Macroeconomic Evolution in Romania’s Development Regions within the Current Economic- Financial Crisis

Development disparities between regions and within Romania have existed both in the period before Romania joined the European Union and after January 1, 2007. This phenomenon has gained momentum because of the impact of economic restructuring, particularly in mono-industrial areas, whose population has been affected by unemployment due to closure of unprofitable state enterprises. Financial crisis and economic impact of accession on growth in the eight development regions of Romania in 2007 produced no changes in their rankings as the index of regional disparity, even though for some, its value has increased from 2006. This paper presents a comparative analysis of developments in macroeconomic indicators in developing regions of Romania.development regions, administrative-territorial structures, regional disparities, aging, educational level

A study of electronic commerce adoption factors in Nigeria

The paradigm shift to e-commerce in business transactions provides significant advantages such as expanding markets, improving customer services, reducing costs, and enhancing productivity. The global phenomenon is less aggressive in developing economies where small and medium enterprises struggle to provide internet services at their own expense due to limited government support and infrastructural deficiency. The acceptance of e-commerce adoption among Nigerians is slow irrespective of the huge population which should be of an advantage. This study investigated the factors hindering the adoption of e-commerce among Nigerians. A quantitative approach through a survey method was utilised with a total of 150 questionnaires distributed to Nigerian post graduate students studying at a Malaysian university. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 16) was used to analyse the data. This study finds among others that poor infrastructural facilities are the major factors hindering e-commerce adoption among Nigerian

Internet Banking Adoption in Nigeria: A Literature Review

The influence of internet technologies on business transactions has been a widely recognized domain of investigation. These technologies present organizations with the prospects of easing the way business transactions are conducted. Many business analysts underrated the influence of these technologies when they were first introduced. However, advances in information and communication technologies and the emergence of the internet have revolutionized business activities exposing new ways of conducting businesses referred to as electronic commerce. This has shaped, and will continue to advance in shaping business practices for years to come. Among the industries that witnessed major impact of internet technology is the banking industry. Banking is a service industry where most transactions can be provided via electronic channels. The industry has participated heavily in internet transactions, hence it offer banks with a new channel to conveniently get to their customers. The purpose of this study is to conduct a detailed literature search of empirical investigations on the adoption of internet banking with a view to suggesting possible ways of improving the practice in developing countries particularly in Nigeria

Cognitive reserve, cortisol, and Alzheimer\u27s disease biomarkers: A memory clinic study

INTRODUCTION Cognitive reserve might mitigate the risk of Alzheimer\u27s dementia among memory clinic patients. No study has examined the potential modifying role of stress on this relation. METHODS We examined cross-sectional associations of the cognitive reserve index (CRI; education, occupational complexity, physical and leisure activities, and social health) with cognitive performance and AD-related biomarkers among 113 memory clinic patients. The longitudinal association between CRI and cognition over a 3-year follow-up was assessed. We examined whether associations were influenced by perceived stress and five measures of diurnal salivary cortisol. RESULTS Higher CRI scores were associated with better cognition. Adjusting for cortisol measures reduced the beneficial association of CRI on cognition. A higher CRI score was associated with better working memory in individuals with higher (favorable) cortisol AM/PM ratio, but not among individuals with low cortisol AM/PM ratio. No association was found between CRI and AD-related biomarkers. DISCUSSION Physiological stress reduces the neurocognitive benefits of cognitive reserve among memory clinic patients. HIGHLIGHTS Physiological stress may reduce the neurocognitive benefits accrued from cognitively stimulating and enriching life experiences (cognitive reserve [CR]) in memory clinic patients.Cortisol awakening response modified the relation between CR and P-tau181, a marker of Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD).Effective stress management techniques for AD and related dementia prevention are warranted

Effect of a multi-domain lifestyle intervention on cardiovascular risk in older people : the FINGER trial

