More streamlined and targeted. A comparative analysis of the 7th and 8th Environment Action Programmes guiding European environmental policy.

Environment Action Programmes (EAP's) are the most important documents defining the environmental policies within the European Union. Their implementation, over the previous 50 years, represented a significant advance in raising eco-friendly awareness and suggesting solutions for environmental problems in the European Union. In this paper, we used Institutional Grammar Tool and network analysis to identify the evolution of EU EAP's by investigating the most recent two programmes (7th Environment Action Programme and 8th Environment Action Programme), particularly in priority objectives, institutional statements, enforcement perspectives, and projected participation of stakeholders. We found that the EU's 8th Environment Action Programme (2021-2030) is further streamlined and target oriented as compared to 7th Environment Action Programme. Furthermore, institutional statements included in the 8th EAP will be implemented predominantly at the levels of European Union and European Commission. On the contrary, in the 7th EAP, the number of institutions, frameworks, and stakeholders is higher and often regional and local (e.g., European Union, Environment Action Programme, European Environment Agency, European Commission, European Parliament, Convention on Biological Diversity, regional authorities, local authorities). The close links of the 8th EAP targets with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the European Green Deal represent an important step towards a greater applicability of environmental policies in the European Union. Our study reveals that comparative analysis of legal documents using Institutional Grammar Tool and network analysis can assist policymakers in assessing the drafting of legal environmental documents and obtain indispensable information about the changes to improve environmental policies.

Past local industrial disasters and involvement of NGOs stimulate public participation in transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) emerged as a regulatory procedure and is now implemented worldwide. EIA aims to increase the sustainability of economic activities by decreasing the impact on environmental components. Transparency of the evaluation process is a key feature of the procedure, and this is achieved predominantly by encouraging participation in public debates. Public participation is essential for EIA's effectiveness, particularly in transboundary projects. This study evaluates whether media coverage of certain projects with transboundary environmental impacts increases public participation during EIA. We analyzed how online media covered the stories about four major projects subject to the EIA procedure in Romania (i.e., reactors 3 and 4 of Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, Oltenita used oil recycling facility, Certej mining project, management of Moldova Noua tailing ponds). We focused on articles published between 2010 and 2020, covering stories about the four projects. We further extracted the stakeholders involved in the projects using social network analysis. We extracted the main topics of articles discussing the four projects using deep categorization tools. The polarities of titles and contents of the articles were assessed using sentiment analysis tools. Our findings indicate that EIA is a media subject only when NGOs become important actors in the process and the industry generated local industrial disasters in the past; otherwise, the media rarely debate the environmental impact of projects. Without NGO reactions, Romanian readers are fed with political and economic aspects driven by large projects rather than environmental issues. The outcome of the current study is significant for understanding what triggers NGOs and the media to take a stand against major projects. Projects involving activities that generated ecological disasters in Romania's recent history are strongly opposed by NGOs and the public. In such cases, environmental and EIA topics are more often included in media stories. However, projects with undeniable environmental impact but without a negative background in Romania do not reach the public agenda, and the media stories do not focus on environmental aspects either, leading to limited public participation within the EIA procedure.

The efficiency of public policies and programs for breast cancer prevention. Socio-medical perspectives within a Romania-France comparison.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one of five persons develops a cancer form during their lives. Out of the total of malignant cancer forms known up to the present, the statistics currently place breast cancer on the first rank at European level, as a type of neoplasm registered and treated with a standard protocol through the medical programs approved within public policies. The cost for the treatment of this type of oncological disease is enormous; for this reason, the state should manifest a direct interest for the prevention, early diagnose and investments in the research of mammary neoplasm. The coherence of national and European policies is achieved on a regular basis, subject to changes in Community legislation and the approval of European Commission (EC) documents that design unified approaches. This year, the emergence of the Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, launched in 2021, has taken on the objective of investing in research and innovation, with a focus on the development of digital technologies that will increase expertise in genomics, onco-radiology, and digital health. The article analyzes the secondary data and empirical research collected at national and European level with the aim of highlighting the significant differences between public policies in Romania and France and identifying the pillars on which a national strategy similar to a functional European model can be built.

A research on abortion: ethics, legislation and socio-medical outcomes. Case study: Romania.

This article presents a research study on abortion from a theoretical and empirical point of view. The theoretical part is based on the method of social documents analysis, and presents a complex perspective on abortion, highlighting items of medical, ethical, moral, religious, social, economic and legal elements. The empirical part presents the results of a sociological survey, based on the opinion survey method through the application of the enquiry technique, conducted in Romania, on a sample of 1260 women. The purpose of the survey is to identify Romanians perception on the decision to voluntary interrupt pregnancy, and to determine the core reasons in carrying out an abortion.

Governance networks around grasslands with contrasting management history.

