RISULTATI RICERCA

Oggi non è più possibile considerare il vissuto psicologico e la salute fisica come elementi separati: grazie alla psiconeuroimmunologia sono disponibili molteplici dati sul legame bidirezionale fra mente e corpo. La vita psicosociale influenza lo stato di salute corporea: stati di depressione o ansia ed eventi avversi vissuti durante l’infanzia sono in grado di aumentare la mortalità per tutte le cause, mentre il benessere psicologico (es.: godersi la vita) aumenta l’aspettativa di vita. L’attivazione dell’asse dello stress favorisce infatti la produzione di citochine (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-a e PCR) che aumentano il livello di infiammazione nel corpo, predisponendo a problemi quali cardiopatie, patologie immunitarie, diabete, sindrome metabolica. Dall’altra parte, l’infiammazione periferica può raggiungere il cervello alterando così il funzionamento dei circuiti cerebrali, attivando l’asse dello stress e influenzando l’umore: ecco perché un aumento dell’infiammazione periferica può favorire uno stato depressivo. È pertanto vitale avere in mente questo legame bidirezionale per prendersi cura della salute.

The recent surge in patenting by universities has sparked a considerable debate regarding the economic rationale and consequences of rewarding academic scientists with intellectual property rights other than that of priority recognition. The paper surveys the main conceptual issues regarding university patenting, as well as the available empirical evidence, both quantitative and qualitative. While there is little support for concerns over the trade-offs between patenting and publishing, or basic and applied research, concerns over accessibility of research tools have more validity.

The aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of the risk factors associated with school burnout, which has recently been described as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion due to school demands, cynical and detached attitude towards school and feelings of inadequacy as a student (Salmela-Aro, Kiuru, Pietikainen & Jokela, 2008a). The research focuses on students in the last years of compulsory schooling, period in which burnout has not received much attention yet. A total of 342 adolescents (Mean age = 14.84) were asked to complete questionnaires about school burnout, school-related stress and background variables. The results showed differences in school burnout by gender, grade level and school track, with girls, last grade of compulsory school and high-track classes, showing the highest scores. No difference was observed with respect to grade retention. Several types of school stress were identified, with stress type Success related to pressures to succeed and concerns about the academic future being the highest. Finally, stress and burnout were strongly and positively correlated, and the type of stress Success was the best predictor of overall Burnout, Exhaustion and Inadequacy dimension scores. The results are discussed in relation to their theoretical relevance and implications for the prevention of school burnout in adolescents.

The rise and fall of psichoanalytic book publishing in America - The rise and fall of psychoanalytic book publishing in America is one sign of the progressive marginalization of psychoanalysis within American mental health care. The "glory era" of psychoanalytic book publishing, roughly the quarter century following the end of World War II, is described. This was the era when psychoanalyst-authors such as Karl Menninger, Erich Fromm, Erik Erikson, and Karen Horney published books of great commercial success. Cumulative sales data of noteworthy psychoanalytic books published in the United States over the past 70 years are reported, and document the continuous decline in sales since the 1970s. In accounting for the recent acceleration of this decline, Stepansky focuses on the internal fragmentation of a once cohesive profession into rival schools with sectarian features, each committed to a self-limited reading agenda. Stepansky discusses these issues from his vantage point as Managing Director of The Analytic Press from 1984-2006. [KEY WORDS: American psychoanalysis, publishing, books, fractionation, marginalization]

Regional Productivity Differences: Theoretical Predictions and Empirical Evidence for Western Europe (di Kurt Geppert*, Martin Gornig*, Andreas Stephan) - ABSTRACT: There has been a long tradition of empirical research on regional productivity, particularly with reference to the neoclassical theory of growth. Spatial factors, as discussed in the New Economic Geography, have been widely neglected to date. Our panel data analysis for the period from 1988 to 2000 shows that the geo-economic location and the degree of agglomeration are clearly relevant for the levels of regional productivity, but they do not contribute to the explanation of regional differences in the change of productivity. We find some support for growth models that predict convergence, but this process is rather slow. Despite huge steps towards integration during the period considered, the growth of productivity of Western European regions appears still to be largely determined by national factors.