Publications

The aim of the research is the awakening, participation and alertness of educators and students of Primary Education schools in Greece when it comes to rapid onset Natural Disasters pre-emption. The aim is the alertness of educators, as well as students of school units, so that they are able to face rapid onset natural disasters with prudence and composure, both during them, by putting themselves in the minimum possible danger, and after their finish, by taking part in the rehabilitation of “damages” of any kind. At an early stage, through the distribution of two questionnaires, one for educators and one for students, we invited the participants to answer questions relevant to their status and knowledge, when it comes to rapid onset natural disasters and their safe living in their school environment. In total, the participants exceeded two thousand (2,000) persons. One thousand twenty seven (1,027) educators, serving the Primary Education, and nine hundred eighty four (984) random students from all over the country, answered the digital questionnaires created through the application ArcGIS Survey123 (part of Geospatial Cloud by Esri), which is an integrated solution to the creation, distribution and analysis of survey data. From the statistical analysis of their answers, their beliefs regarding the subject examined arose and the proposed means of action is profiled, so that persons participating on the educational procedure can achieve their meaningful training, in order for them to feel safer and more aware, imparting their knowledge regarding rapid onset natural disasters. Their considering training programs about natural disasters necessary is clear, as the majority of them accept that any natural disaster is liable to occur while they are at school. The conducted research showed that the knowledge of educators and students regarding their responsibilities, as well as the necessary items and services which are essential during the occurrence of the natural phenomenon, as well as after its finish, seem to be inadequate.

The aim of the research is the awakening, participation and alertness of educators and students of Primary Education schools in Greece when it comes to rapid onset Natural Disasters pre-emption. The aim is the alertness of educators, as well as students of school units, so that they are able to face rapid onset natural disasters with prudence and composure, both during them, by putting themselves in the minimum possible danger, and after their finish, by taking part in the rehabilitation of “damages” of any kind. At an early stage, through the distribution of two questionnaires, one for educators and one for students, we invited the participants to answer questions relevant to their status and knowledge, when it comes to rapid onset natural disasters and their safe living in their school environment. In total, the participants exceeded two thousand (2,000) persons. One thousand twenty seven (1,027) educators, serving the Primary Education, and nine hundred eighty four (984) random students from all over the country, answered the digital questionnaires created through the application ArcGIS Survey123 (part of Geospatial Cloud by Esri), which is an integrated solution to the creation, distribution and analysis of survey data. From the statistical analysis of their answers, their beliefs regarding the subject examined arose and the proposed means of action is profiled, so that persons participating on the educational procedure can achieve their meaningful training, in order for them to feel safer and more aware, imparting their knowledge regarding rapid onset natural disasters. Their considering training programs about natural disasters necessary is clear, as the majority of them accept that any natural disaster is liable to occur while they are at school. The conducted research showed that the knowledge of educators and students regarding their responsibilities, as well as the necessary items and services which are essential during the occurrence of the natural phenomenon, as well as after its finish, seem to be inadequate.

The current study aims to clarify the structural regime of the deltaic valley of Pineios river (Thessaly, Greece). The structural control of a deltaic area is usually a crucial parameter for its Palaio-geographical evolution and the latter needs to be clear for the contemporary conservation of such a sensitive ecotope environmentally. The investigation of the concealed subsurface tectonic structures was accomplished through the combined interpretation of gravity measurements, VES and TEM soundings. The standard gravity data reduction has been carried out and the residual anomaly was isolated with the contribution of the Fourier filters. The Euler deconvolution has been applied, providing the corresponding depth solutions between 159.8 and 1716.6 m. In the context of the qualitative interpretation, we produced several structural maps (THDR, VDR, Tilt and Theta) in order to enhance the edges of density sources that may reflect fault zones. Severe indications for the delineation of fault zones of the area were provided by these maps. Moreover, 3D density models of the area have been constructed illustrating the subsurface density distribution, up to depths of 3370 m. A main zone of lower densities in the central part of the delta has been revealed, surrounded by three zones of higher densities. Afterwards, the densities of the majority of the existing geological formations were determined with laboratory measurements from geological specimens. Therefore, three geophysical-geological profiles have been constructed, based not only on the gravity modelling but also on the geological interpretation of the geoelectrical layered models from the VES and TEM measurements. In conclusion, concealed and unknown tectonic structures of the Pineios deltaic valley have been identified beneath the surface.

The current study aims to clarify the structural regime of the deltaic valley of Pineios river (Thessaly, Greece). The structural control of a deltaic area is usually a crucial parameter for its Palaio-geographical evolution and the latter needs to be clear for the contemporary conservation of such a sensitive ecotope environmentally. The investigation of the concealed subsurface tectonic structures was accomplished through the combined interpretation of gravity measurements, VES and TEM soundings. The standard gravity data reduction has been carried out and the residual anomaly was isolated with the contribution of the Fourier filters. The Euler deconvolution has been applied, providing the corresponding depth solutions between 159.8 and 1716.6 m. In the context of the qualitative interpretation, we produced several structural maps (THDR, VDR, Tilt and Theta) in order to enhance the edges of density sources that may reflect fault zones. Severe indications for the delineation of fault zones of the area were provided by these maps. Moreover, 3D density models of the area have been constructed illustrating the subsurface density distribution, up to depths of 3370 m. A main zone of lower densities in the central part of the delta has been revealed, surrounded by three zones of higher densities. Afterwards, the densities of the majority of the existing geological formations were determined with laboratory measurements from geological specimens. Therefore, three geophysical-geological profiles have been constructed, based not only on the gravity modelling but also on the geological interpretation of the geoelectrical layered models from the VES and TEM measurements. In conclusion, concealed and unknown tectonic structures of the Pineios deltaic valley have been identified beneath the surface.

We investigate an earthquake sequence involving an Mw = 4.6 mainshock on 2 December 2020, followed by a seismic swarm in July–October 2021 near Thiva, Central Greece, to identify the activated structures and understand its triggering mechanisms. For this purpose, we employ double-difference relocation to construct a high-resolution earthquake catalogue and examine in detail the distribution of hypocenters and the spatiotemporal evolution of the sequence. Furthermore, we apply instrumental and imaging geodesy to map the local deformation and identify long-term trends or anomalies that could have contributed to stress loading. The 2021 seismic swarm was hosted on a system of conjugate normal faults, including the eastward extension of the Yliki fault, with the main activated structures trending WNW–ESE and dipping south. No pre- or coseismic deformation could be associated with the 2021 swarm, while Coulomb stress transfer due to the Mw = 4.6 mainshock of December 2020 was found to be insufficient to trigger its nucleation. However, the evolution of the swarm is related to stress triggering by its major events and facilitated by pore-fluid pressure diffusion. The re-evaluated seismic history of the area reveals its potential to generate destructive Mw = 6.0 earthquakes; therefore, the continued monitoring of its microseismicity is considered important.

We investigate an earthquake sequence involving an Mw = 4.6 mainshock on 2 December 2020, followed by a seismic swarm in July–October 2021 near Thiva, Central Greece, to identify the activated structures and understand its triggering mechanisms. For this purpose, we employ double-difference relocation to construct a high-resolution earthquake catalogue and examine in detail the distribution of hypocenters and the spatiotemporal evolution of the sequence. Furthermore, we apply instrumental and imaging geodesy to map the local deformation and identify long-term trends or anomalies that could have contributed to stress loading. The 2021 seismic swarm was hosted on a system of conjugate normal faults, including the eastward extension of the Yliki fault, with the main activated structures trending WNW–ESE and dipping south. No pre- or coseismic deformation could be associated with the 2021 swarm, while Coulomb stress transfer due to the Mw = 4.6 mainshock of December 2020 was found to be insufficient to trigger its nucleation. However, the evolution of the swarm is related to stress triggering by its major events and facilitated by pore-fluid pressure diffusion. The re-evaluated seismic history of the area reveals its potential to generate destructive Mw = 6.0 earthquakes; therefore, the continued monitoring of its microseismicity is considered important.

Τhis study aims to investigate to what extent the drainage systems of the northern part of Evia Island, in Central Greece, reflect the contemporary tectonic regime of the area. The effects of tectonic activity have been detected and described by performing a landscape morphological analysis of the drainage systems, followed by a field survey for validating the results. The Relative Declivity Extension (RDE) index, which is based on the Stream Length (SL) gradient index, was calculated along the channels of 189 drainage basins of the study area, using the Knickpoint Finder tool integrated into ArcGIS desktop. The Hack RDE index is defined by the ratio of the RDEs index (which refers to a stretch) and the RDEt index (which refers to the total length of a river) was applied, and its calculation identifies the knickpoints based on anomaly values detection along the longitudinal profiles of the rivers. Furthermore, knickpoint analysis was carried out along the channels of the drainage networks of the northern part of the Evia Island and the corresponding anomaly maps were designed. A total of 2,486 knickpoints were identified and the greatest anomalies (139 points), named first-order anomalies (RDE>10), seem to correspond to a recently shaped or rejuvenated landscape, indicative of intense neotectonic activity. In some cases, the spatial distribution of knickpoints delineates a NW-SE trending yielding the structural control of the study area. The comparison of the results with the lithological map of the area showed that about 30% of the knickpoints are lithologically controlled. The identification of zones of neotectonic activity and consequently the existence of active faults is highly correlated with the distribution of knickpoints and their core density, the drainage density, the drainage asymmetries, and other morphometric indices such as the hypsometric integral, along with the earthquake epicentres, and the morpho-lineament density. The overall analysis showed a positive correlation of the concentration of the derived knickpoints with both active structures and tectonic activity rates. The results were consistent with field observations, which were mainly focused on waterfall landforms. Our study proves that the landscape evolution of the northern part of the Evia Island is considerably affected by the recent activity of normal fault zones, whereas the drainage systems react to the changes of base-level providing insights on active tectonics.

Resumen: Emilia Pardo Bazán (España, 1851-1921) y Federico Gamboa (México, 1864-1939) son dos escritores representativos del Naturalismo. En la novela La Tribuna (1883), Emilia Pardo Bazán, a través de su protagonista Amparo, ofrece un testimonio invalorable tanto de las condiciones laborales en España de su época, como de los acontecimientos históricos que condujeron a la proclamación de la I República, en 1873. Por otro lado, Federico Gamboa en la novela Santa (1903) mediante la protagonista, que huye a la prostitución de modo patético, presenta la situación histórico-social del Porfiriato, antes del estallido de la Revolución Mexicana de 1910. El objetivo de este estudio es definir la posición de la mujer en contextos históricos concretos condicionados por la época y el entorno político y social. Palabras clave: naturalismo, novela, mujer, historia, sociedad.

High-resolution pollen analysis of a sediment core recovered from Paliouras lagoon (Greece) allowed us to reconstruct the environmental dynamics of the Halkidiki peninsula during the last 4000 years. Palynological results have been interpreted and compared with detailed historical data, showing distinct phases of human-landscape interactions from the Bronze Age until recent times. Pollen spectra revealed an environment characterized by Mediterranean vegetation, mixed deciduous forest, and pine stands from the Late Bronze Age until the 11th century CE. The first signs of human impact were attested during the Archaic period with the cultivation of Olea, Castanea, and Vitis in the inland of the study area. An intensive land management was highlighted by arboriculture and cereal cultivation (Secale and Hordeum group) in Roman times. Late Antique-Early Medieval times coincided with less human pressure due to warfare-related crises, leading to the expansion of the forest and the abandonment of fields colonized by Amaranthaceae. A massive increase in pastoral activities, suggested by the high percentages of Cichorieae during the Ottoman period, is possibly linked to the significant demographic growth of the nearby city of Thessaloniki in the 16th century CE.

Technical advancements have widened the limits of remote sensing and Terrestrial Laser Scanning technology in studying underground cavities. Furthermore, the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems has proven to be a significant advantage in the study of caves, as under certain circumstances during the data processing, it is plausible to combine TLS and UAS data for generating a complete 3D model, representing surface and subsurface simultaneously. The use of state-of-the-art laser scanning equipment either terrestrial or handheld accompanied by total station measurements on a series of ground control points, has resulted in the scanning and detailed mapping the entire Melissani and Drogarati caves, in Cephalonia Island, in Greece, including hidden cavities. This study attempted not only to delineate a new methodology for compiling a highly detailed cave map, but also to identify structural discontinuities and faults for further investigation of the influence of rock failures in causing rock falls and further damage in the caves. Both show caves attract many visitors and since they are located at an area of very high seismicity, where large earthquakes occur very frequently, the risk is rather high. The methodology is based on the synergy of equipment in different working levels, since the cave environment is by far one of the most difficult cases to survey, led to hazard identification in high detail and accuracy throughout the cavity. The fieldwork includes the generation of a unified point cloud for the underground cavity, generated by scanning at several bases inside the cave and by entering smaller cavities by holding the mobile scanner. The bundling of the partial point clouds is possible since the proposed methodology includes the establishment of a dense network of Ground Control Points, which are measured with Total Station equipment for gaining actual coordinates. After the merging of the partial scans were combined into a single point cloud, the methodology continues with further processing including filtering and noisy points removal. Moreover, the final product is combined with the point cloud that was generated after the photogrammetric processing and the methodology is completed with exporting the results in file formats that can be imported in several geotechnical or discontinuity recognition software for further interpretation. The results along with the produced 3D models could be utilized to determine areas susceptible to different failure types. The assessment of rock stability within a cave by combined innovative equipment, techniques, and research methods could be considered by the management authorities for the maintenance and/or re-design the tourist routes.

Combined with eustatic sea-level changes, uplifted Quaternary marine terraces provide insight into the tectonics of coastal areas. Cephalonia Island lies 35 km off the western coast of mainland Greece and 15 km northeast of the Hellenic subduction zone. Late Pleistocene eustatic sea-level oscillations and the long-term tectonic movements are imprinted on the landscape of the southern part of the island, in the form of seven uplifted marine terraces. In the present study we aim to identify and map in detail these terraces, applying Digital Elevation Model analysis, utilizing Geographic Information Systems techniques and extensive fieldwork. The GIS-based analysis combined with field geomorphological observations revealed a sequence of seven marine terraces at the southern part of the main island ranging in elevation between 4 m and 176 m asl. Microscope, petrological and microgeomorphological analyses on two caprock samples suggest strong marine influence during the deposition of the sediments covering the marine terraces. The age of the formation of the 32 m marine terrace was assigned to the MIS 3e, based on OSL dating of a caprock sample, and an average uplift rate of 1.4 ± 0.35 mm a−1 was calculated for the last 61 ± 5.5 ka. Assuming a uniform uplift rate for the Late Pleistocene allowed us to correlate the marine terrace with the sea-level highstands and constrain their ages.

In this study, we present the findings of a sediment core retrieved from Klisova lagoon, Western Greece, an area with a long record of documented human presence. The recovered deposits were subjected to sedimentological, XRF, and micropaleontological analyses. For the last 4700 cal BP, the freshwater influx, the progradation of the Evinos river delta and related geomorphological changes control the environmental conditions in the lagoon. Considering the centennial temporal resolution of our analyses, small offsets of c.a. 50?years due to lack of regional reservoir correction do not considerably impact the reported radiocarbon ages. Prior to 4000 cal BP, a relatively shallow water depth, significant terrestrial/freshwater input and increased weathering in the lagoon area are inferred. Elemental proxies and increased dinoflagellate cyst and foraminiferal abundances, which indicate marine conditions with prominent freshwater influxes, point to the gradual deepening of the lagoon up to 2000 cal BP. The marine and freshwater condition equilibrium sets at 1300 cal BP, with the lagoonal system reaching its present state. Maxima of anthropogenic pollen indicators during the Mycenaean (3200 cal BP), Hellenistic (2200 cal BP), and Late Byzantine (800 cal BP) periods suggest intervals of increased anthropogenic activities in the area.

Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) – people’s intense concerns that they might miss pleasant moments that their peers may enjoy—has been found to relate to a variety of undesired outcomes, including poor academic functioning. Yet, little is known about why some students may exhibit more FoMO than others. In this cross-sectional study with a sample of Turkish adolescents (N1 = 506; 50.8% males; Mage = 15.8 years; SD = 0.83), we examined to what extent intrinsic and extrinsic life goals for using social media predict FoMO over and above social anxiety. We found through path analyses that extrinsic goals of attaining popularity, garnering attention, and conveying a positive image of oneself to others related to FoMO which in turn related to lower grades by means of in-class distraction and out-of-class study interference. Taken together, the present results suggest that the goals that adolescents try to attain through social media use may explain why FoMO might be more prevalent in that age group.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be treated by local and regional methods of percutaneous interventional radiological techniques. Indications depend on tumor size, type and stage, as well as patient's condition, liver function and co-morbidities. According to international classification systems such as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification, very early, early or intermediate staged tumors can be treated either with ablative methods or with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), depending on tumor characteristics. The combination of both allows for individualized forms of treatment with the ultimate goal of improving response and survival. In recent years, a lot of research has been carried out in combining locoregional approaches with immune therapy. Although recent developments in systemic treatment, especially immunotherapy, seem quite promising and have expanded possible combined treatment options, there is still not enough evidence in their favor. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive up-to-date overview of all these techniques, explaining indications, contraindications, technical problems, outcomes, results and complications. Moreover, combinations of percutaneous treatment with each other or with immunotherapy and future options will be discussed. Use of all those methods as down-staging or bridging solutions until surgery or transplantation are taken into consideration will also be reviewed. CONCLUSION: Local and regional therapies remain a mainstay of curative and palliative treatment of patients with HCC. Currently, evidence on potential combination of the local and regional treatment options with each other as well as with other treatment modalities is growing and has the potential to further individualize HCC therapy. To identify the most suitable treatment option out of these new various options, a repeated interdisciplinary discussion of each case by the tumor board is of utmost importance.

Au lendemain de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, dans un contexte de décolonisation progressive, Louise Weiss, reporter de renommée, écrivaine et femme politique, s’engage activement dans la défense de l’empire colonial français déjà assailli impitoyablement. Chargée de maintes missions politiques et culturelles, elle se lance dans un long voyage (1946-1968) à destination de tous les points chauds du globe : Japon, Indochine, Chine, Syrie, Liban, Égypte, Sénégal, Éthiopie, Djibouti, Madagascar, Tibet et Cachemire, entre autres. Tentative d’intervention sur le cours de la politique internationale autant que recherche sur « l’aspiration générale de l’humanité », le voyage « weissien », pratique et écritures, est à la fois acte cognitif et politique. Sous ce rapport, le récit viatique de la journaliste, vecteur de ses prises de positions politiques, sociales et idéologiques au regard des nouveaux enjeux géopolitiques et culturels qui émergent dans un monde en ébullition, revêt un caractère autant instructif que propagandiste. Sur un autre plan, il dévoile l’inquiétude d’une Européenne devant la déchéance morale de la civilisation occidentale.

To improve the manoeuvrability of differential drive mobile robots around a straight path on a horizontal plane, an I/O decoupling control scheme is proposed through a proportional controller that uses real time measurements of the kinetic variables of the mobile robot and measurements of the orientation of the robot, received through a wireless network providing communication delays. The present control scheme is based on the linear approximant of the robot model. The I/O decoupling design requirement is proven to be always satisfied and the controller is proven to be a common controller for various values of the robot parameters The stability and asymptotic command following of the closed loop system is studied. The resemblance of the performance of the closed loop system, using the delayed controller, to the respective response of the closed loop system for zero delay, is accomplished through a metaheuristic algorithm. The efficiency of the derived controller when applied to the nonlinear model of the mobile robot is illustrated through simulations.

This paper aims to present research on measuring competences for democratic culture. It describes the development of a multiple-item scale that measures competences in teaching democratic citizenship and human rights through religious education. A principal component analysis based on the 135 items of the Council of Europe’s Reference framework of competences for democratic culture was carried out in two phases, in order to construct and refine the scale. The result was a 52-item scale divided into six components. This was tested for its reliability, factor structure and validity; firstly on a sample of 123, and secondly on a sample of 403 secondary RE teachers (2018-19). The research scrutinises the concept of democratic competences as being the ability to mobilise and deploy relevant values, attitudes, skills, knowledge and/or understanding. It concludes that these competences are more complex structures than has been assumed.

              The neural stem cell niche is a key regulator participating in the maintenance, regeneration, and repair of the brain. Within the niche neural stem cells (NSC) generate new neurons throughout life, which is important for tissue homeostasis and brain function. NSCs are regulated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors with cellular metabolism being lately recognized as one of the most important ones, with evidence suggesting that it may serve as a common signal integrator to ensure mammalian brain homeostasis. The aim of this review is to summarize recent insights into how metabolism affects NSC fate decisions in adult neural stem cell niches, with occasional referencing of embryonic neural stem cells when it is deemed necessary. Specifically, we will highlight the implication of mitochondria as crucial regulators of NSC fate decisions and the relationship between metabolism and ependymal cells. The link between primary cilia dysfunction in the region of hypothalamus and metabolic diseases will be examined as well. Lastly, the involvement of metabolic pathways in ependymal cell ciliogenesis and physiology regulation will be discussed. Keywords: cell mechanics; ciliopathies; ependymal; metabolism; neural stem cell niche; neural stem cells; subventricular zone (SVZ).     

PI controllers are favorable for implementation in most industrial computer controller platforms as well as integrated circuit platforms. In the present paper a multivariable Proportional plus Integral (PI) controller is designed for the regulation of ethanol concentration in a continuous fermenter, being a reactor with several industrial and biomedical applications. Based upon the nonlinear model of the fermentation process, a linear approximant of the process is analytically derived. The range of accuracy of the linear approximant is determined using a mixed norm criterion. Based upon the linear approximant and a metaheuristic algorithm, a multivariable PI controller is designed in order to satisfy stability for the closed loop system, asymptotic command following for the ethanol concentration and model following of the respective closed loop linear approximant system. Performance of the proposed control scheme when applied to the original nonlinear model is satisfactory, even for large external commands.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research was to evaluate how menstrual tracking applications can promote gynaecological health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic review in Medline and Scopus, for papers evaluating menstrual tracking mobile applications. We excluded review articles and those not written in English. RESULTS: We identified 14 articles measuring the outcome resulting from the use of a single Fertility Tracking Application (FTA). Eight studies evaluated 2 different applications used as a contraception method. One study assessed a fecundity enhancing application. Five studies referred to applications, used to treat or monitor various gynaecologic issues. All studies reported efficacy for their intended use or a high satisfaction rate. DISCUSSION: There is a plethora of FTAs, however a minority of them are appraised by medical experts. Several safety and privacy concerns have been expressed regarding their use and these issues should be addressed in the future. All studies identified in our search demonstrated that FTAs can facilitate users in terms of contraception, fertility, and menstrual awareness. CONCLUSION: Menstrual tracking applications can serve as a valuable health tool, nevertheless, their content should be more vigorously evaluated.

This study provides a high-resolution reconstruction of the vegetation of the Argive Plain (Peloponnese, Greece) covering 5000 years from the Early Bronze Age onwards. The well dated pollen record from ancient Lake Lerna has been interpreted in the light of archaeological and historical sources, climatic data from the same core and other regional proxies. Our results demonstrate a significant degree of human impact on the environments of the Argive Plain throughout the study period. During the Early Bronze Age evidence of a thermophilous vegetation is seen in the pollen record, representing the mixed deciduous oak woodland of the Peloponnesian uplands. The plain was mainly used for the cultivation of cereals, whereas local fen conditions prevailed at the coring site. Towards the end of this period an increasing water table is recorded and the fen turns into a lake, despite more arid conditions. In the Late Bronze Age, the presence of important palatial centres modified the landscape resulting in decrease of mixed deciduous oak woodland and increase in open land, partly used for grazing. Possibly, the human management produced a permanent hydrological change at Lake Lerna. From the Archaic period onwards the increasing human pressure in association with local drier conditions caused landscape instability, as attested by a dramatic alluvial event recorded in the Pinus curve at the end of the Hellenistic Age. Wet conditions coincided with Roman times and favoured a forest regeneration pattern in the area, at the same time as we see the most intensive olive cultivation in the pollen record. The establishment of an economic landscape primarily based on pastures is recorded in the Byzantine period and continues until modern times. Overgrazing and fires in combination with arid conditions likely caused degradation of the vegetation into garrigue, as seen in the area of the Argive Plain today.

BACKGROUND: Despite significant advances in multiple myeloma (MM) therapy, disease relapse and treatment resistance remain major obstacles in clinical management. Herein, we have studied the clinical utility of miRNAs in improving patients' risk-stratification and prognosis. METHODS: miRNA-seq was performed in CD138+ plasma cells of MM, smoldering multiple myeloma (sMM) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) patients. The screening MM cohort consisted of 138 patients. miRNA levels of CD138+ plasma cells were quantified by RT-qPCR following 3'-end RNA polyadenylation. Disease progression and patients' death were used as clinical end-point events. Internal validation was conducted by bootstrap analysis. Clinical net benefit on disease prognosis was assessed by decision curve analysis. Kruykov et al. 2016 served as validation cohort (n = 151). RESULTS: miRNA-seq highlighted miR-181a to be upregulated in MM vs. sMM/MGUS, and R-ISS III vs. I patients. Screening and validation cohorts confirmed the significantly higher risk for short-term progression and worse survival of the patients overexpressing miR-181a. Multivariate models integrating miR-181a with disease established markers led to superior risk-stratification and clinical benefit for MM prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: CD138+ overexpression of miR-181a was strongly correlated with inferior disease outcome and contributed to superior prediction of MM patients early progression, supporting personalised prognosis and treatment decisions.

Mitochondria are the main sites of energy production and a major source of metabolic stress. Not surprisingly, impairment of mitochondrial homeostasis is tightly associated with the development and progression of a broad spectrum of human pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders. Mitophagy mediates the selective degradation of damaged organelles, thus promoting cellular viability and tissue integrity. Defective mitophagy triggers cellular senescence and prolonged neuroinflammation, leading eventually to cell death and brain homeostasis collapse. Here, we survey the intricate interplay between mitophagy and neuroinflammation, highlighting that mitophagy can be a focal point for therapeutic interventions to tackle neurodegeneration.