Romanian grasslands have high nature value, being among the most important biodiversity hotspots at the European level. The European Union Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) contradicts the Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 objectives by hindering coordinated grassland governance and collaboration among the involved actors. At the European level, few attempts have been made in creating conceptual strategies for implementing conservation measures in a multi-actor and multi-scale governance setting. Our paper focuses on a comparative network analysis of grassland governance of three Romanian regions (Iron Gates Natural Park - SW; Sighisoara - Tarnava Mare - center; and Dobrogea - SE), representatives for grassland management in mountain and lowland landscapes. We investigated the structural characteristics of one-mode directed governance networks in the three protected areas (standard cohesion and reciprocity metrics, exponential random graph models), the position of actors participating in networks (node-level centrality metrics), and the perception of CAP influence on grassland governance by farmers benefiting of CAP agri-environmental payments. In Sighisoara, grassland governance has been centralized but biodiversity-friendly, while in Iron Gates, grasslands were traditionally managed through a decentralized, community-level system, and this type of governance continues to date. In Dobrogea, grassland governance was performed in an intensive, centralized state-run management regime during the communist time and by large landowners after the transition period ended. Our findings illustrate the structure of the three governance networks and dissimilar patterns of collaboration, indicating distinct particularities to be considered when exploring barriers to and options for successful governance in traditionally managed grasslands in the context of CAP measures-driven management.

Bacillus spp. Spores-A Promising Treatment Option for Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Dysbiosis is a condition that can cause various clinical disorders, from gastrointestinal problems to allergies or even cancer. Resetting the microbiota using antibiotics and/or probiotics could be a possible therapy for many diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of three treatment regimens in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The regimens were short-term rifaximin treatment (10 days) followed by either a nutraceutical agent (G1) or a low- Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Monosaccharide and Polyol (FODMAP) diet (24 days) (G3) or treatment with MegaSporeBiotic a mixture of spores of five Bacillus spp. for medium-term (34 days) (G2). Ninety patients with IBS without constipation were enrolled and divided into three groups (G1, G2, G3). Patients in G1 and G3 were evaluated over four visits (baseline/first day (V1), 10 days (V2), 34 days (V3), 60 days (V4)), and, those in G2 over three visits (V1, V3, V4). Severity score, quality of life, and parameters from the rectal volume sensation test were determined. The results demonstrated that patients treated with MegaSporeBiotic, compared with those treated with rifaximin followed by nutraceutical or low-FODMAP diet, had similar severity scores and rectal volume sensation test results for all parameters tested and statistically significant improvement in measurements of quality of life.

Who is researching biodiversity hotspots in Eastern Europe? A case study on the grasslands in Romania.

European farmlands are vital arenas for socio-ecological sustainability because of their significant land coverage and potential for integrating food production with biodiversity conservation. The knowledge produced by scientific research is a critical ingredient in developing and implementing socio-economically and ecologically sustainable management strategies for farming landscapes. The grasslands of Europe have been managed for millennia. They have exceptional socio-cultural and economic value and are among the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. The quality of scientific knowledge on them and its potential to address grasslands as complex socio-ecological systems is strongly dependent not only on the creativity and scientific ambition of the researcher, but also on the network around the researcher (including both academic and non-academic sectors). The goal of this study is to map the research network around Romania's grasslands using bibliometrics analysis, a well-developed scientific domain that utilizes network theory to analyze relationships between affiliations networks, co-authorship networks, and co-word analysis. The number of studies targeting grasslands in Romania is increasing, owing mostly to international involvement. However, management of the grasslands is still deficient and the contribution of science to the process is virtually absent. The current research is mainly related to the biological and ecological characteristics of grasslands, with topics related to their management notably absent from internationally visible research, especially in the context of EU Common Agricultural Policies. To increase scientific inquiry and better inform the EU and local policies on grasslands management, Romanian researchers should capitalize on international collaborations and local academic leaders. Our findings can be used to identify research gaps and to improve collaboration and knowledge exchange between practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and stakeholders.

Empirical analysis and modeling of Argos Doppler location errors in Romania.

