Bihor County Research Articles

Parental Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Early Childhood Caries in Bihor, Romania: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a significant global health issue, particularly affecting deciduous teeth in young children. ECC is prevalent in Romania, where nearly half of children experience dental caries. This study aimed to assess the influence of gender, age, and living environment on parents' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding ECC in Bihor County, Romania, using a KAP-type questionnaire. A cross-sectional study was conducted between March and September 2024, utilizing an online KAP questionnaire distributed via social networks. The sample comprised 419 parents of children under six years old. Respondents provided socio-demographic data and answered questions regarding their knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning ECC prevention, treatment, and oral health. Statistical analysis was conducted using Chi-square tests to assess associations between demographic factors and parental KAP. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Of the 419 respondents, 83.1% were female, and 62.5% were between the ages of 31 and 40. Significant gender-based differences were found in knowledge about pain from caries (93.7% of female participants vs. 81.7% of male participants, p = 0.004) and the importance of brushing twice daily (93.7% of female respondents vs. 80.3% of male respondents, p = 0.010). Younger parents (aged 18-30) were more likely to affirm the effectiveness of fluoride (65.4%) compared to those aged 31-40 (53.1%, p = 0.02). Urban parents were more likely to correctly identify the timing of tooth eruption (59.1% vs. 52.6% of rural parents, p = 0.021). The study highlights gender, age, and urban-rural disparities in parental knowledge and attitudes towards ECC. These findings underscore the need for targeted educational interventions to improve oral health outcomes and reduce ECC prevalence in the Bihor region. Tailored public health strategies addressing demographic factors could enhance preventive oral health behaviors and reduce the healthcare burden associated with untreated dental caries.

The Evolution of Patient Satisfaction in Postoperative Care: The Impact of Investments and the Algorithm for Assessing Significant Growth over the Last 5 Years.

An analysis of patient satisfaction in the context of healthcare reflects the patient's perception of actual care through the prism of their expectations of ideal care. A study was conducted to investigate patient satisfaction with postoperative care in the context of improvements in hospital medical services (renovations and modernization of operating rooms and wards with beds, endowments in medical equipment for investigation and treatment, new work procedures, and revisions of existing procedures). Statistical analysis was performed based on the questionnaires distributed to patients hospitalized in the surgical wards of the Bihor County Emergency Clinical Hospital, between 2019 and 2023. A total of 4018 questionnaires were collected, and after the elimination of questionnaires with incomplete or incorrect data, 3985 remained in the analysis. Of the total of 2994 people who reported having undergone surgery, a total of 2090 responded to the questions that focused on postoperative care and overall impression of the hospital. No statistically significant differences in patient satisfaction by sociodemographic factors were found. A statistically significant increase in patient satisfaction with postoperative care and overall impression of the hospital was observed over the last 5 years. Correlation testing between postoperative care responses and overall impression, using the Sperman method, shows a directly proportional relationship between the two variables. In the future, it is necessary to extend the patient satisfaction questionnaire to comprehensively analyze the surgical component in order to identify gaps in postoperative care, helping decision makers to improve the medical services provided to patients.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Characterization in a Population from Bihor County Romania

Our aim was to analyse the characteristics of a large cohort of patients with IBS from Bihor County. We retrospectively studied 525 patients with IBS admitted between 2018-2023 in Bihor Emergency Clinical County Hospital. We extracted, interpreted and statistically analysed the following parameters: age, gender, environment, family history, smoking and alcohol status, Bristol scale, results of colonoscopy and treatment. The overall prevalence of IBS was 0.2%. Fifty-six % were women, 61% of patients were from urban environment, average age was 57.74 years, with a significant statistical difference between medium age in women vs men. There was a significant statistical correlation between the medium age, medium height, and weight of our patients and smoking status, alcohol consumption, and positive family history. Colonoscopy was done in 148 patients and conditions found in addition to IBS appeared in 7.6% of the cases. The dominant finding was tumoral (4% of IBS cases), followed by various inflammatory conditions. The mean age for patients with normal results was 55.07 years, 50.84 years for patients with inflammatory lesions and 67.81 years for tumoral lesions, with statistically significant correlations between age and the results of colonoscopy. We did not find statistical correlation between Bristol Scale and the results of colonoscopy. Only 142 patients followed specific treatment, suggesting low compliance. The epidemiological traits of our IBS patients seem to remain constant along the time as our research lines up with other studies. Among these, age, female gender and urban provenance seem to be the most significant factors, whereas habits, body mass index, and family history seem not to be statistically significant. As Rome criteria accurately diagnose IBS, we have to remember that colonoscopy should be recommended to a rather small and well selected cases of patients of older age, as in such cohorts tumoral lesions were most frequent.

