INVESTMENT DECISION IN HUMAN CAPITAL AND MACROECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

To emphasize the importance and influence of human capital on economic growth of a country and also to base decisions on the need to invest in such type of capital, studies have been conducted and different models for analysis macroeconomic and demographic indicators have been used. We present the main indicators and dynamics of human capital, placed in the economic context of Romania, with reference, in bringing out statistics data, to an average period of time (between 1994-2008) characterized at macroeconomic level, both by recession and economic growth periods. There were also highlighted indicators and dynamics, both at national and individual level.human capital; indicators of human capital; dynamics of human capital; macroeconomic indicators; individual indicators

Multiple sclerosis and SARS-CoV-2 infection

Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie „Grigore T. Popa” Iași, România, Clinica I Oftalmologie, Spitalul Clinic Județean de Urgență „Sf. Spiridon”, Iași, RomâniaSummary. We analyzed the case of a patient with multiple sclerosis associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The clinical appearance of the ophthalmologist does not justify the decrease in AV, which is why it is recommended to perform an MRI in an emergency. The patient accuses the decrease in visual acuity in the left eye. The appearance described is suggestive for multiple sclerosis. PCR testing was positive. After 14 days PCR test was negative but the ophthalmological evolution was unfavorable. Intravenous emergency treatment with Solumedrol was initiated for 5 days. The particularity of the case is due to the fulminant onset of multiple sclerosis in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the unfavorable evolution in terms of AV, despite early treatment.Introducere. Pacientă, în vârstă de 16 ani, se prezintă în Clinica I Oftalmologie a Spitalului „Sf. Spiridon”, Iași, acuzând scăderea acuității vizuale la ochiul stâng cu debut acut. Pacienta nu prezintă alte antecedente personale patologice. AVOD=1 fc, AVOS= pmm., PIOAO=12mmHg. La examinarea polului anterior, nu se constată elemente patologice. La examinarea polului posterior, discul optic este normal colorat, are contur net, C/D=0,1, artere și vene cu calibru normal, maculă fără leziuni. Aspectul clinic oftalmologic nu justifică scăderea AV, motiv pentru care se recomandă efectuarea unui RMN în urgență. Se identifică leziuni în hipersemnal T2 și FLAIR cu restricție de difuzie localizată periventricular pe partea dreaptă, în contrast cu cornul posterior al ventriculului lateral drept cu diametru de 17/15 mm și două în centri senzoriali, una mai mare de 9,6mm parietal drept în substanța albă, periventricular, talamic drept, 9,6 mm în medulla oblongata de 13 mm. Aspectul descris este sugestiv pentru scleroză multiplă. Testarea PCR pentru SARS-CoV-2 a avut rezultat pozitiv, pacienta fiind asimptomatică. S-a format o echipă multidisciplinară alcătuită din oftalmologi, neurologi și medici infecționiști și s-a inițiat tratamentul în urgență intravenos cu Solumedrol timp de 5 zile, continuat cu Medrol per os. Evoluție. După 14 zile, testul PCR pentru SARSCoV- 2 s-a negativat, însă evoluția oftalmologică a fost nefavorabilă. Pacienta se prezintă după 3 luni, în urgență, acuzând percepția unui scotom central la OD. AVOD=0,6, iar AVOS a rămas pmm. La RMN leziunile au aspect staționar. După tratamentul intravenos cu Solumedrol 3 zile și per os cu Medrol, scotomul central de la OD se reduce în dimensiuni și AVOD se îmbunătățește la 0,8 fcnc. Discuții: Rămâne în discuție deschisă dacă infecția cu SARS-CoV-2 la persoane nevaccinate poate precipita debutul fulminant al unor patologii în stare latentă. Concluzii. Particularitatea cazului se datorează debutului fulminant al sclerozei multiple în contextul infecției cu SARS-CoV-2 și evoluției nefavorabile din punct de vedere al AV, în ciuda tratamentului instaurat precoce

Poverty, institutions and child health in post-communist rural Romania: A view from below

Romania\u27s high rates of child and infant mortality along with high rates of various infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and AIDS, cannot be explained by the mainstream theories on child health and survival, which posit that maternal education and immunization rates are the main determinants in influencing child health outcomes. In Romania, female adult literacy rate is 96,3 percent (2003, UNDP) and 98 percent of all children are immunized (World Bank Report, 2001). The alarming child health outcomes that Romania displays at present, the increase in poverty for large portions of the population (especially rural families with many children) and the decreasing provision of primary health services (in the rural areas in particular) and affordable medicine are the issues which motivate this research. In this study I examine the barriers experienced by the rural poor when they access health care for their children. I focus particularly on the institutional arrangements that have been inherited from the communist regime and show how formal and informal norms may adversely affect child health outcomes. Based on an extensive field research in Romania over the last 4 years, I examine the mechanisms through which factors such as household poverty, education, income, food consumption and nutrition, and access to health care services may affect child health and survival. My findings suggest that formal, and particularly informal norms imbedded in the Romanian health care system play a critical role in influencing the decisions poor households make with regard to their children\u27s health. This research suggests that greater efforts to redistribute health care resources and to reduce fraud and informal payments are required if modern maternal and child health care services are to reach the poor in rural areas. The policy solution I propose is to scale back the traditional national governance structures and complement these with community-based, multi-sectoral approaches to delivering child health services

