Competitiveness and Competitive Advantages of Enterprises in the Energy Sector

Traditional energy sources form the basis of the energy complex. But the use of renewable energy sources is more acceptable from the ecological point of view and contributes to the saving of oil and gas resources. Therefore, the authors analyzed the competitiveness of the use of alternative energy sources. To study the issue, the study used econometric, theoretical methods. It was found that most of the energy resources in the world and in the Russian Federation is covered by gas and oil, but alternative energy sources are gaining momentum. It is determined that in Russia the greatest percentage is occupied by bio-heat power stations, while in the world the main part is given to wind energy. Keywords: Power Complex, Wind Power, Competition, Renewable Energy, Large Business. JEL Classifications: P18, P28

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises as a Driver of Innovative Development of the Russian Fuel and Energy Complex

The urgency of the studied problem is caused by the fact that international sanctions led to a number of bans in the oil and gas industry, and there is the necessity to create the role of small and medium-sized innovative enterprises. In this regard, this article is aimed at identifying the positive and negative aspects of these enterprises, as well as their significance in the development of the oil and gas service segment. Keywords: fuel and energy complex, innovative enterprises, international sanctions, import substitution, territorial clusters JEL Classifications: O13, P18, M2

Technology Platforms as an Efficient Tool to Modernize Russia's Economy

There is an urgent need to consider the dynamic development of the global economy from the point of view of its positive impact on competitiveness improvement in national manufacturing industries, and the best ways to modernize the country economy. The purpose of the paper is to provide with perspectives for development of instruments related to technology platforms within the framework of innovation management and adapted to the conditions of Russia's economic reality. The major method in studying this issue is mathematical economic modeling which has made it possible to facilitate expediency in determining a technology platform as an effective innovation control instrument.  The paper considers European and Russian experience in deploying technology platforms, and identifies national features characteristic to the performance of the innovation management instrument.  A mathematical economic model is used for justifying the efficiency of introducing technology platforms into Russian institutional innovation system. The practical significance of results and conclusions is in its ability to improve the mechanisms of developing and implementing federal and regional innovation development programs, development of the innovation infrastructure, stimulation of the innovation activity, use of a set of technology platform instruments by public authorities.  Keywords: technology platforms, innovative development, modernization, triple helix. JEL Classifications: C02, C18, O2

Distribution of the Octopamine Receptor AmOA1 in the Honey Bee Brain

Octopamine plays an important role in many behaviors in invertebrates. It acts via binding to G protein coupled receptors located on the plasma membrane of responsive cells. Several distinct subtypes of octopamine receptors have been found in invertebrates, yet little is known about the expression pattern of these different receptor subtypes and how each subtype may contribute to different behaviors. One honey bee (Apis mellifera) octopamine receptor, AmOA1, was recently cloned and characterized. Here we continue to characterize the AmOA1 receptor by investigating its distribution in the honey bee brain. We used two independent antibodies produced against two distinct peptides in the carboxyl-terminus to study the distribution of the AmOA1 receptor in the honey bee brain. We found that both anti-AmOA1 antibodies revealed labeling of cell body clusters throughout the brain and within the following brain neuropils: the antennal lobes; the calyces, pedunculus, vertical (alpha, gamma) and medial (beta) lobes of the mushroom body; the optic lobes; the subesophageal ganglion; and the central complex. Double immunofluorescence staining using anti-GABA and anti-AmOA1 receptor antibodies revealed that a population of inhibitory GABAergic local interneurons in the antennal lobes express the AmOA1 receptor in the cell bodies, axons and their endings in the glomeruli. In the mushroom bodies, AmOA1 receptors are expressed in a subpopulation of inhibitory GABAergic feedback neurons that ends in the visual (outer half of basal ring and collar regions) and olfactory (lip and inner basal ring region) calyx neuropils, as well as in the collar and lip zones of the vertical and medial lobes. The data suggest that one effect of octopamine via AmOA1 in the antennal lobe and mushroom body is to modulate inhibitory neurons