ENVIRONMENTAL LEVELS AND DISTRIBUTION OF CARBON MONOXIDE IN BUCHAREST URBAN AREA CASE STUDY: 1. 07. 2006 – 31.03.2007

Ambient concentrations of carbon monoxide in the vicinity of or inside urban and industrial areas can substantially exceed environmental background levels and can be detrimental to human health and welfare. In this period of analysis (July 2006 – March 2007), the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) was exceeded especially at Mihai Bravu and Cercul Militar. The accompanying diagrams showing the time evolution and charts revealing the spatial distribution of CO ambient air concentrations (based on GIS techniques) can be useful instruments in identifying the potential risk areas, like the important streets in the center of Bucharest

Efficacy and Safety of a Novel Therapeutic of Natural Origin (NTN) in Adult Patients with Lactose Intolerance: A Multicenter, Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Food intolerance; Intestinal barrier; Natural therapeuticIntolerància alimentària; Barrera intestinal; Terapèutica naturalIntolerancia alimentaria; Barrera intestinal; Terapéutica naturalBackground: Film-forming substances, such as natural polysaccharides (NP) and pea proteins (PP), act as a protective barrier for treating various gastrointestinal conditions. We assessed the efficacy and safety of a novel therapeutic of natural origin (NTN) containing NP and PP for symptomatic treatment of lactose intolerance. Methods: In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study, patients with lactose intolerance received NTN (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) for 7 days, then the alternate treatment for 7 days. Patients rated their gastrointestinal symptoms using a 7-point Likert scale. The lactose hydrogen breath test was used to assess exhaled hydrogen. Results: NTN as primary or crossover treatment significantly improved patient-reported symptoms of bloating, distension, and abdominal pain. Abdominal pain also improved under primary treatment with placebo. Primary treatment with NTN, but not placebo, normalized mean exhaled hydrogen levels. In the group allocated initially to placebo, crossover to NTN attenuated the increase in hydrogen production. No treatment-related adverse effects were reported in either group. Conclusions: Subjective improvements in bloating, distension, and abdominal pain with NTN were supported by objective evidence of hydrogen production normalization. NTN appears to be a useful alternative to lactose avoidance or enzyme replacement in patients with lactose intolerance.The study was sponsored by Novinthetical Pharma SA, Lugano, Switzerland

Bud burst and flowering phenology in a mixed oak forest from Eastern Romania

Bud burst and flowering phenology have been observed in year 2008 ina natural white oak species complex situated in eastern Romania. A total of 300 mature individuals was mapped and identified based on leaf morphology. The community consists of four oak species: Quercus pedunculiflora, Q. robur, Q. pubescens and Q. petraea. A set of 28 individuals could not be unambiguously classified to one or another species. Data on bud burst showed a normal distribution and the differences among species were small. The "very late" flushing was recorded on 15th of April, three weeks later when compared to early flushing individuals. The time period between the bud burst and the complete development of leaves was nearly the same in all oak species, varying on average, between 18.4 and 20.6 days. The spatialdistribution of phenological groups within the complex appears to be non-randomly, because in many parts of the study plot exist groups in which most of the trees belong to the same phenological category. Our results indicate an overlap in flowering time for all oak species which occur in the area. The data support the hypothesis that interspecific gene flow is possible between closely related oak species

Using virtual instrumentation in the application study of electronic devices

Continuous technological developments require proper training of future specialists through the use of modern training systems. This paper presented in detail both hardware and software structures in a laboratory stand for interactive training of future professionals in the fields related to using electronic devices. Virtual instrumentation is the basics of these applications in terms of data acquisition, processing, and display in a form as explicit and easy to understand of the results. The entire system was created using National Instruments equipment to generate the input stimulus signals to generate both input signals and receive response signals. For various electronic circuits or devices, software applications were created in the LabView graphics development environment. Builds in the form of interactive applications the virtual instruments offer the opportunity for future professionals to benefit from a complete training starting from studying the theoretical part of laboratory work, visualizing the implementation schemes, and making measurements that are then used to make different analyses of results

Statistical evaluation of heavy metal content in some capsicum varieties available on the Romanian market

The aim of this study is to emphasis the heavy metals content in seven capsicum varieties of capsicum of the specie Capsicum annuum L., available on the Romanian market. From the analyzed Capsicum fruit samples, three Capsicum assortments were cultivated in Romania and the other four were imported from Italy and Turkey. The studied heavy metals (copper, zinc, manganese, iron, cobalt, lead, nickel, cadmium and chromium) have normal concentration values that are not of any risk to human health. Cadmium is not detectable in all studied samples. The heavy metal content associated with statistical analysis programs permits the identification of characteristics specific to the origin of products and the graphical chemical fingerprint of the studied capsicum species. The chemical fingerprinting of a plant demands the determination of a large number of elements (DJINGOVA ET AL., 2004). The study is revealing similar distribution pattern

IMPACT AND EMERGENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE SOCIO-HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

In this paper we will consider how the environment affects man, both from a social perspective, in the sense of daily life, and from an economic perspective, in the sense of technological changes that can affect the biodiversity of the environment. In the first part we will approach some philosophical perspectives on human nature and the way in which the environment outlines the society as well as the individual. Furthermore, we will highlight the effects on the environment, the adaptability of both man and the animal and plant kingdom alike - having as reference the O.N.U Conference of 2015 Parties

Comparative studies for 2-propanol electrooxidation on platinum and nickel electrodes in alkaline media

In this paper, new aspects of 2-propanol oxidation electrocatalytic effect on platinum and nickel electrodes, in aqueous alkaline solution was investigated using voltammetric studies. 2- propanol oxidation reaction has been studied by cyclic and linear voltammetry

GENETIC INVESTIGATIONS USING IMMUNO-BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS IN A BLACK SPOTTED CATTLE POPULATION

Abstract The study of the genetic markers and identifying new markers involves an increasing number of research projects i