Regional Specificity Research Articles

Prioritizing genes associated with brain disorders by leveraging enhancer-promoter interactions in diverse neural cells and tissues

BackgroundPrioritizing genes that underlie complex brain disorders poses a considerable challenge. Despite previous studies have found that they shared symptoms and heterogeneity, it remained difficult to systematically identify the risk genes associated with them.MethodsBy using the CAGE (Cap Analysis of Gene Expression) read alignment files for 439 human cell and tissue types (including primary cells, tissues and cell lines) from FANTOM5 project, we predicted enhancer-promoter interactions (EPIs) of 439 cell and tissue types in human, and examined their reliability. Then we evaluated the genetic heritability of 17 diverse brain disorders and behavioral-cognitive phenotypes in each neural cell type, brain region, and developmental stage. Furthermore, we prioritized genes associated with brain disorders and phenotypes by leveraging the EPIs in each neural cell and tissue type, and analyzed their pleiotropy and functionality for different categories of disorders and phenotypes. Finally, we characterized the spatiotemporal expression dynamics of these associated genes in cells and tissues.ResultsWe found that identified EPIs showed activity specificity and network aggregation in cell and tissue types, and enriched TF binding in neural cells played key roles in synaptic plasticity and nerve cell development, i.e., EGR1 and SOX family. We also discovered that most neurological disorders exhibit heritability enrichment in neural stem cells and astrocytes, while psychiatric disorders and behavioral-cognitive phenotypes exhibit enrichment in neurons. Furthermore, our identified genes recapitulated well-known risk genes, which exhibited widespread pleiotropy between psychiatric disorders and behavioral-cognitive phenotypes (i.e., FOXP2), and indicated expression specificity in neural cell types, brain regions, and developmental stages associated with disorders and phenotypes. Importantly, we showed the potential associations of brain disorders with brain regions and developmental stages that have not been well studied.ConclusionsOverall, our study characterized the gene-enhancer regulatory networks and genetic mechanisms in the human neural cells and tissues, and illustrated the value of reanalysis of publicly available genomic datasets.

DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIAL FACTORS OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN UKRAINE: TRENDS IN CHANGE

The article examines the key demographic trends and dynamics of social infrastructure development in rural areas of Ukraine in historical retrospect (1959-2021). The regional specificity of rural population depopulation is determined with an emphasis on sex and age structure transformations, and the regions are grouped by the nature of changes in rural fertility and mortality. The dynamics and peculiarities of the development of the social sphere of life support, which is considered as the basis for the preservation and reproduction of human capital in rural areas, are analyzed. The novelty of the study is the analysis of the long-term depopulation demographic trend, as well as changes in the development of social infrastructure in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, with the presentation of examples of mapping schemes illustrating these processes.

The Use of Neural Network Modeling Methods to Determine Regional Threshold Values of Hydrochemical Indicators in the Environmental Monitoring System of Waterbodies.

The regulation of the anthropogenic load on waterbodies is carried out based on water quality standards that are determined using the threshold values of hydrochemical indicators. These applied standards should be defined both geographically and differentially, taking into account the regional specifics of the formation of surface water compositions. However, there is currently no unified approach to defining these regional standards. It is, therefore. appropriate to develop regional water quality standards utilizing modern technologies for the mathematical purpose of methods analysis using both experimental data sources and information system technologies. As suggested by the use of sets of chemical analysis and neural network cluster analysis, both methods of analysis and an expert assessment could identify surface water types as well as define the official regional threshold values of hydrochemical system indicators, to improve the adequacy of assessments and ensure the mathematical justification of developed standards. The process for testing the proposed approach was carried out, using the surface water resource objects in the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan as our example, in addition to using the results of long-term systematic measurements of informative hydrochemical indicators. In the first stage, typing was performed on surface waters using the neural network clustering method. Clustering was performed based on sets of determined hydrochemical parameters in Kohonen's self-organizing neural network. To assess the uniformity of data, groups in each of the selected clusters were represented by specialists in this subject area's region. To determine the regional threshold values of hydrochemical indicators, statistical data for the corresponding clusters were calculated, and the ranges of these values were used. The results of testing this proposed approach allowed us to recommend it for identifying surface water types, as well as to define the threshold values of hydrochemical indicators in the territory of any region with different surface water compositions.

