EU Funded Projects: from Financial to Economic Analysis

Investment projects represent the basis of economic and social development of our country. The investment is a cost that will most influence the future, but it is necessary that this influence should be not only positive, but also should exceed the investment efforts. There could be different sources of financing the investment, but lately, European grants are more and more accessed by various economic agents or institutions. To obtain European financing, the project must fulfill certain conditions and must follow certain economic, social and environmental indicators. Also, for some financing lines, is required the economic analysis preparation, in order to demonstrate that the project benefits to society are important and cover the investments efforts. Thus, economic analysis studies the project influence on macro-economic or regional level, and evaluates its contribution to the welfare of the region or local community. The present paper aims to analyze the most important and available theoretical resources and to provide practical examples for carrying out the economic analysis. In conclusion, economic analysis is an useful tool for each project evaluation, but the biggest barriers to its development are the lack of valid data and the reduced Romanian experience. Under these conditions, input data can be incorrectly estimated, resulting illusory and subjective project data. For a proper projects selection based on indicators of economic assessment, it must be developed a national, complete and complex guide.performance Cost-benefit analysis, European funds, externalities, investments, shadow prices.

Specific Features in Accessing European Funding

European Funds are the European Union financial instruments in order to assist Member States in reducing the existing disparities between regions and between countries, and for harmonization with the economic, social and cultural European standards. This paper intends to present some general characteristics applicable to the most important financing programs, and also to outline certain features of the main financing lines, referring to investment projects development and their implementation, based on the Applicant Guides analysis. The paper treats institutional, legal, financial, technical, social and environmental aspects and outlines proposals and recommendations to achieve a better EU funds absorption and also a higher success rate of initiated projects. In knowledge-based economy circumstances, training consultancy specialists, that represent the intellectual capital in this area, will ensure the professional management of the developing process, submission and ongoing competitive projects, and will help enhance the funds absorption at national level. Thus, the European support for investments in ensuring sustainable growth will help overcoming the difficulties encountered by our country, and will sustain the Romanian economy recovery.eligible costs, European funds, investment, knowledge economy, sustainable development.

Scoring Method Applied to Financing Programmes in the Context of Sustainable Development

AbstractAt present, Romania is benefiting of its first post-accession programming period, having the possibility to access significant funding allocated for development and reducing disparities to other Member States, but at the same time, it is required a considerable effort not only to meet the national objectives, but also the additional ones imposed at the Community level. EU utilizes several financial support instruments, which in our country, are materialized in seven main operational programmes and two complementary actions. On the other hand, by developing and implementing the Europe 2020 Strategy, EU require each Member State to meet several clear objectives, through a sustainable, smart and inclusive development. In this paper, we analyze the influence and contribution of each EU financing programme on promoting and supporting the sustainable development in Romania. Therefore, we are applying and adapting the Scoring method, in order to evaluate and prioritize the importance of the financing programmes in terms of specific investments for sustainable development, taking into account all three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social and ecological

