Reducing Uncertainty in Romanian Public Finances: Forecasting Models for Revenue Collection

AbstractAlthough practitioners (decision makers or public servants) can choose between different estimation techniques and models, data availability as well as their limited knowledge will often reduce the number of models which can be effectively used to forecast revenue collection. Going beyond a theoretic review of these methods and based on the assumption that time series analyses are the best balanced alternative from the perspective of accuracy (benefits) and resource usage (costs), the paper will inquire which technique can be used in order to estimate the levels of local revenue collection in Romania. As such, three time-series analyses, namely the Simple Moving Average (SMA), Exponential Smoothing (EXS) and Transformation Moving Average (TMA) are used to create estimates for 2011 based on revenue collection levels of 3228 Romanian territorial - administrative units for the 2008-2010 periods. In order to identify which of the three best fits the data, the estimates made with SMA, EXS and TMA were compared (in SPSS using the Paired sample T Test) with the actual 2011 data. Since the difference between the TMA estimates and the actual data are the only ones that are not statistically significant, the paper argues that the TMA is the best fitted time series techniques for this particular type of data. Furthermore, in order to assess the accuracy of the TMA as a medium term forecasting technique, revenue collection levels will be analyzed according to the type of community for both for the actual 2008-2011 data and a predicted (2012-2015) period

Lexical and semantic processing during the translation process in highly proficient bilinguals: Behavioral and electrophysiological measures

L’objectiu d’aquesta tesi ha estat caracteritzar els processos d’activació léxica i semàntica que es produeixen durant el reconeixement de traduccions en bilingües de Català i Castellà. Aquests bilingües són molt competents i balancejats i viuen immersos en un context on les dues llengües estan molt presents, fent un ús regular de les dues. La tesi es composa de quatre estudis. En un d’ells s’ha desenvolupat una base de parells de paraules relacionades semànticament, i que no tenen relació associativa entre elles. Aquesta base s’há utilitzat per obtenir els materials experimentals d’alguns dels estudis inclosos a la tesi. En els altres tres estudis s’ha avaluat als participants en una tasca de reconeixement de traduccions en la qual s’ha manipulat el tipus de parells de paraules que es presenten. Aquestes poden ser traduccions correctes (p.ex., ruc-burro), o poden ser paraules relacionades formalment o semànticament entre llengües. Pel que fa a les relacions formals, s’han avaluat parells que són veïns lèxics (p.ex., ruc-ruso) i parells que són veïns de traducció (p.ex., ruc-berro). Pel que fa a les relacions semàntiques, s’han avaluat parells amb una forta relació semàntica (p.ex., ruc-caballo) i parells amb una relació no tan forta (p.ex., ruc-oso). En dos dels estudis s’há manipulat la direcció de traducció i s’han registrat mesures conductuals (temps de resposta i errades). En l’altre estudi, s’han enregistrat també potencials evocats cerebrals (ERPs). Els resultats han mostrat que els processos d’activació lèxica i semàntica poden estar modulats per les característiques de les paraules (com la seva semblança entre llengües) i dels bilingües (com l’ús i exposició a les dues llengües). Aquests resultats es discuteixen en relació amb els models més influients de la memòria bilingüe, com són el RHM (Kroll & Stewart, 1994), el BIA (Dijkstra & Van Heuven, 1998) o el DRM (De Groot, 1992)La tesis trata los procesos de activación léxica y semántica durante el reconocimiento de traducciones en bilingües muy competentes y balanceados de catalán y castellano, inmersos en un contexto en el que las dos lenguas se usan de forma regular. La tesis consta de cuatro estudios. Uno de ellos, es una base de datos de pares de palabras relacionadas semánticamente, y sin relación asociativa. En los otros tres estudios se ha evaluado a los participantes en una tarea de reconocimiento de traducciones en cual se les presentaban pares de palabras y ellos deberían decidir si la segunda palabra del par era la traducción correcta de la primera (p.ej., ruc-burro). Además de las traducciones correctas se utilizaron pares críticos: a) relaciones formales (p.ej., vecinos léxicos: ruc-ruso y vecinos de traducción: ruc-berro) y b) relaciones semánticas (p.ej., mas semejante: ruc-caballo y menos semejante en el significado: ruc-oso). Las medidas fueron conductuales (tiempos de respuesta y errores) y registrado de potenciales evocados cerebrales (ERPs). Los resultados muestran que los procesos de activación léxica y semántica pueden ser modulados por las características de las palabras (como la semejanza entre lenguas) y de los bilingües (como el uso y exposición a las dos lenguas). Estos resultados se discuten en relación con los modelos más influyentes de la memoria bilingüe, como son el RHM (Kroll & Stewart, 1994), el BIA (Dijkstra & Van Heuven, 1998) o el DRM (De Groot, 1992).The present thesis approach the lexical and semantic processing during translation recognition in highly proficient and balanced Catalan-Spanish bilinguals who use both languages on a regular basis. The thesis includes four studies. One study provides normative ratings for a set of semantically (and non-associatively) related pairs. In the other three studies, the performance of Catalan-Spanish bilinguals was assessed in a translation recognition task. In this task, the participants were presented with pairs of words and they had to decide where the second word of the pair was the correct translation of the first one (e.g., ruc-burro [donkey]). Additionally, there were critical pairs: a) form relatedness (e.g., lexical neighbors: ruc-ruso [Russian] and translation neighbors: ruc-berro [watercress] as well semantically related words (e.g., highly similar: ruc-caballo [horse] and less similar in meaning: ruc-oso [bear]). Behavioral measures (response times and percentage of errors) and event related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The results show that lexical and semantic activation can be modulated by words’ characteristics (i.e., semantic similarity) as well as by bilinguals’ characteristics (such as languages use). These results are discussed within the framework of the most influential models of bilingual memory, such as the RHM (Kroll & Stewart, 1994), the BIA model (Dijkstra & Van Heuven, 1998) or the DRM (De Groot, 1992)

