HERBORIZED PLANTS FROM ARCTIUM GENUS

Arctium genus contains 65 vouchers within “Alexandru Beldie” Herbarium from Bucharest. All these vouchers are organized in a database that contains information regarding: species, harvesting place, the person that has collected them, harvesting date and the conservation degree. This was followed by a short description of the main species conserved in the herbarium. The oldest Arctium plant dates back to 1875, while the persons who have gathered these plants are renowned Romanian and foreign botanists. The harvesting place of these plants is focused in Romania but complemented by samples from outside its borders, mainly from the origin countries of the foreign botanists that have collaborated with the Romanian specialists. Even though the species of this Genus are mainly considered weeds, numerous studies show important usages in medicine

Empirical Evidences on Foreign Tourist Demand Perception on Bucharest

Tourism is one of the most dynamic economic sectors, largely influenced by consumer’s perception and overall satisfaction. Tourism destinations are very complex being determined by many attributes. They are often perceived before the visit and confirmed or contradicted as attractive places by tourists’ experiences which determine their loyalty toward them. Our study depicts the incoming tourists’ perception upon Bucharest, the elements leading to it and the degree into which they are satisfied and would come back. Literature research, official statistics and a survey addressed to in-bound tourists were the main sources for collecting data, further on quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed using appropriate software solutions in order to detach a before and an after visit opinion on Bucharest. The research results show the fact that a dominantly negative perception on the tourist destination of Bucharest, formed before the visit, suffers an obvious post-consume change. As a consequence of their positive experiences during the visit most incoming tourists declare their intent to include Romania on their list of future holiday destinations. These results may be used by both academics and practitioners as a valid argument for further in-depth marketing studies and better oriented branding and promotional strategies aiming tourism development for Bucharest

Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation of Organic Thin Films: Applications in Biology and Chemical Sensors

Polymer and biomolecule processing for medical and electronics applications, i.e. the fabrication of sensors and biosensors, microarrays, or lab on chip devices is a cornerstone field which shows great promise. Laser based thin film deposition techniques such as pulsed laser deposition or matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) are competing with conventional methods for integrating new materials with tailored properties for novel technological developments. Successful polymer and protein thin film deposition requires several key elements for depositing viable and functional thin films, i.e. the characteristics of the laser depositing system, the choice of targets and receiver substrates, etc. This chapter reviews the following topics: brief presentation of the MAPLE process including several examples of polymer materials deposited by MAPLE, thus illustrating the potential of the technique as a gentle laser-assisted deposition method. In particular, the “synthesis” of new materials, their analysis and correlation of the bulk and interface properties to its bio-environment shall be discussed as a method to tackle some bioengineering issues. We will also focus on recent breakthroughs of the MAPLE technique for the fabrication of functional devices, i.e. sensor devices based either on chemoresponsive polymers or on proteins

Bio-Interfaces Engineering Using Laser-Based Methods for Controlled Regulation of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Response In Vitro

The controlled interfacial properties of materials and modulated behaviours of cells and biomolecules on their surface are the requirements in the development of a new generation of high-performance biomaterials for regenerative medicine applications. Roughness, chemistry and mechanics of biomaterials are all sensed by cells. Organization of the environment at the nano- and the microscale, as well as chemical signals, triggers specific responses with further impact on cell fate. Particularly, human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) hold a great promise in both basic developmental biology studies and regenerative medicine, as progenitors of bone cells. Their fate can be affected by various key regulatory factors (e.g. soluble growth factors, intrinsic, extrinsic environmental factors) that can be delivered by a fabricated scaffold. For example, when cultured on engineered environments that reproduce the physical features of the bone, hMSCs express tissue-specific transcription factors and consequently undergo an osteogenic fate. Therefore, producing smart bio-interfaces with targeted functionalities represents the key point in effective use of hierarchically topographical and chemical bioplatforms. In this chapter, we review laser-based approaches (e.g. Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE), Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT), laser texturing and laser direct writing) used for the design of bio-interfaces aimed at controlling stem cell behaviour in vitro

The Improvement of the Resistance to Candida albicans

This paper presents the improvement of the antimicrobial character of woven fabrics based on cotton. The woven fabrics were cleaned in oxygen plasma and treated by padding with silver chloride and titanium dioxide particles. The existence of silver and titanium on woven fabrics was evidenced by electronic microscope images (SEM, EDAX) and by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The antimicrobial tests were performed with two fungi: Candida albicans and Trichophyton interdigitale. The obtained antimicrobial effect was considerably higher compared to the raw fabrics. Treatment of dyed fabrics with a colloidal solution based on silver chloride and titanium dioxide particles does not considerably influence colour resistance of dyes

