Beyond core-periphery relationship in the EC cooperation

During the current process of EU enlargement, regions are confronted with a need to revise their relative position within the newly formed socio-economic, spatial and cultural spaces. As existing equilibria are severely affected, the type and direction of developmental trends of member states (and regions) are increasingly questioned. Concerns are being raised about the risks that the annealing process would trigger a number of undesirable processes, i.e. loss of comparative advantages, regions lagging behind, accentuation of socio-economic gaps, social unbalances resulting from migration flows of poor population. These might hamper the path of European integration and eventually result in a reinforcement of the more accessible well developed areas and a loss of more peripheral and relatively underdeveloped ones. In this context, cooperation amongst the member states, and in particular, their local governments, may play a significant role to both overcome those risks and favouring the EU integration process. Information on cooperation (and integration) for the European countries is extensive and provides detailed accounts of the initiatives which have been undertaken since the establishment of EU programs in the early sixties. Although the variety of cooperation (integration) programs which have been launched as the EU unification progressed are well documented, existing studies have rarely questioned the kind of evolution ( i.e. type and extent of the changes underlying the various initiatives) those programs underwent. The aim of this paper is to undertake a preliminary step in this analysis. A claim is made that: a. on the one hand, the widening of the scopes of cooperation programs and increasing number of eligible actors involved are significantly reinforcing the potentials of cooperation in favouring the integration process not only among the member countries but also different kind of areas (i.e. between metropolitan and peripheral cities); b. on the other hand, there is a need to refine the current approaches to cooperation and develop a conceptual framework which serves as a basis for both formulating the various initiatives and defining effective benchmarks for their evaluation. The paper is organized in three main sections. The first addresses some methodological questions about the definition of what should be understood as a cooperation situation. An effort is made to identify a conceptual framework which might be relevant for dealing with cooperative actions in a institutionalised setting. This is then used in the second section to provide an account of the evolution of the EU programs on cooperation. Finally, in the last section attention is turned to the strengths (i.e. greater attention to the spatial dimension of cooperation programs, more equalitarian relationships amongst the participants) and weaknesses (i.e. lack of a shared model of cooperative actions) of the current approaches to cooperation. An effort is made to emphasize a few relevant questions which can be challenging in the current EU policies and thinking.

Beyond core-periphery relationship in the EC cooperation

During the current process of EU enlargement, regions are confronted with a need to revise their relative position within the newly formed socio-economic, spatial and cultural spaces. As existing equilibria are severely affected, the type and direction of developmental trends of member states (and regions) are increasingly questioned. Concerns are being raised about the risks that the annealing process would trigger a number of undesirable processes, i.e. loss of comparative advantages, regions lagging behind, accentuation of socio-economic gaps, social unbalances resulting from migration flows of poor population. These might hamper the path of European integration and eventually result in a reinforcement of the more accessible well developed areas and a loss of more peripheral and relatively underdeveloped ones. In this context, cooperation amongst the member states, and in particular, their local governments, may play a significant role to both overcome those risks and favouring the EU integration process. Information on cooperation (and integration) for the European countries is extensive and provides detailed accounts of the initiatives which have been undertaken since the establishment of EU programs in the early sixties. Although the variety of cooperation (integration) programs which have been launched as the EU unification progressed are well documented, existing studies have rarely questioned the kind of evolution ( i.e. type and extent of the changes underlying the various initiatives) those programs underwent. The aim of this paper is to undertake a preliminary step in this analysis. A claim is made that: a. on the one hand, the widening of the scopes of cooperation programs and increasing number of eligible actors involved are significantly reinforcing the potentials of cooperation in favouring the integration process not only among the member countries but also different kind of areas (i.e. between metropolitan and peripheral cities); b. on the other hand, there is a need to refine the current approaches to cooperation and develop a conceptual framework which serves as a basis for both formulating the various initiatives and defining effective benchmarks for their evaluation. The paper is organized in three main sections. The first addresses some methodological questions about the definition of what should be understood as a cooperation situation. An effort is made to identify a conceptual framework which might be relevant for dealing with cooperative actions in a institutionalised setting. This is then used in the second section to provide an account of the evolution of the EU programs on cooperation. Finally, in the last section attention is turned to the strengths (i.e. greater attention to the spatial dimension of cooperation programs, more equalitarian relationships amongst the participants) and weaknesses (i.e. lack of a shared model of cooperative actions) of the current approaches to cooperation. An effort is made to emphasize a few relevant questions which can be challenging in the current EU policies and thinking

BANKS MEET IMMIGRANTS: A NEW ACTOR FOSTERING SOCIO-ECONOMIC INTEGRATION?

