment level, these countries have negative evolution of Net Market Spend per Capita in 2016 versus 2008 but high media market sizes. The second one is characterized by high out of home advertising share. In terms of inverstment level, these countries are splited in two subpatterns: one with negative and one with positive evolution of Net Market Spend per Capita in 2016 versus 2008.

Liver abscess (LA) is a serious infectious disease, but is relatively rare in the paediatric population, especially in developed countries. Mostly, hepatic abscesses are pyogenic, caused by Staphylococcus aureus, while in extremely rare cases can be caused by parasites, such as Ascaris lumbricoides. Antimicrobial therapy and percutaneous drainage are the treatments of choice, lowering the mortality caused by this infection. We report a case of a 3-year-old girl admitted to the hospital for abdominal pain and a low-grade fever, with abdominal ultrasonography revealing a hepatic lesion. Initial laboratory tests showed moderate anaemia, thrombocytosis, eosinophilia, high inflammatory markers, and normal liver function. A computed tomography scan revealed two liver abscesses located subdiaphragmatically, and a high immunoglobulin E (IgE) value (22,300 U/mL). After excluding other possible etiologies, the patient was tested for parasitic infections. IgE for Ascaris lumbricoides came slightly higher. In addition to empirical antibiotic treatment, the patient received albendazole and made an uneventful recovery, with the full remission of the abscesses and without the need for drainage. In certain cases, parasites such as Ascaris lumbricoides are capable of inducing a T helper 2 (Th2) dominated immune response, predisposing the host to eosinophilia, hyperIgE, and increased susceptibility to bacterial infections. Early diagnosis and treatment in these cases may lead to less invasive therapy options in order to obtain a full recovery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only reported case in the literature of a paediatric patient with parasite-induced liver abscesses, with extremely high IgE values, minimal symptomatology, that made a fast, full recovery without the need of drainage.

The migration of medical staff results in the diminution of human resources in the health sector, undermining the capacity of developing countries' health systems to provide medical services equitably. Various factors, such as economic, professional, political, social, or personal considerations, contribute to the decision of health workers to emigrate. This paper's primary objective is to analyze the prevailing trends in the migration flows and stocks of physicians and nurses, with a focus on identifying the principal pull factors of migration. The preferred destination countries for Romanian health professionals include the UK, Germany, France, and Italy. Notably, Germany stands out as a leader in health care professionals' migration flows, characterized by two distinct migration periods: the first featuring exceptionally high levels of physician migration and the second marked by increasing levels of nurses' migration. Through panel data regression analysis, we have established that the pull factors for physicians differ from those for nurses. For physicians, the presence of a Romanian community of health professionals in the destination countries is crucial, whereas for nurses, the development level of the destination country holds top importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes represents a major health problem, involving a severe imbalance of blood sugar levels, which can disturb the nerves, eyes, kidneys, and other organs. Diabes management involves several synthetic drugs focused on improving insulin sensitivity, increasing insulin production, and decreasing blood glucose levels, but with unclear molecular mechanisms and severe side effects. Natural chemicals extracted from several plants such as Gymnema sylvestre, Momordica charantia or Ophiopogon planiscapus Niger have aroused great interest for their anti-diabetes activity, but also their hypolipidemic and anti-obesity activity. Here, we focused on the anti-diabetic activity of a few natural and synthetic compounds, in correlation with their pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profiles, especially with their blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. We reviewed studies that used bioinformatics methods such as predicted BBB, molecular docking, molecular dynamics and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) to elucidate the proper action mechanisms of antidiabetic compounds. Currently, it is evident that BBB damage plays a significant role in diabetes disorders, but the molecular mechanisms are not clear. Here, we presented the efficacy of natural (gymnemic acids, quercetin, resveratrol) and synthetic (TAK-242, propofol, or APX3330) compounds in reducing diabetes symptoms and improving BBB dysfunctions. Bioinformatics tools can be helpful in the quest for chemical compounds with effective anti-diabetic activity that can enhance the druggability of molecular targets and provide a deeper understanding of diabetes mechanisms.

