South-eastern Part Of Romania Research Articles

Prevalence of infection with Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens in dogs from the South-Eastern part of Romania

As a result of global warming, the change in the biological cycle of vectors and the increase in intercontinental travels, we are now facing an increase in the number of cases of vector-borne diseases. Among these, heartworm disease has escalated in recent years in Romania, with cases increasing in many parts of our country. Our study was carried out in the South-Eastern part of Romania, with the aim of establishing the prevalence of heartworm disease in dogs, with the identification of the two species Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens. Blood samples were collected during the period May - July 2022 and January - July 2023, from 220 dogs with and without an owner from Tulcea county, from places such as Tulcea, Murighiol, Somova, Mineri, Niculițel. The blood samples were tested through the Knott method, which is considered as the reference method in the diagnosis of dirofilariosis in dogs. The results show a prevalence of Dirofilaria spp. infection of 11.36% in dogs. Of the 220 samples examined by the Knott test, 25 were positive for circulating microfilariae, of which 21 showed infestations with Dirofilaria immitis and 4 with co-infection with Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens. The study underlines the importance of introducing monitoring and control programs for heartworm disease in dogs in Romania.

The ambient noise level in the city of Galati and surroundings

The intense and sustained noise to which we are subjected can cause disorders of the auditory system. It affects especially those who suffer from heart problems, but it also has dramatic consequences on the nervous system. It can cause stress, depression, sleep disturbances, cognitive problems and reduced ability to concentrate. The city of Galati is located in the southeastern part of Romania, in the southeastern part of the county with the same name. Galati ranked fifth in terms of noise pollution and unfortunately the local authorities do not run any noise reduction or control program. Through this paper we want to join those who sound the alarm to the authorities to take concrete measures in order to manage and control noise pollution. Data were collected in different areas of the city of Galati and its surroundings. Equivalent noise level was determined with a professional digital acoustic sound level meter with two frequency filters: “A” and “C”. The device can record sound values between 30 dB-130 dB in the 31.3 Hz and 8 kHz range. In general, the sound level exceeded the maximum admissible limit or came close to this value.

THE EFFECT OF APPLYING SOME MATERIALS FROM THE METALLURGICAL INDUSTRY ON AGRICULTURAL CROPS

The research was carried out during the period of 2020-2022 in the south-eastern part of Romania on a reddish preluvosoil. Two types of slag from the metallurgical industry were applied, namely furnace slag and converter slag in doses of 1 t/ha, 3 t/ha and 5 t/ha. Taking into consideration the chemical composition of these materials and the fact that they contain elements such as Ca, P, Zn, Ni, Fe, Mg, they can be used to neutralize the acidic reaction of soils and for a better utilization of nutrients by crop plants. The research analyzed the effect of these materials on the chemical properties of the soil, on the soil’s reaction, the soil’s humus content and content in elements, as well as their influence on the production of maize, wheat and peas, while also taking into account the content in macroelements and heavy metals found in the soil and crop plants. The obtained results demonstrated that the application of these materials in the established doses of 1, 3 and 5 tons/ha led to significant increases in the production of maize, wheat and peas without the risk of accumulation of heavy metals in the soil and in the crop plants.

On the Regional Temperature Series Evolution in the South-Eastern Part of Romania