Ribāṭ in Palestine: life on the frontier

ABSTRACT This article examines the meaning of ribāṭ in the Palestinian context. The term ribāṭ has been attributed meanings that vary according to period and place. It has often been studied in relation to medieval structures around the Mediterranean coastline and is generally defined as connected to the defence of Muslim lands. However, my research, conducted in Israel-Palestine, indicates that the term also has a very contemporary existence and constitutes an intrinsic part of the Palestinian repertoire of resistance. By scrutinising the Palestinian ribāṭ, in this article I seek to contribute to the wider debate around the meanings attributed to the term, both by tracing its historical continuity and by demonstrating its regional specificity, as a practice imbued with a fundamental territorial dimension. While Palestinians include many elements of the traditional meaning in their use of ribāṭ, such as the idea of defending the land, they have also adapted it to the regional context. For the Palestinians, ribāṭ is by definition linked to three embedded holy spaces – al-Aqsa, Jerusalem and Palestine – considered sacred for both religious and political reasons. This article engages with the dual process of territorialisation and bordering implied by the concept of ribāṭ in the Palestinian context, revealing how it brings together the idea of a life on the frontier.

Evaluating and mitigating locally and nationally variable food security dynamics in Guatemala through participatory causal loop diagram building

AbstractVarious methods have been proposed to analyze national trends of malnutrition and food insecurity; however, these methods often fail to consider regional specificities that drive national food security dynamics. This case study seeks to close this gap through the novel use of participatory causal loop diagrams (CLDs) to analyze the malnutrition crisis and food security dynamics across diverse regions of Guatemala. Stakeholders from six municipalities with divergent food security outcomes, within territories of similar socioeconomic composition, created CLDs by identifying trends, causes, and consequences of malnutrition and food security. Characterizing and assessing these trends, referred to as the food security dynamic, are the primary goals of this paper. Key results include identification of the complex reinforcing relationship between marginalization, education, and health, which affects food insecurity and malnutrition in Guatemala in a nonlinear way. These results elucidate how similar communities can experience divergent food security outcomes and inform locally appropriate solutions. © 2023 The Authors. System Dynamics Review published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of System Dynamics Society.

El prisma de la desigualdad mundial: una clasificación multidimensional de países

This paper provides a broad overview of the issue of rising inequality and builds an international and multidimensional taxonomy of economic inequality. We use a hierarchical cluster analysis that enables us to identify five groups of countries with distinctive economic inequality characteristics, which show that, despite national and regional specificities, both developed and developing countries face important difficulties in reducing social and economic disparities. The resulting classification may be useful to map out the various national realities of economic inequality across countries. The results suggest that there should be avoided a “one size fits all” international strategy to address the different patterns of inequality that we have identified across the World. Still, it is crucial to acknowledge the importance of the particularities of each cluster and each geographic region regarding a complex and multidimensional phenomenon that has become a global challenge for the 21st Century

Towards Holistic Education: Synthesizing Personality Consciousness, Emerging Technologies, and Philosophical Considerations in Education System Evolution

The purpose of the article was to highlight the paradigm of holistic education in several dimensions: professional and educational, which involves coordination within the educational system (pedagogical, organisational, methodological, educational aspects); socio-educational, when education is positioned in a single context of content and format with other areas of socio-cultural activity; educational and human dimension, which ensures the formation of personal versatile general and vocational training. The aims of the article determined the relevance of unifying the principles of the educational system regardless of regional, national, and cultural specifics. The creation of a holistic education implies the supremacy of the purpose of education in the rapid civilizational development: preservation of traditional educational meanings and improvement of innovative forms of educational space. Methodology. In the research a number of general scientific methods was used: the analytical method provided a conceptual understanding of the integrity of education; the comparative method identified common and distinctive features of the educational process at different levels of transmission and perception; the modelling method defined strategies for educational development in terms of correlation of various educational components in a single paradigm. Along with scientific methods, philosophical and synergistic methods were actively used, thanks to them the study was conducted using interdisciplinary and self-organising elements. The results of the study showed the demand for holistic education among the educational community. The internal educational system is ready for a holistic model of the educational process at all levels, which is facilitated by the active use of innovative formats of educational activity that ensure the continuity and sustainability of education. There is also a virtually unanimous position among the subjects of the educational process on the need to unify educational standards in order to improve the quality characteristics of educational levels. Prospects for the study are proposals for the development of agreed (not identical in form, but conceptually common) principles of educational development at the local and global levels. Conclusion. Thus, education, being an integral part of civilizational progress, forms strategies for its development in the context of integration, multicultural, and pluralistic value processes of today. The human dimension of the educational process involves actualising the formation of the universality of knowledge, skills, and abilities that a person acquires through an educational experience.