The problem of controlling the position of a magnetically levitated ball is studied through a PD state feedback linear controller and the simultaneous satisfaction of a set of individual miscellaneous design requirements including stability, command following, model following and appropriately bounded input. The requirements are defined over the linear approximant of the magnetic levitation system. Also, for the solution of the problem, a metaheuristic algorithm, based on the linear approximant of the magnetic levitation system, is proposed. The performance of the proposed control scheme, for the resulting nonlinear closed loop system, is illustrated through a series of computational experiments.

Network meta-analysis (NMA) is widely used in evidence synthesis to estimate the effects of several competing interventions for a given clinical condition. One of the challenges is that it is not possible in disconnected networks. Component network meta-analysis (CNMA) allows technically 'reconnecting' a disconnected network with multicomponent interventions. The additive CNMA model assumes that the effect of any multicomponent intervention is the additive sum of its components. This assumption can be relaxed by adding interaction component terms, which improves the goodness of fit but decreases the network connectivity. Model selection aims at finding the model with a reasonable balance between the goodness of fit and connectivity (selected CNMA model). We aim to introduce a forward model selection strategy for CNMA models and to investigate the performance of CNMA models for connected and disconnected networks. We applied the methods to a real Cochrane review dataset and simulated data with additive, mildly, or strongly violated intervention effects. We started with connected networks, and we artificially constructed disconnected networks. We compared the results of the additive and the selected CNMAs from each connected and disconnected network with the NMA using the mean squared error and coverage probability. CNMA models provide good performance for connected networks and can be an alternative to standard NMA if additivity holds. On the contrary, model selection does not perform well for disconnected networks, and we recommend conducting separate analyses of subnetworks.

Les modifieurs de degré (MD) ‘très’ et ‘beaucoup’ du français et ‘πολύ’ du grec présentent de différentes conditions de combinabilité avec les adjectifs. Nous soutenons l’hypothèse que la différence entre propriété temporaire et permanente détermine l’acceptabilité de ces MD avec des adjectifs. Il est proposé que ‘beaucoup’ se combine avec des adjectifs qui sont ambigus exprimant soit une propriété temporaire soit une propriété permanente. Plus précisément, ‘beaucoup’ assume le rôle du désambiguïseur qui sélectionne toujours la facette temporaire des adjectifs avec lesquels il se combine. Les MD ‘très’ et ‘πολύ’, quant à eux, ne sont pas sensibles à la différence entre propriété temporaire et permanente.   

Using the analytic finite deterministic automata models of the subsystems of an automated manufacturing system, in circular mode, the safety specifications of the system are formulated in the form of rules. The rules are translated to appropriate desired regular languages. The languages are realized in analytic forms of finite deterministic supervisor automata. The controllability of the languages, realized by the supervisors, and the nonblocking property of the resulting controlled automaton, are proven.

Multiple lines of evidence support an immunologic response along with inflammation to be implicated in the pathophysiology of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and the development of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the signaling molecules in the vitreous and subretinal fluid (SRF) involved in these processes. A detailed literature search was performed in PubMed database until November 2021. We identified all papers referring to inflammatory and immunological mediators in the context of primary RRD and in cases complicated by PVR. We analyzed prospective and retrospective cohort studies and reference lists of the retrieved articles. A comprehensive investigation of immunological and inflammatory responses provides significant evidence for the implication of varying signaling molecules in the pathophysiology of RRD and the development of PVR. The reviewed series has revealed that disruption of the normal equilibrium during these processes may be present in the vitreous and SRF of these eyes. The precise role of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors in the pathophysiology of these disorders remains to be clearly elucidated. Overall, immunological and inflammatory signaling molecules are widely implicated in both primary RRD and PVR. The reviewed literature indicates that precise knowledge concerning the pathological milieu sheds light on the underlying pathophysiology and potential therapeutic targets and highlights unmet needs to be addressed by future research

Neuronets trained by a weights-and-structure-determination (WASD) algorithm are known to resolve the shortcomings of traditional back-propagation neuronets such as slow training speed and local minimum. A multi-input multi-function activated WASD neuronet (MMA-WASDN) model is introduced in this paper, combined with a novel multi-function activated WASD (MA-WASD) algorithm, for handling binary classification problems. Using multiple power activation functions, the MA-WASD algorithm finds the optimal weights and structure of the MMA-WASDN and uses cross-validation to address bias and prevent being stuck in local optima during the training process. As a result, neuronets trained with the MA-WASD algorithm have higher precision and accuracy than neuronets trained with traditional WASD algorithms. Applications on firm fraud and loan approval classification validate our MMA-WASDN model in order to demonstrate its outstanding learning and predicting performance. Since these applications use real-world datasets that include strings and missing values, an algorithmic method for preparing data is also suggested to make them manageable from the MMA-WASDN. A comparison of the MMA-WASDN model to five other high-performing neuronet models is included, as well as a MATLAB package that is publicly available through GitHub to support and promote the findings of this research.

PKS 0735+178 is a bright radio and $\gamma$-ray blazar that is possibly associated with multiple neutrino events observed by the IceCube, Baikal, Baksan, and KM3NeT neutrino telescopes. The source was found to undergo a major flaring activity in $\gamma$-ray, X-ray, ultraviolet (UV) and optical bands. We present a long-term detailed study of this peculiar blazar to investigate the temporal and spectral changes in the multi-wavelength emission when the neutrino events were observed. The analysis of Swift-XRT snapshots reveal a flux variability of more than a factor 2 in about $5\times10^3$ seconds during the observation on December 17, 2021. In the $\gamma$-ray band, the source was in its historical highest flux level at the time of the arrival of the neutrinos. The observational comparison between PKS 0735+178 and other neutrino source candidates, such as TXS 0506+056, PKS 1424+240, and GB6 J1542+6129, shows that all these sources share similar spectral energy distributions, very high radio and $\gamma$-ray powers, and parsec scale jet properties. Moreover, PKS 0735+178, like all the others, is a masquerading BL Lac. We perform comprehensive modelling of the multiwavelength emission from PKS 0735+178 within one-zone lepto-hadronic models considering both internal and external photon fields and estimate the expected accompanying neutrino flux. The most optimistic scenario invokes a jet with luminosity close to the Eddington value and the interactions of $\sim$ PeV protons with an external UV photon field. This scenario predicts $\sim 0.067$ muon and antimuon neutrinos over the observed 3-week flare. Our results are consistent with the detection of one very-high-energy neutrino like IceCube-211208A.

Introduction. Longitudinal volleyball training stimuli can cause an increase in muscle strength that is brought about by neurological and morphological adaptations, such as changes in muscle fibre composition percentage and cross-sectional area (CSA). Aim of Study. The aim of this study was to examine the biological adaptations of volleyball-players in terms of muscle fiber type composition, cross-sectional area, myonuclei and satellite cell pool in comparison to physically active controls. Material and Methods. Ten professional volleyball-players (VG) and five physically active-persons (CG) participated in this study. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus-lateralis of the dominant leg. Results. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that although MHC I and MHC IIC muscle fibre distribution was not different between the groups, MHC IIX and MHC IIAX were totally absent in VG and appeared only in the CG. The cross-sectional area revealed a slightly different pattern as both MHC I and IIA were larger for the volleyball players. In accordance, MHC II myonuclei number was moderately larger in the volleyball players, while the satellite cells and their ratio to number of fibres had a large and very large difference, respectively. Conclusions. In conclusion, our study reveals that volleyball training-induced hypertrophy for both type I and II muscle fibres in the vastus lateralis of volleyball players and resulted in a specific shift in muscle fibres containing MHC II isoforms. This hypertrophy of the muscle fibres is associated with an increase in the myonuclear number and satellite cells.

Lefkada and Corfu old towns are located in the western part of Greece, in the Ionian Sea. Their proximity to the Hellenic subduction zone (HSZ) is the reason for their intense seismicity. The main goal of this study was the estimation of the geotechnical characteristics of the subsurface, with the contribution of applied geophysical techniques. Therefore, seismic refraction tomography (SRT) and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) were applied. A total of thirty-three (33) seismic and geoelectrical profiles were performed in both towns in order to evaluate the geotechnical characteristics of the subsurface formations. Additionally, subsurface resistivity distributions were investigated with the application of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). Some important elastic moduli were calculated through the combination of estimated seismic wave velocities and laboratory density measurements. The horizontal distribution of seismic velocities and mechanical properties (σ, E, K, G) of Corfu town was illustrated in maps, for the depth of 5 m. The geophysical interpretation also revealed that Lefkada’s subsurface consists of only one compact geological formation, with little or no variation of its geophysical-geotechnical characteristics. Beyond that, the ground type classifications for the two towns were determined according to the European Committee for Standardization Eurocode 8, based on Vs30 values.

Lefkada and Corfu old towns are located in the western part of Greece, in the Ionian Sea. Their proximity to the Hellenic subduction zone (HSZ) is the reason for their intense seismicity. The main goal of this study was the estimation of the geotechnical characteristics of the subsurface, with the contribution of applied geophysical techniques. Therefore, seismic refraction tomography (SRT) and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) were applied. A total of thirty-three (33) seismic and geoelectrical profiles were performed in both towns in order to evaluate the geotechnical characteristics of the subsurface formations. Additionally, subsurface resistivity distributions were investigated with the application of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). Some important elastic moduli were calculated through the combination of estimated seismic wave velocities and laboratory density measurements. The horizontal distribution of seismic velocities and mechanical properties (σ, E, K, G) of Corfu town was illustrated in maps, for the depth of 5 m. The geophysical interpretation also revealed that Lefkada’s subsurface consists of only one compact geological formation, with little or no variation of its geophysical-geotechnical characteristics. Beyond that, the ground type classifications for the two towns were determined according to the European Committee for Standardization Eurocode 8, based on VS30 values.

The use of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) based communication protocols is proposed and investigated for the uplink of wireless networks with buffered data-sources, which is the basis of the introduced medium access control (MAC)-layer protocol. To this end, the long-term average throughput is maximized by optimizing the set of users that transmit information at each time slot and their transmit power, the number of packets that are admitted in each user’s queue, and the transmission rates, assuming that the instantaneous channel state information is not available at the transmitters. Also, considering a receiver with multiple antennas, two detection techniques are used to mitigate the interference when two users are chosen to simultaneously transmit information in the same resource block, namely successive interference cancellation (SIC) and joint decoding (JD). More specifically, the outage probability for both considered techniques is derived in closed-from, which is a prerequisite for the derivation and the optimization of the throughput. The formulated multi-dimensional long-term stochastic optimization problem is solved by using the Lyapunov framework. Finally, simulation results verify the gains by using MIMO-NOMA as the basis of the next generation multiple access and illustrate the superiority of JD compared to SIC with respect to the number of the receiver’s antennas.

Abstract Ru-porphyrins act as convenient pedestals for the assembly of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) on solid surfaces. Upon deposition of a simple NHC ligand on a close packed Ru-porphyrin monolayer, an extraordinary phenomenon can be observed: Ru-porphyrin molecules are transferred from the silver surface to the next molecular layer. We have investigated the structural features and dynamics of this portering process and analysed the associated binding strengths and work function changes. A rearrangement of the molecular layer is induced by the NHC uptake: the NHC selective binding to the Ru causes the ejection of whole porphyrin molecules from the molecular layer on silver to the layer on top. This reorganisation can be reversed by thermally induced desorption of the NHC ligand. We anticipate that the understanding of such mass transport processes will have crucial implications for the functionalisation of surfaces with carbenes.

Background Provision of structure in classroom settings constitutes one of the pillars of conducive learning environments. However, little is known whether the particular elements of provided structure—namely, contingency, clear expectations, help and support, and monitoring—are equally important for student learning and motivation. Aims In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to investigate to what extent students’ autonomous motivation is linearly and curvilinearly related to their perceptions of their teachers’ contingency, clear expectations, help and support, and monitoring. Sample Participants were 12,036 Turkish adolescent students (age range: 15–19 years; 54.4% males) from 446 classes, nested into 24 public schools. Methods Cross-sectional, based on student ratings of their self-determined motivation and their teacher structure provision and autonomy support. Results Multilevel and ordinary least-squares polynomial regression analyses showed all the four perceived structure elements to predict autonomous motivation, with expectations and contingency (especially when coupled with monitoring) being even more important predictors than the other elements. Response surface analyses also showed strong positive relation between autonomous motivation and all the possible pairs of the four elements of perceived structure along the line of congruence, suggesting an additive effect when teachers are thought to be contingent and helpful and supportive (or monitor their students, or clearly communicate their expectations). Conclusions These findings imply the key role that teachers could play in enhancing their students’ autonomous motivation by providing all the elements of structure.

The non-convex tax-aware portfolio optimization problem is traditionally approximated as a convex problem, which compromises the quality of the solution and converges to a local-minima instead of global minima. In this paper, we proposed a non-deterministic meta-heuristic algorithm called Non-linear Activated Beetle Antennae Search (NABAS). NABAS explores the search space at the given gradient estimate measure until it is smaller than a threshold known as “Activation Threshold”, which increases its convergence rate and avoids local minima. To test the validity of NABAS, we formulated an optimization-based tax-aware portfolio problem. The objective is to maximize the profit and minimize the risk and tax liabilities and fulfill other constraints. We collected stock data of 20 companies from the NASDAQ stock market and performed a simulation using MATLAB. A comprehensive comparison is made with BAS, PSO, and GA algorithms. The results also showed that a better-optimized portfolio is achieved with a non-convex problem than a convex problem.

A time Floquet transfer-matrix method for the description of acoustic wave propagation through dynamic stratified structures, modulated by another, low-frequency, pump acoustic wave, is reported. The method is applied to a specific example of a GaAs/AlAs periodic superlattice, subject to a spatiotemporal modulation induced by an evanescent pump wave with frequency in the lowest acoustic band gap of the structure. By means of systematic numerical calculations, we provide compelling evidence for the occurrence of significant nonreciprocal transmission of an acoustic signal with frequency in a high-order acoustic band gap, through inelastic multiple-scattering processes. Our results indicate a promising route to design nonreciprocal acoustic devices.

The Kastrouli Late Bronze settlement in Phocis province, central Greece, has been proved to have been an important center in the periphery of the Mycenaean palaces. It was reused at least partially and was cultivated until the 20th century. The presence of a flat area off the Kastrouli hill and the seasonal flooding nowadays led to the present investigation, questioning the formation of an ancient lake or marsh/swamp. A methodological approach was applied combining the digital elevation model (DEM) and GIS of the wider and confined area, examining slopes between 0 and 5 degrees (0 and 8.75%), with electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) traverses of around 300 and 500 m, reaching a depth of 100 m. The ERT data were rapidly collected on profiles and provided a cross-sectional (2D) plot. It was found that, in the area, there is a basin with a length of 100 m and a depth of around 40–50 m. The sedimentation process over the millennia has filled the basin, with the upper 5–6 m surface layers of the area having a low resistivity. The presence of two natural sinkholes with apparent engineered hydraulic works is noted to conform to drainage and produce a habitable environment, protecting the cultivated land and avoiding a swamp associated with health issues.

Field geological mapping is the initial step of preliminary research in mining. However, in the last decades, the rapid progress of remote sensing data processing and its use for reconnaissance of geological outcrops for the purpose of locating possible mining sites gained increasing attention due to the significant time and cost savings. In this study, a new methodology, focused on mapping ferronickel (Fe–Ni) laterite deposits by using Sentinel-2 satellite data, is introduced. It describes a novel spectral index (called laterite spectral index (LSI)) that enhances laterite surface outcrops. To the best of our knowledge, LSI is the first spectral index tailored for this task, concerning minerals that are simultaneously rich in Fe and Ni. The LSI was applied on a continuum removed image by taking advantage of the spectral features present in two specific spectral areas of 490–560 nm and 842–945 nm. The entire methodology was tested and validated on four different excavation sites in eastern Central Greece based on known drillholes. In all excavation sites, the proposed LSI compared favorably with other relative spectral indices proposed in the literature for the detection of Fe-bearing minerals or Fe-oxides.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk for obstetric complications in women with congenital uterine anomalies and the risk in each main class of uterine anomaly (U2 [septate], U3 [bicorporeal], U4 [hemi-uterus]), based on the 2013 classification by the ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology) and the ESGE (European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy). DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception until January 2021. The reference list of all included articles and previous systematic reviews were also screened to identify potential additional articles. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: Comparative and noncomparative studies that investigated the obstetric outcomes of women with any type of known congenital uterine anomaly were considered eligible for inclusion. Screening and eligibility assessment was performed independently by two reviewers. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: Forty-seven studies were included. The quality of included comparative studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Odds ratios (ORs), pooled proportions of each obstetric outcome, and 95{%} CIs were calculated in RevMan and Stata accordingly, using random effects models. Congenital uterine anomalies were associated with increased risk of preterm birth (OR 3.89, 95{%} CI 3.11-4.88); cervical insufficiency (OR 15.13, 95{%} CI 11.74-19.50); prelabor rupture of membranes (OR 2.48, 95{%} CI 1.38-4.48); fetal malpresentation (OR 11.11, 95{%} CI 5.74-21.49); fetal growth restriction (OR 3.75, 95{%} CI 1.88-7.46); placental abruption (OR 5.21, 95{%} CI 3.34-8.13); placenta previa (OR 4.00, 95{%} CI 1.87-8.56); placental retention (OR 1.71, 95{%} CI 1.16-2.52); and cesarean birth (OR 4.52, 95{%} CI 2.19-9.31); when compared with those without anomalies. Pooled estimated risks were 25{%} for preterm birth, 40{%} for fetal malpresentation, 64{%} for cesarean birth, 12{%} for prelabor rupture of membranes, 15{%} for fetal growth restriction, 4{%} for placental abruption, 5{%} for preeclampsia, 13{%} for cervical insufficiency, and 2{%} for placenta previa. Classes U2 (septate), U3 (bicorporeal), and U4 (hemi-uterus) were also associated independently with preterm birth, fetal malpresentation, cesarean birth, and placental abruption. CONCLUSION: Congenital uterine anomalies are associated with obstetric complications across all examined ESHRE and ESGE classifications. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO, CRD42021244487.

Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση (Ε.Ε.) θα μπορούσε να θεωρηθεί ως μία ευρύτερη γεωγραφική ενότητα μέσα στην οποία πραγματοποιούνται οικονομικές και κοινωνικές διεργασίες και στην οποία ασκούνται δημόσιες εθνικές ή ευρωπαϊκές πολιτικές. Είναι ιστορικό γεγονός ότι ο ευρωπαϊκός χώρος δεν αποτελεί μια ομοιογενή γεωγραφική ενότητα, αλλά παρουσιάζει μεγάλες ανισότητες που κληρονομήθηκαν από το παρελθόν. Το ερώτημα που τίθεται είναι, αν η διαδικασία της οικονομικής ολοκλήρωσης της Ε.Ε. -που άρχισε το 1958 μεταξύ των έξι ιδρυτικών χωρών και συνεχίζεται με αλλεπάλληλες διευρύνσεις μέχρι σήμερα- άμβλυνε τις ανισότητες, τις διατήρησε ή τις διεύρυνε. Στο συλλογικό αυτόν τόμο, επιχειρείται μία αποτίμηση των σημερινών ανισοτήτων μεταξύ των χωρών-μελών της Ε.Ε. και αξιολογούνται οι πολιτικές που ασκήθηκαν όλα αυτά τα χρόνια με στόχο την οικονομική και κοινωνική συνοχή, όπως έχει επανειλημμένως διακηρυχτεί στις συνθήκες της Ε.Ε. Στα επιμέρους κεφάλαια του βιβλίου, ειδικοί επιστήμονες, ερευνητές και καθηγητές από διάφορα πανεπιστήμια της χώρας μας και του εξωτερικού επιχειρούν να ανιχνεύσουν κατά πόσο οι πολιτικές που ασκήθηκαν είχαν το επιθυμητό αποτέλεσμα.

The Black Death (1347–1352 ce) is the most renowned pandemic in human history, believed by many to have killed half of Europe’s population. However, despite advances in ancient DNA research that conclusively identified the pandemic’s causative agent (bacterium Yersinia pestis), our knowledge of the Black Death remains limited, based primarily on qualitative remarks in medieval written sources available for some areas of Western Europe. Here, we remedy this situation by applying a pioneering new approach, ‘big data palaeoecology’, which, starting from palynological data, evaluates the scale of the Black Death’s mortality on a regional scale across Europe. We collected pollen data on landscape change from 261 radiocarbon-dated coring sites (lakes and wetlands) located across 19 modern-day European countries. We used two independent methods of analysis to evaluate whether the changes we see in the landscape at the time of the Black Death agree with the hypothesis that a large portion of the population, upwards of half, died within a few years in the 21 historical regions we studied. While we can confirm that the Black Death had a devastating impact in some regions, we found that it had negligible or no impact in others. These inter-regional differences in the Black Death’s mortality across Europe demonstrate the significance of cultural, ecological, economic, societal and climatic factors that mediated the dissemination and impact of the disease. The complex interplay of these factors, along with the historical ecology of plague, should be a focus of future research on historical pandemics.

Beachrocks are well known as significant proxies for paleoenvironmental analysis as they indicate the coastal evolution. The combination of geomorphological and archaeological sea level indicators has a significant contribution to the coastal paleogeographic reconstruction. In this study, we studied a beachrock from the Diolkos area (West Corinth canal, Greece) and remnants of Diolkos slipway to reconstruct the coastal evolution before Diolkos construction until today. We conducted detailed mapping of Diolkos beachrock using DGPS-GNSS, as well as mineralogical analysis and OSL dating of beachrock samples. The results showed that a beachrock slab was preserved before the construction of Diolkos below it, followed by its submergence by a co-seismic event after Diolkos abandonment during 146 B.C. Consequently, a new beachrock was developed on top of the submerged Diolkos around 120 ± 14 A.D. The RSL was stable until 1596 ± 57 A.D. when the beachrock developed even closer to the present-day coastline. After 1596 A.D., it was uplifted by 12 cm until it reached today’s condition.

Cyprus has a long history of tsunami activity, as described in archaeological and geological records. Although the study area has experienced tsunamis in the past and constitutes an area threatened by this hazard both from the Cyprean arc and from the neighboring Hellenic arc, field research on tsunami evidence on the coastal zone of Cyprus still remains scarce. It is clear from the literature that large boulder accumulations are an important feature along the coasts of Cyprus, testifying to extreme events. A detailed field survey revealed that at various locations cited in the literature as hosting geomorphological evidence of past tsunamis, no such evidence was identified. It is likely that the high touristic activity that has been occurring on the coasts of Cyprus during the last 20 years may have affected tsunami indicators such as boulder accumulations. Tsunamis are unpredictable and infrequent but potentially large-impact natural disasters. The latest strong tsunami that caused damage to the Cypriot coast was centuries ago, when the population and economic growth and development at the Cypriot shoreline did not exist. Today, the coastal zone hosts a higher population as well as increasing touristic activity, highlighting the need for better preparedness, awareness raising and for tsunami-related risk reduction. 

Paris in War: urban space mutations, through the prism of gender, during the Great War A city on the sidelines that records the echoes of, an often, distant conflict, Paris sees its physiognomy going through an alteration during the First World War. The mass exodoi of September 1914 and May 1918, the material disasters caused by the air raids of the Gothas, and the constant ‘hammerings’ of “Fat Bertha” from land between Mars and August 1918[1], the return of the wounded, all inscribe themselves on the urban landscape of the capital marking it in an unprecedented manner. But what changes the cityscape more drastically is the predominance of a feminization of the area which manifests itself with the geographical reorganization of the professional territory. This reconfiguration breaks up boundaries and partitions and renders the traditional space and gender dichotomies and polarizations obsolete. In turn, this restructuring imposes on figures of urban authority a new approach to public space, with a view to enforce new rules and frameworks on the multifaceted and ongoing evolutions. The current work, that stems from the issue of the ‘city in crisis’, proposes a discovery, through the Parisian example of 1914-1918, of the complicated nature-inherent with a gendered perspective-of a global vision that unites war, space and gender visibility. This is about demonstrating how the interaction of these two tools for the evaluation of mutations-the crisis and gender-functions as a cadre of transversal comprehension and interpretation of the urban dynamics and tensions that could potentially enrich and renew the history of cities. Therefore, the scope of the current project cannot be but multiple: to discover the innovation and the gendered professional geography (exercise of functions and professions that have traditionally and exclusively been reserved for males); to examine the interventional policies (recommendations, laws, ministerial circulars and work realized by feminist and charity associations) that have to do, in part, with regulating, organizing and finally normalizing this new spatial reality with multiple repercussions, and, on the other hand, to guarantee its temporary character that is associated with the anomaly of the moment; lastly, it interrogates a-pro-birth, hygienic and political-discourse according to which the construction of the peaceful city rests on the reestablishment of gender separated and dedicated places.

Refugee children have never been so numerous in Europe and especially in Greece, which is a major country of entry and hosting of refugees. These children are either accompanied or unaccompanied, and some have no relatives. According to the United Nations’ 1989 Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), “all CRC rights are to be granted to all persons under 18 years of age (Art. 1) without discrimination of any kind (Art. 2).” Refugee children, as all children, hold “the right to education” (Art.28), which aims to achieve “the preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national, and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin” (Art.29, 1d). Greek law, moreover, addresses that they all should have access to a full range of educational services, including school, university, and vocational training programs. Within this context, we argue for synergy between peace education, democratic citizenship, and social pedagogy and its potential to enable all children in schools, refugee children included, to be educated. This chapter focuses on a current initiative in 18 Northern Greek schools in which there are reception classes with the aim of the project being that 150 schools providing secondary education that offer reception classes would have taken part by the end of the school year 2020–2021. The program is titled “School for All—inclusion of refugee children in Greek schools” and is organized and run by the Wergeland Center and the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs that aim to support all school members with the ultimate goal of creating a democratic and inclusive school environment. The use of the Council of Europe’s ‘Whole school approach' and the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (2018) are proposed to be used in practice. The first results that show reducing conflict are obvious, while it seems that a synergy between peace education, democratic citizenship, and social pedagogy can improve social cohesion within communities so as to increase resilience against conflict. Finally, the chapter reflects on the relationship between peacemaking and faith traditions, especially Greek Orthodox and Islamic traditions, as well as the value of inter-faith dialogue while aiming for inclusion.