In the context of reported climate variations in different regions of the world, this work investigates the evolution of the temperature series in the Dobrogea region, Romania, using the maximum, average, and minimum annual temperature series from 1965 to 2005. The Mann–Kendall test and Sen’s slope emphasized increasing trends of nine (out of ten) minimum temperature series (nine of them at significance levels less than or equal to 0.05, and two at 0.1), three average temperature series (at a significance level of 0.1), and five maximum temperature series (at significance levels less than or equal to 0.05). The selection of the representative series at the regional scale, called the ‘Regional series’, was performed using two algorithms proposed by the author that are easy to employ, even by individuals without deep knowledge in the field. The first (called MPPM) was initially introduced for evaluating the ‘Regional precipitation series’, and the second is a version of MPPM based on clustering the data series. Comparisons with the series from the ROCADA database were performed to prove the algorithms’ performances. The best results were obtained by running the second algorithm with two clusters, for the minimum and maximum temperature series, and with three clusters, for the average temperature series. In comparison with the initial data series, the average MAEs were, respectively, 1.39, 0.37, and 0.84 for the minimum, average, and maximum series, and the corresponding average MSEs were, respectively, 1.49, 0.41, and 0.93. Comparison of the ‘Regional series’ with the series from ROCADA led to a decrease in the modeling errors, with the best ones corresponding to the average ‘Regional series’—MAE = 0.36 and average MSE = 0.25.

The first tree-ring reconstrruction of streamflow variability over the last ∼250 years in the Lower Danube

Paleoclimate reconstructions are increasingly used to characterize climate variability and change prior to the instrumental record, in order to improve our estimates of climate extremes and to provide a baseline for climate change projections. Most of these reconstructions are focused on temperature, precipitation, and/or drought indices and, to a lesser extent, reconstruct streamflow variability. In this study, the first regional tree-ring width chronology (i.e. Quercus sp.), from the Caraorman forest (Danube Delta, Romania), was used to reconstruct the last ∼250 years of annual (from November previous year to July of the current year) streamflow of the Lower Danube River. The obtained results indicate a stable and significant correlation between the tree-ring width index from the Caraorman forest and the Danube streamflow at the Ceatal Izmail hydrologic station situated in the southeastern part of Europe. Interannual streamflow variation for the analyzed period indicates 14 extremely high flow years, with streamflow greater than 8780 m3/s (1770, 1771, 1799, 1836, 1838, 1839, 1871, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1940, 1941, 1997 and 2010) and 14 extremely low flow years, with streamflow lower than 5300 m3/s (1741, 1745, 1750, 1753, 1773, 1794, 1812, 1832, 1843, 1882, 1899, 1921, 1964 and 1994). Periods characterized by pluvials in the lower Danube Delta are associated with a low-pressure system centered over Europe, positive sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over the Atlantic Ocean, and negative SST anomalies over the Baltic, North, and Mediterranean Seas. These large-scale conditions favor the advection of moist air from the Mediterranean and the Black Sea towards the southeastern part of Romania, which in turn leads to high precipitation rates over this region. Opposite to this, low streamflow years are associated with a high-pressure system centered over Europe, characterized by a northward shift of the storm tracks and negative SST anomalies over the Atlantic Ocean, and positive SST anomalies over the Baltic, North, and Mediterranean Seas. Based on our results, we argue that the reconstruction of river streamflow data based on the tree-ring width has important scientific and practical implications for a better understanding of the streamflow variation of the past, necessary for water resource management and environmental-hydrological protection.

Study of the evolution of heavy metals emissions in the southeastern part of Romania

Heavy metals emitted from anthropogenic activities can be transported into the atmosphere over long distances and can have significant negative effects on human health and the environment. Heavy metals are toxic pollutants that act on various organs and systems of the human body, their effects being specific to each substance. Because of their reduced mobility, heavy metals are concentrated at each trophic level, the highest concentration being reached at the ends of food chains, where, most of the times, humans stand. This paper presents the spatial and temporal evolution of heavy metals concentrations in the Southeastern part of Romania. The Southeastern region we studied included the counties of: Braila, Buzau, Constanta, Galati and Tulcea, respectively. The database of the Romanian National Air Quality Monitoring Network (RNMCA) was used for this study.The data taken from the RNMCA network consisted in the concentrations of As, Cd, Ni and Pb, respectively, which were recorded between January 2020 and May 2022. The monthly evolution of the chosen pollutants was studied. Pearson and Spearman correlations were used in order to study the influence of climatic factors on the heavy metals pollutants.