BACKGROUND: Advances in wildlife tracking technology have allowed researchers to understand the spatial ecology of many terrestrial and aquatic animal species. Argos Doppler is a technology that is widely used for wildlife tracking owing to the small size and low weight of the Argos transmitters. This allows them to be fitted to small-bodied species. The longer lifespan of the Argos units in comparison to units outfitted with miniaturized global positioning system (GPS) technology has also recommended their use. In practice, large Argos location errors often occur due to communication conditions such as transmitter settings, local environment, and the behavior of the tracked individual. METHODS: Considering the geographic specificity of errors and the lack of benchmark studies in Eastern Europe, the research objectives were: (1) to evaluate the accuracy of Argos Doppler technology under various environmental conditions in Romania, (2) to investigate the effectiveness of straightforward destructive filters for improving Argos Doppler data quality, and (3) to provide guidelines for processing Argos Doppler wildlife monitoring data. The errors associated with Argos locations in four geographic locations in Romania were assessed during static, low-speed and high-speed tests. The effectiveness of the Douglas Argos distance angle filter algorithm was then evaluated to ascertain its effect on the minimization of localization errors. RESULTS: Argos locations received in the tests had larger associated horizontal errors than those indicated by the operator of the Argos system, including under ideal reception conditions. Positional errors were similar to those obtained in other studies outside of Europe. The errors were anisotropic, with larger longitudinal errors for the vast majority of the data. Errors were mostly related to speed of the Argos transmitter at the time of reception, but other factors such as topographical conditions and orientation of antenna at the time of the transmission also contributed to receiving low-quality data. The Douglas Argos filter successfully excluded the largest errors while retaining a large amount of data when the threshold was set to the local scale (two km). DISCUSSION: Filter selection requires knowledge about the movement patterns and behavior of the species of interest, and the parametrization of the selected filter typically requires a trial and error approach. Selecting the proper filter reduces the errors while retaining a large amount of data. However, the post-processed data typically includes large positional errors; thus, we recommend incorporating Argos error metrics (e.g., error ellipse) or use complex modeling approaches when working with filtered data.

Navigating protected areas networks for improving diffusion of conservation practices.

The Natura 2000 protected area network is the cornerstone of European Union's biodiversity conservation strategy. These protected areas range across multiple biogeographic regions, and they include a diversity of species assemblages along with a diversity of managing organizations, altogether making difficult to pool relevant sites to facilitate the flow of knowledge significant to their management. Here we introduce an approach to navigating protected area networks that has the potential to foster systematic identification of key sites for facilitating the exchange of knowledge and diffusion of information within the network. To demonstrate our approach, we abstractly represented Romanian Natura 2000 network as a co-occurrence network, with individual sites as nodes and shared species as edges, further combining into our analysis network topology, community detection, and network reduction methods. We identified most representative Natura 2000 sites that may increase the transfer of information within the national network of protected areas, detected clusters of sites and key sites for maintaining network cohesiveness, and highlighted the subsample of sites that retain the characteristics of the entire network. Our analysis provides implications for protected area prioritization by proposing a network perspective approach to collaboration rooted in ecological principles.

Conservation priorities for terrestrial mammals in Dobrogea Region, Romania.

Based on species occurrence records of museum collections, published literature, and unpublished records shared by mammalian experts, we compiled a distribution database for 59 terrestrial mammals populating the extensively protected Dobrogea Region of Romania. The spatial patterns of mammal distribution and diversity was evaluated and systematic conservation planning applied to identify priority areas for their conservation. The spatial analyses revealed that intensive sampling was not directly correlated to mammal diversity but rather to accessibility for inventory. The spatial prioritisation analysis indicated a relatively aggregated pattern of areas with a high or low conservation value with virtually no connecting corridors between them. The significant overlap between Natura 2000 sites and national protected areas induced an over-optimistic vision of the effectiveness and representativeness of existing Natura 2000 network for species found in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive. These results represent a key step in identifying core areas for the protection of mammal diversity and dispersal corridors for improved connectivity, and to guide future conservation efforts in increasing the effectiveness of the existing protected areas in the context of environmental changes.

Power, influence and structure in Natura 2000 governance networks. A comparative analysis of two protected areas in Romania.

Successful management of complex social-ecological landscapes overlapping Natura 2000 sites requires collaboration between various actors such as law enforcement agencies, NGOs and enterprises. Natura 2000 governance is stimulated by central actors (e.g., Natura 2000 administrators), with successes and failures of management activities depending on the capacity of the network leader to implement a collaborative approach to environmental governance. By using social network analysis, we analysed the cooperation, information flow and capacity for collective action within Natura 2000 governance networks within two Romanian protected areas: Lower Siret Floodplain and Iron Gates Natural Park. The two networks represent protected areas managed by different types of organisations (i.e., Lower Siret Floodplain - by an NGO, Iron Gates Natural Park - by a public entity). Taking into consideration that NGOs may favour an adaptive co-management, while the public bodies may take a top-down management approach, we hypothesize that Lower Siret Floodplain will have a more cohesive and collaborating network compared to Iron Gates Natural Park, and that there will be a greater representation of private and NGO sector in the network coordinated by Lower Siret Floodplain. Contrary to our expectations, the results show that collaboration patterns are similar in the two networks, although they are governed by two different types of institutions, both being less participative than expected, with low involvement of NGOs and private stakeholders. Furthermore, Lower Siret Floodplain network is surprisingly more centralized around a small number of public authorities, and the pre-existing power of public bodies likely inhibit the capacity of the NGO to collaborate with private stakeholders. We also found lower collaboration levels between actors in the network periphery with other organisations from the same cluster, denoting a clear top-down approach of the management in both networks. Our findings suggest that delegating the protected areas administration to NGOs, a solution to increase the use of co-management in protected areas, does not solve the poor representation of private stakeholders.