Local Disease-Free Survival and Disease-Free Survival in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer Diagnosed and Treated in Bihor County, Romania.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most dangerous malignancy worldwide in women and is diagnosed at the advanced stages in most cases. Oncological and surgical modalities when precisely employed together can prove to be helpful for determining the proper diagnosis and treatment strategies. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) has been found to have a role in reducing tumor size and has evolved as a treatment regimen for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). The present study aimed to analyze the treatment strategies either with neoadjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy (NACT) administration or not and pathological responses in patients with LACC. We reviewed 100 patients of LACC from October 2018 to December 2022 at Bihor County Emergency Clinical Hospital. About 43 patients underwent radiation therapy in addition to NACT administration (NACT+/other) and 57 underwent other treatment regimens without neoadjuvant treatment (NACT-/ other). Various demographic parameters, FIGO staging, histological status, surgical interventions, and survival rate (local disease-free survival (LDFS) and disease-free survival (DFS)) were accessed in both groups. Statistical analysis was performed to analyze the significance of various parameters studied. The mean age range of the studied sample was 57.05 ± 12.51 in NACT+/other and 60.4±12.32 in NACT-/other. Among 100 patients, 90 cases of squamous carcinoma, eight of adenocarcinoma, and two cases of adenosquamous carcinoma were analyzed and treated. At stage IIIC1, 11 patients were accessed while 15 patients were at clinical stage IIIC2, and among these, 25.58% received neoadjuvant oncological treatment and very limited mediastinal disease. DFS rates are greater in the patients who have undergone surgery in the NACT+/other group, while in the LDFS, there is better survival in the case of surgery without any NACT treatment (NACT-/other). The effect of NACT can be suggested as another important treatment strategy and result in a good response in terms of DFS and LDFS in patients with LACC. This approach aims to reduce tumor size preoperatively, facilitating surgical removal and potentially improving patient outcomes compared to other treatment modalities. Thus, it can be concluded that NACT may be considered an important strategy to be opted for the treatment of LACC.

Integrative taxonomy of the groundwater amphipod Niphargus bihorensis Schellenberg, 1940 reveals a species-rich clade

Abstract The genus Niphargus is the most diverse subterranean amphipod genus in the western Palearctic region but, owing to the presence of cryptic species and homoplasy, its taxonomy and biogeographic scenarios are complex, making molecular methods essential to understand its evolution. We conducted a study combining dna-based taxonomy with traditional morphotaxonomy to investigate Niphargus bihorensis Schellenberg, 1940, known from the Western Alps and Carpathians. We redescribed the type material of N. bihorensis from Bihor County, Romania, and revealed the presence of a cryptic species, N. absconditus n. sp., in the same karstic area (Pădurea Craiului Mountains). Additionally, the Alpine populations previously attributed to N. bihorensis turned out to belong to a new, not so closely related species, N. tizianoi n. sp. Phylogenetic analyses based on a concatenated dataset of one mitochondrial and two nuclear markers suggest that the N. bihorensis species complex belongs to a strongly supported clade, together with several species distributed from Switzerland to Iran.

