LOCAL LEGAL RELATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF ADMINISTRATIVE DECENTRALIZATION. PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES

Local legal relations have evolved steadily over the past twenty years, so now we arewitnessing a redefinition of their concept, with the purpose of overcoming the traditionallocal autonomy in recognition of certain international legal capacity of local communities toparticipate in forms of decentralized cooperation.The goal of our research is to identify new actors in the international relations, localcommunities, which under EU law and the Council of Europe acquire certain powers thatwould allow them, at least theoretically, employment among secondary actors on the stage ofinternational law.The study presents an examination of the documents governing international or localcooperation with the ultimate aim to highlight the consequences of these forms ofcooperation, which they produce in the context of administrative decentralization

Correlation of optical reflectivity with numerical calculations for a two-dimensional photonic crystal designed in Ge

A two dimensional photonic crystal (2DPhC) with triangular symmetry is investigated using optical reflectivity measurements and numerical calculations. The system has been obtained by direct laser writing, using a pulsed laser (λ = 775 nm), perforating an In-doped Ge wafer. A lattice of holes with well-defined symmetry has been designed. Analyzing the spectral signature of PBGs recorded experimentaly with finite difference time domain theoretical calculations one was able to prove the relation between the geometric parameters (hole format, lattice constant) of the system and its ability to trap and guide the radiation in specific energy range. It was shown that at low frequency and telecommunication ranges of transvelsal electric modes photonic band gap occur. This structure may have potential aplications in designing photonic devices with applications in energy storage and conversion as potential alternative to Si-based technology

Hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis in wetland engineering:Carbon sequestration, phosphorus recovery, and structural characterization of willow-based chars with X-ray μ-computed tomography

Willows from engineered wetland systems (EWS) offer a sustainable approach to wastewater treatment and biomass production. Our study assesses their potential for nutrient recovery and carbon sequestration using slow pyrolysis (600 °C) and hydrothermal carbonization (250 °C). Here, we propose EWS-pyrochars as a ready-to integrate opportunity for soil amendment, as they exhibit a predominant CO2 release and the absence of harmful compounds in pyrolysis-chromatograms, indicating higher stability than hydrochars. Using sequential P-extractions, we observed a high bioavailability in the willow-woodchips and a significant P-retention in EWS-chars—up to 92 % in pyrochars and near-complete retention in hydrochars, along with a higher labile-P fraction of 21 % in hydrochars than 5 % in pyrochars. Utilizing X-ray-based techniques, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and gas physisorption, we characterized the EWS-chars' structures. We revealed innovative 3D-visualizations, which transcend previous literature by providing insights into the chars' internal porosity and quantifying, for the first time, their carbonaceous structural thickness via a meshing algorithm and the mean Feret diameter. EWS-pyrochars exhibit remarkable aromaticity with a higher concentration of overall sp2 C-atoms at 63 % vs. 43 % in hydrochars. Moreover, unlike hydrochars, which depict occluded porosity, EWS-pyrochars exhibited 92 % water storage-like pores. Although hydrochars indicated lower carbonization and thermal stability than pyrochars, their higher carbon retention (55 vs. 41 % in pyrochar) suggest superior annual benefits—on a 10 ha EWS scale—of 80-tons of carbon sequestration and 334 kg of phosphorus recovery versus 60-tons of carbon and 298 kg of phosphorus with pyrochars. Our findings suggest innovative materials for resource recovery, advancing the engineered wetland systems field, shifting their traditional use, and opening the opportunity for future integration into biorefineries.</p