Background: Although several studies that rely on self-determination theory have shown the positive interrelations among perceived need supportive learning environment, needs satisfaction, quality of motivation, and desired outcomes in the context of physical education, only few studies have tested so far the full sequence of relations within a single integrated model. Purpose: The main aim of this study was to test whether indeed needs satisfaction and in turn quality of motivation mediate the relations of need supportive learning environment to physical activity engagement and intentions. Method: Participants were 1120 Spanish students (49.9% males; Mage = 11.70 years; SD = 1.63; range = 10–17 years) from 30 classes out of 13 primary and secondary schools. Results: The multilevel path model showed a positive relation of perceived need-supportive teaching to physical activity engagement and intentions by means of needs satisfaction and autonomous motivation and a negative relation of perceived need-thwarting teaching to engagement and intentions by means of needs frustration and amotivation. Although controlled motivation was found to associate with need frustration and need-thwarting teaching it was not associated with engagement and intentions. Conclusion: the present findings suggest that the type of teaching style employed by the teachers is decisive to achieve positive consequences in physical education students. © 2020 Association for Physical Education.

Minimum-cost portfolio insurance (MCPI) is a well-known investment strategy that tries to limit the losses a portfolio may incur as stocks decrease in price without requiring the portfolio manager to sell those stocks. In this research, we define and study the time-varying MCPI problem as a time-varying linear programming problem. More precisely, using real-world datasets, three different error-correction neural networks are employed to address this financial TLPtime-varying linear programming problem in continuous-time. These neural network solvers are the zeroing NNneural network (ZNN), the linear-variational-inequality primal-dual NNneural network (LVI-PDNN), and the simplified LVI-PDNN (S-LVI-PDNN). The neural network solvers are tested using real-world data on portfolios of up to 20 stocks, and the results show that they are capable of solving the financial problem efficiently, in some cases more than five times faster than traditional methods, though their accuracy declines as the size of the portfolio increases. This demonstrates the speed and accuracy of neural network solvers, showing their superiority over traditional methods in moderate-size portfolios. To promote and contend the outcomes of this research, we created two MATLAB repositories for the interested user,research, we created two MATLAB repositories, for the interested user, that are publicly accessible on GitHub.

Blazars are the most extreme subclass of active galactic nuclei with relativistic jets emerging from a super-massive black hole and forming a small angle with respect to our line of sight. Blazars are also known to be related to flaring activity as they exhibit large flux variations over a wide range of frequency and on multiple timescales, ranging from a few minutes to several months. The detection of a high-energy neutrino from the flaring blazar TXS 0506+056 and the subsequent discovery of a neutrino excess from the same direction have naturally strengthened the hypothesis that blazars are cosmic neutrino sources. While neutrino production during gamma-ray flares has been widely discussed, the neutrino yield of X-ray flares has received less attention. Motivated by a theoretical scenario where high energy neutrinos are produced by energetic protons interacting with their own X-ray synchrotron radiation, we make neutrino predictions over a sample of a sample of X-ray blazars. This sample consists of all blazars observed with the X-ray Telescope (XRT) on board Swift more than 50 times from November 2004 to November 2020. The statistical identification of a flaring state is done using the Bayesian Block algorithm to the 1 keV XRT light curves of frequently observed blazars. We categorize flaring states into classes based on their variation from the time-average value of the data points. During each flaring state, we compute the expected muon plus anti-muon neutrino events as well as the total signal for each source using the point-source effective area of Icecube for different operational seasons. We find that the median of the total neutrino number (in logarithm) from flares with duration $<30$ d is $\mathcal{N}^{(\rm tot)}_{\nu_{\mu}+\bar{\nu}_{\mu}} \sim 0.02$.

This manuscript aims to establish various representations for the CMP inverse. Some expressions for the CMP inverse of appropriate upper block triangular matrix are developed. Successive matrix squaring algorithm and the method based on the Gauss–Jordan elimination are considered for calculating the CMP inverse. As an application, the solvability of several restricted systems of linear equations (RSoLE) is investigated in terms of the CMP inverse. Illustrative examples and examples on randomly generated large-scale matrices are presented.

Structure-from-motion photogrammetric processing and laser scanning technology have given us more tools to study environments such as caves with their complex and unique morphology. In this case study, we combine two innovative techniques to generate the complete 3D model of a show cave (Koutouki, Peania Greece) and calculate the rock thickness between the cave and the open surface. We used a Handheld Laser Scanner (HLS) for acquiring points with coordinate information covering the entire cave and an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) for acquiring data covering the open-air surface above the cave. The absolute and exact placement of the point cloud within a geographic reference frame allow the three-dimensional measurements and detailed visualization of the subsurface structures. By processing of the multi-source data (UAS and HLS) we managed to make a quantitative analysis of the terrain. After a series of processing steps and analyses we managed to calculate with high accuracy several dimension such as the cavity vacuum, the speleothem volume, the elevation differences across the entire cave etc. The final product is a high-resolution information layer with measurements of the rock thickness between the roof of the underground karstic landform and the open-surface topography.

Quantum chemistry is a firmly established branch within theoretical chemistry. However, in the late 1920s and early 1930s when the first foundational papers and books appeared, mostly written by physicists as well as by chemists or chemical physicists, the disciplinary identity of the emerging field was a contentious issue: Was it physics or was it chemistry? This question was tied to the problem of reductionism and received different answers, which led to different ways of practicing quantum chemistry and eventually stabilized its identity as an in-between/ boundary discipline. During its subsequent development the question of disciplinary identity continued to be central, as quantum chemistry established connections to other disciplines and was deeply shaped by computing technology. In this chapter we discuss the historical development of quantum chemistry, integrating several strands, conceptual, institutional, methodological, and epistemological.

We present a toy model for radio emission in high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) with strongly magnetized neutron stars (NSs) where a wind-collision region is formed by the NS outflow and the stellar wind of the massive companion. Radio emission is expected from the synchrotron radiation of shock-accelerated electrons and the free-free emission of the stellar wind. We found that the predicted relation between the GHz luminosity (LR) and the accretion X-ray luminosity (LX) can be written as $L_\mathrm{ R} \propto L_\mathrm{ X}^b$ for most parameters. No correlation with X-rays is expected (b = 0) when the thermal emission of the stellar wind dominates in radio. We typically find a steep correlation (b = 12/7) for sub-Eddington X-ray luminosities and a more shallow one [b = 2(p - 1)/7] for super-Eddington X-ray luminosities, where p is the power-law index of accelerated electrons. The maximum predicted radio luminosity is independent of the NS properties, while it depends on the stellar wind momentum, binary separation distance, and the minimum electron Lorentz factor. Using a Bayesian approach, we modelled the radio observations of Swift J0243.6+6124 that cover a wide range of mass accretion rates. Our results support a shock origin for the radio detections at sub-Eddington X-ray luminosities. However, no physically meaningful parameters could be found for the super-Eddington phase of the outburst, suggesting a different origin. Future observations with more sensitive instruments might reveal a large number of HMXBs with strongly magnetized NSs in radio, allowing the determination of the slope in the LR-LX relation, and putting the wind-collision scenario into test.

This paper aims to reconstruct the alluvial activity for the Lilas river, the second-largest catchment of Euboea Island (Central Western Aegean Sea), for approximately the last three and a half millennia. The middle reaches (Gides basin) exhibit several historical alluvial terraces that were first recognised in the 1980s but have remained poorly studied, resulting in uncertain chronological control of palaeofluvial activity. In order to reconstruct the past fluvial dynamics of the Lilas river, a ca. 2.5 m thick stratigraphic profile has been investigated for granulometry and magnetic parameters. Absolute dating of the sediments was possible by applying Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). The results reveal: (i) two coarse-grained aggradational episodes dated from the Mycenaean/Early Iron Age and the Roman periods, respectively, (ii) a phase of rapid fine-grained vertical accretion corresponding to the Late Byzantine to early Venetian periods, (iii) potential evidence for final alluvial deposition from the Little Ice Age/Ottoman period, and (iv) two major incision episodes inferred from Ancient Greek times and most of the Byzantine period. Based on the published core material, the paper also evaluates the direct impacts of the Late Holocene alluviation recorded mid-stream on the fluvial system situated downstream in the deltaic area. Sediment sourcing is attempted based on the magnetic properties of the catchment lithology and of alluvium collected upstream along the main stream bed. Finally, the present paper discusses the possible links between Late Holocene hydroclimatic oscillations and the aggradational/incision phases revealed in the Gides basin. Correlations are attempted with regional palaeoclimate records obtained for the Aegean. In addition to climatic variability, anthropogenic factors are considered: specific land use for agricultural purposes, in particular during the Mycenaean period, the Roman and the Late Byzantine/Early Venetian periods, might have enhanced sediment deposition. Archaeological information and pollen records were also evaluated to reconstruct regional land-use patterns and possible impacts on soil accumulation over the last 3.5 millennia.

Many researchers have addressed problems involving time-varying (TV) general linear matrix equations (GLMEs) because of their importance in science and engineering. This research discusses and solves the topic of solving TV GLME using the zeroing neural network (ZNN) design. Five new ZNN models based on novel error functions arising from gradient-descent and Newton optimization methods are presented and compared to each other and to the standard ZNN design. Pseudoinversion is involved in four proposed ZNN models, while three of them are related to Newton’s optimization method. Heterogeneous numerical examples show that all models successfully solve TV GLMEs, although their effectiveness varies and depends on the input matrix.

In the present paper, the problem of independent control of the speed and orientation of a differential drive mobile robot through wireless networks is studied. Based upon the linear approximant of the nonlinear model of the mobile robot, a multidelay linear I/O decoupling controller is designed. The controller feeds back delayed measurements of all state variables of the system. The analytic form of the precompensator matrix and a part of the elements of the feedback matrix is determined. The remaining controller parameters are metaheuristically evaluated so that appropriate delay stability margins are accomplished. The performance of the proposed control scheme is illustrated through series of computational experiments where it is observed that the nonlinear model behaves satisfactorily for large external commands and uncertain model parameters.

1. RESEARCH IMPACT: 1149 DIRECT CITATIONS //  1149  ΑΝΑΦΟΡΕΣ ΑΠΕΥΘΕΙΑΣ ΣΤΟ ΕΡΓΟ (updated January 17, 2023)

• Pergamos-Thousands of Reads/Accesses in Pergamos-university digital library (Χιλιάδες «Αναγνώσεις» στον ΠΕΡΓΑΜΟ). Ενδεικτικά/example: 1) The Greek Experience: Outstanding Women in the Social Space of Sport 1569  Αναγνώσεις/reads/accesses  https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/2332855, 2) Athlete Activism and Peace Education: Bridging the Social Inequality Gap through Sports 1146 Αναγνώσεις/reads   https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/2359317 , 3) Interacting, sharing and bonding: ‘notes of personal experience’ by nineteenth-century women travellers  1432 Αναγνώσεις/reads     https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/uoadl:2330579  4) Women entrepreneurs: ‘we cannot have change unless we have men in the room’ 1337 reads https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/2330032 5) Gender integration in the military:Gender-neutral standards and coed sports 464 Reads https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/2880107 (last access Oct. 25, 2022).

 

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are a heterogeneous group of impairments that affect the development of the central nervous system leading to abnormal brain function. NDDs affect a great percentage of the population worldwide, imposing a high societal and economic burden and thus, interest in this field has widely grown in recent years. Nevertheless, the complexity of human brain development and function as well as the limitations regarding human tissue usage make their modeling challenging. Animal models play a central role in the investigation of the implicated molecular and cellular mechanisms, however many of them display key differences regarding human phenotype and in many cases, they partially or completely fail to recapitulate them. Although in vitro two-dimensional (2D) human-specific models have been highly used to address some of these limitations, they lack crucial features such as complexity and heterogeneity. In this review, we will discuss the advantages, limitations and future applications of in vivo and in vitro models that are used today to model NDDs. Additionally, we will describe the recent development of 3-dimensional brain (3D) organoids which offer a promising approach as human-specific in vitro models to decipher these complex disorders.

Abstract This article examines the proliferation of popular literary texts about Modern Greece in nineteenth-century British periodicals from the 1860s to the 1890s, texts that reveal the country's appeal to the Victorians, inviting them to imagine the birth and development of the new nation after the War of Independence (1821?1828). Short stories published in popular magazines, such as the New Monthly Magazine, Bow Bells and Sunday at Home, revisit the Greek Revolution and return to the popular allegory of Greece as an enslaved or endangered woman to reflect on the ?Eastern question? and British colonial politics of protectionism in the Eastern Mediterranean. At the same time, women authors like Elizabeth Mayhew Edmonds and Isabella Fyvie Mayo, publishing in women's magazines, write stories and articles about the role of women in the Greek War of Independence, relating the feats of these historical or fictional figures to the ?woman question? and to Victorian debates on femininity and gender, as well as national and imperial politics. In the late Victorians' re-imagining of revolutionary history, Modern Greece is not enslaved to its classical past, as in traditional philhellenist representations, but must discover its modernity through its powerful nationalist agents. Revolutionary Greece re-emerges as a symbolic event through a variety of publications, which often highlight the country's cultural hybridity and construct a transnational network of literary affiliations, creating parallelisms between Greece and Britain.

Purpose To develop physiologically based finite time pharmacokinetic (PBFTPK) models for the analysis of oral pharmacokinetic data. Methods The models are based on the passive drug diffusion mechanism under the sink conditions principle. Up to three drug successive input functions of constant rate operating for a total time tau are considered. Differential equations were written for all these models assuming linear one- or two-compartment-model disposition. The differential equations were solved and functions describing the concentration of drug as a function of time for the central and the peripheral compartment were derived. The equations were used to generate simulated data and they were also fitted to a variety of experimental literature oral pharmacokinetic data. Results The simulated curves resemble real life data. The end of the absorption processes tau is either equal to t(max) or longer than t(max) at the descending portion of the concentration time curve. Literature oral pharmacokinetic data of paracetamol, ibuprofen, almotriptan, cyclosporine (a total of four sets of data), and niraparib were analyzed using the PBFTPK models. Estimates for tau corresponding to a single or two or three different in magnitude input rates were derived along with the other model parameters for all data analyzed. Conclusions The PBFTPK models are a powerful tool for the analysis of oral pharmacokinetic data since they rely on the physiologically sound concept of finite absorption time.

This study presents the preliminary results of selected samples from Aggelokastro section, Argolida, Greece. The section is comprised of a ~200m thick carbonate sedimentary succession, capped by ~50m of clastic sediments of the “schist-sandstone-chert” formation. The entire sedimentary sequence belongs to the Sub-Pelagonian type B Unit, member of the tectonostratigraphic terrain H3, equivalent to the non-metamorphic Pelagonian platform (Papanikolaou, 1990; Papanikolaou, 2021). In total 12 thin sections were produced from selected samples and studied under the microscope. Each sample was characterized according to the Standard Microfacies (SMF) scheme of Flugel (2010). The results show significant diversion between paleoenvironmental conditions and are divided into three main parts (see Fig. 1): -          Lower formation: shallow water carbonate succession with densely packed peloidal packstones-grainstones with coated benthic foraminifera (Orbitopsella and others), gastropods and echinoids (SMF 11, platform margin shoals or platform margin reef) and wackestones with gastropods, benthic foraminifera and algae (SMF 8, open marine-interior platform) -          Middle formation: transitional (slope) environment carbonates, represented by a polymictic breccia grading to wackestone with subangular-subrounded lithoclasts and bioclasts (shell debris, radiolaria, benthic foraminifera and large bivalve shells) (SMF 4, slope or toe-of-slope) and -          Upper formation: deep marine environment carbonates, including Ammonitico Rosso facies, represented by wackestones-packstones with spicules, thin shelled bivalves, radiolaria and planktonic foraminifera (SMF 1 and 3, deep shelf or deep sea). Additionally, smear slides from the “flysch-like” succession point to a deep marine clastic environment with rare or absent carbonate material. The defined Standard Microfacies show a clear deepening upward trend, marking the rifting of the carbonate platform. Regarding geological age considerations, the lower formation should be considered as Early Jurassic (late Sinemurian – middle/late Plienbachian) due to the presence of Orbitopsella sp. (Ogg et al., 2016). The Ammonitico Rosso facies of the upper formation is tentatively attributed to Middle Jurassic, similarly to the dating of radiolarites above the carbonate platform (Danelian and Robertson, 1995) in Beotia area. Lastly, the “flysch-like” clastic succession is generally considered of Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous age, according to Papanikolaou (1990).

Transversal structural elements in cross-striated muscles, such as the M-band or the Z-disc, anchor and mechanically stabilize the contractile apparatus and its minimal unit-the sarcomere. The ability of proteins to target and interact with these structural sarcomeric elements is an inevitable necessity for the correct assembly and functionality of the myofibrillar apparatus. Specifically, the M-band is a well-recognized mechanical and signaling hub dealing with active forces during contraction, while impairment of its function leads to disease and death. Research on the M-band architecture is focusing on the assembly and interactions of the three major filamentous proteins in the region, mainly the three myomesin proteins including their embryonic heart (EH) isoform, titin and obscurin. These proteins form the basic filamentous network of the M-band, interacting with each other as also with additional proteins in the region that are involved in signaling, energetic or mechanosensitive processes. While myomesin-1, titin and obscurin are found in every muscle, the expression levels of myomesin-2 (also known as M-protein) and myomesin-3 are tissue specific: myomesin-2 is mainly expressed in the cardiac and fast skeletal muscles, while myomesin-3 is mainly expressed in intermediate muscles and specific regions of the cardiac muscle. Furthermore, EH-myomesin apart from its role during embryonic stages, is present in adults with specific cardiac diseases. The current work in structural, molecular, and cellular biology as well as in animal models, provides important details about the assembly of myomesin-1, obscurin and titin, the information however about the myomesin-2 and -3, such as their interactions, localization and structural details remain very limited. Remarkably, an increasing number of reports is linking all three myomesin proteins and particularly myomesin-2 to serious cardiovascular diseases suggesting that this protein family could be more important than originally thought. In this review we will focus on the myomesin protein family, the myomesin interactions and structural differences between isoforms and we will provide the most recent evidence why the structurally and biophysically unexplored myomesin-2 and myomesin-3 are emerging as hot targets for understanding muscle function and disease.

We measured SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in raw wastewater in Attica, Greece, by RT-qPCR for the environmental surveillance of COVID-19 for 6 months. The lag between RNA load and pandemic indicators (COVID-19 hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions) was calculated using a grid search. Our results showed that RNA load in raw wastewater is a leading indicator of positive COVID-19 cases, new hospitalization and admission into ICUs by 5, 8 and 9 days, respectively. Modelling techniques based on distributed/fixed lag modelling, linear regression and artificial neural networks were utilized to build relationships between SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in wastewater and pandemic health indicators. SARS-CoV-2 mutation analysis in wastewater during the third pandemic wave revealed that the alpha-variant was dominant. Our results demonstrate that clinical and environmental surveillance data can be combined to create robust models to study the on-going COVID-19 infection dynamics and provide an early warning for increased hospital admissions.

On the basis of self-determination theory, we aimed to identify students’ perceptions of interpersonal teaching style profiles (i.e. within-teacher combinations of six dimensions of need-supportive and need-thwarting behaviours of autonomy, competence and relatedness) and to examine, through a cross-sectional design, the possible associations between these teaching profiles and students’ behavioural and emotional engagement. Participants were 2065 students (nteachers = 38) of Physical Education (PE) (Mage = 11.96 ± 1.95; range = 10–16 years; 1042 girls) nested in 98 classrooms from elementary (n = 915) and secondary (n = 1150) Spanish schools. Students filled out questionnaires in a paper and pencil format during the last semester of the school year. A four-cluster solution was found to be the most suitable: (a) a high-low group (i.e. high in perceived need-support and low in need-thwarting), (b) a low-high group (i.e. low in perceived need-support and relatively high in need-thwarting), (c) a low-low group (i.e. low in both need-support and need-thwarting) and (d) a mixed group (i.e. low in autonomy support, high in autonomy-thwarting and relatively modest-to-high in competence and relatedness support and thwarting). A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated significant differences in students’ behavioural and emotional engagement as a function of cluster membership. Post hoc comparisons showed that the high-low group reported the highest levels of engagement and the low-high group the lowest ones. Furthermore, the mixed group scored the second highest level of engagement – higher than the low-low and the low-high group. These results suggest that teachers who fail to support students’ needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness – either by using or not using need-thwarting instructional practices – might undermine students’ engagement.

Seismicity in the Ionian Sea (W. Greece) is mainly generated along the Cephalonia–Lefkada Transform Fault Zone (CLTFZ) in the central Ionian, and on the northwestern termination of the Hellenic subduction margin in the south. Joint pre-, co- and post-seismic ground deformation and seismological analysis is performed at the broad Ionian area, aiming to homogeneously study the spatiotemporal evolution of the activity prior to and after the occurrence of strong (M > 6) earthquakes during the period of 2014–2018. The 2014 Cephalonia earthquakes (Mw6.1 and Mw5.9) were generated on a faulting system adjacent to CLTFZ, causing local ground deformation. The post-seismic sequence is coupled in space and time with the 2015 Lefkada earthquake (Mw6.4), which occurred on the Lefkada segment of the CLTFZ. Co-seismic displacement was recorded in the broader area. Seismicity was concentrated along the CLTFZ, while its temporal evolution lasted for several months. The 2018 Zakynthos earthquake (Mw6.7) caused regional deformation and alterations on the near-velocity field, with the seismicity rate remaining above background levels until the end of 2021. In the northern Ionian, convergence between the Apulian platform and the Hellenic foreland occurs, exhibiting low seismicity. Seismic hazard assessment revealed high PGA and PGV expected values in the central Ionian.

In early March 2021, three shallow earthquakes, two mainshocks with M6.3 and M6.0 and one major aftershock with M5.6 impacted both the mountainous Damasi-Tyrnavos region (northern Thessaly, Greece) and the adjacent Plio-Quaternary basin. Each major event was followed by rich aftershock activity recorded by local and regional seismographs and accelerographs. Herein, we present a comprehensive analysis of the seismic sequence, from its foreshock activity starting on 28 February, 2021 and for a period of two months using new high-resolution catalogues of relocated earthquakes and hundreds of focal mechanisms. The results indicate that the aftershocks form a zone that spans ~50 km NW-SE, while focal depths range between 5 and 15 km. More than 400 focal mechanisms, computed for events with M≥ 2.5, mainly exhibit normal faulting in a NW-SE direction, while WNW-ESE to E-W normal faulting is also evidenced, in particular after the occurrence of the last major event on 12 March. The stress-field was reconstructed on a local and broader scale by inverting focal mechanism data, revealing a rotation of the σ3 axis trend from NNE-SSW, in the Damasi-broader region, to NW-SE northwards, to the region of Kozani-Grevena that hosted an Mw = 6.6 shallow mainshock in 1995. Subcrustal seismicity, present beneath those areas, implies that large-scale tectonics and plate dynamics are likely involved in the deformation of the upper crust. Coulomb stress transfer after the 3 major events of the 2021 Damasi-Tyrnavos sequence reveals that stress-loaded areas include those where most aftershocks were triggered. The analysis provides implications to the seismic hazard of the activated area, as a major NW-SE active normal fault close to Larissa city became stress-loaded, constituting a possible candidate source for significant future earthquakes.

Treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders relies on the effective delivery of therapeutic molecules to the target organ, the brain. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) hinders such delivery and proteins acting as transporters actively regulate the influx and importantly the efflux of both endo- and xeno-biotics (including medicines). Neuropsychiatric disorders are also characterized by important sex differences, and accumulating evidence supports sex differences in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of many drugs that act on the brain. In this minireview we gather preclinical and clinical findings on how sex and sex hormones can influence the activity of those BBB transporter systems and affect the brain pharmacokinetics of psychotropic medicines. It emerges that it is not well understood which psychotropics are substrates for each of the many and not well-studied brain transporters. Indeed, most evidence originates from studies performed in peripheral tissues, such as the liver and the kidneys. None withstanding, accumulated evidence supports the existence of several sex differences in expression and activity of transport proteins, and a further modulating role of gonadal hormones. It is proposed that a closer study of sex differences in the active influx and efflux of psychotropics from the brain may provide a better understanding of sex-dependent brain pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of psychotropic medicines.

The complexity of show caves and the problems arising through human interaction with them, require interdisciplinary approaches capable of synthesizing a range of parameters such as knowledge, methods and provided tools to promote geo-ethical thinking and geoscientists contribution for sustainable management. Show caves are tourist/commercial caves which have been accessible to the public with artificial lighting, shaped paths, guided tours, open hours and they are considered as heritage sites. The concept of heritage is a complex idea, controversial and culturally constructed, depending on the personal and collective background and experiences of the members of a society. Heritage is often artificially divided into natural and cultural, but regarding the “show caves” as entities, the boundaries are indistinguishable. Moreover, show caves suffer successive degradation for several interconnected reasons. This work analyzes proposals for compilation of protocols and general management that may involve educational institutes, management agencies, policy makers and stakeholders based on remotely monitored parameters and scientific data collection, for feeding assessment and evaluation tools. The main scope is to arouse a wider dialogue of the interested parts with the aim to form the basis for the creation of a European legislation for protecting these sensitive but also complex environments through geo-conservation and geo-ethics approaches.

Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor micro-capacitors for on-chip energy storage were fabricated and characterized. The capacitors were based on Si nanowires fabricated by Metal Assisted Chemical Etching. 1.2μm long nanowires with 100nm average diameter were created leading to an effective area increase of 6.28, as compared to a flat surface. Nanowires were chemically treated to reduce surface roughness and electronic states and were coated by a HfO2 layer, deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition, to act as the dielectric. Al and Cu were deposited as two possible top metal electrodes. The use of Al as the top electrode was shown to create a parasitic interface oxide between the metal and the dielectric, reducing the measured capacitance. The use of Cu was shown to significantly reduce this problem, leading to more efficient devices. Capacitors with 5.4μF/cm2 capacitance and 8.9x10-7A/cm2 leakage current at -2.5V were demonstrated along with a cutoff frequency of 104Hz. These values make the demonstrated capacitors very attractive for on-chip energy storage applications.

