Indexes of Regional Economic Growth in Post-Accession Romania

The European Cohesion Policy is designed to yield concrete results, furthering economic and social cohesion and reducing gaps between development levels in the various regions. Considering the context of the early post-accession period, posing significant challenges to regional development in Romania, we have investigated, based on three indexes that we advance in the methodological section, the pace of development, comparatively, in the eight development regions of Romania. The results of the study, further presented, can serve as a basis for more detailed empirical investigation of the phenomena theoretically approached in this paper.cohesion, regional development, integration, intellectual capital

Models Of The Intra-Regional Trade Influence On Economic Sustainable Development In Romania

This paper estimates the impact of trade between Romania and EU (export and imports) on sustainable development (defined through the following ratios: GDP growth and employment level) using dynamic forecasting and vector auto-regression (VAR) methods. Logistic regression forecasts the evolution of the GDP based on the evolution of exports and imports in the light of the Lisbon agenda, and the time horizon of 2010. Using data regarding intra-regional trade, the model may predict the GDP evolution, and, consequently, the economic sustainable development in Romania, as a new member of European Union.sustainable development intra-regional trade, economic integration, regression, model

The Relationship Between University Research And The Marketability Of Universities

As universities are presently involved in a world-wide competition for students, and, implicitly, for markets in which to sell their services, the issue of the advantages research brings, transformed in market share increase, becomes an issue for university management. The paper examines, comparatively, the profitability of basic and applied research in terms of strengthening the market position of a university actively involved in one type of research or in both at a time. Well developed indicators to measure the relationship between research activity and prestige, on the one hand, social capital, on the other, and we will correlate these two research outcomes with the university market share and competitive advantage. The interest a university has to invest in its research activities has a market feedback, which provides a sense of involvement for practical reasons, and that goes beyond the bare purpose of reporting results .entrepreneurial university, performance ratios, basic and applied research

Leadership Challenges In Today’s Academia

Starting from the anecdotic hypothesis that “leading academics is like trying to herd cats”, the paper reviews the main challenges and barriers to present academic leadership. The context is that of the on-going Bologna transformation of the university, and of the renewed quest for competitiveness. The method employed is that of the individual case-study, with a single-embedded design. The case study is exploratory, as we don’t know from sure which the effects of leadership in the university are, and to what degree are they alike, across sub-units of study. The case study is also intrinsic, as its main outcome is not theory-building, but understanding the particularities of a phenomenon strongly tied to its context. Our unit of study is the largest business university in the country, with its faculties and departments. The main data sources are short structured interviews with members of the academic staff. The analysis implies both explanation-building and cross-case synthesis. The results of the study give insights on the context of leadership, enablers and barriers, as well as on the content of leadership, in the particular setting of the academia. Conclusions connect our research with similar endeavours, outlining the particularities and patterns of educational transition in a transition country.academic leadership, structural equation model of academic leadership, Romanian academia

‘Home is where the cat is’: The here-there of queer (un)belonging

This chapter builds on the diasporic status the authors acquired once relocated from Romania to Sweden. It marks the reference point and position for a self-reflective study constituted in the form of vignettes that stem from personal experiences on belonging and un-belonging in queer spaces, migration and community forming in a new space from a comparative perspective based on the authors’ experiences in both countries. This adds to the existing literature on gender, diasporas and migration. Furthermore, it offers an insight into the construction of certain elements with regard to a “queer Romanian diaspora” and how the transformations experienced in terms of losing certain aspects of an “activist self” become relevant within the transnational research frameworks. This contribution thus frames the authors’ de-construction and re-construction of activist and migrant identities by refusing and rethinking the usual binaries operating within the methodological nationalism predominant in migration studies and see “identities” more as “as a process of multiple relationalities”. Focusing on concepts such as “diaspora”, “solidarities”, “opting out” and “homonationalism”, the authors use queer retrosexuality to construct a fragmented critical story by using the mechanism of “looking back” to their shared past, finding connections within the present, often interrupted by small but meaningful glimpses of interactions in different life situations. One purpose is to understand the borders of queerness in the chosen contexts. The other is to explore and make sense of the different configurations the authors’ activist selves have taken over time.publishedVersio