Goji Berry Gall Mite Expansion in Europe, with Emphasis on Southeastern Part of Romania

In Europe, the goji crop is expanding rapidly, to satisfy the increased market demand for functional foods, with effects in chronic diseases treatment (cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis, etc.). Romania has become in recent years one of the most important growers of goji berry, especially for organic production, as the species was quite resistant to main pests and diseases. Still, in 2008, a non-indigenous species of Eriophyid mites, called Aceria kuko, was identified on goji plants in UK and spread rapidly throughout the EU. The plant protection institutions took eradication measures, however the pest continued to spread in new plantations and recently on spontaneous plants. Based on GBIF, iNaturalist, personal observations and communication, the paper presents the current distribution of goji berry gall mite in Europe and in Romania and also suggests the use of new citizen science tool - ProtectGoji maps, that aims both to increase awareness of goji producers and consumers about this pest and to geolocate the species expansion in Romania for a better containment and control strategy.

Site suitability for photovoltaic farms and current investment in Romania

In recent decades, development in the field of solar energy has been a growing challenge in the context of the transition from conventional to renewable energy sources. However, there are cases where investments in photovoltaic farms do not reach the maximum potential of a territory for their emplacement. Therefore, the present study aims to analyse the site suitability for photovoltaic farms in Romania in relation to current investments in the field. The suitability map was obtained through a simple heuristic approach, based on the Multicriteria Evaluation of favourable/restrictive biophysical and anthropogenic data, integrated in the GIS-Weighted Overlay spatial analysis. The results were compared to the current distribution of photovoltaic farms, quantified by the visual interpretation of high-resolution images provided by Google Earth. Overall, the suitability map obtained shows a relatively high potential for the location and expansion of photovoltaic farms in the area, the very high and high suitability classes summing more than 7,000,000 ha (29.9% of the country's area). The highest potential has been obtained for the southern and south-eastern part of Romania, where the zonal calculated mean suitability scores highlighted the Bucharest-Ilfov (4.94), South-West Oltenia (4.64), South-Muntenia (4.63) and Southeast (4.42) development regions (NUTS II). However, analysing the frequency of existing photovoltaic farms, the study indicates a potential for solar energy not yet sufficiently exploited, but also possibly inappropriate between the degree of suitability and the photovoltaic farms implemented so far. Hence, the comparison of calculated mean suitability scores and the percentage of the total area allocated for existing photovoltaic farms indicates several mismatches between the investments made in the area and the modelled site suitability, mainly in the Ilfov, Tulcea, Constanța, Buzău, Satu-Mare, Brașov, Prahova and Galați counties. At the same time, the results reveal an alternate possibility of using/reusing degraded or contaminated land, through investments in the solar energy, several aspects being highlighted for the ceased mining areas, landfills near urban centres, or poorly productive agricultural lands. This study can provide important information to decision makers and potential investors, in order to streamline future projects by setting up photovoltaic farms in accordance with the modelled suitability classes.

Risk assessment on zinc deficiency in maize crops in southeastern part of Romania

Risk assessment on zinc deficiency in maize crops in southeastern part of Romania

The Evolution of the Bacterial Community Between Hospitals, Wastewater Treatment Plants and the Aquatic Environment

Wastewater treatment plants are major interface between rural and urban activities and the natural environment with problems relating to the survival and transmission of the fecal bacteria into streams and rivers. The main goal of this paper was to showed the impact of WWTPs on fecal populations bacteria and their dissemination into the aquatic ecosystems. The sampling campaigns were conducted in 2019 where the hospital and WWTPs wastewater from three cities from the south-eastern part of Romania and the surface water of their emissaries were trimestral collected. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of total and fecal coliforms indicated the efficiency of wastewater treatment processes but at the same time, the contribution of contamination with hospital effluents has been demonstrated. Also, the microbiological results showed the selectivity of the destruction of fecal coliform bacteria between wastewater and surface water.

