Fiber Reinfoced Polymer Used for Flooding Protection of Engineering Structures Made of RC and Brick Masonry

Urban and rural floods are becoming nowadays a frequent problem to be dealt with, by both the population and the authorities. Floods and flood related natural disasters act against the civil, industrial and agricultural structures by the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressures of water. A set of protective solutions based on Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite materials, for structural elements of buildings subjected to flood loadings, is proposed and analysed. These solutions are achieved by using the hand lay-up forming technique utilizing glass, carbon or aramid fibers fabrics pre-impregnated with thermosetting epoxy, polyester or vynilester resins. The application of these FRP composites is carried out on reinforced concrete columns and beams as well as on brick masonry works aiming to increase in the overall load bearing capacity, especially against horizontal loads. An improved protection against excessive humidity is also envisaged. The Finite Elements Method based LUSAS software was used to simulate a partially flooded structure. The numerical modeling was carried out in both the un-strengthened and strengthened conditions of the structure in order to assess the increasing in load and deformation capacities of the structural elements. Volumetric finite elements were used for modeling the concrete and masonry members

The importance of circulating tumor products as „liquid biopsies” in colorectal cancer

Liquid biopsies represent an array of plasma analysis tests that are studied to evaluate and identify circulating tumor products, especially circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). Examining such biomarkers in the plasma of colorectal cancer patients has attracted attention due to its clinical significance in the treatment of malignant diseases. Given that tissue samples are sometimes challenging to procure or unsatisfactory for genomic profiling from patients with colorectal cancer, trustworthy biomarkers are mandatory for guiding treatment, monitoring therapeutic response, and detecting recurrence. This review considers the relevance of flowing tumor products like circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating messenger RNA (mRNA), circulating micro RNA (miRNA), circulating exosomes, and tumor educated platelets (TEPs) for patients with colorectal cancer

Boletus Edulis Mushroom Flour-Based Wheat Bread as Innovative Fortified Bakery Product

Mushroom powder was added to bread in different proportions, namely: 3%, 6% and 9%, in order to improve the nutritional properties of bread. Thus, the new products, had increased contents of protein from 6.60% to 7.79% and fat from 0.78% to 1.43%. Moreover, the content of polyphenols also increased from 39.88 to 84.46 mg GAE/100 g, and the antioxidant activity increased from 16.81% to 27.91%. According to the sensory analysis, performed by means of the hedonic test, the most appreciated bread was that fortified with 6% of mushroom powder. In terms of texture profile, the sample with 6% of mushroom powder recorded the best results. Nowadays, this product has a positive impact on the consumers, who take a growing interest in functional products, that are rich in active compounds. Bread enriched with more than 3 % mushroom powder is a product with high nutritional value

Evaluation of Physical-Chemical Indexes, Sugars, Pigments and Phenolic Compounds of Fruits from Three Apple Varieties at the End of Storage Period

Apples are the most cultivated and consumed fruits in the world. They not only taste great, but there are also rich sources of monosaccharides, pigments, fibers, functional compounds such as polyphenols which are well-known for their antioxidant action. Due to the high level of apples consumption, it is important to monitor and know the detailed chemical composition of this fruits on the market shelf. The aim of this paper was to study the detailed chemical composition of apples from three varieties. Samples from three varieties (Ionathan, Golden Delicious and Starkrimson) were taken from the Romanian market. Individual sugars composition was performed by HPLC, total polyphenols content by Folin Ciocalteu method, antioxidant capacity by using the DPPH test, while pigments were analysed by spectrophotometric specific methods and the total starch content measured by a polarimetric method. Water content, acidity, total soluble solids and pH were also monitored through specific methods. There were found differences between varieties particularly in relation to the polyphenols content, carotenoids and chlorophyll. Regarding the individual sugars composition, fructose and glucose were predominant followed by sucrose for all samples. Values of starch, moisture, acidity, total soluble solids and the pH were according to other apple varieties found in literature. These results provide important information regarding the chemical composition of apple varieties from Romanian market, for both human direct consumption and industrial processing.Â