Research in the process of internal combustion engines shows that their efficiency can be increased through several technical and functional solutions. One of these is turbocharging. For certain engine operating modes, the available energy of the turbine can also be used to drive an electricity generator. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the possibilities and limitations of this solution. For this purpose, several investigations were carried out in the virtual environment with the AMESim program, as well as experimental research on a diesel engine for automobiles and on a stand for testing turbochargers (Turbo Test Pro produced by CIMAT). The article also includes a comparative study between the power and torque of the naturally aspirated internal combustion engine and equipped with a hybrid turbocharger. The results showed that the turbocharger has a very high operating potential and can be coupled with a generator without decreasing the efficiency of the turbocharger or the internal combustion engine. The main result was the generation of electrical power of 115 W at a turbocharger shaft speed of 140,000–160,000 rpm with an electric generator shaft speed of 14,000–16,000 rpm. There are many constructive solutions for electrical turbochargers with the generator positioned between the compressor and the turbine wheel. This paper is presenting a solution of a hybrid turbocharger with the generator positioned and coupled with the compressor wheel on the exterior side.

The current treatment of depression involves antidepressant synthetic drugs that have a variety of side effects. In searching for alternatives, natural compounds could represent a solution, as many studies reported that such compounds modulate the nervous system and exhibit antidepressant effects. We used bioinformatics methods to predict the antidepressant effect of ten natural compounds with neuroleptic activity, reported in the literature. For all compounds we computed their drug-likeness, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME), and toxicity profiles. Their antidepressant and neuroleptic activities were predicted by 3D-ALMOND-QSAR models built by considering three important targets, namely serotonin transporter (SERT), 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1A (5-HT1A), and dopamine D2 receptor. For our QSAR models we have used the following molecular descriptors: hydrophobicity, electrostatic, and hydrogen bond donor/acceptor. Our results showed that all compounds present drug-likeness features as well as promising ADME features and no toxicity. Most compounds appear to modulate SERT, and fewer appear as ligands for 5-HT1A and D2 receptors. From our prediction, linalyl acetate appears as the only ligand for all three targets, neryl acetate appears as a ligand for SERT and D2 receptors, while 1,8-cineole appears as a ligand for 5-HT1A and D2 receptors.

Our relationship with technology has become co-dependent and somehow a personal and an intimate one. Generally speaking, we tend to think that we experience the world around us as it is, but that is not what we really do. In a lifetime, we learn and store knowledge, but we only use from it what we think and feel it will help us to realize the most important projects in our lives. Therefore, we invent things that have the purpose to make our lives easier, just to have time to manage and work on the other part of life – the non-material part of it - , that concerns the personal development of human. First of all, that is or that should be the idea for developing technology, but on second thoughts, we somehow fail to adapt to it, and from that it deceives us – transforming itself in an insecurity, like high-tech products that are too hard to use, or too unreliable to be counted on, the lack of necessary knowledge in order to use it, the costs. Even if we have these technologies as available, we manage to lose ourselves, by becoming more into it than into us and those around us. We like to think we possess knowledge, that we are experts in some areas, we hold and keep lectures on ethics, moral values, efficient communication, but all become a strategic action – from ones that have the power to others that need guidance and confirmation for looking good for others, to win over, convince or convert new adepts to the proposed ideas of ones that have the power, to court those in power, to please everyone, except yourself. But all of that leads to failure – a self-failure, an inner weakness – and we are becoming our own adversaries, which are silent ones. But if technology is so worthy, why we do not manage so well on moral and ethical aspects?

Identification of the mechanisms for the H-mode density limit in machines with fully metallic walls, and their scaling to future devices is essential to find for these machines the optimal operational boundaries with the highest attainable density and confinement. Systematic investigations of H-mode density limit plasmas in experiments with deuterium external gas fuelling have been performed on machines with fully metallic walls, JET and AUG and results have been compared with one another.Basically, the operation phases are identical for both tokamaks: the stable H-mode phase, degrading H-mode phase, breakdown of the H-mode with energy confinement deterioration usually accompanied by a dithering cycling phase, followed by the l-mode phase. The observed H-mode density limit on both machines is found close to the Greenwald limit (n/nGW=0.8–1.1 in the observed magnetic configurations). The similar behavior of the radiation on both tokamaks demonstrates that the density limit (DL) is neither related to additional energy losses from the confined region by radiation, nor to an inward collapse of the hot discharge core induced by overcooling of the plasma periphery by radiation.It was observed on both machines that detachment, as well as the X-point MARFE itself, does not trigger a transition in the confinement regime and thus does not present a limit on the plasma density. It is the plasma confinement, most likely determined by edge parameters, which is ultimately responsible for the transition from H- to l-mode.The measured Greenwald fractions are found to be consistent with the predictions from different theoretical models [16,30] based on MHD instability theory in the near-SOL. Keywords: Density limit, H-mode, Detachment, Greenwald fraction, JET, ASDEX Upgrade

