Differentiation In Europe Research Articles

Differentiated Cooperation through Local Authority Networks: Challenges and Opportunities

ABSTRACT Transnational networks of sub-national authorities are an established and growing phenomenon in Europe, where they perform a number of (soft) governance functions for their members, often in direct connection with European Union (EU) institutions. Differentiation is an inherent characteristic of sub-national authority networks, which is nonetheless still largely unexplored. Building on original empirical data, we identify three dimensions of differentiation generated by networks – ‘insider-outsider’, ‘compound’ and ‘multi-level’ differentiation – and discuss their implications for the efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy of these organisations. Based on our analysis, we also sketch some avenues for future research connecting the national and sub-national dimensions of differentiation in Europe.

Regional Differentiation in Europe, between EU Proposals and National Reforms

Regional Differentiation in Europe, between EU Proposals and National Reforms

Survival in men diagnosed with prostate cancer in Poland in the years 2000 - 2014 compared to European Countries based on Concord-3.

Wealthy countries have observed in recent decades a fast-growing number of prostate patients, who require treatment and long-term cancer care. This trend seems to be connected with some demographic changes such as aging societies, better access to diagnostic methods with high sensitivity as well as large-scale secondary prevention (prostate cancer screening at early stage before clinical manifestation). Secondary prevention is becoming more accessible and widely applied. The expected effect of prevention is to improve overall survival while the mortality trend is decreasing. The prevention success requires highly effective healthcare system that must manage additional burden which is a consequence of the need to provide optimal treatment and healthcare in a big group of cancer patients diagnosed in effective prevention programms. According to the National Cancer Registry (NCR) the number of incidence from year 1980 - 1731 cases rose in year 2013 to 12 162 cases. Apart from incidence and mortality rates, the 5-year survival is a significant factor for the assessment of a population healthcare and healthcare system efficiency. The prognosis related to prostate incidence is 22 344 men in year 2025 in comparison to 12 162 in year 2013 - that would be a double rise in incidence. CONCORD-2 results (years 1995-2009) showed, among the others, that cancer curability for some cancers, including prostate cancer improved. In year 2018 the results of CONCORD-3 were published (years 2000-2014) showing a rising trend in improvement in prostate cancer curability in Poland. The objective was to analyse the 5-year survival in prostate cancer patients in Poland, and in each of 16 voivodships, with the focus on changes in years 2000 - 2014 in comparison to European trends. The analysis was based on the 5-year net survival (estimated in CONCORD-3) in prostate cancer patients diagnosed in Poland (NCR national data) and in all Polish voivodships. The 5-year survival of prostate cancer patients and its changes in years 2000 - 2014 compared between 16 voivodships, Poland in total and 28 European countries. In Poland in years 2010 - 2014 the 5-year survival in prostate cancer patients was 78.1%, and compared to years 2000 - 2004 rose by 9.3 percentage points. Despite a systematic improvement in survival the differences between individual voivodships in Poland remained. In 6 voivodships the survival was higher than average for Poland and ranged from 80 to 82%. The lowest survival was in Opolskie voivodship - 72.3%. On a European scale, the curability of prostate cancer at that time was over 90% (9 countries), while Poland was among 5 countries whose total survival rate was less than 80% (from 72.3% - Opolskie voivodship to 83.6% -- Pomeranian voivodship). The 5-year survival in prostate cancer patients in years 2010 - 2014 in Poland was significantly lower in comparison to Western Europe countries, and favourable trends on a regional level in Poland were too slow to overcome high differentiation in Europe. It is expected that changing the structure and organisation of cancer care in Poland into a modern National Oncology Network Comprehensive Cancer Care Network, together with the use of the experiences from European projects, including iPAAC and better financing will contribute to improvement in prostate cancer treatment in Poland.

Unravelling wild carrot differentiation in Europe – preliminary data on a candidate gene approach

Carrot is an outcrossing species and levels of gene flow between populations, and even between wild and domesticated relatives, are expected to be high. Cases of natural hybridization and introgression of crops and wild relatives have been reported. Have these events diluted any putative habitat-adapted genotypes? In other words, can we still find a correlation between wild carrot genotypes and regional/local environment? We have chosen to start addressing this question using a member of the alternative oxidase (AOX) gene family. AOX genes seem to be linked to all kinds of abiotic and biotic stress reactions. Wild carrots were sampled in an environmental gradient across Western Europe. This gradient included sampling points with more deviating conditions, such as Sierra de Guadarrama or the central Pyrenees and the French Massif Central. Phylogenetic reconstruction on this molecular marker is to be combined with geographic, climatic, and ecological evidence. So far, the preliminary results suggest the existence of a biogeographical barrier at the Pyrenees, and higher gene diversity than initially expected. From an applied point of view, diversity of functional traits is much more relevant than species diversity. Gene transfer from wild to cultivated plants has contributed to the evolution of crop species. Providing that deterioration of genetic resources and biodiversity loss have not been drastic, gene transfer from wild plants has the potential to further contribute to a (targeted) improvement of cultivars.

