Tax-Free Savings Accounts - Shifting Opportunity

In 2009, Canada's federal government introduced a new saving instrument for individuals – the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA). This paper reviews the TFSA focusing on how it may benefit individuals at different income levels. To that end, the paper presents advantages and disadvantages of the TFSA and considers international experience in introducing TFSA-like instruments. The paper also discusses the challenges and opportunities offered by TFSA to such groups as individuals, employers and the government. The analysis shows that introduction of TFSA necessitates greater decision-making attention of Canadians in choosing among different tax-proffered saving options. The shift away from using Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP) in favour of using TFSA may, in turn, result in some revenues foregone by the government.household savings, household finance, tax incentives

Fair Value Accounting: The Road to Be Most Travelled

Fair value convention has polarized two opposing views – the first, that fair value accounting compounds economic hardship and distortion – and the second, that fair value accounting affords an accurate rendering of the market value of underlying assets and liabilities. This paper intends to clarify some of the underlying arguments by presenting a brief overview of fair value accounting, and the main advantages and disadvantages of using fair value regime. The analysis shows that only certain assets and liabilities are required to be measured at fair value and the degree to which unrealized gains and losses associated with fair value measurement are reflected in the financial statements depends on the intended use of assets and liabilities in question. The two main arguments against fair value accounting – exacerbated procyclicality and increased volatility of the financial statements – are amply counterbalanced by arguments in favour of fair value accounting. The latter includes the significance of limitations associated with historical cost accounting, increased relevance of information presented to investors and lower expected likelihood of earnings management under fair value accounting.fair value accounting, accounting, accounting standards

Strategies and tools for disposal of social disequilibrium from the rural area through groups of local action

The paper tackles the concept of local development and establishes methods of strategy development through the LEADER program as main instrument for the GAL Rediu Prăjeni zone in order to eliminate the social disequilibrium of this area in comparison to the urban areas. The paper brings to foreground the way in which it is implemented a local strategy within LEADER axis, which involves great importance and is also effective, because the local development is community-led, which allows to the local partners (public, private, civil society) to achieve realistic local development strategies, based on the requirements and priorities of rural territory taken into study. The Romanian rural area has numerous shortcomings, these representing also the reason of disparities between urban and rural areas with all their components: rural economy, demographic potential, health, school, culture, etc. To reduce these disparities, one solution is the development and implementation of integrated development strategies by local communities, taking as a starting point the identified needs and endogenous potential of rural area

The Importance of Implementing a Transition Strategy for Patients with Muscular Dystrophy: From Child to Adult—Insights from a Tertiary Centre for Rare Neurological Diseases

Progress in the field of muscular dystrophy (MD) using a multidisciplinary approach based on international standards of care has led to a significant increase in the life expectancy of patients. The challenge of transitioning from pediatric to adult healthcare has been acknowledged for over a decade, yet it continues to be a last-minute concern. Currently, there is no established consensus on how to evaluate the effectiveness of the transition process. Our study aimed to identify how well patients are prepared for the transition and to determine their needs. We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study on 15 patients aged 14 to 21 years. The patients completed a sociodemographic and a Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ). We also analyzed the comorbidities of these patients. Our study revealed that only 46.7% of the patients had engaged in a conversation with a medical professional, namely, a child neurologist, about transitioning. A total of 60% of the participants expressed having confidence in their self-care ability. However, the median TRAQ score of 3.6 shows that these patients overestimate themselves. We emphasize the necessity for a slow, personalized transition led by a multidisciplinary team to ensure the continuity of state-of-the-art care from pediatric to adult healthcare services and the achievement of the highest possible quality of life for these patients

Dataset for: Evaluation of metastatic potential of malignant cells by image processing of digital holographic microscopy data

Cell refractive index (RI) was proposed as a putative cancer biomarker of great potential, being correlated with cell content and morphology, cell division rate and membrane permeability. We used Digital Holographic Microscopy (DHM) to compare RI and dry mass density of two B16 murine melanoma sublines of different metastatic potential. Using statistical methods, the phase shifts distribution within the reconstructed quantitative phase images (QPIs) was analyzed by the method of bimodality coefficients. The observed correlation of RI and bimodality profile with the cells metastatic potential was validated by real time impedance based-assay and clonogenic tests. We suggest RI and QPIs histograms bimodality analysis to be developed as optical biomarkers useful in label-free detection and quantitative evaluation of cell metastatic potential