Горные ландшафты Полярного Урала как объекты традиционного природопользования (По результатам опросов оленеводов)

Introduction. The North is traditionally perceived as the endless plains used by reindeer herders for long-distance migrations. However, polar regions are also represented by the mountains with specific nature management. Sustainability is characteristic of historically established ways of management in the mountains based on spatial and temporal organization of landscapes adapted to local conditions at the most. The Polar Urals is the historically existing areal- the joint habitat of different peoples: the Nenets people (prevailing among indigenous peoples of the Russian North), the Khanty, and the Komi-Zyryans. At present, the Polar Urals is one of the stable centers of traditional reindeer husbandry. Climate change and “civilization” influence are challenges to traditional mountain nature management as they introduce a number of uncertainties into the existing system of interaction between the population and nature calling for local communities adaptation. Materials and methods. In this study, the method of interviewing based on the authors’ questionnaire was used. Results. The regional specifics of the mountain nature management and self-identification of reindeer herders of the Polar Urals as compared to other clans of their ethnic groups are shown. Besides pastures, water and wood (being decisive in the well-being of local communities) are among most important natural benefits provided by the Polar Urals landscapes. Conclusion. The reindeer herders of the Polar Urals try to preserve the traditional nature management through successful adaptation to modern challenges (e.g. climate change). To a large extent, they consider the introduction of novel technical achievements positively. Suggestions for practical application and direction for future research. The results of the study can be used in the preparation of regional and municipal programs to support traditional nature management in the Polar Urals, and the development of measures to adapt it to modern challenges.

Strategic prospects for the development of innovative startup companies in the Primorsky Krai

Subject. This article discusses the prospects for the development of innovative companies in the Primorsky Krai, taking into account regional specifics and competitive advantages, as well as the support measures taken at the federal level. Objectives. The article aims to analyze the present-day regional strategic trends in measures to support innovative companies and develop recommendations for their improvement. Methods. For the study, we used the methods of logical analysis, synthesis, comparison, aggregation by specific feature, and systematization. Results. The article summarizes the tools of government support for start-up companies and updates the requirements for applying the theory and practice of strategic planning in this field of activity, as well as regional strategic advantages and opportunities for further development of technology startups in the Primorsky Krai. Conclusions. The development of innovative technological start-ups is a catalyst to unlock synergies of both sectoral and regional development. The combination of strategic perspectives and implemented solutions by start-up support institutions will help form the basis for the future trend in the development of innovative infrastructure in the Primorsky Krai.

Microscopic, mesoscopic, and macroscopic structural correlations between the international energy “investment–trade” networks based on network motifs

In recent years, international energy investment and energy trade activities have developed rapidly. Because energy has commodity and financial product attributes, there is often a correlation between international energy trade and investment. This correlation has regional specificity due to the uneven geographical distribution of energy production and consumption. The existing literature mainly studies the correlation between the international energy “investment–trade” systems from a macroscopic or microscopic perspective. However, the relationship between them among countries from a mesoscopic perspective has not been fully demonstrated. With the development of economic globalization, we need to pay attention to whether the energy trade model of countries can reflect their preference for choosing investment partners and whether the energy investment model can reflect energy trade cooperation. In this paper, by taking the frontier approach of network motifs, we analyzed the correlation between international energy trade and investment from more than 200 economies worldwide from the macroscopic perspective, microscopic perspective, and local structure from a mesoscopic perspective. Meanwhile, we compared the results of the study in 2018 with those in 2022 to obtain the impact of international events on the international energy “investment–trade” networks. We found that 1) the structures of energy trade and investment networks are similar from a macroscopic perspective, which is the basis for exploring the correlation between energy trade and investment. 2) Bilateral cooperation and transaction transmission are important local structures of energy trade and energy investment activities. 3) The formation of an equal and close local structure among economies in energy trade is more likely to be preferred for investment cooperation, and forming a representative local structure with statistical significance among economies in energy investment is more likely to obtain energy trade cooperation. This work innovatively adopts motifs to study the correlation between energy investment and trade, which can help energy investors predict the direction of investment and provide guidance to governments in formulating energy trade policies.