Aims Joint prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and dementia could reduce the burden of both conditions. The Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) demonstrated a beneficial effect on cognition (primary outcome) and we assessed the effect of this lifestyle intervention on incident CVD (pre-specified secondary outcome). Methods and results FINGER enrolled 1259 individuals aged 60-77 years (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01041989). They were randomized (1:1) to a 2-year multi-domain intervention with diet, physical and cognitive activity, and vascular monitoring (n = 631), or general health advice (n = 628). National registries provided data on CVD including stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA), or coronary heart event. During an average of 7.4 years, 229 participants (18%) had at least one CVD diagnosis: 107 in the intervention group and 122 in the control group. The incidence of cerebrovascular events was lower in the intervention than the control group: hazard ratio (HR) for combined stroke/TIA was 0.71 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.51-0.99] after adjusting for background characteristics. Hazard ratio for coronary events was 0.84 (CI: 0.56-1.26) and total CVD events 0.80 (95% CI: 0.61-1.04). Among those with history of CVD (n = 145), the incidence of both total CVD events (HR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.28-0.90) and stroke/TIA (HR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.20-0.81) was lower in the intervention than the control group. Conclusion A 2-year multi-domain lifestyle intervention among older adults was effective in preventing cerebrovascular events and also total CVD events among those who had history of CVD. Key question Can a 2-year multi-domain lifestyle intervention, primarily designed for prevention of cognitive impairment, prevent new cardiovascular events among older adults over an extended follow-up? Key finding Among the 1259 participants aged 60-77 years, the intervention resulted in 13-20% lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) event rates (unadjusted and adjusted analyses), but with large degree of uncertainty. Cerebrovascular event rates were lower but for total CVD only among those with earlier CVD events. Take-home message A 2-year multi-domain lifestyle intervention among older adults was effective in preventing cerebrovascular events and also total CVD events among those with a history of CVD.Peer reviewe

THE RESULTS ANALYSIS OF AN ECONOMIC ENTITY OF WATER DISTRIBUTION

The authors of this study aim to carry out a dynamic and structural analysis of the revenues and expenses of an economic entity supplying drinking water, for the period 2021-2022, to highlight their evolution as a result of the increase in the water tariff. For the profitability of the activity of the analyzed economic entity, it is particularly important to know the expenses caused by the performance of the specific activity and, respectively, to identify the best ways to improve its performance. As is known, the correlated analysis of expenses and the management of financial, material, and human resources is the basis of the managerial decision-making process of an economic entity. The objective of this research is to develop an analysis of expenses related to incomes in order to highlight their evolution, as well as the factors that influence their size. The research focused on the study of specialized literature, complemented by a case study comprising the vertical analysis of the profit and loss account, as well as the dynamic and structural analysis of the expenses and revenues of a company in the targeted field. The obtained result resides in the observation that, for the analyzed entity, the revenues adversely influence the efficiency of the total expenses. The article ends with the authors’ conclusions regarding how the expenses related to the analyzed entity’s revenues evolved during the mentioned period and the effect over time of the resulting variations

Association of Peripheral Insulin Resistance and Other Markers of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with Brain Amyloid Deposition in Healthy Individuals at Risk of Dementia

We explored the association of type 2 diabetes related blood markers with brain amyloid accumulation on PiB-PET scans in 41 participants from the FINGER PET sub-study. We built logistic regression models for brain amyloid status with12 plasma markers of glucose and lipid metabolism, controlled for diabetes and APOE epsilon 4 carrier status. Lower levels of insulin, insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), C-peptide, and plasminogen activator (PAI-1) were associated with amyloid positive status, although the results were not significant after adjusting for multiple testing. None of the models found evidence for associations between amyloid status and fasting glucose or HbA1c.Peer reviewe

Insulin levels are decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid of women with prodomal Alzheimer's disease

Previous studies have failed to reach consensus on insulin levels in cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and on its relation to pathological features. We performed a new analysis in patients at different stages of AD, and investigated the relationship of insulin levels with biochemical disease markers and with cognitive score. We included 99 patients from our Memory Clinic (Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden), including: 27 patients with mild AD, 13 that progressed from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD in two years time, 26 with MCI stable after two years, and 33 with subjective cognitive impairment. Insulin was significantly decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid of both women and men with mild AD. Insulin deficits were seen in women belonging to both MCI groups, suggesting that this occurs earlier than in men. Insulin was positively associated with amyloid-β 1-42 (Aβ1-42) levels and cognitive score. Furthermore, total-tau/(Aβ1-42*insulin) ratio showed strikingly better sensitivity and specificity than the total-tau/Aβ1-42 ratio for early AD diagnosis in women

Effect of a Multidomain Lifestyle Intervention on Estimated Dementia Risk

We investigated the effect of a multidomain lifestyle intervention on the risk of dementia estimated using the validated CAIDE risk score (post-hoc analysis). The Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) is a 2-year randomized controlled trial among 1,260 at-risk older adults (60-77 years). Difference in the estimated mean change in CAIDE score at 2 years in the intervention compared to the control group was -0.16 (95 % CI -0.31 to 0.00) (p = 0.013), corresponding to a relative dementia risk reduction between 6.04-6.50%. This could be interpreted as a reflection of the prevention potential of the intervention.Peer reviewe