Aurel Vlaicu Research Articles

Preface

This present volume contains the proceedings of the 18th International Engineering Research Conference (EURECA) 2022. This conference was first held in 2013 with the primary goal of giving our Taylor’s School of Engineering Final Year Project students a platform to experience a research environment and present at a Conference before they graduate. As EURECA has developed over the years, we now have presenters from undergraduate, postgraduate as well as experienced researchers from different nations and backgrounds, coming together to learn, exchange new ideas and best practices, and advance their research skills. For this 18th EURECA, we are part of the first International Engineering Congress (IEC) 2022; a four-day event held from 28th November – 1st December 2022. The first day featured Engineering Fair, Taylor’s Innofest; the second day featured the International Conference on Automation, Signal Processing, Instrumentation and Control (iCASIC 2022); third day featured the 18th EURECA and the fourth day featured the training workshops. All the events were held physically in Taylor’s University, Malaysia. This conference provides excellent opportunities for all the delegates to engage in an open and constructive conversation in multidisciplinary fields. The theme for the 18th EURECA Conference 2022 is “Transforming Technology and Innovations through Multidisciplinary Research for Sustainable Future” which feature tracks in Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Clean Technologies and Sustainability & Innovation. The objective of the 18th EURECA Conference 2022 is to provide opportunities for students, researchers, and practitioners in various fields of interest to share their research work, ideas and innovations. We would like to convey our gratitude to everyone who helped make the 18th EURECA 2022 conference a sucess: • The scientific reviewers for the vigorous review process • The distinguished keynote speakers: Prof. Dr. Luqman Chuah Bin Abdullah (Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia), Dr. Abderrazzaq Ifis (AT&S Malaysia) and Prof. Dr. Valentina E. Balas (Faculty of Engineering, “Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad, Romania). • All the presenters and participants, and • The committee members for their devotion and hard work in making this 18th EURECA a success. List of Committees, Steering Committee, Organising Committee are available in this pdf.

Preface

This issue of the Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS) contains the proceedings of the 2023 3rd International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Information Engineering (ECIE 2023). The conference took place in Suzhou, China during January 6th-8th, 2023 (virtual form), with the attendance of about 60 scholars, experts, researchers and scientists in related areas.ECIE 2023 is committed to creating an international cooperation and exchange platform for scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the fields related to electronics, circuits and information engineering to share their latest research and development results, discuss existing problems and challenges, and explore cutting-edge technologies. Everyone interested in these fields were welcomed to join the conference and to give comments and raise questions to the speeches and presentations.The conference agenda covered three parts, including a keynote speech delivered by four sophisticated professors from different countries and regions. Among them, Prof. Valentina E. Balas from Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, Romania performed a dramatic keynote speech on Challenges in Green Computing Technologies and New AI regulations. The research proposed an interesting and hot topic related to Green Computing. She introduced their new research in de field of nanotechnologies brain-inspired proposed for the next generation of computing technologies and focused on developing very reliable nano-architecture with low power consumption. Also, she discussed sustainability and green computing and introduced the new AI regulations in EU. It was a wonderful opportunity for all the participants to interact with the experts and specialists to get their advice or suggestions. And we are very optimistic that all participants had acquired new ideas and knowledge from this conference to enhance the capability toward electronics, circuits and information engineering.Through a rigorous peer-review process, all the submitted papers were performed double blind review to check their quality of content, level of innovation, significance, originality and legibility. Based on the expertise review comments, some excellent papers were accepted and the corresponding authors were invited to submit their papers for final publication. The accepted papers included topics on: VLSI Design and Fabrication, Semiconductor Devices and Circuits, Parallel and Distributed Computing, test and Reliability, Electromagnetic Compatibility, etc.We would like to extend our sincere acknowledgement to all the keynote speakers, peer reviewers, and all the participants. Our special thanks also go to the Conference Chair and the International Technical Program Committee members for the procedures that lead to the organization of this event, to the members of IOP-JPCS for their patience while waiting for the final versions of the papers, to our colleagues who contributed to its realization.The Committee of ECIE 2023List of Committee member is available in this pdf.

A Network Analysis-Driven Sequential Mediation Analysis of Students' Perceived Classroom Comfort and Perceived Faculty Support on the Relationship between Teachers' Cognitive Presence and Students' Grit-A Holistic Learning Approach.