The "digitalization" of companies is accompanied by a system of injunctions for employees: remaining employable, showing autonomy and creativity, while being responsible. In this context, in-company training is a key issue. But what can be its real contribution, when it is itself the object of technico-pedagogical experiments and when the function of trainer is questioned? In order to answer that, we present the results of a research carried out on a digital training, fully remote and without any trainer. Intended for the internal actors of training, it aims to familiarize them with the educational uses of digital trainings and devices. To explain the very high dropout rate that characterizes it, we analyzed the type of interest leading to training and the social character of the knowledge appropriation. Thus, we show, on the one hand, that the implementation of this type of digital training, leads learners to adopt an instrumental relation to training and, on the other hand, it introduces a new source of inequality between them. To this form of industrialization, that we call radical, we suggest to oppose a reflexive industrialization where digitalization would foster reflexive approaches through which trainers reflect on the reorganization of their practices.

Biomass, along with other renewable energy sources (solar, wind power, hydropower, etc.) is the alternative energy to conventional energy sources. The need of alternative energy sources is given by the increase in energy demand associated with the reduction of conventional sources. They are supplemented by society efforts for reducing the global warming. Thus the biomass use is enthusiastically received and supported by numerous development policies. Nevertheless, the use of biomass to obtain energy involves negative effects on society and also on the environment, generating concerns about the ethics of human actions. All these concerns regarding the biomass use can be prevented and ameliorated by a legislative framework that integrates among the economic and environmental, social and ethical principles. Because without a set of ethical principles aimed at fairness between individuals, social responsibility and also intrinsic value of the biosphere, challenges and problems generated by the use of renewable resources will be intensified

The way that companies are doing marketing has changed dramatically over the years, vividly encouraged by the new channels of communications that have been developed, the social communities here included. This paper focuses on the IT industry and aims to analyse the impact of social media conversations on the brand image of cloud computing providers, with special focus on three social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Through using netnography as main method of research, the paper aims to do a comparative analysis both from the point of view of different IT brands and from the point of view of different social communities, leveraging the use of specific hashtags. The research focuses on different aspects, such as number of conversations around a specific hashtag, type of topics, type of promoters, timeframe, geography, as well as the way these link and influence brand perception. The findings aim to help marketers better understand how and to what extent the conversations going on in social media can impact the perception and image of a brand and how they can leverage this to their advantage, with specific focus on the IT industry. As the below study shows, online marketing, especially through social media, can help shape the image of a brand in certain ways according to the different social network used. Due to the extensive reach that these online communities have, with the right tools, messages and influencers, marketers from the IT industry can benefit from a very useful and cost effective branding strategy which can help position their IT solutions in both a reliable and rapid way. On the other side, special care still needs to be taken regarding the messages that are being sent across these platforms, as once being launched it is very difficult to erase them and change the perception already in place. Also, overall, the brand perception of the companies analysed proved to be more or less consistent all over the different social networks, however this is again a very sensitive aspect to which marketers need to pay special consideration.

Augmented reality (AR) is a fairly new technology enabling human machine interaction by superimposing virtual information on a real environment. Potential applications can be found in many areas of research from recent years. This study presents a systematic review of existing AR systems in the automotive field, synthesizing 55 studies from 2002 to 2019. The main research questions are: where AR technology has been applied within the automotive industry, what is the purpose of its application, what are the general characteristics of these systems, and what are the emphasized benefits and challenges of using AR in this field? The aim of this paper is to provide an insight into the AR applications and technologies in the automotive field.