Myrtos Beach (Cephalonia Island, Ionian Sea, Greece) represents a pocket beach with strong touristic, economic and natural interest. In this research, the morphodynamic behavior of the coastal area (e.g., hydrodynamic and sedimentary state, morphology, orientation, etc.), the current wave conditions (extreme and dominant waves, wave exposure), and also external factors, such as human impact and the geotechnical condition of the wider area, are examined. Short- and medium-to-long-term analysis took place, such as mapping, sediment analysis, wave/wind analysis, numerical modeling, and satellite monitoring, in order to identify the dynamic forcing parameters related to geomorphology, sedimentology, and hydrology that prevail in the area. Additionally, the intense tectonics, the karstified limestones, and the steep slopes of the cliffs in combination with the frequent seismic events on the island set up a geotechnically unstable area, which often cause landslides on the beach of Myrtos; these supply the beach with a large amount of aggregates, constituting the main sediment supply. Wave exposure forcing conditions, longshore–rip current direction, and other hydrodynamic processes are stable with high values in the area, causing notable sediment transport within the bay boundaries. As a result, at Myrtos Bay there is a dynamic balance of the natural system, which is directly affected by human interventions. Taking also into consideration that Myrtos is one of the most famous beaches in Greece and one of the main attractions of Cephalonia Island with thousands of visitors every year, beach management must be focused on preserving the natural system of the coastal area.

The study examines which type of religious knowledge acquired in Religious Education in Greek Secondary schools can initiate both personal and collective change in understanding and appreciation of different cultures. It is blended research using participatory action-research with ethnographic elements methodology. The research gathered qualitative and quantitative data through questionnaires, focus groups, journals, and the technique of the “Most Significant Change” from four resources/target groups (students, teachers, parents, researcher). It took place during the 2017–2018 school year in a High and an Upper Schools in which the researcher participated in the school communities as a teacher. Statistical analysis (SPSS), content analysis and thematic analysis of the data show that religious knowledge, developed in Education with the aim of religious literacy, as defined in the context of Greek/European context, can operate on a personal and collective level, in cultivation of respect and underacting of cultural diversity. This is achieved when the religious knowledge is understood as experience and is meaningful when applied to the concepts of understanding, reflection and action. The overall finding is that transformative dynamics of religious knowledge facilitate both minor and major changes in the mindset of young people. Concluding, in Religious Education without sacrificing the religious content of the subject, a high degree of cultural recognition and acceptance of religious diversity can be achieved, and to a certain extent enable a change in attitude towards immigrants and refugees, in other words the ‘other’ as well as in communication and acquaintance between team members, recognition of and a greater degree of acceptance of otherness, and the development of relationships which were non-existent before.

Οι κοινωνικά ευπαθείς ομάδες αντιμετωπίζουν μεγαλύτερο κίνδυνο για φτώχεια ή κοινωνικό αποκλεισμό σε σχέση με τον γενικό πληθυσμό, είτε λόγω ανα­ πηρίας, είτε λόγω ηλικίας, προέλευσης, αστεγίας, κατάχρησης ουσιών ή/και εγκλεισμού. Στις κοινωνικά ευπαθείς ομάδες εντάσσονται και παιδιά που αντι­ μετωπίζουν κοινωνικά προβλήματα καθώς και νέοι ηλικίας 16­25 ετών που βρί­ σκονται εκτός εκπαίδευσης, εργασίας και κατάρτισης. Καθοριστικό ρόλο στις μορφές αποκλεισμού παιδιών ηλικίας 0­17 ετών διαδραματίζει το μορφωτικό επίπεδο των γονέων. Σύμφωνα με την Eurostat (2021), στην Ελλάδα σήμερα το 74.4% των παιδιών υπο­εκπαιδευμένων γονέων κινδυνεύει από κοινωνικό αποκλεισμό. Την εποχή του ψηφιακού μετασχηματισμού εμφανίζονται και νέα ζητήματα, προκλήσεις και κίνδυνοι για «διπλό αποκλεισμό», τόσο κοινωνικό όσο και ψηφιακό, με τις αντίστοιχες συνέπειες για τις προοπτικές εκπαίδευσης και εργασίας σημαντικής μερίδας του πληθυσμού. Στην προσπάθεια αντιμετώ­ πισης του κοινωνικού αποκλεισμού και πρόληψης του ‘διπλού αποκλεισμού ́, στόχος των προγραμμάτων διά βίου μάθησης είναι η αύξηση των δυνατοτή­ των πρόσβασης στην εκπαίδευση ειδικά για τα άτομα που βρίσκονται εκτός του τυπικού εκπαιδευτικού συστήματος. Ωστόσο, τα εμπόδια είναι σημαντικά και αφορούν διαφορετικά θεσμικά και στρατηγικά επίπεδα. Ή παρούσα εργα­ σία διερευνά τα παραπάνω θέματα καθώς και τις προκλήσεις και τις προοπτι­ κές που αναδύονται στην σύγχρονη εποχή.

Photovoltaic (PV) power production is characterized by high variability due to short-term meteorological effects such as cloud movements. These effects have a significant impact on the incident solar irradiance in PV parks. In order to control PV park performance, researchers have focused on Computer Vision and Deep Learning approaches to perform short-term irradiance forecasting using sky images. Motivated by the task of improving PV park control, the current work introduces the Image Regression Module, which produces irradiance values from sky images using image processing methods and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). With the objective of enhancing the performance of CNN models on the task of irradiance estimation and forecasting, we propose an image processing method based on sun localization. Our findings show that the proposed method can consistently improve the accuracy of irradiance values produced by all the CNN models of our study, reducing the Root Mean Square Error by up to 10.44 W/m2">2 for the MobileNetV2 model. These findings indicate that future applications which utilize CNNs for irradiance forecasting should identify the position of the sun in the image in order to produce more accurate irradiance values. Moreover, the integration of the proposed models on an edge-oriented Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) towards a smart PV park for the real-time control of PV production emphasizes their advantages.

The classical “time-bandwidth” limit for linear time-invariant (LTI) devices in physics and engineering asserts that it is impossible to store broadband propagating waves (large &#x0394;&#x03C9;">Δω’s) for long times (large Δt’s). For standing (non-propagating) waves, i.e., vibrations, in particular, this limit takes on a simple form, &#x0394;t&#x0394;&#x03C9;=1">ΔtΔω=1, where &#x0394;&#x03C9;">Δω is the bandwidth over which localization (energy storage) occurs, and &#x0394;t">Δt is the storage time. This is related to a well-known result in dynamics, namely that one can achieve a high Q-factor (narrowband resonance) for low damping, or small Q-factor (broadband resonance) for high damping, but not simultaneously both. It thus remains a fundamental challenge in classical wave physics and vibration engineering to try to find ways to overcome this limit, not least because that would allow for storing broadband waves for long times, or achieving broadband resonance for low damping. Recent theoretical studies have suggested that such a feat might be possible in LTI terminated unidirectional waveguides or LTI topological “rainbow trapping” devices, although an experimental confirmation of either concept is still lacking. In this work, we consider a nonlinear but time-invariant mechanical system and demonstrate experimentally that its time-bandwidth product can exceed the classical time-bandwidth limit, thus achieving values both above and below unity, in an energy-tunable way. Our proposed structure consists of a single-degree-of-freedom nonlinear oscillator, rigidly coupled to a nondispersive waveguide. Upon developing the full theoretical framework for this class of nonlinear systems, we show how one may control the nonlinear flow of energy in the frequency domain, thereby managing to disproportionately decrease (increase) &#x0394;t">Δt, the storage time in the resonator, as compared with an increase (decrease) of the system’s bandwidth &#x0394;&#x03C9;">Δω. Our results pave the way toward conceiving and harnessing hitherto unattainable broadband and simultaneously low-loss wave-storage devices, both linear and nonlinear, for a host of key applications in wave physics and engineering.

Topological features, in particular distinct band intersections known as nodal rings, usually requiring three-dimensional structures, have now been demonstrated experimentally in an elegantly simple one-dimensional photonic crystal.

Η παρούσα εργασία εστιάζει στην αξιοποίηση της σπειροειδούς μάθησης, των ομάδων κατάρτισης καθώς και της προσομοίωσης ως σημαντικών εργαλείων για την ένταξη στο χώρο εργασίας. Η εργασία αναδεικνύει τις δυνατότητες αξιοποίησης των παραπάνω μεθόδων και εργαλείων στην περίοδο της πανδημίας και της ψηφιακής αλλαγής. Παρουσιάζονται τα στάδια και οι βασικές παράμετροι της σπειροειδούς μάθησης, τα παιχνίδια προσομοίωσης στον κύκλο των διδακτικών πρακτικών και μεθόδων καθώς και οι ομάδες κατάρτισης (Τ-groups). Η εργασία προτείνει παραδείγματα και καλές πρακτικές τόσο από το χώρο της τριτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης όσο και από το χώρο των οργανισμών και ένα μοντέλο εκπαίδευσης προσαρμοσμένο σε πραγματικές εργασιακές συνθήκες.

After 1981, with Greece’s accession into the European Economic Community (EEC), as today’s European Union (EU) was called at the time, the Greek diasporic phenomenon was transformed and the Greek theatrical mobility was mainly related to the recruitment of Greek officials to the EU institutions and organizations. For the next 40 years, the Greek Diasporic Community Theater (DCT) of Brussels has become a participatory field of integration and Greek troupes have begun to proliferate, influenced by the demographic, ideological, and socio-structural changes that have taken place both in Greece and Belgium in recent decades. The present paper studies and presents the causes of the artistic resilience of the Greek Diasporic Community Theater (DCT) in Brussels. The case of the Greek DCT in Brussels is such a unique case of DCT, which operates continuously and systematically from the early 1980s until today, flourishing and presenting unprecedented signs of resilience. 

In volleyball, the performance in the passing affects the setter’s strategy and the effectiveness of the attack after the reception or defense. This study aims to assess the spatial and temporal characteristics of the setting choices made by junior female volleyball setters and their performance concerning the origin of the ball and the game complex. The sample for this analysis consists of 3728 setting actions (Complex I = 1.616, Complex II = 1.212). A three-member group of experienced coaches assessed the setting zones’ choices as well as the setting tempo and the performance of junior female setters from 20 volleyball games of teams competing in the final phase of the Greek Junior Championship. The variables under consideration were complex of the game (C1 & CII), origin of the ball (left/middle/right lane for the vertical and front/centre/back lane for the horizontal axis of the court), setting zone (six zones of the court), setting tempo (1st, 2nd & 3rd tempo) and setting performance in a five-level ordinal scale. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability coefficients were estimated using Cohen’s kappa coefficient with acceptable values. The test of independence for the categorical variables was carried out using the chisquare test. Following the overall independence test, the difference in proportions among all levels of variables was tested. Results showed that junior female setters regardless of the complex and the origin of the ball choose zone 4 in a 3rd tempo, performed in a moderate and good setting. However, the origin of the ball was an important variable for the subsequent setting. The most preferable route of the ball was from a pass in the left lane of the court to an attack in zone 4 regardless of the game complex. Additionally, setters when receiving the ball from the left and middle lane of the court prefer more often zone 3 in 1st tempo, during CI than CII. The results of the study will give useful directions to the coaches of the specific age category regarding the creation of appropriate training programs for the individual improvement of the setters and teams.

Eight years after the first detection of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos by IceCube, we are still almost clueless as regards to their origin, although the case for blazars being neutrino sources is getting stronger. After the first significant association at the $3\!-\!3.5\, \sigma$ level in time and space with IceCube neutrinos, i.e. the blazar TXS 0506+056 at z = 0.3365, some of us have in fact selected a unique sample of 47 blazars, out of which ~16 could be associated with individual neutrino track events detected by IceCube. Building upon our recent spectroscopy work on these objects, here we characterize them to determine their real nature and check if they are different from the rest of the blazar population. For the first time we also present a systematic study of the frequency of masquerading BL Lacs, i.e. flat-spectrum radio quasars with their broad lines swamped by non-thermal jet emission, in a γ-ray- and IceCube-selected sample, finding a fraction >24 per cent and possibly as high as 80 per cent. In terms of their broad-band properties, our sources appear to be indistinguishable from the rest of the blazar population. We also discuss two theoretical scenarios for neutrino emission, one in which neutrinos are produced in interactions of protons with jet photons and one in which the target photons are from the broad-line region. Both scenarios can equally account for the neutrino-blazar correlation observed by some of us. Future observations with neutrino telescopes and X-ray satellites will test them out.

The exchange rate dynamics affect national economies because fluctuations in currency prices distort their economic activity. To maintain an optimal exchange rate policy, these dynamics are crucial for countries with a trade economy. Due to the difficulty in predicting the participants behavior in some complex economic systems, which might throw the system into chaos, a novel stochastic exchange rate dynamics (SERD) model is introduced and investigated in this paper. Furthermore, a neural network approach is proposed and examined as a control chaos method to address the problem of stabilizing SERD through central bank interventions. Derived from power activation feed-forward neuronets, a 2-input weights-and-structure-determination-based neuronet (2I-WASDBN) model for controlling chaos in SERD under central bank intervention is presented in this paper. Six simulation experiments on stabilizing the chaotic behavior of the SERD model show that the 2I-WASDBN model outperforms other well-performing neural network models and that it is more effective than traditional methods for controlling chaos. By examining the volume of necessary intervention predicted by the 2I-WASDBN model, central banks can better comprehend exchange rate fluctuations and, in conjunction with their monetary policies, can make more precise decisions regarding the strategy of their interventions.

This paper examines the positions of the Greek-speaking Orthodox Churches concern- ing Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. Apart from being informative, the paper raises the theological question about whether the Churches’ various stances follow Christ’s commandment to spread his teaching to the world and to what degree they are compatible with relevant New Testament texts. After navigating through and commenting on the relevant statements of the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Al- exandria, and Jerusalem, the Autocephalous Churches of Cyprus and Greece, and the Holy Community of Mount Athos, two New Testament texts that represent different approaches to political power, namely Rom 13:1–7 and John’s Revelation, are briefly examined. The paper establishes that the positions of the Greek-speaking Churches vary between general anti-war statements and concrete condemnations of the Russian invasion and its direct or indirect support by the Russian Orthodox hi- erarchy. However, nationalism, as well as church-political opportunism, seem to be more or less inherent phenomena in all contemporary national Orthodox Churches. Hence, finally, it is up to the faithful, not just to Church hierarchies, to discern evil and speak out against injustice.

Dedicated to the historical and cultural heritage of Lemnos, the book offers a new, valid, concise and accessible history of this unique Greek island in the Northeast Aegean. Based on historical and mythological sources, archaeological finds, important remains of ancient Greek, medieval and modern art, narratives and chronicles, engravings, drawings, photographs and other archival material, the author sketches in 250 pages and with the help of about 200 images, the history of Lemnos from the depths of the Aegean prehistory to the present day. In its pages, readers will find important information about the society, the economy, the political life, the art and the intellectual creation of the island over time, from the first nomadic settlements during the late Paleolithic period (ca. 10,500 BC), until today: with extensive accounts of the prehistoric cities of Poliochni and Myrina, the important site of Koukonisi, Hephaestia and Kaveirion during the Archaic and Classical period (7th-4th century BC), Lemnos of the Hellenistic and Roman years, Lemnos as a Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman possession, but also the adventures of the island and its inhabitants from the liberation of 1912-13 onwards.

Christa Wolf hat Literatur immer als ideologiekritisches Medium betrachtet, um Erinnerungskultur und Erinnerungsmythen zu hinterfragen. Dazu muss man mit den Gespenstern sprechen. Dies geschieht durch die Schaffung von Texten, die mit den Grenzen der Sprache experimentieren. Die vorliegende Studie geht davon aus, dass der Roman Leibhaftig der ehrlichste und zugleich erfolgreichste Versuch der Autorin in dieser Richtung ist, ein erzählerisches Experiment, das darauf abzielt, "die Grenzen des Sagbaren zu überschreiten". Die Erzählung ist ein multiperspektivisches polyvokales literarisches Netzwerk. Spielerisch experimentiert der Autor in zwei Richtungen: mit verschiedenen zeitlichen Perspektiven und mit verschiedenen Formen von Erzähler und Erzählperspektive. Die Struktur der Erzählung ist multitemporal. Die Ebene einer extradiegetisch-homodiegetischen Erzählinstanz in der Gegenwart wird mit Erinnerungen aus rund sechzig Jahren Vergangenheit sowie aus der gesamten Menschheitsgeschichte verwoben. Außerdem wird die Geschichte in zwei Erzählstimmen erzählt, sowohl in der ersten als auch in der dritten Person, wobei der Wechsel oft mitten im Satz stattfindet. Das Ergebnis ist ein offener Text, der sich nicht scheut, die Wunde offen zu lassen, mit den eigenen wie mit den kollektiven Phantomen abzurechnen.

I. «1922-2022, 100 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΗ ΜΙΚΡΑΣΙΑΤΙΚΗ ΚΑΤΑΣΤΡΟΦΗ. ΙΣΤΟΡΙΚΗ ΑΠΟΤΙΜΗΣΗ, ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ ΑΝΑΣΤΟΧΑΣΜΟΣ» της Ευξείνου Λέσχης Θεσσαλονίκης (Βραβείο Ακαδημίας Αθηνών).   Ενότητα «Πολιτισμός και Τέχνες στη Μ. Ασία και τον Πόντο»:

• YouTube-live streaming 21/2/2022    https://youtu.be/fuYH96ayNTU

  1ο webinar με  ομιλητές την Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου και τον Βασίλειο Καρφή. Το πρόγραμμα στο HUB του ΕΚΠΑ:  https://hub.uoa.gr/lecture-series-kamperidou-karfis/ Παρακολουθήστε στο YouTube: https://youtu.be/fuYH96ayNTU)   1) «Ο Kινητικός Πολιτισμός των Ελλήνων: Ο χορός, η εκμάθηση μουσικών οργάνων και η εκγύμναση ως “σύμβολα κατωτερότητας” στην οθωμανική κοινωνία» Ομιλήτρια : Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου, Καθηγήτρια Κοινωνιολογίας του ΕΚΠΑ   2) « Σκοποί, χοροί και μνήμες της καθ’ ημάς Ανατολής: Χαρτογράφηση των χορών των Ελλήνων της περιοχής», Oμιλητής : Βασίλειος Καρφής, Διδάκτωρ και Διδάσκων του ΕΚΠΑ,  ερευνητής του Ελληνικού παραδοσιακού χορού Τη διάλεξη μπορείτε να παρακολουθήσετε YouTube: https://youtu.be/fuYH96ayNTU   II. Η ΠΑΓΚΟΣΜΙΑ ΔΙΑΣΤΑΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΕΠΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗΣ ΚΑΙ Η ΣΥΜΜΕΤΟΧΗ ΤΩΝ ΓΥΝΑΙΚΩΝ: ΚΙΝΗΤΙΚΟΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΣ, ΑΘΛΗΤΙΣΜΟΣ  ΚΑΙ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΤΗΤΑ

• 1ο webinar (26/11/2021): https://youtu.be/1p19Px3Nb6w
• 2ο webinar (17/12/2021): https://youtu.be/54LEIAaPEg4

    III.  ΠΑΡΕΝΟΧΛΗΣΗ, ΦΥΛΟ ΚΑΙ ΑΘΛΗΤΙΣΜΟΣ

• 1ο webinar (5 Μαρτίου 2021): https://youtu.be/LtNeMaGAs64
• 2ο webinar (9 Απριλίου 2021 ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtZMRbK_6q4
• 3ο webinar (14 Μαΐου 2021): https://youtu.be/1zQZ_WylO3c

          Επίσης, βλέπε ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΤΕΦΑΑ, ΕΚΠΑ: http://www.phed.uoa.gr/ak-draseis/webinars.html    IV. Η ΘΕΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΔΑΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΗ ΠΕΡΙΟΔΟ ΤΗΣ ΤΟΥΡΚΟΚΡΑΤΙΑΣ [συνέδριο]

• YouTube  (27 Σεπτεμβρίου 2021): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mSd-jE00mLg  2η Συνεδρία: "Η θέση της Ελληνίδας κατά την περίοδο της Τουρκοκρατίας" - YouTube :

Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου (2021). Η ΑΠΟΜΥΘΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΑΡΕΜΙΟΥ: Η ΠΟΛΥΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΔΟΥΛΕΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΟΘΩΜΑΝΙΚΟΥ ΧΑΡΕΜΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΤΟ ΓΥΝΑΙΚΕΙΟ ΠΑΡΑΚΡΑΤΟΣ. «Ο ρόλος της Ελληνίδας στην Επανάσταση του 1821», 2η Συνεδρία: “Η θέση της Ελληνίδας κατά την περίοδο της Τουρκοκρατίας”. Διοργάνωση: Σύνδεσμος Ελληνίδων Επιστημόνων (ΣΕΕ).  Copy at http://www.tinyurl.com/yj4f6yx5  Publisher's Version    Abstract  polyethnic.multicultural_slavery_system-converted.pdf   Δυτικές περιηγήτριες που επισκέφτηκαν διάφορες περιοχές της Οθωμανικής Αυτοκρατορίας που κατοικούνταν από Έλληνες τον 17ο, 18ο και 19ο αιώνα αποτύπωσαν τις εντυπώσεις που σχημάτισαν για τις Ελληνίδες εκείνης της εποχής. «Αν κάθε Τούρκος πασάς … Πηγή: Ελληνισμός, Υποδούλωση, Τρομοκρατία και Δουλεία: Αφηγήσεις Δυτικών Περιηγητριών   Πηγή: Από το σύγγραμμα/ βιβλίο της Ειρήνης Καμπερίδου (2012/2014). Επιτέλους αναπνέω ελεύθερη! Γυναικείες Μαρτυρίες - Γυναίκες θαμμένες ζωντανές στον θεσμό της διαφθοράς και της ίντριγκας. ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ "ΤΕΛΕΘΡΙΟΝ", Εκδοτικός Όμιλος ΙΩΝ. Έκδοση 1η 2012. on_female_accounts_by_mary_bossi.pdf

Context. Black-hole X-ray binaries (BHXRBs) in the hard and hard-intermediate spectral (and temporal) states exhibit in their power spectra characteristic frequencies called type-C quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). Various models that can explain them with various degrees of success have been proposed, but a definitive answer is still missing. Aims: The hot Comptonizing corona interacting with the cold accretion disk, both of which are central in understanding BHXRBs, is essentially a dynamical system. Our aim is to investigate if the radiative coupling between the two components can produce QPOs. Methods: We write and solve the time-dependent equations that describe energy conservation in the system corona - accretion disk. We examine both constant and variable mass accretion rates. By necessity, in this first investigation we use a simple model, but it contains all the essential ingredients. Results: For a constant mass accretion rate and certain justifiable conditions, the dynamic corona - disk system exhibits oscillations, which die out after a few cycles. The characteristic frequencies of these oscillations are similar to the ones observed in the power spectra of BHXRBs. For most parameters, the natural frequencies persist even in the case of variable accretion rates. Conclusions: We argue that type-C QPOs in BHXRBs could, in principle, arise from the interaction of the hot Comptonizing corona with the much colder accretion disk. If this picture is correct, it has immediate implications for other systems that contain the above constituents, such as active galactic nuclei.

The power-law X-ray spectrum of black-hole X-ray Binaries (BHXRBs) in the hard and hard-intermediate spectral states most probably arises from the interaction of the hot corona with the cold accretion disk. Soft photons from the disk are Comptonized in the corona and some Comptonized photons return to the disk, where they are reprocessed back into soft photons. This system is inherently non-linear as the soft radiation that cools the electrons of the corona is partially produced by the same particle population. We write simple time-dependent equations that describe energy conservation in the system corona-accretion disk and we show that these are of the Lotka-Volterra type. Solving them for constant mass accretion rate, we find that the energy densities of the hot electrons and the Comptonized photons exhibit oscillations that die out after a few cycles. A crucial requirement for the emergence of transient oscillations is that most of the accretion power goes into the corona and the disk is cold. The characteristic frequencies of these oscillations, which depend on the mass accretion rate, the corona size, and the reflection fraction, lie in the range of 1-60 Hz for typical parameter values. We also demonstrate that the natural frequencies persist even in the case of variable accretion rates. We make, therefore, a tentative claim that type-C Quasi Periodic Oscillations in the hard state of BHXRBs could, in principle, arise from the interaction of the hot Comptonizing corona with the much colder accretion disk.

Safety and reliability of gas transmission systems include efficient performance of the gas compressor stations, being indispensable parts of the distribution network. Efficient control of gas compressor stations is an important constraint of the optimization of gas transmission networks. In this paper, the model of a gas compressor station with possible recycle valve (actuator) faults is presented using finite deterministic automata. The desired performance with respect to the safe operation of the process in the case of actuator faults is formulated in the form of regular languages. The goal is surge prevention in the presence of faults. Towards this aim, a modular supervisory control scheme, also providing controller realizability and guaranteeing a nonblocking controlled system, has been developed. The implementation of the controller is accomplished in the form of Ladder Diagrams for PLC use.

The model of the AODV routing protocol, being favorable in several wireless networks (VANET, ZigBee etc.) is presented for a network with parametric number of nodes in the Ramadge Wonham (RW) framework of discrete event systems. Simulation of the automaton of the protocol, for a given four-node network, is provided. For a generic network consisting of n nodes, the goal is to introduce a first simple hierarchy of the requests of the nodes and the routing paths. To this end, a specification is introduced to express the desired hierarchy. The specification of the hierarchy is presented in the form of a simple rule. The rule is translated to a regular language. A supervisor automaton is designed to realize the desired regular language. The nonblocking property of the request flow between the nodes of the network and the satisfactory marked behavior of the controlled automaton are proved. To illustrate the effectiveness of the present control scheme, a four-node network simulation of the controlled automaton of the protocol is provided.