The interaction between teachers and students is critical to the learning process. Student success and learner satisfaction have consistently improved in educational situations where instructors and students connect frequently and meaningfully. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, as well as the sense of belonging concept, have received a significant amount of attention from researchers investigating online learning since its debut. The current study focuses on the CoI framework in general, and in particular on studies on teaching, social, and cognitive presences in connection to students' feeling of belonging and grit enhancement. This research investigated the opinion of 310 students at the Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad regarding their satisfaction with their teachers' presences, their academic sense of belonging, and their grit. Our methodology followed an innovative approach. First, we employed a network analysis on all subscales' mean scores, and then we performed a sequential mediation analysis based on both the network analysis results and the conclusions from the literature review. We tested whether students' perceived classroom comfort and perceived faculty support sequentially mediated the relationship between teacher's cognitive presence and students' grit. According to the scientific literature, teacher's cognitive presence consists of four fundamental categories: triggering events, exploration, integration, and resolution, which specifically the validation of knowledge by cooperation and reflection in a community of inquiry. We further tested if sense of belonging might mediate the relationship between teachers' cognitive presence and students' grit. The results show that students' perceived classroom comfort and perceived faculty support partially and significantly sequentially mediate the relationship between teachers' cognitive presence triggering events and students' grit. The results are then further used to suggest possible recommendations for designing holistic learning environments in Romanian higher education institutions.

Preface

The 2022 5th International Conference on Mechanical, Electrical and Material Application (MEMA 2022) was successfully held on June 17-19, 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, and with the strict travelling rules in China, it is still difficult to take international travel for our attendees abroad. Therefore, MEMA 2022 was held both in physical (Chengdu, China) and online (Zoom).The conference focused on the latest research field of “Mechanical, Electrical and Material applications”, promoted the development and integration of related disciplines, grasped the international frontier trends in this field, exchanged the latest research results, and provided an international platform for domestic and foreign institutions of higher learning, scientific research institutes, experts, professors, scholars, engineers, etc. to share professional experience, expand professional networks, exchange new ideas face-to-face and display research results, to explore the key challenges and research directions facing the development of this field. Focused on the latest research results of experts and scholars in the key areas of mechanical electrical technology and material equipment around the world, and carried out high-level, three-dimensional and international academic exchanges and cooperation. Through exchanges from different disciplines and fields, we will forge innovative ideas, stimulate innovative sparks, and accumulate strength to promote the development of related fields and industries and grasp a new wave of scientific and technological and industrial change. Experts and scholars in related fields are welcome to actively submit articles to participate in the conference.During the conference, the conference model was divided into three sessions, including oral presentations, keynote speeches, and online Q&A discussion. In the first part, some scholars, whose submissions were selected as the excellent papers, were given about 5-10 minutes to perform their oral presentations one by one. Then in the second part, keynote speakers were each allocated 30-45 minutes to hold their speeches.There were over 150 experts and scholars in the area of mechanical, electrical and material application representing different famous universities and institutes around the globe to attend this hybrid conference. During the conference, we were pleased to invite four distinguished experts to present their insightful speeches. The first keynote speaker, Prof. Kai Yang, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China. And then we had Prof. Valentina E. Balas, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, Romania. Her research interests are in Intelligent Systems, Fuzzy Control, Soft Computing, Smart Sensors, Information Fusion, Modeling and Simulation. Prof. Prof. Junxi Bi, Inner Mongolia University of technology. His main directions include reliability design, manufacturing, optimization and control of complex electromechanical equipment; Fault diagnosis and performance prediction of large equipment; Digital machining and intelligent manufacturing technology. Our finale keynote speaker, Assoc. Prof. Guomin Luo, Beijing Jiaotong University. She has been engaged in the research of power system transient signal analysis and processing for a long time. Their insightful speeches had triggered heated discussion. Every participant praised this conference for disseminating useful and insightful knowledge.List of Committee member is available in this Pdf.

Students Opinion on the Values of Intercultural Education as Education for Future in Primary School

Intercultural education is an education of interpersonal relationships, which involves members of different cultures, whose fundamental objective is to increase the effectiveness of intercultural relations, to increase the degree of openness, tolerance, acceptance of others. The integration of intercultural education in the school space is a complex and not at all easy process, which requires specific skills and approaches from teachers. Pupils, from the earliest ages, namely, primary schools, should be able to appreciate the richness of a diverse range of cultures and be helped in practical ways to recognize and challenge stereotypes. Wherever prejudice and discrimination exist, they must be addressed. The following article, presents brief research on the opinions and experience of Preschool and primary school students from Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, regarding the values of intercultural education teaching and practice within primary schools, in the Romanian school curriculum, in order to integrate the pupil in the society of the future. They have shared their thoughts regarding the preparation level that they get in the study years at the above-mentioned specialty, through data collected within several sessions of focus groups.

