On the outskirts of Lunca Târnavei, Romania, over a decade ago, a greenish
stone bead was discove... more On the outskirts of Lunca Târnavei, Romania, over a decade ago, a greenish stone bead was discovered in a place called Ierdaş. The artefact was identified in the vicinity of an Early Neolithic feature, characteristic of the Starčevo-Criş cultural complex. At first glance, the appearance of the ornament is similar to the beads that came out of the Neolithic sites of the northern Balkans within the Near East, more than a few of the artefacts being merely several millimetres in diameter and having a greenish colour of the rock from which they had been made. The ornament was subjected to X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrometry investigations in order to establish the composition of its raw material, and was studied with electron microscopes (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detectors for high resolution imaging and qualitative chemical composition. The data gathered support the hypothesis that it is carved from a metamorphic rock, probably a greenschist or chlorite schist. The typological correspondence of the stone bead and of a small batch of archaeological materials in its vicinity, all discovered on the surface of the Lunca Târnavei-Ierdaş site, offer us a new perspective on the cultural links from the beginning of the 6th millennium BC between the Starčevo-Criş communities in Transylvania and the ones located in the Lower Danube area.
The current study presents the effect of naked Fe3O4@Carbon nanoparticles obtained by the combust... more The current study presents the effect of naked Fe3O4@Carbon nanoparticles obtained by the combustion method on primary human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) and primary gingival keratinocytes (PGKs)—relevant cell lines of buccal oral mucosa. In this regard, the objectives of this study were as follows: (i) development via combustion method and characterization of nanosized magnetite particles with carbon on their surface, (ii) biocompatibility assessment of the obtained magnetic nanoparticles on HGF and PGK cell lines and (iii) evaluation of possible irritative reaction of Fe3O4@Carbon nanoparticles on the highly vascularized chorioallantoic membrane of a chick embryo. Physicochemical properties of Fe3O4@Carbon nanoparticles were characterized in terms of phase composition, chemical structure, and polymorphic and molecular interactions of the chemical bonds within the nanomaterial, magnetic measurements, ultrastructure, morphology, and elemental composition. The X-ray diffraction analys...
Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal
Sea snails represent a common food in the world as a source of sterols, such as cholesterol and p... more Sea snails represent a common food in the world as a source of sterols, such as cholesterol and phytosterol, and minerals. Sterols play important roles in body functions and also minerals are important for human health, so the intake of these nutrients into human diets should be known. The aim of this study was to examine the sterol and mineral profiles of the long (Hinia reticulata) and the common (Nassarius mutabilis) sea snails. Samples of both species were collected at different catch times from November 2019 to March 2020 and transported to the University of Camerino (UNICAM) for the evaluation of their sterol and mineral profiles, including toxic elements (Cd, Cr, Pb). The results of the study showed that the average content of total lipid were 57 mg/100 g, 38 mg/100 g for cholesterol and 19 mg/100 g for phytosterol in the long sea snail, and the values were respectively 68, 48, and 20 mg/100 g in the common sea snail, without significant differences in the two examined sea sn...
The compliance of crab shells traditionally used as a complex natural product for agricultural so... more The compliance of crab shells traditionally used as a complex natural product for agricultural soil amendment with modern biofertilizers’ quality and safety requirements was investigated. Shells waste from the Blue crab, Callinectes sapidus and the Green crab, Carcinus aestuarii were tested for macronutrients, heavy metals, bacteria content, and antimicrobial properties. Such information is crucial for further utilization of the biogenic powders for any composite formulation in added-value by-products. The calcium carbonate-rich hard tissue yield was 52.13% ± 0.015 (mean ± S.D.) and 64.71% ± 0.144 from the blue and green crabs, respectively. The contents of Pb, Ni, Zn, Cr (VI), and Cu were several orders of magnitude below the prescribed limit by EU biofertilizer legislation, with Fe, Mn (not prescribed), and As being the most abundant. The content of As and Cd from the material considered here was within limits. The shells contain no colony-forming units of Salmonella spp. and comp...
Raw algae waste naturally thrown on shores could pose serious threats for landfilling and its reu... more Raw algae waste naturally thrown on shores could pose serious threats for landfilling and its reuse for composting or further processing as added-value by-products require knowledge-based decisions and management for the sustainable development of local ecosystems. Raw marine waste containing salt (halite) and heavy metals that eventually accumulate in algae hamper their safe applicability in soil fertilization or in other exploitations. Here, the suitability of algal biomass for use as an environmentally safe fertilizer was investigated, thereby supporting sustainable coastal management. The simple extraction of the dry algal biomass of three abundant Mediterranean species, Enteromorpha intestinalis, Corallina elongata, and Gelidium pulchellum, in water containing sodium carbonate resulted in a greenish extract containing a reduced heavy metals content, and nutrients such as K+, PO43−, SO42−, NO3−, Ca2+, and Mg2+. UV-Vis and Raman techniques, including surface-enhanced Raman scatte...