Wild Carrot Differentiation in Europe and Selection at DcAOX1 Gene?

By definition, the domestication process leads to an overall reduction of crop genetic diversity. This lead to the current search of genomic regions in wild crop relatives (CWR), an important task for modern carrot breeding. Nowadays massive sequencing possibilities can allow for discovery of novel genetic resources in wild populations, but this quest could be aided by the use of a surrogate gene (to first identify and prioritize novel wild populations for increased sequencing effort). Alternative oxidase (AOX) gene family seems to be linked to all kinds of abiotic and biotic stress reactions in various organisms and thus have the potential to be used in the identification of CWR hotspots of environment-adapted diversity. High variability of DcAOX1 was found in populations of wild carrot sampled across a West-European environmental gradient. Even though no direct relation was found with the analyzed climatic conditions or with physical distance, population differentiation exists and results mainly from the polymorphisms associated with DcAOX1 exon 1 and intron 1. The relatively high number of amino acid changes and the identification of several unusually variable positions (through a likelihood ratio test), suggests that DcAOX1 gene might be under positive selection. However, if positive selection is considered, it only acts on some specific populations (i.e. is in the form of adaptive differences in different population locations) given the observed high genetic diversity. We were able to identify two populations with higher levels of differentiation which are promising as hot spots of specific functional diversity.

Democracy and differentiation in Europe

ABSTRACTThis contribution addresses two questions. First, what forms and shapes does European Union (EU) differentiation take in the realm of representative democracy in the multilevel constellation that makes up the EU? Second, what are the implications of differentiation for the theory and the practice of democracy? The question is whether citizens are capable of governing themselves in a political entity marked by patterns of authority and/or policy-making that vary in unprecedented ways along territorial and functional lines. Drawing on differentiation rather than the more commonly used term differentiated integration entails a somewhat different research focus and allows considering the democratic challenges of patterns of integration and disintegration actualized by the euro crisis. The contribution establishes a set of democratic standards and assesses the democratic implications of differentiation in the EU. Doing that requires paying explicit attention to the distinctive character of the multilevel EU's structure of democratic representation.

Contrasts in the phylogeography of two migratory lampreys in western Europe

The ways that organisms respond to climatic oscillations depend on a wide range of factors, including life-history, behaviour, thermal preferences and physiology, and ecology. To investigate these processes, we compared the phylogeographic patterns found in Lampetra fluviatilis and Petromyzon marinus in Europe. We reanalysed all molecular data available for the mitochondrial non-coding region subunit I for both species. For L. fluviatilis, we also analyzed new and existing data for ATPase subunits 6 and 8, which cover a wider geographic range. In L. fluviatilis, both gene diversity and nucleotide diversity are at least three times higher than in P. marinus in Europe. L. fluviatilis shows population differentiation in Europe and displays a deeper haplotype network, with no predominance of an ancestral haplotype, which contrasts with a star-like pattern for P. marinus. Bayesian skyline plots for the two species fit exponential models and, with estimates of the times to the most recent common ancestor in each species, indicate that P. marinus has much younger populations in Europe, supporting the hypothesis of its relatively recent migration from North America. The differences in phylogeographic structures of these two species are discussed considering the likely effects of differences in their thermal preferences, migration abilities, and times available for diversification.

The importance of genetic variability and population differentiation in the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx for conservation, in the context of habitat and climate change

1 The Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx occupies a variety of environmental and climatic conditions, and the majority of present-day European populations have either recovered from severe demographic bottlenecks, or are living in fragmented habitat. These factors may have affected the genetic variability of lynx populations. We summarize available data on genetics, population status and ecology of these felids to shed light on the pattern and mechanisms behind their genetic variability and population differentiation in Europe. 2 Genetic studies conducted so far, based on mtDNA and microsatellites, have shown that the Eurasian lynx has low to moderate genetic variability. Variability is lowest in the north (Scandinavian bottlenecked population), but is also low in the Carpathian region. A trend towards loss of genetic variation has been noted in fragmented and reintroduced populations. Genetically, the populations are highly differentiated from each other. 3 There are clear relationships between the pattern of lynx genetic variability, differentiation between the populations, and such factors as population history (demographic bottlenecks), social interactions and habitat fragmentation. The genetic divergence between lynx populations is also strongly correlated with the depth and duration of snow cover. 4 Our review provides evidence that the lynx is undergoing significant genetic differentiation, due to several factors. To enable better planning of conservation programmes for the Eurasian lynx, researchers should identify the Evolutionarily Significant Units among its populations, using different classes of molecular markers.