Online pedagogical practice in special education. Students' perspective

The aim of this study is to investigate students' perceptions of pedagogical practice in special education during online teaching. A number of 24 students from the “Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad, specialization Special Psycho-pedagogy who attended online activities in classes with severe, profound and multiple mental disabilities completed a questionnaire and provided feedback related to the virtual school. The perception of the students participating in the pedagogical practice is that the virtual educational environment is an opportunity for special education, but only temporarily.

Schadenfreude and General Anti-Social Behaviours: The Role of Violent Content Preferences and Life Satisfaction

In a digitally developed civilization access to different kinds of content and information can be easily acquired. From all the available content, some individuals chose and prefer to consume aggressive or violent content. In this light, the scope of this investigation is to determine the connection between the level of Violent Content Preferences (VC) and the levels of General Antisocial Behaviour (AS) and Schadenfreude (SCH) and the relationship between the intensity of life satisfaction (LS) and the intensity of Violent Content Preferences (VC), General Antisocial Behaviour (AS) and Schadenfreude (SCH). The present investigation is part of a chain of studies with reference to violent behaviours and cognitions. In this study, a number of 81 students (M = 27.57 SD = 9.25) from Arad, Romania, Aurel Vlaicu University, were investigated. VC and SCH were measured with the explorative affirmations, AS scores were obtained with the help of the How I Think Questionnaire (HIT) and LS was calculated with the help of the Satisfaction with life scale (SWLS). The obtained data ilustrates that VC is positively associated with AS an SCH, furthermore, AS is positively related with SCH, and LS was negatively associated with VC, AS and SCH. These outcomes point out the requirement to take into consideration the content we consume in regard to one’s satisfaction with life and can offer literature meaningful information in regards to the prevention or reduction of anti-social tendencies or cognitions.

Global Life Satisfaction and General Antisocial Behavior in Young Individuals: The Mediating Role of Perceived Loneliness in Regard to Social Sustainability—A Preliminary Investigation

Healthy development can be viewed as an important dimension of the general wellbeing index and can be based upon lifelong sustainable satisfaction. Young individuals can represent an important component for society and its development. The literature shows that increased levels of global life satisfaction (LS) can be associated with minimal levels of problematic behaviors and elevated levels of pro-social behaviors. However, low levels of LS can be associated with high levels of perceived loneliness (PL), which, in turn, can be associated with antisocial behavior (AS). In light of this, the current investigation aims to study the mediating effect of PL and the link between LS and AS. This study is a preliminary investigation referring to aggressive behaviors and cognition in relation to subjective wellbeing. The sample consisted of 81 young individuals (M = 27.57, Standard Deviation = 9.25) from Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, Romania. AS was evaluated with the How I Think Questionnaire (HIT), PL was measured with a single item inquiry and LS was evaluated with the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS). The results display that there is a powerful association between LS and AS, between LS and PL and between PL and AS. After the inclusion of the mediator (PL) to the model, the influence of the independent variable (LS) increased and the effect of LS on AS significantly decreased. In light of this, the relationship between LS and AS can be explained by the mediating role of the PL variable. The results indicate the importance of perceived loneliness in regard to one’s life satisfaction and antisocial behaviors. In light of this, interventions that focus on the social aspect could prove useful for the improvement of sustainable life satisfaction, therefore decreasing the chance of the emergence of AS.

