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As the world transitions towards a more sustainable future, it is imperative to develop innovative solutions that address the pressing issue of plastic pollution. Microplastics, in particular, have become a significant concern due to their widespread presence in the environment and potential to interact with toxic pollutants. Organic compounds, which include a variety of harmful chemicals, such as pesticides and other industrial chemicals, are often released into the environment and can readily bind to microplastics. In this context, understanding the adsorption of organic compounds on microplastics is crucial for designing effective strategies to mitigate their environmental impacts. This study investigates the adsorption dynamics of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) on polystyrene microplastics, exploring the influence of pH and contact time, as well as utilizing kinetic models and isothermal equations to elucidate the adsorption mechanism. The results suggest that the pH level has a negligible impact on the adsorption capacity of PS for OCPs. In contrast, the contact time plays a significant role in the amount of OCPs adsorbed onto the PS surface. Interestingly, a relatively short time of up to 6 h was sufficient to reach equilibrium. The adsorption of OCPs on PS follows a uniform pattern consistent with the Freundlich isotherm model, indicating a multilayer adsorption process. The use of kinetic models to describe the adsorption process was also found to be useful in understanding its mechanism. Specifically, the pseudo-second-order kinetic model proved to be a suitable descriptor for the adsorption process of organochlorine pesticides on PS. This study highlights the importance of understanding the interactions between microplastics and organic pollutants, which is crucial for developing sustainable solutions to mitigate the environmental impacts of plastic pollution, ultimately contributing to a more environmentally conscious future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the design of a system for the control of a solar panel motion by means of a servomotor based on an Arduino board is described. The system calculates optimum tracks and position of the sun to ensure that the solar panel is always directed to the sun in order to increase the amount of energy generated by the solar panel. The device makes use of four solar modules for detection and a servomotor to automatically rotate the solar panel to adjust it to the sun positionÎn acest articol, vă prezentam un sistem de dirijare pe placa Arduino, pentru servomotorul de mișcare a panoului solar, sistem de calculare a poziției optime a soarelui pentru a crește cantitatea de energie generată de panoul solar (deoarece va fi mereu cu fața la lumină). In acest dispozitiv sunt folosite patru module solare pentru detectare și un servomotor pentru a roti automat panoul solar în direcția luminii solare.

Understanding the volatile flavor compounds present in commercial beverages is crucial for the food and beverage industries as these compounds significantly influence product perception and consumer acceptability. This paper aims to comprehensively analyze the composition of volatile organic compounds in various commercial beverages using targeted gas chromatographic–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) approaches. The study employs a screening method based on the Headspace-GC/MS technique to efficiently extract and identify volatile organic compounds found in commercial beverages. This methodology provides a rapid and reliable system for assessing the volatile profile of these beverages. The analysis reveals the presence of a total of 40 volatile organic compounds, including esters, terpenes/terpenoids, alkenes, aldehydes, aromatic hydrocarbons, and alcohols. Medium-chain esters were found to dominate the volatile profile of the beverages, suggesting a significant contribution to their fragrance and taste. This study offers valuable insights into the volatile profile of commercial beverages, creating awareness among consumers about the flavor components present in these products. By understanding the volatile composition, consumers can make informed choices regarding their beverage consumption. The comprehensive analysis provided by this research serves as a foundation for further studies related to flavor characterization and optimization in commercial beverages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's context, marked by digitization and the development of information technology, one of the topics that needs to be addressed is the "costs of software development". This study investigates the evolution of scientific production related to the research topic based on descriptive and bibliometric analysis of selected articles on Web of Science and EBSCO, thus continuing existing research in the field. The importance of this theme is due to the increasing interest of entities to use customized software products that help them to achieve the desired results. The scientific approach is based on information from national and international literature and practice and various electronic sources. It has been shown that the development costs of custom software depend largely on the number of technical resources, the number and complexity of software product features and design patterns. Therefore, accurate estimation is impossible without prior analysis of the software design, business objectives and cost factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A critical re-evaluation of the entire ancient tradition about the Sarmatians -- literary, epigraphic, numismatic, iconographic and onomastic data --, with the exhaustive cataloguing and analysis of the available sources, would not only allow a clearer overview of the generic term 'Sarmatians' (respectively on other ethnonyms associated with them), but would also provide a more appropriate term of comparison for archaeologists concerned with the phenomenon of Sarmatian culture. Announcing for the coming years the compilation of a compendium entitled Fontes Sarmatarum orae septentrionalis Ponti Euxini, the author proposes in this paper a catalogue containing 46 inscriptions, with the Romanian translation and brief comments in the case of most documents. When compiling this compendium, account was taken of inscriptions from North- Pontic cities or outside the Euxine Pontus that refer only to North-Pontic Sarmatians (or to some ethnonyms associated with them), disregarding the numerous attestations of the title Sarmaticus assumed by some Roman Emperors, the documents in which the Bosporan Kings Sauromates IIII appear, the tamga-signs and the onomastic material (found mainly in the inscriptions of the imperial period from Olbia and Bosporan cities). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The analysis and cataloguing of the Roman imports from Vaslui County according to the methodology proposed by the "Corpus der römischen Funde im europäischen Barbaricum" (CRFB) series also implies a re-evaluation of the ancient tradition concerning the north-western Pontic regions, as well as the evolution of modern historiographical discourse. This paper examines only the epigraphic sources, based on a catalogue of inscriptions - as exhaustive as possible -, which provides more or less relevant information about the 'barbarian' ethnic groups in the north-western Black Sea area between the 3rd/2nd centuries BC and the 3rd/4th centuries AD. Such research allows a better understanding of the relations between the populations east of the Carpathians with the Greco-Roman world, respectively of the ways of penetration of the archaeological material discovered in this region on the periphery of the ancient world and included in the CRFB R2 corpus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]