City Of Cluj-Napoca Research Articles

Feeling excluded? Why ethnic minorities (do not) engage in participatory budgeting

ABSTRACT The increasing use of participatory budgeting (PB) around the world has led to analyses covering people’s attitudes towards the process, its empowering characteristics, and its transformational potential. However, we know very little about how people belonging to ethnic minorities position themselves towards PB. This article aims to address this gap and identify what factors determine the engagement of individuals belonging to ethnic minorities with PB. This study focuses on the multi-ethnic city of Cluj-Napoca and uses 20 semi-structured interviews conducted with ethnic Hungarians. The results indicate that engagement is driven by the possibility of a strong voice in the community, the opportunity to communicate with the public administration about their priorities, and the stimulation of social cohesion and civic spirit. Non-engagement is triggered by the limited details provided about PB, its online-only format, and several personal characteristics.

STUDY REGARDING EFFECT OF TRISS-BASED AND CANIPLUS EXTENDERS ON SEVERAL SPERM PARAMETERS IN MEDIUM-LARGE BREED OF DOGS

"The study was carried out in different breeds of dogs owned by breeders in the city of Cluj Napoca. Mostly medium-large breeds were used and all the participating animals have been in good health during the time of acquiring the samples. The purpose of the study was to make a comparison between our own Tris-based extender and the commercial extender CANIPLUS CHILL in accordance with semen parameters with particular regards to motility, progressive motility, and length of survival of the spermatozoa. The evaluation has been done using the Computer Aided Sperm Analysis (CASA) system at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca. We have found that in medium large size breeds the commercia CaniPlus extender have shown better results on the majority of the parameters over the Tris-based extender and has the ability to preserve the integrity is spermatozoa more efficiently over time compared to Tris extender. Furthermore we identified an improvement in all parameters when comparing samples on the day of collection between large breed dogs and medium-large breed dogs in both extender types. Additionally, we had results shown increase values of most parameter in tris extender when comparing it with CaniPlus extender in medium-large size breeds on the day of collection."

Case Study of the Environmental Noise and its Perception in the City of Cluj-Napoca, Romania

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

Infrastructure Development for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Cluj-Napoca Municipality—A Case Study

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

Pedestrians Crossing Comfort Analysis for a Footbridge Over Someş River

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

In-Between Worlds: ‟A Complex Transmedia Universe about Myths, Creatures and Traditions”

"The In-Between Worlds Transmedia Universe started out as a blank whiteboard. Sixteen students, three coordinators and multiple contributors and collaborators created this Universe together, during one full semester (from October 2022 until February 2023). The project culminated with an exhibition that lasted one week, with the opening on 11 February in the Ethnographical Museum of Transylvania located in the heart of Cluj-Napoca city, Romania. The project revolves around the subject of mythological creatures, myths and traditions from the territory of Romania. The exhibition was meant to showcase the ephemeral parts of this project, such as: several interactive installations, projections, photography exhibition, Virtual Reality experience, but also the more permanent parts of the project, such as: the feature documentary and the card game. It is important to understand what exactly means the domain of the Transmedia, what are the elements and components that build a Transmedia Universe and how exactly this project encompasses each one of those, in order to achieve a complex and complete structure, and to also understand the reasoning behind each artistic product. Keywords: transmedia, storytelling, myths, creatures, exhibition. "

Study of the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Air Quality: A Case Study in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Many concerns are arising now regarding the effects of the pollution on inhabitants, especially in agglomerated areas. It is known that mobility is a major factor that generates threatening pollution that negatively affects the health and the comfort of residents. The present study focuses on this sensitive subject by observing the impact of reducing mobility on air quality. There are various studies on this topic, but this analysis addresses a gap in the literature, by covering a very active area, in terms of development and attractiveness for new inhabitants. The research study was carried on Cluj-Napoca city (Romania), by measuring the concentration of SO2, NO2, O3, PM10, PM2.5 from five different air monitoring stations from Cluj County during 2019–2021. During the entire period, the concentrations of the measured pollutants regarding the air quality were far below the legally accepted limits, with some short time peaks generated by other human factors. Road vehicle traffic generates pollution, but they are not the only elements that have to be taken into consideration when the quality of life is regarded, so the lawmakers have a more complex task to comply when deliberating on this matter. It concludes that it is necessary to develop on the existing air quality measuring network stations, because it is necessary to increase the number and the quality of the measurements.

