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Our study provides the implementation of the modern concept "All in One - Total Tourism", already experienced within Bioterra University in the Student Practice Center in Neptun-Comorova Resort, with subsequent scaling at the international level with our bilateral collaboration partner in this field: the Institute of Advanced Specific Studies in Giza-Egypt. The applicability of the concept was achieved through a study conducted in Siwa Oasis, Egypt. This is a top destination, one of the most isolated and fascinati...

The study evaluated people's perception of green spaces located near managed water courses in the urban environment, in the city of Timisoara - "Bega" Canal (Romania) and in Vilnius - "Neris" River (Lithuania). The information was collected in 2025, based on a questionnaire in Google Forms. The questionnaire included six questions categories (QC1 to QC6) with: general information about respondents (QC1), perception of public green spaces (QC2), perception of biodiversity (QC3), impact of climate change (QC4), cons...

The volume of accessible groundwater in Latvia from a chosen aquifer is generally sufficient for a household or company to install a borehole with a flow rate of 10 m3/day or 100 m3/day. In this case, the main legal restrictions concern lowering the groundwater table to the minimum permissible level and the required water level reserve relative to the top of the well's filter column. Latvia is rich in groundwater water; for decision-makers to install a water intake well, it is usually sufficient to analyze data fr...

Accurate monitoring of crop phenology is essential for yield estimation, growing season modeling, and climate adaptation in agriculture. While freely available satellite archives provide broad spatial coverage, their temporal frequency is often insufficient for capturing the rapid phenological transitions characteristic of crops. This study addresses that gap through a multitemporal analysis of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from a time series of 119 PlanetScope satellite images at 3 m s...

This study presents the application of integrated UAS and terrestrial close-range photogrammetry for the comprehensive 3D reconstruction of the cultural heritage site “St. John Letni” chapel, located near Pchelina Reservoir, Bulgaria. The main objective of the research is to produce detailed and accurate documentation of the chapel in its current condition, supporting its long-term preservation and potential restoration. The data acquisition combines aerial imagery from an unmanned aerial system (UAS) and terr...

Risk management in the transport of dangerous goods is essential for protecting human health, the environment, and infrastructure. This chapter section explores systematic risk assessment methodologies in the context of hazardous materials transport. Key techniques such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, Hazard and Operability Analysis, and Bow-Tie analysis are used to identify, assess, and prioritize risks associated with the transport process. These approaches enable the systematic breakdown of potential fai...

Rural tourism represents an important instrument for the sustainable development of local communities, contributing to economic diversification, job creation, and the valorization of natural and cultural resources. Caras-Severin County benefits from significant tourism potential. This study aims to analyze the role of rural tourism as a driver of sustainable development, with a focus on its economic, social, and environmental impact. Data collection was carried out through a questionnaire administered to the local...

In this study, using ASTER surface reflectance and emissivity data to map four main lithological units (volcanic, magmatic, clastic, metamorphic) in southern Tunceli (Ayazpinari-Cukurca) using PCA and ICA transformations, and the results were validated against a reference map. The highest success among different band combinations was achieved in the SWIR region alone for the PCA transformation, and across the entire range (VNIR-SWIR-TIR, 0.52–11.65 µm) for the ICA transformation. Although SWIR-based PCA success...

Climate change poses a significant challenge to infrastructure worldwide, with asphalt pavements particularly vulnerable due to their temperature-sensitive properties. Jordan-s pavement infrastructure faces escalating challenges due to climate change, including rising temperatures and increasing environmental stressors. This study investigates the impact of climate change on asphalt road pavements in Jordan, focusing on the period from 2020 to 2050. Using advanced machine learning algorithms integrated with mathem...

Coastal zones are among the most climate-vulnerable environments, exposed to extreme weather events, sea level rise, accelerating coastal erosion, biodiversity loss, and socio-economic vulnerability. As these pressures intensify, adaptation strategies have moved beyond engineered infrastructure toward nature-based solutions restoration interventions that work with ecosystems. One of most spread nature-based coastal restoration are seagrass and saltmarsh recovery, dune and wetland rebuilding, and integrated watersh...

