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Smart contracts have been one of the hottest topics over the last few years. They represent a step forward in the progression of blockchains from a financial transaction protocol to an application that automatically implements the terms and conditions of a business agreement. A smart contract is a computer program that runs on a network that uses a consensus protocol that helps the network s nodes make decisions about actions to follow, and is responsible for the network to be trustless. It ensures the automatic and direct transfer of digital currencies, goods, assets, or information between parties without the needfor intermediaries. This paper aims to briefly present the smart contract technology, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as several areas that could gain important benefits by implementing new systems based on blockchain and smart contracts.

Blockchain technology is one of the most promising new technology, a new approach in data registration and distribution, and represents a new paradigm for how information is shared. Blockchain technology gained attention after the first application of this technology - Bitcoin blockchain - was deployed. The tech community considers that blockchain is one of the most disruptive technologies and saw more possibilities of using it in many other sectors. The technology can create trusted, secured, transparent, verifiable, real-time communication networks capable to support almost everything, from payments networks to supply chains, real estate deals, healthcare data sharing, voting systems protected from falsification, etc. This paper aims to briefly present the blockchain technology and how it could be applied in a collaborative system in the healthcare industry.

This study presents a multivariate regression-based analysis aimed at quantifying the influence of key vibration-generating components in two types of grain combines—C110H (with straw walker) and CASE IH (axial flow)—on the operator’s seat (OS). Using triaxial accelerometers, vibrational measurements were performed under both stationary and operational working mode. RMS acceleration values were recorded for major subsystems (engine, threshing unit, chassis, chopper/header) and processed via multiple linear regression. The models generated for each combine and axis (Ox, Oy, Oz) revealed high coefficients of determination (R2 > 0.85), confirming the linear model’s validity. Influence maps and standardized coefficients were used to rank the sources of vibration. Results indicate that the straw walker dominates vibration transmission in the C110H, while the header and threshing system are more significant in the CASE IH. The findings support the development of predictive algorithms for real-time vibration monitoring and ergonomic improvements in combine design. Moreover, the proposed methodology provides a cost-effective diagnostic tool for early fault detection, targeted maintenance, and the long-term reduction of operator fatigue and injury risks.

The paper presents a mathematical model that characterizes the process of threshing and separation from the threshing machine with an axial flow of a thresher, taking into account the following input parameters: material flow, rotor speed, distance between rotor and counter rotor, mean density of processed material, feed speed, length of thresher and separating surface. Output parameters, such as the distribution function of separated seeds, distribution density function of separated seeds and distribution function of free seeds in the threshing space, as well as the distribution function of unthreshed seeds, together with the value of evacuation losses, were used to control the modeling process.

Starting from the influencing parameters of threshing and separation and implicit seed losses that occur within this process, this paper searched for and identified the optimal threshing regimes to minimize losses depending on the process parameters. The evacuation losses (pev) depend on threshing rotor speed (n) and implicit rotor peripheral speed (vp), material feed speed (va), the space between the rotor and counter-rotor (δ), material feed flow (Q), material density (ρ), and the length of the threshing apparatus (L). As the parameters ρ and L are constant, the variation of losses in relation to each of the arguments was followed: vp, Q, ρ, and va, respectively, for the minimization of losses by the variation of the loss function by two arguments each (represented graphically); the four arguments targeted being: vp, va, ρ, and Q. Using these input parameters, it was possible to determine the optimal threshing regimes for the variation of losses in relation to the rotor peripheral speed, the feed flow, the space between the rotor and the counter-rotor, and the feed speed, so as to obtain a seed separation percentage (Ss) as close as possible to 100% (and implicitly the smallest threshing losses—towards zero) in relation to these parameters.

In modern agriculture, grinding, levelling, loosening the soil surface layer and weed destruction, with application in the vegetable and technical crops sector, are carried out by a wide range of agricultural machines generically called harrows. These operations must be carried out by splitting on the natural lines of cohesion and not by hitting, cutting, compressing, breaking, when everything turns to dust. The paper presents the field tests for a harrow with elastic fangs in order to determine the following qualitative work indices: degree of soil grinding, degree of plant damage, degree of weed destruction, degree of levelling, working depth and operating energy indices for the maintenance of corn and sunflower crops.

Project Management practice leverage concepts and models that try to maximize assessment accuracy with regards to effort and resource consumption. A central aspect is analysis of project complexity. The higher the complexity, the higher the cost and resource usage and risk. In this article, we define project complexity classes and propose models for estimating those. Key factors that drive complexity have the utmost importance. Ultimately, guidelines on translating project complexity into cost and duration estimation are established.

Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) is a technical plant that manages to adapt very well to unfriendly environments, even in polluted or poor in nutrients soils and may serve in the near future as an important raw material for the food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Furthermore, the plant is growing rapidly, producing large amounts of biomass and offers the possibility to be harvested up to 2 times a year, therefore presents a high potential to be used in the field of biofuel production. The plant's capacity to multiply easily by developing small tubers in the soil, allowing the production of economically advantageous crops, can be considered an advantage for biofuel producers, however this feature might be a drawback for agricultural land owners considering the very invasive behavior. The present paper aim to assess two Jerusalem Artichokes crops established on marginal soils, assessing productivity and the extensive impact on the ecosystem, paying a special attention to plant invasiveness tendencies.

The European Union is working hard to find effective ways for agriculture to remain clean and sustainable. To achieve this objective, the capacity and capability of the research and development system in the agricultural field is increased. Promoting and supporting the development of innovative technologies and their application on agricultural farms of any size or type for sustainable development. The use of innovative technologies for the production of natural fertilizers, besides the complete elimination of the use of chemical fertilizers, is a desideratum to be pursued. Natural fertilizers bring added value in terms of crop yields. Several technical variants of composting from the vegetal waste produced at an agricultural farm are known. Since the cost of obtaining natural fertilizers differs greatly depending on the method chosen. We want to find through this work simple solutions to make the production of natural fertilizers more efficient, solutions that are available to farmers.

In order to stay effective and competitive, companies have to be able to adapt themselves to permanent market requirements, to improve constantly their business process, to act as flexible and proactive economic agents. To achieve these goals, the IT systems within the organization have to be standardized and integrated, in order to provide fast and reliable data access to users both inside and outside the company. A proper system architecture for integrating company's IT assets is a service oriented one. A service-oriented architecture (SOA) is an IT architectural style that allows integration of the company's business as linked, repeatable tasks called services. A subject closely related to SOA is Business Process Management (BPM), an approach that aims to improve business processes. The paper also presents some aspects of this topic, as well as the relationship between SOA and BPM. They complement each other and help companies improve their business performance. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]