Part Of Romania Research Articles

The occurrence of mycotoxins in wheat from western Romania and histopathological impact as effect of feed intake

BackgroundThe goal of this study has been to evaluate the extent of mycotoxins contamination and their co-occurrence in wheat grain intended for animal feed. A total of 52 wheat samples were collected from the harvest of two consecutive years (2010, 2011) from two counties (Timis and Arad) located in Western Romania and the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZON) and fumonisins (FUMO) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In order to evaluate the toxicological impact of mycotoxins, naturally contaminated wheat samples were administered in rats feed for one month.ResultsThe mycotoxin with the highest incidence in wheat samples was DON due to agro-climatic conditions typical for the west part of Romania. DON was found in 73.08% of samples harvested in 2010 and the highest level of contamination was 3390 ppb. The incidence of DON in sample from 2011 was lower than those of 2010, with a frequency of occurrence of 19.23%. The occurrence of ZON was in the range 69.23–76.92%, with an average value of 187.74 ppb. The OTA content in wheat was below the maximum tolerable limit established by EU Commission regulation for feed legislation (250 ppb). For FUMO the lowest percentage of positive samples was registered (15.38% in wheat sample harvested in 2010 and 11.54% positive samples in 2011). With respect to the co-occurrence of Fusarium mycotoxins, the results proved that ZON was found as a co-contaminant together with DON, especially when climatic conditions for development of fungus are favorable (high air humidity). The differences recorded between investigated localities and their classifications according to the mycotoxin kind and year of harvest were carried out by principal components analysis (PCA). The histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation performed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining technique as well as by assessing the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) revealed significant modification of kidney, liver and spleen cells in the case of DON and FUMO. In terms of toxicity induced by OTA and ZON it was highlighted mixed normal and necrotic areas in liver, while histological assessment revealed normal VEGF expression in kidneys.ConclusionsAlthough none of the analyzed samples exceeding the stipulated maximum limits for cereals used as feed, a high incidence of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species have been recorded (DON and ZON) in wheat samples harvested in Western Romania. Also, histopathological evaluation revealed significant tissue lesions in liver and kidney of rats after one month of feeding with natural contaminated wheat.

Diaspora and Tourism: Transylvanian Saxons Visiting the Homeland

This paper discusses visits to the homeland made by Transylvanian Saxons and their descendants, now mainly living in Germany, after their emigration from the former Saxon areas of Transylvania (Romania). The aim is to understand what compels those people to temporarily return to Transylvania, how the perception of the re-discovered places influences the sense of belonging, or not belonging, to the homeland, and the forms of connection that are re-established. Furthermore, the study aims at analysing the potential of diasporic-roots tourism for heritage protection and local development in this part of Romania. Study results revealed that the landscape re-visited over the journeys played an ambivalent role in the (re)definition of the meanings of home and homeland, reaffirming the sense of belonging to Transylvania and to Germany at the same time. Transylvanian Saxons pragmatically kept connections with the homeland both in Romania (visits, house properties, etc.) and away (associations, newspapers, social networks, etc.), without renouncing the new life found in Germany. Keeping house properties in the homeland was revealed to be a key feature for Saxons’ heritage protection and local development, especially when properties were turned into guesthouses for tourists.

History Returns, with a Vengeance

In March 1990, I served as a member of an international team of observers to the first postcommunist elections in Hungary. It was a heady experience to bear witness to the crumbling of a totalitarian system and the dramatic, yet peaceful, emergence of a democratic transition. One episode from that period: while walking along the fashionable Vaci utca pedestrian mall in downtown Budapest, I noticed numerous street vendors selling maps showing the pre-1914 borders of Hungary. This map included present day Slovakia, as well as Transylvania (now part of Romania) and parts of Ukraine, Yugoslavia, and even Austria. I knew that for Hungarians the peace treaty imposed by the Allied victors at Trianon in 1920 was a ruthless diktat that broke up their historical homeland.

