Stations In Romania Research Articles

The Hydrogen Vehicle in the Context of the Sustainable Development of the Green Road Transport System

Abstract The scientific work presents concrete research carried out by the authors to implement some concepts of technical and managerial nature, so that those interested in this field can get acquainted with a certain way of exposing the problems concerning the hydrogen-powered vehicle, in the context of the sustainable development of the ecological road transport system. At the moment, the car whose energy for propulsion is generated by means of hydrogen or hydrogen fuel cells does not enjoy a high popularity among users, due to the very high purchase price (where we have high technology, we also have a price to match - a fuel cell is more expensive than an electric battery), the reluctance of the population to use this type of fuel, defined by the danger of explosions and fires generated by hydrogen, and the lack of hydrogen refueling stations in Romania and in some European countries. The use of alternative fuels in internal combustion piston engines has the advantage of significantly reducing pollution due to combustion products. With regard to the direct use of hydrogen as a fuel in internal combustion piston engines, we can say that it has proved its inefficiency, because the hydrogen injected or sucked directly into the engine cylinders is unstable, produces uncontrolled burns and detonations, and in the liquid state it is very difficult to store, it requires special transport methods, hydrogen tanks must be armored with Kevlar because hydrogen in the event of a car accident can explode. For example, if we use it as a fuel in a diesel engine, hydrogen may not ignite itself because the self-ignition temperature in the cylinders of compression-ignition engines is high (600°C). However, at a normal stoichiometric ratio, hydrogen has a high flame rate, much higher than gasoline. This creates a thermodynamic cycle of the thermal engine almost perfectly, but ideally, let us not forget that in poor mixtures of air-hydrogen the flame propagation speed is considerably reduced. The compression ratio of the engine is of utmost importance because it is finally defining the thermal efficiency of the engine. In the following, we present a technical and managerial study with engineering nuances, through which readers can look and understand the stage of development, place and role of the vehicle propelled by hydrogen fuel cells. Finally, the conclusions and further directions of research and development in the field addressed are presented.

Electromagnetic Field Monitoring by Fixed Stations in Romania: Data Processing Methods and Outcomes

Abstract Electromagnetic field (EMF) monitoring activities provide transparent information to the public interested in the safety levels of human exposure when using various radiofrequency (RF) emitting technologies. In the present work, we investigate different methods of data processing that enable relevant knowledge extraction from the databases gathered by the Romanian EMF-fixed monitoring network. Four categories of methods are proposed and illustrated by investigating the situation of electromagnetic exposure at three locations in Bucharest, during 25 months. The conducted application methods enables field level distributions and trends, time-variability on the short- and long-term basis, cumulative influence comparison and sensing of the significant changes in the environment.

Structure and analysis of the mining subsector from the national energy sector in the context of stability and increase of Romanian energy security

Until recently, the European Union's energy policy was against coal for pollution reasons, but with the start of the military war between Russia and Ukraine, coal has become one of the energy resources to reconsider. The lack or depletion of oil and natural gas from Russia has made the coal resource the most important source and means to provide energy security. Because there are many coal-fired power stations in Romania (hard coal and lignite), its extraction and recovery becomes a real problem of national security, because it produces electricity, which is vital to Romanian society. The need to analyse the mining subsector, which generates critical mining infrastructure, comes in the context in which the possible occurrence of cases of non-energy supply, or unexpected price increases, generates major issues of national interest, with European and OTAN implications. The aim of the paper is to structure and analyzse the mining subsector within the National Energy Sector in the context of stability and increasing national energy security. The authors consider that the approach of the mining subsector is a strictly national security issue because the lack of coal can cause damage to the power sector and the national economy, which are partly dependent on the mining subsector.