A global heat flux model based on a fractional derivative of plasma pressure is proposed for the heat transport in fusion plasmas. The degree of the fractional derivative of the heat flux, α, is defined through the power balance analysis of the steady state. The model was used to obtain the experimental values of α for a large database of the Joint European Torus (JET) carbon-wall as well as ITER like-wall plasmas. The fractional degrees of the electron heat flux are found to be α

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of small, non-coding RNAs with the main roles of regulating mRNA through its degradation and adjusting protein levels. In recent years, extraordinary progress has been made in terms of identifying the origin and exact functions of miRNA, focusing on their potential use in both the research and the clinical field. This review aims at improving the current understanding of these molecules and their applicability in the medical field. A thorough analysis of the literature consulting resources available in online databases such as NCBI, PubMed, Medline, ScienceDirect, and UpToDate was performed. There is promising evidence that in spite of the lack of standardized protocols regarding the use of miRNAs in current clinical practice, they constitute a reliable tool for future use. These molecules meet most of the required criteria for being an ideal biomarker, such as accessibility, high specificity, and sensitivity. Despite present limitations, miRNAs as biomarkers for various conditions remain an impressive research field. As current techniques evolve, we anticipate that miRNAs will become a routine approach in the development of personalized patient profiles, thus permitting more specific therapeutic interventions.

Dans un contexte caractérisé par la volonté d’accroître la responsabilisation individuelle des salariés dans l’acquisition et le maintien de leurs compétences professionnelles, l’utilisation du numérique apparaît aux yeux de certains décideurs comme une solution pertinente pour former leurs employés plus rapidement et en lien plus direct avec la stratégie des entreprises. Mais au-delà des principes séduisants, que montrent les expérimentations en cours ?Pour apporter des éléments de réponse, nous nous appuyons dans cet article sur une enquête qualitative réalisée auprès des apprenants et des formateurs qui ont suivi — voire, pour certains, qui ont mis en place — une formation à distance entièrement numérisée (Corporate Open Online Courses ou COOC) au sein d’une grande entreprise. Nous pointons l’importance du taux d’abandon chez les apprenants, les difficultés des formateurs à exercer leur nouveau rôle d’animateur, et soulignons les discontinuités que la numérisation de la formation induit sur les espace-temps de travail et sur les interconnaissances professionnelles. Nous montrons également que ces discontinuités ont des effets différenciés sur les capacités d’apprentissage des salariés. Grâce à l’approche par les capacités d’Amartya Sen, nous interprétons ces constats en termes de facteurs de conversion (environnementaux, sociaux, individuels). Nous soutenons que c’est l’absence de ces trois catégories de facteurs qui explique, pour les apprenants et pour les formateurs, les discontinuités rencontrées et les inégalités dans la maîtrise des nouveaux dispositifs de formation. Enfin, nous esquissons des pistes pour repenser la numérisation de la formation continue, afin de réduire les risques d’inégalités sociales cristallisées autour de ce type de dispositifs technico-pédagogiques.

During the last decade researches concerning the essential role of coffee in health and disease prevention showed an increased development. In the present study we obtained extracts from three green Arabica coffee varieties which demonstrated a significant antioxidant potential due to the presence in their composition of two bioactive compounds, caffeine and chlorogenic acids. The content and antioxidant activity of bioactive compounds were evaluated by qualitative and quantitative analyses using spectrophotometric and chromatography methods. The chlorogenic acid was found in high concentrations, being followed by gallic, p-coumaric and ferulic acids. The highest caffeine contents were found in the green coffee extracts of the Supremo–Columbia and Top Quality–Kenya products.

The main topics presented in this paper are following:1 Essence and the tools of the economic mechanism of management of water resources; 2 Taxes on water consumption; 3 Tariffs for services of water supply and sewerage; 4 administrative penalties for infringements of use and protection of water resources; 5 The grants for the rational use and protection of water. In the Dniester Basin have been concentrated the majority of water resources, of urban, industrial and agricultural centers. Thus, this basin holds over 90% of water consumption, most of which are captured from surface sources and used by industrial enterprises from the left bank of Dniester, especially by Thermoelectric Plant (TEP) from Dnestrovsk. On the right bank of Dniester it is noted communal enterprises, agricultural and food industry, and in most of the localities water is captured from groundwater sources. Actual amount of water tax is very low, which conditioned the increased of water consumption and irrational use of these limited resources

Using effective assessment techniques can improve an instructor's understanding of student needs and support learner-centered classrooms. Evaluating student learning takes on a new meaning in online classroom environment where students and instructors do not share physical proximity. According to Garrison (2011), the assessment strategies used to determine student learning send "a very strong signal as to what is important and how they should approach learning" (p. 14). This paper describes formative assessment techniques used by two instructors in their respective online courses at the graduate level. The authors give suggestions in designing assessment activities to improve online teaching and learning by making use of student learning data.

