The issue of intercultural negociation among ethnic minorities in border areas has been widely debated in the social sciences, but the roles played by spatial vicinity and cultural proximity in ...influencing ethnic membership in borderland areas is still under-researched. This article addresses the role of geographic vicinity among ethnic minorities residing in a border area and the way cultural proximity is involved in this process. The research uses a questionnaire and interviews with a sample of members of ethnic groups (Hungarians, Bulgarians, Serbs, and Ukrainians) who live in western Romania (Timiș county). The findings highlight that geographic proximity constitutes a key factor in the manifestation of cultural proximity in the relationship between ethnic minorities and their counterparts in the cross-border region. This process is also shaped by the bilateral relations between the host country and the country of origin of the ethnic group. Concluding the analysis, a cross-over ethnic model is proposed.
Although much research has been performed on passengers' origin airport choice, there is little research on airports' catchment area size and even less on airports' catchment areas in cross-border ...regions. This paper addresses passengers' airport choice and analyzes airports' catchment area size and its homogeneity in the Upper Adriatic region. Using the results of passengers' survey at three regional airports (Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU), Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) and Trieste Pietro Savorgnan di Brazza Airport (TRS)) we have estimated the airports' catchment areas and airports market shares therein using multinomial logit (MNL) model structure. To additionally explore the passengers' airport choice behavior considering the different sensitivity across travellers to regional, demographic and airports attributes and account for preference heterogeneity in airport choice a mixed logit model was used. The results indicated that the three airports have relatively small core catchment areas and that the market share rapidly decreases with the increasing access time to airport. Partially, the results reinforced earlier findings showing that access time to airport is the most important determinant in airport choice for all segments (business/leisure and cross-border/domestic), however the sensitivity to access time is more pronounced in business and domestic group. Additionally, the results indicated pronounced loyalty to domestic airports and generally low importance of ticket prices, and show that in market conditions where all airports in the region have a low-cost carrier (LCC) the effect of LCC on airport choice is limited. Finally, the results indicated that the borders might have an influence on airport choice and that overall, in the cross-border regions the passengers’ airport choice process is even more complex than in non cross-border regions.
Wildfire is essential in altering land ecosystems’ structures, processes, and functions. As a critical disturbance in the China–Mongolia–Russia cross-border area, it is vital to understand the ...potential drivers of wildfires and predict where wildfires are more likely to occur. This study assessed factors affecting wildfire using the Random Forest (RF) model. No single factor played a decisive role in the incidence of wildfires. However, the climatic variables were most critical, dominating the occurrence of wildfires. The probability of wildfire occurrence was simulated and predicted using the Adaptive Network-based Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). The particle swarm optimization (PSO) model and genetic algorithm (GA) were used to optimize the ANFIS model. The hybrid ANFIS models performed better than single ANFIS for the training and validation datasets. The hybrid ANFIS models, such as PSO-ANFIS and GA-ANFIS, overcome the over-fitting problem of the single ANFIS model at the learning stage of the wildfire pattern. The high classification accuracy and good model performance suggest that PSO-ANFIS can be used to predict the probability of wildfire occurrence. The probability map illustrates that high-risk areas are mainly distributed in the northeast part of the study area, especially the grassland and forest area of Dornod Province of Mongolia, Buryatia, and Chita state of Russia, and the northeast part of Inner Mongolia, China. The findings can be used as reliable estimates of the relative likelihood of wildfire hazards for wildfire management in the region covered or vicinity.
In this paper, we are trying to analyze some of the most important issues, which are clearly evident in the cross-border relations between Albania and Montenegro, such as population developments and ...related social themes in this particular sociogeographical cross-border space. The object of our research is particularly focused on such issues concerning the general overview of the cross-border population of Shkodra and Malësia e Madhe Municipalities in the part of the cross-border area of Albania and the population of Kraja, Ulcinj, Plava, Gucia and Tuzi in the cross-border area of Montenegro, the number of population, the transformations expressed in different periods, their features and characteristics, their reasons and factors that have influenced on their evolution during these periods of population development, their future tendency, themes and social problems accompanying their progress on both sides of the border, etc.