Mobile measurements of black carbon: Comparison of normal traffic with reduced traffic conditions during COVID-19 lock-down

A mobile monitoring campaign was conducted (by bicycle) to assess the black carbon (BC) concentrations in Cluj-Napoca city, Romania, in 2020, before, during and after COVID-19 lock-down. Over the entire study period, the BC concentrations ranged between 1.0 and 25.9 μg/m³ (averaged per street section and period characterized by different traffic conditions). Marked spatial and temporal differences were observed. Observed differences in BC concentrations between locations are attributed to traffic intensities, with average BC concentrations, under normal circumstances, of 6.6–14.3 μg/m³ at roads with high to intense traffic, compared to 2.8–3.1 μg/m³ at areas with reduced traffic, such as residential areas, parks and pedestrian streets. The COVID-19 measures impacted traffic volumes, and hence average BC concentrations decreased from 5.9 μg/m³ to 3.0 μg/m³ during lock-down and in a lower extent to 3.4 μg/m³ and 4.4 μg/m³ in post-lockdown periods with reduced and more normalized traffic. Two approaches to account for variations in background concentrations when comparing different situations in time are assessed. Subtracting background concentrations that are measured at background sites along the monitoring route is an appropriate method to assess spatio-temporal differences in concentrations. A reduction of about 1–2 μg/m³ was observed for the streets with low to medium traffic, and up to 6 μg/m³ at high traffic locations under lockdown. The approach presented in this study, using mobile measurements, is useful to understand the personal exposure to BC along the roads in different seasons and the influence of traffic reduction on BC pollution during prolonged restrictions. All these will support policymakers to reduce pollution and achieve EU directives targets and WHO recommendations.

The Evolution of Cluj Fortress From Extramuros Area and the Imprint of the Geosite in the Geographical Landscape of Cluj-Napoca City

"The Evolution of Cluj Fortress from Extramuros Area and the Imprint of the Geosite in the Geographical Landscape of Cluj-Napoca City. Cluj Fortress was built by the military garrison of the Habsburg Empire to have a defensive role in tragic periods. The site of its location was chosen possibly due to morphology, the presence of landforms developed on sandstones and conglomerates which led provided conditions for living and development in that place. The evolution of the area from extramuros to intramuros was shaped by the living necessities that the military garrison had to satisfy. By entering the area beyond the walls, “the world down there”, they had access to the means of satisfying their needs, to the necessary substance and energy exchange. The emergence of miserable households, mere holes in the slope, was possible due to the geological structure. They had a negative impact on the geographical landscape, due to the negative look of the slope, but also because of the precarious living conditions of the inhabitants of that area. The development of communities including disfavoured people determined miserable living conditions, while they tried to survive in different manners. By means of the used methodology, the paper highlights the evolution of Cluj Fortress since ancient times until today, and to emphasize the importance of the Fortress site from a scientific and anthropogenic point of view, by means of the geomorphosite inventory list. Keywords: evolution, Fortress, extramuros / intramuros, sandstones and conglomerates, geosite, geographical landscape, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. "

University and Community: An Essential Partnership for the Future

"The last three decades have witnessed a growing body of literature on the changing role and functions of universities. Concepts such as the ‘engaged university’ ‘multiversity’ and ‘university as a complex enterprise’ have been discussed and evaluated by academics and practitioners. More recently, scholars have also turned their attention to the role of universities within the framework of local innovation ecosystems. The current research investigates how, through a variety of engagement related functions, universities can foster social, economic, and technological development in the cities that host them. The analysis is based on qualitative research conducted in both U.S. and Romania with key respondents from universities. In addition, for Romania the authors have also included main findings from their experience as consultants for the city of Cluj-Napoca for strategic planning activities."