Molecular expression profiles of selected microRNAs in colorectal adenocarcinoma in patients from south-eastern part of Romania.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, non-coding class of RNAs with functions in the regulation of genes expressions. Dysregulated expressions of miRNAs play important roles in carcinogenesis and cancer progression by targeting various oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes. miRNAs represent a new field for molecular diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) due to their high tissue specificity, their stability, and their dysregulated expression in tumor development.This study aimed to investigate using the qRT-PCR method the expression profile and prognostic value of 11 mature miRNAs in a cohort of 82 Romanian patients diagnosed with CRC. The relationship between the expression levels of selected miRNAs and clinicopathologic features were evaluated using ANOVA and Pearson test. In addition, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess the diagnostic values of the miRNAs to discriminate cancerous from non-cancerous states of the samples.The expression levels of miR-30c, miR-144, miR-375, miR-214, and miR-195 in CRC tissue were significantly downregulated (all P < .05; Paired T-Test) than that in normal adjacent tissue sample (NATS), while the expression of miR-141, miR-182, miR-183, miR-21, and miR-370 in CRC tissue were significantly upregulated (all P < .001) than that in NATS. Moreover, the expression levels of miR-182, miR-183, miR-141, and miR-21 were demonstrated to be associated with a gradual increase in fold change expression with depth of tumor invasion (all P < .05), lymph node invasion (all P < .001), and maximal increase with distant metastasis (all P < .001). Moreover, the analysis of ROC curves revealed that AUC (95% CI) of miR-182, miR-183, miR-141, and miR-21 in diagnosis of CRC was 0.76 (0.66–0.87), 0.85 (0.78–0.94), 0.77 (0.62–0.92), 0.83 (0.73–0.90), respectively. The univariate and multivariate Cox-proportional hazard regression for all variables revealed that the nodal status, distant metastasis, miR-21, miR-141, miR-182, and miR-183 were independent prognostic markers of CRC.In conclusion, altered expressions of miR-21, miR-141, miR-182, and miR-183 in CRC varies at different stages of CRC development and may serve as potential diagnosis molecular biomarkers in Romanian patients with CRC. Further investigations are needed to confirm our findings.

The resistance of apricot genotypes to the attack of certain pathogens in Romania

Among the pathogens which have an economic importance for the apricot tree culture, because of the fact that they are involved in the premature demise of this fruit-growing species are the following fungi: Monilinia laxa, Cytospora cincta and Stigmina carpophila. These pathogen agents cause severe diseases that affect not only the fruit production but the life of the trees itself, taking into account the climatic conditions of a specific year and especially the soil’s sensitivity. The aim of this research is to highlight the genotypes that are the most resistant to pathogens and their behaviour towards the pathogens attack in the soil-climatic conditions of Romania. With regard to the attack of the Monilinia laxa fungus, the majority of the studied cultivars proved to be tolerant (T). The ‘Orizont’, ‘Danubiu’, ‘Cristal’ and ‘Olimp’ cultivars displayed sensitivity (S) towards Monilinia laxa. In this pathogen’s case, we must mention the fact that the sensitivity of the cultivar is also influenced by the environmental conditions of each studied year. The cultivars that are very resistant, basically not attacked by Monilinia laxa and Cytospora cincta are ‘Traian’, ‘Tudor’, ‘Elmar’, ‘Ovidius’ and ‘Amiral’, whereas the most sensitive cultivars to the attack of Cytospora cincta and Stigmina carpophila are (2013-2015) ‘Augustin’, ‘Histria’, ‘Cristal’ and ‘Euxin’. Following research and study, the resistant cultivars have been cultivated in the nursery orchard and the most valuable genotypes are being cultivated in commercial orchards, occupying a good place in the structure of the apricot tree assortment from the south-eastern part of Romania.

