Transylvanian Area Research Articles

Rhabdodontid (Dinosauria, Ornithopoda) diversity suggested by the first documented occurrence of associated cranial and postcranial material at Vălioara (uppermost Cretaceous Densuș-Ciula Formation, Hațeg Basin, Romania)

Associated and partly articulated cranial and postcranial elements of rhabdodontid ornithopod dinosaurs recovered from the recently rediscovered Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) vertebrate site K2 near Vălioara in the westernmost part of the Hațeg Basin (Transylvania, Romania) are described in detail. These elements come from a multitaxic bonebed discovered in the continental deposits of the Densuș-Ciula Formation, and originate from at least two individuals, although available evidence suggests that these individuals belong to a single taxon. This taxon shares most similarities with specimens referred to Zalmoxes shqiperorum in earlier publications; however, certain skeletal elements also bear characteristics that are reminiscent of Z. robustus, the other Zalmoxes species. Furthermore, the new K2 material also exhibits features that differ from both known Zalmoxes species, as well as from the recently described third Transylvanian rhabdodontid, Transylvanosaurus. Accordingly, given that it appears to be distinct from other previously known Transylvanian rhabdodontids, the taxon represented by this material is here only referred to as Rhabdodontidae indet. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis recovered the ‘K2 rhabdodontid’ within Rhabdodontidae, although the in-group relationships of this clade remain poorly resolved. The new observations presented here indicate that this European endemic basal iguanodontian group was more diverse (at intra- and/or interspecific level) in the Transylvanian area than previously thought, while also emphasize the necessity of the revision and proper re-diagnosis of the currently known Transylvanian rhabdodontid material that was previously assigned to Zalmoxes.

Tapping Into Unknown Musical Areas Analysis of a Medieval Bohemian Musical Manuscript

"This research presents a medieval musical manuscript that has not yet been analyzed in detail. Catalogued under the name of Graduale Latino-Bohemicum, and currently held in the Batthyaneum Library of Alba Iulia, it has many peculiarities in comparison with other similar codices from the Transylvanian area, hence also compared with other Czech manuscripts. We offer analysis around the date of its creation, then debate different naming options. To create the proper context of understanding for the analysis, we present a brief historical background of the time and place in question, that is the turbulent 15th and 16th century of Europe, with special focus on Transylvania. We continue with the physical aspects of the manuscript that guide us through the colorful world of medieval codices. From a structural standpoint the work has two delimited parts. The bilingual manuscript starts with chants written in Czech and finishes with melodies in Latin. The existence of the Czech language, as well as many other clues govern us to set up hypotheses regarding its provenance. During the content analysis we dedicate a subchapter to the later page inserts that contain additional notes for the chants, wherefrom we can further conclude theories about the usage of the codex, authors of the later annotations, and so forth. We offer a more in-depth analysis of the musical notation where aspects like rhythm, staff, neumes used and special solutions are shown. Finally, we conclude all major, raised questions related to the name, origin, and genre. Keywords: Graduale Latino-Bohemicum, musical manuscript, codex, medieval, paleography, Gradual, Cancional, Antifonal, Hussite, Czech, Latin, Gregorian, unison, polyphony."

Fruit spirits fingerprint pointed out through artificial intelligence and FT-Raman spectroscopy

The application of artificial intelligence, i.e. Machine Learning, represents a step forward in food metabolomics/authentication approaches. The present study demonstrates the applicability of the FT-Raman spectroscopy in association with Machine Learning algorithms, for trademark fingerprint assessment of fruit spirits. Thus, based on the best obtained model, a prediction ability of 96.2% was achieved. A good geographical origin prediction of investigated distillates was attained, despite that this classification was a very challenging one taking into account that the separation was made inside close Transylvanian areas. For botanical recognition, the obtained differentiation was quite modest suggesting that the differentiations which appear among the spirits prepared from various fruits are too subtle to be unequivocal detected through this proposed approach. In order to improve the prediction ability, different spectral ranges (Stokes and anti-Stokes) were considered and the best spectral interval for each classification model was identified and distinct Machine Learning algorithms were tested.

The Role of the Hungarian Roman Catholic Church Community Song in the Transformation Process of the Armenian Liturgical Repertoire in Transylvania

"This article presents and briefly discusses the transformation process of the Armenian liturgical repertoire in Transylvania, through the prism of contemporary descriptions and manuscript sources dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As known, most of the Armenian population settled in the Transylvanian area in the seventeenth century. In time, there followed a gradual and definitive assimilation into the native Hungarian (Szekler) population, during which Transylvanian Armenians lost their mother tongue. Schools with Armenian as the language of instruction gradually closed, and the Armenian liturgy also underwent major changes following the adherence of Armenians to the Roman Catholic Church. Currently the Armenian language and culture are on the verge of extinction, most Armenian churches open only on pilgrimage days, once a year. The Armenian population retains only the language of the liturgy and some traditions (more of a gastronomic nature), which in fact represents the danger of the disappearance of everything that this ethnic group has built beneficially in the service of the community over the centuries. Keywords: Armenian, Transylvania, liturgical music, religious folk songs, Frumoasa, Gheorgheni"