Das Werden eines Schicksals. Die Stadt Klausenburg als Angelpunkt einer Existenz in Eginald Schlattners Roman Wasserzeichen

Abstract The novel “Wasserzeichen” was published at the Pop Publishing House in Ludwigsburg, Germany, in 2018. The destiny of the main character of the aforementioned literary work is undoubtedly linked to the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca. After finishing high school in Brașov, the young Eginald – who is not the same as the author of the novel – arrives in Cluj-Napoca where he first goes to the Faculty of Protestant Theology, from which he is relegated; afterwards, he starts the courses of another faculty, but before finishing his studies he is arrested by the Securitate. The life story of the young Transylvanian Saxon turns out to be a troubled one – full of defining experiences for his existence. Due to the relationships with the people whom he meets there, the romantic entanglements, and the betrayals he experiences, he matures quickly. The 1st person narrator becomes a true man in this predestinate space.

Countering Illegibility: A Brief History of Forced Evictions in Postsocialist Romania

Abstract Forced evictions have been recognised as a relevant process in Romanian post-socialist urban transformations. Housing privatization, including restitutions, represents the key driver. Some attempts in grasping the scale of the process have already been made. This article brings extensive quantitative data stemming from national and local levels, which can support improved estimations of the scale: reports of the National Union of Bailiffs and answers to public information requests from multiple municipalities; archival data, local press monitoring and accounts of the process in the city of Cluj-Napoca. At least 100 thousand forced evictions are estimated to have taken place at national level between 1990-2017, comprising several hundred thousand individuals, the Roma population being disproportionately affected. Qualitative data produced through activist research complements the picture. The findings contribute to the debate regarding postsocialist urban transformations, indicating that the role of the state in the production of the housing market through forced evictions-based gentrification has been insufficiently acknowledged. The results are relevant to policy debates, as well as to housing activist practices2.

Integrated and coherent urban planning based on regional development strategies

Any modern urban community has to overview the development strategy regarding the future development. The lack of such a vision may lead to missed development opportunities, resources which are irrationally consumed, urban chaotic development. The study has been conducted with the focus on the city of Cluj, Romania but the findings are very much applicable to developing city like Riyadh. A harmonious urban development can be achieved only through an integrated approach of all the factors that influence the dynamics of the urban life: economic, environmental, social, cultural etc. This type of approach is crucial in urban design considering the problems facing cities nowadays regarding demographic variations, various economic fluctuations, lack of jobs, climate changes. According to the design regulations, sustainable planning should be based on four principles: global, functional, prospective and democratic. Urban design at regional level means practically a close collaboration at the level of sectorial policies between all municipalities in order to function as a whole. The paper discusses the urban development strategies of the Cluj-Napoca metropolitan area (sectorial strategies, strategic directions, operational programs). The project focuses on the main development problems that have arisen in Cluj-Napoca in the past decades, trying to find solutions in order to improve the quality of life; such as different infrastructure projects, redesign of urban spaces, refurbishing old building situated in historical centre etc. One of the main focuses of the paper regards is the expansion of public transportation, special attention being paid to the persons with disabilities and elderly; development of reliable and sustainable infrastructure at regional level, urban, periurban and rural areas in order to support economic development of Cluj-Napoca city. Another focus of the paper discusses the design and renovation of green spaces around the city. The research aims to be a guideline offering valuable suggestions for further urban development guides in terms of sustainable design for cities that are rapidly developing. Furthermore, it is of great relevance for the Saudi Vision 2030 regarding the sustainable cities and communities, building resilient and sustainable infrastructure in order to support economic growth, focusing on retrofitting industry and increasing resource-use efficiency.