Technical and economical analysis of a PV/wind/diesel hybrid power system for a remote area

The remote location analyzed is a monastery located in Dobrogea, in the south-eastern part of Romania, in a region with very good wind (average wind speed of 4 m/s) and solar (3.94 kWh/m2/day) potential. Since the monastery is located 4 km away from the electricity grid, the use of renewable energy was preferred to cover the demand for electricity and heat.Therefore, a solar–wind–diesel hybrid system, which consists of 3 1 kW wind turbines, 54 photovoltaic panels with a unit power of 120 W and a diesel generator, was developed and implemented. The technical and economic analysis of the system showed that the system has a renewable energy use rate of 65 % and a generating cost of electricity of 0.118 €/kWh.This hybrid system can cover the energy demand for 10 people by using solar and wind power with a two-day autonomy.

AN EVALUATION OF THE SOLAR AND WIND ENERGY IN THE SOUTH-EAST OF ROMANIA

The objective of the present work is to estimate the benefits which may be obtained from the implementation of a solar and wind project, by considering several reference sites, located in the southeastern part of Romania. In the first case study, the attractiveness of the solar energy will be evaluated for a production factory located in the vicinity of Galati city. The seasonal and annual fluctuation of solar energy will be discussed, by taking also into account the performances of a photovoltaic panel, which may be installed on the roof of these production halls. As for the second case study, the performances of some state-of-the-art wind turbines will be evaluated by taking into account three sites located along the Romanian shoreline, namely Sf. Gheorghe, Navodari and Vama Veche, respectively. According to these results, it was noticed that the photovoltaic panels will partially cover the energy demand for the selected factory, while in the case of wind energy, a single wind turbine defined by a rated capacity of 3 MW seems to easily cover the local electricity budget, reported in Sf. Gheorghe and Vama Veche.

Earthquake mechanism and characterization of seismogenic zones in south-eastern part of Romania

Earthquake mechanism information is fundamental to determine the stress field and to define seismogenic zones. At the same time, it is a basic input to compute seismic hazard by deterministic approach. The present paper extends the catalogue of the fault plane solutions for the earthquakes in Romania, previously completed until 1997, for 1998 – 2012 time interval. The catalogue is limited geographically to the Carpathians Orogeny and extra-Carpathians area located in the south-eastern part of Romania because similar investigations cover the rest of the country. The catalogue comprises 259 intermediate-depth seismic events and 90 crustal seismic events, recorded in the considered time interval with acceptably constrained fault plane solutions. We use specific graphical tools in order to emphasize statistically representative features of the stress field as coming out from our results. The fault plane solutions of the Vrancea earthquakes generated in a confined sinking plate in the mantle reflect the dominant geodynamic process in the study region. The typical features revealed by all the previous studies on the subcrustal seismic activity (predominant dip-slip, reverse faulting, characterizing both the weak and strong earthquakes) are reproduced as well by our investigation. As concerns the earthquake activity in the crust, a few new refined aspects are highlighted in the present work: (1) a deficit of the strike-slip component over the entire Carpathians foredeep area, (2) different stress field pattern in the Fagaras – Câmpulung zone as compared with the Moesian Platform and Pre-Dobrogean and Bârlad Depressions, (3) a larger range for the dip angle of the nodal planes in the Vrancea subcrustal source, ~ 40 0 -70 0 against ~ 70 0 , as commonly considered.