Ridicule, Humour and Anti-Roma Racism in Romanian Television News: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis

Research shows that the public image of Roma on television reinforces existing prejudice and stereotypes in relation to illiteracy, criminality, primitiveness, or refusal to comply with societal norms and values. Scholars have drawn attention to the various forms of racism, both overt and covert, we find in media and political discourse. Yet, one aspect that is less explored is the role of humor and ridicule in communicating anti-Roma racism. In this article, I conduct a multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA) of two news clips aired by one of the leading audio-visual stations in Romania. I draw attention to the use of humor and ridicule on public television as discursive strategies to belittle or conceal anti-Roma racism. I argue that such representations­—where buffoonery, bad taste, cultural incompetence, and arrogance are highlighted—go beyond simple entertainment and cheap laughs but reinforce the inferior and marginalised status that Romani people have held for centuries on Romanian territories.

Local fresh- and sea-water effects on fog occurrence

Fog is an important atmospheric phenomenon highly relevant to ecosystems and/or the environment. Two essential prerequisites of fog formation are the presence of fog condensation nuclei and water in the atmosphere. The aim of our study was to examine in detail how fog occurrence is influenced by water areas in the immediate vicinity of the fog observation site. We have used as input data long-term observations on fog occurrence measured at 56 professional meteorological stations in Romania in 1981–2017 and GIS-derived information on water areas and on two topographical indices, TWI and TPI, in the neighbourhood of these stations. We formulated three alternative models of different complexity based on a semiparametric generalised additive logistic model for the probability of fog occurrence with potentially nonlinear, smooth effects modelled via penalised splines. A radius of 9 km appeared to be the most influential when considering the water area in a circle around the fog observation station. Based on our results, we concluded that (i) the water area in the vicinity of the station is a factor influencing fog occurrence, (ii) the water's effect differs according to water type (freshwater or seawater proximity), and (iii) GIS-derived topographical indices are informative for the explanation of fog occurrence and their inclusion enhanced the fit of the models substantially. Our findings, based on a reliable long-term data set of fog occurrence and recent GIS-derived data, explored by a relevant statistical approach will enhance further considerations related to fog formation and its environmental consequences.

Hybrid numerical models for wind speed forecasting

Wind speed is involved in multiple scales physical phenomena and depends on specific features, that are not always easy to simulate numerically. Alternative solution that combines the physical advantages provided by numerical weather prediction (NWP) simulations and statistical models is investigated for wind speed forecast. Several aspects that influence the wind speed forecast error at synoptic stations in Romania were identified, such as discrepancy between model and true topography, urbanicity or distance to the Black Sea. Calibration models in the framework of Generalized Additive Models (GAM) are developed for the proposed endeavour. A set of models applied to limited area model ALARO were introduced and evaluated. Results showed improved statistical scores compared to raw ALARO output and simple regression model: a decrease of up to 23% for the RMSE score, or 94% for the bias was observed for the model which performed best in terms of annual bias and RMSE. Different impact of terms involved in the calibration model is found. Most important effects in the model are associated with wind speed observations from the 24 past hours and simulated wind speed effect in relation to altitude.

Statistical analysis of the effects of forests on fog

Fog is influenced by numerous factors, including forests. The aim of our study was to examine in detail the extent to which forests affect fog. We hypothesised that: (i) fog incidence is affected by forests, (ii) the forested area in the station's neighbourhood is a factor influencing fog incidence, (iii) the influence on fog differs between coniferous and broad-leaved forests and (iv) the effect of forests on fog occurrence differs with altitude. For this, we used long-term records of fog incidence measured in 1981–2017 at 56 professional meteorological stations in Romania, GIS-derived information on forested areas in the neighbourhood of these stations, and land-use data on the types of these forests. The analyses are based on a semiparametric generalised additive logistic model for the probability of fog occurrence with potentially nonlinear, smooth effects modelled via penalised splines. Our results indicated that forests do affect fog incidence significantly, though their effect is considerably lower than the effect of dominant factors we studied previously, such as seasonality and altitude. It was indicated that forested areas in the neighbourhood of these stations are a factor significantly influencing fog incidence, even when forest is not the dominant land-use factor. In this respect, a radius of 3 km was the most effective when considering the forested area in a circle around the meteorological station. Our model showed that the influence on fog occurrence differs between coniferous and broad-leaved forests, and the effect of forests on fog occurrence is modified by altitude. The hypotheses propounded were confirmed and the hypothesised effects were quantified. Our findings, relevant at least for temperate forests, will enhance further considerations related to fog formation and wet atmospheric deposition. Moreover, our study opens a new challenge for further research of water balance as related to deforestation in catchment areas.