Diagnostic and classification pitfalls in systemic scleroderma

Generalităţi. Sclerodermia este o boală cronică, multisistemică, de etiologie incertă, caracterizată prin alterarea, indurarea și îngroșarea tegumentului, și prin modificări de tip fibrotic, inflamator și vascular ale unor organe interne (tub digestiv, pulmon, cord, rinichi), însoţită de anomalii imune, celulare și umorale. Prezentare de caz. Prezentăm cazul unei paciente în vârstă de 62 de ani, cunoscută din 2015 cu o importantă patologie cardio-respiratorie (fibroză pulmonară difuză, bronșiectazii bilateral, bronhopneumopatie obstructivă cronică, stadiul III, cord pulmonar cronic compensat, ateroscleroză aortică și mitrală, insuficienţă mitrală forma ușoară), gastroenterologică (reflux gastro-esofagian, steatohepatită cronică, colecistopatie cronică alitiazică), endocrinologică (gușă polimicronodulară, lob tiroidian stâng). Pacienta relatează debutul insidios în urmă cu 1 an a unor fenomene respiratorii – dispnee, tuse iritativă, asociate cu fatigabilitate, astenie fizică, scădere ponderală 17 kg în 6 luni (ianuarie-iunie 2015), pirozis, epigastralgii, disfonie. Se adresează iniţial medicului pneumolog, ulterior fiind direcţionată către diverși specialiști datorită simptomatologiei persistente și rebele la tratament. În ianuarie 2016, ajunge în departamentul de dermatologie, la indicaţia medicului alergolog, acesta găsindu-se în imposibiliatatea realizării testelor cutanate din cauza modificărilor tegumentare. Clinic: se obiectivează tegumente infiltrate și indurate la nivelul mâinilor și feţei, modificări instalate progresiv, însoţite de prurit generalizat. Din anamneza activă reiese că leziunile au fost precedate cu aproximativ 20 de ani de un fenomen Raynaud repetitiv. Pacienta prezintă, de asemenea, macule acromice suborbitar bilateral. Aspectul clinic și patologiile asociate orientează diagnosticul spre sclerodermie sistemică forma acrosclerotică și vitiligo, iar prin corelaţie cu modificările bioumorale se ridică suspiciunea de tiroidită autoimună. S-a instituit corticoterapia sistemică cu Methilprednisolon 16mg/zi, medicaţie vasoactivă, antifibrozantă, bronhodilatator, iar topic se asociază dermatocorticoid și pomadă cu heparină. Evoluţia a fost lent favorabilă, cu diminuarea induraţiei la nivelul membrelor superioare după o lună de tratament. Menţionăm faptul că pacienta s-a adresat serviciului de reumatologie pentru explorări suplimentare în vederea instituirii terapiei cu antagoniști ai receptorilor endotelinei. Astfel, medicul reumatolog decide suprimarea în doze descrescânde a corticoterapiei sistemice, pacienta acuzând, după administrarea ultimei doze, alterarea bruscă a stării generale, cu exacerbarea simptomatologiei pulmonare. S-a indicat reiniţierea corticoterapiei, dar, prin suprapunerea unei viroze respiratorii, evoluţia a fost nefastă, conducând la exitus. Rezultate și concluzii. Particularitatea cazului constă în asocierea, rar raportată în literatura de specialitate, a acestor patologii autoimune, în tipologia/ atipia atingerii pulmonare precoce și amplă, caracteristică pentru sclerodermia sistemica difuză și în nerecunoașterea sclerodermiei sistemice de către serviciile clinice în evidenţa cărora se afl a pacienta. Un alt aspect important ar fi rolul corticoterapiei sistemice în controlul atingerii viscerale și cutanate. Având în vedere heterogenitatea sclerodermiei sistemice, este importantă colaborarea interdisciplinară în vederea diagnosticării corecte și a stabilirii conduitei terapeutice adecvate, pentru îmbunătăţirea calităţii vieţii pacientului.Overview. Scleroderma is a chronic disease, affecting multisystem, of uncertain etiology. It is characterized by alteration, increased hardness and thickness of the skin and by fibrotic, inflammatory and vascular type changes of internal organs (gastrointestinal tract, lungs, heart, kidneys), accompanied by immunological, cellular and humoral abnormalities. Case report. We present a patient aged 62 years, known from 2015 with grave cardio-respiratory (diffuse lung fibrosis, bilateral bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive lung disease stage III, compensated chronic pulmonary heart disease, atherosclerosis, aortic and mitral stenosis, mild form of mitral regurgitation), gastroenterological (gastro-esophageal reflux, chronic steatohepatitis, chronic alithiasic gallbladder), endocrine (multimicronodular left lobe thyroidian goiter) problems. Th e patient relates insidious onset 1 year ago to respiratory phenomenon – dyspnea, irritant cough, associated with fatigue, asthenia, 17 kg weight loss within six months (January-June 2015), gastro-esophageal reflux, epigastric pain, dysphonia. The patient had initially been seen by a pulmonologist doctor, then directed to various medical specialists due to persistent rebelious symptoms refractory to treatment. In January 2016 the patient arrived in the dermatology department, sent by an allergist (allergy skin testing could not be performed because of the hardness of the skin). Clinic: infiltration and induration of the skin of the hands and face, changes progressively installed, accompanied by generalized pruritus. Repetitive Raynaud’s phenomenon has preceded skin lesions for about 20 years. The patient also presents achromic patches suborbital bilaterally. Clinical and biohumoral changes oriented the diagnosis to systemic acrosclerotic form of scleroderma associated with vitiligo and autoimmune thyroiditis. Systemic corticosteroid therapy was instituted (methylprednisolone 16 mg/day), vasoactive, antifibrotic, bronchodilator medication associated with topic dermatocorticoid and heparin ointment was applied as well. Favorable evolution has been slow, with the decrease of upper limb skin induration after one month of treatment. We note that the patient was addressed to the rheumatology service for additional examination and to switch to endothelin receptor antagonist therapy. The rheumatologist decides suppression of systemic corticosteroid therapy, decreasing doses. The patient complained of sudden alteration of general condition, with exacerbation of pulmonary symptoms aft er the last corticosteroid dose. Initiation of corticosteroid therapy was indicated, but by superimposing respiratory viruses, evolution was unfortunate, leading to exitus. Results and conlcusions. The particularity of the case lies: in the rarely reported in the literature combination of these autoimmune diseases, in typology/ atipia of early and wide lung achieving (diffuse systemic scleroderma feature) and in the inability of recognizing this disease (systemic scleroderma) by the other clinical services. Another important aspect is the role of systemic corticosteroid therapy to achieve the control of visceral and cutaneous changes. Considering the heterogeneity of systemic scleroderma, interdisciplinary collaboration is important in establishing the correct diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic management, to improve patient’s quality of life