Monitoring of Artificial Nests in Horticultural Ecosystems-Observation of Woodpeckers Ethology

In order to increase the integrated protection of horticultural ecosystems by using the biological fight, the installation on artificial nests, is an important measure to help the insectivore birds. In a research program, a number of 166 artificial nets for Passeriformes birds were installed in different ecosystems as parks, botanical gardens and orchards in the South-Eastern part of Romania. During the nests monitoring period an interesting, but in the same time warring phenomenon, was noticed: a certain number of artificial nets were prayed by woodpeckers, especially by Dendrocopos major (Great Spotted Woodpecker). In Romania, all the ten European woodpecker species are nesting, nine being sedentary and one (Jynx torquilla) migratory, leaving the country in autumn. Woodpeckers in general, are very useful in woody plant biological protection, having a predominant insectivore nutrition and being the only one to keep under control the insects that are leaving on, inside and under the trees bark. The paper presents some data regarding the woodpeckers ethology in the studied ecosystems. More research are needed to understand the woodpeckers behaviour and to find protection methods of useful birds' nests against the woodpeckers attack. Keywords: useful birds; Dendrocopos major; Dendrocopos syriacus; Passer montanus; Picus viridis.

ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF AMARA LAKE (S-E ROMANIA)

The Amara Lake is located at the south-eastern part of Romania. It is a shallow lake with an average depth of 3m and average extent of 1.32 km2, having a particular importance for the area in which is situated. This importance derives from its main functions in the ecosystem, namely: source of food, shelter and breeding place for almost 54 bird, balneary tourism attraction and jobs for the residents of Amara who live in the northern part of the lake. Under these conditions, the sustainable development of this area is required, and this can be attained by proposing and implementing practices which will protect and harmonize the area from economic, social and ecological point of view. In this study, a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of Amara Lake ecosystem was performed in order to found the most adequate management solution, whose implementation would allow the sustainable development of area. The proposed management solution considers the forestation of southern shore of the lake with Acer campestre tree species. The effects of this solution on Amara Lake ecosystem were evaluated by monitoring three water quality indicators (total nitrogen, total phosphorus and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5)) during of six years (2010-2015). These indicators are strictly related to the eutrophication process of lake water, and their variations during the monitoring period indicated that the forestation of southern shore of the lake can be considered a viable management solution.

Outbreaks of a H1N1 Virus Infection During Two Influenza Consecutive Seasonal Epidemics in Children From South Eastern Part of Romania: 2014-2016

Outbreaks of a H1N1 Virus Infection During Two Influenza Consecutive Seasonal Epidemics in Children From South Eastern Part of Romania: 2014-2016

BREEDING AND CULTIVATION OF SOME DWARF NECTARINE CULTIVARS IN ROMANIA

Nectarine tree is one of the most appreciated fruit species cultivated in the temperate climate for special qualities of fruit and for the particularities of the trees (precocious, productive and proper capacity to recover after climatic damages). In the last years, in Romania, the orchard owners’ aims were to plant intensive orchards and to use dwarf and semi-dwarf trees. In this paper we present some nectarine and brugnone cultivars, which produced good results in the south-eastern part of Romania. The recommended nectarine cultivars are: ‘Melania’, ‘NAƒicAƒâ€™, and ‘Liviu’, that are dwarf cultivars, and ‘Valerica’, a semi-dwarf brugnone.

Aridity Variability in the Last Five Decades in the Dobrogea Region, Romania

The present study constitutes a climatic approach of aridity trend analysis in the south-eastern part of Romania (Dobrogea region), over the past five decades. The analysis is based on a series of investigations on the temporal trends of certain climatic parameters that play a key role in a territory's climatic variability, such as temperature, precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration. In this respect, a series of aridity index trends (De Martonne Index, UNEP Index, and Water Deficit Index), recorded between 1961 and 2009, was analyzed, using climatic parameters provided by eight weather stations in the Dobrogea region. While the results showed that the last five decades were generally characterized by an upward climatic aridity trend (increasing temperatures and potential evapotranspiration in all considered instances), there are certain regional differences due to precipitation regime variations (higher rainfall values were recorded at four weather stations). In terms of maximum aridity conditions, the study reveals that the most critical aridity index values were reported in 1990, 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2008, especially at the weather stations located in the northern part of the Dobrogea region. The situation is slightly different in the central-southern part, where the results indicated an aridity trend decline coupled with an increase of annual precipitation amounts, especially between 1995 and 2009.