The Creative Urban Workshop provided by architects and artists from RTU at Vienna SGEM international conference at December 2025 regarding Islandes Square, Kipsala, Riga, invites international experts and activists to give collaboratively envision a vibrant, multifunctional, and ecologically responsible public space. Positioned as the future -gate- to the RTU campus, Islandes Square offers a unique opportunity to integrate human-scaled urbanism with sustainable design. The workshop includes an introductory talk, o...

In-situ combustion (ISC) is considered one of the most effective method to increase oil recovery from heavy oil and bitumen. Oxygen of injected air reacts with the heavy crude oil components, forming a hot zone, in which the oxidation and cracking of heavy fractions occur. It is known that catalysts of various types can significantly improve the processes of oil upgrading and increase the efficiency of thermal tertiary methods of oil production. This work devoted to study the influence of mixed oxide catalyst pres...

The growth course properties of grey alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench) on different site types are still insufficiently researched, especially, if to compare the forest and abandoned agricultural lands. Due to the species relatively high prevalence in private forest areas in Latvia, which according to the forestry statistics data, equaled 11% in 2023, it has crucial significance to the economy. The paper analyses 40-year-old grey alder stands on abandoned agricultural land, forest land, and forests along the rivers...

In this article we started from the global warming trends due to climate change. These are leading to an increase in the heat risk index, particularly in areas where green infrastructure is lacking, where the population is dense and multi-storey residential buildings are dense. This is the reason why we first proposed a bibliometric study resulting from the growing interest in such analyses using GIS technology. The next step was the development of an automatic model based on specific features and its application ...

Background: This paper explores the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in optimizing rural tourism management, highlighting the potential of this technology in the sustainable development of rural communities. AI can contribute to the efficient management of tourist flows, resource optimization, and improving visitor experiences. Methods: The study presents a detailed bibliometric analysis of the existing literature, using relevant keywords extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Moreover, AI ...

The utilization of renewable materials has raised worldwide interest regarding biodegradable polymers, proving important scientific, ecological, and economic relevance. Biopolymers are versatile materials used in various applications due to their high strength, low weight, and minimal environmental impact. However, their characterization for understanding their properties requires extensive experimental measurement. In this context, conventional research is improved by the integration of artificial intelligence (A...

Tourism is a key driver of economic growth and regional development, particularly in emerging destinations that capitalize on natural and cultural resources. This study explores the role of European-funded sustainable projects in enhancing tourism infrastructure, services, and environmental policies in the Western Region of Romania. [1] By analyzing various initiatives supported through EU funding (FEADR, EURI), the research identifies best practices and challenges in implementing sustainable tourism strategies. T...

Supporting the agricultural sector, a factor of strategic importance for ensuring food security, raw materials for the food industry and for maintaining jobs, in the sense that it must benefit from public policy from the state aimed at compensating for losses generated by the increase in prices and other costs such as labour, veterinary services, agricultural utilities, etc. European, counting over 620 000 beekeepers in the EU. The importance of this sector is much greater than could be deduced from its contributi...

Currently, a big problem is increasing the production of residual oil, for which so-called tertiary recovery methods are used. One common tertiary recovery method is the use of surfactants. The use of biological surfactants instead of synthetic ones can solve the problem of increasing oil production and reducing the toxic impact on the environment. To obtain biosurfactants, two strains of Bacillus mojavensis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens were used. These strains are characterized by the ability to produce biosurf...

Biorefineries offer an advantageous and sustainable solution for managing by-products from the agro-industry while enabling the recovery of valuable molecules and biogas production from residual biomass. This study applied this approach to the beer industry's main by-products: Brewery-s Spent Grain (BSG). BSG is typically used as animal feed but shows potential for biorefinery applications due to its high protein content and favorable C/N ratio. By treating this biomass with an ionic liquid consisting of triethyla...