Heavy metals in contaminated soils have benefited from a considerable attention due to the possible risks for the human body. The current study has investigated the accumulation and transfer coefficient for three heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn) found in the contaminated soil with three concentrations (c1=1.5%, c2=3.0%, c3=4.5%, c4=6.0%), obtained by mixing the three metals, in the tomato fruit. The highest accumulation in the tomato fruits was recorded for zinc, then copper and the smallest for lead, for all four concentrations used. The transfer coefficient decreases as the concentration of heavy metals increases, so that for high heavy metals concentrations, the values of the transfer coefficient are very low, and for small heavy metals concentrations in the soil, the values for the transfer coefficient are higher. The assessment of accumulation and transfer of heavy metals in the fruits of tomatoes grown in the contaminated soil has concluded that all concentrations of the copper, lead and zinc mix have shown a low risk for human consumption.

The use of renewable energies has seen a significant increase in energy demand in agriculture, in competition with solid, liquid or gaseous fossil fuels. Wood and other forms of biomass including energy crops, agricultural and forest biomass are transformed into energy through thermal, biological or physical processes. Thermo-chemical conversion, biomass gasification, is the most attractive technology that offers a high conversion efficiency compared to direct burning or rapid pyrolysis.

This article describes the outcomes of a project sponsored by the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) initiative from the U.S. Department of Education. The Integrating New Technologies Into the Methods of Education (InTime) project was designed to provide the necessary resources for methods faculty to revise their courses and to model the appropriate use of technology in their classes. Additionally, it supported teacher education students in the application of technology in their lessons and units. The article provides a summary of the impact of project-developed materials on faculty participants and teacher candidates involved in the project. The data were collected to determine the effectiveness of the materials throughout the 3-year duration of the project. The following instruments were used in the study with 35 faculty participants and approximately 1,100 teacher candidates in their classes: surveys, questionnaires, rubrics, phone interviews, WebCT forums, a video case study, and teacher reflective practice documentation (revised syllabi, technology integration action plans, and individual reports). Results from the data analysis indicated that the web-based video materials produced by InTime were an appropriate and powerful tool that supported learning by university faculty, teacher candidates and inservice teachers. Integrating New Technologies Into the Methods of Education (InTime) is a 1999 Catalyst grant for Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) from the U.S. Department of Education to the University of Northern Iowa College of Education. Goals for InTime were developed as a response to reports from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the federal Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). These reports have called attention to existing deficiencies in teacher preparation programs in preparing preservice teachers to use technology effectively in the PreK-12 classroom. Therefore, the purpose of the InTime project is to provide the necessary resources for methods faculty to revise their courses to model technology integration and require teacher education students to apply technology, along with components of quality education, in their lessons and units.

Professional training is concerned by the digitalization of enterprises, a process which refers to the massive use of new technologies. After the popularity of e-learning, the environments inspired by the academic MOOC (COOC, SPOC etc.) appeared to many economic actors as a new panacea for a just-in–time and for a lower cost training of the employees: the use of distance and of digital solutions is supposed to facilitate individual access to knowledge and to reduce the time for training. However, other digital uses may be interesting for professional training. To illustrate this, we have developed a research proposal, based on the study of the socioprofessional work contexts of learners, aiming to identify the « learning needs » that the use of digital solutions may satisfy. Using the study of two on-site trainings, delivered in a multinational, and the capability approach of Amartia Sen, we show that digital uses can prove particularly appropriate, after the training phase itself, when the learners come back to their work environment. The concept of “enabling organization” turns out to be relevant for considering the requirements of professional training, for the learners, the trainers and the training engineers, as well. We stress in particular the necessity to anticipate the workload generated by the use of digital in training’s conception and in knowledge’s implementation in work situations.Lastly, with the aim of reducing inequalities between employees, we underline the importance of customizing the digital solutions to learners’ profile and to each type of training activity.