The study analyzes the performance levels achieved by Romanian wholesaler SMEs from Hunedoara County and to advance some practical courses of action designed to support local entrepreneurs in improving efficiency and in embracing circular economy (CE) practices. We employed cluster and discriminant analyses with a focus on providing an accurate classification of trade SMEs, according to their performance. Three distinct classifications of SMEs resulted in: (i) a class of enterprises displaying high levels of the rates of return, whose business owners exhibited an increased risk appetite and applied investment policies focusing on future development by means of incorporating digital instruments; (ii) a class of SMEs displaying average levels of rates of return, which manage to survive in situations of crisis through maintaining the position previously gained on the market; and (iii) a class of SMEs exhibiting a precarious financial position and employing defensive strategies, with managers who are reluctant to take risks in the innovation processes. Furthermore, we present a cloud computing solution which was tailored for one of the companies from our sample that appeared to be the most likely to carry out the transition from the average SME performance class to the higher class. The main advantages that are brought about by the IT solution in terms of environmental sustainability consist of: improvements in energy efficiency, the decrease in carbon footprints, the lowering of operational costs and the diminishing of the amount of e-waste.

The main objective of the present research is to identify the advantages and benefits that the use and implementation of 5G technology has on the development and evolution of the Romanian business environment. The study is based on a theoretical documentation regarding existing information in the field and a descriptive analysis of the evolution of the technology in Romania and worldwide. The research method chosen is a survey based on an opinion poll (questionnaire) to find out the availability of economic entities regarding the implementation of 5G technologies, the foreseen expectations and those realized by the business environment regarding the effects of 5G technologies on the economic activities and the benefits that 5G networks offer them. The analysis of the results of the questionnaire, through the correlations and contingency tables determined, allowed the validation of the research hypotheses, and the results show availability and interest for the implementation of 5G technology (over 69% agree with the 5G implementation over a period of up to 5 years), conditioned by the costs, the high degree of cyber security, and the competitive advantages it can generate. Competition, low productivity, and even external pressures are the main decisive factors in the implementation of 5G. Thus, it can be considered useful to extend the research by identifying possible viable solutions or alternatives, customized for the implementation of 5G technologies for economic entities from different sectors, as well as the analysis of the implementation costs and the potential economic benefits.

Drying is the process of moisture removal which is applied to many foodstuffs including fruits and vegetables for preservation and storage purposes. Since solar energy is one type of environmentally friendly renewable energy, open-type solar dryers, natural convective type solar dryers and greenhouse type solar dryers were designed and fabricated in this study for the preservation of fruits and vegetables. A comparative study among various solar drying methods was performed to study the drying performance by maintaining the quality and texture of the dried foodstuffs. Factors such as solar radiation, ambient temperature, moisture in the air, materials used for glazing, inclination, etc., were considered during the fabrication of the solar dryer so that a better estimate of the performance of the solar dryer could be obtained. The lowest drying rate was observed when convective drying was used as an indirect mode of heating. The maximum drying rate observed in open drying was 0.088 kg/kgh, whereas in convective drying under the same conditions, it was 0.03 kg/kgh, which was almost 65% less. This in turn also resulted in the dried samples displaying a better texture and better color. The shrinkage effect on the samples was less pronounced for those samples in the convective dryer than it was for those in the open and greenhouse dryers, as the method uses indirect drying. Comparing convective and greenhouse drying, more shrinkage and a greater browning effect were observed for the open drying method. Out of three types of solar dryers, the greenhouse dryer was selected to study thermal performance because of its better drying rate. DHT11 sensors controlled through Arduino programming were employed in this study to record the temperature and moisture at various locations in the greenhouse dryer setup. The range of energy efficiency of the greenhouse solar dryer was estimated to be from around 15% to 25% on average. This might be due to a greater extent of energy losses. No significant difference was observed in the energy efficiency with respect to the samples used for drying.