Toponyme im siebenbürgischen Unterwald / Terra ante Silvanum

Abstract The aim of the present paper is to analyse the trilingual Transylvanian toponyms (German, Hungarian an d Romanian) from the Terra ante Silvanum (The Realm Beneath the Forest) and to reconstruct and explain them. When the Saxons arrived in Transylvania, in the 12th Century, they met Szekler, Hungarian and Romanian ethnic groups. The Realm Beneath the Forest represents, from a historical point of view, the Western border of the Transylvanian territory inhabited by the Saxons, which was not a compact area and which was divided into three districts (Sibiu, Brașov, and Bistrița) and two ‘seats’ (Mediaș and Șeica). The Realm Beneath the Forest included three ‘seats’ (Lat. sedes, judicial and administrative forums): Orăștie, Sebeș and Miercurea Sibiului. All the areas of the Realm Beneath the Forest, both those inhabited by German and/or Hungarian and Romanian populations and those inhabited only by Romanian people, have corresponding toponyms in all three languages. The toponyms Orăștie, Romos, Aurel Vlaicu, Pianul de Jos, Petrești, Sebeș, Câlnic, Reciu, Gârbova, Dobârca, Miercurea Sibiului, Apoldu de Sus, Amnaș that are analysed in the paper can be classified according to the following criteria: according to their founder, to the river that flows through the area, to the local toponyms, to their origin and their way of formation. A series of toponyms contributed to the apparition of some autochthonous family names such as Broser, Hamlescher, Kellinger, Mühlbächer, Polder, Rätscher, Urbiger.

Vulnerabilities of the Romanian Air Force pilot training system manifested in the flight training process

The vulnerability of a flight instruction system is understood as a state of affairs, processes or phenomena in the organization’s internal life that diminishes its ability to react to existing or potential changes. Starting from the results of previous research conducted by the authors, the article aims to highlight the need for new ways to train Air Force pilots and suggests possible solutions. The purpose of this study is thus to identify the areas of vulnerability proper to the organization providing the training by synthesizing survey results based on the subjects’ professional experience. Accordingly, we deemed necessary and at the same time pertinent to consider the opinions of the staff involved in the practical training process. For this reason, the evaluation carried out between June and July 2018 involved the Aviation Training Group at “Aurel Vlaicu” Air Force Base.

Peer Review Process-Challenges to Research Integrity

Trends in Textile Engineering & Fashion Technology Peer Review Process-Challenges to Research Integrity Magdalena Simona Fogorasi* University Aurel Vlaicu of Arad, Romania *Corresponding author: Magdalena Simona Fogorasi, University Aurel Vlaicu of Arad, Romania Submission: February 25, 2018; Published: March 05, 2018 DOI: 10.31031/TTEFT.2018.01.000521 ISSN: 2578-0271 Volume1 Issue5

Romanian Engineering "On the Wings of the Wind"

The presented study proposes a commemoration of the main artisans of the Romanian and world aviation, from its beginnings to the day. Very briefly are brought to the forefront, the main inventors of flying machines and equipment that have lived here in the Romanian territory and have contributed substantially to the development of any type of flight. We will talk about Traian Vuia, Aurel Vlaicu, Alexandru N. Ciurcu, Hermann Julius Oberth, Elie Carafoli, Anastase Dragomir, Radu Manicatide, Iosif Silimon, Elena Caragiani-Stoenescu, Petre Constantinescu, Dumitru Dorin Prunariu, Henri Marie Coanda, George (Gogu) Constantinescu. George (Gogu) Constantinescu (4.Oct.1881 - December 11, 1965) was a Romanian scientist and engineer, often considered to be one of the most important Romanian engineers. He was responsible for creating a new field of mechanics, called sonicity, which describes the transmission of energy through vibrations in fluid or solid bodies. He applied the new theory to numerous inventions: sonic, sonic, sonic and others. Among other achievements, there is also a pulling device among the propeller blades regardless of its speed and the first automatic gearshift. He has actively participated in the construction of English aircraft, the Bristol type, while he lived in England. Henri Marie Coanda (June 7, 1886 - November 25, 1972) was an Academician and Romanian engineer, aviation pioneer, physicist, inventor, inventor of the reaction engine and discoverer of the effect that bears his name. Henri Coanda was born in Bucharest on June 7, 1886, being the second child of a large family (Henri had four brothers and two sisters, a total of seven children). His father was General Constantine Coanda, a former mathematics professor at the National School of Bridges and Highways in Bucharest and former Prime Minister of Romania for a short period of time in 1918. His mother, Aida Danet, was the daughter of French doctor Gustave Danet. Traian Vuia (August 17, 1872 - September 3, 1950) was a Romanian inventor and an aviation pioneer who designed, built and tested his own planes, which at the time were among the first heavier aircraft than the air. On March 18, 1906, he made his first self-propelled flight (without catapults or other exterior means) with a heavier device than the air. In his first flight he managed to float about 12 m (40 feet) at Montesson in France on March 18, 1906. This was the first certified flight with the take-off and landing of the aircraft (unassisted from the outside), made with a monoplane aircraft powered by a wheelchair. Performing a mechanical flight with a heavier machine than the air was a fascination at the end of the past and the beginning of our age. Thousands of fools tried to accomplish it, while the who at the end of the eighteenth century had managed to rise in the balloons of the balloons, were smiling with superiority, convinced that the future is theirs, those with more aerial vehicles light than air.