Spatial distribution of trace elements (As, Cd, Ni, Pb) from PM10 aerosols and human health impact assessment in an Eastern European country, Romania

In the present study, the concentrations of trace elements in PM10 were determined and analyzed at 115 monitoring stations in Romania throughout the period 2009–2018. The spatiotemporal distribution of trace element concentrations of PM10, the source apportionment and health impact assessment, was carried out. The results showed a very high multi-annual mean concentration for PM10 and trace elements as well. The multiannual average concentration of PM10 was higher by 29.75% than the World Health Organization recommendation. All studied air pollutants showed a decreasing trend during the studied years, showing with 17.84%, 50.21%, 43.36%, 11.27%, and 72.09% lower values for PM10, As-, Cd-, Ni-, and Pb-, respectively, due to environmental regulations. To assess the human health impact, the hazard quotient (HQ) and cancer risk (CR) were calculated using the health risk model developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Cd and Ni might present a non-carcinogenic risk to both adults and children; however, the hazard quotient values are higher than the safe limit, with 9.53 and 1.93, respectively. In addition, our study results revealed that the inhalation of As, Cd and the dermal absorption of all studied trace elements were considered as the most important risk factors for developing cancer, especially in case of adults.

Experimental research of equipment for burying in the ground the drip irrigation lines

The equipment for burying in the ground the drip irrigation lines was designed and built at INMA Bucharest, within a complex research project carried out in partnership with other institutes, universities and research stations in Romania. The equipment is intended for drip irrigation technology for field crops. Subsurface crop irrigation technology is a variant of the classic drip irrigation technology, in which the drip lines are buried below the soil surface, providing water directly to the root zone of the plants. The depth of burial and the distance between the drip lines depends on the type of soil and the structure of the roots of the crop. The activities prior to the experimental research consisted in determining the characteristics of the test field (soil compactness, soil moisture, geographical coordinates of location). Experimental research of the equipment aimed at determining the energy indices (working speed, traction force, traction power, working capacity and fuel consumption).

Terrain and its effects on fog occurrence

Fog is a very complex phenomenon, relevant to both atmospheric physics and chemistry, contributing to the atmospheric inputs of both nutrients and pollutants to the environment. Fog occurrence is affected by numerous factors. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of terrain on fog occurrence. Namely, we studied in detail how altitude, slope and landform influence the probability of fog occurrence using the generalized additive model. In particular, we investigated how different explanatory variables might modify (deform) the trend and the seasonal component of the probability of fog occurrence. We used long-term records of daily fog occurrence measured in 1981–2017 at 56 professional meteorological stations in Romania, reflecting different environments and geographical areas. The altitude of the sites under review ranged between 13 and 2504 m above sea level, the coverage of localities at different altitudes being highly uneven. Out of the terrain variables considered, the most decisive influence was found to be altitude. We have included information on slope and landform, which refined and bettered the basic model. Our model results indicated a significant decrease in the probability of fog occurrence over the examined period. The behaviour of fog differed according to the altitude, the most profound effects being observed for ground-level fog and fog above flat terrain. The probability of fog occurrence at different altitudes varied mostly in summer and autumn, whereas it was very similar in winter.

