A territorial scale-based model for Euroregions and its implications for Cross-Border Cooperation in maritime contexts

This article attempts to advance the theoretical debate on Euroregions by focusing on their governance structures and the territorial scale of their activities. It develops around a sample of 60 Euroregions and as many corresponding INTERREG projects provided by previous research on Euroregional practices (Durà et al., 2018). Firstly, it elaborates a Euroregional model for the classification of these cross-border governance structures by focusing on i) a territorial scale-based typology of the cross-border cooperation activities performed and ii) the institutional density and level of self-government of the Euroregional actors involved. Secondly, theoretical contributions are applied in the case of territories mainly focused around maritime borders. By exploiting the results of the research, the article strongly suggests the exploitation of supralocal and regional partnerships alongside employing multilevel Euroregions in cross-sea cooperation.Aquest article pretén avançar en el debat teòric sobre euroregions a través de l'anàlisi de les seves estructures de governança i de l'escala territorial de les seves activitats. L'argumentació es desenvolupa amb un estudi de seixanta euroregions i d'un nombre corresponent de projectes Interreg seleccionats en investigacions anteriors (Durà et al., 2018). Primer, s'intenta elaborar un model euroregional per a la classificació d'aquestes estructures de governança transfronterera a través d'una tipologia de classificació d'activitats de cooperació transfronterera a escala territorial, i a través de l'anàlisi de la densitat institucional i dels nivells administratius de govern dels actors involucrats. Segon, les contribucions teòriques d'aquest article s'apliquen en el context de territoris separats per una frontera marítima. A partir de l'explotació de resultats, l'article argumenta a favor d'activitats d'escala supralocal i regional al costat d'euroregions de tipus multinivell per a la cooperació transfronterera en contextos marítims.Este artículo pretende avanzar en el debate teórico sobre eurorregiones a través del análisis de sus estructuras de gobernanza y de la escala territorial de sus actividades. La argumentación se desarrolla mediante un estudio de sesenta eurorregiones y de un número correspondiente de proyectos Interreg seleccionados en investigaciones anteriores (Durà et al., 2018). Primero, se intenta elaborar un modelo eurorregional para la clasificación de estas estructuras de gobernanza transfronteriza a través de una tipología de clasificación de actividades de cooperación transfronteriza a escala territorial, y a través del análisis de la densidad institucional y de los niveles administrativos de gobierno de los actores involucrados. Segundo, las contribuciones teóricas de este artículo se aplican en el contexto de territorios separados por una frontera marítima. A partir de la explotación de resultados, el artículo argumenta en favor de actividades de escala supralocal y regional, además de adoptar eurorregiones de tipo multinivel para la cooperación transfronteriza en contextos marítimos.Cet article se donne pour objectif d'avancer dans le débat théorique sur les Eurorégions en mettant l'accent sur leurs structures de gouvernance et sur l'ampleur territoriale de leurs activités. Il se développe autour d'une étude portant sur un échantillon de 60 Eurorégions et autant de projets INTERREG correspondants, fournis par des recherches antérieures sur les pratiques eurorégionales (Durà et al., 2018). En premier lieu, l'article propose un modèle eurorégional pour la classification de ces structures de gouvernance transfrontalières en se concentrant sur : a. une typologie à l'échelle territoriale des activités de coopération transfrontalière réalisées, et b. la densité institutionnelle et le niveau d'autonomie des acteurs eurorégionaux impliqués. En second lieu, les contributions théoriques sont appliquées au cas de territoires principalement centrés sur les frontières maritimes. En exploitant les résultats de la recherche, l'article suggère fortement l'emploi d'activités à une échelle supralocale et régionale, et suggère d'employer des Eurorégions de type multiniveaux dans la coopération transfrontalière maritime

Investigation on performances of asphalt mixtures made with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement: Effects of interaction between virgin and RAP bitumen

