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Despite the fact that Peninsula occupies an important place in the memorial literature and historical works regarding the political repression in communist Romania, the materiality of this forced labour colony on the trail of the Danube ‒ Black Sea Canal has been neglected both by archaeological research and by the institutions responsible for memory and heritage protection policies. In order to redress this situation, in the fall of 2020, the first archaeological surveys were carried out at Peninsula, with the following objectives : to draw a general plan of the site ; to make a repertory and detailed description of constructions and facilities (buildings, cement platforms, water tanks, concrete structures) ; to identify those structures which, by their construction elements, can be dated in the 1950s ; to identify, map and document the material traces associated with the working sites of the former forced labour colony ; to document the cemeteries where, according to testimonies, political prisoners from Peninsula were buried. The present archaeological analysis goes beyond the legal distinctions (“ political prisoners”, “ common law prisoners”) and historical chronologies with which the dominant narratives regarding the communist period operate (“ first Canal”, “ second Canal” ; communism, post‑communism) and reveals another kind of memory – of the marginal, of the anonymous and abandoned, of those forgotten, at a given moment, by history. From this perspective, the ruins at Peninsula are relevant not only for understanding communist repression, but also for understanding the mechanisms of social marginalization which are perpetuated to this day

Galeşu (currently Nazarcea village, Poarta Albă commune, Constanţa County) is one of the forced labour camps established in the early 1950s during the construction works for the Danube – Black Sea Canal, probably the most ambitious project in the history of modern Romania. Although the colony is mentioned in memoirs and the specialised literature dedicated to the political repression in communist Romania, its ruins have been long forgotten. The archaeology as a discipline in Romania relies on an epistemology according to which the recent or contemporary past is not the object of analysis, but falls within the scope of other disciplines, such as history and anthropology. Against this background, the ruins of the former forced labour camp at Galeşu have been ignored both by archaeological research and by heritage policies. The present paper (The ruins of a modernist project : archaeological surveys in the communist‐ era former forced labour colony at Galeșu/ Nazarcea, the Danube – Black Sea Canal) presents a synthesis of the results of the archaeological research at Galeşu/ Nazarcea performed during 2012, 2014, and 2015 on the site where the forced labour camp was located according to information provided by former political prisoners and by local people. The basic premise of this research is that the ruins of the former labour camp represent the material memory (cf. Olivier 2008) of the communist concentration camps system and of later periods. The archaeological investigation of this colony, in connection with other forms of memory (historical sources, memoirs), may contribute to a more nuanced understanding of a segment of Romania’s recent past. The main goal of our archaeological approach is to reveal the memories contained in the site and its environment. Moreover, these investigations were done in anticipation of the possible restoration of these material memories for the public. The surveys, carried out both within the confines of the former colony and in the surrounding area, have documented 30 certain and four uncertain features (see Appendices 1 and 2) as well as various material traces from the period following the abandonment of the forced labour colony – industrial ruins, dams, basins and huge earth deposits. Two of the features were excavated : C20 in 2014 and C9 in 2015 ; three more test pits were excavated in order to reveal the nature of feature C19/ CN3, whether a building or a simple cone of slumped earth ; the excavations indicated that C19/ CN3 is a destroyed building (for details see Appendix 2). These data were complemented by information gathered from locals, including a witness of the period during which the forced labour camp was operational. Contrasting with the dominant research philosophy in Romania, the archaeological research at Galeşu has revealed a different image of the former forced labour colony, not only from that created by official documents, but also from that described in memoirs. At the same time, the contextual analysis of the biography of the ruins has revealed issues that were ignored by the historical discourses and heritage policies, thus contributing to a different understanding of the Danube – Black Sea Canal

The archaeological mission « Delta du Danube » is studying for more than six years the coevolution human-environment in the Danube Delta at the end of the Neolithic. This article offers a synthesis of the main results obtained from the analysis of the Gumelnița lithic industry in the Northern Dobrogea. The authors have taken into consideration both older collections as well as new ones discovered during the excavations deployed in the mentioned archaeological mission, most of all the tell settlement Taraschina (Maliuc commune). This variety of information allowed a good characterization of the Gumelnița lithic series discovered in the north of Dobrogea. The most important characteristic is represented by the import of raw material from the prebalkanic platform situated in the north-east of Bulgaria. These imports were oriented towards blade type products that were later transformed into a variety of finished objects. The typology is dominated by the end-scraper. A complete technological image will allow integrating the lithic information in the reflections regarding the socio-economic and environmental changes inside Gumelnița societies

The present text is a preamble of proposed archaeological excavations in the former forced labor camp from the communist period at Poarta Albă, Dobrudja, Eastern Romania. In the 1950s thousands of persons were arrested for political and/ or religious reasons and sent to Poarta Albă to work for the construction of the Danube– Black Sea Canal ; many of them died due to the extermination conditions in the camp. To honor them, an Orthodox monastery is going to be built in the area of the former camp. We argue that the main aim of a future archaeological approach should be to uncover the memories hold by the site and surrounding landscape, i. e. “ the material memory” (Olivier 2008), and to contribute to the creation of a memorial museum, part of the monastery. Following the preliminary fieldwork carried out in 2012, a series of structures were mapped and photographed, the majority of which belong most probably to the former camp.

Replacing lead atoms in halide perovskite materials is of significant importance for the development of environmentally friendly perovskite solar cells. In this paper, we investigated the effect of doping the MAPbI2.6Cl0.4 hybrid perovskite (MA—methyl ammonium) with non-toxic elements, such as alkaline earth metal ions (Mg2+) and transition metal ions (Zn2+). The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the prepared samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and UV–Vis. spectroscopy. Finally, the doped films were used as photoactive layers in solar devices in order to evaluate their photovoltaic performance. Zn proved to be more appropriate to replace partially Pb and films with higher quality were obtained. As a result, the MAPb1−xZnxI2.6Cl0.4 based solar cells have demonstrated a slight improvement of the photovoltaic performances, resulting in a uniform and narrower PCEs (power conversion efficiency) range, compared to pristine MAPbI2.6Cl0.4 based devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the use of transabdominal three-dimensional ultrasound (3D TA USG) in diagnosing congenital uterine malformations in pediatric and adolescent patients. The authors highlight the potential problems that these anomalies can cause, such as amenorrhea, pelvic pain, and infertility. The study presents the results of 2D and 3D TA USG scans of patients under 18 years old with various gynecological disorders. The authors conclude that 3D TA USG can be an important tool in diagnosing congenital defects of the reproductive system in children and may serve as an alternative to MRI. [Extracted from the article]

To enhance the spectral response of solar cells, an experimental study on LaPO4:0.01Ce3+/xNd3+ (x = 0, 2, 4 mol%) was carried out, where structural and morphological properties of the prepared samples were well characterized by the means of X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electronic microscope. Additionally, the photoluminescence behavior of phosphors in ultraviolet–visible (UV–VIS) and Near-infrared (NIR) regions were investigated to confirm the energy transfer (ET) from Ce3+ to Nd3+. Moreover, the quantum efficiency of Ce3+/Nd3+-co-doped samples was estimated as high as ~ 172% and the possible ET process was described. Accordingly, the LaPO4:Ce3+/Nd3+ phosphors can convert the UV light (275 nm) into NIR photons (approx. 1059 nm) through the possible two-pathway energy transfer processes from Ce3+ sensitizer ions to Nd3+ activators. Obtained NIR down-conversion emissions are suitable for improving the conversion efficiency of c-Si solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]