Molecular evidence for multiple diversification patterns of alpine plants in Mediterranean Europe

AbstractA preliminary synthesis of diversification patterns of alpine plants in the Mediterranean region of Europe is presented based on seven plant groups displaying morphological differentiation and infraspecific taxa. Both previous and new phylogenetic results from ITS sequences and fingerprinting data suggest different colonization routes and modes of speciation in Androsace vitaliana (recent differentiation in the Iberian Peninsula), Anthyllis montana (west‐to‐east colonization and differentiation in Europe), Arenaria tetraquetra (colonization and differentiation from SE Iberian mountains to the Pyrenees; increasing number of chromosome complements), Saxifraga oppositifolia (colonization from the arctic to the Iberian Peninsula), Saxifraga pentadactylis (differentiation in Mediterranean and Eurosiberian mountains by geographic isolation), and Soldanella alpina (differentiation and colonization from northern Iberia to the Alps, and then to the Pyrenees and the Balkan Peninsula). Relative static diversification of Juniperus communis var. saxatilis in Europe, based on identity of chloroplast trnL‐F sequences, is also described. Most morphological variation, expressed by number of sub‐species recognized in previous taxonomic treatments of the seven plant groups, appears to have occurred during the Pleistocene (< 1.75 Myr). Recurrent change of Quaternary climatic conditions in the Mediterranean Basin, coupled with geographic characteristics, life cycle, dispersal mechanisms, and pre‐Holocene genetic structure are not convincing factors to account for all the observed diversification. Additionally, stochastic processes are also considered for evaluating present‐day distributions and processes of speciation.

European Boundaries: Unity or Division of the Continent?

The article examines the historic structures of the European continent, paying special attention to the impact of former boundaries that separated particular national and economic systems on the present regional differentiation of several countries. The empirical data refer to Central-Eastem Europe (CEE) and relate to the current and future discrepancies between the EU Member States and their neighbours. The hypothesis is that since the current regional differentiation in Europe has long historic roots, it will be very difficult to overcome the differences in the levels of regional development, especially in the current model of global, competitive economy.

Genetic Relatedness Among Strains of Heterobasidion annosum as Detected by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Markers

AbstractHeterobasidion annosum, the casual agent of root and butt rots of trees is one of the most important plant pathogens in temperate coniferous regions of the world. It is comprised of several intersterility groups with different host preferences. Of the H. annosum isolates from various geographical regions belonging to various intersterility groups, 36 showed group‐specific banding patterns in RAPD assay. More polymorphisms were found within the S‐ and F‐group isolates than in the P group. Genetic similarities among the isolates were determined by UPGMA clustering revealing the presence of four major clusters: P, S, F, and the North American S. The P group was the most distinctive of all the other groups, while the European S and F and the North American S were more closely related. The P group showed only 20% similarity to the other groups and may be referred to as a subspecies. The North American S group was separate from the European S group. The potential influence of the historical spread of coniferous trees in the isolate genetic differentiation in Europe is discussed.

Zones of sharp genetic change in Europe are also linguistic boundaries.

A newly elaborated method, "Wombling," for detecting regions of abrupt change in biological variables was applied to 63 human allele frequencies in Europe. Of the 33 gene-frequency boundaries discovered in this way, 31 are coincident with linguistic boundaries marking contiguous regions of different language families, languages, or dialects. The remaining two boundaries (through Iceland and Greece) separate descendants of different ethnic or geographical provenance but lack modern linguistic correlates. These findings support a model of genetic differentiation in Europe in which the genetic structure of the population is determined mainly by gene flow and admixture, rather than by adaptation to varying environmental conditions. Of the 33 boundaries, 27 reflect diverse population origins at often distant locations. Language affiliation of European populations plays a major role in maintaining and probably causing genetic differences.

Higher Education in Germany in the Nineteenth Century

Perhaps because, at least since the beginning of the nineteenth century, wealth has played so great a part in class differentiation in Europe, the more indirect effects of educational differences upon the status and functions of various social groups have sometimes been underestimated. In a highly industrialized society, learning does indeed rank far below wealth among the causes of social stratification. In countries which are still passing through the early stages of industrialization, however, the situation may actually be reversed, particularly where a traditional aristocracy retains some of its privileges and where membership in the administrative elite of a bureaucratic monarchy still constitutes an important route of social advancement for non-nobles. Germany is the perfect example. What might be called the 'non-entrepreneurial' or 'non-economic' upper middle class was perhaps the most important and influential social group in Germany until late in the nineteenth century. Higher officials and secondary school teachers, judges and lawyers, doctors and university professors, made up an elite of the highly educated or 'cultivated'. These people had no more in common with the new commercial and industrial classes than they had with the Junkers. Their views on politics, on technological progress, and on socio-economic change differed markedly from all those doctrines which have been thought most typical of the entrepreneurial bourgeoisie in the Anglo-American tradition. Some of the peculiarities of modern German intellectual history would certainly seem less puzzling if they were linked with the social history and the ideology of this elite of the highly educated. The institutional history of German higher schools and universities throws much light upon the whole situation of this 'cultivated' group.1 It was of great consequence, for example, that