LE FÉMINISME ROUMAIN ET SES AFFINITÉS AVEC LE FÉMINISME FRANÇAIS (1918-1940)

Born in the second half of the 19th century, Romanian feminism manifested intensively in the interwar period, although most of the women involved in the movement were representative for female elite, not very many, compared to the rest of the population. The first feminist activists discovered the French feminism through studies and internships abroad, ties strengthening up, as the Romanian feminist movement was integrated, organized, and publicly stated, after the 1918 Union. The internationally involvement of the main associations, national actions and propaganda, the acquired "victories" (the civil rights in 1932, the political rights in 1938) constitute the irrefutable evidence that an important feminist movement existed in the Romanian territory. Moreover, the interwar period represents its peak moment, "the patriarchal indifference" manifested by both politicians and a part of public opinion, being fought with big efforts and with specific feminine patience. Romanian-French affinities, shown in our doctoral dissertation, as well as those at a programmatic, organizational level, and even those regarding the forms of manifestation, do not represent a novelty, but rather evidence of exceeding the National frame. These two countries, Latin in spirit, developed common actions within the international feminist forums, the friendship ties manifesting on both official and personal levels. But every movement is emerging in different social-political contexts, having particularities and overtones which individualize them.Paru dans la deuxième moitié du XIXe siècle, le féminisme roumain se manifeste dans la période d'entre les deux guerres dans toute sa puissance, quoique la plupart des femmes impliquées dans le mouvement soient les représentantes d'une élite féminine, sans des rapports trop profonds avec le reste de la population. Les premières féministes découvrent le féminisme français par l'intermédiaire des études et des stages faits à l'étranger. Leurs contacts deviennent de plus en plus durables une fois que le mouvement roumain s'intègre, s'organise et s'affirme en public après l'union de 1918. L'implication des principales associations sur le plan international, la propagande et les actions déroulées au niveau national, les " victoires " obtenues (les droits civils en 1932, politiques intégrales en 1938) sont la preuve incontestable que dans l'espace roumain il y a eu un mouvement féministe fort. De plus, la période d'entre les deux guerres en est le moment d'apogée, " l'indifférence patriarcale " et une partie de l'opinion publique sont combattues grâce aux efforts soutenus et à la patience spécifique féminine. Les affinités franco-roumaines, relevées dans notre thèse, celles au niveau des programmes, de l'organisation et même des formes de manifestation ne sont pas des nouvelles, mais plutôt une preuve que le cadre national est dépassé. Ces deux pays latins ont déroulé des actions communes à l'intérieur des fors féminins internationaux, les liaisons d'amitié se manifestant aussi au niveau officiel que sur le plan personnel. Mais, chaque mouvement se dessine dans des contextes sociopolitiques différents, avec des nuances et spécificités qui leur donnent l'individualité

The geographical distribution of the Romanian churches abroad the country. A valuable source of information on the international migrations of our fellow country men

