South-east Of Romania Research Articles

QUALITY OF LIVING ASSESSMENT IN RURAL ROMANIA. AN ANALYSIS OF SETTLEMENTS WITH LOW ACCESSIBILITY TO MEDICAL SERVICES

Several factors contribute to the lower quality of living of post-communist countries like Romania, such as housing quality, access to basic infrastructure or services including healthcare, and low income and education levels. To evaluate to what extent the quality of living is related to social and economic factors, including access to medical services, a field questionnaire was applied to 703 respondents from 8 settlements located in the South-East of Romania. Using the Principal Component Analysis, four determinants were selected to compute a Quality of Living Index (QoLI): sewage, room surface per dweller, dwelling accessibility and fuel use for cooking. The QoLI computed for each respondent varied between 29.7 and 94.8 with a mean value of 58.5. It was directly related to the level of education and income and with several healthcare parameters. The mean value for each Local Administrative Unit was used to establish a ranking, with the commune of Mihail Kogălniceanu (Constanța county) having the highest average QoLI, and the commune of Brăești (Buzău county) having the lowest average QoLI. The QoLI of investigated settlements was in line with the results reported by other studies that assessed the socio-economic development of towns and it can be used as a tool to establish the level of living conditions and to prioritize the need of intervention.

SEASONAL AND SPATIAL VARIATION OF PM10 IN AN URBAN AREA FROM ROMANIA

The cyclic variance of PM10 mass concentration in the urban area in the South-East of Romania has been analysed in the article. SE of Romania is considered to be a territory which has medium level of pollution for a period of last ten years, from 2009 to 2018. The spatial dispersion of PM10 concentration was obtained using the METI-LIS soft wear for each season. The objective of dispersion models is to evaluate how pollutant concentration is spread out taking into account the diffusion. The average measurements of PM10 and meteorological parameters as inputs has been used. An evident seasonal change of PM10 concentrations is observed in the article. In order to establish national measures for the improvement of the atmospheric pollution control it was analysed the mechanism of atmospheric pollution. It was observed that the air quality was overall better in spring and in summer in comparison to the other two periods. With regard to the seasonal variation characteristics of PM10 significant differences for the air quality registered in different months in the researched region were observed. The impact of air temperature on atmospheric pollution was insignificant in spring and autumn; moreover, precipitation was defined as an important influence factor upon the atmospheric pollution. The impact of precipitation on the possibility of atmospheric pollution was obviously different in the four seasons. The research results indicate the meteorological parameters that influence the air pollution become active during the cold seasonal days. It was shown that relative humidity and wind speed are the meteorological parameters that impact the PM10. It was found out that the probability of atmospheric pollution decreased with the increase of air temperature in summer. The research results also testify that the air pollution mapping could be enhanced using atmospheric dispersion models and in-situ measurements.

Limiting Factors that Influence the Formation of Producer Groups in the South-East Region of Romania: A Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)

The fragmentation of the Agricultural Real Estate in Romania, which is due to the lack of vision regarding the retrocession of the land and to the ineffective measures for reparcelling farmland, manifests by the existence of a record number of about 3422 million farms in Romania, of which about 92% have a utilized agricultural area (UAA) below 5 ha. The Romanian agricultural sector possesses about 30% of the total European farms but contributes only 3% to the total EU agricultural production. The association of local agricultural producers may be an alternative to reparcelling farmland on a short-term basis in order to reduce the fragmentation degree and increase the competitiveness of the national agricultural sector. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 25 active groups of agricultural producers are registered in the South-East Region in 2018, where these associative entities have been recorded to have a low degree of viability. The paper proposes an analysis on the farmers’ motivation regarding the access to/exit from a form of agricultural association and the identification of some alternatives for increasing the viability of the associative forms in the agricultural sector in the South-East of Romania. In this respect, a study was carried out on a sample of 16 entities that gave up their status of producer groups in the analyzed region in 2011–2018. The Fuzzy Set Quantitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) Qualitative analysis method was applied, which identified the main influence factors that have led to the disappearance of this associative form. We consider this study relevant for drawing attention to the main obstacles that Romanian farmers face in joining an associative form. The study has shown that mainly the factors directly influenced by government policies have led to the withdrawal of a relatively large number of producers from producer groups in the studied region.