Socio-cultural features of the population of the Russian Arctic regions

The article presents the results of a sociological study of the population of two Arctic regions of Russia using the actual tools for measuring six Hofstede’s ethnometric indicators (“masculinity”, “power distance”, “collectivism/individualism”, “uncertainty avoidance”, “longterm orientations”, “indulgence” at the individual level. The field stage of the study was carried out in October-November 2021 in the Arctic territories of Arkhangelsk oblast and the Komi Republic. The tasks of identifying indicators of the cultural specificity of the population of these territories, differences in the values of ethnometric indicators between separate social groups (gender, age, income level), as well as in the inter-territorial context, were solved. The results of the study show that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between the level of income and the values of the indicators “long-term orientations”, “masculinity” and “power distance” — the higher the value of these ethnometric indicators, the higher the individual’s income. It has been established that the population of the Arctic territories of the Komi Republic is characterized by a higher level of “collectivism”, “masculinity” and “uncertainty avoidance” than the population of Arkhangelsk oblast. The population of the Arctic territories of Arkhangelsk oblast, in turn, is characterized by higher values of the “permissibility of satisfaction of desires” indicator. A hypothesis is formulated about the mechanism of spatially determined socio-economic selection of cultural patterns of individuals, implemented in the mechanisms of human capital reproduction. This hypothesis needs to be operationalized and verified in the course of further research. The results obtained can be used in solving a wide range of tasks of public administration, in particular, for regional specification of State programs to stimulate entrepreneurial activity of the population and activities in the field of NGOs. The process of adaptation of the toolkit and its verification deserves a detailed consideration in a separate publication.

Региональные аспекты ограничений в сфере услуг в эпоху нестабильности

In the course of this research work, the authors investigated the economic essence of the concept of restrictions in the era of instability, in particular, the points of view of various authors and schools on this issue, both modern and classical, were considered. On the basis of this work, the classification of foreign economic restrictions was studied, their current state and retrospective of introduction, circumvention and cancellation, as well as their regional specifics in the economy of the service sector were considered. The modern transformation process of technological and economic structures in the world, national and regional economies, taking place precisely on the basis of this model of total economic restrictions, as a stimulator of this kind of processes, require a more thorough study of these phenomena from a scientific point of view. This is what determines the relevance of the conducted research of this work. The purpose of the study was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the impact of restrictions on the transformation of the economy, including in the regional section of the economy of the service sector. Comparative, structural and analytical research methods were chosen for the work. The results of the study were the consideration of theoretical aspects based on the history, current state and prospects for the development of the impact of restrictions on the economies of countries and regions, as well as the global transformation of technological and economic structures. In the final part of the article, the results of the work carried out are formulated, in particular, conclusions are given on the analysis of modern theoretical works in the field of transformation of the economy of the service sector in the period of large-scale restrictions, and the principles of the generalizing concept of the economy of the service sector in new conditions are formulated.

МОВНІ ДЕВІАЦІЇ У ПРАКТИЦІ ДОКУМЕНТУВАННЯ ОСОБОВИХ ІМЕН ПРЕДСТАВНИКІВ ПОЛЬСЬКОЇ СПІЛЬНОТИ В УКРАЇНІ НА ПОЧАТКУ ХХІ СТ.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the personal names of representatives of the Polish community of Khmelnytskyi from the point of view of their compliance with the norms of the contemporary Ukrainian literary language. The article considers the main types of linguistic deviations in the personal names records of the representatives of the Polish community of Ukraine at the beginning of the 21st century from the sociolinguistic perspective. Linguistic deviations in contemporary Ukrainian anthroponymy are caused by several reasons, the main of which are Ukrainian-Russian bilingualism, the dominance in the communicative practice of variants of names borrowed from the Russian language, as well as a significant number of borrowed names that do not have an established tradition of reproduction in the Ukrainian language. The connection between the language situation and the occurrence of language deviations in the records of personal names is traced using the example of the Polish community of Khmelnytskyi. The language situation in the Polish community of Khmelnytskyi can be characterized as Ukrainian-Russian-Polish trilingualism. Practices of alternating use of the Ukrainian, Russian, and Polish languages cause the emergence of deviant variants of personal names under the influence of the phonetic standards of the Russian and Polish languages. The correct spelling of the name is influenced by the awareness of the spelling of the Ukrainian language, literacy, language skills, and the nationality of the priest. Catholic priests, who often belong to the Polish nationality, carry out documentation of the personal names from the verbal message of the parents, using the Russian language, which leads to the entry of deviant forms of personal names into official documents. The variability of personal names is determined by the peculiarities of the stylistic use of anthroponyms, colloquial speech, dialectal speech, and regional specificity. A quantitative correlation of normative and deviant variants in records of personal names was determined. The tendencies of the creation of the contemporary naming system of the ethnic minorities of Ukraine under the influence of Ukrainian- Russian bilingualism are analyzed.