Analysis of Convective Thunderstorm Split Cells in South-Eastern Romania

The mesoscale configurations are analysed associated withthesplitting process of convective cells responsible for severe weather phenomena in the south-eastern part of Romania. The analysis was performed using products from the S-band Doppler weather radar located in Medgidia. The cases studied were chosen to cover various synoptic configurations when the cell splitting process occurs. To detect the presence and intensity of the tropospheric jet, the Doppler velocity field and vertical wind profiles derived from radar algorithms were used. The relative Doppler velocity field was used to study relative flow associated with convective cells. Trajectories and rotational characteristics associated with convective cells were obtained from reflectivity and relative Doppler velocity fields at various elevations. This analysis highlights the main dynamic features associated with the splitting process of convective cells: the tropospheric jet and vertical moisture flow associated with the configuration of the flow relative to the convective cells for the lower and upper tropospheric layers. These dynamic characteristics seen in the Doppler based velocity field and in the relative Doppler velocity field to the storm can indicate further evolution of convective developments, with direct implications to very short range forecast (nowcasting).

NIR Spectroscopy: A Non-destructive Method for PUFAs Determination of Forage

The objective of this study was to develop a non-destructive and rapid method for polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) content of forage from grassland using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). To accomplish this desiderate it was harvested forages in June from ten experimental trials of a permanent grassland situated in the south - west part of Romania, in Banat County, fertilized organic (fermented sheep manure), mineral and organic - mineral. On the permanent grassland the mineral fertilizers were applied yearly since 2003 and the organic fertilizer at each two years. For multivariate analysis to perform the NIR model was used a supervised technique, partial least squares (PLS) regression. The NIRS model was characterized by the following parameters: R 2 = 0.9888, RMSEC = 222.5, RMSEP = 215.7. The differences between the chemical results and those predicted recommend like promising the NIRS method for PUFAs contents prediction of forages from permanent grassland in studied conditions.

The assessment of geodiversity – a premise for declaring the geopark Buzăului County (Romania)

The geopark Buzăului County does not belong to the Geoparks European Network, as there are numerous governmental, legislative and scientific initiatives in this respect. The geopark is situated in the central-south-eastern part of Romania (in Buzau county) and it has a special potential of geological, geomorphological, biogeographical and anthropic nature, a potential which has to be developed and brought into value. The idea of creating a geopark in this area is relatively recent and it was realized by a series of actions carried on by local authorities in partnership with several institutions, a partnership within which it was accomplished the proposal of a general development framework of the geopark, as well as the launching of a promotion campaign. The scope of this work is to evaluate the geodiversity existing in this space as an important starting point in declaring it as a European geopark, being known that it represents a real “open air museum”. The high values of geodiversity and biodiversity represent special strong points in this respect. The method we used was taken from the specialised literature, suffering a series of adjustments to the specifics of the studied area. In the present format, the method is applied for the first time in the Geography literature, so the values obtained cannot be compared with those obtained by other calculation formulas. Thus, values between 0.20 and 1.91 which resulted cover the entire scale of variables proposed.

Winter Presence of Long-Legged Buzzard (Buteo Rufinus) in Moldova (Romania)

Abstract Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus) is a medium sized bird of prey which is known as a breeding species for Romania. In the last years it started to become a common wintering presence in the south-eastern part of Romania (Dobrogea) but it was also recorded in the more northern areas (Moldova) during the cold season. Its presence in Moldova, during the winter period, was recorded in large river valleys, with agricultural lands or grasslands and with trees or timber poles, which are used for perching. Long-legged Buzzard is a new presence for Moldavian winter seasons and it could be observed only in warm periods of winter, when the daily mean temperature is above 0°C. The wintering places are maintained not only for all winter period, but also for the next years. This behaviour could be explained by its territorial fidelity, which was recorded also in other European buzzard species during the winter period.

The theoretical prolificacy of Barbus meridionalis petényi from the Western part of Romania

The theoretical prolificacy of Barbus meridionalis petényi from the Western part of Romania

Jewish Ghettos in Sighet and Dąbrowa Górnicza

Jewish Ghettos in Sighet and Dąbrowa Górnicza

Clinical aspects of cervical cancer patients treated in 2010 in “Saint Spiridon” University Hospital from Iasi, Romania

Romania occupies the first place in Europe concerning cervical cancer incidence and mortality (European Cancer Observatory - 2008 cancer fact sheet). Our objective is to give a preliminary assessment of the cervical cancer situation in the Eastern part of Romania.