AIMS: Depression and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) are commonly clustered in affected patients. Endothelial dysfunction is an early marker of ASCVD while also reported in patients with depression. Emerging evidence suggests that selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRIs) may improve endothelial function. However, clinical studies assessing flow-mediated dilation (FMD), the gold-standard method to evaluate conduit artery endothelial function, in response to SSRIs treatment included limited number of patients and did not provide consistent results. In the present study we aim to evaluate the effect of SSRIs treatment on endothelial function assessed by longitudinal changes in FMD. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a systematic review to retrieve and subsequently meta-analyze eligible studies in patients with depression who received SSRIs and had available measurements of FMD change before and after treatment. In 5 studies and 323 individuals in total, SSRIs were associated with increased FMD at the end of follow-up compared to baseline measurement (pooled mean change 1.97 %, 95 % CI 0.17, 3.77, P = 0.032, I(2) = 87.4 %). These results did not substantially change when analysis was restricted to patients with history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Similarly, FMD changes were higher in individuals receiving SSRIs compared to not-treated subjects (pooled mean difference 2.5 %. 95 % CI 0.7, 4.2, P < 0.001, I(2) = 82.7 %). LIMITATIONS: Substantial heterogeneity regarding with respect to follow-up duration, demographics, and SSRIs agents. CONCLUSION: SSRIs significantly improve FMD, the gold-standard marker of endothelial function. Further investigation is warranted for the role of FMD as a possible therapeutic biomarker in patients with depression and established or subclinical ASCVD. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42021252241.

The combination of two imaging modalities in a single agent has received increasing attention during the last few years, since its synergistic action guarantees both accurate and timely diagnosis. For this reason, dual-modality contrast agents (DMCAs), such as radiolabeled iron oxide (namely Fe3O4) nanoparticles, constitute a powerful tool in diagnostic applications. In this respect, here we focus on the synthesis of a potential single photon emission computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (SPECT/MRI) DMCA, which consists of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, surface functionalized with 2,3-dicarboxypropane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (DPD) and radiolabeled with Tc-99m, [Tc-99m]Tc-DPD-Fe3O4. The in vitro stability results showed that this DMCA is highly stable after 24 h of incubation in phosphate buffer saline (similar to 92.3% intact), while it is adequately stable after 24 h of incubation with human serum (similar to 67.3% intact). Subsequently, [Tc-99m]Tc-DPD-Fe3O4 DMCA was evaluated in vivo in mice models through standard biodistribution studies, MR imaging and gamma-camera imaging. All techniques provided consistent results, clearly evidencing noticeable liver uptake. Our work documents that [Tc-99m]Tc-DPD-Fe3O4 has all the necessary characteristics to be a potential DMCA.

ABSTRACT: The aim of the presentation is to discuss the findings of a series of research projects that we have been carried out with various groups of students in the University of Athens and concern the teaching of biology by means of evolution through natural selection (THES). In the article it is discussed the conclusions after teaching a biology course based on evolution as the unifying theory, while at the same time more general issues are raised: Is it, for example, a realistic goal to teach biology by means of this kind of teaching? Secondly, what is the usefulness of such a perspective. Which was studied by quantitative and qualitative studies on the conceptual ecology (CE) of the evolution of Greek students. The latter showed the value of this kind of approach in the acceptance and understanding of the THES, as part of students’ CI. Thirdly, ccomparative studies with beginners and advanced students in terms of evolution education showed, that, merely teaching evolution within a course, even if the latter is based on the THES, it is not enough to make someone in-depth connoisseur. It seems that to be acquainted with it to more depth the learners need to go through two stages: in the first, they may move from the stage of owing Aristotelian views of the issue, i.e., from typology, to the early “Darwinian” ones. And they need to go through a second one, where via, in-depth educational training, they might move to the next, namely, the population view of thinking.

Glucocorticoids are important for proper organ maturation1. Increased exposure to these hormones during pregnancy, as a result of commonly prescribed synthetic glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone in preterm births2, has been associated with lasting effects on the offspring, including on neurodevelopment and neuropsychiatric disease risk3. While the consequences of glucocorticoid excess in term and especially adult brain have been extensively studied, mainly in rodents4, studies on their effects during early human cortical development are absent. Here we use human cerebral organoids and mice to study cell-type specific effects of glucocorticoids on neurogenic processes. We show that glucocorticoid administration during neurogenesis alters the cellular architecture of the developing cortex by increasing a specific type of gyrencephalic species-enriched basal progenitors that co-express PAX6 and EOMES. This effect is mediated via the glucocorticoid-responsive transcription factor ZBTB16 as shown with overexpression, genetic knock-down and reporter assays experiments in organoids and embryonic mouse models and leads to increased production of deep-layer neurons. A phenome-wide mendelian randomization analysis of a genetic intronic enhancer variant that moderates glucocorticoid-induced ZBTB16 levels, as shown with enhancer assays and enhancer-editing in organoids, reveals potential causal relationships with increased educational attainment as well as neuroimaging phenotypes in adults. In this study we provide a cellular and molecular pathway for the effects of glucocorticoids on human neurogenesis that potentially explains postnatal phenotypes and may be used to refine treatment guidelines.

Heterostructured WO3/TiO2 photonic crystal films in the form of three-dimensional macroporous inverse opals were developed by single-step, three-phase co-assembly of colloidal templates with water soluble precursors enabling simultaneous growth of both metal oxides into a firmly interconnected periodic pore framework whose skeletal walls consisted of uniformly distributed nanoscale type II WO3-TiO2 heterojunctions. A marked size- and composition-dependence of the binary WO3/TiO2 inverse opal properties was evidenced by controlling the W/Ti molar ratio and macropore diameter that allowed Fermi level and photonic band gap engineering according to optical and photoelectron spectroscopies supplemented by electrochemical measurements. Compositional tuning along with the reduction of WO3 nanocrystallite size and the concomitant W5+ defect growth with increasing TiO2 phase content were explored for the optimization of photocurrent generation by WO3/TiO2 inverse opal photoanodes combining reduced charge carrier recombination and optimal slow light trapping. One step co-assembly of mixed metal oxides is concluded as a promising route for the development of heterostructured inverse opal networks with tailored electronic properties and improved solar light harvesting for photo-induced applications.

It is widely acclaimed that the Markowitz mean–variance portfolio selection is a very important investment strategy. One approach to solving the static mean–variance portfolio selection (MVPS) problem is based on the usage of quadratic programming (QP) methods. In this article, we define and study the time-varying mean–variance portfolio selection (TV-MVPS) problem both in the cases of a fixed target portfolio’s expected return and for all possible portfolio’s expected returns as a time-varying quadratic programming (TVQP) problem. The TV-MVPS also comprises the properties of a moving average. These properties make the TV-MVPS an even greater analysis tool suitable to evaluate investments and identify trading opportunities across a continuous-time period. Using an originally developed linear-variational-inequality primal–dual neural network (LVI-PDNN), we also provide an online solution to the static QP problem. To the best of our knowledge, this is an innovative approach that incorporates robust neural network techniques to provide an online, thus more realistic, solution to the TV-MVPS problem. In this way, we present an online solution to a time-varying financial problem while eliminating static method limitations. It has been shown that when applied simultaneously to TVQP problems subject to equality, inequality and boundary constraints, the LVI-PDNN approaches the theoretical solution. Our approach is also verified by numerical experiments and computer simulations as an excellent alternative to conventional MATLAB methods.

Τhe incumbent technology for bringing light to the nanoscale, the near-field scanning optical microscope, has notoriously small throughput efficiencies of the order of 104 −105, or less. We report on a broadband, topological, unidirectionally guiding structure, not requiring adiabatic tapering and, in principle, enabling near-perfect (∼100%) optical transmission through an unstructured single arbitrarily subdiffraction slit at its end. Specifically, for a slit width of just λeff/72 (λ0/138) the attained normalized transmission coefficient reaches a value of 1.52, while for a unidirectional-only (nontopological) device the normalized transmission through a λeff/21 (∼λ0/107) slit reaches 1.14; both limited only by inherent material losses, and with zero reflection from the slit. The associated, under ideal (ultralow-loss) conditions, near-perfect optical extraordinary transmission has implications, among diverse areas in wave physics and engineering, for high-efficiency, maximum-throughput nanoscopes and heat-assisted magnetic recording devices.

One of the most often used approaches for approximating various matrix equation problems is the hyperpower family of iterative methods with arbitrary convergence order, whereas the zeroing neural network (ZNN) is a type of neural dynamics intended for handling time-varying problems. A family of ZNN models that correlate with the hyperpower iterative methods is defined on the basis of the analogy that was discovered. These models, known as higher-order ZNN models (HOZNN), can be used to find real symmetric solutions of time-varying algebraic Riccati equations. Furthermore, a noise-handling HOZNN (NHOZNN) class of dynamical systems is introduced. The traditional ZNN and HOZNN dynamic flows are compared theoretically and numerically.

An increasing number of solute transporters have been shown to function with the so-called sliding-elevator mechanism. Despite structural and functional differences, all elevator-type transporters use a common mechanism of substrate translocation via reversible movements of a mobile core domain (the elevator) hosting the substrate binding site along a rigid scaffold domain stably anchored in the plasma membrane via homodimerization. One of the best-studied elevator transporters is the UapA uric acid-xanthine/H+ symporter of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Here, we present a genetic analysis for deciphering the role of transmembrane segments (TMS) 5 and 12 in UapA transport function. We show that specific residues in both TMS5 and TMS12 control, negatively or positively, the dynamics of transport, but also substrate binding affinity and specificity. More specifically, mutations in TMS5 can lead not only to increased rate of transport but also to an inactive transporter due to high-affinity substrate-trapping, whereas mutations in TMS12 lead to apparently uncontrolled sliding and broadened specificity, leading in specific cases to UapA-mediated purine toxicity. Our findings shed new light on how elevator transporters function and how this knowledge can be applied to genetically modify their transport characteristics.

The regular reappearance of coronavirus (CoV) outbreaks over the past 20 years has caused significant health consequences and financial burdens worldwide. The most recent and still ongoing novel CoV pandemic, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has brought a range of devastating consequences. Due to the exceptionally fast development of vaccines, the mortality rate of the virus has been curbed to a significant extent. However, the limitations of vaccination efficiency and applicability, coupled with the still high infection rate, emphasise the urgent need for discovering safe and effective antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 by suppressing its replication or attenuating its virulence. Non-structural protein 1 (nsp1), a unique viral and conserved leader protein, is a crucial virulence factor for causing host mRNA degradation, suppressing interferon (IFN) expression and host antiviral signalling pathways. In view of the essential role of nsp1 in the CoV life cycle, it is regarded as an exploitable target for antiviral drug discovery. Here, we report a variety of fragment hits against the N-terminal domain of SARS-CoV-2 nsp1 identified by fragment-based screening via X-ray crystallography. We also determined the structure of nsp1 at atomic resolution (0.99 A). Binding affinities of hits against nsp1 and potential stabilisation were determined by orthogonal biophysical assays such as microscale thermophoresis and thermal shift assays. We identified two ligand-binding sites on nsp1, one deep and one shallow pocket, which are not conserved between the three medically relevant SARS, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS coronaviruses. Our study provides an excellent starting point for the development of more potent nsp1-targeting inhibitors and functional studies on SARS-CoV-2 nsp1.

Blazars are a class of active galactic nuclei that host relativistic jets oriented close to the observer's line of sight. Blazars have very complex variability properties. Flares, namely flux variations around the mean value with a well-defined shape and duration, are one of the identifying properties of the blazar phenomenon. Blazars are known to exhibit multiwavelength flares, but also "orphan" flares, namely flux changes that appear only in a specific energy range. Various models, sometimes at odds with each other, have been proposed to explain specific flares even for a single source, and cannot be synthesized into a coherent picture. In this paper, we propose a unified model for explaining orphan and multiwavelength flares from blazars in a common framework. We assume that the blazar emission during a flare consists of two components: (i) a quasistable component that arises from the superposition of numerous but comparatively weak dissipation zones along the jet, forming the background (low-state) emission of the blazar, and (ii) a transient component, which is responsible for the sudden enhancement of the blazar flux, forming at a random distance along the jet by a strong energy dissipation event. Whether a multiwavelength or orphan flare is emitted depends on the distance from the base of the jet where the dissipation occurs. Generally speaking, if the dissipation occurs at a small/large distance from the supermassive black hole, the inverse Compton/synchrotron radiation dominates and an orphan γ -ray/optical flare tends to appear. On the other hand, we may expect a multiwavelength flare if the dissipation occurs at an intermediate distance. We show that the model can successfully describe the spectral energy distribution of different flares from the flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 279 and the BL Lacertae object PKS 2155-304.

In the context of infinite-horizon optimal control problems, the algebraic Riccati equations (ARE) arise when the stability of linear time-varying (LTV) systems is investigated. Using the zeroing neural network (ZNN) approach to solve the time-varying eigendecomposition-based ARE (TVE-ARE) problem, the ZNN model (ZNNTVE-ARE) for solving the TVE-ARE problem is introduced as a result of this research. Since the eigendecomposition approach is employed, the ZNNTVE-ARE model is designed to produce only the unique nonnegative definite solution of the time-varying ARE (TV-ARE) problem. It is worth mentioning that this model follows the principles of the ZNN method, which converges exponentially with time to a theoretical time-varying solution. The ZNNTVE-ARE model can also produce the eigenvector solution of the continuous-time Lyapunov equation (CLE) since the Lyapunov equation is a particular case of ARE. Moreover, this paper introduces a hybrid ZNN model for stabilizing LTV systems in which the ZNNTVE-ARE model is employed to solve the continuous-time ARE (CARE) related to the optimal control law. Experiments show that the ZNNTVE-ARE and HFTZNN-LTVSS models are both effective, and that the HFTZNN-LTVSS model always provides slightly better asymptotic stability than the models from which it is derived.

Cell-Free (CF) Massive MIMO (mMIMO) is a technology which can potentially augment not only the deployment of 5G, but also the deployment of "beyond 5G'' (B5G) wireless networks. The basic idea behind this “user-centric” arrangement is that many spatially dispersed access points (APs) coherently serve all nearby devices without being confined by cell boundaries. However, the cost for rolling out such systems, at a macro-level, may be significant. Radio stripes form a promising intermediate solution, which offers the potential of scalability at a reduced price. This paper investigates the uplink scenario of a CF massive MIMO (mMIMO) system, implemented with a limited-capacity radio stripe, which integrates a novel AP arrangement that fully exploits macro-diversity benefits. We also analyze a heuristic compare-and-forward (CnF) strategy, which, by comparing normalized minimum mean square error (N-MMSE) soft estimates, enables optimal dynamic cooperation clustering. Aiming at maximizing the spectral efficiency (SE) of a high percentage of users, we ensure that, under finite capacity constraints, our solution can guarantee better performance than existing radio stripe architectures when size of the system scales.

Coastal areas constitute a very dynamic environment, balancing between numerous natural and anthropogenic processes liable to sometimes hazardous geomorphic phenomena. Especially in tectonically active coastal regions and areas of high economic value, slope failures can have significant impacts and therefore need careful and detailed examination. This work uses Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)-aided photogrammetry and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) in tectonically active segments of the coastal zone of the Ionian Islands in Greece, to explore how their capabilities can help to improve our understanding of the structural integrity of the slopes. Results show that the two approaches are able to extract large numbers of discontinuity facets, in a more practical, rapid and safe way than conventional methods of rock slope stability analysis extending to unreachable yet important parts of the slope. Through this holistic record of the structural condition of the slope the two applications allow the identification of segments that are more prone to instability and failure. In this way, they improve our understanding of the prioritization of interventions aiming to enhance the prevention of slope failures, mitigating the associated risk and improving local development in these high-value locations.

Coastal areas constitute a very dynamic environment, balancing between numerous natural and anthropogenic processes liable to sometimes hazardous geomorphic phenomena. Especially in tectonically active coastal regions and areas of high economic value, slope failures can have significant impacts and therefore need careful and detailed examination. This work uses Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)-aided photogrammetry and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) in tectonically active segments of the coastal zone of the Ionian Islands in Greece, to explore how their capabilities can help to improve our understanding of the structural integrity of the slopes. Results show that the two approaches are able to extract large numbers of discontinuity facets, in a more practical, rapid and safe way than conventional methods of rock slope stability analysis extending to unreachable yet important parts of the slope. Through this holistic record of the structural condition of the slope the two applications allow the identification of segments that are more prone to instability and failure. In this way, they improve our understanding of the prioritization of interventions aiming to enhance the prevention of slope failures, mitigating the associated risk and improving local development in these high-value locations.

Precision Agriculture (PA) tends to become a contemporary trend nowadays, as agriculture constitutes a really big part of economy with great social impact around the world. Among the advantages of using Precision Agriculture (PA) are the decrease in cost, time and human resources. Aerial remote sensing data processing and interpretation is a modern way of recognizing and classifying vegetation, within high resolution and precision imagery outputs, which can be utilized for further image processing and classification such as in Normalized difference vegetation index NDVI, Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index, MCARI, and Modified Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index, MSAVI. The application of such thematic products may lead to the best decisions for the most prominent ways of interference during the entire cultivation process. Using unmanned aerial systems (UAS), onboard sensors and GNSS for better precision and of course high residual multispectral images with several bands which can give precious information after being post processed, the data acquisition phase has become relatively easy and with the lowest cost, not to mention the frequent update upon request. In this work, we present a multispectral flying platform. The proposed solution is based on a commercial Quantum Trinity F90+ drone equipped with a combination of a high-resolution RGB camera UMC R10C and a multispectral MicaSense RedEdge-MX camera.

In volleyball outside hitters have wide participation in the offensive game. This study aims to analyze the variables that predict attack effectiveness in top-level volleyball depending on gender. ...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between serum vitamin B12/folate and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). METHODS: A comprehensive search of the PubMed database was performed, which identified 271 abstracts to be screened. Ten studies met our inclusion criteria and a meta-analysis of these comparative case-control studies was performed on the mean +/- standard deviation serum vitamin B12 and folate levels, without language restrictions. Nine studies with 720 patients with RVO and 613 controls were included in the meta-analysis for vitamin B12, and 10 studies with 784 patients with RVO and 677 controls in the meta-analysis for folate. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between patients with RVO and controls in serum vitamin B12 levels (mean difference: - 40.25 pg/mL, p = 0.28), either central RVO (mean difference: - 18.24 pg/mL, p = 0.71) or branch RVO (mean difference: - 23.56 pg/mL, p = 0.48). On the contrary, the plasma folate level was significantly lower in RVO patients than in controls (mean difference: - 1.34 ng/mL, p = 0.001), as well as in patients with CRVO compared to controls (mean difference: - 1.48 ng/mL, p = 0.006), but not in BRVO patients (mean difference: - 0.72 ng/mL, p = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: RVO is associated with low serum folate levels, but not with serum vitamin B12 levels

Global exposure of children to sexual abuse is widespread. Disclosure may be extremely upsetting for both families and medical professionals. This review provides medical practitioners with practical tips for a stepwise approach of the child who discloses sexual abuse. Having secured a private examination room, the physician should approach the child and caregivers separately to determine the level of concern for abuse and the urgency of the situation. The medical evaluation is based on the information gathered, including a complete physical examination, inspection of the genitalia, collection of forensic evidence, and testing for sexually transmitted diseases. On a case-by-case basis, the need for surgical intervention, prophylactic treatment, and immunization is discussed. Finally, important questions for the medical team to address are outlined with the goal of supporting the child and his/her family and ultimately stopping the abuse.

This research introduces three novel zeroing neural network (ZNN) models for addressing the time-varying Yang–Baxter-like matrix equation (TV-YBLME) with arbitrary (regular or singular) real time-varying (TV) input matrices in continuous time. One ZNN dynamic utilizes error matrices directly arising from the equation involved in the TV-YBLME. Moreover, two ZNN models are proposed using basic properties of the YBLME, such as the splitting of the YBLME and sufficient conditions for a matrix to solve the YBLME. The Tikhonov regularization principle enables addressing the TV-YBLME with an arbitrary input real TV matrix. Numerical experiments, including nonsingular and singular TV input matrices, show that the suggested models deal effectively with the TV-YBLME.

Many researchers have investigated the time-varying (TV) matrix pseudoinverse problem in recent years, for its importance in addressing TV problems in science and engineering. In this paper, the problem of calculating the inverse or pseudoinverse of an arbitrary TV real matrix is considered and addressed using the singular value decomposition (SVD) and the zeroing neural network (ZNN) approaches. Since SVD is frequently used to compute the inverse or pseudoinverse of a matrix, this research proposes a new ZNN model based on the SVD method as well as the technique of Tikhonov regularization, for solving the problem in continuous time. Numerical experiments, involving the pseudoinversion of square, rectangular, singular, and nonsingular input matrices, indicate that the proposed models are effective for solving the problem of the inversion or pseudoinversion of time varying matrices.

Nikolaos-Ioannis Koskinas wirft in seinem Beitrag einen komparatistischen Blick auf ein griechisches und ein deutschsprachiges Theaterstück – Fräulein Unglück (Δεσποινίς Δυστυχία, 2018) von Tsimaras Tzanatos und Die Verfassung der Strände (2012) von dem österreichischen Dramatiker Stephan Lack. Beide Werke stellen den maritimen Raum ins Zentrum und setzen sich kritisch mit anthropogenen Umweltveränderungen aus-einander. Während Lack bei der Behandlung der Problematik Mensch-Umwelt eine anthropozentrische Perspektive einnimmt, wird das Meer in dem Stück von Tzanatos zum eigentlichen Protagonisten und die menschlichen Akteure treten zugunsten einer dezentrierten Perspektive eher in den Hintergrund, die die Vielschichtigkeit der weit über den Menschen hinausreichenden Natur widerspiegeln soll.

Στόχος της παρούσας εργασίας είναι, μέσω της ανάλυσης βιογραφιών ζωής εξαρτημένων ατόμων, να διερευνηθεί η σχέση ανάμεσα στα τραυματικά γεγονότα ζωής και τα συναισθήματα που τα συνοδεύουν με την έναρξη της χρήσης ουσιών και την πρόωρη εγκατάλειψη του σχολείου. Η ανάλυση βιογραφιών ζωής ατόμων που εισάγονται σε προγράμματα απεξάρτησης του ΚΕΘΕΑ αξιοποιείται προκειμένου να διερευνηθούν οι ερμηνείες και το νόημα που τα ίδια αποδίδουν στις εμπειρίες τους αλλά και να γίνει κατανοητός ο τρόπος κατασκευής ιστοριών ζωής από τη σκοπιά του παρόντος. Μέσα από την ανάλυση δέκα βιογραφιών ζωής τις οποίες καλούνται να συγγράψουν όλα τα άτομα που συμμετέχουν σε θεραπευτική κοινότητα απεξάρτησης, αναζητά την ερμηνεία που τα ίδια τα άτομα δίνουν για τη σχέση ανάμεσα στα τραυματικά γεγονότα ζωής και στην έναρξη της χρήσης ουσιών, τη σχολική αποτυχία και την πρόωρη διακοπή του σχολείου. Με τη μέθοδο της ανάλυσης περιεχομένου προκύπτει ότι σε κάθε αναπτυξιακή φάση αναδύονται συγκεκριμένοι παράγοντες που συνδυάζονται με την πρόωρη εγκατάλειψη του σχολείου και την έναρξη της χρήσης ουσιών και που αφορούν κυρίως δυσμενείς εμπειρίες ζωής κατά την παιδική ηλικία. Η εργασία προτείνει την εφαρμογή προγραμμάτων διά βίου μάθησης και μη τυπικής εκπαίδευσης στο σύνολο της σχολικής κοινότητας για την πρόληψη της σχολικής διαρροής και της χρήσης ουσιών.

Σκοπός της παρούσας ερευνητικής μελέτης είναι η διερεύνηση των δυσμενών εμπειριών ζωής κατά την παιδική ηλικία και η σύνδεση αυτών με την κατάχρηση ουσιών και την έλλειψη στέγης στην ενήλικη ζωή. Συμμετέχοντες στη μελέτη είναι έντεκα άτομα, άντρες και γυναίκες, που παρακολουθούν τα προγράμματα των Μονάδων Υποκατάστασης Βουπρενορφίνης του ΟΚΑΝΑ (ΜΟΘΕ) στη Βόρεια Ελλάδα. Η μεθοδολογία διεξαγωγής της συγκεκριμένης έρευνας βασίζεται στη βιογραφική αφηγηματική προσέγγιση, ένα εργαλείο ποιοτικής έρευνας, που κρίθηκε ως καταλληλότερο για τη σε βάθος μελέτη των δυσμενών εμπειριών ζωής και την αλληλεπίδραση αυτών με την πρόωρη εγκατάλειψη του σχολείου, την κατάχρηση ουσιών και την αστεγία. Η επεξεργασία των βιογραφιών που συγκεντρώθηκαν έδειξε ότι σε όλες τις περιπτώσεις οι δυσμενείς εμπειρίες ζωής και η απώλεια/εναλλαγή στέγης χαρακτήριζε ως κεντρικό βίωμα της παιδικής ηλικίας τις αφηγήσεις όλων των συμμετεχόντων/ουσών και προηγήθηκε της πρόωρης εγκατάλειψης του σχολείου και της εμφάνισης της κατάχρησης ουσιών, η οποία προέκυψε μεταγενέστερα ως μια προσπάθεια ανακούφισης και «αυτοθεραπείας».