The percentage of immigrants in the total population of many European countries, including Italy, is rising. Despite being a structural component of society until now a substantial section of the banking market has shown considerable strategic uncertainty with regard to this question. The issue hinges on the limitation of the financial exclusion of immigrants, in other words, the inability to access necessary financial services in an appropriate form. The financial exclusion is of paramount importance as if it is not checked and resolved could be significantly damaging both in social and economic terms. In other words, banks can be considered as 'actors' involved in promoting the immigrants' socio-economic integration? Or, are they far away from the challenges of the immigration process? The paper will present an empirical analysis focused on the city of Turin (Italy) where the foreign citizens are 11% of the total population and aimed at knowing whether the Italian Retail Banking System have set out specific strategies for immigrants. The aim of the paper is twofold. Firstly, an investigation of the state of the art of the products on offer and the methods currently employed by retail banks. Secondly, an attempt to highlight the tools and development opportunities for innovatory operational methods is made. More precisely, in the paper, thanks to the collected data, an analysis of the offer of financial products for immigrants is presented. On the other hand, the paper will offer first data on the immigrants' economic behavior

Pancreatic cell lineage analyses in mice

Considerable knowledge of the ontogeny of the endocrine pancreas has been gained in recent years, mainly through the use of two complementary genetic approaches in transgenic mice: gene inactivation or over-expression (to assess gene function) and genetic labeling of precursor cells (to determine cell lineages). In recent years, in vivo Cre/IoxP-based direct cell tracing experiments show that (i) all pancreatic cells differentiate from pdx1-expressing precursors, (ii) p48 is involved in the exocrine and endocrine pancreatic lineages, (iii) islet endocrine cells derive from ngn3-expressing progenitor cells, and (iv) insulin cells do not derive from glucagon-expressing progenitors. Lineage analyses allow the identification of progenitor cells from which mature cell types differentiate. Once identified, such progenitors can be labeled and isolated, and their differentiation and gene expression profiles studied in vitro. Understanding pancreatic cell lineages is highly relevant for future cell replacement therapies in diabetic patients, helping to define the identity of putative (endodermal) pancreatic stem cell

Harnessing the Automotive Waste Heat with Thermoelectric Modules Using Maximum Power Point Tracking Method

The present work shows a comprehensive methodology and design steps to recover energy from the automotive waste heat. A thermoelectric generator must be connected to a power converter in order to extract the maximum power from the generator and, also, satisfy different constrains to charge a battery. Starting from the electrical model of thermoelectric cells, it is evaluated their combination to realize a thermoelectric generator (TEG) comply with the automotive regulation, then considering input/output electric characteristics, it is evaluated the best converter topology to satisfy all constrains. Design steps and power dissipation estimation are deeply explained. TEG and power converter models are simulated in a model-based environment to allow the design of the control algorithms. The control system consists of nested control loops. Two maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms are evaluated. The MPPT output is used as reference for a current control loop. The maximum power characteristic of a TEG has a quadratic behavior and working without the tracking of the maximum power point could drastically decrease the generated power from the TEG and the system efficiency. There are presented simulation results of the control algorithms and experimental data are shown in order to validate the design steps

The first kiss of science - From interactivity to dialogue

In the Rafael Nieto Auditorium of the National Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi Mexico, few chairs are empty. The room is full of Astrophysics professors, Solid State of Matter, Elementary Particles, Fluid Mechanics, etc. It is the 49th National Congress of Physic. Today ­extraordinarily- it has slip into the program an analysis round table about the new outlines in science museums in Mexico