The Studineț Basin (Tutova Hills). Morphometric Indicators and Correlations

The morphometric analysis doesn’t imply just the quantitative description of the relief, although it is frequently limited to it, but also a methodological approach that allows the typological classification of landforms and establishing some significant correlations between the selected parameters and other geomorphologic, geologic indicators etc. The testing and validation of such analyses is performed upon representative samples on different scales. This article aims to interpret some morphometric indicators and correlations within the Studineţ hydrographical basin (9669 ha), located in the central part of the Tutova Hills, in the eastern part of Romania. The region’s relief is grafted on sandyclayey and clayey-loamy deposits from the Kersonian and Meotian, being characterized by a relatively high fragmentation for a hillyregion (Jeanrenaud, 1971, 1995). The maximum altitude gap ranges between 108.9 and 485.5 m, and the relief energy values facilitate morphodynamic imbalances expressed through different geomorphological processes. The main characteristic is the presence of cuestas with morphometric, morphodynamic and land use asymmetries. The present scientific approach analyzes every derived map by interpreting the unclassified rasters (pixel value) and the classified ones (class value), comparing the relevance of the results to obtain the optimal number of classes and to establish the limits that have the best geomorphological level of significance. Given the region’s features, the analysis of cuestas was favored to differentiate the cuesta fronts and backslopes. Finally, on a representative perimeter within the basin, the raster histograms (hypsometry, declivity, exposition) were compared, to highlight the differentiations caused by the map scale and pixel resolution.

ABTEILUNG I. Icons and minor arts: a neglected aspect of trade between Romania and the crown of Aragon

Icons and furniture have been largely neglected by studies on trade between the Crown of Aragon and Romania. Only a small number of objects coming from Byzantium and other parts of Romania have survived to the present day, but documentary evidence from inventories shows us their relative abundance in the past. As some fiscal accounts demonstrate, the arrival of these objects was related mainly with trade, especially in the second half of the fourteenth and the first half of the fifteenth centuries, when a large trade developed. An examination of this sort of trade opens the way to reinterpretations of the production of these objects, the manufacture centers, the chronology of large-scale production, and their influence in Western taste.

Le casque gréco-illyrien a représentations figuratives (VIe – Ve siècles av. J.-C.) de Găvojdia, dep. de Timiş / The Greek-Illyrian Helmet with human representations (VI-Vth centuries B. C.) from Găvojdia, Timiş county

We intend, in the fi rst part of the study, to publish the helmet with fi gurative representations of Greek-Illyrian type, discovered at Găvojdia and, in the second part, to analyse the scenes represented on that helmet in the context of the Balkans art. < e helmet made of a sheet of bronze with silver appliqués and found by accident in the Timiș River is, by its fi gurative representations an exceptional piece; if the rider motive can be seen also on the helmets of Olympia and Trebenište, the scene of the wild boar being hunted by two pedestrians, situated over the visor, is not present on other helmets of this type found until now. < is piece can be placed in the IIIA1 type of the Greek-Illyrian helmets, dating from the end of the 6th – beginning of the 5th centuries BC. < e rider and the wild boar hunt, as well as other ferocious beasts, such as the lion, the bear or the stag, are frequent scenes in the elite’s art of Greece, < racia or Illyria, represented in precious metals, pottery vessels or frescoes in the graves and temples. < e helmet of Găvojdia, together with other Greek-Illyrian ones without fi gurative representations found in the south-western part of Romania, prove that the north-< racian aristocracy was connected to the mentalities and the tastes of the elites in the south-eastern Europe.

Human cystic echinococcosis in two south-western and central-western Romanian counties: A 7-year epidemiological and clinical overview

PurposeTo analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of human cystic echinococcosis (CE) in two Romanian counties, of which one is known from a previous survey as hyperendemic, whereas in the other no extensive studies have been undertaken so far. MethodsRetrospective investigation of the medical records of the patients diagnosed with this condition and hospitalized during 2004–2010 in Caras-Severin and Hunedoara counties. ResultsA total of 190 patients aged 5–88 years (44.3±21.8 years old) were diagnosed with CE. More than one fifth of cases (21.1%) were younger than 19 years old, indicating active transmission of the disease. The yearly average incidence was 3.3 cases/100,000 inhabitants. The highest incidence was registered in patients aged 60–69 years (6.2 cases/100,000 inhabitants), regardless of their gender. Liver involvement occurred in 84.7% of patients. One fifth of the cases (20%) presented complications. Normal values of the eosinophil counts and leukocyte counts predominated within the study group. The length of the hospital stay varied between 1 and 65 days with a mean of 13.1±9.5 days. ConclusionsCE has a significant burden in this part of Romania, and continues to be a public health concern. Consequently, better implementation of preventive measures and extensive informative campaigns for the population are mandatory.