Η Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου, Καθηγήτρια Κοινωνιολογίας ΣΕΦΑΑ, ΕΚΠΑ μίλησε  για τη γυναικεία εμπειρία και δράση (women's agency) σε εμπόλεμες ζώνες και συγκρουσιακές συγκυρίες στην ημερίδα που διοργάνωσε το Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας (ΓΕΕΘΑ), Διεύθυνση Υγειονομικού, Τμήμα Υγειονομικής Πολιτικής και Προληπτικής Ιατρικής, υπό τον τίτλο «Διαστάσεις Ψυχικής Υγείας στις Ένοπλες Δυνάμεις». Ανέδειξε τον πρωτοποριακό και καθοριστικό ρόλο των γυναικών (του 19ου αιώνα και των αρχών του 20ου) στην επίλυση επειγόντων και συγκρουσιακών καταστάσεων, την κοινωνική μέριμνα και τη δημόσια υγεία. Η διάλεξη της κας Καμπερίδου ήταν αφιερωμένη στην επέτειο μνήμης των 100 χρόνων από τη Μικρασιατική Καταστροφή (1922-2022).  Η εν λόγω διοργάνωση πραγματοποιήθηκε στο Αμφιθέατρο «Επισμηναγός (ΠΙΤ) Δημήτριος Καμπέρος» του ΓΕΕΘΑ, στο στρατόπεδο Παπάγου, 15  Δεκεμβρίου 2022. Την έναρξη των εργασιών της ημερίδας κήρυξε ο Πτέραρχος Δημήτριος Χατζηγεωργίου, Διευθυντής Υγειονομικού του ΓΕΕΘΑ. Στην εκδήλωση συμμετείχε ο Συνταγματάρχης Παναγιώτης Ποδαρόπουλος, Υποδιευθυντής Υγειονομικού του ΓΕΕΘΑ και η Αντισμήναρχος και ψυχίατρος Στέλλα Νίκα. Λέξεις κλειδιά: Επιτόπιες μαρτυρίες, φύλο, γυναίκα, πόλεμος, εθελοντισμός, επαγγελματισμός, γυναικεία πρωτοβουλία-δράση (women's agency), επιχειρηματικότητα και καινοτομία   --Στο HUB του ΕΚΠΑ https://hub.uoa.gr/conference-on-dimensions-of-mental-health-lecture-by-professor-kaberidou/ --Στην κεντρική ιστοσελίδα του ΕΚΠΑ https://www.uoa.gr/anakoinoseis_kai_ekdiloseis/proboli_anakoinosis/diastaseis_psychikis_ygeias_stis_enoples_dynameis/  

Η αποτρεπτική στρατηγική του Ισραήλ συχνά θεωρείται ένα παράδειγμα προς μίμηση για κράτη, τα οποία αντιμετωπίζουν υπαρξιακές απειλές από πλευράς ισχυροτέρων συμμαχιών ή αναθεωρητικών δρώντων. Οι στρατιωτικές ικανότητες, η πολιτική βούληση, η εκμετάλλευση των από καιρού εις καιρόν ανακατανομών ισχύος και ο στρατηγικός σχεδιασμός, στοιχεία διασυνδεδεμένα με μια εμπεδωμένη στρατηγική κουλτούρα, θέτουν το πλαίσιο μιας αποτελεσματικής αποτροπής ανεξαρτήτου του μεγέθους των διλημμάτων ασφαλείας ή άλλων προβλημάτωνεις το εσωτερικό. Κατά τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες, η Ελλάς αντιμετωπίζει μία ευδιάκριτη απειλή από πλευράς της Τουρκίας και ως εκ τούτου, ευλόγως έχει προκύψει ένας δημόσιος διάλογος αναφορικώς με τον τρόπο διά του οποίου η Αθήνα θα δύνατο να εξισορροπήσει τις νεοοθωμανικές βλέψεις εις τη Βαλκανική, το Αιγαίο, την Ανατολική Μεσόγειο, την Κύπρο ή ακόμη και το Ιόνιο, με την Τουρκία να εμπλέκεται εκεί μέσω της στρατηγικής συνεργασίας της με την Αλβανία και να υποσκάπτει την ελληνική ναυτική πρωτοκαθεδρία δυτικώς του ηπειρωτικού κορμού. Εντός του συγκεκριμένου πλαισίου, το παρόν κείμενο επιχειρεί να εξετάσει τους λόγους για τους οποίους η ισραηλινή αποτρεπτική στρατηγική έναντι των απειλών κρατικής επιβιώσεως θεωρείται επιτυχής, το ενδεχόμενο να υφίστανται ομοιότητες ή διαφορές σχετικώς με την διϊστορική ιδιοσυστασία των απειλών κατά του Ισραήλ και της  Ελλάδος και εν τέλει, πώς αξιολογείται σήμερα η ελληνική αποτρεπτική στρατηγική. Εν κατακλείδι, βασικός σκοπός είναι η σκιαγράφηση δυνητικών προοπτικών συγκλίσεως συμφερόντων και συναντιλήψεως επί προκλήσεως ασφαλείας μεταξύ Ισραήλ και Ελλάδος κυρίως αναφορικώς με την Ανατολική Μεσόγειο.

Cite as: Καμπερίδου, Ειρήνη (2022).  Κοινωνικό φύλο και έμφυλη ουδετερότητα στην ψηφιακή εποχή: θέματα φύλου και ισότητας στον αθλητισμό και την (Gender-neutral standards / degendering in sport and society). Εισήγηση στην Επιστημονική Ημερίδα “Αθλητική Δραστηριότητα, Σωματική Άσκηση και Φυσική Αγωγή στις Προοπτικές της 4ης Βιομηχανικής Επανάστασης: Αναστοχαστικοί Προβληματισμοί.” Διοργάνωση, Τομέας Θεωρητικών Επιστημών της Σχολή Επιστήμης Φυσικής Αγωγής και Αθλητισμού (ΣΕΦΑΑ) του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών (ΕΚΠΑ), 18 Ιουνίου 2022:   https://hub.uoa.gr/event-athletic-activity-physical-exercise-and-physical-education/ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗ:   Θα χρειαστούν 135,6 χρόνια για να κλείσει το έμφυλο χάσμα—να επιτευχθεί η ισότητα των φύλων σε όλους του τομείς—σύμφωνα με την τελευταία έκθεση του Παγκόσμιου Οικονομικού Φόρουμ για το παγκόσμιο έμφυλο χάσμα (Global Gender Gap Report, 2021), αν δεν μεταβληθούν ριζικά οι πρακτικές αποκλεισμού και τα κοινωνικά στερεότυπα που τις διαιωνίζουν. Στην εποχή της πανδημίας του κορονοϊού αυξήθηκε 36 έτη (κατά μία γενιά) η γεφύρωση το παγκόσμιου έμφυλου χάσματος: από 99,5 έτη σε 135,6. Η χώρα μας καλύπτει το 68,9% του έμφυλου χάσματος και κατατάσσεται στην 98η θέση σε σύνολο 156 χωρών. Οι μεγαλύτερες διαφορές (υποεκπροσώπηση των γυναικών) εντοπίζονται στην Οικονομία και την Πολιτική, ενώ στην Υγεία και την Εκπαίδευση η Ελλάδα παρουσιάζει εξαιρετικές επιδόσεις στους σχετικούς δείκτες (96,6%, και 99,4%, αντίστοιχα). Παρά την πρόοδο στην Υγεία και την Εκπαίδευση οι γυναίκες αντιμετωπίζουν μειωμένη πολιτική συμμετοχή, οικονομικά εμπόδια, και προκαταλήψεις/έμφυλα στερεότυπα στους χώρους εργασίας.  Χρησιμοποιώντας την κοινωνιολογική προσέγγιση/θεώρηση διαπραγματευόμαστε το φαινόμενο του κοινωνικού αποκλεισμού στο πλαίσιο της 4η Βιομηχανική Επανάσταση—που μόλις άρχισε— και ειδικά το τεκμηριωμένο ποσοτικά έμφυλο χάσμα (ανισότητες λόγω φύλου) που αυξάνετε ραγδαία. Η παρουσίαση αυτή επιχειρεί να συστηματοποιήσει σε μια κοινωνιολογική προοπτική τις δυναμικές που επέτρεψαν στην γυναικεία αντιπροσώπευση να καταστεί δείκτης της έμφυλης ανισότητας. Τo έμφυλο χάσμα αυξάνετε και στην κοινωνική περιοχή του αθλητισμού και συγκεκριμένα στην αθλητική ηγεσία, τη θεσμική εξουσία. Αναπαράγεται και με την μειωμένη κάλυψη του γυναικείου αθλητισμού στα ΜΜΕ καθώς και την μοντελοποίηση/ αντικειμενικοποίηση της αθλητικής ταυτότητας στα νέα μέσα και στα ΜΚΔ, ενισχύοντας τα φαινόμενα κατάχρησης εξουσίας (πχ. σεξουαλική παρενόχληση). Όπως τεκμηριώνεται ερευνητικά, στα πρόσφατα δημοσιευμένα στοιχεία του Παγκόσμιου Οικονομικού Φόρουμ, το έμφυλο χάσμα στην Υγεία και την Επιβίωση, την Παιδεία, την Εργασία, την Πολιτική, την Οικονομία, και την Τεχνητή Νοημοσύνη (ΑΙ) αυξάνεται παγκοσμίως, με την Ισλανδία να παραμένει η χώρα με τη μεγαλύτερη ισότητα των φύλων στον κόσμο. Προς ποια κατεύθυνση θα κινηθούν οι μεταβολές στο μέλλον; Εδώ προτείνουμε θεωρίες ή προσεγγίσεις περί έμφυλης ουδετερότητας, δηλαδή τη θέσπιση και την καλλιέργεια πολιτικών, στρατηγικών, (καλών) πρακτικών, μοντέλων, προτύπων (role models), μεντόρων, στάσεων και κοινωνικών συμπεριφορών που προωθούν την ισότιμη πρόσβαση, ένταξη, συμμετοχή και μεταχείριση στην εργασία, την επαγγελματική εξέλιξη, τη μισθολογική εξέλιξη, την ηγεσία, μεταξύ άλλων,  άσχετα με το φύλο, την αναπηρία, την ηλικία, την κοινωνική  τάξη, την εθνικότητα, τον σεξουαλικό προσανατολισμού ή την έμφυλη ταυτότητα. Στο ίδιο πνεύμα συντάχθηκε το Εθνικό Σχέδιο Δράσης για την Ισότητα των Φύλων (ΕΣΔΙΦ) 2021-2025.  Όσον αφορά στην μελλοντική ζήτηση και την εξέλιξη της Τεχνολογίας στον αθλητισμό, και όχι μόνο, αναδύονται νέα ερωτήματα και συζητήσεις όπως:  (1) Οι βιονικοί αθλητές/τριες του μέλλοντος θα γεφυρώσουν το έμφυλο χάσμα (έμφυλες ανισότητες), δηλαδή θα καταργήσουν την έμφυλη κατηγοριοποίηση (gender segregation) στον αγωνιστικό αθλητισμό; (2) Οι βιονικοί-υπεράνθρωποι αθλητές και αθλήτριες θα αποτελούν το μέλλον της ανθρωπότητας; (3) Η τεχνολογία θα κάνει τους αθλητές/τριες του αύριο πιο δυνατούς, πιο γρήγορους, πιο fit και πιο υγιής; (4) Πως η τεχνολογία, σε αθλητικές εκδηλώσεις, βελτιώνει την ακρίβεια, την απόλαυση και τις εμπειρίες όχι μόνο των αθλητών/τριών αλλά και των θεατών, καθώς και των θεατών με αναπηρίες. Συμπερασματικές παρατηρήσεις: Μολονότι η πανδημία του κορονοϊού (lockdowns, απολύσεις, κ.ά.) αποδυνάμωσαν την όποια πρόοδο προς την κατεύθυνση της ισότητα, προσθέτοντας 36 έτη στη γεφύρωση του έμφυλου χάσματος (in bridging the gender gap), στη σύγχρονη μετανεωτερική πραγματικότητα, το φύλο μεταβάλλεται από μια στατική αντίληψη σε μια δυναμική κοινωνική κατηγορία και ως εκ τούτου επηρεάζονται και μεταβάλλονται οι κοινωνικές προσδοκίες, οι έμφυλες σχέσεις, τα κοινωνικά στερεότυπα και οι κοινωνικές ταυτότητες. Ενδεικτική βιβλιογραφία

• World Economic Forum (2021). Global Gender Gap Report 2021/Insight Report March 2021,  405 pages https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2021?DAG=c1&gclid=CjwKCAjwqauVBhBGEiwAXOepkQIs07UnPKocp1vaYnH7YGdqCNktaP0YJI0tw2H3z8vbXF9RGsrNfxoCN0MQAvD_BwE
• Kamberidou, I (2020) "Distinguished" women entrepreneurs in the Digital Economy and the Multitasking Whirlpool. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship 9:1, 3. Springer Open, pp. 1-26. Springer Nature https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-020-0114-y   Link: https://rdcu.be/b4sWF
• Kamberidou, I., & Pascall, N. (2020). The Digital Skills Crisis: Engendering Technology – Empowering Women in Cyberspace. European Journal of Social Sciences Studies, 4(6), 1-33. Open Access Publishing Group, ISSN: 2501-8590. https://oapub.org/soc/index.php/EJSSS/article/view/683, DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3558799
• Kamberidou, I. (2019). Gender integration in the military: Gender-neutral standards and Coed Sports. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science , 5 (11), 23–45. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3364728
• Kamberidou, I., Bonias, A., & Patsantaras, N. (2019). Sport as a Means of Inclusion and Integration for Those Of Us With Disabilities". European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science, 5(12), 99-128. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3464696, file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/09.%20SPORT%20AS%20MEAN%20OF%20INCLUSION%20-%20Irene%20Kamberidou.pdf

• Kamberidou, I. (2013). Women Entrepreneurs. ‘We Cannot Have Change Unless We Have Men in the Room’. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2(6): 1-17. Springer Open Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/2192-5372-2-6. Link: https://rdcu.be/cMhlZ

   

Το βιβλίο αυτό αποτελεί μια σύγχρονη εισαγωγή στην Κοινωνιογλωσσολογία, στο επιστημονικό πεδίο της γλωσσολογίας που μελετά τη σχέση της γλώσσας με την κοινωνία και της κοινωνίας με τη γλώσσα, τους ποικίλους τρόπους με τους οποίους διεπιδρούν μεταξύ τους και επηρεάζουν ή προσδιορίζουν η μια την άλλη. Στα δεκαέξι κεφάλαια του τόμου καλύπτονται όλα τα κεντρικά ζητήματα που απασχολούν τη σύγχρονη Κοινωνιογλωσσολογία και αφορούν, μεταξύ άλλων, τη γλωσσική κοινότητα, τη γεωγραφική προέλευση, την κοινωνική τάξη, την εθνότητα, το φύλο, τη σεξουαλικότητα ή την ηλικία των ομιλητών/ομιλητριών, τις πολλαπλές ταυτότητές τους και τη λεκτική αλληλεπίδραση μεταξύ τους αλλά και τις αντιλήψεις τους για τη γλώσσα που χρησιμοποιούν οι ίδιοι και οι άλλοι, τα κειμενικά και πολιτισμικά πλαίσια της επικοινωνίας, τις μεθόδους της Κοινωνιογλωσσολογίας και τους τρόπους παρέμβασής της στα γλωσσικά δρώμενα. Κάθε κεφάλαιο αναφέρεται διεξοδικά σε δεδομένα και σχετικές έρευνες για τα ελληνικά και συνοδεύεται από ερωτήσεις (ασκήσεις και θέματα για συζήτηση) για εμβάθυνση.

Φιλοσοφία της γλώσσας, λογική, μαθηματικά, κοινωνικές επιστήμες, ανθρωπολογία… Η Σημασιολογία είναι ο μοναδικός κλάδος της γλωσσολογίας που χρησιμοποιεί μεθόδους, θεωρήσεις και εργαλεία από όλους αυτούς τους τομείς του ανθρώπινου επιστητού για να μελετήσει τη σημασία των γλωσσικών εκφράσεων. Μαζί με τη φωνητική, τη φωνολογία, τη μορφολογία, τη σύνταξη και την πραγματολογία, αποτελεί ξεχωριστό επίπεδο ανάλυσης στη γλωσσολογική θεωρία και μελετά την ανθρώπινη γλώσσα με έναν δυναμικό τρόπο περνώντας από τη σημασία της λέξης, στη σημασία της φράσης και της πρότασης. Οι γλώσσες έχουν στη φαρέτρα τους πολλούς και διαφορετικούς τρόπους για να εκφράσουν την ίδια έννοια. Για παράδειγμα, οι λέξεις σπίτι και οικία της ελληνικής είναι συνώνυμες. Επίσης, η λέξη chevalτης γαλλικής έχει την ίδια σημασία με τη λέξη άλογο της ελληνικής ενώ η ονοματική φράση letableaurougeστα γαλλικά αντιστοιχεί με την ονοματική φράση ο κόκκινος πίνακας στα ελληνικά που έχει διαφορετική δομή από αυτή. Πώς μπορούμε να συσχετίσουμε τη σημασία διαφορετικών ως προς τη μορφή τους γλωσσικών εκφράσεων που έχουν όμως παρόμοια σημασία στις γλώσσες του κόσμου; Πώς η γλώσσα μπορεί να γίνει συγχρόνως αντικείμενο και μέσο μελέτης; Ανεξάρτητα από τη γλώσσα μελέτης, η σημασιολογία μας προτείνει μεταγλώσσες-εργαλεία για τη μελέτη της σημασίας σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα που μελετάμε.   Το παρόν έργο είναι το πρώτο ελληνόγλωσσο εγχειρίδιο αφιερωμένο στον κλάδο της σημασιολογίας με παραδείγματα εφαρμογής από τη γαλλική και την ελληνική γλώσσα. Το σύγγραμμα επιδιώκει να εισαγάγει τον αναγνώστη στις αρχές, τις μεθόδους και τα ερευνητικά εργαλεία της θεωρίας της σημασιολογίας. Αρχικά, παρουσιάζει τους βασικούς όρους εργασίας στη σημασιολογία. Στη συνέχεια, περνά στα επιμέρους επίπεδα του κλάδου της σημασιολογίας (λεξική σημασιολογία, προτασιακή και κατηγορηματική λογική) και παρουσιάζει τις συνθήκες εμφάνισής τους. Κατόπιν, επιχειρεί μια συνοπτική επισκόπηση των σημαντικότερων προσεγγίσεων, όπως είναι για παράδειγμα η λογική δευτέρου βαθμού, η θεωρία των τύπων και η εντασιακή σημασιολογία, καθώς και η σχέση της σημασίας και του περικειμένου.    Το βιβλίο απευθύνεται πρωτίστως σε φοιτητές και σε ερευνητές που ενδιαφέρονται για τον κλάδο της σημασιολογίας. Κάθε κεφάλαιο ξεκινά με μια περίληψη των βασικών στόχων, καταλήγει με την ανακεφαλαίωση των κυριότερων σημείων και προτείνει ασκήσεις εφαρμογής. Στο αναγνωστικό όμως κοινό αυτού του βιβλίου μπορούν να περιληφθούν επίσης και όσοι αγαπούν τη μελέτη της σημασίας συγχρονικά και ενδιαφέρονται για την αντιπαραβολική μελέτη γλωσσών. Η γαλλική και η ελληνική λειτουργούν ως γλώσσες εφαρμογής αλλά τη θέση τους θα μπορούσε να πάρει οποιαδήποτε άλλη γλώσσα ή ζεύγος γλωσσών. Τα σημεία τομής και απόκλισης των δύο γλωσσών μάς μαθαίνουν ότι η σημασία είναι το ενωτικό νήμα πίσω από τις λέξεις, τις φράσεις και τις προτάσεις και μας προσκαλούν να ανακαλύψουμε τον συναρπαστικό κόσμο της ανθρώπινης νόησης και επικοινωνίας. 

Η παρούσα μελέτη διερευνά τον θρησκευτικό γραμματισμό και τη θρησκευτικότητα των νέων που αποφοίτησαν το 2020 από τη Γ΄ Λυκείου της ελληνικής Εκπαίδευσηςκαι έχουν διδαχθεί δέκα χρόνια υποχρεωτικά το μάθημα των Θρησκευτικών. Σκοπός της είναι να περιγράψει το επίπεδο του θρησκευτικού γραμματισμού και της θρησκευτικότητάς τους. Η έρευνα πραγματοποιήθηκε από 12-10-2020 μέχρι 20-02-2021 σε 996 απόφοιτους δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης μέσω ηλεκτρονικών ερωτηματολογίων. Τα συμπεράσματα που εξάγονται είναι πως οι νέοι στην Ελλάδα κατέχουν μέτρια ποσοστά θρησκευτικών γνώσεων και θρησκευτικότητας. Η συμβολή της έρευνας έγκειται στο ότι παρέχει μία εικόνα για το επίπεδο θρησκευτικού γραμματισμού και θρησκευτικότητας της σύγχρονης γενιάς στην Ελλάδα, η οποία θα έπρεπε να λαμβάνεται υπόψη στον σχεδιασμό του Προγράμματος Σπουδών της Θρησκευτικής Εκπαίδευσης.

Στο ανά χείρας βιβλίο o Νορβηγός Άρνε Τρέχολτ εξιστορεί την στράτευσή του εναντίον της δικτατορίας των Συνταγματαρχών. Μέσα από το συγγραφικό του έργο και την πολιτική του δράση ο Τρέχολτ αγωνίστηκε σθεναρά καθόλη τη διάρκεια της Επταετίας ενάντια στο στρατιωτικό καθεστώς, όντας ένας από τους πιο δραστήριους πολέμιους της Χούντας στις σκανδιναβικές χώρες. Επιπλέον, υπήρξε ένας οξυδερκής παρατηρητής της ελληνικής πολιτικής σκηνής στις δεκαετίες του 1960 και του 1970. Μέσα από μια γλαφυρή γραφή, που θυμίζει σκανδιναβικό αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, ο Τρέχολτ αφηγείται τη σχεδόν μυθιστορηματική περίπτωση του Παντελή Μαρκετάκη, πρώην πολιτικού κρατούμενου, που, από ελεγχόμενος μάρτυρας υπέρ του καθεστώτος, έφτασε να καταθέτει εναντίον του στην Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων το 1969, προτού ζητήσει άσυλο στη Νορβηγία. Το βιβλίο εμπλουτίζεται μ’ένα κείμενο αναμνήσεων, όπου ο Τρέχολτ αποτυπώνει με τη βοήθεια πληθώρας στοιχείων τη συνεισφορά του ίδιου και των συμπατριωτών στην εκστρατεία αλληλεγγύης με τους Ελληνες δημοκράτες. Μέσα απ’αυτήν την πολύτιμη μαρτυρία δίνεται η ευκαιρία στον έλληνα αναγνώστη να αντιληφθεί τις υπόγειες διεργασίες γύρω από τη λεγόμενη «Ελληνική Υπόθεση» στο Στρασβούργο, που οδήγησε στην αποχώρηση της χουντικής Ελλάδας από το Συμβούλιο της Ευρώπης και καταγράφηκε ως κομβική στιγμή στην ιστορία της καταγγελίας των βασανιστηρίων και της υπεράσπισης των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων. Επιπλέον, αναδεικνύει το μέγεθος της συμμετοχής των σκανδιναβικών κοινωνιών στον αγώνα για την αποκατάσταση της Δημοκρατίας στην Ελλάδα. Το βιβλίο φωτίζει τη συχνά λησμονημένη ευρωπαϊκή διάσταση του αντιδικτατορικού αγώνα. Η περίπτωσή του Τρέχολτ αποτελεί ένα χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα της στράτευσης μιας από τις πλέον πολιτικοποιημένες και αλληλέγγυες γενιές που γνώρισε η ευρωπαϊκή ήπειρος τον 20ό αιώνα. Μας θυμίζει ότι νεαροί Δυτικοευρωπαίοι δραστηριοποιήθηκαν ενεργά, στηρίζοντας με κάθε δυνατό μέσο, νόμιμο ή και παράνομο, τις προσπάθειες για την υπεράσπιση των δημοκρατικών ελευθεριών και των ανθρώπινων δικαιωμάτων στη χουντοκρατούμενη Ελλάδα, συνεργαζόμενοι στενά με ελληνες αντιστασιακούς και αντιφρονούντες.

Η εργασία αυτή επικεντρώνεται στις επιτόπιες μαρτυρίες τριών περιηγητριών στη Μικρά Ασία και τον Πόντο στα τέλη του 19ου αιώνα και στις αρχές του 20ου αιώνα: της Αμερικανίδας ιατρού Blanche Norton, της Αγγλίδας συγγραφέως Dorina L. Neave και της Γαλλίδας εθελόντριας σε νοσοκομεία της Σμύρνης Mme L. Jean Antoniades. Συμπεριλαμβάνονται και σύντομες αναφορές άλλων περιηγητριών και Ελληνίδων, όπως της δημοσιογράφου-συγγραφέως Demetra Vaka (1922). Οι γυναικείες μαρτυρίες περιγράφουν τη «Μεγάλη Σφαγή» των Αρμενίων στην Κωνσταντινούπολη τον Αύγουστο του 1896, τις λεηλασίες στις οικίες των Αρμενίων, οι οποίες είχαν σημαδευτεί με το σχήμα του Σταυρού, και την «τρομοκρατία» που επικρατούσε στην Τουρκία. Συναντάμε για πρώτη φορά στις γυναικείες μαρτυρίες τον όρο τρομοκρατία (terrorism), και συγκεκριμένα στο έργο της Neave Είκοσι-Έξι Χρόνια στο Βόσπορο (1881-1907). Οι μαρτυρίες αυτές περιγράφουν, μεταξύ άλλων, τις γυναίκες της Κερασούντας που έσωσαν τις οικογένειές τους από τον εκτοπισμό, τα ελληνικά ορφανοτροφεία της Κερασούντας, του Καραχισάρ και του Πουλαντζάκ, τις ενέργειες του δημάρχου της Κερασούντας Οσμάν αγά για «τον αφανισμό όλων των στοιχείων που δεν είναι καθαροί Μουσουλμάνοι» (Norton, 1922), το πανικόβλητο πλήθος στην προκυμαία της Σμύρνης το 1922, «το τέλος ενός πολιτισμού ή τον θάνατο της Σμύρνης» (Antoniades, 1923). Ο ξεριζωμός και οι γενοκτονίες των Αρμενίων και των Ελλήνων της Μικρά Ασίας και του Πόντου, δεν αποτελούσαν στιγμιαία, απροσδόκητη ή αιφνίδια πράξη και πολιτική του 20ου αιώνα (1908-1924), όπως διαφαίνεται και τεκμηριώνεται στις επιτόπιες μαρτυρίες δυτικών περιηγητριών από τον 18ο αιώνα. Οι διωγμοί, οι σφαγές και η εξόντωση αυτοχθόνων ιστορικών λαών της Μικράς Ασίας και του Πόντου, όπως των Ασσυρίων, των Αρμενίων, των Ελλήνων και άλλων, δεν περιορίστηκαν σε μια εποχή. Το οθωμανικό κράτος και, ιδίως, το μετέπειτα κεμαλικό καθεστώς οδήγησαν στον ξεριζωμό, στην εξολόθρευση και στην τελική εξαφάνιση αυτοχθόνων ιστορικών λαών της Μικράς Ασίας και του Πόντου. --- ***[Πλήρες κείμενο-ολόκληρη η έρευνα θα ...