Collaboration Networks in Applied Conservation Projects across Europe.

The main funding instrument for implementing EU policies on nature conservation and supporting environmental and climate action is the LIFE Nature programme, established by the European Commission in 1992. LIFE Nature projects (>1400 awarded) are applied conservation projects in which partnerships between institutions are critical for successful conservation outcomes, yet little is known about the structure of collaborative networks within and between EU countries. The aim of our study is to understand the nature of collaboration in LIFE Nature projects using a novel application of social network theory at two levels: (1) collaboration between countries, and (2) collaboration within countries using six case studies: Western Europe (United Kingdom and Netherlands), Eastern Europe (Romania and Latvia) and Southern Europe (Greece and Portugal). Using data on 1261 projects financed between 1996 and 2013, we found that Italy was the most successful country not only in terms of awarded number of projects, but also in terms of overall influence being by far the most influent country in the European LIFE Nature network, having the highest eigenvector (0.989) and degree centrality (0.177). Another key player in the network is Netherlands, which ensures a fast communication flow with other network members (closeness-0.318) by staying connected with the most active countries. Although Western European countries have higher centrality scores than most of the Eastern European countries, our results showed that overall there is a lower tendency to create partnerships between different organization categories. Also, the comparisons of the six case studies indicates significant differences in regards to the pattern of creating partnerships, providing valuable information on collaboration on EU nature conservation. This study represents a starting point in predicting the formation of future partnerships within LIFE Nature programme, suggesting ways to improve transnational cooperation and communication.

Effects of doxorubicin mediated by gold nanoparticles and resveratrol in two human cervical tumor cell lines.

Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles capped with resveratrol (GNPs) and their physical and chemical characterization by UV-vis spectra, FTIR, DLS, XRD, TEM and AFM are reported. The GNPs are highly stable, with average diameter of about 20 nm. Then, supramolecular nanoassemblies of GNPs and doxorubicin (Dox), Dox-GNPs complexes, were prepared and morphologically characterized. The stability of these Dox nanocomplexes is high in phosphate buffer saline as estimated by UV-vis spectra, TEM and AFM analysis. Effects of resveratrol (Resv), Resv-Dox mixtures, GNPs and Dox-GNPs complexes on HeLa and CaSki cells, after 24h drug incubation, were assessed using MTT cell viability assay. Results showed strong anticancer activity for Resv-Dox mixtures and Dox-GNPs complexes in the two human cervical carcinoma cell lines. Clearly, both Resv and GNPs can mediate the anticancer activity of Dox at its very low concentration of 0.1 µg/mL, reaching the cytotoxicity of Dox alone, at its concentration up to 20 times higher. Cytotoxic effects of Resv-Dox mixtures and Dox-GNPs complexes have been found for the first time in HeLa and CaSki cells. Furthermore, the apoptosis induction in HeLa and CaSki cells was evidenced for Resv-Dox mixtures and Dox-GNPs complexes by flow cytometry using Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide cellular staining. For CaSki cells, the apoptosis was also demonstrated, mainly for the treatment with Dox-GNPs complexes, by MTT formazan cellular staining visualized in phase contrast microscopy. Our results provide strong evidence that novel drug delivery vehicles developed on Dox-GNPs nanocomplexes and Resv could have wide applications in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The synergy between lasers and adipose tissues surgery in cervicofacial rejuvenation: histopathological aspects.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Nowadays patients want a long-lasting youthful appearance but through a less invasive approach. Our unique approach, "AdipoLASER reJuvenation (ALJ)", involves a variety of less invasive techniques based on simultaneous laser resurfacing, and lipolysis together with adipose tissue graft and redistribution. Recently, we added to this platelet-rich plasma therapy. We conducted a study aiming to emphasize the histopathological changes occurred following these procedures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 2011-2012, we included 50 patients that were preparing for abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) in which we applied ALJ procedures, in two comparative zones of inferior abdomen. Histological examination varied from 10 days to four months, according to the time of the abdominoplasty. RESULTS: There was a notable histological difference between stimulated and non-stimulated fat graft regarding adipose cells structure and number, neocollagenesis, and dermal matrix remodeling. CONCLUSIONS: The low level laser therapy effect (LLLT) of the fractional CO2 laser combined with the effect of the growth factors derived from activated platelets (PRP) prolonged the life and improved the take of the facial fat graft, increase collagen formation and lead to a better remodeling of the dermal matrix. This unique surgical combination of all four approaches in our ALJ with additional PRP offers a real less invasive but strongly visible - yet natural result - as an alternative to the classic facelift.