Students’ job-related physical condition. How fit are they ?

Abstract Objectives: To establish the physical condition of “Aurel Vlaicu” Arad University' students, in relation with declared weekly physical activity, assuming that there are statistically significant differences between BMI, recreational physical activities and performances of the monitored samples according to physical condition standards data. Subjects. A number of 1169 students were evaluated, male (n=539), female (n=630), with gender median age: male 22.55y ± 5.59y, female 21.61y ± 4.87y. Methods: Anthropometric parameters (height, weight, BMI) were measured. Also, the following tests were performed: running speed (S), standing long jump (LJ), pushup (P), trunk lift (TL), Home Step Test (HST); and questionnaire DWPA (declared weekly physical activities). The data was processed with SPSS 14.0 for Windows and MedCalc. Results: By associating the declared weekly exercise with cardiovascular capacity, we found that although there is a positive correlation, for the results of the HST and the frequency of the declared weekly exercise this correlation is insignificant. Conclusions: Those who tend to exercise for more than twice a week have small cardiovascular endurance and low level motor skills. This suggests that exercise intensity is inadequate and does not lead to morphological and functional adaptive changes in the cardiopulmonary system, nor do they improve the students’ motor skills. The absence of proper physical condition, in addition to the mostly sedentary nature of future graduates’, jobs increases the risk of occurrence of diseases associated with physical inactivity.

INTERCULTURAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN “AUREL VLAICU” UNIVERSITY

This article seeks to present a few general directions in creating an intercultural learning environment in Higher Education Institutions, with exemplifications from “Aurel Vlaicu” University from Arad. Why? Because Arad City is a multicultural town, our region is in fact a multicultural areal and our students belongs to this county. On the other hand, in the “Aurel Vlaicu” University there are Erasmus+ students from different countries who also bring the nuances of their cultures that interact with ours.

IN-SERVICE AND PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION ON CYBERBULLING

A fundamental resource in educational programs for preventing and combating cyberbullying are the teachers. Although cyberbullying can happen anywhere in the virtual environment, the formal educational environment is conductive to preventive interventions for all pupils of a class (Wolfer, R., Schultze-Krumbholz, A., Zagorscak, P., Jakel, A., Gobel, K ., & Scheithauer, H. (2014) Based on these prerequisites, we have carried out a study on the in -service and pre-service teachers enrolled at Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, aiming at: identifying how teachers understand concrete manifestations of cyberbullying and recognize a victim-student of cyberbullying, identifying the role of responsible persons in preventing and combating this phenomenon, identifying solutions to combat cyberbullying, identifying the training needs of teachers in the field of prevention and combating cyberbullying. The results shown that the teachers have a non-nuanced representation on the phenomenon of cyberbullying, they stressed the need for training on the topic and considered that parents are the main responsible for children education as regarding safety in virtual environment. The study also highlighted that the phenomenon of cyberbullying is the problem of the whole society, and its solving cannot be left to the sole responsibility of a single institution / factor: Combating cyberbullying is a current issue that should be debated by each of us. The involvement of everyone is very important. (V.D

Folclor și istorie

Based on direct field research, our investigation intends to reflect the reaction and the description made by the anonymous creator, in his oral works, of various historical events, and also reflects the creator’s representations of tumultuous episodes, dramatic attempts, and outstanding life aspects that he lived and faced. In our study we treated fragments of the anonymous creations related to the First World War, which recall moments and circumstances of the slaughter outbreak and some information reflecting the historical reality. We debated then one of the most dramatic episodes linked to the Second World War - the concentration of girls to forced labor to Germany, to replace manpower ruined by men going to war. The focus is on the tragic consequences of the lives of women who lived this episode. Regarding the tumultuous events that stirred the imagination of the people, we analyzed songs depicting the tragedy lived by Aurel Vlaicu, the great Romanian aviation pioneer. Another episode full of drama, which we analyzed in our investigation is related to the floods in 1970. It reflects how were immortalized in popular creation the dramatic consequences of that event which had affected so many people. The investigation part of our research is dedicated to some dramatic aspects of the reality of life, especially the peasants’ life during the communist regime. We paid attention to the abolition of the Greek Catholic Church, with all the consequences on both believers and priests. We analyzed more extensively the suffering and humiliation brought on the peasantry by collectivization of agriculture in mountain areas, when peasants were confiscated their entire fortune. We gave proper space to the use of folklore as a means of propaganda to in support and glorification of communism.