Land concentration and land grabbing: Implications for the socio-economic development of rural communities in south-eastern Romania

In the periods of pre- and post-accession to the European Union, Romania experienced great and rapid land concentration and land grabbing. The current article is seeking to identify the relationship between these processes, and the socio-economic development of rural communities in two counties (Călăraşi and Ialomiţa) located in the south-east of Romania. By using a set of statistical indicators, the authors computed two secondary indexes: Agricultural Development Index and Social Disadvantage Index, whose correlation revealed that areas with massive land concentration (almost 80% of all Local Administrative Units) have a low level of socio-economic development.

The Influence of Hotel Attributes on Room Rates. The Case of Bucharest

Located in the southeast of Romania, Bucharest is the capital and the largest city in the country. Economically, Bucharest is the most prosperous city in Romania. During the last years, this city faced one of the highest growths in the number of hotels. Nowadays, due to the development of Internet-based technologies, the reservation process has changed; travelers can easily get information about the experience of other guests and also compare prices. The aim of the present paper is to analyze how prices for a hotel stay, in the city of Bucharest, can be influenced by some quality signaling factors, as star rating, online consumer’s ratings and the number of consumer’s comments. By using a multiple regression model for 3 to 5-star hotels in Bucharest, we identify, on one hand, the factors that have a positive influence on hotel room rates and, on the other hand, the factors that have a negative impact on the consumer’s willingness to pay. Our main results supply signals to hoteliers concerning the attributes most valuable for consumers which can lead to a higher room rate premium.

Current issues on HIV adults in south east of Romania

Current issues on HIV adults in south east of Romania

Patterns of genetic diversity in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) at the eastern margins of its distribution range

Abstract: Populations located at the periphery of the species’ distribution range may play an important role in the context of climate change. These peripheral populations may contain specific adaptations as a result of extreme environmental conditions. The aim of this paper was to assess within population genetic diversity and among population differentiation in one of the most important forest tree species in Europe, European beech (Fagus sylvatica), at the eastern margins of its natural range. We analysed four peripheral, isolated populations and five core populations from the continuous natural range along the Carpathian Mountains using a set of microsatellite markers. Higher levels of genetic diversity as measured by allelic richness (7.34 vs. 6.50) and observed heterozygosity (0.71 vs. 0.59) were detected in core populations than in peripheral ones. Population differentiation was slightly higher among peripheral populations than among core, Carpathian populations. There was strong evidence of bottleneck effects in two out of the four peripheral, isolated populations. Both core, Carpathian populations and peripheral, lowlands populations share the same chloroplast haplotype suggesting a common geographical origin from the putative Moravian refuge area. Past long distance founding events with material from the Carpathian mountain chain might explain the occurrence of small, isolated beech populations towards the steppe in the south-east of Romania. Our genetic data may contribute to a better understanding of the evolutionary history of the remnants of beech scattered occurrences at the eastern margins of species’ distribution range.

Valuing the educational changes in the Romanian educational system

Abstract
 
 This research aims to provide an insight into the level of assumption regarding the responsibility of implementing and promoting the educational changes in the Romanian educational system. The diagnosis highlights the need to build an organizational identity, the need for professionalizing the human resources and the orientation towards social values. This research was conducted on a representative sample of teachers in the pre-university education system in the South-East of Romania. It allowed an analysis of the changing phenomenon (of the educational reforms) using scientific methods to obtain information regarding the attitude of the human resource in the educational system towards the educational reform dimensions. This strategy can be considered a support to make the leap to an active portance against educational changes. The respondents realized that, in order to put into practice this goal, the school must activate its mechanisms of strategic management which are meant to lead the educational actors towards a continuously engagement in the development and reconstruction process of school and professionalizing the teaching career.
 Keywords: Education, diagnosis, school, reforms.

Resistance Profile of the Isolated Bacterial Stems in Invasive Infections in Three Hospitals in the South-East of Romania

The purpose of this study was to determine the etiologic range of the invasive infections and the profiles of resistance to antibiotics in the isolated stems from patients hospitalized in the Sf. Apostol Andrei Emergency Hospital Galati; Sf. Cuv. Parascheva Hospital of Infectious Diseases Galati and Sf. Ioan Hospital for Children of Galati. We analysed 4029 blood cultures in the period 01.01.2014-30.12.2016. Among the bacterial stems frequently isolated were: coagulase-negative staphylococci, S. aureus, E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The level of resistance to antibiotics increased, expressing resistance phenotypes of clinic and epidemiologic importance, among which we notice the increased incidence of the stems MRSA (28.95%) and MRS (56.07%), and the production of ESBL in E. coli (30%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (47%).