The Influence of Social-Media on Audiences of the TV Channels in Romania

Social-media influences people's lives including organizational activity. At the organizational level, social-media has changed the way employees communicate, multinational companies developing social-media platforms especially for their employees. The influence of social-media on mass media is a widely researched subject, and, we focused our attention on the way in which the activity on social-media of different TV stations in Romania influences their audiences. This study examines the influence of social-media on the audiences of ten TV stations in Romania. Through a questionnaire, we determined the rating of the TV stations without the influence of social-media and these audiences were compared to the official ones. The results of the study showed that there is an economic effect of the social-media influence in the case of the analysed TV stations.

Changes Detected in Five Bioclimatic Indices in Large Romanian Cities over the Period 1961–2016

Bioclimatic indices are very important tools to evaluate the thermal stress of the human body. The aims of this study were to analyze the general bioclimatic conditions in ten big cities in Romania and to find out if there has been any change in five bioclimatic indices over a 56-year period: 1961–2016. The indices considered were: equivalent temperature, effective temperature, cooling power, universal thermal climate index and temperature-humidity index. They were calculated based on the daily meteorological data of air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed recorded in 10 weather stations in Romania: Bucharest-Băneasa, Botoșani, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Craiova, Galați, Iași, Oradea, Sibiu and Timișoara. The features investigated for trend detection consisted of the frequency and length of the occurrence period for each class and for each index. The test used for trend detection was Mann-Kendall and the magnitude of the trend (the slope) was calculated by employing Sen’s slope method. The main results are based on frequency analysis. Three indices showed comfort class as dominant whereas the other two indicated cold stress conditions as dominant in the area. There was a shift from the cold stress conditions to the warm and hot ones for all the indices. The most stressful conditions for hot extremes did not indicate significant change. The climate in the big cities of Romania became milder during the cold season and hotter during the warm period of the year. The analysis of the length of each thermal class indicated mainly longer occurrence periods during the year for comfortable or warm stress classes.

APPLICATIONS OF SPACE GEODESY METHODS IN ROMANIA

The studies for Recent Crustal Movements by the aid of space geodesy techniques are integrated into the researches on the Earth’s crust dynamics, as a reflection of the complex geodynamic phenomena that occur in the crust and in the subcrustal lithosphere. In addition to the fundamental nature, the research in this field presents a practical characteristic, competing alongside geology and geophysics to the shaping of new energy sources or solid mineral substances, to the determination of the soil stability degree in inhabited areas or in those in which large industrial targets and utilities are intended to be placed in. The knowledge of movements affecting the Earth’s upper crust, movements that precede, accompany or follow the earthquakes, is also a topical issue. The paper presents some of the most important research projects developed in Romania, which were based on the measurement data obtained exclusively by space geodesy methods. There are presented some of the most significant results achieved in the framework of each research project together with the limitations imposed by the used acquisition technology. In chronological order are mentioned first GPS measurements in Romania, started in 1994, in a network centered on the Dealul Piscului observatory, followed by Romania's involvement in a regional geodynamic project, CERGOP and finally a major international project, CRC461, also continued after 2003 with the continuous help of the University of Delft (Nederland), a project that led to the development of an extended network of GPS permanent stations in Romania, all in operating status and whose results are a valuable support for the geodynamic studies. There are made brief references to the first application of the Finite Element Method in a GPS subnet from the Vrancea extended network together with some of the most important obtained results. The strong earthquakes with their catastrophic consequences, which have taken place in recent years on a global scale, similar to that of 4 March 1977 in Romania, have fully demonstrated the need for the knowledge of these types of crust movements in order to contribute, together with other methods, to solve the very complex problem of the earthquake forecasting.

