Serotonin, how to find it...

Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system (CNS) of animals, including humans. Discovered and crystallized over sixty years ago, serotonin operates as a short-range neurotransmitter as well as a long-range signalling modulator, with multiple effects on whole organism functions via plasma, platelet and neuroendocrine, gut, adrenal and other peripheral systems across many species. All of the important functions of serotonin in the brain and body were identified over the ensuing years by neurochemical, physiological and pharmacological investigations. Mainly, all these investigations have been performed via invasive methodologies, particularly in the CNS studies. Here we present a rapid overview of such methodological approaches focussing on voltammetry, one of the most recent technical approaches for serotonin analysis in vivo, in situ and in real time. Furthermore, we introduce a late technical evolution in the attempt to obtain in vivo non invasive measurement of brain serotonin.peer-reviewe

Notes on the Determinants of Innovation: A Multi-Perspective Analysis

The study of innovation and technological change is an increasing field of economic enquire because innovation can be considered a major engine of growth. This paper is concerned with the determinants of innovation and technological change. Different theoretical approaches present in the literature are systematically considered. The aim of this work is to offer an overview of contributions emerging from different perspectives trying to place them in their proper theoretical framework. The paper will be divided in different subsections in which each determinant is individually treated through the presentation of the most relevant results achieved by the literature on the specific issue. Policy considerations and hints for further research are also provided.Determinants of innovation, Innovation and knowledge, National systems of innovation, Intellectual property rights, Technology policy

Matthew effects and R&D subsidies: knowledge cumulability in high-tech and low-tech industries

The paper explores the causes and effects of persistence in the discretionary allocation of public subsidies to R&D activities performed by private firms in high-tech and low-tech industries. It applies the distinction between virtuous Matthew-effects and vicious Matthew-effects. The former qualifies the persistence in the discretionary allocation of public subsidies in terms of sheer reputation based upon previous awards. The latter is identified by the role of the accumulation of competence stemming from past grants in current R&D activities. Virtuous Matthew effects are found in high-tech industries where knowledge cumulability is higher. In traditional industries, vicious Matthew effects prevail for the lower levels of knowledge cumulability. Here reputation-Matthew-effects can lead to substitution of private funds with public ones. The empirical analysis is based on Transition Probability Matrices, probit regressions and Propensity Score Matching on around 700 Italian firms in the years 1998-2003.Innovation; R&D subsidies; Matthew effects; past dependence; path dependence

Environmental Regulation and the Export Dynamics of Energy Technologies

The pollution haven hypothesis affirms that an open market regime will encourage the flow of low technology polluting industries toward developing countries, due to potential comparative advantages related to low environmental standards. In contrast, the hypothesis suggested by Porter and van der Linde claims for a competitive dynamic behaviour by innovating firms, allowing a global diffusion of environmental-friendly technologies. Environmental regulation may represent a relevant mechanism through which technological change is induced. In this way countries subject to more stringent environmental regulations may become net exporters of environmental technologies. This paper provides new evidence on the evolution of export flows of environmental technologies across different countries for the energy sector. Advanced economies, particularly the European Union, have given increasing attention to the role of energy policies as tools for sustaining the development path. The Kyoto Protocol commitments, together with growing import dependence of energy products, have stimulated the attention on the analysis of innovation processes in this specific sector. The analysis uses a gravity model in order to test the determinants and the transmission channels through which environmental technologies for renewable energies and energy efficiency are exported to advanced and developing countries. Our results are consistent with the existence of the Porter and van der Linde hypothesis, where environmental regulation represents a significant component of comparative advantages. What strongly emerges is that the stringency of environmental regulation supplemented by the strength of National Innovation System is a crucial driver of export performance in the field of energy technologies.Environmental Regulation, Trade and Environment, Energy Technologies

New Processes and New Products in Europe and Italy

This article investigates the differences in the mechanisms and strategies conducing to the introduction of new processes and products in Italy and Europe. Three models are proposed in order to identify the different business strategies and innovation inputs associated with new products and new processes. The empirical analysis uses innovation surveys data at the industry level for 8 European countries, with a specific focus on the Italian case. The analysis shows that while the two types of innovation have a strong complementarity, product and process innovations are the results of different innovative inputs and different strategies pursued by firms.product innovation, process innovation, Italian national innovation system.

A tool for crowdsourced building information modeling through low-cost range camera: preliminary demonstration and potential

Within the construction sector, Building Information Models (BIMs) are more and more used thanks to the several benefits that they offer in the design of new buildings and the management of the existing ones. Frequently, however, BIMs are not available for already built constructions, but, at the same time, the range camera technology provides nowadays a cheap, intuitive and effective tool for automatically collecting the 3D geometry of indoor environments. It is thus essential to find new strategies, able to perform the first step of the scan to BIM process, by extracting the geometrical information contained in the 3D models that are so easily collected through the range cameras. In this work, a new algorithm to extract planimetries from the 3D models of rooms acquired by means of a range camera is therefore presented. The algorithm was tested on two rooms, characterized by different shapes and dimensions, whose 3D models were captured with the Occipital Structure SensorTM. The preliminary results are promising: the developed algorithm is able to model effectively the 2D shape of the investigated rooms, with an accuracy level comprised in the range of 5 - 10 cm. It can be potentially used by non-expert users in the first step of the BIM generation, when the building geometry is reconstructed, for collecting crowdsourced indoor information in the frame of BIMs Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) generation

Further Electrochemical and Behavioural Evidence of a Direct Relationship Between Central 5-HT and Cytoskeleton in the Control of Mood

Reduced activity of CNS serotonin is reported in unipolar depression and serotonin is the major target of recent antidepressant drugs. However, an acute depletion of serotonin in healthy individuals does not induce depressive symptoms suggesting that depression does not correlate with the serotonin system only. Neuronal plasticity (structural adaptation of neurons to functional requirements) includes synthesis of microtubular proteins such as tyrosinated isoform of α-tubulin and presence of serotonin as regulator of synaptogenesis. In depression neuronal plasticity is modified

Thermo-economic assessment of supercritical CO2 power cycles for concentrated solar power plants

Tesis sin capítulo 5 por tener abierto un convenio de confidencialida

The demand-pull effect of public procurement on innovation and industrial renewal

This article analyzes, empirically, the link between public procurement and innovation activities by taking into account the moderating effect played by import penetration on public procurement. Using industry-level information on patent applications for 24 countries over the period 1995-2012, we test the impact of public procurement on innovation activities and whether and in which direction import penetration on public procurement impacts on patenting. The econometric analysis relies on Poisson regression techniques aiming to investigate the correlation between patent counts, supply as well as demand-side determinants, controlling for country and sector heterogeneity. The obtained results confirm our main hypotheses. The dynamics of patenting is positively affected by the public procurement while a high degree of import penetration reduces the innovation enhancing effect exerted by public demand. Our results suggest that public demand may represent an effective tool for industrial policy to stimulate innovative activities, to shape the transformation of production systems and to foster industrial renewal. Moreover, the empirical evidence shows that the strategy regarding the degree of openness in public procurement towards non-domestic firms is a crucial policy choice capable of affecting the innovative potential of public demand