Assessment of Outdoor Pollution with Submicrometric and Fine Particulate Matter in Ploiesti City, Romania

Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a major environmental problem in urban areas mainly because of its demonstrated impact on human health. The present work aimed to assess the outdoor pollution to fine (PM2.5), and submicrometric (PM1) particulate matter that includes the ultrafine fraction - UFP), in Ploiesti city, which is a major urban-industrial area in the Southeast of Romania. This is the first study in an urban area of Romania that analyzes the spatiotemporal variation of PM2.5 and PM1. Particulate matter samples collected in sequential monitoring campaigns performed in 2015 were investigated using 12 relevant sampling points. A precision optical portable monitoring system with a laser beam (DusttrakTM DRX 8533EP) was used for PM assessments.. It was observed that Ploiesti inner city presented �moderate� and �unhealthy for sensitive groups� conditions for particulate pollution with PM2.5 depending on the area of the city. The difference between the PM10 and PM1 medians of all sampling points was only 2.2 �g�m-3, PM4 and PM1 of 1.5 �g�m-3, and PM2.5 and PM1 of 0.8 �g�m-3 respectively (p ] 0.05 � DL5% = �5.8 �g m-3). The correlation between the PM fractions was very significant (p [ 0.01; r = 0.996). The results pointed out that PM1, which has an increased impact on human health, because it includes the UFP, was the most frequent fraction in Ploiesti inner city.

STUDY REGARDING THE PERCEPTION OF SMALL FARMERS FROM THE SOUTH- EAST OF ROMANIA ON SOCIAL AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES

Abstract Social economy suggests new, innovative solutions to certain social, economic or environmental problems of communities in order to meet the needs expressed by community members, which are insufficiently covered or ignored by the public or the private sector. The domain represents a priority both at the national and at the European level for the period 2014 – 2020, being a research topic for the academic environment and the subject of a great number of scientific conferences and research studies. The study below presents the original research performed by the authors in order to determine the social agricultural cooperative acceptability degree among the farmers from the south-east of Romania. The first stage of the research strategy materialised in various documentation activities regarding the draw-up of a questionnaire and finished with the completion of the questionnaire and of the computer-based methodology used for its processing. The second stage involved the design of the sample structure and size and the processing methodology. In the third stage, we put forward the working hypotheses and we identified the connection degree between the variables that constituted the basis for making the hypotheses. Keywords : social economy, social agricultural cooperative, sustainable development

Mobile DOAS Observations of Tropospheric NO2 Using an UltraLight Trike and Flux Calculation

In this study, we report on airborne Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) observations of tropospheric NO2 using an Ultralight Trike (ULT) and associated flux calculations. The instrument onboard the ULT was developed for measuring the tropospheric NO2 Vertical Column Density (VCD) and it was operated for several days between 2011 and 2014, in the South-East of Romania. Collocated measurements were performed using a car-DOAS instrument. Most of the airborne and mobile ground-based measurements were performed close to an industrial platform located nearby Galati city (45.43° N, 28.03° E). We found a correlation of R = 0.71 between tropospheric NO2 VCDs deduced from airborne DOAS observations and mobile ground-based DOAS observations. We also present a comparison between stratospheric NO2 Slant Column Density (SCD) derived from the Dutch OMI NO2 (DOMINO) satellite data product and stratospheric SCDs obtained from ground and airborne measurements. The airborne DOAS observations performed on 13 August 2014 were used to quantify the NO2 flux originating from an industrial platform located nearby Galati city. Measurements during a flight above the industrial plume showed a maximum tropospheric NO2 VCD of (1.41 ± 0.27) × 1016 molecules/cm2 and an associated NO2 flux of (3.45 ± 0.89) × 10−3 kg/s.