Preliminary Data Regarding Total Chlorophylls, Carotenoids and Flavonoids Content in Flavoparmelia Caperata (L.) Hale Lichens Species

Flavoparmelia caperata L. Hale (common greenshield lichen) is an Ascomycete, foliose lichen usually growing on tree bark in most mesophytic-forested habitats in Romania. Lichen samples were collected from three stations in Romania (Craiova, Timișoara, Hoia-Baciu Forest, Cluj) and extracted in 96% ethanol. Both dry lichen tissue powder and extracts were analyzed by UV-Vis spectrophotometry for determining photosynthetic pigment concentrations (chlorophylls a and b and total carotenoids). Dry tissue samples had chlorophyll a concentrations of 95.12-109.59 mg/kg DW, chlorophyll b concentrations of 88.53-110.98 mg/kg and total carotenoids 88.89-102.85 mg/kg. Alcoholic extracts of fresh lichen tissue showed an extreme variability, with 715.97-10331.50 mg/kg chlorophyll a, 527.77-8124.20 mg/kg chlorophyll b, 1125.72-8714.90 mg/kg carotenoids pigments, with the highest values in samples from Craiova. A lower variability was observed in flavonoid contents, with 461.78-966.02 mg/kg DW in dry powder and 815.56-2734.135 mg/kg in ethanolic extracts. Extracts of lichens from Craiova had a decreased content of total flavonoids compared with the other two lichens ethanol extracts.

Parametric Classification of Iași and Botoșani Meteorological Stations Sites According to W.M.O. Regulations

Abstract Selecting a meteorological platform siting is established according to World Meteorological Organization (W.M.O.) regulations so that the measurements are done in optimal conditions, thus ensuring a high quality meteorological data. The environmental characteristics of a meteorological platform can sometimes generate measurement errors that exceed the automatic meteorological station (A.W.S.) sensors tolerances. Due to the urban development in the vicinity of the meteorological station the measurement conditions of a meteorological parameter may suffer adverse changes due to the emergence of large obstacles or heat sources. At the Technical Conference of W.M.O. regarding the Observing Instruments and Methods in 2013, meteorological platform classification criteria was established, regulated by Annex 1B of W.M.O. No. 8 Guide. The classification uses the detailed documentation of the obstacles in a 100 m around the A.W.S. and assigning a class number for each measured meteorological parameter. The classification has been established to help standardize the representativeness of a meteorological platform at a small scale. Among the results of the site classification include the user's knowledge of the conditions for measuring the meteorological parameters in the initial phase of the use or implementation of a data string. The site classification needs to be applied for all weather stations in Romania's national network and in this paper a proposal for the implementation method is presented for two meteorological stations located in Moldavia, Iași and Botoșani.

Discharge variability in Romania using Palmer indices and a simple atmospheric index of large-scale circulation

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study is to analyse the seasonal characteristics of four Palmer indices calculated on the basis of data from 27 meteorological stations in Romania, and the impact of these indices on river discharges in the period 1931–1998. Our research also tests the influence of large-scale atmospheric circulation on these indices and on discharge. For each season, developments in the empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) and multivariate EOF (MEOF) are achieved. The MEOF representation highlights the overall characteristics of the four Palmer indices. It maximizes specific information for each season compared with individual information of each Palmer index. We then identify geographical areas with homogeneous distribution, taking into account both the discharge distribution and the rotated EOF components of each Palmer index. Finally, we analysed the impact of large-scale atmospheric circulation on hydro-climatic events in Romania by means of the Greenland-Balkan Oscillation Index (GBOI), which is shown to have a greater influence on southeastern Europe than the North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI).

Investigation on site conditions for seismic stations in Romania using H/V spectral ratio

This research evaluates the soil conditions for seismic stations situated in Romania using the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR). The strong ground motion database assembled for this study consists of 179 analogue and digital strong ground motion recordings from four intermediate-depth Vrancea seismic events with . In the first step of the analysis, the influence of the earthquake magnitude and source-to-site distance on the H/V curves is evaluated. Significant influences from both the earthquake magnitude and hypocentral distance are found especially for soil class A sites. Next, a site classification method proposed in the literature is applied for each seismic station and the soil classes are compared with those obtained from borehole data and from the topographic slope method. In addition, the success and error rates of this method are computed and compared with other studies from the literature. A more in-depth analysis of the H/V results is performed using data from seismic stations in Bucharest and a comparison of the free-field and borehole H/V curves is done for three seismic stations. The results show large differences between the free-field and the borehole curves. As a conclusion, the results from this study represent an intermediary step in the evaluation of the soil conditions for seismic stations in Romania and the need to perform more detailed soil classification analysis is highly emphasized.