Az erdélyi magyar fiatalokmszlenghasználati szokásai

The study aims to investigate the slang usage habits of young people native in Hungarian in Transylvania. The research analyses to which extent high school and university students claim to use slang depending on the speech situation, as well as the primary motivations for slang usage. This question is examined by means of two research methods: analysis of questionnaire surveys and focus group interviews. The questionnaire data collection took place in five different linguistically diverse cities for high school students in Transylvania (Gheorgheni, Harghita country; Alba Iulia, Alba country; Cluj-Napoca, Cluj county; Târgu Mureș; Mureș county; Oradea, Bihor county) and three cities for university students (Cluj-Napoca, Cluj county; Târgu Mureș; Mureș country; Oradea, Bihor county), resulting in 384 completed questionnaires. The focus group interviews were conducted in groups of 3–5 participants, with 32 Hungarian-speaking young people studying in Cluj-Napoca participating in one of the eight groups.The questionnaire survey provided an opportunity to examine whether there are statistically significant correlations when comparing the results with the respondents’sociological variables, language proficiency, evaluation of languages, as well as their use of Hungarian and Romanian. The main benefit of the focus group interviews was gaining insight into the respondents’thought processes and underlying thoughts.Keywords:slang, language usage habits, linguistic norm, questionnaire, focus group interviews. Keywords: slang, language usage habits, linguistic norm, questionnaire, focus group interviews.

Premature Mortality Excess Rates Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis Conducted in Bihor County, Romania.

Estimating the excess of premature deaths (before the age of 75 years) and Potential Years of Life Lost allows ranking causes of death as an expression of the burden of disease in a population.We statistically analysedthe impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on excess premature mortality in the total population and specifically, by sexes, compared to the pre-pandemic period, through Potential Years of Life Lost. In this retrospective descriptive observational study, we counted excess of premature mortality in the years 2020, 2021, and 2022 by cause of death (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, digestive diseases, injury, COVID-19, and other causes) and by sexes compared to the period average from 2017-2019, based on the deaths registered in Bihor County (48,948 people). Premature deaths due to COVID-19 (1,745 people ofboth sexes) contributed 71.3% to excess mortality, the population being similar for both sexes (71.4% in men and 71.2% in women). The Potential Years of Life Lost/death due to COVID-19 was 11.84 years for both sexes (11.76 years in men and 12.02 years in women). Potential Years of Life Lost/all-cause heath was lower during the pandemic (13.42 years for both sexes, 14.06 years for men and 12.32 years for women) compared to the pre-pandemic period (14.6 years for both sexes, 15.1 years for men and 13.5 years for women). The excess of premature mortality and decreased Potential Years of Life Lost/death during the pandemic, shows an increase in the proportion of deaths at ages closer to the established limit for premature mortality (75 years) compared to the pre-pandemic period.

Spatial Distribution of Relationship between Historical Monuments and Tourism: The Case Study of Bihor County in Romania

Spatial Distribution of Relationship between Historical Monuments and Tourism: The Case Study of Bihor County in Romania

Antimicrobial Treatment Challenges in the Management of Infective Spondylodiscitis Associated with Hemodialysis: A Comprehensive Review of Literature and Case Series Analysis.

Infective spondylodiscitis (ISD), the infection of vertebral bodies and surrounding tissues, is a rare complication with major impact on the long-term survival of hemodialysis (HD) patients. Although the most frequent etiology is staphylococcal, identifying these pathogens in blood cultures and biopsy cultures is often difficult. This paper aims to present suitable antibiotic combinations for the treatment of these patients, which is usually challenging in the case of an unidentified pathogen. We presented the therapies applied for 13 HD patients and 19 patients without chronic kidney disease (CKD), diagnosed with ISD between 2013 and 2023 in Bihor County. The percentage of positive blood cultures was low in both groups (30.78% HD vs. 15.78% non-HD). The average length of antibiotic therapy was 5.15 weeks in HD patients and 6.29 weeks in non-HD patients. The use of Carbapenem alone (e.g., Meropenem) for an average of 19.6 days for patients in HD when the pathogen was not identified has proven to be efficient in most cases, similarly to using Vancomycin and Fluoroquinolone/Cephalosporines in combination. Regarding the non-CKD patients, the use of Clindamycin in various combinations for an average of 30.3 days has proven to be efficient in more than 90% of cases of ISD with a nonidentified pathogen. Within 2 years after ISD was diagnosed, 12 of the 13 HD patients passed away, mainly due to cardiovascular causes. Unfortunately, there are no guidelines in the literature concerning the empiric treatment of ISD in the particular case of HD patients. Upon checking the literature on PubMed and Google Scholar, only 10 studies provided relevant data regarding ISD treatment for HD patients. More data about the treatment and evolution of these patients is needed in order to elaborate a truly relevant metanalysis.

