The unprecedented situation of the COVID-19 pandemic has generated radical transformations of the Romanian education system, forcing teachers as well as students to adapt in a short time to new social conditions and to the online learning process. The paper analyzes the sustainability of the e-learning system implemented in Romania during the pandemic, and it is based on an opinion poll based on a questionnaire developed on three levels of schooling (middle school, high school, and university), analyzed from three perspectives, teachers–students–parents, and identifying the possible psychological effects on students, resulting from the corroboration of social isolation with the online continuation of the educational process. Although before the pandemic the e-learning system was rarely used by both students and teachers, the research results indicate that students have accepted online learning, even if they find it less attractive than the traditional education system. From the teacher–student–parent perspective, e-learning is an effective sustainable learning solution in current and future conditions, but it requires good collaboration between parents and teachers, careful monitoring of children’s/students’ behavior to identify and combat possible effects determined by the changing way of learning and of social realities.

The current pandemic crisis has led to a paradigm shift in the economy. Expressions such as digital transformation and digitalization of business are common in the communication channels of economic entities, which want to benefit from the advantages of information technology (artificial intelligence, software robots, and blockchain) to streamline their business. The aim of this research is to highlight the impact of the digitalization of accounting on the business environment, the work style, and the role of professional accountants: the paradigm shift. The study is based on theoretical research as well as empirical research based on a questionnaire applied in economic entities, and respondents are both decision makers and professional accountants. The results obtained by the statistical analysis of the questionnaire (Chi-square, Crosstabulation, Friedman test) suggest that digitization is more than a conventional change, being equally about technology and people. The orientation towards digitalization implies, in addition to a well-organized implementation plan, a change in the mentalities of the human factor corroborated with the evolution of the organizational culture of economic entities. At the same time, we are witnessing a change in the accounting paradigm, and the role of professional accountants is evolving from “transaction logger” to analyst and consultant for entrepreneurs. Research confirms that the digitalization of accounting is proving to be not only a modern solution, imposed by technological progress, but also timely, necessary, and even mandatory given the difficulty of anticipating the economic and social context due to the pandemic crisis. This study stands out both because of the innovative character of the approached subject, the digitalization of accounting, which represents a concept in full expansion, and because of its practical utility. This is proven by the analyses performed and the conclusions drawn in the context of an economic environment that is constantly looking for solutions. All operations can be moved to a controlled and accessible digital environment that can be accessed from any location.

Plants, animals, bacteria, and food waste are subjects of intensive research, as they are biological sources for the production of biopolymers. The topic links to global challenges related to the extended life cycle of products, and circular economy objectives. A severe and well-known threat to the environment, the non-biodegradability of plastics obliges different stakeholders to find legislative and technical solutions for producing valuable polymers which are biodegradable and also exhibit better characteristics for packaging products. Microorganisms are recognized nowadays as exciting sources for the production of biopolymers with applications in the food industry, package production, and several other fields. Ubiquitous organisms, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are well studied for the production of exopolysaccharides (EPS), but much less as producers of polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). Based on their good biodegradability feature, as well as the possibility to be obtained from cheap biomass, PLA and PHAs polymers currently receive increased attention from both research and industry. The present review aims to provide an overview of LAB strains’ characteristics that render them candidates for the biosynthesis of EPS, PLA, and PHAs, respectively. Further, the biopolymers’ features are described in correlation with their application in different food industry fields and for food packaging. Having in view that the production costs of the polymers constitute their major drawback, alternative solutions of biosynthesis in economic terms are discussed.

