Horizontal Integration: An Administrative Science Perspective on Cross-Border Cooperation in Europe

The European border regions perform a specific horizontal integration function. From the perspective of public administration theory, this publication lays the foundations for conceptualising the policy area of cross-border cooperation in Europe as a horizontal level of integration. To this end, the volume analyses the integration theory specifics of its genesis, the functional particularities of its governance with regard to the decentralised integration of different political-administrative, legal and cultural systems, as well as the patterns of emergent, transnational territorial institutionalism. Finally, administrative perspectives on the study of cross-border cooperation as a horizontal level of the European Administrative Area are also presented.Die Europäischen Grenzregionen erbringen eine spezifische horizontale Integrationsfunktion. Der Autor legt aus einem verwaltungswissenschaftlichen Blickwinkel heraus die Grundlage dafür, das Politikfeld der grenzüberschreitenden Zusammenarbeit in Europa als horizontale Integrationsebene konzeptionell zu fassen. Der Band analysiert hierzu die integrationstheoretischen Spezifika ihrer Genese, die funktionalen Besonderheiten ihrer Governance im Hinblick auf die dezentrale Integration unterschiedlicher politisch-administrativer, rechtlicher und kultureller Systeme sowie die Muster eines emergenten, transnationalen territorialen Institutionalismus. Abschließend werden verwaltungswissenschaftliche Perspektiven zur Erforschung grenzüberschreitender Zusammenarbeit als horizontaler Ebene des Europäischen Verwaltungsraums aufgezeigt

Cross-Border Cooperation and the European Administrative Space – Prospects from the Principle of Mutual Recognition

With the introduction of the territorial cohesion objective and under the redesign of the new cohesion policy, cross-border cooperation has become an increasingly important level of “horizontal” European integration. Representing at the same time a specific transnational pattern of the European Administrative Space (EAS), however, its practical functioning is still hindered by various factors amongst which the diverging national legal and administrative framework conditions of the participating actors represent the major obstacle with regards to the development of effective cross-border governance regimes. Based on the analysis of central challenges of practical cross-border governance, the article examines the question whether the application the principle of mutual recognition, initially developed for the free movement of goods in the non-harmonized area, could provide a basis for substantial improvement in European cross-border cooperation. Four fields ofapplication are designed, allowing for a new quality of transnational administrative cooperation and a new understanding of the laboratory role that cross-border territories might play both for the EAS and further European integration

Prospects of Cross-Border Cooperation in Europe: Capacity-Building and the Operating Principle of “Horizontal Subsidiarity”

Based on a reflection of the seven central challenges which all cross- border territories in Europe are facing in practice, the article analyses how cross-border cooperation in Europe could be improved in the future. Two central fields are interpreted in this regard: training/facilitating and applied interdisciplinary research. The article suggests that a more effective cross-border policymaking of the future depends on a systemic capacity-building, based on the new operating principle of »horizontal subsidiarity«. For the moment being, cross-border cooperation is only a functional sub-system, created by and largely depending on contributions coming from the states involved. Horizontal subsidiarity, combined with new approaches such as territorial impact assessment, multi-level governance or joint interest representation would allow for a better development of an integrated cross-border policymaking, based on the real challenges and potentialities of a 360° perspective on the cross-border territory

Mechanisms for handling uncertainty in sensorimotor control in sports: a scoping review

In complex naturalistic sensorimotor behaviour, uncertainty arises from ambiguities and delays in sensory inputs as well as noise in sensory detection and motor execution. In sports, where human capacity reaches its limits, handling uncertainty is crucial. In fundamental motor-control research, five mechanisms for handling uncertainty – multisensory integration, prior-knowledge integration, risk optimisation, redundancy exploitation, and impedance control – have been proposed based on a rich body of evidence, mostly investigating simple arm and hand movement tasks. Here we review the literature investigating more complex tasks and examine to what extent these mechanisms explain handling uncertainty in sensorimotor control in sports. A systematic search following the PRISMA guidelines resulted in the consideration of 82 studies. These studies provide robust empirical evidence for the mechanisms of multisensory integration, prior-knowledge integration, and redundancy exploitation in complex naturalistic behaviour, whilst only a few publications focused on the other two mechanisms. Furthermore, only a few studies test model-based predictions that can be derived from the theoretical frameworks to a satisfactory extent. Finally, beyond discussing these explanatory mechanisms in isolation, we propose a unifying model that builds upon the theory of optimal feedback control, in which the mechanisms can be related to each other coherently