The Air Microelemental Pollution and Trees Health Status. A Case Study: Quantification of Air Pollution with Pb, Using Trees as Bioindicators

The identification of the urban areas where bigger air pollutants generally, and metallic pollutants, particularly, concentrations compared to limit allowed maximum concentration are recorded are important in elaboration and implementation of the plans and programmes of air quality management, but also for permanent updating of these and their alignment to the continuous realit y changes. In this context, we emphasize the importance of using the tree planted in urban areas, as bioindicators for identification of air pollution with heavy metals ( Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, etc. ) , their tendency to accumulate in vegetal material, leaves, and/or needles, respectively, being well known. In majority of cases, the heavy metals environmental air pollution leads to lesions of the vegetal tissue of the trees, mainly in leaves. The research aims to identify the lead pollution by using, as bioindicators, the trees planted in neighbourhood of the stations of air quality monitoring in Cluj - Napoca town. The research objectives consist in identification of the trees as possible biomonitoring agents and quantification of lead accumulation in trees leaves, with the aim of identification the areas where the lead concentration in leaves is superior to the limit lead maximum allowed concentration. The study was developed in Cluj - Napoca, and samples were harvested from trees located in areas from neighbourhood of the air quality monitoring stations respectively: CLU-1 ( Aurel Vlaicu St. ) , CLU-2 ( Centre - area from neighbourhood of Nicolae Balcescu College ) , CLU-3 ( 1 Decembrie 1918 Boulevard) , and CLU-4 ( area around Expo Transilvania ) .

Începuturile aviaţiei române / The Beginnings of Romanian Aviation

Due to the great Romanian inventors, such as Vuia Traian, Aurel Vlaicu and Henri Coanda, Romania was one ofthe first countries possessing military aircraft capable of military operations during the First World War.Providing military aviation was a continuing concern during the period between late 1912 and the end of1913. While planning during this period did lead to an increased number of planes, it failed to provide significantcombat potential.The contribution of Romanian pilots in World War I was substantial and they acted in the field with greattactical agility, providing ground troops with important, often vital, information. During the First World War theRomanian pilots demonstrated their high soldierly virtues. In total they logged 8160 flight hours. These included703 adjustments for the Romanian and Russian artillery, 6981 aerial photographs, 560 combat air missions,and dozens of bombing missions, from which 61, 8 tons of bombs were dropped on enemy targets. They alsoconducted over 80 link missions and 6 special air missions (launching the manifestos). In the two years of war, theenemy lost 41 aircraft, 31 being shot down by Romanian, French and British pilots, and 10 by the anti-aircraftartillery guns.At the time of entry into the war, the aircraft owned by the Romanian state were old model planes which werenot armed. However, the aircraft were still used in combat missions, which led to heavy losses during the earlydays of the war.The lack of an aviation industry was acutely felt, and the equipping of the squadrons with planes was onlypossible after the arrival of the aircraft ordered in France or delivered by the Allies, according to the militaryagreement signed in August 1916.The Romanian Air Force had a particularly important role in the campaign during the summer of 1917, whenthe Moldavian front managed to stop the German offensive which aimed at removing Romania from the war andto strengthen the economy of the Central Powers.Reconnaissance aviation – centered on the discovery of enemy artillery positions and other depth targets,and military flight schools – which provided the optimum conditions for teaching aviation personnel – played animportant role during the campaigns of 1916 and 1917.The successful use of aviation during the 1916–1918 campaign had direct consequences for the developmentof this weapon in the near future, and for its recognition as an elite weapon, able to respond rapidly to threats thatwere looming on the eastern and western borders of unified Romania.The changing world political, social and geographical situation, led to a development boom in science andculture in post-war Romania, and created a framework in which the further development of aviation was also a part.Aviation appeared in the first decade of the twentieth century. During this period of world aviation birth,which coincides with the beginnings of Romanian aviation, the creative genius of our people was manifestedboldly in the domain of mechanical flight, emerging internationally, primarily through its representatives TraianVuia, Aurel Vlaicu and Henri Coanda. Their achievements have contributed to the conception and developmentof global aviation. As a result, they occupy a well deserved place among the pioneers of aviation. The originalityof their ideas, which they applied to building aircraft, along with the efforts and achievements of other Romanianmanufacturers in the same period or later – give us the right to say that Romania is a country with a great traditionin the field of aircraft construction.It should be noted that the rise of aviation and its entry into the industrial age took place along with thepreparation and the conduct of World War I. The plane was transformed from a curiosity into a powerful warmachine; first used to observe the enemy and to conduct artillery spotting, and then for air combat missions forthe destruction of living forces and military equipment, including the elimination of enemy aircraft.