Environmental Disparities At Regional Level: The Evidence Of Namea In Italy

The object of this paper is to present an introductory quantitative analysis system on the relationship between the economy and the environment of the different economic sectors. The aim is to quantify the environmental pressures caused by the economy as a comprehensive tool to complement conventional economic indicators (such us GDP) therefore enabling comparisons of sustainable development. This study develops an empirical analysis using Namea (National Accounting including Environmental Accounts), which is a statistical information system allowing the investigation of the pressures placed on the environment by production activities and combines the economic aggregates with related environmental components. The intention is to show the extent to which Namea is a sound basis for understanding economic-environment relationships and for that reason is an aid for policy making. In the first part of the paper, macro-sector environmental impact indicators and environmental efficiencies are compared with the Italian regional average and used as a benchmark for the regions of the Northern Italy that traditionally Piedmont is compared. This is to draw attention to which sectors are more or less eco-efficient. The externalities chosen are those that are more significant for the socio-economic environment (green house effect, acid rain, ozone, lead and dust particles). In addition, the Namea data has been employed for Italy and Piedmont region for 13 sector branches and 5 categories of emission for the year 2005, the only year that both regional and national level data are available. In referring to a regional framework, the analysis is very significant since it allows the investigation to focus on structural and idiosyncratic features compared with national averages. In the last part of the paper there is a complementary analysis for the years 2005-2008 which reconstructs the trend of the economic sectors at a regional level illustrating the relative and absolute de-linking in relation to each emission. In conclusion the paper provides new empirical evidence on regional-national disparities in environmental efficiency in Italy and demonstrates how an analytical exploitation of Namea offers a rich array of insights for regional policy making. Environmental, industrial and sector oriented policy making can derive valuable information from the evidence provided in this study. The paper also expresses the concept of how Namea dataset can be used for decision-making purposes with strategies that follow a sustainable growth path. In order to fulfil this objective, the development and use of integrated economic-environmental indicators are proven to be a valuable resource

La asociación entre los índices operacionales y la tasa de ocupación de un centro quirúrgico general

This is a prospective study that focused on the dynamics of operating rooms using operational indexes that measure optimization, resistance, overload and utilization of the surgical unit, and also identified the factors most associated with these indexes. A total of 1,908 surgeries were analyzed over a period of two months in 2007. The average rates of utilization, optimization and resistance indexes were 80.41%, 65.35% and 34.65% respectively. The difference between the positive and negative overload index was low (5.42%). Operating room rescheduling and delays were the variables that contributed the most to the increase in these indexes. In the linear regression statistical model, the utilization rate was found to be the first common variable selected in the overload, resistance and optimization indexes. It is essential to work on these operational indexes with a view to obtain satisfactory results in the management of the surgical center, with well-defined work processes and teamwork.Estudo prospectivo que analisou a dinâmica das salas cirúrgicas através de índices operacionais que medem a otimização, resistência, sobrecarga e ocupação do centro cirúrgico, e também identificou os fatores que mais se associaram a esses índices. Foram analisadas 1908 cirurgias, durante dois meses de 2007. A taxa de ocupação e os índices de otimização e resistência médios encontrados foram 80,41, 65,35 e 34,65%, respectivamente. A diferença entre o índice de sobrecarga positivo e negativo foi baixo (5,42%). O remanejamento de sala e o atraso, respectivamente, foram as variáveis que mais contribuíram para a elevação desses índices. No teste estatístico de regressão linear observou-se que a taxa de ocupação foi a primeira variável comum selecionada tanto nos índices de sobrecarga, resistência como otimização. É fundamental a atuação sobre esses índices operacionais para se obter resultados satisfatórios no gerenciamento do centro cirúrgico, com processos bem definidos e trabalho em equipe.Se trata de un estudio prospectivo que analizó la dinámica de las salas quirúrgicas a través de índices operacionales que miden la optimización, resistencia, sobrecarga y ocupación del centro quirúrgico, y también identificó los factores que más se asociaron a esos índices. Fueron analizadas 1.908 cirugías, durante dos meses en el año de .2007. La tasa de ocupación y los índices de optimización y resistencia promedios encontrados fueron 80,41, 65,35 y 34,65%, respectivamente. La diferencia entre el índice de sobrecarga positivo y negativo fue bajo (5,42%). El cambio de sala y el atraso, respectivamente, fueron las variables que más contribuyeron para la elevación de esos índices. En la prueba estadística de regresión linear se observó que la tasa de ocupación fue la primera variable común seleccionada tanto en los índices de sobrecarga, resistencia y optimización. Es fundamental la actuación sobre eses índices operacionales para obtener resultados satisfactorios en la administración del centro quirúrgico, con procesos bien definidos y trabajo en equipo.52953