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This article tackles the much-disputed borderline between religion and magic, focusing on a sensitive subject that is still under debate: the Christian magic. The Christian doctrine states its irreconcilable opposition to magic, but in a practical perspective the line of separation between the two is quite blurred. The paper argues that many Christian priests and most of the Christian believers can be seen as practitioners of magic, like shamans, clairvoyants, or witches in more marginal cults. These practitioners form a very large community with shared practices of confronting evil. They interrelate on the grounds of timeless common magic representations. The paper suggests that in all religions, and despite the possible prescriptions of the religious authorities, the commoners produce and make use of their own version of that specific religion. Scholars call this version a popular, lay, or vernacular religion. The present article explores the cultural and social meaning of these terms. In the case of vernacular Christianity, should the interpretation focus on Christianity, or on the too vaguely defined term vernacular? And, in the latter case, is it sure that some vernacular features could still be called Christian? The present article proposes an analysis of field data separated from the usual religious frame of interpretation in order to reach a possibly different understanding of how popular religion actually works on a daily basis. Can popular practice transform any given religion into some sort of magic bearing the appearance and using the canonical religious symbols? The paper discusses contemporary examples based on the fieldwork I have conducted in villages with predominantly Orthodox Christian population and in villages with Roman Catholic population in the region of Moldavia, Romania, between 2015 and 2021. The data reflects the following practices: a) Fasting as a magic tool; b) Consecration of different substances and objects in order to sustain magic practices; and c) Special forms of religious service, such as "black liturgy" or "barefoot liturgy," "cutting morsels," priests' curses, and priests' help with believers' oath-making. All these rituals have a religious appearance and at the same time they illustrate magic at work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an exploratory research, this paper aims to gain in depth information on Moldovan migrants in Romania across different generations. It focuses on changes in migrants' aspirations over time and how historical context influences coping strategies. The study compares behavior and experiences of earlier Post-Socialist migrants (pioneer migrants) with recent young migrants in Iasi and Bucharest. Results indicate evolving aspirations and reduced integration barriers, with recent migrants benefiting from technological progress and easier access to Romanian citizenship, facilitating faster integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of a sociological study conducted in a multiconfessional community situated in the central area of Moldova, Romania. Its main aim was to establish the way in which social distance is perceived and affirmed in this rural community. We used the scale of social distance, starting from the model developed by Bogardus (1925), which has become the most frequently used method of emphasizing the acceptance or isolation of social groups. We calculated the Social Distance Index (SDI), the Social Contact Index (SCI), and the Qualitative Index of Social Contacts (QISC). Results are focused on interconfessional issues, and conclusions reveal a community open to what is close and known, but reluctant to what is distant and less known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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"The Phanariote Century", the period between 1711 / 1716-1821, in which the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia were ruled by ethnic Greeks, loyal subjects of the sultan, from the rich Phanar district of Istanbul, was considered a period of decline characterized by the degradation of social life, by the accentuated impoverishment of a predominantly rural population, by the prosperity of the nobility, by the exacerbation of taxation and, last but not least, by the increase of corruption at all institutional levels in the two principalities. This paper is an analysis, based on documentary sources and historiographical studies, of the mechanisms of operation of local and central state institutions to determine the extent to which the facts we associate today with acts of corruption have significantly influenced, in a negative way, the Romanian society of that period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the study is to show the specifics and features of the social phenomenon of divorce in medieval Moldavia. Divorce was known in all civilizations, however, in the context of European history, both common and specific features were observed in the Principality of Moldavia. The study of documentary historical, legal and act material of the era, notes and information of Catholic missionaries shows that in the Principality of Moldavia not only men, but also women had the right to divorce and remarry. Moldavian women could and had the right to initiate a divorce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the study is to show the specifics and features of the social phenomenon of divorce in medieval Moldavia. Divorce was known in all civilizations, however, in the context of European history, both common and specific features were observed in the Principality of Moldavia. The study of documentary historical, legal and act material of the era, notes and information of Catholic missionaries shows that in the Principality of Moldavia not only men, but also women had the right to divorce and remarry. Moldavian women could and had the right to initiate a divorce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between banditry and revolution during the troubled events that captured Wallachia and Moldavia in 1821. While not neglected in Romanian historiography, the topic is rarely approached in an analytical and critical manner, the bandits associated with the uprising led by Tudor Vladimirescu always being portrayed as champions of the social and national ideals promoted by the revolutionary programme, although no concrete evidence is given in this sense. Therefore, the research questions posed here are the following: do the bandits participating in the uprising assume its ideology? Or are they just selfish opportunists on the look for plunder? If they do assume an ideology, is it progressive or conservative? Or do they join the uprising in order to obtain amnesty for their pre-revolutionary crimes, in case the uprising succeeds? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the history of the quarantine system established at the naval border of the Romanian Principalities (Wallachia and Moldavia) between 1830 and 1859. We survey both the state's ability to organise defences against contagious diseases and the society's reaction to strict quarantine rules. In the end, we show that the Danube quarantine was not only a means of combating contagious diseases but also an instrument of pressure, surveillance and state regulation. To reconstruct an image of that period, we used information from five categories of sources: archive documents, health legislation, the press of the time, memoirs and diplomatic reports. By bringing the Romanian quarantine experience to the foreground, this study broadens both the perspective on quarantines and modernisation in the Romanian Principalities and also the knowledge regarding the free movement, politics and economy at the Danube border of the Ottoman Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of temporary meadows is of particular scientific importance, because they make possible the edification and characterization of some essential aspects regarding the relationship between the diversity, stability and maturity of ecosystems; the relationships between species; the biological balance between natural and artificial ecosystems; aspects that are greatly debated nowadays. They can replace degraded permanent meadows, or on arable land intended for fodder. When creating the mixtures, the basic requirement that must be taken into account is that they form a uniform grass cover and are well adapted to stationary conditions. The importance of developing temporary meadows led to the initiation of studies at ARDS Secuieni, starting with 2017, with the aim of creating the best mixtures adapted to the pedo-climatic conditions in the area. The results obtained in the conditions of Central Moldavia showed that fertilization with different doses of fertilizer influenced the production of dry matter compared to the non-fertilized variants. The variant fertilized with the dose of N80P40 kg/ha had the highest fodder production, i.e.16.13 t/ha d.m.; the difference compared to the control was quite a significant one; and the lowest production was obtained with the control variable (N0P0), i.e. 9.47 t/ha d.m. Analysing the data obtained, it can be easily noticed that, in the variants studied, there were five production cuttings; alternating hay mowing with that for simulating grazing (mixed regime). Analysing the results obtained, for the first cutting, regarding the influence of fertilization and the mixture used on the percentage of grass and leguminous species, it was found that in the mixture of 85% grasses (Dactylis glomerata 60% + Lolium perenne 25%) and 15% perennial leguminous (Lotus corniculatus 15%), the percentage of grasses participation in the grass cover was between 64.5% for the variant fertilized with N40P40 and 86.0% for the variant fertilized with N80P40. The leguminous that are part of the grass cover were between 12.7% for the variant fertilized with N80P40 and 34.6% for the variant fertilized with N40P40, and the percentage of participation of various species was between 0.5% and 1.4%. The participation percentage of perennial grasses and leguminous varied depending on the dose of fertilizer applied, and the quality of the fodder obtained was good for all the mixtures studied, being primarily determined by the doses of fertilizers administered, but also by the species and the proportion of their participation in the sowing rate under the conditions of Central Moldavia from 2017 to 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My previous research has shown that Orthodox monasteries, as compared to the Catholic Mounts of Piety, were functioning in the logic of medieval banks. For instance, they served as places of deposit through donations of real estate; the surplus of annual revenues was in turn channelled, on the one hand, for the liturgical commemoration of the donor and, on the other hand, for the assistance to the poor. Donors were thus investing in their salvation while contributing to the common good of the Christian community as well. The "Romanian" monasteries dedicated as metochia to the Eastern Patriarchates fell within the same pattern, except for particularities which stemmed from the specific profile of the donors. Most often they and their descendants were Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire residing in the Romanian lands or they were ruling princes appointed by the Porte and attached to power networks in Constantinople and Rumelia. Consequently, sacred investing went towards the great monasteries located in the places of origin of the donors, that is, under the jurisdiction of the "Greek" Patriarchates. The double goal of donors was first to secure themselves prayers of commemoration in their place of origin, in prestigious and lasting places of worship, and then to protect the "invested" patrimony from the vicissitudes of time. Furthermore, tacitly donations assisted their poor compatriots and maintained the common weal of their native community, which was the Church itself. I have sustained this argument by comparing the practice of the dedication of "Romanian" metochia to the Holy Places of Orthodoxy to the communal evergetism displayed by the members of the Greek community in Venice via the deposit of large sums of money in Venetian banks. Based on this comparison, it appears that the economic activities of the "Greek" monasteries, which administered the metochia acquired north of the Danube, consisted in putting to work the real estate of the metochia through farming, trade, rental, or pawn brokering, just as money produced profit in Venetian banks. All these peculiarities, which characterized the Wallachian and Moldavian churches dedicated to the Greek Patriarchates, i.e., being founded and subsidized by migrants, accommodating travellers, or practicing trade, explain the concentration of the metochia in and near the urban centres of Wallachia and Moldavia, more precisely in proximity to markets and to migrant communities. The present study examines closely this ingenious system put in place by the Greek monks, consisting, on the one hand, of channelling the income from the lands scattered throughout Wallachia and Moldavia to the metochia situated in the towns, which in turn devoted themselves to reinvesting the gains in urban real estate, commercial, and financial affairs and, on the other hand, to attract