An iron belt-buckle from the Late Iron Age discovered in Arad – Aurel Vlaicu Boulevard

The accidental discovery in the year 2001 of an iron bracelet, with snake head ornaments in Arad (Aurel Vlaicu Boulevard, near Betel Pentecostal Church) has signalled the existence of an archaeological site in the area. In the year 2011, from this very site, we have saved a piece used in clothing, a belt buckle with iron plates, covered with bronze sheeting (partially conserved). It belongs to the Babes II type (Rustoiu 6b). Similar pieces can be found in the “ Geto-Dacian” group, having been made in 1 century BC. Across the territory of the modern city Arad, traces of numerous archaeological sites have been found dating from the 2nd century BC to 1st century AD some of the more important being Arad – Gai I, Arad -Sala Polivalentă, Arad – Strada Caisului, Micălaca – Deluţ and Micălaca – Old Cemetery.

The Vanishing Hectare: Property and Value in Postsocialist Transylvania (review)

Katherine Verdery. The Vanishing Hectare: Property and Value in Postsocialist Transylvania. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 2004. 432 pp. This is a counter story to those that viewed the collapse of socialism as the creation of a tabula rasa. In the early 1990s, privatisation and the creation of new property rights were made central to the installation of market democracy and kit-form capitalism in Central and Eastern Europe. Progress could be judged according to how far a state had relinquished its old powers, which in turn could be seen in the number of new private enterprises or the amount of foreign direct investment. Unlike other accounts of the transition, Katherine Verdery has no problem in starting from the premise that private property was a profoundly ideological concept that served to embed these countries in global transformations in labour, value and the accumulation of capital. In addition and also unusually, the author is one of the few commentators to take seriously the fact that socialism had its own property system with its own rules, estates and powers. The importance of the shift in emphasis is made clear through a detailed ethnography of the experience of land reform, as seen through the eyes of peasant households, sharecroppers, agricultural associations and state farm directors in a Romanian village called Aurel Vlaicu. The result is an at times moving account of the difficulties people faced in establishing 'effective ownership' over land throughout the 1990s. For some, this struggle simply proved too great and they ended the decade resigned to the sale of their land and embittered that what had once meant so much to them had turned out to be worthless. The persuasiveness of Verdery's account is that it draws on her first hand witness of the socialist system, its collapse and the transition beyond. She is able to show how the collective farm worked, how the former owners simply reclaimed their old lands in 1990, how the center attempted to place some order on the whole process so that everyone got at least something and the finally, the fairly depressing consequences of its failure to ensure this happened. The 'reconstitution and the constitution' of property as the main land law put it, was supposed to lay the foundation for prosperity via a mixed system of commercial and family farming. And yet, as the book concludes, for the majority of Transylvanian villagers, this simply never happened. For Verdery, the ability to convert land into a valuable, income generating, status-giving asset is not only a matter of individual skill and capital resources. As the author demonstrates in an abundant series of case studies, establishing significant value is also a product of social relations. The fate of the first post-collective agricultural association, for example, was heavily determined by local suspicion that it was 'just another collective' and that its managers would similarly enrich themselves off the backs of the members. Acutely conscious of this 'trust deficit' the association's managers did all they could, at least in the early 1990s, to prove that they were not just another collective. In practice, this meant paying the members so much by way of rent that there was virtually nothing left for investment, thereby undermining the long-term viability of the association. Verdery is keen to set the struggles over land in Aurel Vlaicu in the context of the wider social and economic transformation of central and eastern Europe. Foreign advisors and international organisations played a significant role is pushing for privatisation and almost every country in the region embarked on some such reform. In this regard, 'The Vanishing Hectare' is a good account of individuals and groups not doing what was expected of them. Verdery's closeness to the village and her repeated visits allow her to answer questions that others couldn't. Why did former the landowners insist on the return of land in plots that were often several miles apart? …