A systematic approach for microscopic models based on cellular automata for road traffic

The transportation infrastructure is one of the most important resources for a country's economic and social well-being. The effectiveness of a country's street network will decide whether it develops further or stagnates. With the increasing number of vehicles on the road and the effects of urbanization, traffic roads are being subjected to a variety of requests and uses for which they were not designed, sized, or predicted. Because of the critical relevance of traffic roads, research must begin to lessen the effects of traffic jams in the streets, determine the appropriate number of traffic lanes, and integrate real-time traffic information into GPS systems. The goal of modeling a traffic-road system is to either build new traffic systems or gain a better knowledge of existing traffic systems so that they can be optimized. The accuracy, performance, stochastic and dynamic behavior of the model produced will be evaluated using a simulation of a genuine traffic system. This paper provides microscopic models based on cellular automation to replicate the behavior of various automobiles on a set of urban streets in Cluj Napoca city downtown. This model includes streets with multiple traffic lanes, various types of vehicles such as automobiles, buses, and trams, intersections with multiple possible upcoming streets controlled by traffic lights, bus stops inside and outside the traffic lane, tram stops inside the traffic lane, pedestrian crosswalks, and parking areas alongside and transversely with the right traffic lane of a street. TCA (Traffic Cellular Automata) is a proposed model that produces adequate findings in urban traffic theory. The results were obtained in both free-flow and traffic-jam conditions.

From inhabitant to attendee in the eventful city of Cluj-Napoca: An exploratory and descriptive approach

"ABSTRACT. Worldwide the events industry is a developing one. It can be pointed out that it is directly connected to the development of communities in each destination. Events are well-known as an ageless concept, as being a part and of high importance in our footprint as humans. Cluj-Napoca, known as events destination, became a qualitative source of entertainment with options ranging from cultural festivals, gastronomic fairs, business meetings, self-development seminars, community gatherings to sports and athletic demonstrations. It displays a top-class portfolio of events, a range of all sizes and content, from the local traditional fairs, emblematic festivals such as TIFF Festival and Electric Castle, to a major entertainment source that is Untold Festival. Moreover, every event has its own authenticity and content, making it almost impossible for its participants to not find one in Cluj-Napoca with options ranging from all kinds of events. The purpose of our study was to identify and analyze the motivating and inhibiting factors for the residents, in attending events from Cluj-Napoca market, as well as the development of a profile of them as consumers. A secondary data analysis was used to explore the field of events. In 2020 for two months, a survey was conducted for data collection. A short questionnaire was implemented through a correspondence interview. The retained sample was 258 residents from Cluj-Napoca. Only a part of the collected data was used in the present study. Keywords: events, destination, events industry, profile of the event attendee JEL classification: L83, M31 "

The Predictive Role of Modified Early Warning Score in 174 Hematological Patients at the Point of Transfer to the Intensive Care Unit.

Introduction: The examination of vital signs and their changes during illness can alert physicians to possible impending deterioration and organ dysfunction. The Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) is used worldwide as a track and trigger system that can help to identify patients at risk of critical illness. Thus, the current study aimed to assess the ability of MEWS to predict the mortality of hematologic patients at the point of transfer from the ward to the intensive care unit (ICU). Materials and Methods: The present study was retrospective, longitudinal, and observational, conducted at an oncology hospital in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. We included 174 patients with hematological disorders transferred from the ward to the ICU between the 1st of January 2018 and the 1st of May 2020. We assessed the MEWS at the moment of admission in these patients in the ICU. The accuracy of MEWS in predicting mortality was assessed via the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC), and sensitivity, specificity, and hazard ratio (HR) were calculated for different MEWS cutoffs. MEWS values considering the status at discharge and frequency of death by MEWS were also analyzed. Results: We calculated MEWS values considering the status at discharge (p < 0.0001), and we assessed the frequency of death by MEWS. We also calculated the hazard ratio (HR) of death depending on the selected MEWS cutoff. The best cutoff point was found to be ≥6, with an accuracy of 0.667, sensitivity of 0.675, specificity of 0.646, and AUC of 0.731. Patients with higher MEWS had a higher probability of mortality. Conclusion: The MEWS and cutoff points were determined on a sample of hematologic patients at the moment of admission to the ICU. The final aim is to encourage physicians to use these scores to improve awareness of organ failure to admit patients to the ICU sooner and limit overall morbidity and mortality. The presence of an ICU physician on ward rounds might help in reducing the timeframe of access to a high-dependency unit (HDU) or ICU. An extension of these scores outside hematologic patients or considering hematologic patients outside ICU must be further studied.