Within the current framework of approaching different directions of carbon emissions reduction policy, wood fits as an environmentally friendly building material with low production in terms of energy consumption. In this manner, timber combines its qualities such as high strength/weight ratio and rigidity/weight, low specific gravity, recovery/recycling that make it competitive with classic building materials with the demands of climate change green deal. One specific attention has to be given to the design and e...

Environmental monitoring in specially protected areas is a vital problem, especially in places subject to anthropogenic impacts. The Tunkinskaya Valley (190 km long) is the western extension of the Baikal rift zone. On the territory of the valley there is a national park of federal significance. At the same time, the territory is subject to intensive anthropogenic load. The Tunkinskaya Valley is an attractive place for tourists. The local population (20,000 people) is engaged in cattle breeding. Industrialized are...

Coal mine spoil heaps are subject to reclamation processes in order to restore their environmental, social and economic functions. The reclamation may consist of placing soil layers (topsoil, TS) on the surface of the bare rock (carboniferous rock accompanying the coal seam) and then planting vegetation. However, waste rock (bare rock, BR) is usually left in place without overburden due to high costs. In both cases, there is a spontaneous succession of consisting vegetation of native and alien species. In this stu...

In recent decades, the interest of researchers has focused on the development of methods for obtaining alternative energy sources. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is one of the methods for obtaining a wide range of hydrocarbons and their derivatives. Ru, Ni, Fe and Co are the widely used catalytically active metals in FTS. To increase the activity of the catalyst, as well as increase the yield of target products, promoters are introduced into catalytic systems. In FTS, oxides of alkaline and rare earth metals, oxides of...

The study addresses a challenge in planetary exploration, focusing on landslide susceptibility on the Lunar South Pole Region (LSPR), fundamental for future lunar missions. Features like permanently shadowed regions and water ice deposits attract scientific attention but issues related to rugged terrain and dynamic geological processes must also to be considered. The photointerpretation of data from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission, allowed to create a landslides inventory map. The Frequency Ratio (FR) m...

Presence of coastal structures usually causes significant impacts to adjacent shores, especially when they are composed of sand. Many times, these impacts are associated with inappropriate design due to inadequate consideration of hydromorphological processes and system interactions. As a result, excessive erosion and/or deposition of sediment is observed, which implies costly, and in some cases, continuous maintenance. The study presents an assessment and gives explanation of significant changes in the morphology...

In an increasingly competitive economy, we are facing fierce competition in the construction materials industry, where the use of recyclable waste from demolitions has become more than a necessity. The compensation for the loss of certain properties, which could otherwise lead to a reduction in mechanical characteristics, has been achieved through the addition of nanoparticles with superior qualities. This paper will present the main nanoparticles introduced as subtle additives (ranging from 0.01 percent to a maxi...

Hydrogen-based energy production involves the use of fuel cells or the direct combustion of hydrogen (a particular case being hydrogen combustion in internal combustion engines). Direct hydrogen combustion is still in the testing phase, with challenges arising from its energetic properties, which continue to be a difficult factor. For instance, hydrogen has a low calorific value (about three times lower than methane) in its gaseous phase, which is the phase where combustion occurs, a very high combustion speed (ab...

Biochar can be used as an alternative and efficient adsorbent for organic and inorganic pollutants. Therefore, based on previous study in which, a biochar loaded with mixed metal oxides of iron, tin or titanium catalysts results as a by-product of levulinic esters synthesis from biomass carbohydrates, this paper aim was to test this residue as biochar for the retention of phosphate from water samples. The obtained adsorbents based on Fe2O3-SnO2 and Fe2O3-La2O3-TiO2 were characterized by FT-IR and TGA analyses. The...

Geographic information systems (GIS) are based on the approach of displaying data from individual layers, where a manageable number of geospatial objects are displayed within a single layer. The entire content of a hydrogeological model (HM) can only be partially included within this framework. HM input data and modeling results as layer surface maps are a way to easily, clearly, and simply publish the model content and simulation experiment results. However, this approach is not sufficient for regional HMs. Regio...

