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In the present study, gelatin-carboxymethyl cellulose blend film was synthesized, characterized and applied for the first time to preserve cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) and grapes (Vitis vinifera). Gelatin (Gel) film forming solution was incorporated with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) at three volume per volume (Gel:CMC) ratios, namely 75:25, 50:50 and 25:75. CMC treatment has improved the transparency, tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (EAB), water vapor permeability and oxygen permeability of gelatin films. A pronounced effect was obtained for 25Gel:75CMC film. The TS and EAB values were increased from 25.98 MPa and 2.34% (100Gel:0CMC) to 37.54 MPa and 4.41% (25Gel:75CMC), respectively. A significant improvement in antimicrobial property of gelatin films against two food pathogens, namely Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was obtained in the presence of CMC. The effectiveness of gelatin-CMC blend films to extend the shelf life of agricultural products was evaluated in a 14-day preservation study. The gelatin-CMC films were successfully controlled the weight loss and browning index of the fruits up to 50.41% and 31.34%, respectively. Overall, gelatin-CMC film is an environmental friendly film for food preservation.

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Highly tetrahedral, hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films have been deposited using rf sputtering of graphite by a magnetron sputter source in Ar/CH4 atmosphere. The deposition rate, the density and the structural properties of the deposited films were studied as a function of applied bias voltage on substrate during deposition. Optical emission spectroscopy was used to diagnose and monitor the plasma discharge. The film structure was studied using IR absorption spectroscopy. For all the films, the percentage of sp3 hydrogen bonding is higher than 80%. The atomic percentage of bonding hydrogen in the films is in the range 40-60% and increases when the applied bias voltage is increasing.

The purpose of this study is to bring a series of changes to the potential flashed-flood index proposed and used by Smith (2003), to estimate floodplains in the upper part of Trotus Basin. Trotuş Basin is located in the central - eastern part of the Eastern Carpathians (Romania) having an area of 4.456 km2. The Trotus Basin is recognized as a basin where floods occur frequently due to climatic factors (precipitation, air temperature and winds) as well as due to the morphological characteristics (altitude, slope and versants orientation) that favour the formation of these phenomena. To develop a modified Flash Flood Potential Index was used six physical-geographical factors: land use, soil texture, rock’s permeability, slope, profile curvature and flow accumulation. Each thematic layer has been classified in five classes, from 1 to 5, where 1 means a low contribution and 5 a strong contribution of factors in water accumulation and each factor was weighted according to its importance. The result was a grid layer representing the flood potential index. The maximum flood hazard was associated with an area of approximate 10% from the studied surface. To see the contribution of each factor in the achievement of this index a multiple linear regression was made. The result shows that three variables are statistically significant and explain 91.6% from the model. This means that MFFPI can be obtained only from these three significant factors (flow accumulation, profile curvature and land cover) in order to identify areas with flood predisposition, the non-significant variables being removed. In order to verify these results the obtained MFFPI was compared with the flood hazard map for this area and the procedure showed that this index can be used in the identification of the flood-predisposed areas.