Seizures regulate the cation-Cl- cotransporter NKCC1 in a hamster model of epilepsy: implications for GABA neurotransmission.

The balance between the activity of the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransporter (NKCC1) that introduces Cl- into the cell and the K+/Cl- cotransporter (KCC2) that transports Cl- outside the cell is critical in determining the inhibitory or excitatory outcome of GABA release. Mounting evidence suggests that the impairment of GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmission plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of epilepsy, both in patients and animal models. Previous studies indicate that decreased KCC2 expression is linked to audiogenic seizures in GASH/Sal hamsters, highlighting that Cl- imbalance can cause neuronal hyperexcitability. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransporter NKCC1 is also affected by audiogenic seizures and could, therefore, play a role in neuronal hyperexcitability within the GASH/Sal epilepsy model. NKCC1 protein expression in both the GASH/Sal strain and wild type hamsters was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting techniques. Brain regions examined included cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, inferior colliculus and pons-medulla oblongata, which were evaluated both at rest and after sound-inducing seizures in GASH/Sal hamsters. A complementary analysis of NKCC1 gene slc12a2 expression was conducted by real-time PCR. Finally, protein and mRNA levels of glutamate decarboxylase GAD67 were measured as an indicator of GABA release. The induction of seizures caused significant changes in NKCC1 expression in epileptic GASH/Sal hamsters, despite the similar brain expression pattern of NKCC1 in GASH/Sal and wild type hamsters in the absence of seizures. Interestingly, the regulation of brain NKCC1 by seizures demonstrated regional specificity, as protein levels exclusively increased in the hippocampus and hypothalamus. Complementary real-time PCR analysis revealed that NKCC1 regulation was post-transcriptional only in the hypothalamus. In addition, seizures also modulated GAD67 mRNA levels in a brain region-specific manner. The increased GAD67 expression in the hippocampus and hypothalamus of the epileptic hamster brain suggests that NKCC1 upregulation overlaps with GABA release in these regions during seizures. Our results indicate that seizure induction causes dysregulation of NKCC1 expression in GASH/Sal animals, which overlaps with changes in GABA release. These observations provide evidence for the critical role of NKCC1 in how seizures affect neuronal excitability, and support NKCC1 contribution to the development of secondary foci of epileptogenic activity.

Tolerance features to uncertainty and students’ viability depending on their gender

The study subject is tolerance to uncertainty and viability. The purpose of the work is to determine their level in male and female students and identify intersex distinctions. The methodological tools were: a personality-oriented approach and a testing methods (the McLane uncertainty tolerance test modified by E.N. Osin and the human viability test by E.A. Rylskaya). The sample consisted of 70 boys and 70 girls. The following main results are noted: students have a moderate overall level of tolerance to uncertainty and viability. Boys showed higher results in tolerance to uncertainty and its general level, and girls – in viability. The obtained data are important for assessing the psychological readiness of students to adapt to situations of uncertainty and to be productive in them. The study needs to be continued on a wider sample, taking into account regional specifics. The authors concluded that the complete absence of students with a high level of viability in the sample means that the measures implemented by the institutions of family and education are insufficient.