According to most recent surveys, the European area produced 265 mil tonnes of asphalt for road applications in 2014. In the same year, the amount of available RAP was more than 50 mil tonnes. The use of RAP in new blended mixes reduces the need of neat bitumen, making RAP recycling economically attractive. Despite the economic and environmental benefits, road authorities tend to limit the use of RAP in asphalt mixes due to uncertainty about field performances. The present study focuses on the interaction between neat and RAP bitumen in asphalt mixes made with different RAP content. The effects of RAP on physical and rheological properties of the final bituminous blend were investigated. This study is part of a wider research, where a specific type of asphalt mixture was produced with different RAP contents being 10%, 20% and 30% by mass of the mix. Bitumen was extracted and recovered from asphalt mixes, then it was subjected to the following laboratory tests: standard characterization, dynamic viscosity and rheological analysis with DSR. Findings showed that the effects of RAP bitumen on the final blend varied in proportion to RAP content. A threshold value of RAP content was found, below which bitumen was not subjected to significant changes in physical and rheological properties. Practical implications on production methods and paving of RAP mixes are also proposed. Keywords: Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), Recycling, Bitumen blending, Bitumen rheolog

Cross-border cooperation in the EU : Euroregions amid multilevel governance and re-territorialization

The article focuses on Euroregions as formal organizations within the wider context of cross-border cooperation (CBC) in the EU. Nowadays, CBC promoted by Euroregions all over the European Union is a consolidating reality. Although there is an existing plurality of study-cases over the matter, we acknowledge a lack of global analysis to produce comparative data on Euroregions. We believe in the necessity to develop further systematic and comparative analyses over a wider number of aspects related to cooperation: its real efficiency, its developments either in the different sectors or specific territorial frameworks (urban, rural, etc.), the governance strategies, etc. A real understanding of the CBC promoted by Euroregions, in our view, may only arise when adding such global perspective to the separate contexts of the study-cases. By using a data set of 61 Euroregions considered as especially active in our research project, we investigates the nature, the characteristics and the goals of the actors involved in cross-border cooperation agreements. From a descriptive perspective the study aims at providing some useful classification regarding the great variety of cross-border experiences developed in Europe in the last decades. We challenge therefore common views and understandings about cross border governance: according to our findings, Euroregions are neither effective political instruments for re-territorialization nor new modes of (cross-border) multilevel governance. we instead argued in this contribution is that Euroregions are more functional-oriented organizations that have used different instruments and strategies in order to gain momentum and relevance in the cross-border space

Balance y retos de la cooperación transfronteriza en la Unión Europea

El capítulo presenta una panorámica de la CTF europea a partir de visiones complementarias ofrecidas desde distintos ángulos. Estas visiones son en buena parte el fruto de la trayectoria de investigación del grupo recot (Red Europea de Cooperación Territorial), que a su vez se ha apoyado en la amplia bibliografía académica e institucional de la que hoy se dispone sobre este tema. Así, en un plano general, se propone una sintética aproximación a algunas aportaciones teóricas relevantes, una reflexión sobre las estrategias institucionales comunitarias, y una evaluación de la aportación de las denominadas eurorregiones a la ctf. Ello se complementa con diferentes perspectivas territoriales en las que nuestras investigaciones se han adentrado. Por una parte, se presenta la CTF en la península Ibérica, como ejemplo de la diversidad de estrategias en un territorio amplio. Por otra, se muestra la cooperación en dos realidades geográficas contrapuestas: las áreas de montaña -abundantes en las fronteras europeas, y con particular necesidad de estrategias de desarrollo sostenible- y las áreas marítimas, complejas por la falta de conexión directa entre los territorios fronterizos. Por último, se introduce la cooperación sanitaria, un tema de particular relevancia para el bienestar de la ciudadanía transfronteriza. Por supuesto, estas diversas perspectivas no agotan todas las posibles miradas, aunque sí pueden ofrecer al menos una idea de la complejidad de la cooperación en el ámbito europeo

Interplay among Anxiety, Digital Environmental Exposure, and Cognitive Control: Implications of Natural Settings