Groundwater management in transboundary aquifers is complex due to the hidden nature of groundwater and its intricate interactions with surface water. The overarching issue lies in the need for ...improved tools and strategies to manage transboundary aquifers effectively, given their critical importance to regional water resources and ecosystems. In addressing these challenges, this study focuses on a specific transboundary aquifer system between Estonia and Latvia, situated within the sedimentary rocks of North-East Europe. Here, we propose a conceptual model approach as a valuable tool for comprehending the hydrogeological characteristics of transboundary aquifers and supporting more efficient management strategies. Utilizing open-source software MODFLOW-6, our developed conceptual model integrates the aquifer system’s geological and hydrogeological framework and simulates groundwater flow under transient conditions. Our findings highlight a profound hydrological connection between groundwater and surface water, particularly within the first 200 m of the aquifer. Despite varying cross-border groundwater flows, collaboration remains vital for sustainable transboundary aquifer management, aligning with international agreements such as the Water Convention and the EU Water Framework Directive, benefiting similar systems.
In this study, an alternative solution for flood risk management in complex cross-border regions is presented. In these cases, due to different flood risk management legislative approaches, there is ...a lack of joint cooperation between the involved countries. As a main consequence, LiDAR-derived digital elevation models and accurate flood hazard maps obtained by means of hydrological and hydraulic modeling are missing or are incomplete. This is also the case for the Prut River, which acts as a natural boundary between European Union (EU) member Romania and non-EU countries Ukraine and Republic of Moldova. Here, flood hazard maps were developed under the European Floods Directive (2007/60/EC) only for the Romanian territory and only for the 1% exceeding probability (respectively floods that can occur once every 100 years). For this reason, in order to improve the flood hazard management in the area and consider all cross-border territories, a fully remote sensing approach was considered. Using open-source SAR Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data characterized by an improved temporal resolution, we managed to capture the maximum spatial extent of a flood event that took place in the aforementioned river sector (middle Prut River course) during the 24 and 27 June 2020. Moreover, by means of flood frequency analysis, the development of a transboundary flood hazard map with an assigned probability, specific to the maximum flow rate recorded during the event, was realized.
This article discusses the significance of cross-border partnerships, which are understood to be the social networks from which communities emerge based on the ties which satisfy the needs of their ...participants and those of the cross-border area's inhabitants. The problems of the Euroregion, when seen from this perspective, are focused on the actions undertaken collectively which are part of realizing delineated interests and accepted values. The basic questions formulated by the current paper refer to three areas of the analysed network: (1) network construction, (2) network relations, and (3) network management. The main research area is the analysis of the relation between the participants of the Spree-Neisse-Bober Euroregion (SNBE), and the role which the SNBE plays in creating social connections. Based on the research, we have come to the conclusion that the SNBE replaces local institutions in creating cross-border cooperation. The analysis is the result of a research project conducted in 2013 which included content analysis, a survey (800 respondents), semi-structured interviews (70 experts from Poland and Germany), as well as content analysis covering the documents of the project and the web pages of the official SNBE website (Polish and German) for the years 2014-2016.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The research aim was to identify the training needs of entrepreneurs and employees within small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the Suceava, Chernivtsi, and Bălți regions, to analyze the specific ...training practices in the cross-border area, and to identify the common features or the disparities. The research contains an exploratory survey, based on a semi-structured questionnaire that investigates the training needs in the SMEs and specific training practices with a comparative approach. The results relate to the challenges faced by transformation economies and by the specificities of SMEs from these remote areas. Additionally, the research connects the factors involved in planning and delivering training programs for employees in SMEs in this EU peripheral area with the weaknesses of the companies in facing the market competitive economy. The results of the survey disclosed some common features and specificities related to training needs, training responsibilities, and interests in the SMEs from this cross-border area. The discussions are relevant for different categories of stakeholders, at the micro-level, for the management of the companies, but also on a larger scale, in planning the new development programs for the labor market in the targeted areas.
The article is devoted to a review of scientific works and critical publications of domestic and foreign scientists in 2000—2021, which presents a modern view of the study of Evenk literature and ...folklore of Transbaikalia, the Amur Region and North China. The relevance of the topic of the scientific review is due to the increasing interest of the world community in the problems of preserving and developing the cultures of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the world in the late XX — early XXI centuries, in connection with which the consideration of the Evenk (Tungus) ethnoculture of various regions, including the transboundary (Russia-China), in the global scale requires special attention. The authors turn to the identification of research strategies of representatives of scientific centers in Russia and countries of the world, taking into account the achievements in the field of Tungus studies of the XX century and the expansion of the problem field in the first decades of the XXI century. It is proved that in 2000—2021 the geography of publications of scientific works in this field on a global scale changes significantly: Russia, China, European countries, USA, Japan. A characteristic feature of modern research is an interdisciplinary focus. There is an increase in academic interest in the “Evenk phenomenon” in literature and an increase in the number of literary works.
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