Туберкулёзный менингит – дифференциальная диагностика и особенности течения заболевания

Universitatea de Stat de Medicină şi Farmacie „Nicolae Testemiţanu”, IMSP Institutul Mamei și Copilului, Centrul de Diagnostic GermanBackground. Tuberculous meningitis (MTB) is a subacute meningeal disorder, which is a major problem among children, especially in countries with a precarious economic level. It is often associated with disability and death. The aim of this paper is to present diagnostic criteria and evolutionary particularities of tuberculous meningitis in the pediatric population starting from the description of two clinical cases. Material and methods: Two clinical cases of positive tuberculous meningitis in one case and with death are reported in the second case. The patients were hospitalized in the neurology section of the Institute of Mother and Child (IMMIC) in 2019, with the initial diagnosis of undetermined meningoencephalitis of an etiology complicated with occlusive hydrocephalus. Results: Cerebral CT scan results confirmed the early association of occlusive hydrocephalus in both cases, and pulmonary CT – multiple calcifications in the lymph nodes, suggesting the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis confirmed by the GeneXpert technique. Conclusions: Tuberculous meningitis is the most common form of central nervous system tuberculosis. The cardinal symptoms of tuberculous meningitis are fever and headache, which also occurs in other neuroinfections, which requires maximum vigilance from physicians in establishing the correct diagnosis.Введение. Туберкулезный менингит – это подострое заболевание менингиальной оболочки головного мозга, с высокой частотой заболевания среди детей, в особенности в странах с низким социальным уровнем развития. Это заболевание относится к заболеваниям с высоким уровнем инвалидности и смертности. Целью данной статьи является предоставление критерий для постановления диагноза и описание особенностей течения данного заболевания среди детского населения, посредством двух клинический случаев. Материалы и методы: Два клинических случая с подтвержденным туберкулёзным менингитом, из которых второй случай с летальным исходом. Оба ребенка являлись пациентами детского неврологического отделения Института Матери и Ребёнка в 2019 году, с предварительным диагнозом менингоэнцефалит неясной этио- логии, осложненный обструктивной гидроцефалией. Результаты: Заключение КТ головного мозга подтверждает обструктивную гидроцефалию, предшествующую заболеванию в обоих случаях, а также КТ грудной клетки – многочисленные кальцинаты в лимфотических узлах, предполагая туберкулёзную этиологию менингита, которая в дальнейшем была подтверждена GeneXpert методом. Выводы: Туберкулёзный менингит является самой частой формой поражения центральной нервной системы при туберкулёзе. Основными клиническими симптомами являются температура и головная боль, которая часто проявляется и при нейроинфекции, что требует особенного внимания врачей при постановки правильного диагноза

Evoluția auditului public Intern din România în perioada 2006-2015. Introducere în IA-CM (modelul de măsurare a capacității auditului public intern)

The main objective of this article is to analyze the evolution of internal auditing in the Romanian public administration between 2006 and 2015, as well as its contribution towards reaching the objectives of central and local public organizations.  Grounded in an in-depth document analysis of the yearly reports of the Romanian Central Unit for Public Internal Audit Harmonization, the article contributes in a synthetic and critical perspective to the existing literature.The data allows us to explore the actual organization of internal public auditing (IPA) activities, the evolution of the human resources involved in IPA (focusing on employment, their coverage of organizational needs and the professional background of internal auditors), and the type and nature of the auditing missions.The results of the research are relevant for internal auditors interested in the evolution of their  profession, public managers who aim to implement more performant internal audit processes and researchers</p