Témoignages d’enseignants européens

Pays-Bas Heleen Jansen  Quelques remarques préliminaires avant de commencer et de présenter ma vision personnelle des choses. Rappeler tout d’abord combien le métier d’enseignant est un beau métier. L’interaction avec les élèves reste toujours passionnante. Et même si la teneur de mon exposé peut parfois paraître un peu sombre, il n’en reste pas moins que stimuler les élèves dans leur développement demeure l’aspect le plus important de l’enseignement. Je voudrais relater la manière dont j’ai ..

Smart Thermoresponsive Surfaces Based on pNIPAm Coatings and Laser Method for Biological Applications

Various applications within last decades such as bacterially resistant surfaces, soft robotics, drug delivery systems, sensors and tissue engineering are poised to feature the importance of the ability to control bio-interfacial interactions. An enhanced attention is dedicated to designing smart stimuli-responsive interfaces for DNA, drug delivery, protein and cell based applications. Within this context, the thermoresponsive materials, especially poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAm) have been intensively used in tissue engineering applications for a controlled detachment of proteins and cells with a minimum of invasive effect on protein and cell structural conformation. The properties of smart bio-interfaces can be controlled by its composition and polymer architecture. Therefore, appropriate methods for obtaining controlled coatings are necessary. Laser methods were successfully used in the last decades for obtaining controlled organic and inorganic coatings for various types of applications, from electronics to tissue engineering. Among these, Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique bring us a step forward to other laser methods by avoiding damage and photochemical decomposition of materials. In this chapter we describe materials and approaches used for design of smart bio-interfaces aimed at controlling protein and cells behavior in vitro, focusing MAPLE method for tuning coatings characteristics in relation with biological response

Graphene nanoplatelets-sericin surface-modified Gum alloy for improved biological response

In this study a “Gum Metal” titanium-based alloy, Ti-31.7Nb-6.21Zr-1.4Fe-0.16O, was synthesized by melting and characterized in order to evaluate its potential for biomedical applications. The results showed that the newly developed alloy presents a very high strength, high plasticity and a low Young\u27s modulus relative to titanium alloys currently used in medicine. For further bone implant applications, the newly synthesized alloy was surface modified with graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), sericin (SS) and graphene nanoplatelets/sericine (GNP–SS) composite films via Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique. The characterization of each specimen was monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle (CA) measurements, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The materials\u27 surface analyses suggested the successful coating of GNP, SS and GNP–SS onto the alloy surface. Additionally, the activities of pre-osteoblasts such as cell adhesion, cytoskeleton organization, cell proliferation and differentiation potentials exhibited on these substrates were investigated. Results showed that the GNP–SS-coated substrate significantly enhanced the growth and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells when compared to bare and GNP-coated alloy. Collectively, the results show that GNP–SS surface-modified Gum alloy can modulate the bioactivity of the pre-osteoblasts holding promise for improved biological response in vivo

Common Man, Society and Religion in the 16th century/Gemeiner Mann, Gesellschaft und Religion im 16. Jahrhundert

Der zweisprachige Sammelband vereinigt zum Teil bahnbrechende Ergebnisse einer interdisziplinären Forschungstagung, deren Beiträge sozial-, wirtschafts-, kultur- und kirchengeschichtliche Aspekte der Frühneuzeit im Karpatenbogen aufgreifen. Basierend auf vielfach erstmals ausgewerteten Quellen bearbeiten die Beiträge aktuelle Fragestellungen und Forschungshorizonte zur Interdependenz von sozialen, ökonomischen, kulturellen und religiösen Phänomenen im Karpatenbogen der Frühen Neuzeit, in dem die Osmanen der international dominante politische Faktor wurden. Transformationsprozesse wurden angestoßen durch Bevölkerungs- und Militärbewegungen, ökonomische, politische und religiös-mentale Umwälzungen, die zwischen opportunistischer Anpassung und rebellierendem Widerstand oszillierten und entsprechende politische Maßnahmen und Gegenreaktionen hervorriefen. Dabei wird die bislang geltende Forschungsmeinung zur Toleranzgeschichte Siebenbürgens in Frage gestellt und völlig neu bewertet