Inhibitory control performance may differ greatly as a function of individual differences such as anxiety. Nonetheless, how cognitive control proficiency might be influenced by exposure to various environments and how anxiety traits might impact these effects remain unexplored. A cohort of thirty healthy volunteers participated in the study. Participants performed a Go/No-Go task before exposure to a ‘forest’ and ‘urban’ virtual environment, in a counterbalanced design, before repeating the GNG task. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was finally filled-in. Our findings unveiled an initial negative correlation between anxiety trait levels and GNG task performance, consistent with the established literature attributing difficulties in inhibitory functionality to anxiety. Additionally, different environmental exposures reported opposite trends. Exposure to the ‘forest’ environment distinctly improved the GNG performance in relation to anxiety traits, while the ‘urban’ setting demonstrated adverse effects on task performance. These results underscore the intricate relationship among cognitive control, environmental exposure, and trait anxiety. In particular, our findings highlight the potential of natural settings, such as forests, to mitigate the impact of anxiety on inhibition. This might have implications for interventions aimed at improving cognitive control

A note on comonotonicity and positivity of the control components of decoupled quadratic FBSDE

In this small note we are concerned with the solution of Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations (FBSDE) with drivers that grow quadratically in the control component (quadratic growth FBSDE or qgFBSDE). The main theorem is a comparison result that allows comparing componentwise the signs of the control processes of two different qgFBSDE. As a byproduct one obtains conditions that allow establishing the positivity of the control process.Comment: accepted for publicatio

Uncertainty principle of genetic information in a living cell

BACKGROUND: Formal description of a cell's genetic information should provide the number of DNA molecules in that cell and their complete nucleotide sequences. We pose the formal problem: can the genome sequence forming the genotype of a given living cell be known with absolute certainty so that the cell's behaviour (phenotype) can be correlated to that genetic information? To answer this question, we propose a series of thought experiments. RESULTS: We show that the genome sequence of any actual living cell cannot physically be known with absolute certainty, independently of the method used. There is an associated uncertainty, in terms of base pairs, equal to or greater than μs (where μ is the mutation rate of the cell type and s is the cell's genome size). CONCLUSION: This finding establishes an "uncertainty principle" in genetics for the first time, and its analogy with the Heisenberg uncertainty principle in physics is discussed. The genetic information that makes living cells work is thus better represented by a probabilistic model rather than as a completely defined object

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in amphibians from the Po River Delta, Northern Italy

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a pathogen infecting amphibians at the global scale and causing their decline, but knowledge of the distribution of this pathogen is far from complete. We sampled amphibians from three species (Hyla intermedia, Rana dalmatina and Pelophylax synklepton esculentus) to evaluate whether B. dendrobatidis infects amphibians in the Po River Delta Natural Park, Northern Italy. We detected the pathogen in one population of P. sk. esculentus (prevalence: 0.33). These findings expand the known distribution of B. dendrobatidis in Italy and add further concern to the conservation of amphibians in this area

Euroregions, Excellence and Innovation across EU borders. A Catalogue of Good Practices

This Catalogue of Good Practices is dedicated to Euroregions, European organisations which are playing an influential role right on the borders of European countries and at a time in which many doubts persist about the European integration process. In our view, Euroregions truly matter: they are a symbol of communal living across borders, which are notoriously places where diversity is mostly shaped inside our continent. This is the reason why we should give all possible support to the development of these structures as an advanced manifestation of cross-border activities fortunately spreading across internal (and some external) EU frontiers. After being granted the opportunity of spending four years of research on the matter, the Catalogue of Good Practices produced by the research team COOPRECOT II aims at delivering a strong output for a renewed debate on the full realization of Euroregions' potential. In such a way, we seek to provide a new tool on the quest for optimal solutions that may inspire a higher level of cross-border cohesion and a favourable advancement in the European Integration process. The aims of the research will be fulfilled through introducing two separate sections inside the Catalogue. In the first one, we begin by introducing up-to-date theoretical contributions on CBC and Euroregions, alongside a perceptive explanation of our working methodology throughout the research. By showing the process that brought us to generate both a global list and a specific selection for this catalogue, we thereby proceed in elaborating a solid quantitative analysis of our sample. In the second part, we wish to present our research on the 80 CB euroregional structures selected in the shape of info sheets detailing important information extracted from our database. Technical data are also accompanied by a short text-description of the Euroregion and (where available) the corresponding CBC project's features