THE INFORMATIONAL VALENCES OF THE FINANCIAL SIGNALS SYSTEM USED IN THE EVALUATION OF COMPANIES GLOBAL PERFORMANCE

For a long period of time the analysis of company's performance has been approached preponderant or only for financial point of view, but in the last half of century, because of an environment characterized by intensified competition, there have been elaborated and developed a number of measurement tools, the goal of which is to reflect all the factors involved in a company's performance.The practic goal of performance measurement, the standard it refers to and the measuring tools are tightly correlated with the objectives of each of the company's stakeholders. In order to obtain a good quantification of company's performance is necessary to use a system of indicators that may provide reliable information for evaluating the degree to which firm's objectives are reached. In this system, financial indicators remain, an essential tool of management, regardless the changes which affect the company's environment.performance measurement, financial indicators, company's performance, non-financial indicators, management, objectives

Improving Wealth Management Strategies Through the Use of Reinforcement Learning Based Algorithms. A Study on the Romanian Stock Market

In the context of the growing pace of technological development and that of the transition to the knowledge-based economy, wealth management strategies have become subject to the application of new ideas. One of the fields of research that are increasing in influence in the scientific community is that of reinforcement learning-based algorithms. This trend is also manifesting in the domain of economics, where the algorithms have found a use in the field of stock trading. The use of algorithms has been tested by researchers in the last decade due to the fact that by applying these new concepts, fund managers could obtain an advantage when compared to using classic management techniques. The present paper will test the effects of applying these algorithms on the Romanian market, taking into account that it is a relatively new market, and compare it to the results obtained by applying classic optimization techniques based on passive wealth management concepts. We chose the Romanian stock market due to its recent evolution regarding the FTSE Russell ratings and the fact that the country is becoming an Eastern European hub of development in the IT sector, these facts could indicate that the Romanian stock market will become even more significant in the future at a local and maybe even at a regional level

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON DISKS CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATORS

The paper presents an extension of classical thin shell theory to those with moderate thickness, having simplex order h/R ≤ 0.2 ... 0.33. The application of the flexibility matrix method is studied to realise a computerised analysis of centrifugal disks separators for the influence of the central load Fa induced for assembling the bowl and for the critical area junctions. In the first time, the separator's bowl is divided in structural elements; each of the structural elements is at first considered separately and then the global generalised forces and bending moments are obtained from the displacement compatibility conditions at each element junction. Comparative experimental investigations based on recording surface strains at selected locations of the bowl performed with strain gauges reveal a reasonable agreement. The main features of the method as, (1) reasonable accuracy of the results, (2) reasonable positioning of the critical junctions, (3) low computational cost, give a real possibility in the design work

Povezanost polimorfizma rs1437396 gena CCDC88A s poremećajem zloporabe alkohola

Girdin is a protein involved in neuronal migration and hippocampal development. It is encoded by the coiled-coil domain-containing 88A (CCDC88A) gene, located on the short arm of chromosome 2 (2p). The CCDC88A gene is modulated by the intergenic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the rs1437396, situated 9.5 kb downstream from its transcription stop site. As recent genome-wide research has associated the T allele of the SNP with increased risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD), we wanted to validate this finding in an independent cohort and to test further for an association with comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD). The study included 226 AUD patients (AUD group), 53 patients with comorbid MDD, and 391 controls selected randomly. The participants were genotyped for the rs1437396 polymorphism using the real-time polymerase chain reaction. The association between the rs1437396 polymorphism and increased risk of AUD and AUD+MDD was tested with logistic regression. Our results show significantly higher frequency of the T risk allele in the AUD group (p=0.027) and even higher in the AUD+MDD group (p=0.016). In conclusion, this is the first study that has validated the association between the rs1437396 polymorphism of the CCDC88A gene and AUD with or without MDD. Studies on larger samples of patients are needed to further investigate the mechanism of this association.Girdin je protein koji sudjeluje u neuronskoj migraciji i razvoju hipokampusa, a kodira ga gen 88A koji sadržava domenu sa smotanom zavojnicom (eng. coiled-coil domain-containing 88A gene, krat. CCDC88A) koja se nalazi na kraćem kraku kromosoma 2 (2p). Gen CCDC88A mijenja se s međugenskim jednonukleotidnim polimorfizmom (eng. single-nucleotide polymorphism, krat. SNP) na mjestu rs1437396, 9,5 kb nizvodno od svojega transkripcijskog završetka. Budući da je u nedavnom istraživanju na razini genoma zamijećena povezanost alela T ovoga polimorfizma s povećanim rizikom od poremećaja zloporabe alkohola (eng. alcohol use disorder), htjeli smo provjeriti tu povezanost u neovisnoj kohorti randomiziranih ispitanika i dodatno ispitati je li polimorfizam povezan i s popratnim povratnim depresivnim poremećajem (eng. major depressive disorder). Ispitivanje je obuhvatilo 226 bolesnika s poremećajem zloporabe alkohola, 51 bolesnika s popratnim povratnim depresivnim poremećajem i 391 kontrolnog ispitanika. Ispitanici su genotipizirani radi utvrđivanja onih koji imaju polimorfizam rs1437396 pomoću polimerazne lančane reakcije u stvarnom vremenu (eng. real-time polymerase chain reaction) te je logaritamskom regresijskom analizom utvrđena povezanost polimorfizma rs1437396 s rizikom od poremećaja zloporabe alkohola s popratnim povratnim depresivnim poremećajem ili bez njega. Naši podatci upućuju na značajno veću učestalost alela T u bolesnika s poremećajem zloporabe alkohola (p=0,027) te na još značajniju učestalost u bolesnika s obama poremećajima (p=0,016). Ovo je prvo istraživanje koje je potvrdilo povezanost između polimorfizma rs1437396 gena CCDC88A i poremećaja zloporabe alkohola s popratnim povratnim depresivnim poremećajem ili bez njega. Daljnja istraživanja mehanizama ove povezanosti potrebno je provesti na većim uzorcima