Romanian Monasteries: Signs of Tourist Attraction and Self-Discovery

Besides Dracula, Ceauşescu, and Nadia Comăneci, monasteries constitute a permanent Romanian brand, inextricably linked in every foreign visitor's mind to Romanianness. Specific to Moldavia and Bucovina—the Eastern and Northern parts of Romania—these monasteries have attracted visitors for the past 500 years. The person visiting a sacred site is transformed from being merely a tourist into a pilgrim. The painting “The Ladder towards Heaven” at the Pângăraţi Monastery, for example, highlights the importance of the mental and physical involvement of the tourist-pilgrim as an interactive participant in the process of self-discovery.

Siloxane-based polymers as protective coatings against SO2 dry deposition

The present research was focused on investigating the ability of different siloxane-based polymeric coatings to provide environmental protection to monumental limestone (Repedea from Romania) used in the north-eastern part of Romania for the construction of many stone monuments. Three siloxane-based polymers used throughout the world in protecting stone monuments, namely Lotexan-N, Silres® BS 290 and Tegosivin HL 100 and a newly designed hybrid nanocomposite containing silsesquioxane units (TMSPMA) were selected as polymeric coatings. The ability of the coatings to protect the stone from dry SO2 deposition in the presence of humidity in a standardized accelerated ageing test was determined. A comparative study of the obtained results indicates that the stone samples treated with the new hybrid siloxane-based nanocomposite exhibited improved resistance to degradation after being exposed to a SO2 saturated atmosphere.

Mişcarea naţională românească pentru unirea Banatului cu România (februarie–august 1919) / The National Romanian Movement for the Union of the Whole Banat with Romania (February–August 1919)

At the Peace Conference in Paris, the Romanian contingent fought for recognition of the union of Transylvaniaand undivided Banat with the Romanian Kingdom, with the support of French and Italian public opinion. Still,in February 1919, rumors were spread that the Banat region would be divided between Romania and Serbia. ] eRomanians revolted. So, in many rural and urban settlements from the Old Kingdom or from the Romanianprovinces that were united with Romania in 1918, many protest demonstrations were organized against theintention of the Great Powers to divide Banat. The Cultural League and the Banat League organized meetingsin Orăştie, Cernăuţi, Chişinău, Balţi, Kahul, Văleni-de-Munte, Ploieşti, Slatina, Bucureşti, Bârlad, Iaşi, Craiova,Turnu-Severin, Târgu-Jiu, Constanţa, Piatra-Neamţ, Sibiu, Baia Mare, Satu Mare, Beiuş, Gherla, Lugoj şiTimişoara and in many other places.At the people’s assemblies several resolutions were adopted in which they asked that the whole, undividedBanat become part of Romania. They were sent to the Romanian Government and to the Romanian contingentattending the Peace Conference in Paris with the purpose of demonstrating that the entire Romanian nationsupported the head of the Romanian contingent, I.I.C. Brătianu, who requested that the entire undivided Banatbecame part of Great Romania, on 1st February 1919. The large number of protest movements, in which tensof thousands of citizens from all the Romanian counties participated, was impressive. They all fought for anundivided Banat and for union with the Romanian Kingdom.Yet, on 1st August 1919 ,,the ”Big Four” decided that the Banat region would be divided between Romania,Yugoslavia and Hungary. The Great People’s Assembly in Timişoara in August 10th 1919 and the People’s Assemblyof Banat Swabians, on the same day marched to the highest point in the fight for the whole Banat, but the decisionof the Great Powers remained unchanged, to the disappointment and grief of the entire Romanian nation. ] egreater national interests of Romania and Yugoslavia prevailed. They imposed the reconciliation and resumedtheir traditional relations of friendship and neighborliness in the year 1921 when the two countries became alliesagainst their common enemies.