Prospective cognitions in anxiety and depression: Replication and methodological extension

The present study presents a replication and methodological extension of MacLeod, Tata, Kentish, and Jacobsen (1997) with a nonclinical sample, using future-directed imagery to assess prospective cognitions. Results showed that only anxiety (but not depression) was related to enhanced imagery for future negative events. Both anxiety and depression showed significant zero-order correlations with reduced imagery for future positive events. However, when the overlap between anxiety and depression was controlled for, only depression (but not anxiety) showed a unique association with reduced imagery for positive events. Implications of these findings for cognitive models of anxiety and depression are discussed

Weekly assessment of worry: an adaptation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for monitoring changes during treatment

An adaptation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) [Meyer, T. J., Miller, M. L., Metzger, R. L. and Borkovec, T. D. (1990). Development and validation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 28, 487-495.] for weekly assessment of worry was evaluated in a brief treatment study. Cognitive restructuring techniques were taught to 28 nonclinical high-worriers, 14 of whom served as a control group in a lagged waiting-list design. Results showed that the Penn State Worry Questionnaire-Past Week (PSWQ-PW) was highly reliable and substantially valid in the assessment of both (a) weekly status of worry and (b) treatment-related changes in worry: average Cronbach's alpha was 0.91; average convergent correlation with a past-week adaptation of the Worry Domains Questionnaire [Tallis, F., Eysenck, M. W. and Mathews, A. (1992). A questionnaire for the measurement of nonpathological worry. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 161-168.] was 0.63 and pre-post improvement on PSWQ-PW showed a 0.71 correlation with the Questionnaire of Changes in Experiencing and Behavior [Zielke, M. and Kopf-Mehnert, C. (1978). Veränderungsfragebogen des Erlebens und Verhaltens. Weinheim, Germany: Beltz Test Gesellschaft.]. It is concluded that the PSWQ-PW is a useful instrument for monitoring pathological worry in experimental and applied settings

The parasitophorous vacuole of the blood-stage malaria parasite.

The pathology of malaria is caused by infection of red blood cells with unicellular Plasmodium parasites. During blood-stage development, the parasite replicates within a membrane-bound parasitophorous vacuole. A central nexus for host-parasite interactions, this unique parasite shelter functions in nutrient acquisition, subcompartmentalization and the export of virulence factors, making its functional molecules attractive targets for the development of novel intervention strategies to combat the devastating impact of malaria. In this Review, we explore the origin, development, molecular composition and functions of the parasitophorous vacuole of Plasmodium blood stages. We also discuss the relevance of the malaria parasite's intravacuolar lifestyle for successful erythrocyte infection and provide perspectives for future research directions in parasitophorous vacuole biology

Metal Complexes of 2,2’-Dipyridyldisulfide with Mercury(II), Cadmium(II), and Zinc(II) Halides and with Cadmium(II) Trifluoromethanesulfonate

Crystals of diiodo-2,2’-dipyridyldisulfide mercury(II) [HgI2(C5H4N)2S2], dichloro-2,2’-dipyridyldisulfide zinc(II) [ZnCl2(C5H4N)2S2], dibromo-2,2’-dipyridyldisulfide cadmium(II) [CdBr2 (C5H4N)2S2], diiodo-2,2’-dipyridyldisulfide cadmium(II) [CdI2(C5H4N)2S2], and diaquo 2,2’-dipyridyldisulfide cadmium(II) trifluoromethanesulfonate [Cd(H2O)2(C5H4N)2S2](CF3SO3)2, were obtained by evaporation of solutions of the ligand and the appropriate metal salts, and their X-ray crystal structures determined