Increasing Energy Efficiency Using Photovoltaic Panels

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

A SYNOPSIS OF ROMANIA’S SMART CITIES INNITIATIVES

The term smart city is often associated with the desire for accelerated modernization of space and urban social interactions, especially based on Information and Communications Technologies. Smart cities are creative and sustainable areas that bring improvements on the quality of life, a friendlier environment and where the prospects of/for economic development are stronger. Such cities are to be considered as the sum of the various improvements in urban infrastructure, the quality of services provided to citizens, the operational costs of public administration. Romania has several key cities that have begun their pivot from regular and only digitized cities, to smart cities. According to information from the Romanian Smart City Association (ARSC), in 2018, at Romanian national level, 24 cities could be considered smart, the following cities being most visible in terms of how many projects have been undertaken so as to develop a smart city: Alba Iulia city has 60 such projects, Cluj-Napoca city has 10, Arad has 9, Sibiu and Oradea each have 8 projects, and Bucharest has started six such projects. At 2020 level, we notice an increase in the number of projects in the following way: Alba-Iulia now has 106 projects, Cluj-Napoca has 54 projects, Timisoara 26, Arad and Iasi have each 19 projects, Brasov and Bucuresti (Sector 4) have 18 projects each, Oradea 17, Sibiu 15, and Piatra Neamț 15 projects. The main areas of interest being Smart Mobility, Smart Governance, Smart Living, Smart Economy, Smart Environment, and Smart People. Having set goals of cutting energy costs by 30% in the field of public transportation and an increase of 45% in terms of innovation products that are to be sourced locally, the city of Oradea has attracted project worth 369 million euros, and this entire sum has been achieved through EU funded grants.

Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity in Peri-Urban Forest Park Creation: Experience From Eastern Europe

The social role of peri-urban forests is diversifying, and this implies that peri-urban forests are redesigned to meet and shape social demands. A key challenge is the integration of the social demands for green spaces with the maintenance of key ecosystem structures and processes as well as the biodiversity of the green spaces. In this study, we report our experience and insights gathered through the implementation of a project targeting a peri-urban forest development near the city of Cluj-Napoca. One key particularity of the project was that it was designed by the city hall in cooperation with a major NGO, and the academic sector joined the project in its second stage, with the aim of mainstreaming ecosystem services and biodiversity within a well-established design concept. After comprehensively assessing the biodiversity and ecosystem services of the targeted forest, we found that the ecosystem supply was strongly related to the tree stand structure and the forestry management from the past decades. The public expressed concerns related to the parts of the established development design, which included built structures, artificial lights, toilets, and paved roads, perceiving that these actions will negatively influence the natural environment. We present the modifications undertaken in the project design after the public consultation and deliberation within the implementation team. An anonymous internal evaluation of the implementation team shows appreciation for the human and professional interactions and the resulting innovation and learning opportunities. To improve interdisciplinary collaborations, there is a need for a good institutional support and financial reward, transparency, and good communication within the team. At the end of the “Discussion” section, we present the insights gathered from this interdisciplinary experience in order to guide further similar projects in Central and Eastern Europe.

Use of Black Poplar Leaves for the Biomonitoring of Air Pollution in an Urban Agglomeration.

Trees are considered to be an effective tool for metal pollution biomonitoring. In the present study, the concentration of metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Co, Ni, Fe, Mn, and Al) in black poplar leaves (Populus nigra L.), together with the concentration of PM10, PM2.5, PM1, and total suspended particles (TSP), was used for the air pollution biomonitoring in 12 sites from various areas of Cluj-Napoca city, Romania. The concentration of PM10 in the air was high, but their metal content was low. However, Cu, Pb, and Zn were moderately enriched, while Cd was highly enriched in PM10 due to anthropogenic sources. The average metal concentration in leaves decreased in the order Zn>>Fe>Mn>Al>Pb>Ni>Cu>Co>Cd and increased with the increase of PM10 concentration, indicating that poplar leaves are sensitive to air pollution. The principal component analysis indicated that traffic, waste burning, road dust resuspension, and soil contamination are the main anthropogenic sources of metals in poplar leaves. The results indicated that black poplar leaves are a suitable biomonitoring tool for metal pollution, in urban environments.