Credit analysis policies in construction project finance

This paper aims to illustrate a revolutionary approach to bank financing of extensive investment projects developed by major corporations. The new approach pertains to corporate banking and is applied to corporate projects developed by special purpose vehicles. The theoretical framework highlights general aspects of project finance and of construction projects management in general, with special focus on residential constructions. The second part adds to the theoretical structure the example of a project finance policy implemented by a Romanian subsidiary of a foreign bank and places the emphasis on the credit analysis in case of residential construction projects. The final objective of the paper is to bridge the corporate banking field with project finance, regarded as a banking field of its own, in line with the vision of the bank subject to this article.credit analysis, project finance, banking institutions.

Achievements and perspectives in designing a set of convergence indicators in European higher education

The paper is discussing the need for convergence in European higher education, as it was claimed and negotiated in the last decade, accompanied by the results and prospects of a research project advancing and testing a credible set of indicators of convergence in the European Higher Education Area. The main limitations and problems are addressed to, together with an overview of the indicators proposed, and of the ways of advancing the research in the field

The pivotal role of EMT-related noncoding RNAs regulatory axes in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major health problem worldwide, being the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with limited treatment options, especially in its advanced stages. Tumor resistance is closely associated with the activation of the EMT phenomenon and its reversal, being modulated by different molecules, including noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). Noncoding RNAs have the potential to function as both tumor suppressors and oncogenic molecules, controlling the malignant potential of HCC cells. Basically, these molecules circulate in the tumor microenvironment, encapsulated in exosomes. Their impact on cell biology is more significant than originally expected, which makes related research rather complex. The temporal and spatial expression patterns, precise roles and mechanisms of specific ncRNAs encapsulated in exosomes remain primarily unknown in different stages of the disease. This review aims to highlight the recent advances in ncRNAs related to EMT and classifies the described mechanism as direct and indirect, for a better summarization. Moreover, we provide an overview of current research on the role of ncRNAs in several drug resistance-related pathways, including the emergence of resistance to sorafenib, doxorubicin, cisplatin and paclitaxel therapy. Nevertheless, we comprehensively discuss the underlying regulatory mechanisms of exosomal ncRNAs in EMT-HCC via intercellular communication pathways

Pancreatic Resections for Metastatic Disease

Although the incidence of metastases to the pancreas from various primaries is very low, these lesions are usually being described as part of the systemic recurrence of different malignancies, in certain cases isolated pancreatic metastases might be encountered. When it comes to the malignancies, which might lead to the apparition of pancreatic metastases, the most common origins have been reported to be renal cell carcinoma, colon cancer, ovarian cancer and melanomas. In certain cases, patients with pancreatic metastases might be submitted to surgery with curative intent. However, it should not be omitted that pancreatic resections can be associated with higher rates of perioperative morbidity; therefore, a precise selection of the cases that are considered suitable for such procedures is mandatory. It seems that the best results in regard with long-term survival are expected in cases with isolated pancreatic metastases as well as in cases with limited extrapancreatic lesions, amenable to complete cytoreductive surgery. This chapter reviews the most important studies conducted on the theme of pancreatic resections for metastatic disease from various primaries

The Relationship Between University Research And The Marketability Of Universities

As universities are presently involved in a world-wide competition for students, and, implicitly, for markets in which to sell their services, the issue of the advantages research brings, transformed in market share increase, becomes an issue for university management. The paper examines, comparatively, the profitability of basic and applied research in terms of strengthening the market position of a university actively involved in one type of research or in both at a time. Well developed indicators to measure the relationship between research activity and prestige, on the one hand, social capital, on the other, and we will correlate these two research outcomes with the university market share and competitive advantage. The interest a university has to invest in its research activities has a market feedback, which provides a sense of involvement for practical reasons, and that goes beyond the bare purpose of reporting results