The University of Oradea (UO or U of O) (Romanian: Universitatea din Oradea) is an accredited public university located in Oradea in north-western Romania.With 15 faculties, the university has a total of 123 fields of study for undergraduates and 151 post-graduate specialisation degrees. The university employs 1600 people, of which 935 are teaching personnel, and over 19,000 students (including all forms of studies).
Salt stress is a major environmental challenge that significantly reduces agricultural productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Excessive sodium chloride (NaCl) accumulation in soil negatively affects plant growth, physiological functions, and biological processes. Dopamine, a catecholamine neurotransmitter, has emerged as a potential regulator of plant stress responses. This study aimed to investigate the effects of exogenous dopamine on salt stress tolerance in pepper, examining morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses. Pepper seedlings were subjected to 100 mM NaCl stress and treated with dopamine at concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 mu M. Dopamine application, particularly at 100 and 200 mu M concentrations, significantly improved plant growth parameters, including height, stem diameter, leaf area, and biomass accumulation. It enhanced photosynthetic efficiency by increasing chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate, while reducing oxidative stress markers such as H2O2 and MDA. Dopamine also regulated the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, POD) and maintained ion homeostasis by reducing sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) accumulation and promoting potassium (K+) and calcium (Ca2+) uptake. At the molecular level, dopamine influenced the expression of genes involved in ion transport (AKT1, HKT1, HKT2;2) and photosynthesis (psb). This study demonstrates that dopamine is a promising plant growth regulator that enhances salt tolerance in pepper plants. It achieves this by improving growth, photosynthetic efficiency, antioxidant defence, and ion homeostasis, while modulating key molecular pathways. These findings suggest that dopamine could be utilised as a sustainable strategy to mitigate salt stress and improve crop productivity in saline-affected agricultural regions. Further research is needed to explore its application in other crops and under field conditions.
Amid escalating environmental challenges, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in institutionally thin environments face increasing pressure to innovate sustainably, yet many struggle to convert stakeholder collaboration into measurable environmental outcomes. Accordingly, this study examines how value co-creation, green financing, and sustainability governance jointly influence environmental innovation among Ghanaian SMEs. Using survey data from 483 firms and applying structural equation modeling, the findings reveal that value co-creation does not directly enhance environmental innovation; rather, its influence operates through green financing as a critical mediating mechanism. Furthermore, sustainability governance not only strengthens access to green financing but also positively moderates the relationship between value co-creation and green financing. The findings highlight the importance of governance credibility and access to green finance for SME sustainability transitions in institutionally weak contexts.
The study responds to the paradigm shift that is taking place within the concept of sustainable tourism development. The so-called "regenerative shift" moves the goals of its development from minimizing impacts on sociocultural-ecological systems (SES) towards the ability of tourism to contribute to the improvement and restoration of SES. Many authors consider it a significant paradigm shift, which they also refer to as a separate line of development outside sustainable tourism. Although there are already relatively solid theoretical frameworks for the concept of regenerative tourism, it has not been sufficiently developed in the area of cultural heritage restoration. This study responds to this gap by applying a regenerative framework to a specific case of a historical building-the wooden church of Sf & acirc;ntul Gheorghe in Prod & abreve;nesti, Romania. The aim of the research is to empirically assess the extent to which the microclimatic and environmental conditions of the building are compatible with the principles of regenerative cultural heritage management and how they affect its physical integrity and usability in the context of local tourism and community needs. Methodologically, the study is based on long-term monitoring of the internal microclimate, which took place between August 2024 and January 2025. The subject of monitoring was the measurement of temperature, relative humidity, particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10, volatile organic compounds, light intensity, acoustic intensity, negative and positive ions. Within the research, biological degradation factors (lichens, microorganisms) were examined, and the research was supplemented by a non-invasive investigation using infrared thermography to capture the momentary condition of the surface temperature and interior painting in the wooden church, which is in a state of significant decay.The results show a significant exceedance of the recommended temperature and relative humidity values, a high dependence of the interior environment on external climatic conditions, and the presence of biological degradation processes that negatively affect the authentic building materials and preserved fragments of interior decoration. It transpires that the physical degradation of the building is not an isolated technical problem, but a manifestation of the broader dynamics of the SES within cultural heritage management. Recommendations include the introduction of continuous microclimatic monitoring, the application of non-invasive conservation measures. The proposals include adaptive management, which combines data-driven decision-making with community participation, and enables flexible responses to the SES dynamics of cultural heritage systems.
The changes brought about by technology , digitalization transformed the labor market into an increased dynamic ecosystem, causing many graduates, especially in emerging economies like Romania, to face difficulties in obtaining jobs aligned with their field of study. This article examines the relationships among various types of motivation, work readiness , job search behavior among Romanian final-year students, using SPSS 24.0 software and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) performed in AMOS for data analysis. Our results reveal that autonomous forms of motivation stimulate work readiness, and a high level of readiness catalyzes job search behavior. Conversely, when work readiness is undermined by amotivation, it weakens the direct impulse toward job-seeking. Unexpectedly, we found that amotivation may directly trigger job search behavior, and we attribute this paradoxical effect to external pressures, which can activate reactive job-seeking behaviors despite a lack of internal drive. Accordingly, we offer new insights into the specific job search behaviors of Romanian final-year students, examined through the lens of motivation , work readiness. We also provide practical recommendations for university educators, career counselors , policymakers in higher education.
This article scrutinizes the potential utilization of recycled vinyl fibers sourced from flex banners as an environmentally sound and valuable constituent in concrete mixtures. The study aims to assess the efficacy of vinyl fibers with varying dimensions on the tensile and compressive strength of concrete, alongside exploring the feasibility of repurposing vinyl banners in sustainable concrete production, aligning with the tenets of a circular economy. The findings demonstrate that the inclusion of vinyl fibers in concrete, at a concentration of 2.5%, can induce a decrease in compressive strength of up to 0.95%, particularly accentuated in longer fibers. Meanwhile, all vinyl fiber-reinforced concretes exhibited higher tensile strength, ranging from 38-60% more than the control value, with longer fibers showing a more pronounced increase. The article emphasizes the advantages of integrating recycled vinyl fibers in concrete formulations, emphasizing enhanced durability and strength. It deliberates on the role of this practice in supporting a circular economy by diverting waste materials away from landfills. The outcomes of this study can aid in formulating economical and sustainable methodologies to augment concrete's mechanical properties while curbing the environmental repercussions of materials like flex banners.