The quantification and analysis of international migrations have always represented difficult approaches especially because of the lack of some reliable statistical data. Consequently, alternative sources of information (such as religious institutions and administrative boards of different Christian cults) are not to be neglected. However, from this point of view, significant differentiations can be highlighted: the Catholic Church has always been keen on good quality statistical registrations (more or less Neoprotestant cults fit this pattern, too); in its turn, Orthodoxy tries to catch up on the lost ground by means of a considerable administrative organization. Thus, from the different incidence of religion-triggered emigration to the geographical distribution of the cult edifices abroad the country, the connection between migration and religion is a very powerful one. In this sense, our analysis is meant to spot the most important features of the Romanian diaspora

Next Generation of Bee Feed by Biomimetic Formulation of a Hydrocinnamic Acid

Honeybees, Apis mellifera, play an important role in the global ecology and economy [...

LONG-TERM ANTHROPOMETRIC AND METABOLIC EVALUATION OF HEALTHY NEWBORNS WITH INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RESTRICTION

Introduction. Birth weight is the most significant anthropometric indicator of the clinical status of neonates. Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is the cause of increasing death rate in neonates and is associated with adult cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the relationship between IUGR, the development of children and metabolic complications in children up to the age of five. Material and methods. We performed a prospective study over a period of 4 years (2010-2013) on a group of 622 newborns with IUGR without any reported conditions during the neonatal period. The nutritional status assessment was performed by determining the weight, length, body mass index and their integration according to age and sex, on the growth curves proposed by the World Health Organization and was compared to that of 627 IUGR infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The triglyceride, cholesterol and glucose levels were evaluated and compared with normal values for age. Results. The obesity incidence (16.1%) is significant higher (χ2=32.23, p<<0.01, 95%CI). 57.6% of cases with BMI above the normal range, and overweight increases with age (29% in 2-year-olds, vs. 56.7% in 5-year-olds). The obesity incidence decreases with age (32.9% in 2-year-old, vs. 9.1% in 5-year-olds). The evaluation of the metabolic syndrome: 18% of the investigated children had hyperglycemia, and cholesterol and triglycerides levels (f =10.34, p=0.00001, 95%CI) increase with age. 32.8% of the evaluated children had cholesterol levels above 170 mg/dl. Conclusions. Overweight and obesity incidence among children born with IUGR are increased compared to the general population. It is necessary to establish the relationship between the eating habits and the studied parameters, that could elucidate the relationship of the increasing weight and the biochemical parameters (triglycerides and cholesterol)

Total antioxidant status in fresh and stored human milk from mothers of term and preterm neonates

Background: Antioxidant defense of the body is assured by both endogenous and exogenous factors comprising several enzymes, vitamins, protein components and derivates and oligoelements. Breast milk has been proven to have important and essential antioxidant composition to prevent and protect against diseases in infancy. The objective of this study was to determine the total antioxidant status (TAS) of human milk and to evaluate the differences between premature milk and term milk at different moments of lactation (colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk). A second objective was to evaluate how TAS varies whether the human milk is refrigerated or frozen. Methods: Pumped human milk samples of the third, seven and 30th day were collected from women who had term deliveries (30 cases) and preterm deliveries (60 cases). Samples were refrigerated (+4 °C) or frozen in domestic conditions (−20 °C) for various durations and TAS was determined using the ABTS® technique with Randox® reagents and compared for the two groups. Results: Higher values were found in term versus preterm fresh milk at 30 days of lactation. A slight reduction in TAS was found after 72 h of refrigeration, while 1 week freezing produced significant decrease of total antioxidants. Freezing for 12 weeks reduced more than 50% of TAS in fresh milk. Conclusion: Breastfeeding provides the optimal antioxidant for neonates, regardless of gestational age. Fresh milk has the higher antioxidant power. When it is not available, refrigerated milk for 24 h is better than for 72 h and preferable than frozen milk. Freezing human milk for 3 months in household conditions markedly diminishes TAS. Key Words: early lactation, human milk, preterm, term, total antioxidant statu

Total antioxidant status as marker of oxidative stress in infants with intrauterine growth restriction

Aim: The aim of this study is to identify correlations between total antioxidant status values of mothers and their infants and compare these values in accordance to the presence or absence of intrauterine growth restriction