A Catalog ofZalmoxes(Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) Specimens from the Upper Cretaceous Nălaţ-Vad Locality, Haţeg Basin, Romania

ABSTRACT The Transylvanian area of Romania boasts a rich fossil record of dinosaurs, which lived on an island (Haţeg Island) during the very end of the Cretaceous. Many of these are dwarfed in body size or exhibit other unusual features thought to be linked to their insular habitat. One of the most common of these dinosaurs is the rhabdodontid ornithopod Zalmoxes, an herbivorous taxon that has been found at many Upper Cretaceous sites across Transylvania. Our collaborative fieldwork has uncovered several new Zalmoxes specimens from the Nalaţ-Vad (= Vadu) locality, a site along the Râul Mare River in the Haţeg Basin that dates to the “middle” to late Maastrichtian. These include a partial associated skeleton, along with various isolated bones from several additional individuals. We catalog and describe these specimens here, and compare them to other Zalmoxes fossils from Romania. They provide further evidence that Zalmoxes was one of the most common vertebrates in the latest Cretaceous of Transylvania, and...

Practici funerare la comunităţile culturii Vinča din Transilvania / Funerary Practices in Vinča Culture from Transylvania

The current study aims to present the funerary discoveries belonging to Vinča culture in Transylvania. We intent to introduce 2 new AMS data, taken from Limba-Vărăria, which we have modelled using OxCal v4.2.4 Bronk Ramsey (2013). The final goal of the present study is to obtain a complete image of mortuary practices in Transylvanian area.

The East Side Story – The Transylvanian latest Cretaceous continental vertebrate record and its implications for understanding Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary events

The latest Cretaceous continental vertebrate faunas of the wider Transylvanian area figured prominently in discussions concerning the Cretaceous–Paleogene Boundary (K-Pg) events when they were first described by Nopcsa between 1897 and 1929, because they were assumed to be late Maastrichtian in age. Subsequently their age was reconsidered as early Maastrichtian, and were thus regarded of lesser importance in understanding the K-Pg boundary events in Europe and worldwide. Moreover, Transylvanian continental vertebrate assemblages (the so-called ‘Haţeg Island’ faunas) were often lumped together as a temporally restricted assemblage with a homogenous taxonomic composition. Recent fossil discoveries and more precise dating techniques have considerably expanded knowledge of the Transylvanian vertebrate assemblages, their ages, and their evolution. A synthesis of the available stratigraphic data allows development of the first comprehensive chronostratigraphic framework of the latest Cretaceous Transylvanian vertebrates. According to these new data, expansion of continental habitats and emergence of their vertebrate faunas started locally during the latter part of the late Campanian, and these faunas continued up to the second half of the Maastrichtian. During this time, long-term faunal stasis appears to have characterized the Transylvanian vertebrate assemblages, which is different from the striking turnovers recorded in western Europe during the same time interval. This suggests that there was no single ‘Europe-wide’ pattern of latest Cretaceous continental vertebrate evolution. Together, the available data shows that dinosaurs and other vertebrates were relatively abundant and diverse until at least ca. 1 million years before the K-Pg boundary, and is therefore consistent with the hypothesis of a sudden extinction, although this must be tested with future discoveries and better age constraints and correlations.

Investigation of Trace Metals Content and Carbon Isotopic Composition on the Soil Leaf-Fruit Chain from Some Transylvanian Areas

Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Isotopic Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) were used in this study to trace heavy metal and isotopic content of soil into the fruit juices. This work presents a preliminary study on the carbon isotope signature and trace metal content investigated on the soil-plant-fruit pulp chain. The samples were collected from Transylvanian areas. Our results for fruit juices are compared with allowable limits for drinking water in the United Kingdom (NS30). The results for soil samples were compared with the maximum value reported for normal range values of natural soils cited by the EEA (European Environment Agency) report. The results obtained for δ13C values on the soil - leaf - fruit pulp chain for grape, pear, and apple samples show depletion in 13C isotope, as the trend of the values reported in literature for the soil–leaf–fruit chain.

Centaurea Species Attractive Transylvanian (Romania) Endemic and Rare Plants with High Potential as Flowering Garden Plant

The wild flora of Romania includes many species presenting with decorative value, some ofthem being introduced already in culture and other could represent in the future, new and importanthorticultural resource. In Romania, only a few species from Centaurea genus were introduced asornamental crops. This genus has many rare and vulnerable species with ornamental value, which aregrown on very small areas. The red lists of vascular plants include 19 species from Centaurea genusand only six species are grown in the intra-Carpathian area (Transylvania area): Centaurearatezatensis Prod., C. rarauensis Prod., C. maramarosensis (JAiv.) DostAil, C. pinnatifida Schur., C.kotskyana Heuff., C. reichenbachii DC. Other species like C. atropurpurea W.et K., C. pugioniformisNyar. or C. phrygia subsp. carpatica (Porc.) Dost. are not threatened but they can become vulnerablein the future due to habitats destruction and sheep pasturing. At the finally of this list is addedCentaurea orientalis L. species which is frequently presents in extra-Carpathian area but it is very rarein Transylvanian area. Part of this species (C. atropurpurea W. et K., C. ratezatensis Prod., and C.orientalis L.) have been studied in situ between 2010-2012, and their decorative characters wereobserved in the garden conditions. Some decorative characters of both cultivated and spontaneousplants were analyzed and compared and the results were statistically interpreted. In conclusion, thispaper presents the biological and ecological particularities of each Centaurea species, as well thefrequency, endemic character, regional distribution and sozological category.