donations from wealthy migrants and from their descendants concentrated in urban centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study I look into the behavioural pattern of the "Greek" merchants who came to Moldavia and settled in its capital, the town of Iași. The merchants were attracted by its geographical position: at the crossroad connecting centres in Transylvania or the Danube, ports of the Black Sea and towns of Poland. Because they dealt with regional trade for various merchandise, the merchants chose to invest in land, houses, stores and cellars located in the most relevant streets within the two commercial cores of the town, where they shared the space with many craftsmen, boyars but also monasteries. Whereas they represented an economic force and had money, some merchants made efforts to become boyars by purchasing villages and obtaining offices. Others chose to stay loyal to the urban world, and kept their properties across several generations and maintained their line of business. It was, thus, a very dynamic and ever-changing society, which allowed an easier transition from the structures specific to the late medieval world to the ones of modernity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn. larvae causes attacks and production losses by feeding with different parts of the plant (stem, cobs, inflorescence). The insect is spread throughout Romania, the frequency of attack is, on average, between 30.3% and 70%. The importance of Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn. attacks produced at maize led to the initiation of studies in 2017 at ARDS Secuieni with the purpose to establish the role of technological links in reducing the attack caused by insect larvae. The result obtained regarding the experimentation of five sowing epochs highlighted the high attack on larvae of maize sown in epochs IV and V in comparation with the optimal epoch. The attack produced by larvae at different genotype under the conditions of Central of Moldova, was between 28.59% (Turda 248) and 35.83% (Turda 165), compared with the average experience of 33.34%. Regarding the positioning of the attack on the plant, it is found that highest number of gallery were identified in the area under the cobs compared to the panicle area, where their number was much lower. The application of insecticides through treatments on vegetation reduced the attack of larvae ensuring the protection of maize plants, the variant treated with the active substance cyantraniliprol 200 g/l registered the lowest attack of 9.4%. In the variants treated with insecticides, the attack had values between 11.6% and 15.4% compared to the untreated variant, which registered an attack of 22.5%. In the period 2017-2020, under the conditions in Central Moldova, the sowing epoch and treatment with insecticides on vegetation significantly influenced the attack, and in terms of cultivated hybrid, the differences were insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enhancement of permanent meadows involves conducting complex research, in order to know the limiting factors in the optimal development of vegetation, specific improvement measures to be taken to increase production capacity, feed quality and grazing capacity. The quantity and quality of the vegetation of the permanent meadows are largely conditioned by the characters of the seasonal conditions, to which are added the anthropogenic influences through the exploitation system. The objectives of this study were to highlight the influence of harvesting phenophase and fertilization with mineral or organic fertilizers on the productivity and quality of the forage, with important implications for obtaining high quality forage, depending on the type of fertilizer and the size of application doses. The experience field was organized on a permanent grassland of Dichanthium ischaemum (L.) Roberty, in Andrieşeni locality, Iaşi county, framed between the parallels 47°30'45.2"N and 27°15'42.0" E. The experimental factors were represented by the harvesting phenophase, with three graduations: a1-harvesting at plants height of 15-18 cm, a2-harvesting at the ear formation (control), a3-harvesting to full flowering and fertilization with seven graduations: b1-unfertilized (control), b2-N50P50 kg/ha-1 annually, b3-N75P75 kg/ha-1 annually, b4-N100P100 kg/ha-1 annually, b5-10 t/ha-1 sheep manure annually, b6-20 t/ha-1 annually and b7-30 t/ha-1 annually sheep manure applied at two years. From the results obtained on the Dichanthium ischaemum meadow, it was found that its productivity is very low, and the level of dry matter production can increase considerably depending on the harvesting phenophase and the fertilization used. The harvesting phenophase and the applied fertilization had a marked influence on the quality of the fodder obtained from this type derived from meadows, materialized by changes in the chemical composition with implications on the value of use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten new established sweet cherry orchards in Moldova region were surveyed in the summer of 2021 to assess the phytoviral status. Nine of these were established with abroad propagated material from Italy, Belgium, Czech Republic and Netherlands, and the other one with material produced in Romania. Two blocks of 200 trees from each orchard were visually monitored for virus-like symptoms and then ten samples per orchard were randomly collected for laboratory testing. Sampling trees were tested for the presence of the following viral pathogens: Prune dwarf virus (PDV), Prunus necrotic ring spot virus (PNRSV), Apple mosaic virus (ApMV), Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV), Plum pox virus (PPV), Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV), Raspberry ringspot virus (RpRSV), Strawberry latent ringspot virus (SLRSV) and Tomato black ring virus (TBRV) by DAS-ELISA using BIOREBA antiserum kits. The presence of Little cherry virus-1(LChV-1) on three samples which expressed symptoms of potentially infections was checked by RT-PCR. One out of ten surveyed sweet cherry young orchards found to be infected by one virus. PNRSV was detected in one orchard with an occurrence of 10%. The average of infection with PNRSV in the surveyed orchards from Moldova was 1%. No other infection was found in the surveyed orchards. The newly established orchards in Moldova region have generally a very good phytoviral status which is an important prerequisite for their success. However, there are some cases with virus infected old orchards in the proximity of the newly established orchards which might represent potential source of infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]