The Potential of Applying Social Network Analysis to Evaluate Cross-Regional Online Interaction among Russian Youth

In a relatively short period of time, social networks have become a unique source of personal data, providing information about the interests, values, and environments of billions of real people. The purpose of this paper is to determine the potential of applying social network analysis techniques to assess the online interactions of Russian youth in the context of regional differences. In the empirical part of the study, we focused on the largest regional groups (284 communities) in the social network VKontakte, where users discuss socio-political topics. The sample size consisted of 4,020,268 people aged 14 to 35 across Russia. Our analysis allowed assessing the proximity of groups to each other within specific regions or federal districts. Additionally, we determined the density (connectedness) of communities for each region. As a result, we demonstrated the potential of network analysis in exploring the connections between subscribers to online communities and the nature of association among these communities across federal districts. We identified some disconnected objects from the overall network of interaction, which could be explained by regional specificities or differences in community topics.

Cognitive management and artificial intellect in libraries: Possibilities and highlights

The author discusses use of cognitive management in libraries and examines the possibilities of artificial intellect (AI) technologies for library and information processes (LIP). The systemic functional method is used for the analysis. The article is based on the research work in the area of libraries digital transformation and will be of interest to library managers. The author examines the key vectors of cognitive management: а) library collection management and preservation; b) library bibliographic user services; and c) research in libraries. These vectors correspond to the LIP functions as fixed in the professional standard “Specialists in library information work”. The author characterizes in brief the potential problems, risks and regional specifics of AI application in public libraries. Library managers have to be aware of the problems and to make AI systems implementation effective and ethical. AI may revolutionize the libraries and their user services. Meanwhile, the consequences of such implementation have to be analyzed: algorithm accuracy and reliability, possible bias, as well as the impact it may have on the library personnel.

Restoration and Development of the Altai Industry: the Experience of the NEP

The article examines the main directions of the development of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in the Altai industry, highlights the features of its implementation associated with regional specifics, which largely determined the features of the NEP formation in the industrial sector. At the same time, the restoration of industry is considered in the context of partial liberalization of the economy during the period of the NEP, it is concluded that there are conditions for the development of the industrial sector. Along with the characteristics of different forms of ownership, a comparative analysis of public, private and leased enterprises is given. It is indicated that regarding industry, the Soviet government limited itself only to the rejection of the state monopoly and free market orientation for industrial enterprises. Restrictive and often contradictory measures of the Soviet government concerning to the private sector led to a change in the forms and methods of activity of the Nepmans, hindered the concentration of capital in industry. Nevertheless, private enterprises, the bulk of which in Altai were small, artisanal enterprises, played an important role in saturating the market with everyday goods.

Organic nitrogen sources’ effects on cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) walp] productivity

Pulses are an important source of protein for the poor as well as for the vegetarians which constitute major population of the country. Presently about 24 to 25 million hectares of land is under pulses producing about 19 million tons annually. Pulses production in India is characterized by diversity of crops and their regional specificity based on adaptation to prevailing agro climatic conditions. At the Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, SK Nagar Gujarat, a field experiment was done in the Kharif season of 2015. Cowpea, variety GC5 was used for the present experimentation. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with four replications during Kharif 2015. Application of T9 (PSB+ 50%N (Castor cake) + 50% N (Vermicompost) and T10 (RDF: 20+40+00 kg ha-1 through fertilizer) increased plant height at 30 DAS, while treatment T9 PSB+ 50%N (Castor cake)+ 50% N vermicompost) recorded higher plant height at 60 DAS and at harvest. Under treatment T9 (PSB+ 50%N (Castor cake) + 50% N (Vermicompost), there was a noticeable improvement in the number of leaves per plant, leaf area per plant, dry matter per plant, branches per plant, and dry weight of root nodules per plant and seed yield. Significant improvement in stover yield were noted with application of 50% N through FYM + 50% N through vermicompost + PSB (T8).

Regional Infrastructure Planning Support Methodology for Public and Private Electrified Transport: A Mountain Case Study

The European Union has seen a strong growth of electric passenger vehicles over the last decade. The steady increase in the number of electric vehicles requires a thorough examination of the current infrastructure and their future development, which are critical to the continuous market growth of this technology. The underdeveloped charging infrastructure is identified as one of the main barriers, next to the purchase price of electric vehicles. Thus, the infrastructure (supply side) and the vehicles (demand side) must coevolve and consider not only the quantitative balance between EVs and charging stations but the interlinkages with social, technical, and economic criteria for the overall system development. In this context, the methods presented in this paper address regional specificities when developing an integrated network of charging infrastructure for private and public passengers transport in an alpine region. The results of the application of the methodology to a mountainous area present the potential for replicability and highlight the importance of considering regional characteristics and of stakeholder involvement.