Preterm birth and stillbirth during COVID-19 pandemic in Bihor County/Romania.

International studies have reported conflicting data about the effects of COVID-19 pandemic policy measures on maternal and neonatal health. A major impact was reported on stillbirth and prematurity. The published literature suggests that the economic setting influenced the effects of imposed mitigation measures with a more severe effect in low-income countries. Our objective is to compare pregnancy outcomes at the only tertiary Maternity Hospital in Bihor County-Romania before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to observe and document differences in perinatal outcomes across these periods, without inferring direct causation related to the pandemic or its associated restrictions. We used data from the registries of Public Health Services Bihor to conduct a retrospective cohort analysis of preterm births and stillbirths during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bihor County, Romania. Pregnancy outcomes were compared between the pandemic period (March 2020-February 2022) to the corresponding historical pre-COVID-19 period (March 2018-February 2020). Maternal socio-demographic variables and neonatal characteristics of these periods were also examined. The COVID-19 pandemic period was associated with an increase in the stillbirth rate (RR: 1.53, 95% CI, 1.05-2.23). Preterm birth was significantly impacted during this period and showed changes when analyzing gestational age (RR: 0.88, 95% CI, 0.79-0.96) or birth weight (RR: 0.91, 95% CI, 0.82-1.00). The main cause of stillbirth was intrauterine asphyxia due to placental causes (67.6%) or cord pathology (12.6%), the most frequently encountered maternal pathology was cardiovascular (28.3%) or infectious (21.7%). Our study revealed no significant changes in terms of maternal and neonatal characteristics during the two-year pandemic period. Lockdown restrictions in Bihor County, Romania were associated with an increase in stillbirths, whilst preterm birth rate decreased. This raises concerns about whether pandemic policy measures may have led to a failure in identifying and offering proper care for pregnant women who were more likely to experience an antepartum loss. Further studies across the globe are needed in order to integrate comparable data that will help develop adequate protocols and policies for protecting maternal and child health during the next pandemic that will follow.

Rural Tourism in Mountain Rural Comunities-Possible Direction/Strategies: Case Study Mountain Area from Bihor County

Rural mountain areas and their local communities have been subject to research interest over time due to their large amount of available resources, but also their problems. The strategy for some of the rural mountain communities to simultaneously preserve and capitalize on the local resources sustainably is to combine traditional activities with those related to hospitality and recreation in the form of rural tourism activity. In this context, we have used a case study to examine development in a rural mountain community through tourism activities; the study site is the rural mountain area of Bihor County in the Apuseni Mountains, which has outstanding, but untapped, potential for development. In this paper, we address the centralization of representative resources on each component community of the chosen area, concrete information related to the current stage of the development and performance of the activity directly from those involved in the coordination of the activity (rural tourism entrepreneurs) using a specific questionnaire, and proposals for possible directions/strategies to ensure future development of this communities through rural tourism activities.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis and prognosis of melanoma 2 years after the pandemic in two Romanian counties.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the healthcare system and negatively affected the diagnosis and management of melanoma worldwide. The purpose of this study is to investigate the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis and prognosis of melanoma. This retrospective cohort study included histopathologically confirmed melanoma cases from March 2019 to February 2023 in Cluj and Bihor counties. Data from the post-COVID-19 period (March 2021 to February 2023) were compared to the pre-COVID-19 period (March 2019 to February 2020) and the COVID-19 period (March 2020 to February 2021). Patient characteristics, monthly diagnostics, histological subtypes, and key histological features were analyzed using statistical tests. The number of melanoma cases diagnosed annually decreased by 31.37 and 23.75% in the first and second post-pandemic years, respectively, compared to pre-pandemic numbers. Diagnostic rates also decreased by 14.9 and 5.4% in the first and second post-pandemic years, respectively, compared to the pandemic period. Prognostic factors worsened in the post-pandemic period, with higher Breslow index and mitotic rate, and increased ulceration and thick melanomas compared to the pre-pandemic period. The COVID-19 pandemic had a long-lasting impact on the diagnosis of melanoma in Romania, resulting in advanced stages and unfavorable prognostic factors. Larger global studies are needed to comprehensively understand the pandemic's long-term effects on the diagnosis of melanoma.