No dеvеloрmеnt in rеcеnt уеаrs hаs chаngеd comраniеs аnd othеr orgаnizаtions аs much аs digitizаtion bеcаusе it аffеcts a wide vаriеty of аrеаs, including finаncе, accounting, and auditing. Howеvеr, thе currеnt system of аccounting digitizаtion аnd аutomаtion in comраniеs is vеrу diffеrеnt. Although somе comраniеs аrе аdvаncеd in this rеgаrd, othеrs аrе onlу just bеginning thеir digitizаtion аnd аutomаtion еfforts. This studу еxаminеs thе stаtus quo аnd dеvеloрmеnt tеndеnciеs of digitizаtion in аccounting аs wеll аs thе rеsрonsibilitiеs of imрlеmеntаtion for аccounting digitizаtion. For thе еmрiricаl study, we аррlу thе tеchnologу аccерtаncе modеl (TАM) combinеd with trust аnd реrcеivеd risk аs а thеorеticаl bаsis to аnаlуzе рrofеssionаl аccountаnts’ реrcерtions rеgаrding thе digitаlizаtion of аccounting finаncе аctivitу (fintеch аccounting). The results indicate that the user trusts and uses the information gathered and uses the usability of the usability of аdoрting digitаl sеrvicеs. In the present case, the risk fаctor did not аffеct thе реrcеivеd use of digitаl sеrvicеs. However, реrcеivеd usеfulnеss did not influence the аttituds of the rеsрondеnts to make the use of digitаl sеrvicеs. Thus, the prеsеnt study contributes to реrsреctivеs on thе еvolution of digitаlizаtion in the accounting profession while highlighting trеnds in thе usе of tеchnologiеs provided to рrofеssionаl аccountаnts bу Industrу 4.0.

Due to its valuable organic compounds, grape pomace represents a valuable resource in the creation of value-added food products. In this study, we investigated grape pomace hydroalcoholic extracts obtained by ultrasonication from two white and two red Romanian grape varieties. The phytochemical parameters, i.e., polyphenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, condensed tannins content, and antioxidant activity, were determined by UV-Vis spectrometry. The statistical analysis revealed that Tămâioasă Românească and Negru de Drăgășani, respectively, and Fetească Albă and Fetească Neagră are similar to each other. Significant differences among the pomaces obtained from different grape varieties were noticed in terms of their phenolic contents. The red varieties (Fetească Neagră and Negru de Drăgășani) were richest in terms of total phenolics and total anthocyanins, respectively. The antioxidant activity of extracts obtained from grape pomace showed that Negru de Drăgășani had the higher value due to its high amounts of polyphenols, followed by Fetească Neagră, Fetească Albă, and Tămâioasă Românească. Higher levels of bioactive polyphenolic substances, i.e., catechin, myricetin, resveratrol, and vanillic acid, were found in the pomace of Negru de Drăgășani extracts using high-performance liquid chromatography. These results emphasize the potential of the Negru de Drăgășani variety to be further exploited for nutritional and functional applications.

This research aims to investigate the heavy metals (i.e., Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb) in the fruiting bodies of six indigenous wild edible mushrooms including Agaricus bisporus, Agaricus campestris, Armillaria mellea, Boletus edulis, Macrolepiota excoriate, and Macrolepiota procera, correlated with various factors, such as the growth substrate, the sampling site, the species and the morphological part (i.e., cap and stipe), and their possible toxicological implications. Heavy metal concentrations in mushroom (228 samples) and soil (114 samples) were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma—Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). In the first part of the study, the soil contamination (index of geo-accumulation, contamination factor, and pollution loading index) and associated risks (chronic daily dose for three exposure pathways—ingestion, dermal, and inhalation; hazard quotient of non-cancer risks and the carcinogenic risks) were calculated, while the phytoremediation capacity of the mushrooms was determined. At the end of these investigations, it was concluded that M. procera accumulates more Cd and Cr (32.528% and 57.906%, respectively), M. excoriata accumulates Cu (24.802%), B. edulis accumulates Ni (22.694%), and A. mellea accumulates Pb (18.574%), in relation to the underlying soils. There were statistically significant differences between the stipe and cap (i.e., in the cap subsamples of M. procera, the accumulation factor for Cd was five times higher than in the stipe subsamples). The daily intake of toxic metals related to the consumption of these mushrooms with negative consequences on human health, especially for children (1.5 times higher than for adults), was determined as well.