The chapter starts by explaining the difference between Pragmatics and Semantics and their complementary roles within the study of meaning in language, explaining the role of context in the determination of utterance meaning. It introduces the basic concepts and research areas of Pragmatics with sections on deixis, presupposition, speech acts and conversational implicatures. These are followed by questions and exercises as well as suggestions for further reading.

The chapter starts by explaining the difference between Pragmatics and Semantics and their complementary roles within the study of meaning in language, explaining the role of context in the determination of utterance meaning. It introduces the basic concepts and research areas of Pragmatics with sections on deixis, presupposition, speech acts and conversational implicatures.  These are followed by questions and exercises as well as suggestions for further reading.

Το βιβλίο αυτό παρουσιάζει την ιστορία της μαθηματικής δυναμικής των πληθυσμών -ένα θεωρητικό πεδίο που συνδέεται στενά με τη γενετική, την οικολογία, την επιδημιολογία και τη δημογραφία- στο οποίο τα μαθηματικά έχουν συμβάλει σημαντικά. Εξετάζει την εμφάνιση σημαντικών θεμάτων: της εκθετικής ανάπτυξης -από τον Όιλερ και τον  Μάλθους μέχρι την πολιτική ενός παιδιού της Κίνας-, της ανάπτυξης στοχαστικών μοντέλων -από τους νόμους του Μέντελ και το πρόβλημα της εξάλειψης των επωνύμων μέχρι τη θεωρία της διήθησης για την εξάπλωση των επιδημιών-, και τους χαοτικούς πληθυσμούς, όπου ο ντετερμινισμός και η τυχαιότητα διαπλέκονται.

Η παρούσα εισήγηση επικεντρώνεται στο επίκαιρο βιοηθικό θέμα της εφαρμογής της παρεμβατικής μεθόδου CRISPR/Cas9 στο ανθρώπινο γονιδίωμα, το οποίο απασχολεί έντονα τη βιοϊατρική και την χριστιανική ηθική. Η νέα μέθοδος επαγγέλλεται τη θεραπεία σε σημαντικές κληρονομικές ασθένειες και παθήσεις του ανθρώπου, ωστόσο εγείρονται σοβαρά βιοηθικά διλήμματα, τα οποία συνδέονται με τη γενετική επεξεργασία του ανθρώπινου γονιδιώματος (genome editing) και τον κίνδυνο της ευγονικής (eugenics). Η εφαρμογή της μεθόδου σχετίζεται με τα βασικά ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα της προστασίας, της αξιοπρέπειας και της ταυτότητας κάθε ανθρωπίνου όντος, την εγγύηση του σεβασμού της ακεραιότητας και των λοιπών δικαιωμάτων και θεμελιωδών ελευθεριών, αλλά και με την ισότιμη συμμετοχή στο κοινωνικό αγαθό της υγείας και της συνεπαγόμενης θεραπείας του ασθενούς.

The Pomegranate: the magazine for children (To Rodi: to periodiko gia paidia) is a milestone in the history of Greek magazines for children and adolescents. Surprisingly, to date only two studies have been devoted to this issue. Therefore, the present article aims to present a detailed analysis of the first edition of this magazine (1977-1982) and to offer a critical approach and interpretation of its beneficial effect and its large impact on children and adolescents. More specifically, the present article focuses on the magazine’s main features, contributors, readers, and material. The magazin’s columns were systematically designed to create opportunities for acquiring knowledge and skills as well as for creativity, communication and interaction with peers, and entertainment. Many recognized and young writers and illustrators as well as remarkable literary works and works of art came to the fore. The magazine undoubtedly promoted children’s and adolescents’ cognitive, moral, socioemotional, and psychosexual development. To Rodi has left an indelible mark on its readers and is undoubtedly part of the historical line and the genealogy of Greek quality magazines for children and adolescents.

Αφιερωμένο στην ιστορική και πολιτιστική κληρονομιά της Λήμνου, το βιβλίο προσφέρει μια νέα, έγκυρη, ευσύνοπτη και προσιτή στον αναγνώστη ιστορία του μοναδικού αυτού ελληνικού νησιού στο Βορειοανατολικό Αιγαίο. Με βάση ιστορικές και μυθογραφικές πηγές, αρχαιολογικά ευρήματα, σημαντικά κατάλοιπα της αρχαίας ελληνικής, μεσαιωνικής, και νεότερης τέχνης, διηγήσεις και χρονικά, γκραβούρες, σχέδια, φωτογραφίες και άλλο αρχειακό υλικό, ο συγγραφέας σκιαγραφεί σε 250 σελίδες και με τη βοήθεια 200 περίπου εικόνων, την ιστορία της Λήμνου από τα βάθη της αιγιακής προϊστορίας έως τις μέρες μας. Στο Χρονικό της Λήμνου, η μακραίωνη ιστορία ενός σχετικά άγνωστου και κάπως αγνοημένου μέχρι πρόσφατα νησιού του Αιγαίου μετατρέπεται σε συναρπαστικό αφήγημα, ένα πραγματικό χρονικό για τον τόπο και τους ανθρώπους του. Στις σελίδες του, οι αναγνώστες θα βρουν σημαντικές πληροφορίες για την κοινωνία, την οικονομία, την πολιτική ζωή, την τέχνη και την πνευματική δημιουργία του νησιού διαχρονικά, από τις πρώτες νομαδικές εγκαταστάσεις κατά την ύστερη Παλαιολιθική περίοδο (περ. 10.500 π.Χ.), μέχρι σήμερα: με εκτενείς αναφορές στις προϊστορικές πόλεις της Πολιόχνης και της Μύρινας, στο σημαντικό Κουκονήσι, την Ηφαιστία και το Καβείριο κατά την Αρχαϊκή και την Κλασική περίοδο (7ος-4ος αι. π.Χ.), τη Λήμνο των ελληνιστικών και ρωμαϊκών χρόνων, τη Λήμνο ως Βυζαντινή, Βενετική, και Οθωμανική κτήση, αλλά και τις περιπέτειες του νησιού και των κατοίκων του από την απελευθέρωση του 1912-13 και μετά. Αναδεικνύεται, τέλος, η Λήμνος του σήμερα: τόποι ιστορικής σημασίας, αρχαιολογικοί χώροι και μουσεία, αλλά και τοποθεσίες φυσικού κάλλους, γεωλογικά μνημεία και θέσεις οικολογικού ενδιαφέροντος, παραλίες και παραδοσιακοί οικισμοί. Ακόμη, γίνονται αναφορές στην άυλη και την γαστρονομική κληρονομιά του νησιού, αλλά και τη μουσική και χορευτική παράδοση που αναβιώνει ώς τις μέρες μας.

Η παρούσα σύντομη εισήγηση-ανακοίνωση παρουσιάσθηκε με τον τίτλο: «Ηθική και Γονιδιωματική» στο Δεύτερο Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο Εξατομικευμένης Ιατρικής στις 17 Δεκεμβρίου 2021, στο Ζάππειο Μέγαρο στην Αθήνα. Η εισήγηση επικεντρώνεται στην προσέγγιση των θεμάτων, τα οποία συνδέονται με τη γενετική επεξεργασία του ανθρώπινου γονιδιώματος (genome editing) και με τα συναφή ηθικά διλήμματα που εγείρει η εφαρμογή της Φαρμακογονιδιωματικής. Η Ηθική βασίζεται σε αρχές και κριτήρια ―με όποια ηθική θεωρία κι αν προσεγγίζεται το θέμα― και προβάλλει τα βασικά ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα της προστασίας, της αξιοπρέπειας και της ταυτότητας κάθε ανθρωπίνου όντος, την εγγύηση του σεβασμού της ακεραιότητας και των δικαιωμάτων και θεμελιωδών ελευθεριών, αλλά και την ισότιμη συμμετοχή στο κοινωνικό αγαθό της υγείας και της συνεπαγόμενης θεραπείας του ασθενούς.

The sediment record from Lake Ohrid (Southwestern Balkans) represents the longest continuous lake archive in Europe, extending back to 1.36 Ma. We reconstruct the vegetation history based on pollen analysis of the DEEP core to reveal changes in vegetation cover and forest diversity during glacial–interglacial (G–IG) cycles and early basin development. The earliest lake phase saw a significantly different composition rich in relict tree taxa and few herbs. Subsequent establishment of a permanent steppic herb association around 1.2 Ma implies a threshold response to changes in moisture availability and temperature and gradual adjustment of the basin morphology. A change in the character of G–IG cycles during the Early–Middle Pleistocene Transition is reflected in the record by reorganization of the vegetation from obliquity- to eccentricity-paced cycles. Based on a quantitative analysis of tree taxa richness, the first large-scale decline in tree diversity occurred around 0.94 Ma. Subsequent variations in tree richness were largely driven by the amplitude and duration of G–IG cycles. Significant tree richness declines occurred in periods with abundant dry herb associations, pointing to aridity affecting tree population survival. Assessment of long-term legacy effects between global climate and regional vegetation change reveals a significant influence of cool interglacial conditions on subsequent glacial vegetation composition and diversity. This effect is contrary to observations at high latitudes, where glacial intensity is known to control subsequent interglacial vegetation, and the evidence demonstrates that the Lake Ohrid catchment functioned as a refugium for both thermophilous and temperate tree species.

We predicted a stellar occultation of the bright star Gaia DR1 4332852996360346368 (UCAC4 385-75921) (mV = 14.0 mag) by the centaur 2002 GZ32 for 2017 May 20. Our latest shadow path prediction was favourable to a large region in Europe. Observations were arranged in a broad region inside the nominal shadow path. Series of images were obtained with 29 telescopes throughout Europe and from six of them (five in Spain and one in Greece) we detected the occultation. This is the fourth centaur, besides Chariklo, Chiron, and Bienor, for which a multichord stellar occultation is reported. By means of an elliptical fit to the occultation chords, we obtained the limb of 2002 GZ32 during the occultation, resulting in an ellipse with axes of 305 ± 17 km × 146 ± 8 km. From this limb, thanks to a rotational light curve obtained shortly after the occultation, we derived the geometric albedo of 2002 GZ32 (pV = 0.043 ± 0.007) and a 3D ellipsoidal shape with axes 366 km × 306 km × 120 km. This shape is not fully consistent with a homogeneous body in hydrostatic equilibrium for the known rotation period of 2002 GZ32. The size (albedo) obtained from the occultation is respectively smaller (greater) than that derived from the radiometric technique but compatible within error bars. No rings or debris around 2002 GZ32 were detected from the occultation, but narrow and thin rings cannot be discarded.

2ο webinar με θέμα «Παρενόχληση, Φύλο και Αθλητισμός», Παρασκευή,  9 Απριλίου 2021 (18.00 – 21.00) Στο YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtZMRbK_6q4 Tο Σπουδαστήριο της Κοινωνιολογίας της Σχολής Επιστήμης Φυσικής Αγωγής και Αθλητισμού (ΣΕΦΑΑ) του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστήμιου Αθηνών (ΕΚΠΑ) διοργάνωσε το 2ο webinar με θέμα «Παρενόχληση, Φύλο και Αθλητισμός», υπό την Αιγίδα και υποστήριξη του Συλλόγου Ελλήνων Ολυμπιονικών (ΣΕΟ), της Πανελλήνιας Ένωσης Προώθησης των Γυναικών στον Αθλητισμό και τα Σπορ (ΠΕΠΓΑΣ), του Πανελλήνιου Αθλητικού Σωματείο Γυναικών «Καλλιπάτειρα» Θεσσαλονίκης, του ομίλου UNESCO Θεσσαλονίκης,  και της Move for Life - ΚΟΙΝΟΤΗΤΑ ΠΡΑΚΤΙΚΗΣ Συμβούλων Εκπαιδευτικών Φυσικής Αγωγής της ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ. ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΠΡΟΛΟΓΟΣ-ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΙΕΣ: Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου,  ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ ΧΑΙΡΕΤΙΣΜΟΣ–ΕΝΑΡΞΗ: Νικόλαος Γελαδάς, Κοσμήτορας,  ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ ΕΙΣΑΓΩΓΗ-ΣΥΝΤΟΝΙΣΜΟ:  Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου, ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ ΕΙΣΗΓΗΣΕΙΣ (ΟΜΙΛΗΤΡΙΕΣ): 1) Ανή Χρόνη:  Καθηγήτρια Sport Psychology & Sport Coaching, Inland Norway University. Πρώην Πρόεδρος του WomenSport International          «Grooming: Μια τρυφερή προσέγγιση που ξεγελά και τραυματίζει μοιραία» 2) Στέλλα Δούκα: Καθηγήτρια, ΤΕΦΑΑ/ΑΠΘ, Τομέας Ανθρωπιστικών Σπουδών και Αναψυχής. Συντονίστρια του έργου HALT «HALT: Ανάσχεση της παρενόχλησης και της κακοποίησης στον αθλητισμό με χρήση τεχνολογιών μάθησης» 3) Δήμητρα Κογκίδου: Καθηγήτρια ΠΤΔΕ/ΑΠΘ. Πρόεδρος της Επιτροπής Ισότητας των Φύλων του ΑΠΘ. «Πρόληψη και αντιμετώπιση του φαινομένου της σεξουαλικής παρενόχλησης στα ΑΕΙ- Που βρισκόμαστε σήμερά;» 4) Ιωάννα Κονδύλη: Αν. Καθηγήτρια, Νομική Σχολή ΕΚΠΑ, Μέλος της Επιτροπής Ισότητας των Φύλων του ΕΚΠΑ «Η  σεξουαλική παρενόχληση ως προσβολή της προσωπικότητας» ΕΡΩΤΗΣΕΙΣ-ΣΥΖΗΤΗΣΗ-ΠΡΟΤΑΣΕΙΣ (όλοι και όλες) ΕΠΙΛΟΓΟΣ KAI ΘΕΜΑΤA-ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ 3ου WEBINAR  14/05/2021 Διοργάνωση: Σπουδαστήριο της Κοινωνιολογίας ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ, Ειρ. Καμπερίδου, Αν. Καθηγήτρια 

ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΠΡΟΛΟΓΟΣ-ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΙΕΣ: Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου,  ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ ΧΑΙΡΕΤΙΣΜΟΣ–ΕΝΑΡΞΗ: Νικός Γελαδάς, Κοσμήτορας,  ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ ΧΑΙΡΕΤΙΣΜΟΙ: Εκπρόσωποι θεσμών-ιδρυμάτων-οργανώσεων ΕΙΣΑΓΩΓΗ-ΣΥΝΤΟΝΙΣΜΟΣ:  Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου, ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ ΕΙΣΗΓΗΣΕΙΣ:  Στο 3ο webinar  μίλησαν/παρουσίασαν εισηγήσεις:                          

1. Η Καθηγήτρια Δήμητρα Κουτσούκη (ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ) με θέμα «Παρενόχληση Unlimited» (την παρενόχληση και βία που υφίστανται τα ΑμεΑ και των δύο φύλων)
2. Η Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια Ασπασία Δανιά (ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ) με θέμα  «LGBTQ: θέματα ισοτιμίας και πρόληψης των διακρίσεων στη Φυσική Αγωγή και τον Αθλητισμό»
3. Η Γενική Γραμματέας του Συλλόγου Ελλήνων Ολυμπιονικών (ΣΕΟ), η Ολυμπιονίκης Βούλα Ζυγούρη, με θέμα:  «Διαχείριση στερεότυπων φύλου στον Αθλητισμό»
4. Ο υποψήφιος Διδάκτορας Γιάννης Γεωργίου (ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ), με θέμα: «Στάσεις των φοιτητών και των φοιτητριών της ΣΕΦΑΑ απέναντι στην ανδρική και τη γυναικεία ομοφυλοφιλία»
5. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΕΙΣ-ΣΥΖΗΤΗΣΗ-ΠΡΟΤΑΣΕΙΣ (όλοι και όλες)
6. ΣΥΜΠΕΡΑΣΜΑΤΑ-ΛΗΞΗ

Διοργάνωση: Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου, Σπουδαστήριο της Κοινωνιολογίας ΣΕΦΑΑ/ΕΚΠΑ   -Παρακολουθείστε το 1ο webinar στο YouTube (5 Μαρτίου):   https://youtu.be/LtNeMaGAs64 -Παρακολουθείστε το 2ο webinar στο YouTube (9 Απριλίου): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtZMRbK_6q4 -Παρακολουθείστε το 3ο στο YouTube (14 Μαΐου): https://youtu.be/1zQZ_WylO3c ή, συνδεθείτε 14 Μαΐου στο webex: https://uoa.webex.com/uoa/j.php?MTID=m012e0e57bb7b3c0b0f8d3cd01e029799    

This paper aims to determine and sort the rally and break-time duration (including the rest time) in elite men’s and women’s Sitting Volleyball matches. The sample of study comprises 9195 rallies were retrieved from 68 (34 men and 34 women) Sitting Volleyball matches (corresponding to 224 sets) of the 2019 European Sitting Volleyball championship which monitored and recorded. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability coefficients were estimated using Cohen’s kappa coefficient. The results of the study showed that the total average attempts in the block of serve, setting, attack, block and defence are higher in men compared to women (p≤.001). Also, the duration of the rally was longer in men, 5.98s, compared to 4.98s of women (p≤.001). The non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test demonstrated that in both genders the highest average rally length was recorded in the 5th set (7.42s for men and 5.4s for women, respectively) and in the 3rd period of that set for men (6.22s) and the 1st period for women (5.06s). For both genders, the highest average break-times were recorded in the 5th set (28.23s for men and 27.73s for women) and, in particular, the 3rd period of that set (23.75s for men and 25.14s for women). According to the study result, one of the reasons contributing to the higher rally length in men’s matches is the higher number of attempts for all Sitting Volleyball skills that men performed comparing to women. The results of this study can be used by players, coaching staff, teams and federations for the organization, design, planning and managing of workouts and matches.

Metasurfaces constitute an emerging technology, allowing for compact manipulation of all degrees of freedom of an incident lightwave. A key ongoing challenge in the design of these structures is how to allow for energy-efficient dynamic (active) operation, particularly for the polarization of incident light, which other standard devices typically cannot efficiently act upon. Here, we present a quasi-two-dimensional magneto-optic metasurface capable of simultaneously high-contrast on/off operation, as well as rotation of the polarization angle of a linearly polarized wave—that is, without converting the incident linear polarization to elliptical, which is normally particularly challenging. Furthermore, the device’s operation is broadband, with a bandwidth of around 5 µm, and can be conveniently manipulated using an external magnetic bias. Our findings, corroborated using two different full-wave simulation approaches, may allow for functional metasurfaces operating in the terahertz (THz) regime, giving rise to robust, energy-efficient, and high-dynamic-range broadband isolation, to be used for a wealth of optoelectronic and communication applications.

Atherosclerosis is a multifactorial disease influenced by genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors. Despite therapeutic advances that reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, atherosclerosis-related diseases remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Precise targeting of genes involved in lipoprotein metabolism is an emerging approach for atherosclerosis prevention and treatment. This article focuses on the latest developments, clinical potential and current challenges of monoclonal antibodies, vaccines and genome/transcriptome modification strategies, including antisense oligonucleotides, genome/base editing and gene therapy. Multiple lipid lowering biological therapies have already been approved by the FDA with impressive results to date, while many more promising targets are being pursued in clinical trials or pre-clinical animal models.

The chapter is on how social issues influence teachers’ use of digital resources in mathematics classrooms. The study is on an experienced, digitally competent, Danish teacher, Sofia, and one question is how her use of digital resources relates to her shifting professional identities. To address the question, a framework called Patterns of Participation, PoP, is used, one that draws on the notions of practice and figured worlds from social practice theory and of self and interaction from symbolic interactionism. Another question is whether PoP is helpful for understanding how Sofia contributes to classroom interaction when using digital resources. Sofia’s case was previously analysed with another framework, Structuring Features of Classroom Practice, which is developed to study teachers’ expertise and development in relation to digital resources. The PoP perspective supplements the previous and primarily descriptive account by providing explanations for how digital resources are used in Sofia’s classrooms, including a focus on procedures and a paucity of attention to conceptual understanding and mathematical reasoning. These explanations relate to Sofia’s identities, understood as her professional experiences of being, becoming and belonging. The PoP analysis, then, offers contextual interpretations and explanations of teachers' acts as related to broader social enterprises beyond classroom interactions.

Despite considerable progress in the understanding of its neuropathology, Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a complex disorder with no effective treatment that counteracts the memory deficits and the underlying synaptic malfunction triggered by the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and Tau protein. Mounting evidence supports a precipitating role for chronic environmental stress and glutamatergic excitotoxicity in AD, suggesting that targeting of glutamate receptor signaling may be a promising approach against both stress and AD pathologies. In light of the limited cognitive benefit of the direct antagonism of NMDA receptors in AD, we here focus on an alternative way to modify glutamatergic signaling through positive allosteric modulation of AMPA receptors, by the use of a PAM-AMPA compound. Using non-transgenic animal model of Aβ oligomer injection as well as the combined stress and Aβ i.c.v. infusion, we demonstrate that positive allosteric modulation of AMPA receptors by PAM-AMPA treatment reverted memory, but not mood, deficits. Furthermore, PAM-AMPA treatment reverted stress/Aβ-driven synaptic missorting of Tau and associated Fyn/GluN2B-driven excitotoxic synaptic signaling accompanied by recovery of neurotransmitter levels in the hippocampus. Our findings suggest that positive allosteric modulation of AMPA receptors restores synaptic integrity and cognitive performance in stress- and Aβ-evoked hippocampal pathology. As the prevalence of AD is increasing at an alarming rate, novel therapeutic targeting of glutamatergic signaling should be further explored against the early stages of AD synaptic malfunction with the goal of attenuating further synaptic damage before it becomes irreversible.

Tauopathies are a group of progressive neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the presence of insoluble intracellular tau filaments in the brain. Evidence suggests that there is a tight connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease. However, whether mitochondrial dysfunction occurs prior to the detection of tau aggregates in tauopathies remains elusive. Here, we utilized transgenic nematodes expressing the full length of wild type tau in neuronal cells and monitored mitochondrial morphology alterations over time. Although tau-expressing nematodes did not accumulate detectable levels of tau aggregates during larval stages, they displayed increased mitochondrial damage and locomotion defects compared to the control worms. Chelating calcium restored mitochondrial activity and improved motility in the tau-expressing larvae suggesting a link between mitochondrial damage, calcium homeostasis and neuronal impairment in these animals. Our findings suggest that defective mitochondrial function is an early pathogenic event of tauopathies, taking place before tau aggregation and undermining neuronal homeostasis and organismal fitness. Understanding the molecular mechanisms causing mitochondrial dysfunction early in tauopathy will be of significant clinical and therapeutic value and merits further investigation.

In March 2020 the World Health Organization announced a pandemic outbreak. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative pathogen for the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The authorities worldwide use clinical science to identify infected people, but this approach is not able to track all symptomatic and asymptomatic cases due to limited sampling capacity of the testing laboratories. This drawback is eliminated by the Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) approach. In this review, we summarized the peer-reviewed published literature (available as of September 28, 2020), in the field of WBE. The commonly used steps (sampling, storage, concentration, isolation, detection) of the analytical protocols were identified. The potential limitations of each stage of the protocols and good practices were discussed. Finally, new methods for the efficient detection of SARS-CoV-2 were proposed.

We invite observers to join an international observing campaign and obtain light curve of a selected number of the most ancient asteroids. Analysis of these data will be important to reconstruct the original state of the asteroid belt, which is a crucial problem of planetary science. This original state can be reconstructed through the identification of the oldest asteroid families. Traditional identification methods, like Hierarchical Clustering Methods (Zappala et al., 1990; HCM), have difficulties to recognise Gyr- and older asteroid families, whose members are very dispersed by the Yarkovsky effect. An innovative method, called V-shape search (Bolin et al., 2017), has been demonstrated effective (Deienno et al. 2021) to identify these aforementioned very old collisional families by searching for the signature of the size dependent dispersion of family members operated by the Yarkovsky effect.The method has already successfully identified two primordial families which likely formed before the giant planet orbital instability (Tsiganis et al., 2005) and could be as old as the Solar System and an ancient one that is ~3 Gyr-old (Delbo et al., 2017; 2019). There is evidence from observations and theoretical evolution models that there are more old families to be detected (Delbo et al., 2017; Dermott et al., 2018). However, the reliability of these V-shape families should be independently verified.A very important test of family membership is the anisotropic distribution of spin vectors of the asteroid family member, which is a fingerprint of the Yarkovsky effect evolution (Hanus et al. 2013). Namely, to test the working hypothesis that according to theories of asteroid orbital evolution under the Yarkovsky effect, members of the inward (outward) side of V-shape of a family have a statistical predominance of retrograde (prograde) objects (Fig. 1). This hypothesis has been tested (Hanus, et al., 2013) already for known families, and it is a reliable test for family membership. The observing campaign: Ancient AsteroidsFor this purpose, an international observing campaign called Ancient Asteroids has been put forward at different observatories worldwide: (University of Athens Observatory (UOAO), Greece, the BSA Observatory and Bigmuskie Observatory, Italy, the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA), France, the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, United States, the Astronomical Institute of the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Thessaloniki, Greece. The main goal of the campaign is to establish an international network of professional and amateur astronomers (Pro-Am collaboration), in order to perform photometric observations of a very specific sample of the most ancient asteroids. A special website (http://users.uoa.gr/~kgaze/research_asteroids_en.html) was developed for the purpose of the campaign, that includes guidelines for the participation, the observations and the image data evaluation and collection.In the frame of Ancient Asteroids campaign, a user-friendly web application was also developed for the target selection and observing plan preparation. The user can easily find the observable asteroids for the campaign based on the location, the time and the equipment limitations. The targets are displayed with a priority rate, in order to perform smart sampling. The user selects the favor target and an observing plan automatically is created. The contribution The obtained lightcurves from all the involved participants will be combined with data available in the literature, as well as with sparse data from space missions (Gaia, TESS, etc) and global sky surveys (PTF, LSST, ATLAS, etc). Thus, the spin state of the asteroids can be revealed. The results will be ingested to the Minor Planet Physical Properties Catalogue (MP3C) program (https://mp3c.oca.eu/catalogue/index.htm), the largest database of asteroid physical properties, which complies with the EU vision for open data. The observing campaign Ancient Asteroids has started to collect photometric observations with the contribution of amateur astronomers from Italy, France and Greece are submitted. The observations will reveal the spin state of the members, which are crucial for the testing the hypothesis of the family membership. This research will potentially lead to a better understanding of the first stages of the evolution of the Solar System, the mechanism at the origin of the formation of the asteroids and the planet formation processes. AcknowledgmentsThis work was also partially supported by the ANR ORIGINS (ANR-18-CE31-0014) and by the French National Program of Planetology (PNP). Here we make use of asteroid physical properties data from Minor Planet Physical Properties Catalog (https://mp3c.oca.eu/). ReferencesBolin, B. T. et al. (2017). Icarus, 282, 290-312.Deienno, R. et al. (2021). Icarus, 357, 114218.Delbo, M. et al. (2019). Astronomy & Astrophysics, 624, A69.Delbo, M. et al. (2017). Science, 357, 6355.Dermott, S. F. et al. (2018). Nature Astronomy, 2, 7.Hanus, J. et al. (2013). Astronomy & Astrophysics, 559.Hanus, J. et al. (2013). Astronomy & Astrophysics, 551.Tsiganis K. et al. (2005). Nature, 435, 7041.Zappala, V. et al. (1990). Astrophysical Journal, 100, 2030-2046.