West Nile Virus Serosurveillance in Wild Boars from the East of Romania

West Nile Virus (WNV) is the etiological agent of the WN fever/encephalitis, a re-emerging zoonosis signalled frequently in the last decades in the whole world. The virus can cause severe neurological disease in horses and humans but in many other species specific WNV seroconversion is signalled and may be an useful epidemiological tool. Wild animals can be vectors for many pathogens but the surveillance is limited due to the particularities of those populations. A preliminary serosurvey study was made to evaluate the circulation of WNV in wild boar population from two counties in the south east of Romania. Antibodies against WNV were detected by a competitive ELISA in 43 (63.24% ) of the 68 tested samples (BuzAƒu County 53.33% and GalaA£i County 71.05%).This is the first attempt to assess the seroconversion of WNV in wild boars in Romania and we can assume that the infection is maintained in tested areas in a sylvatic enzootic transmission circle. Our previous studies had revealed the high seroprevalence of WNV in horses and domestic birds from the studied areas. Moreover, WN encephalitis was diagnosed in humans from GalaA£i and BuzAƒu counties. Our results might bring in light the hypothesis of WNV seroconversion in wild boars and pointto further studies. Taking in accountthat WNV is a Flavivirus ofthe Japanese encephalitis virus antigenic complex, there is a great possibility to cross react with other related viruses infecting the wildboar, so more specific tests are needed in order to confirm our preliminary results

Current status of bluetongue in Europe

The article reviews the present epidemiological situation of bluetongue (BT) in Europe. After a four year break, disease caused by BTV serotype 8 reappeared in west Europe. On 11 September 2015, an outbreak of BTV8 was confirmed in central France (Allier department), and four weeks later, on 6 October, 45 outbreaks of 118 cases were confirmed in Allier, Puy-de-Dome, Creuse, Nicvre and Cher departments. Besides, BT caused by BTV1 and BTV4 is still circulating in some regions of southern and south-eastern Europe. Since 2013 disease caused by BTV1 was spreading extensively over the central and south Italy and in the south of French Corsica island. BTV1 cases were also confirmed in the southwest Spain (Cáceres and Toledo provinces) and at the end of 2014 BTV1 outbreak has been reported in a single (sentinel) holding in the region of Cadiz. More recently, BTV1 has been detected in Croatia (Sibenik area, Central Dalmatia). Furthermore, multiple outbreaks of BTV4 in cattle and sheep were reported across many regions of southern Europe. In the period from May to July 2014, 125 outbreaks of BTV4 have been confirmed in Greece (Peloponnese and Evros regions). The first suspicion of BTV4 in Spain was reported in September 2014 and at the beginning of December, 351 outbreaks were confirmed in the southern part of country. On 4 July 2014 the first outbreak of BTV4 was reported at the southeastern Bulgaria (Burgas Region), near the border with Turkey and by the end of 2014 disease was confirmed in all 28 administrative districts of Bulgaria. Moreover, on 23 August 2014 the first outbreak of BTV4 was confirmed in south-east of Romania (Buzau county) and as for 3 December 2014 disease was confirmed in 34 from 42 counties of this country, totally 1128 outbreaks and 4075 affected animals. After a few months break, in September BTV4 reappeared in Botosani county in northern Moldavia and on 6 October 14 outbreaks of 26 cases in cattle were confirmed. BTV4 outbreaks have also been reported in many other regions of Balkans countries: Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. BTV4 infected animals were also detected in Hungary; the first outbreak was reported on 14 October 2014 in Csongrád county. Up to 5 December, 77 outbreaks (30 primary and 47 secondary) in 5 counties were confirmed. In September 2015, BTV4 reappeared and on 6 October, 12 outbreaks of 33 cases in cattle in Tolna, Baranya and Somogy county were reported. In total, in the whole Balkan/Peloponnese/Central Europe region, over 5500 outbreaks have been confirmed. Disease control measures, such as movement restrictions are in place although vaccination is not being used at present in the Eastern EU Member States for BTV4 because of a combination of vaccine availability, cost and farmer acceptance. BT restriction zones have been regularly updated and as of 6 October 2015, 12 zones were defined.

Study regarding the reproduction technology in carp (Cyprinus carpio) in a private farm in South-East of Romania

Study regarding the reproduction technology in carp (Cyprinus carpio) in a private farm in South-East of Romania

Bluetongue in Europe and the role of wildlife in the epidemiology of disease.