Soil Properties and Forest Decline in the North-Western Part of Romania

The paper presents the study of the soil quality and health expressed by the chemical and biological properties in a research field placed at Varciorog, Bihor County, Romania. The soil samples were collected from 3 soil variants in March 2023. In each soil variant, some soil chemical parameters and the abundance of bacteria were determined. The frequency and intensity of colonization, along with arbuscules and vesicles, were scored to determine the mycorrhizal potential of each soil. The community-level physiological profile was used to determine the functional microbiome and its ability to decompose a specific set of substrates. In the control variant (CTRL), which is a functional forest cultivated with beech in a proportion of 90%, the soil properties were compared with those determined from Site 1 (a declined mixed forest) and from Site 2 (chestnut forest in a stage of complete drying). The data were statistically processed with a one-way ANOVA test, followed by the Duncan post-hoc test, which revealed significant variation in the potential of microbial functional communities across the analyzed sites. Also, the soil parameters that significantly varied in the 3 soil variants were bacterial number, pH, humus, exchangeable aluminum, coarse sand, dust, and fine sand. The Pearson correlation was computed to study the links between bacterial numbers and chemical parameters. The results showed strong correlations between most of the studied soil properties. The Ecoplates approach to soil functional microbiome highlighted various differences between the microbial communities of the three tested sites. Mycorrhizal colonization shows different potentials for symbiosis formation. The peak of mycorrhizal colonization was in declined forest, with 43.36% colonization frequency and 24.56% intensity. Arbuscules reached 11.36% in declined forest, while in control and decayed sites, the indicator was under 4%. Vesicles are more associated with control and decayed forests, with values of presence over 1.30%. As an indicator of microbial general activity, the sum of recorded activities was higher in declined and decayed forests. At these sites, the activity of the functional microbiome was amplified. The decline process activates a higher diversity of functional groups and is associated with a larger area of substrate decomposition capacity, which indicates a more extensive range of microbial functions related to breaking down organic matter.

THE LEGAL ENTITY: ACTIVE SUBJECT OF THE CRIME

In recent times there was an increase in criminality among legal entities due, in particular, to economic and financial factors. In this paper I wish to find an answer to the question of whether this form of criminal liability of the legal entity is necessary and at the same time effective by strengthening the current and contemporary legislation both in our country and in other countries. Since fiscal or financial crime is in a continuous procedure of amplification, it is important to be informed about the repercussions that the criminal acts committed by legal entities attract. The Romanian legislator has seen the problem of holding the legal entity criminally liable ever since the amendment of the Old Criminal Code by Law no. 278/2006 updating our legislation with the European one. Therefore, the criminal liability of the legal entity is currently regulated in the national legislation by the Criminal Code in force. This work offers a broad vision on the nature, respectively the foundations of the legal liability of the legal entity as an active subject of the crime, on the beginnings and evolution of this institution. I consider that a clear delimitation of the form and content of the guilt is necessary when we talk about the legal entity, a clear regulation of the intention and recklessness of the legal entity in order to be able to identify a different guilt of the natural person as an organ, so that in the situation where the natural person cannot be identified or cannot be criminally liable, the criminal liability of the legal entity can be engaged. The work is structured in such a way as to offer us both a theoretical and a practical part in order to better understand the issue of criminal liability of the legal entity. The case in this paper is from the judicial practice of the Economic Crime Investigation Service within the Bihor County Police Inspectorate.