The Transformation of Romanian Internal Public Audit between 2006 and 2020

The article analyzes how internal public audit (IPA) transformed in Romania between 2006 and 2020, in order to explore: (a) the degree in which central and local public institutions organized their IPA activities as a specialized department or in an associative structure; (b) how did the human resources allocated to IPA activities transformed in this period (focusing on employment, the ability to cover the needs of public organizations and the educational/ professional specialization of internal auditors), and (c) how IPA missions changed over time. The empirical research consists of a detailed analysis of official annual reports published by the Central Harmonization Unit for Internal Public Audit, thus ensuring the reliability of the analysis.Our main results indicate the existence of multiple differences between central and local public organizations, regarding their degree/level of IPA activities organization (especially before 2013) and the number of organizations each internal public auditor was tasked to audit (ranging from 1 at the central level to almost 8 at the local level). Unfortunately, the understaffing of IPA departments/ bureaus is not conducive to an accurate identification and assessment of potential organizational weaknesses and risks, thus potentially hindering the performance of both central and local public institutions</p

Cultura organizaţională în administraţia publică: o analiză comparativă

Although organizational culture is a well-established topic in management studies, empirical studies on the public sector are still rather scarce, especially regarding the former communist space. Based on the dimensional approach of culture, this research aims to present the peculiarities of organizational culture in Romanian public administration organizations. Using quantitative empirical data collected in 2012 from civil servants (N=101) working in two county councils, the research shows that organizational culture is orientated toward a monochonic approach of time, collectivism, low power distance, masculine values, a high degree of uncertainty avoidance, long term actions and goals, and that the status (within the organization) is won. Furthermore, a comparison between the two local authorities (done via an independent sample T-test) did not revealed any statistical significant differences between the cultural values shared by these organizations, thus highlighting the stable nature of organizational culture.</p

Grupurile şi comportamentul grupurilor (munca în echipă). Fundamente teoretice

The main aim of the current theoretical analysis is to analyze both the classic and current literature on group behavior and teamwork in order to create a consistent image of what working in a team/group actually means. The material is addressed to both academics/researchers (as it synthetizes multiple aspects of the specific literature) and practitioners (which can thus improve the performance of their workplace). Having this dual target audience in mind, the article will cover topics such as: (a) the creation, development and evolutions of teams; (b) how to ensure team effectiveness; and (c) the individual competences (knowledge, skills, abilities and so on) necessary to function in a team.  Furthermore, our research also includes brief theoretical analyses of the importance of teamwork in the public sector and the factors which can lead to the creation of more performant public sector teams. </p

Are Universities Role Models for Communities? A Gender Perspective

The present paper explores the degree in which universities could/should serve as role models for communities from the perspective of gender integration. Although the theoretical/ moral answer would be affirmative (universities should be in such a position that would allow local communities to regard them as role models of gender integration), the primary empirical analysis leads to another conclusion. A brief theoretical review (that connects gender discrimination, sustainable development, universities and local communities) is followed by an empirical analysis that compares the management structures of 12 Romanian Universities of Advanced Research and Education (the best Romanian universities according to a national ranking) with those of four local communities where they are located (as geographic proximity would lead to a better diffusion of best practices). Contrary to initial expectations, even in higher education institutions, women are underrepresented both in executive and legislative positions. Since universities are subject to the same major patterns of gender discrimination (such as role theory, glass ceiling and glass elevator) as private and public organizations, they lose the moral high ground that theory would suggest. However, medicine and pharmacy universities that can be connected with the traditional roles attributed to women provide better gender integration, but glass escalator phenomena remain present even in these limited fields.</p

Gender Discrimination in Management. Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives

<p>This paper reviews the permanently expanding literature on gender discrimination in management, focusing on women in decision making positions from both the public and private sphere. Different psychological mechanisms (such as stereotyping, attribution or equity), that are not necessarily mutually exclusive but rather complementary, determine individual manifestations in the form of discrimination (ranging from formal to informal, covert to overt and so on) against females. As a result, women are either underrepresented in top management (under normal conditions) or overrepresented in risky managerial positions (in periods of organizational crisis or downturn). Furthermore, even in the limited number of sectors where women represent more than half of the labor force (such as nursing, primary education or social services) men have better odds of being promoted, due to formal or informal assistance received from mentors of the same gender. Albeit rather incremental shifts toward a better representation of women in decision making positions can be observed in the last decades, both statistical and experimental data show that there is still a long way until their representation in managerial positions will reflect their involvement in the workforce.</p

Influence of mechanical activation on the kinetics of non ferrous metal sulphides oxidation

The paper presents experimental research results on a new concept of oxidation in aqueous medium (solution of sodium carbonate) of copper sulphide concentrate in autoclave under air pressure in the temperature range 100 to 135 °C for 5 h, partial air pressure 5 aim in the presence of 30% excess of sodium carbonate more then stoichiometrical necessary for oxidation. Determinations were made in parallel on not-milled concentrate and mechanically activated concentrate. Based on the results obtained, the influence of mechanical activation on the kinetics of oxidation of sulphide concentrates was studied. By prolonged milling of copper concentrate, the activation energy decreases from 118.65 kJ · mol-1 to 25.75 kJ· mol -1.status: publishe