Combined experimental and theoretical studies on molecular structure of the betulinic acid solvat... more Combined experimental and theoretical studies on molecular structure of the betulinic acid solvatomorph of ethanol, 2-butanol and isopropyl alcohol solvents, grown by recrystallization method, are reported. Theoretical investigations, in the frame of DFT, are done using the new method of the betulinic acid solvatomorph molecule extraction from the corresponding molecular crystal, based on typical fragmentation scheme and chemical connectivity. For all electrons, a localized basis set of Gaussian type functions TZVP and local gradient corrected functional BP86 were used. Good correlation was found between the calculated and experimental data. Slight differences in the lattice modes spectral range (0-200 cm-1) from experimental Raman spectra suggest slight differences in the crystalline network and highlight the powerful Raman approach in evidencing BA pseudo-polymorphs or solvatomorphs. Data obtained suggest that incorporated solvents to the solvates generaly induced changes in cryst...
FT-Raman spectroscopy represents an environmentally friendly technique, suitable for the analysis... more FT-Raman spectroscopy represents an environmentally friendly technique, suitable for the analysis of high-water content food matrices, like wines, due to its relatively weak water bending mode in the fingerprint region. Based on metabolomics applied to FT-Raman spectra, this study presents the classifications achieved for a sample set comprising 126 wines, originated from Romania and France, with respect to cultivar, geographical origin and vintage. Cultivar recognition was successfully performed among four varieties (Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris) while subtle particularities exiting between the Chardonnay wines, coming from the two countries, because of terroir influences were pointed out. The obtained separations of 100% in both initial and cross-validation procedure for geographical differentiation between the two origin countries, as well as, among the three Romanian areas (Transylvania, Muntenia and Moldova) were also discussed. Apart of this, the limitations and...
Although the natural exposure to ambient UV radiation in oligotrophic seawater at small depth can... more Although the natural exposure to ambient UV radiation in oligotrophic seawater at small depth can reach the level responsible for cellular damage, the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus is frequent in...
The inorganic salts content and microbiological properties of the mineral waters from old and fam... more The inorganic salts content and microbiological properties of the mineral waters from old and famous springs from Tarasp, lower Engadin Valley in Swiss Alps have been simultaneously assessed using silver...
Naturalberlinite from a heated sedimentary sequence in CioclovinaCave (Romania) was studied using... more Naturalberlinite from a heated sedimentary sequence in CioclovinaCave (Romania) was studied using Raman spectroscopy complemented with infrared techniques. Vibrational data acquired at room temperature were compared with those reported for synthetic berlinite in ambient conditions. The symmetry of the (PO4)3− units is confirmed by the observation of characteristic bands attributed to the ν1(PO4)3− stretching mode, both the ν4 and ν2
Live diatoms exposed to AgNPs revealed SERS mechanism dependent on the nanoparticles type while t... more Live diatoms exposed to AgNPs revealed SERS mechanism dependent on the nanoparticles type while the SERS output allowed detection of extracellular substances.
On the outskirts of Lunca Târnavei, Romania, over a decade ago, a greenish
stone bead was discove... more On the outskirts of Lunca Târnavei, Romania, over a decade ago, a greenish stone bead was discovered in a place called Ierdaş. The artefact was identified in the vicinity of an Early Neolithic feature, characteristic of the Starčevo-Criş cultural complex. At first glance, the appearance of the ornament is similar to the beads that came out of the Neolithic sites of the northern Balkans within the Near East, more than a few of the artefacts being merely several millimetres in diameter and having a greenish colour of the rock from which they had been made. The ornament was subjected to X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrometry investigations in order to establish the composition of its raw material, and was studied with electron microscopes (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detectors for high resolution imaging and qualitative chemical composition. The data gathered support the hypothesis that it is carved from a metamorphic rock, probably a greenschist or chlorite schist. The typological correspondence of the stone bead and of a small batch of archaeological materials in its vicinity, all discovered on the surface of the Lunca Târnavei-Ierdaş site, offer us a new perspective on the cultural links from the beginning of the 6th millennium BC between the Starčevo-Criş communities in Transylvania and the ones located in the Lower Danube area.