The article reviews a current bluetongue (BT) epidemiological situation in Europe, BT restricted zones and the role of wild ungulates as a reservoir for bluetongue virus (BTV) and its transmission. BT has been eradicated from central and northern Europe, however it is still circulating in some regions of southern and south-eastern Europe. According to the recent information of the Directoriate General for Health and Consumer Affairs (DG SANCO) disease caused by BTV1 was spreading at the beginning of 2014 in Corsica (France). Moreover, four BTV1 cases were noticed in the west Spain (Cáceres province), 59 BTV4 outbreaks in south Spain (Andalusia), 10 in the region of Algarve in Portugal and about 200 outbreaks of BTV4 in Greece (Peloponesse and Evros regions). On 4th July the first outbreak of BTV4 was also confirmed at the south Bulgarian border and by 5th September 2014 disease was noticed in 21 of 28 administrative districts of Bulgaria. In August 2014 the BTV4 disease was reported in south-east of Romania and as for 8th September 184 outbreaks of BT were confirmed in 17 counties of this country. As of 3 September 2014 in Europe there has been fourteen BT-affected zones, in different regions of Italy, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Malta, France (Corsica), Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. Most species of wild ruminants and camelids are susceptible to BTV infection, although frequently asymptomatically. Wild sheep, bighorn and mouflon, are susceptible to BTV infection and can develop fatal clinical disease, as do domestic sheep. Experimental or natural infection of antelope, wapiti, musk, ox, bison, yak, white-tailed deer and African buffalo also produced clinical disease, whereas blesbock, mountain gazelle, roe deer, red deer and Eurasian elk did not show clinical sign after natural or experimental infection and infection was recognized by the presence of BTV viral RNA or specific antibodies. The wildlife due to the long-term carrier state may act as a reservoir for BTV and play an important role in its transmission.

Atypically Behavior of the Maize Leaf Weevil (Tanymecus Dilaticollis Gyll) on Maize and Sunflower Crops, in Climatic Conditions of the Year 2014, in South-East of Romania

Climatic conditions of the year 2014 in south-east of the Romania in April and May were atypically. At NARDI Fundulea, rainfalls level, both in April and May were over multiyear average, while air temperature was slight higher then multiyear average in April and lower then multiyear average in May. At ARDS Marculesti, registered rainfall level was slight lower then multiyear average in April and higher then multiyear average in May, while air temperature was higher than multiyear average in April and slight lower then multiyear average in May. Even if the average values of both, the temperatures and rainfalls from spring period of the 2014 seem unfavourable for maize leaf weevil attack at maize and sunflower crops, however this insect produce damaged at both crops. Attack intensity of the maize leaf weevil at the maize untreated plants on a scale from 1 (not attacked) to 9 (total damage) was of 5.91 at NARDI Fundulea and 5.94 at ARDS Marculesti. At sunflower untreated plants, attack intensity of the maize leaf weevil was of 5.45 at NARDI Fundulea and 8.78 at ARDS Marculesti. Untreated sunflower plants were almost totally damaged in 2014, at ARDS Marculesti. In this paper, authors collective try to explain the possible reasons of atypically attacks of the maize leaf weevil at maize and sunflower crops in south-east of the Romania in year 2014.

Two new species of feather mites (Acarina: Analgoidea) from the Moustached Warbler, Acrocephalus melanopogon (Passeriformes, Acrocephalidae), in Romania.

Two new species of feather mites Ingrassiella melanopogoni Constantinescu sp. nov. (Xolalgidae) and Trouessartia mironovi Constantinescu sp. nov. (Trouessartiidae) are described from Acrocephalus melanopogon (Passeriformes: Acrocephalidae) from the South-East of Romania. Ingrassiella melanopogoni differs from all species of the genus by having extensions of the posterolateral angles of the prodorsal shield shorter than in other species and not extending to the hysteronotal shield. Trouessartia mironovi is readily distinguished by having an unique combination of characters within the genus: epimerites I are fused in both sexes and epimerites IVa are highly developed in male (coxal fields IV are almost closed).

P-0074 The Influence of Hepatitis D Virus in the Occurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)