Constructing Interethnic Conflict and Cooperation: Why Some People Harmed Jews and Others Helped Them during the Holocaust in Romania

The authors draw on a natural experiment to demonstrate that states can reconstruct conflictual interethnic relationships into cooperative relationships in relatively short periods of time. The article examines differences in how the gentile population in each of two neighboring territories in Romania treated its Jewish population during the Holocaust. These territories had been part of tsarist Russia and subject to state-sponsored anti-Semitism until 1917. During the interwar period one territory became part of Romania, which continued anti-Semitic policies, and the other became part of the Soviet Union, which pursued an inclusive nationality policy, fighting against inherited anti-Semitism and working to integrate its Jews. Both territories were then reunited under Romanian administration during World War II, when Romania began to destroy its Jewish population. The authors demonstrate that, despite a uniform Romanian state presence during the Holocaust that encouraged gentiles to victimize Jews, the civilian population in the area that had been part of the Soviet Union was less likely to harm and more likely to aid Jews as compared with the region that had been part of Romania. Their evidence suggests that the state construction of interethnic relationships can become internalized by civilians and outlive the life of the state itself.

Alegerile parlamentare din anul 1919 în judeţul Caraş-Severin / 1919 Parliamentary Elections in Caraş-Severin County

The aim of this study is to investigate the development of the November 1919 parliamentary elections in thedistricts of Caraş-Severin County.After the withdrawal of Serbian and French troops from the Banat and the establishment of the Romanianadministration, two counties were set-up in the Banat area allocated to Romania after the Paris Peace Conference,namely Caraş-Severin and Timiş-Torontal.Caraş-Severin County had its capital in Lugoj and included most of the former Hungarian county with thesame name.According to the decisions of the National Assembly of Alba Iulia from 1 December 1918, the new countyadministration was subordinated to the Governing Council based in Sibiu at that time.Both the domestic and international public observed the elections closely, which were announced at thebeginning of 1919. These were the first parliamentary elections in Great Romania.This study describes the new election law: the organization of electoral districts on the territory of the mentionedcounty; the disputes between the political parties that occurred during the preparation of the candidates lists forthe Chamber of Deputies and Senate, the activity of the political parties based in this county; and the electoraltours of candidates in the districts’ villages and cities.The study highlights that these elections were conducted during a state of siege and censorship, whichrepresented a form of political aggression and a way to influence the electorate. Censorship was aimed mainlyat the publications of opposition parties and independent publications, but also some electoral propagandamaterials: brochures, leaflets, posters, flyers, etc., which played an important role in this electoral campaign.Thus, at that time, the Lugoj newspaper Drapelul (the Flag) that appeared since the beginning of the centurywas considered one of the most important publications of the Romanian National Party. The most importantpublications of the opposition parties were Timişana and Banatul Românesc.Considering that the Romanian National Party was presented in the election campaign with a historical past andshowing many times that it is the representative of the Romanian people from Transylvania and Banat, enjoyingpopularity among electors, and being supported by authorities through the mass-media that spread its electoralprogram, the party’s success in the 1919 elections in the districts of Caraş-Severin County seems only naturalthe study concludes with a listing of the names of deputies and senators from Caraş-Severin that will be partof united Romania’s first parliament.

Researches regarding the productive capacity of half-breeds f1 obtained in Romania from the crossing of Tsigai sheep with blackhead Teleorman breed rams

The researches have had as the main object the studying of the productive capacity of the sheep populations F1 obtained by crossing the local sheep Tsigai with the Blackhead Teleorman rams brought from southern Romania. The principal objectives of this research were the following: studying the evolution dynamics of weight and the corporal development starting from birth until the age used to mount, ability to secrete milk evaluation, assessment of quantity and quality of wool. The researches have been made in a private exploitation from the North-East part of Romania, and the conducted study emphasize that if the birth body weight of the lots were analyzed at birth there were close to the live weight at 28 days determined by the weight differences that are favourable for the halfbreeds lots and are significant for the statistical thresholds that are considered. At age of 16 months, when females were used to mount the first time, the absolute difference between the live weight of half-breeds and Tsigai breed was over 3 kg and was significantly distinct statistically speaking from the limit of p< 0.01. The production of milk control has been made during the first lactation following that in the next period to continue this research. The first lactation had a total duration of 225 days, and the total production of milk obtained from half-breed females was higher by 13.68% compared to the performance achieved by the sheep of the pure breed Tsigai, justifying this in terms of expanding the type of matting. The researches have continued also with the evaluation of wool production, and the obtained values show that are not significant differences for the total amount of wool obtained from the first cut of. Instead, when there were evaluated some characteristics of which the wool quality depends (length, degree of flexuosity, fine, return to washing) was found that at the Tsigai breed these had higher values, a consequence of the genetic consolidation degree and of the good selection level for this race.