STUDY OF SOME PRODUCTION AND QUALITY INDEX ON SOME WINTER WHEAT VARIETIES CREATED AT ARDS TURDA

Wheat occupies the largest area under cultivation due to its importance. In the Transylvanian Plateau conditions at ARDS Turda were have been conducted a series of experiments which aimed to highlight the way that most effectively leverages wheat the pedo-climatic conditions in terms of the application of different doses of fertilizers. Thus we studied the 10 wheat varieties 3 varieties (Ariesan, Apullum and Turda 2000) created at ARDS Turda and the other on other research stations in Romania following the way they have used certain production - quality indicators. The 10 varieties were placed in polifactorial experience over two years in 2013 respectively 2014. Was used the balanced grid method in six repetitions which allowed them to study the application of two doses of fertilizer 250 kg/ha N 50 P 50 K 0 and 200 kg/ha N 66. In the autumn after sowing were applied 250 kg/ha N 50 P 50 K 0 for the first 3 repetitions and repetitions in spring 4.5 and 6 was applied fertilizer dose of 200 kg/ha N 66. In the two years 2013 and 2014 the 10 experimental varieties responded differently to environmental conditions and fertilizers as revealed in the interpretation of data using statistical models that varieties created in the conditions of ARDS Turda have the best balance in terms that the production quality.

Kappa and regional attenuation for Vrancea (Romania) earthquakes

In this short paper, we investigate ground motion recordings from nine intermediate-depth Vrancea (Romania) earthquakes with Mw ≥ 5.2 which occurred between 1986 and 2013. From these recordings, the high-frequency spectral decay parameter (kappa) is computed for 57 seismic stations in Romania. The relation between kappa and several parameters (event, source-to-site distance, soil class, geographical region) is evaluated through inversion techniques. The results show a very distinct influence of the earthquake magnitude and of the geographical position on the kappa values. Subsequently, a conventional frequency-dependent Q model of the form Q(f) = 100*f1.20 is derived from the geometric spreading functions. The proposed Q model and the site specific kappa values represent the basis for future stochastic simulations of ground motions generated by the Vrancea subcrustal seismic source.

Evaluation of errors made in solar irradiance estimation due to averaging the Angstrom turbidity coefficient

Even though the monitoring of solar radiation experienced a vast progress in the recent years both in terms of expanding the measurement networks and increasing the data quality, the number of stations is still too small to achieve accurate global coverage. Alternatively, various models for estimating solar radiation are exploited in many applications. Choosing a model is often limited by the availability of the meteorological parameters required for its running. In many cases the current values of the parameters are replaced with daily, monthly or even yearly average values. This paper deals with the evaluation of the error made in estimating global solar irradiance by using an average value of the Angstrom turbidity coefficient instead of its current value. A simple equation relating the relative variation of the global solar irradiance and the relative variation of the Angstrom turbidity coefficient is established. The theoretical result is complemented by a quantitative assessment of the errors made when hourly, daily, monthly or yearly average values of the Angstrom turbidity coefficient are used at the entry of a parametric solar irradiance model. The study was conducted with data recorded in 2012 at two AERONET stations in Romania. It is shown that the relative errors in estimating global solar irradiance (GHI) due to inadequate consideration of Angstrom turbidity coefficient may be very high, even exceeding 20%. However, when an hourly or a daily average value is used instead of the current value of the Angstrom turbidity coefficient, the relative errors are acceptably small, in general less than 5%. All results prove that in order to correctly reproduce GHI for various particular aerosol loadings of the atmosphere, the parametric models should rely on hourly or daily Angstrom turbidity coefficient values rather than on the more usual monthly or yearly average data, if currently measured data is not available.