The current crises are negatively affecting the business and macroeconomic stability

The authors of this article aim to highlight how current crises (health, economic and financial, energy, food, etc.) have an effect on domestic and, especially, international affairs. At the same time, the aim is to identify and specify how the crises we are facing are jeopardizing macroeconomic stability. A number of study authors on the trend of the world economy have already stated that the world economy is practically in recession. This conclusion was reached based on the fact that, in addition to the crises affecting the world situation, the effect of the pandemic Corona virus, and the Russian-Ukrainian war (Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict) which is xpected to be long-lasting. The prospect of a Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict leads to the conclusion that, at the European Union and individual level, each and every state will face difficulties with negative effects on maintaining macro-stability and the development of domestic and international affairs at a convenient pace. In order to determine these aspects, we set out to use the widest possible methodology of international comparisons, the use of statistical indicators calculated and obtained from the European Union, Eurostat, the National Institute of Statistics and the application of statistical-econometric methods / models to obtain the parameters that will form the basis of the future comparison and, especially, of establishing the evolutionary trend of the world, European economy and, especially in this case, of Romania

Association study between idiopathic male infertility and the MTHFD1 G1958A SNP

Couple infertility is a global health problem and according to the World Health Organization approximately one couple in seven is affected by fertility or subfertility problems. Male infertility in humans has been acknowledged as the cause of couple’s inability to have children in 20-50% of total cases and although there have been much progress in understanding its etiology many of the case are still considered to be idiopathic, arising from an unknown cause. The MTHFD1 G1958A SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) by altering the structure of the encoded enzyme, a trifunctional enzyme which catalyzes the interconversion of 1-carbon derivatives of tetrahydrofolate could lead to an abnormal folate status, hyperhomocysteinemia and altered DNA synthesis. The folate metabolic pathway is essential for DNA methylation, DNA synthesis, as well as methylation of various other substrates, thus a disruption to this cellular pathway may lead to major pathologic consequences. By means of molecular genetic techniques, respectively PCR-RFLP (Polymerase Chain Reaction - Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) we investigated the possible role of MTHFD1 G1958A SNP in the etiology of male infertility by comparing the distribution of this SNP in two groups: a group of 66 men with idiopathic azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia and a control group of 67 healthy men which have at least one child. Statistical analysis was performed by means of chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. The genotype distribution in the two groups was in agreement with the Hardy-Weinberg Law. We obtained the following genotype stratification: 18 (27.3%) G/G, 27 (40.9%) G/A, 21(31.8%) A/A in the cases group compared to 19(28.4%) G/G, 36(53.7%) G/A, 12(17.9%) A/A in the control group; with a p value of 0.23 (odds ratio: 1.85, Cl 95%: 0.71-4.82) when comparing the mutant homozygous status (A/A) to the normal homozygous status (G/G). Because of the profound social, familial, medical and emotional outcomes that male infertility generates a greater emphasis should be made in understanding its etiology. After performing the first study on a Romanian population, due to the similar distribution of the studied polymorphism in the two groups we can state the MTHFD1 G1958A SNP is not a risk factor for idiopathic male infertility in our study group

Validation of a New Prognostic Score in Patients with Ovarian Adenocarcinoma

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of clinical prognostic factors and propose a prognostic score that aids the clinician’s decision in estimating the risk for patients in clinical practice. Materials and Methods: The study included 195 patients diagnosed with ovarian adenocarcinoma. The therapeutic strategy involved multidisciplinary decisions: surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (80%), neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery (16.4%), and only chemotherapy in selected cases (3.6%). Results: After a median follow-up of 68 months, in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 1 and 2 vs. 0 (hazard ratio—HR = 2.71, 95% confidence interval—CI, 1.96–3.73, p < 0.001 for PFS and HR = 3.19, 95%CI, 2.20–4.64, p < 0.001 for OS), menopausal vs. premenopausal status (HR = 2.02, 95%CI, 1.35–3,0 p < 0.001 and HR = 2.25, 95%CI = 1.41–3.59, p < 0.001), ascites (HR = 1.95, 95%CI 1.35–2.80, p = 0.03, HR = 2.31, 95%CI = 1.52–3.5, p < 0.007), residual disease (HR = 5.12, 95%CI 3.43–7.65, p < 0.0001 and HR = 4.07, 95%CI = 2.59–6.39, p < 0.0001), and thrombocytosis (HR = 2.48 95%CI = 1.72–3.58, p < 0.0001, HR = 3.33, 95%CI = 2.16–5.13, p < 0.0001) were associated with a poor prognosis. An original prognostic score including these characteristics was validated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (area under the curve—AUC = 0.799 for PFS and AUC = 0.726 for OS, p < 0.001). The median PFS for patients with none, one, two, three, or four (or more) prognostic factors was not reached, 70, 36, 20, and 12 months, respectively. The corresponding median overall survival (OS) was not reached, 108, 77, 60, and 34 months, respectively. Conclusions: Several negative prognostic factors were identified: ECOG performance status ≥ 1, the presence of ascites and residual disease after surgery, thrombocytosis, and menopausal status. These led to the development of an original prognostic score that can be helpful in clinical practice