In recent times, fiber reinforced polymer composite materials have become more popular due to their remarkable features such as high specific strength, high stiffness and durability. Particularly, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites are one of the most prominent materials used in the field of transportation and building engineering, replacing conventional materials due to their attractive properties as mentioned. In this work, a CFRP laminate is fabricated with carbon fiber mats and epoxy by a hand layup technique. Alumina (Al₂O₃) micro particles are used as a filler material, mixed with epoxy at different weight fractions of 0% to 4% during the fabrication of CFRP laminates. The important objective of the study is to investigate the influence of alumina micro particles on the mechanical performance of the laminates through characterization for various physical and mechanical properties. It is revealed from the results of study that the mass density of the laminates steadily increased with the quantity of alumina micro particles added and subsequently, the porosity of the laminates is reduced significantly. The SEM micrograph confirmed the constituents of the laminate and uniform distribution of Al₂O₃ micro particles with no significant agglomeration. The hardness of the CFRP laminates increased significantly for about 60% with an increase in weight % of Al₂O₃ from 0% to 4%, whereas the water gain % gradually drops from 0 to 2%, after which a substantial rise is observed for 3 to 4%. The improved interlocking due to the addition of filler material reduced the voids in the interfaces and thereby resist the absorption of water and in turn reduced the plasticity of the resin too. Tensile, flexural and inter-laminar shear strengths of the CFRP laminate were improved appreciably with the addition of alumina particles through extended grain boundary and enhanced interfacial bonding between the fibers, epoxy and alumina particles, except at 1 and 3 wt.% of Al₂O₃, which may be due to the pooling of alumina particles within the matrix. Inclusion of hard alumina particles resulted in a significant drop in impact strength due to appreciable reduction in softness of the core region of the laminates.

After 1990, when the economic system changed in Romania, the mining industry was the most controversial field from a productive-economic point of view and subject to reforms and transformations for efficiency. Currently (2022), there are nine main mining perimeters in which the production of useful, energetic, and nonenergetic mineral substances is operational, and in others it has decreased or stopped. Still active mining areas need economic and ecological assessments to identify similarities and proximity symmetries for informed exploitation decisions and feasible complex resource utilization. The main objective of our study is to define a framework for the theoretical and practical contribution to the substantiation of decisions and expressions of interest regarding future investments in mining projects for useful and energetic and non-energetic mineral substances in Romania. Investments in the mining industry are expensive, with major risks and subunit success rates for specific geotechnological conditions. The purpose of the research is to provide the methodology for using some variables of similarities from proximity mining deposits in the stage of exploitation or post-exploitation affected by anthropogenic activity in the national geological territory through a case study of Romania. With the help of statistical scales, the research results highlight that in the exploitation and post-mining perimeters in Romania, the states of “affect” and “post-affect” anthropic, respectively, of eco-economic damage are in a maximum proportion of approximately 36% in relation to the ideal situations of no affect. For a mining investment project, knowing similar or symmetrical exploitation and post-exploitation properties and situations, and from the geological deposits in the vicinity, premises are created for optimized strategic and tactical decisions, based on reality and, above all, for the provision of expressions of interest for new investments that have a programmed, expected success rate.

This research aims to measure the financial performance of companies in the water and sewerage sector by creating a sustainable econometric model for making long-term strategic decisions for managers and stakeholders. The research methodology consisted of the use and statistical processing of the data included in the summary financial statements of 40 regional operators in the field from 2014 to 2020. Multiple linear regression has been created with which stakeholders and water and sewerage specialists can shape changes in value-added variation, the average cost per employee, labor productivity, and energy expenditure on the net profit of water operators and sewerage. The results indicated that the independent variables used, such as value-added, labor productivity, or intangible assets have a direct influence on increasing the net profit of water and sewerage companies. Other independent variables such as the average cost per employee or the expenditure on electricity and water negatively influence the increase in the net profit of companies in the water and sewerage sector. The conclusions indicated that the average net profit is influenced by independent variables and the model created, and it can be successfully applied to other international companies in the field.