ANDREI SILVIU AND NICOLAE RAJKOVIČ, DEFENDERS OF THE CITY OF ORADIA, KILLED BY HUNGARIAN HORTYSTS ON 9 OCTOBER 1944

The battles for the liberation of Oradia and Bihor from the Hortyst-German occupation involved a number Romanian Army divisions (the 3rd Mountain Brigade and Tudor Vladimirescu Brigade), as well as divisions of the Red Army and were particularly ferocious and long-lasting (5 September - 12 October 1944). Several offensives and counter-offensives of the Hungarian-German and Romanian-Soviet military divisions took place with the purpose of preserving/liberating the city of Oradea, the administrative centre of Bihor County, a critical land and air communications hub for the entire western region (roads, railways, airport). In the battles for Oradea, the region experienced several days of power vacuum, with the fascist troops retreating from the city in order to prepare for a counter-offensive, while the Romanian-Soviet troops were regrouping outside the city for a decisive offensive (25 September - 28 September). At the same time, three citizens of the city, i.e. Andrei Silviu – a Romanian ethnic, a former civil servant with the City Hall and reserve officer of the Romanian Army, who had a local Israeli wife, Nicolae Rajkovič - a Romanian citizen of Serbian origin who was a local barber, and Papp Tibor – a civil servant with the City Hall, a Romanian citizen of Hungarian origin, established a “civil guard” comprising 45 citizens of Oradea with different nationalities, who were armed with rifles from a City Hall warehouse. The role of the guard was to maintain peace in the city and to defend the life and property of the citizens, primarily the workshops and shops in the city against the lumpenproletariat who were prone to looting. The return of fascist occupiers in the city leads to the arrest of the three guard organisers. They are brought in front of a military court and sentenced to death for organising “partisan troops behind the front”. Andrei and Rajkovič are shot in the Oradia Fortress three days before (9 October) the liberation of the city (12 October), while Papp is saved by his family and sentenced to 15 years in prison, due to the fact that he was a Hungarian ethnic. Although historians and patriotic local councillors proposed (in 2007, 2013, 2015, and 2020) that the two murdered locals should be honoured as heroes of the city, the political parties or coalitions that held the majority in the Oradea City Council (the Democratic Party (PD) + the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), the National Liberal Party (PNL) + the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR)) kept rejecting the initiative. This year, several cultural and patriotic organisations will bring up the proposal once again, since the idea behind it still makes a valid point.

ETHNIC HOMOGENEITY AND HETEROGENEITY IN BIHOR COUNTY IN THE FIRST YEARS OF THE 3RD MILLENNIUM

The study of ethnic communities has aroused and continues to arouse the interest of specialists from various scientific disciplines, geographers, historians, sociologists, jurists, political scientists, etc. This study aims to highlight, from a geographical perspective, the evolution of ethnic communities, respectively the ethnic homogeneity or heterogeneity in Bihor County in the first years of the 3rd millennium. For this purpose, the evolution of the communities of Romanians, Hungarians, Roma and Slovaks was analyzed in the censuses of 2002, 2011 and 2021 in order to be able to capture the changes occurring, from a numerical point of view, within these ethnic communities. The ethnic homogeneity index was also calculated, which highlights those areas where there is ethnic homogeneity and those with ethnic heterogeneity.

Individual religiosity or effect of denominational schools? Analysis of the impact of religiosity and denominational schools on the results of 8th grade students in Bihor County, Romania

Research in recent decades examining the correlates of educational outcomes highlights the role of religiosity in students' academic progress and achievements. An increasing number of recent studies in the field of education confirm this hypothesis, the one of the positive influences of religiosity on behavior and attitudes with a positive effect on the achievement of educational goals and academic results. As such, denominational schools are also under the attention of many researchers who observe differences between these religious schools and other, non-religiously affiliated schools. The sociological literature even speaks of a „religious school effect”, inspired by the original idea of the „Catholic school effect”, stressing that beyond the impact of individual religiosity on school outcomes, mediated mainly by attitudinal and psychosociological effects, there are also moderators at the institutional level resulting from the specificity of denominational schools. In the present study we test these two hypotheses simultaneously by modeling the learning averages of a large sample of 8th graders in Bihor County, Romania, using simple linear regression. Our results confirm what we have already found in previous studies, namely that personal religiosity has a positive effect on learning outcomes, while a separate effect at the institutional level cannot be shown.