The current study presents the effect of naked Fe3O4@Carbon nanoparticles obtained by the combust... more The current study presents the effect of naked Fe3O4@Carbon nanoparticles obtained by the combustion method on primary human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) and primary gingival keratinocytes (PGKs)—relevant cell lines of buccal oral mucosa. In this regard, the objectives of this study were as follows: (i) development via combustion method and characterization of nanosized magnetite particles with carbon on their surface, (ii) biocompatibility assessment of the obtained magnetic nanoparticles on HGF and PGK cell lines and (iii) evaluation of possible irritative reaction of Fe3O4@Carbon nanoparticles on the highly vascularized chorioallantoic membrane of a chick embryo. Physicochemical properties of Fe3O4@Carbon nanoparticles were characterized in terms of phase composition, chemical structure, and polymorphic and molecular interactions of the chemical bonds within the nanomaterial, magnetic measurements, ultrastructure, morphology, and elemental composition. The X-ray diffraction analys...
Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal
Sea snails represent a common food in the world as a source of sterols, such as cholesterol and p... more Sea snails represent a common food in the world as a source of sterols, such as cholesterol and phytosterol, and minerals. Sterols play important roles in body functions and also minerals are important for human health, so the intake of these nutrients into human diets should be known. The aim of this study was to examine the sterol and mineral profiles of the long (Hinia reticulata) and the common (Nassarius mutabilis) sea snails. Samples of both species were collected at different catch times from November 2019 to March 2020 and transported to the University of Camerino (UNICAM) for the evaluation of their sterol and mineral profiles, including toxic elements (Cd, Cr, Pb). The results of the study showed that the average content of total lipid were 57 mg/100 g, 38 mg/100 g for cholesterol and 19 mg/100 g for phytosterol in the long sea snail, and the values were respectively 68, 48, and 20 mg/100 g in the common sea snail, without significant differences in the two examined sea sn...
The compliance of crab shells traditionally used as a complex natural product for agricultural so... more The compliance of crab shells traditionally used as a complex natural product for agricultural soil amendment with modern biofertilizers’ quality and safety requirements was investigated. Shells waste from the Blue crab, Callinectes sapidus and the Green crab, Carcinus aestuarii were tested for macronutrients, heavy metals, bacteria content, and antimicrobial properties. Such information is crucial for further utilization of the biogenic powders for any composite formulation in added-value by-products. The calcium carbonate-rich hard tissue yield was 52.13% ± 0.015 (mean ± S.D.) and 64.71% ± 0.144 from the blue and green crabs, respectively. The contents of Pb, Ni, Zn, Cr (VI), and Cu were several orders of magnitude below the prescribed limit by EU biofertilizer legislation, with Fe, Mn (not prescribed), and As being the most abundant. The content of As and Cd from the material considered here was within limits. The shells contain no colony-forming units of Salmonella spp. and comp...
Raw algae waste naturally thrown on shores could pose serious threats for landfilling and its reu... more Raw algae waste naturally thrown on shores could pose serious threats for landfilling and its reuse for composting or further processing as added-value by-products require knowledge-based decisions and management for the sustainable development of local ecosystems. Raw marine waste containing salt (halite) and heavy metals that eventually accumulate in algae hamper their safe applicability in soil fertilization or in other exploitations. Here, the suitability of algal biomass for use as an environmentally safe fertilizer was investigated, thereby supporting sustainable coastal management. The simple extraction of the dry algal biomass of three abundant Mediterranean species, Enteromorpha intestinalis, Corallina elongata, and Gelidium pulchellum, in water containing sodium carbonate resulted in a greenish extract containing a reduced heavy metals content, and nutrients such as K+, PO43−, SO42−, NO3−, Ca2+, and Mg2+. UV-Vis and Raman techniques, including surface-enhanced Raman scatte...
Combined experimental and theoretical studies on molecular structure of the betulinic acid solvat... more Combined experimental and theoretical studies on molecular structure of the betulinic acid solvatomorph of ethanol, 2-butanol and isopropyl alcohol solvents, grown by recrystallization method, are reported. Theoretical investigations, in the frame of DFT, are done using the new method of the betulinic acid solvatomorph molecule extraction from the corresponding molecular crystal, based on typical fragmentation scheme and chemical connectivity. For all electrons, a localized basis set of Gaussian type functions TZVP and local gradient corrected functional BP86 were used. Good correlation was found between the calculated and experimental data. Slight differences in the lattice modes spectral range (0-200 cm-1) from experimental Raman spectra suggest slight differences in the crystalline network and highlight the powerful Raman approach in evidencing BA pseudo-polymorphs or solvatomorphs. Data obtained suggest that incorporated solvents to the solvates generaly induced changes in cryst...
