Introduction: A handbook on territorial impact assessment (TIA)

Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) is a relatively ‘new kid on the block’ of policy evaluation. Resting upon the holistic notion of territory, which encompasses multiple analytic dimensions (economy, society, environment, governance, spatial planning), TIA is the most complex, yet with the policy evaluation procedure with the largest potential to assess projects, programmes and policies. Indeed, policy evaluation procedures are now deeply rooted in sub-national, national and transnational territorial development strategies and processes. However, unlike the plethora of published books on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and other Impact Assessment (IA) methodologies, presently no TIA handbook has been published by any major international publisher. As such, this one intends to add a substantial contribution to available literature by presenting to the interested reader the most relevant TIA methodologies that have been produced so far. Furthermore, all the chapters, written by the authors of each TIA methodology presented, provide a detailed, updated and scientifically accurate explanation of their particular purpose and methodological operation. In the end, the reader is presented with a complete set of TIA methodologies to select from based on their advantages/disadvantages for a particular case-study. For a better understanding of how all the presented TIA methodologies work, concrete examples are presented in each chapter.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Non-Chern-Simons Topological Mass Generation in (2+1) Dimensions

By dimensional reduction of a massive BF theory, a new topological field theory is constructed in (2+1) dimensions. Two different topological terms, one involving a scalar and a Kalb-Ramond fields and another one equivalent to the four-dimensional BF term, are present. We constructed two actions with these topological terms and show that a topological mass generation mechanism can be implemented. Using the non-Chern-Simons topological term, an action is proposed leading to a classical duality relation between Klein-Gordon and Maxwell actions. We also have shown that an action in (2+1) dimensions with the Kalb-Ramond field is related by Buscher's duality transformation to a massive gauge-invariant Stuckelberg-type theory.Comment: 8 pages, no figures, RevTE

The TARGET_TIA: A complete, flexible and sound territorial impact assessment tool

This chapter presents TARGET_TIA as a relevant and flexible Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) methodology. TARGET_TIA was created in a context where existing ESPON TIA tools were mainly designed for assessing ex ante territorial impacts of EU directives. Hence, in view of the need to properly assess the main ex post territorial impacts of EU Cohesion Policy in several countries in a relevant and sound way, the author decided to design, test and apply his own TIA methodology, named TARGET_TIA. When compared with other existing TIA methodologies, TARGET_TIA can be used both at ex ante and ex post policy evaluation phases. In addition, it brings to the table the possibility to use counterfactual evaluation elements to allow the production of credible and sound TIA evaluation scores. Following on from its implementation in assessing the main territorial impacts of EU policies and programmes, mostly at the ex post evaluation phase, it is possible to conclude that it is a credible, flexible, easy-to-operate, cost-effective and robust TIA methodology, which can be applied to projects, programmes and policies, at all territorial levels.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

de Broglie-Proca and Bopp-Podolsky massive photon gases in cosmology

We investigate the influence of massive photons on the evolution of the expanding universe. Two particular models for generalized electrodynamics are considered, namely de Broglie-Proca and Bopp-Podolsky electrodynamics. We obtain the equation of state (EOS) $P=P(\varepsilon)$ for each case using dispersion relations derived from both theories. The EOS are inputted into the Friedmann equations of a homogeneous and isotropic space-time to determine the cosmic scale factor $a(t)$. It is shown that the photon non-null mass does not significantly alter the result $a\propto t^{1/2}$ valid for a massless photon gas; this is true either in de Broglie-Proca's case (where the photon mass $m$ is extremely small) or in Bopp-Podolsky theory (for which $m$ is extremely large).Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures; v2 matches the published versio

Torsion-Adding and Asymptotic Winding Number for Periodic Window Sequences

In parameter space of nonlinear dynamical systems, windows of periodic states are aligned following routes of period-adding configuring periodic window sequences. In state space of driven nonlinear oscillators, we determine the torsion associated with the periodic states and identify regions of uniform torsion in the window sequences. Moreover, we find that the measured of torsion differs by a constant between successive windows in periodic window sequences. We call this phenomenon as torsion-adding. Finally, combining the torsion and the period adding rules, we deduce a general rule to obtain the asymptotic winding number in the accumulation limit of such periodic window sequences