Inclusive Education Through the Friendship Bridge Project

The Friendship Bridge project is an educational project born from the desire to remove some existing barriers between children, especially between children with special educational requirements and other children, from the desire to achieve the socialization of children with special educational requirements and the development of the associative capacities that determine the children to be able to live in permanent association with others, to be capable of friendly relations and, in particular, to want to maintain connections with their peers. The ongoing project since the fall of 2009 was initiated by the School Center for Inclusive Education No. 3 Oradea in the period 2009-2010, then by the School Center for Inclusive Education Orizont Oradea, in the period 2010-2013, the Teachers Training House of Bihor County in the school year 2013-2014, and the School Center for Inclusive Education No. 1 Oradea in the period 2014-2023. In this paper, we will make a retrospective of the activities carried out within the Friendship Bridge educational project identifying the role and importance of the projects in the integration and socialization of students with special educational requirements.

Knowledge, Attitudes, Intentions and Vaccine Hesitancy among Postpartum Mothers in a Region from the Northwest of Romania.

This study aims to identify the presence of vaccine hesitancy and the factors that could have determined it in a group of mothers in the postpartum period, with an evaluation of both the level of knowledge and information, as well as the attitudes, perceptions, intentions and sources of information about vaccination. The study was based on a survey-Vaccine Hesitancy Identification Survey-applied in two maternity wards from Bihor County and structured into six subscales (34 items). Based on the answers to the key questions ("Which of the following statements best describes your plans for vaccinating your child?"-item 1 of subscale 4; "Overall, how hesitant do you consider yourself to be about vaccinating your child?"-item 4 of subscale 4), we identified two groups: the group of mothers without hesitant behavior (non-hesitant), called the group pro vaccine (GPV), and the group of mothers with hesitant behavior, called the group non vaccine (GNV). Vaccine hesitancy was identified in our study in 47.28% of the participants (191 of the 404 mothers included). Most of them come from an urban environment (57.59%), have university and post-secondary education (58.64%) and are prim parous (58.64%). The behavior of participants from GNV is influenced by a low level of knowledge and information regarding vaccination and by concerns related to adverse reactions, new vaccines and the number of vaccines administered. Also, this group is characterized by an increased perception of the risks related to vaccination, while the perception of the risks associated with the disease is low. For all subscales, important differences were registered between the two groups in favor of GPV, a group characterized by positive attitudes and perceptions and a better level of knowledge compared to GNV. This study aims to represent a starting point for the organization and running of information campaigns regarding vaccination at the level of Bihor County, especially in areas with low vaccination coverage, where this behavior is identified.

Expert-Based Assessment of the Potential of Agroforestry Systems in Plain Regions across Bihor County, Western Romania

Agroforestry systems are gaining increasing attention worldwide due to their several benefits both for landowners and also for the environment. Even though Romania has a great potential for adopting these systems on a large scale, only a few examples exist. The aim of this research was to highlight the main agroforestry systems that could be introduced in plain regions across Bihor County, Western Romania. A selection of the most suitable woody species and cereals was carried, based on available data and information. In order to select the most suitable combination, a set of eight criteria was considered and an Analytical Hierarchy Process Analysis was performed, with the aid of the Expert Choice Desktop (v. 11.5.1683) software package. The combinations that had the black locust as the main tree species scored better in comparison with the ones that had pedunculate oak as a main species. This research should be regarded as a first and important step in the analysis of several combinations of agroforestry systems that could be implemented across plain regions of Bihor County. Lastly, this proposed model could be replicated in similar studies aimed at selecting the most suitable agroforestry systems for certain sites. Future research should also consider criteria that account for various aspects, including the functional relationships of these future green spaces with nearby areas.