Isotopic and Elemental Determination in Some Romanian Apple Fruit Juices

H, C, O stable isotope ratios and the content of some heavy elements of 31 Romanian single-strength organic apple juices collected from four Transylvanian areas are discussed in this study. The aim of this study was to measure the 2H/1H, 18O/16O, 13C/12C ratios of these juices and their elemental profile and to establish a database of authentic values to be used for adulteration and authenticity testing. Our results have shown mean values of δ 18O = −4.2‰ and δDδ−46.5‰, respectively, for apples from Transylvania and at the same time the mean value of δ 13C = −28.2‰. The content of Cd, Pb, U, Zn, As was below the acceptable limits stipulated in US-EPA standard for drinking water. Cu and Cr limits exceeded for one single juice; Ni content for some apple juices from Maramures, Alba, and Cluj was higher than the acceptable value.

Stable isotopes determination in some Romanian fruit juices

The characterisation of 45 Romanian single-strength fruit juices (apples, pears, plums and grapes) collected from different Transylvanian areas by means of stable isotope approach are presented and discussed in this study. We measured 2H/1H, 18O/16O ratios from water juice and 13C/12C from pulp and compared these results with those already reported in the literature for single-strength juices, in order to see how the geographical and climatic conditions of Transylvania and the meteorological peculiarities of the year 2010 influence the isotopic composition of the investigated fruit juices. The δ13C mean values that we found for apple pulp picked up from different Transylvanian areas show slight differences, probably due to the environmental conditions of the plants. No significant correlation either between the variety of apple or the geographical origin and δ13C value was established.

The Influence of Planting Period and Seedling Age upon the Plants Development and Yield of Chinese Cabbage (Brassica campestris var. pekinensis Lour., Olson) in Autumn Cultures from Polyethylene Tunnels in Transylvanian Tableland Specific Conditions

Chinese cabbage is a less known vegetable, not only in Transylvania, but all over our country, although it appears more and more often in the markets. In the present research, which took place in 2010 from September to December, the behavior of Chinese cabbage in Transylvanian area specific conditions was studied, in order to establish optimal planting period in autumn cultures. The experiment was realized in polyethylene tunnel and one of the objectives was to obtain a high yield of good quality.

Research Concerning the Planting Period of Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. Pekinensis (Lour) Hanelt), in Polyethylene Tunnels, in Transylvanian Specific Conditions

As the name implies, Chinese cabbage is native to eastern Asia and possibly Japan. The plant is mentioned in Chinese literature from the 5th century A.D., but was used much earlier than that. In the present research, which took place in 2010, from January to May, was studied Chinese cabbage behavior in Transylvanian area specific conditions, to establish optimal planting period, so that the production achieved to be high.

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of sugars in Transylvanian honeydew honey.

declared honeydew honey samples were collected from different Transylvanian areas. Origin of the samples was verified by physico-chemi cal parameters and pollen analysis. Their sugar pro file was analysed by means of HPLC with refractive index detection. The results obtained showed that only 25% o f the samples correspond to the requirements of honeydew honey. The rest of 75% samples were mixed blossom- honeydew or pure blossom honeys. Our principal objective was the determination of sugar profile for Transylvanian honeydew honey.

HONEYDEW HONEY PRODUCED IN TRANSYLVANIA: PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND MELISOPALLINOLOGICAL EVALUATION FOR AUTHENTICITY CHARACTERIZATION

28 declared honeydew honey samples were collected from different Transylvanian areas directly from the beekeepers (24 samples) or from supermarket (4 samples). Physico-chemical parameters as well as microscopic analysis were done in order to authenticate the honeydew honey from this part of Romania. The results of electrical conductivity, ash and mineral content, honeydew honey elements demonstrated that from the analyzed samples 7 were real honeydew honeys, 9 were mixture of multifloral and honeydew honeys and 12 were multifloral honeys. High quantity of honey, ddeclared and sold as honeydew honey do not correspond to the EU requirements for honeydew honey. To improve this situation, a better control by the authorities and certified laboratories, is needed

Special Structure Transformations in the Group "Jaj-nota" of Hungarian Folk Songs

In the Transylvanian area delimited by the boundaries of Szatmxr, Csik and Als6-Fehdr counties, and in particular in the Mez6seg occupying a central position within this area, a propensity to shape tunes by variation can be observed which is exclusively typical of the said region. The technique of this kind of variation is based on the principle of augmentation which affects only isometric, four-sectioned songs with each line consisting of eight, rarely seven syllables, the latter metre being equivalent with the former.

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