The deep processing of lignocellulose feedstock (including waste from the woodworking industry, agriculture, and agro-industry) allowing the high-added value products to be obtained is one of the key scientific problems. Lignocellulose biomass is a potential feedstock for the production of heat, electricity, fuel, chemicals, and other bioderived products. The liquefaction is considered to be one of the most promising ways to convert lignocellulose biomass into liquid fuels. During the liquefaction, lignocellulose ...

On the territory of Romania, there are large salt deposits grouped on either side of the Carpathian mountains. Made up of over 300 large salt deposits covering an area of about 30,000 km2. The Trotus mine within the Targu Ocna Saltworks Branch was opened and put into operation in 1971, with the objective of dry salt exploitation, using the mining method with small chambers and abandoned square pillars, with a vaulted ceiling. Currently, Salina Trotu? has 14 horizons: 2 at the level of the Pilot mine and 12 at the ...

One of the objectives of the research is to identify the factors influencing the implementation of environmental economics and green governance principles in Latvia. The study focuses on the strategic allocation, implementation and impact of investments, including EU structural funds, on environmental sustainability initiatives in Latvia. The research methodology includes theoretical concepts and research on the development of the environmental economics in the regions of Latvia. In order to achieve the objectives...

The paper presents the procedures of introducing the unsteady state numerical analysis domain for simulating the mechanical behavior of glue laminated timber (glulam) elements when subjected to high temperatures. For any analysis applied to characterize the fire resistance of wood, glue laminated timber implicitly, the unsteady state numerical analysis domain must be applied, considering the heat propagation, humidity percentage loss and the overall change of the mechanical characteristics of the components throug...

CRISPR-Cas adaptive immunity systems of prokaryotes have been identified in 42% of bacteria and 85% of archaea [1] and are actively used in genetic engineering. However, in nitrogen-fixing nodule bacteria required for agriculture, these systems are very poorly characterized. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the diversity of CRISPR-Cas systems in the genomes of 39 isolates of alfalfa nodule bacteria Sinorhizobium meliloti recovered from soil samples from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, which belong to the Centra...

Nodule bacteria increase the resistance of host plants to abiotic stress factors; however, the role of the genetic potential of rhizobia in the formation of productive salt-tolerant plant-microbial symbiosis remains underestimated. The aim of the study was to evaluate the pool of genes responsible for the salt tolerance of the alfalfa microsymbiont, Sinorhizobium meliloti, using the DNA microarray technique, phenotype microarray (PM), NGS and NNGS-technologies and genome mining (antismash 5.0). As a result of the ...

Prevention and reduction of food waste production, food waste conversion into energy and products as well as the proper disposal are sequential processes in the food system. Technological standards and a legal framework for food waste recycling, as well as amendments to the relevant legal acts - both national- and municipal-level ones - have been made in Latvia. In addition, the compliance with the European Waste Classification for Statistics have been verified and the participation of nongovernmental organization...

Composite materials are widely used in high-tech fields of industry, especially in the aeronautical and aerospace industry, land and water transport. Weight reduction, high creep resistance, very good damping deformations compared to traditional materials, represent some of the advantages for these materials- usage. The studies carried out aim to determine the evolution of the physical-mechanical characteristics of a composite material with a thickness of less than 1 mm, using descriptive statistics techniques. In...

The aim of the study was to characterize the gelling effect of candelilla wax (DW) using different types of cold-pressed vegetable oil (sunflower oil, olive oil, walnut oil, grape seed oil and hemp seed oil). The structuring of the oleogels was achieved by hot incorporation of oil with different percentages of carnauba wax, as follows: 3%, 5% and 11%. Characterization of the oleogels was done by determining the chemical and physical properties of the oleogels, the oil binding capacity and the texture of the oleoge...

Water and sediments in coastal areas interact at different scales, thus shaping the marine environment and providing physical habitat for ecosystems. Hence, the hydromorphological conditions represent a key aspect of aquatic ecosystems considered in the Water Framework Directive as supporting quality elements (alongside the physicochemical), which are expected to provide the boundary conditions for the biological quality elements. Any alteration in those can reshape the corresponding biological conditions at vario...