FT-Raman spectroscopy represents an environmentally friendly technique, suitable for the analysis... more FT-Raman spectroscopy represents an environmentally friendly technique, suitable for the analysis of high-water content food matrices, like wines, due to its relatively weak water bending mode in the fingerprint region. Based on metabolomics applied to FT-Raman spectra, this study presents the classifications achieved for a sample set comprising 126 wines, originated from Romania and France, with respect to cultivar, geographical origin and vintage. Cultivar recognition was successfully performed among four varieties (Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris) while subtle particularities exiting between the Chardonnay wines, coming from the two countries, because of terroir influences were pointed out. The obtained separations of 100% in both initial and cross-validation procedure for geographical differentiation between the two origin countries, as well as, among the three Romanian areas (Transylvania, Muntenia and Moldova) were also discussed. Apart of this, the limitations and...
Although the natural exposure to ambient UV radiation in oligotrophic seawater at small depth can... more Although the natural exposure to ambient UV radiation in oligotrophic seawater at small depth can reach the level responsible for cellular damage, the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus is frequent in...
The inorganic salts content and microbiological properties of the mineral waters from old and fam... more The inorganic salts content and microbiological properties of the mineral waters from old and famous springs from Tarasp, lower Engadin Valley in Swiss Alps have been simultaneously assessed using silver...
Naturalberlinite from a heated sedimentary sequence in CioclovinaCave (Romania) was studied using... more Naturalberlinite from a heated sedimentary sequence in CioclovinaCave (Romania) was studied using Raman spectroscopy complemented with infrared techniques. Vibrational data acquired at room temperature were compared with those reported for synthetic berlinite in ambient conditions. The symmetry of the (PO4)3− units is confirmed by the observation of characteristic bands attributed to the ν1(PO4)3− stretching mode, both the ν4 and ν2
Live diatoms exposed to AgNPs revealed SERS mechanism dependent on the nanoparticles type while t... more Live diatoms exposed to AgNPs revealed SERS mechanism dependent on the nanoparticles type while the SERS output allowed detection of extracellular substances.
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Papers by Simona Pinzaru
stone bead was discovered in a place called Ierdaş. The artefact was identified
in the vicinity of an Early Neolithic feature, characteristic of the Starčevo-Criş
cultural complex. At first glance, the appearance of the ornament is similar to the
beads that came out of the Neolithic sites of the northern Balkans within the Near
East, more than a few of the artefacts being merely several millimetres in diameter
and having a greenish colour of the rock from which they had been made.
The ornament was subjected to X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrometry
investigations in order to establish the composition of its raw material, and was
studied with electron microscopes (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy
(EDS) detectors for high resolution imaging and qualitative chemical composition.
The data gathered support the hypothesis that it is carved from a metamorphic
rock, probably a greenschist or chlorite schist.
The typological correspondence of the stone bead and of a small batch of archaeological materials in its vicinity, all discovered on the surface of the Lunca
Târnavei-Ierdaş site, offer us a new perspective on the cultural links from the
beginning of the 6th millennium BC between the Starčevo-Criş communities
in Transylvania and the ones located in the Lower Danube area.
stone bead was discovered in a place called Ierdaş. The artefact was identified
in the vicinity of an Early Neolithic feature, characteristic of the Starčevo-Criş
cultural complex. At first glance, the appearance of the ornament is similar to the
beads that came out of the Neolithic sites of the northern Balkans within the Near
East, more than a few of the artefacts being merely several millimetres in diameter
and having a greenish colour of the rock from which they had been made.
The ornament was subjected to X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrometry
investigations in order to establish the composition of its raw material, and was
studied with electron microscopes (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy
(EDS) detectors for high resolution imaging and qualitative chemical composition.
The data gathered support the hypothesis that it is carved from a metamorphic
rock, probably a greenschist or chlorite schist.
The typological correspondence of the stone bead and of a small batch of archaeological materials in its vicinity, all discovered on the surface of the Lunca
Târnavei-Ierdaş site, offer us a new perspective on the cultural links from the
beginning of the 6th millennium BC between the Starčevo-Criş communities
in Transylvania and the ones located in the Lower Danube area.