EU CLUSTERS - A COMPARISON BETWEEN NEW AND OLD MEMBER STATES

Striving to get economies of agglomeration and scale, to better use resources, to improve quality, innovation, skills and productivity and benefit of spill over effects, companies with similar or linked activities tend to cluster, creating new and complex structures which are beneficial for both the member companies and the region where they agglomerate. Clustering “comes naturally” and clusters are nothing but another stage in the evolution towards ever more efficient productive structures. This paper makes a comparative analysis of the economic clusters in the new and old European Union member countries - as they were identified and evaluated by the European Cluster Observatory – with a stress upon the comparison between the clusters in Romania, Germany and Great Britain.clusters, agglomeration economies, economic structures, competitiveness,industrial policy

Defending clusters against critics

In recent years, almost everybody became interested in clusters. Companies, businessmen, scholars and policymakers alike seem to be fascinated by the clustering phenomenon and its potential to trigger, or to further stimulate, economic growth and development. This remarkably large interest seems to be entirely justified if we just overview some of the most important benefits clusters can generate.clusters, economic growth, agglomeration economies, cooperation

WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY IN CHINA - CEE ECONOMIC RELATIONS

The Central and Eastern European countries (CEE) share an old, constant and strong friendship relation with China. Along the last decades, both China and CEE countries underwent tremendous changes following different paths to development. These changes, as well as the outburst of the global financial and economic crisis in 2007 followed by the European turmoil, shaped a completely new global economic environment for all the actors in the global scene. It also brought to surface the hidden flaws in each country’s own development model, shedding light on the untapped potential in their economic relations and opening new windows of opportunity. This paper looks at the bilateral trade and investment relation of China and the CEE10 countries (the EU members group), with a special focus on Romania-China economic relationship, laying stress on the opportunities and the road ahead

Die Entstehung des rumänischen Volkes

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Prolactin Induces Tuberoinfundibular Dopaminergic Neurone Differentiation in Snell Dwarf Mice if Administered Beginning at 3 Days of Age

The hypothalamic tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) neurones secrete dopamine, which inhibits prolactin secretion. TIDA neurone numbers are deficient in Ames (df/df) and Snell (dw/dw) dwarf mice, which lack prolactin, growth hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone. Prolactin therapy initiated before 21 days maintains normal-sized TIDA neurone numbers in df/df mice and, when initiated as early as 7 days, maintains the maximum TIDA neurone numbers observed in dw/dw development, which are decreased compared to those in normal mice. The present study investigated the effect of prolactin dose and species on TIDA neurone development. Snell dwarf and normal mice were treated with saline, 5 μg of ovine prolactin (oPRL), 50 μg of oPRL, or 50 μg of recombinant mouse prolactin (rmPRL) beginning at 3 days of age. Brains were analysed at 45 days using catecholamine histofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase or bromodeoxyuridine. Normal mice had greater (P ≤ 0.01) TIDA neurones than dw/dw, regardless of treatment. TIDA neurones in 50 μg oPRL-treated dw/dw mice were greater (P ≤ 0.05) than those in 5 μg oPRL- and rmPRL-treated dw/dw mice, which were greater (P ≤ 0.01) than those in saline-treated dw/dw mice. Fifty microgram oPRL-treated dw/dw mice also had greater (P < 0.01) TIDA neurone numbers than the maximum numbers observed in untreated dw/dw mice development. Among saline, 5 μg oPRL and 50 μg oPRL treatments, but not rmPRL, A14 neurone numbers were higher (P ≤ 0.01) in normal compared to in dw/dw mice. The mechanism of TIDA neurone recruitment was investigated using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) treatment at intervals after 21 days. Mice treated with rmPRL, but not oPRL, had increased BrdU incorporation in the periventricular area surrounding the third ventricle and median eminence and in the arcuate nucleus. The data obtained in the present study indicate that oPRL, but not rmPRL, when given at a high enough dose, induces TIDA neurone differentiation in dw/dw mice. This supports neurotrophic effects of prolactin on TIDA neurones in early postnatal development that extends beyond maintenance of the cell population

Control of neuronal migration through rostral migratory stream in mice

During the nervous system development, immature neuroblasts have a strong potential to migrate toward their destination. In the adult brain, new neurons are continuously generated in the neurogenic niche located near the ventricle, and the newly generated cells actively migrate toward their destination, olfactory bulb, via highly specialized migratory route called rostral migratory stream (RMS). Neuroblasts in the RMS form chains by their homophilic interactions, and the neuroblasts in chains continually migrate through the tunnels formed by meshwork of astrocytes, glial tube. This review focuses on the development and structure of RMS and the regulation of neuroblast migration in the RMS. Better understanding of RMS migration may be crucial for improving functional replacement therapy by supplying endogenous neuronal cells to the injury sites more efficiently

Occurrence of new neurons in the piriform cortex

Adult neurogenesis has been well studied in hippocampus and subventricular zone; while this is much less appreciated in other brain regions, including amygdala, hypothalamus and piriform cortex. The present review aims at summarizing recent advances on the occurrence of new neurons in the piriform cortex, their potential origin and migration route from the subventricular zone. We further discuss the relevant implications in olfactory dysfunction accompanying the neuro-degenerative diseases

Rat forebrain neurogenesis and striatal neuron replacement after focal stroke

The persistence of neurogenesis in the forebrain subventricular zone (SVZ) of adult mammals suggests that the mature brain maintains the potential for neuronal replacement after injury. We examined whether focal ischemic injury in adult rat would increase SVZ neurogenesis and direct migration and neuronal differentiation of endogenous precursors in damaged regions. Focal stroke was induced in adult rats by 90-minute right middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Cell proliferation and neurogenesis were assessed with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling and immunostaining for cell type-specific markers. Brains examined 10–21 days after stroke showed markedly increased SVZ neurogenesis and chains of neuroblasts extending from the SVZ to the peri-infarct striatum. Many BrdU-labeled cells persisted in the striatum and cortex adjacent to infarcts, but at 35 days after tMCAO only BrdU-labeled cells in the neostriatum expressed neuronal markers. Newly generated cells in the injured neostriatum expressed markers of medium spiny neurons, which characterize most neostriatal neurons lost after tMCAO. These findings indicate that focal ischemic injury increases SVZ neurogenesis and directs neuroblast migration to sites of damage. Moreover, neuroblasts in the injured neostriatum appear to differentiate into a region-appropriate phenotype, which suggests that the mature brain is capable of replacing some neurons lost after ischemic injury.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34890/1/10393_ftp.pd