IntroductionThe natural course of HDV liver infection is still under evaluation. Some authors suggest that the ability of HDV to suppress HBV replication, known as promoter of hepatic carcinogenesis, could represent a protective mechanism to lower the risk of HCC development in case of co-infection. Conversely, there are data demonstrating that patients with florid infections from both HBV and HDV could develop HCC more frequent and at a younger age than those infected by HBV alone, indicating that HDV infection causes HCC possibly indirectly by inducing inflammation and cirrhosis. We aimed to investigate the influence of hepatitis D virus in the occurrence of HCC compared to HBV monoinfection in southeast of Romania. MethodsWe compared the clinical features of 38 patients diagnosed with HCC and HVB-HVD co-infection and we compared results with a control group of 38 patients with HCC and HBV monoinfection. We noted the demographic data (age, sex, BMI) the presence of underlying cirrhosis and the Child-Pugh classification, the history of antiviral treatment, the viral loads, the tumor markers (AFP) and the tumor features (multiple, TNM classification). ResultsThe age of patients diagnosed with HCC and co-infection was significantly younger than those of the control group (58.2±4.1 vs.63.28±9.61, p=0.032, CI 95% 12.35-33.78.). The presence of cirrhosis correlated better with co-infection rather than monoinfection (p=0.002, CI 95% 34.251-78.377) and the Child-Pugh classification showed a more frequent presence of stages B and C in patients with HCC and co-infection than in controls (p=0.028 and p=0.033). The antiviral treatment with interferons didn't reveal any influence in HCC clinical course in co-infected patients, while in patients with monoinfection, the history of nucleoside/tide analogues showed to be protective (p=0.040). HBV monoinfected patients with high viral loads>106 correlated better with the occurrence of HCC compared to patients with mono and co-infections with low viral loads. Also high viral loads of both viruses correlated better with the presence of HCC (p=0.005) Alpha-fetoprotein level >200 IU/mL was more common in controls (p= 0.044) and didn't correlate with HVD infection. TNM classification showed more stage III-IV in HBV monoinfected patients (p=0.009). ConclusionThe younger age detected in our patients, the presence of decompensate underlying cirrhosis (stages Child B/C), the absence of response to treatment and earlier TNM stage confirm that HDV infection causes accelerated and more severe necroinflammation, fibrosis and earlier cirrhosis, mechanisms through which HVD increases the risk of HCC occurrence.

Valeria Moldovan: Romania ★ Illustrator

Valeria MoldovanRomania ★ Illustrator Melissa Garavini Born in Brasov, in the South-east of Romania on Christmas Eve in 1956, Valeria Moldovan now lives and works in the capital city, Bucharest. She has an artistic and graphic background as she attended The Arts College in Brasov, then the Plastic Arts Faculty at the Decoration and Plastic Arts Institute in Cluj Napoca. After graduating, she found work in the field of graphics. From 1979 to 1983, she worked as a graphic designer for the advertising agency Recom in Bucharest. After this, she transferred to the Print Factory “Matasea Populara” in the same city, where she continued to work as a graphic designer. Less than a year later, she began to work for Editura Didactica si Pedagogica, again as a graphic designer and illustrator, and stayed with this company for six years. In 1994, she began to collaborate with Regala Publishing and continued there for several years. Moldovan’s varied career as a graphic designer helped her to build the contacts necessary for her work as an illustrator. She has illustrated children’s books for various local publishers including Creanga Publishing, Albatros, Garamond, Regala, Popet, and All Publishing Group. She also worked as an art director with a Bucharest advertising agency, Ignis, until 2005. Moldovan has designed and illustrated numerous children’s books, textbooks and magazines. Her drawing style is distinctive as her illustrations are reminiscent of Eastern fairy-tales, rich in detailed arabesque ornamentation, where for example, the dresses are rich in detail, often embroidered. When illustrating objects, Moldovan does not rely on literal presentation, but rather produces objects that seem to come from an imaginative dimension where everything is allowed. They are drawn with a light hand, and do not abide by realistic colors or features. Moreover, Moldovan’s drawings (both characters and objects) are usually bi-dimensional and stylized, and they do not rely on standard conventions for perspective. Instead, they are characterized by their use of warm colors such as orange, red, and especially purple. Selected Publications Cele mai frumoase 10 poveşti [Most Beautiful Ten Stories]. Texts by many authors. Bucharest: Nemira Publishing House, 2007. Print. Google Scholar Poveşti orientale [Oriental Stories]. Text Valentin Nicolau. Bucharest: Corint Publishing House, 2009. Print. Google Scholar Poveşti şi schiţe [Stories and sketches by I.L. Caragiale]. Text I. L. Caragiale. Bucharest: Corint Junior Publishing House, 2009. Print. Google Scholar Poveşti Fratii Grimm [Stories by the Grimm Brothers]. Retold by Lia Decei, Iulia si Victoria-Dana Feldrihan, Traian Fintescu, and Mioara Sechel. Bucharest: Corint Publishing House, 2010. Print. Google Scholar Basme [Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen]. Text Hans Christian Andersen. Bucharest: Corint Publishing House, 2010. Print. [End Page 44] Google Scholar Copyright © 2012 Bookbird, Inc