An Analysis of the Correlation between Size and Performance of Private Pension Funds

Using present performance measures, we find that inflation rate is barely covered by Romanian private pension funds strategies. The paper looks at effects of scale on performance. This issue is investigated empirically using data from Romanian private pension funds. We find results consistent with prior literature in that size, measured as total net assets, erodes performance. The highly regulated Romanian private pension environment gives rise to various interpretations for size detracting performance that do not sprout from the “asymmetric information” theory. We explain the empirical results as an effect of “perfect scaling”

An Analysis of the Correlation between Size and Performance of Private Pension Funds

Using present performance measures, we find that inflation rate is barely covered by Romanian private pension funds strategies. The paper looks at effects of scale on performance. This issue is investigated empirically using data from Romanian private pension funds. We find results consistent with prior literature in that size, measured as total net assets, erodes performance. The highly regulated Romanian private pension environment gives rise to various interpretations for size detracting performance that do not sprout from the “asymmetric information” theory. We explain the empirical results as an effect of “perfect scaling”.performance; scale; private pension market; panel data; perfect scaling.

Time to audit your AI algorithms

Undoubtedly, the use of algorithms, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms in particular, has numerous benefits. Fields such as finance, healthcare, automotive, education, and recruitment, to name a few, have demonstrated successful application of AI algorithms. Conversely, cases of bad algorithms abound and lead to lost revenue, discrimination, disinformation, or even bodily harm. Currently, we have surpassed the stage of just observing bad algorithms. New European regulations governing AI force organizations to manage the risks introduced by algorithms and convince the public about the proper functioning of algorithms. In this context, can algorithms be rigorously audited to build public trust and if yes, how? This article aims to answer these questions by building on an auditing framework for model risk management that controls for the novelty introduced by AI algorithms while connecting AI algorithm audit with internal audit terminology

The effect of the Romanian pension market concentration on the magnitude of pension revenues

Pension valuation allows for the estimation of the pension revenue that employees are entitled to receive after retirement. The high level of concentration on the Romanian pension market affects the pension revenue employees are entitled to receive after retirement in that, on a long run, 20 – 30 years, the higher pension revenue is provided by the bigger pension funds (with a market share over 30%). This study explores the effect of pension market concentration on the magnitude of the pension revenue by employing an agent based simulation technique

QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF THE TOFFEE WITH SWEETENERS AND DYE FROMWALNUT SEPTUM OR KERNEL’S PELLICLE

Reduction of “bad” carbohydrates in sweets is a complex issue, because carbohydrates provide important sensory, physical and textural properties of food. This research illustrated the possible use of the colorant Brown7 (0.6...1.0%) in combination with sucralose and isomalt for alerting the functional quality of toffee candies. Sensory and physicochemical properties, microbiological indicators and color parameters were analyzed for four samples of toffee. The combination of sweetener with anti-crystallizer and Brown7 significantly improves the color of toffees.It was established by HPLC that during thermal processing the Casuarictin from Brown 7 transforms into Ellagic acid. These transformations lead to an increase in the intensity of the brown color in the toffee. The addition of Brown 7 contributes to the decrease of titratable acidity from 0.28 ± 0.08 in the control to 0.21 ± 0.06 degrees of acidity in the sample which contain 1.0% dye. The chromatic parameters L*, a*, b* of the toffee sample with 0.6% Brown 7 content are the closest to the classic toffee parameters. Use of colorant in combination with sweetener illustrates a potential synergy of sensorial properties. This help to increase the intake of natural bioactive compounds and to decrease carbohydrates in sweets, promising health benefits

Best of The Netherlands: Reinforcing Accounting: A Case Study on using M-Learning in a Technology-Enhanced Bachelor Course

In this study we investigate the use of an interactive mobile application aimed to engage students, stimulate reinforcement of the learned material, and thereby increase performance in a large scale undergraduate Accounting course. Via the app, students are prompted to answer questions connected to the course content throughout the course. The design combines several experimental conditions to investigate optimal implementation in terms of usage and the relation with course grade. Initial results show that presenting students with the possibility to compare their performance to peers stimulates student engagement and there is a positive relation between course grades and total number of completed prompts