Since putting in operation of Chernomorets fishing port (Sozopol municipality, southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast) in January 2016, a number of negative effects have been observed in the area. The disturbance in the existing hydrodynamic balance led to intense coastal erosion and unwanted sand accumulation in the wave shadow area. Additionally, the coastal water quality has deteriorated in the port area. In order to undertake measures to mitigate the observed adverse effects, it is necessary to assess in detail th...

The use of natural products for healing purposes has gained great attention worldwide. Increased interest in certain plant products has been achieved mainly due to their ability to limit antibiotic resistance. Also, as the hypothesis that all biological processes at the cellular level are severely affected by the formation of free radicals has been confirmed, it is attempted to highlight some active principles in plants and their use as agents to counteract the oxidative process [1, 2]. This paper aims to demonstr...

Composting municipal organic waste is important for several reasons, including greenhouse gas emissions reduction, soil health improvement, nutrients recycle, waste reduction, costs reduction (by reducing the waste volumes, the handling costs are decreased). Information on the practices of municipal organic waste composting in Romania is limited, thus a comprehensive evaluation of the limiting factors and current solution was carried out. According to the European Environment Agency, Romania has made progress in o...

The study presents results and discuss statistical properties of wind-generated sea waves measured in transitional waters of the Burgas Bay at the Bulgarian Black Sea. Wave measurements were acquired by Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler at two locations offshore Kraymorie and Chernomorets at water depths of approx. 15 m and 18 m, respectively. At each location, data were recorded for about three and a half months in winter seasons of 2021-2022 in front of Chernomorets and in 2022-2023 offshore Kraymorie, when stor...

Echinacea purpurea is a herbaceous plant that is 80-150 cm tall. [1] The roots of the plant penetrate deep into the soil, they have fibrous ramifications, the rhizome is short. Its leaves are wide, lanceolate or elliptic-oblong, and the flowers are conical, have a violet color. Echinacea species are native to North America and in Europe they are cultivated as medicinal or ornamental plants. [17] The research focused on determining the photosynthetic rate in this species, using variants cultivated both in vivo and ...

Knowledge of the coastal hydrodynamics, in particular the storm induced waves, is essential for management of the extremely vulnerable coastal environment. There, wave processes dominate surge, coastal currents, sediment transport and species distribution. Therefore, it is important to have a detailed insight into the exposure of different coastal areas to wave action. The study proposes a wave exposure classification of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast according to wave climate conditions as required by the Water Fr...

Compliance with EU environmental regulations and directives regarding effluent water quality discharged is seen as the main driver for the development of wastewater treatment technologies. The Water Framework Directive, the UWWT Directive, and the Nitrates Directive require the reduction of eutrophication caused by nitrogen and phosphorus emissions. In Romania, only approx. 54% of the population is connected to centralized sewage and wastewater treatment systems, meaning that approximately 8 million inhabitants ar...

The presence of nitrate concentration in drinking water can cause high toxicity to the human body, being considered among the most important pollutant in the environment. Among the many methods available such as biological treatment, electrodialysis, reverse osmosis, adsorption, ion exchange, adsorption is the most used technique due to its low cost and simplistic design. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to study the retention of nitrate anion from high concentration aqueous solutions on a novel magnetic adsor...

This study investigated changes in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations in the three components of the forest ecosystem (leaves, bark and soil) along an altitudinal gradient in the temperate forests of Romania. The properties and processes within the forest ecosystem are influenced by altitude. The leaves, litter and soil are important in the good development of the ecosystem and in the cycle of the elements. Plants extract the nutrients necessary for life and growth from the soil in which they carry out the...

The theoretical model of perfect business competition is designed based on five assumptions: atomicity of demand and supply, homogeneity of the product, free entry/exit in/from a branch of activity or on/from the market, market transparency, (with the fundamental assumption of the individual's rationality) and perfect mobility of production factors [1], [2]. The factorial analysis carried out for an economic agent from an Eastern European country highlighted the fact that the production function is homogeneous. Fo...