Various antidepressants are commonly used to treat depression and anxiety disorders, and sex differences have been identified in their efficacy and side effects. Steroids, such as estrogens and testosterone, both in the periphery and locally in the brain, are regarded as important modulators of these sex differences. This review presents published data from preclinical and clinical studies that measure testosterone and estrogen level changes during and/or after acute or chronic administration of different antidepressants. The majority of studies show an interaction between sex hormones and antidepressants on sexual function and behavior, or in depressive symptom alleviation. However, most of the studies omit to investigate antidepressants' effects on circulating levels of gonadal hormones. From data reviewed herein, it is evident that most antidepressants can influence testosterone and estrogen levels. Still, the evidence is conflicting with some studies showing an increase, others decrease or no effect. Most studies are conducted in male animals or humans, underscoring the importance of considering sex as an important variable in such investigations, especially as depression and anxiety disorders are more common in women than men. Therefore, research is needed to elucidate the extent to which antidepressants can influence both peripheral and brain levels of testosterone and estrogens, in males and females, and whether this impacts the effectiveness or side effects of antidepressants.

This paper proposes the establishment of a systematic framework for measuring dimensions of democracy within a university. It is shown that certain indicators internationally established and validated for the measurement of the institutional characteristics of democracy can, through appropriate adaptation, be transferred to the university field. A new model of mapping these characteristics to the university field was built using all available knowledge from international surveys, valid databases and researches conducted using questionnaires and structured interviews, specifically for the purposes of this paper. Chord diagrams, capable of providing meaningful dynamic graphical representations, were employed as a novel evaluative tool that highlights the existence and degree of significant interrelations between democracy indicators and democratic characteristics of the university. As a case study, we have chosen to analyze, compare and contrast the three most representative laws governing the operation of Greek universities for the last 35 years using the proposed model. Its operation, validity and capabilities were verified, after encapsulating the complex interdependencies among its variables, for a large time period, influenced by adverse social and economic changes. Thus, it can be used as an effective tool for comparisons among different universities, with respect to their democratic constitution.

Athens emerges as a paradox in travel literature; it is both a site of timeless monuments and a city in constant metamorphosis. From the late seventeenth to the twenty-first century, a great number of travelogues have revealed the changing identity of Athens and the ways in which its images were circulated and interpreted through the centuries. Classical imagery became the symbol of Athens through its first detailed descriptions by early travelers, while eighteenth- and nineteenth-century scholars, writers, and artists negotiated impulses to idealize, admire, or even satirize the city Athens in their secular pilgrimages. When Athens became the capital of the new nation after the GreekWar of Independence, its symbolic significance increased, suggesting not only the continuity with antiquity but also the divided position of Greece between past and present, East and West, the ideal and the real. Following its transformation into a modern metropolis, Athens continues to challenge travel writers to capture its ambiguity and explore its mythologies and traumas.

The accurate extraction of a coastline is necessary for various studies of coastal processes, as well as for the management and protection of coastal areas. Very high-resolution satellite imagery has great potential for coastline extraction; however, noises in spectral data can cause significant errors. Here, we present a newly developed Coastal Extraction Tool (CET) that overcomes such errors and allows accurate and time-efficient automated coastline extraction based on a combination of WorldView-2 (WV-2) multispectral imagery and stereo-pair-derived digital surface model (DSM). Coastline extraction is performed and tested on the Iž-Rava island group, situated within the Northern Dalmatian archipelago (Croatia). Extracted coastlines were compared to (a) coastlines extracted from state topographic map (1:25,000), and (b) coastline extracted by another available tool. The accuracy of the extracted coastline was validated with centimeter accuracy reference data acquired using a UAV system (Matrice 600 Pro + MicaSense RedEdge-MX). Within the study area, two small islets were detected that have not been mapped during the earlier coastline mapping efforts. CET proved to be a highly accurate coastline mapping technique that successfully overcomes spectral-induced errors. In future research, we are planning to integrate data obtained by UAVs infrared thermography (IRT) and in situ sensors, measuring sea and land surface temperatures (SST and LST), into the CET, given that this has shown promising results. Considering its accuracy and ease of use, we suggest that CET can be applied for automated coastline extraction in other large and indented coastal areas. Additionally, we suggest that CET could be applied in longitudinal geomorphological coastal erosion studies for the automated detection of spatio-temporal coastline displacement.

Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process that eliminates molecules and subcellular elements, including nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and organelles, via lysosome-mediated degradation to promote homeostasis, differentiation, development and survival. While autophagy is intimately linked to health, the intricate relationship among autophagy, aging and disease remains unclear. This Review examines several emerging features of autophagy and postulates how they may be linked to aging as well as to the development and progression of disease. In addition, we discuss current preclinical evidence arguing for the use of autophagy modulators as suppressors of age-related pathologies such as neurodegenerative diseases. Finally, we highlight key questions and propose novel research avenues that will likely reveal new links between autophagy and the hallmarks of aging. Understanding the precise interplay between autophagy and the risk of age-related pathologies across organisms will eventually facilitate the development of clinical applications that promote long-term health.

We study Rabi oscillations in a two-level system within the semiclassical approximation as an archetype test field of the Averaging Method (AM). The population transfer between the two levels is approached within the first and the second order AM. We systematically compare AM predictions with the rotating wave approximation (RWA) and with the complete numerical solution utilizing standard algorithms (NRWA). We study both the resonance (Δ = 0) and out-of-resonance () cases, where Δ = ω − Ω, and ℏΩ = E 2 − E1 is the two-level energetic separation, while ω is the (cyclic) frequency of the electromagnetic field. We introduce three types of dimensionless factors ϵ, i.e., ΩR/Δ, ΩR/Σ, and ΩR/ω, where ΩR is the Rabi (cyclic) frequency and Σ = ω + Ω and explore the range of ϵ where the AM results are equivalent to NRWA. Finally, by allowing for a phase difference in the initial electron wave functions, we explore the prospects coherence can offer. We illustrate that even with equal initial probabilities at the two levels, but with phase difference, strong oscillations can be generated and manipulated.

Aging, genomic stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction are risk factors for neurodegenerative pathologies, such as Parkinson disease (PD). Although genomic instability is associated with aging and mitochondrial impairment, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that base excision repair generates genomic stress, promoting age-related neurodegeneration in a Caenorhabditis elegans PD model. A physiological level of NTH-1 DNA glycosylase mediates mitochondrial and nuclear genomic instability, which promote degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in older nematodes. Conversely, NTH-1 deficiency protects against alpha-synuclein-induced neurotoxicity, maintaining neuronal function with age. This apparent paradox is caused by modulation of mitochondrial transcription in NTH-1-deficient cells, and this modulation activates LMD-3, JNK-1, and SKN-1 and induces mitohormesis. The dependance of neuroprotection on mitochondrial transcription highlights the integration of BER and transcription regulation during physiological aging. Finally, whole-exome sequencing of genomic DNA from patients with idiopathic PD suggests that base excision repair might modulate susceptibility to PD in humans.

We study and develop Bayesian models for the analysis of volleyball match outcomes as recorded by the set-difference. Due to the peculiarity of the outcome variable (set-difference) which takes discrete values from −3 to 3, we cannot consider standard models based on the usual Poisson or binomial assumptions used for other sports such as football/soccer. Hence, the first and foremost challenge was to build models appropriate for the set-difference of each volleyball match. Here we consider two major approaches: (a) an ordered multinomial logistic regression model and (b) a model based on a truncated version of the Skellam distribution. For the first model, we consider the set-difference as an ordinal response variable within the framework ofmultinomial logistic regression models. Concerning the second model, we adjust the Skellam distribution to account for the volleyball rules. We fit and compare both models with the same covariate structure as in Karlis & Ntzoufras (2003). Both models are fitted, illustrated and compared within Bayesian framework using data from both the regular season and the play-offs of the season 2016/17 of the Greek national men’s volleyball league A1.

The tangency portfolio, also known as the market portfolio, is the most efficient portfolio and arises from the intercept point of the Capital Market Line (CML) and the efficient frontier. In this paper, a binary optimal tangency portfolio under cardinality constraint (BOTPCC) problem is defined and studied as a nonlinear programming (NLP) problem. Because such NLP problems are widely approached by heuristic, a binary beetle antennae search algorithm is employed to provide a solution to the BTPSCC problem. Our method proved to be a magnificent substitute to other evolutionary algorithms in real-world datasets, based on numerical applications and computer simulations.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy, arising from terminally differentiated B cells, namely plasma cells. miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that participate in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. In this study, we investigated the role of nine miRNAs in MM. CD138+ plasma cells were selected from bone marrow aspirates from MM and smoldering MM (sMM) patients. Total RNA was extracted and in vitro polyadenylated. Next, first-strand cDNA synthesis was performed using an oligo-dT-adapter primer. For the relative quantification of the investigated miRNAs, an in-house real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was developed. A functional in silico analysis of the miRNAs was also performed. miR-16-5p and miR-155-5p expression was significantly lower in the CD138+ plasma cells of MM patients than in those of sMM patients. Furthermore, lower levels of miR-15a-5p, miR-16-5p, and miR-222-3p were observed in the CD138+ plasma cells of MM patients with osteolytic bone lesions, compared to those without. miR-125b-5p was also overexpressed in the CD138+ plasma cells of MM patients with bone disease that presented with skeletal-related events (SREs). Furthermore, lower levels of miR-223-3p were associated with significantly worse overall survival in MM patients. In conclusion, we propose a miRNA signature with putative clinical utility in MM.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine condition affecting 6-18{%} of adolescents and is strongly associated with obesity and cardiovascular risk factors, enhancing the risk of atherosclerosis. Thirty-two adolescents with newly diagnosed PCOS were evaluated for lipid profile disorders, insulin resistance, inflammation, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and subclinical atherosclerosis through measurements of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT). The relationships of the above markers with increased body mass index and abdominal obesity were investigated. Twenty-three adolescents (72{%}) were overweight (OW) or obese (OB). The OW/OB group had significantly higher insulin, HOMA-IR, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), visceral adiposity index (VAI), and lipid accumulation product (LAP) levels; and lower glucose-per-insulin ratios and HDL-C levels compared to the healthy weight group. The cIMT and small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL-C) levels did not differ between the two groups. Similarly, cIMT and sdLDL-C levels did not differ between PCOS-adolescents and healthy controls. CIMT was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure and waist circumference per height ratio. In conclusion, OW/OB PCOS-adolescents have a cluster of adverse factors predisposing them to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Therefore, early cardiovascular risk assessment, as well as timely and targeted interventions, are necessary for prevention.

{The purpose of this study was to analyse selected serve characteristics in top-level male volleyball, with a special focus on detecting adaptations of the serve skill among seasons. The indicators examined were type, position, direction and quality of serve. The sample consisted of 5482 serves from three final phases of different top-level tournaments (Olympic Games 2012

BACKGROUND: Tumors can be separated into immunogenic/hot and non-immunogenic/cold on the basis of the presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), the expression of PD-L1 and the tumor mutation burden (TMB). In immunogenic tumors, TILs become unable to control tumor growth because their activity is suppressed by different inhibitory pathways, including PD-1/PD-L1. We hypothesized that tumor vaccines may not be active in the immunosuppressive microenvironment of immunogenic/hot tumors while they could be efficient in the immune naive microenvironment of non-immunogenic/cold tumors. METHODS: The randomized phase II Vx-001-201 study investigated the effect of the Vx-001 vaccine as maintenance treatment in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Biopsies from 131 (68 placebo and 63 Vx-001) patients were retrospectively analyzed for PD-L1 expression and TIL infiltration. TILs were measured as tumor-associated immune cells (TAICs), CD3-TILs, CD8-TILs and granzyme B-producing TILs (GZMB-TILs). Patients were distinguished into PD-L1(+) and PD-L1(-) and into TIL high and TIL low. FINDINGS: There was no correlation between PD-L1 expression and Vx-001 clinical activity. In contrast, Vx-001 showed a significant improvement of overall survival (OS) vs. placebo in TAIC low (21 vs. 8.1 months, p = 0.003, HR = 0.404, 95% CI 0.219-0.745), CD3-TIL low (21.6 vs. 6.6 months, p < 0.001, HR = 0.279, 95% CI 0.131-0.595), CD8-TIL low (21 vs. 6.6 months, p < 0.001; HR = 0.240, 95% CI 0.11-0.522) and GZMB-TIL low (20.7 vs. 11.1 months, p = 0.011, HR = 0.490, 95% CI 0.278-0.863). Vx-001 did not offer any clinical benefit in patients with TAIC high, CD3-TIL high, CD8-TIL high or GZMB-TIL high tumors. CD3-TIL, CD8-TIL and GZMB-TIL were independent predictive factors of Vx-001 efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that Vx-001 may be efficient in patients with non-immunogenic/cold but not with immunogenic/hot tumors.

Binary and multiple stellar systems are numerous in our solar neighbourhood with 80 per cent of the solar-type stars being members of systems with high order multiplicity. The Contact Binaries Towards Merging (CoBiToM) Project is a programme that focuses on contact binaries and multiple stellar systems, as a key for understanding stellar nature. The goal is to investigate stellar coalescence and merging processes, as the final state of stellar evolution of low-mass contact binary systems. Obtaining observational data of approximately 100 eclipsing binaries and multiple systems and more than 400 archival systems, the programme aspires to give insights for their physical and orbital parameters and their temporal variations, e.g. the orbital period modulation, spot activity etc. Gravitational phenomena in multiple-star environments will be linked with stellar evolution. A comprehensive analysis will be conducted, in order to investigate the possibility of contact binaries to host planets, as well as the link between inflated hot Jupiters and stellar mergers. The innovation of CoBiToM Project is based on a multimethod approach and a detailed investigation, that will shed light for the first time on the origin of stellar mergers and rapidly rotating stars. In this work, we describe the scientific rationale, the observing facilities to be used and the methods that will be followed to achieve the goals of CoBiToM Project and we present the first results as an example of the current research on evolution of contact binary systems.

Ultra-short orbital period contact binaries (Porb < 0.26 d) host some of the smallest and least massive stars. These systems are faint and rare, and it is believed that they have reached a contact configuration after several Gyrs of evolution via angular momentum loss, mass transfer and mass loss through stellar wind processes. This study is conducted in the frame of Contact Binaries Towards Merging (CoBiToM) Project and presents the results from light curve and orbital analysis of 30 ultra-short orbital period contact binaries, with the aim to investigate the possibility of them being red nova progenitors, eventually producing merger events. Approximately half of the systems exhibit orbital period modulations, as a result of mass transfer or mass loss processes. Although they are in contact, their fill-out factor is low (less than 30 per cent), while their mass ratio is larger than the one in longer period contact binaries. The present study investigates the orbital stability of these systems and examines their physical and orbital parameters in comparison to those of the entire sample of known and well-studied contact binaries, based on combined spectroscopic and photometric analysis. It is found that ultra-short orbital period contact binaries have very stable orbits, while very often additional components are gravitationally bound in wide orbits around the central binary system. We confirmed that the evolution of such systems is very slow, which explains why the components of ultra-short orbital period systems are still Main Sequence stars after several Gyrs of evolution.

Ultra-short orbital period contact binaries (Porb < 0.26 d) host some of the smallest and least massive stars. These systems are faint and rare, and it is believed that they have reached a contact configuration after several Gyrs of evolution via angular momentum loss, mass transfer and mass loss through stellar wind processes. This study is conducted in the frame of Contact Binaries Towards Merging (CoBiToM) Project and presents the results from light curve and orbital analysis of 30 ultra-short orbital period contact binaries, with the aim to investigate the possibility of them being red nova progenitors, eventually producing merger events. Approximately half of the systems exhibit orbital period modulations, as a result of mass transfer or mass loss processes. Although they are in contact, their fill-out factor is low (less than 30 per cent), while their mass ratio is larger than the one in longer period contact binaries. The present study investigates the orbital stability of these systems and examines their physical and orbital parameters in comparison to those of the entire sample of known and well-studied contact binaries, based on combined spectroscopic and photometric analysis. It is found that ultra-short orbital period contact binaries have very stable orbits, while very often additional components are gravitationally bound in wide orbits around the central binary system. We confirmed that the evolution of such systems is very slow, which explains why the components of ultra-short orbital period systems are still Main Sequence stars after several Gyrs of evolution.

This study focuses on women’s integration in the military through sports, and particularly coed sports in the Hellenic Military Higher Education Institutions: 1) the Hellenic Army Academy, 2) the Hellenic Military Academy of Corps Officers, 3) the Hellenic Military Nursing Academy, 4) the Hellenic Naval Academy, and 5) the Hellenic Air Force Academy. We argue that coed sports (mixed-gender teams) can be used as an integration tool in military institutions, although research on this topic is scarce. Our study begins with a literature review on gender, the military, and sport combining a qualitative and quantitative approach to facilitate a better understanding of how women and men navigate and perceive the meaning of their mixed-gender military sport experience in the Hellenic Military Higher Education Institutions. Initially, twelve Greek women, active officers in the Armed Forces, took part in a series of semi-structured interviews. The twelve women, all high-ranking military officers today—between the ages of 25 to 49—were randomly chosen. Subsequently, a total of 120 active officers of both genders responded to the Greek version of the "Group Environment Questionnaire" (Angelonidis, 1995). From a total of 18 questions, nine were selected to examine gender integration through sport. The main research question is whether sport in the five military higher education academies/schools in Greece contributes to gender integration as perceived and understood by the 120 participants (female and male officers). The findings showed that integration is a process involving non-isolation, meaning acceptance of the gender subject (the officer cadet/military student) regardless of his/her gender into the team, as opposed to his/her exclusion, and as a result the union-unity-acceptance in a sport team of all the subjects (officer cadets of both genders). According to the results of the analysis, there is a statistically significant interaction between the variables 'joint participation of men and women in sports' and the 'integration of women' in the five Hellenic Military Higher Education Institutions. The results of this study indicate that mixed-gender military sport programs serve as a means for gender integration, unity, and cohesion. Other than strengthening physical capacity, fitness and performance, the findings confirm that coed military sport activities could prevent sexism; eliminate or reduce gender harassment, discrimination, and stereotypes; strengthen interpersonal communication/relationships and teamwork; reinforce team and social cohesion, unity, and cooperation skills.   Keywords: Hegemonic masculinity, Sidestreaming, Gender integration, Women, Armed Forces, Military academies, Coed sports, Mixed-gender activities

This article presents a comparison of the results obtained using the newly proposed Simple Weighted Sum Product method and some prominent multiple criteria decision-making methods. For comparison, several analyses were performed using the Python programming language and its NumPy library. The comparison was also made on a real decision-making problem taken from the literature. The obtained results confirm the high correlation of the results obtained using the Simple Weighted Sum Product method and selected multiple criteria decision-making methods such as TOPSIS, SAW, ARAS, WASPAS, and CoCoSo, which confirms the usability of the Simple Weighted Sum Product method for solving multiple criteria decision-making problems.

Members of the ubiquitous Nucleobase Ascorbate Transporter (NAT) family are H or Na symporters specific for the cellular uptake of either purines and pyrimidines or L-ascorbic acid. Despite the fact that several bacterial and fungal members have been extensively characterised at a genetic, biochemical or cellular level, and crystal structures of NAT members from Escherichia coli and Aspergillus nidulans have been determined pointing to a mechanism of transport, we have little insight on how substrate selectivity is determined. Here, we present systematic mutational analyses, rational combination of mutations, and novel genetic screens that reveal cryptic context-dependent roles of partially conserved residues in the so-called NAT signature motif in determining the specificity of the UapA transporter of A. nidulans. We show that specific NAT signature motif substitutions, alone and in combinations with each other or with distant mutations in residues known to affect substrate selectivity, lead to novel UapA versions possessing variable transport capacities and specificities for nucleobases. In particular, we show that a UapA version including the quadruple mutation T405S/F406Y/A407S/Q408E in the NAT signature motif (UapA-SYSE) becomes incapable of purine transport, but gains a novel pyrimidine-related profile, which can be further altered to a more promiscuous purine/pyrimidine profile when combined with replacements at distantly located residues, especially at F528. Our results reveal that UapA specificity is genetically highly modifiable and allow us to speculate on how the elevator-type mechanism of transport might account for this flexibility.

QR decomposition (QRD) is of fundamental importance for matrix factorization in both real and complex cases. In this paper, by using zeroing neural dynamics method, a continuous-time model is proposed for solving the time-varying problem of QRD in real-time. The proposed dynamics use time derivative information from a known real or complex matrix. Furthermore, its theoretical analysis is provided to substantiate the convergence and effectiveness of solving the time-varying QRD problem. In addition, numerical experiments in four different-dimensional time-varying matrices show that the proposed model is effective for solving the time-varying QRD problem both in the case of a real or a complex matrix as input.

Motivated by the study of Hörmander's sums-of-squares operators and their generalizations, we define the convolution algebra of proper distributions associated to a singular foliation. We prove that this algebra is represented as continuous linear operators on the spaces of smooth functions and generalized functions on the underlying manifold. This generalizes Schwartz kernel operators to singular foliations. We also define the algebra of smoothing operators in this context and prove that it is a two-sided ideal.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is the development and validation of a novel and robust genotyping method for a new lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) intronic polymorphism (rs11638944, C > G) and the investigation of its potential association with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PXS) and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PXG) in a Greek population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 242 DNA samples from 49 PXS, 64 PXG, 50 primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients and 79 healthy age-matched controls were analyzed. Novel methodologies were developed and optimized, in order to genotype the intronic LOXL1 polymorphism: a) a real-time qPCR and melting curve analysis in the Light Cycler platform for rapid and cost-effective analysis and, b) a conventional PCR-RFLP method for analysis of a small number of samples. In selected samples, validity was checked with the reference DNA Sequencing method. RESULTS: The real-time qPCR methodology was reliable, demonstrating good efficiency, reproducibility, accuracy in genotyping (100% concordance with the PCR-RFLP method and DNA Sequencing), with good allele discrimination (Tm = 53.26 degrees C for C allele, Tm = 61.83 degrees C for G allele, DeltaTm = 8.57 degrees C). The results were characterized by Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in all groups. An increase from 18% in healthy controls to 61% in PXS patients was detected for the G/G homozygote thus, the C allele is protective for PXS with OR = 0.22 (95%CI: 0.11-0.42, p < .0001). Moreover, an increase from 18% in healthy controls to 70% in PXG patients was detected for the G/G homozygote thus, the C allele is protective for PXG with OR = 0.13 (95%CI: 0.06-0.25, p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: A statistically significant association was verified for the intronic LOXL1 polymorphism rs11638944 and PXS/PXG in a Greek population

COVID-19 incidence and case fatality rates (CFR) differ among ethnicities, stimulating efforts to pinpoint genetic factors that could explain these phenomena. In this regard, the multiallelic apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene has recently been interrogated in the UK biobank cohort, demonstrating associations of the APOE epsilon4/epsilon4 genotype with COVID-19 severity and mortality. The frequency of the epsilon4 allele and thus the distribution of APOE epsilon4/epsilon4 genotype may differ among populations. We have assessed APOE genotypes in 1638 Greek individuals, based on haplotypes derived from SNP rs7412 and rs429358 and found reduced frequency of epsilon4/epsilon4 compared to the British cohort. Herein we discuss this finding in relation to CFR and hypothesize on the potential mechanisms linking APOE epsilon4/epsilon4 to severe COVID-19. We postulate that the metabolic deregulation ensued by APOE4, manifested by elevated cholesterol and oxidized lipoprotein levels, may be central to heightened pneumocyte susceptibility to infection and to exaggerated lung inflammation associated with the epsilon4/epsilon4 genotype. We also discuss putative dietary and pharmacological approaches for the prevention and management of COVID-19 in APOE epsilon4/epsilon4 individuals.

Romans 6,1-14 is central to Pauline thought, both in the letter to the Romans and in the Apostle’s theology as a whole, and this is the reason for its multifaceted history of interpretation, influence, and reception. While this text has many interpretative and hermeneutical dimensions, in this essay we will select an exegetical approach, with emphasis on the detailed examination of its structure, flow, terminology, and theo- logical content. Due to its particular theme, we will mainly focus on the interplay between the terms and theological ideas relating to the concepts of death, life, and resurrection, while also linking christology, ethics, and soteriology to each other.

The timing and character of coarse siliciclastic sediment delivered to deep-water environments in active rift basins is governed by the complicated interactions of tectonics, climate, eustasy, hinterland geology, and shelf process regime. The stratigraphic archives of deep-water syn-rift basin-fills provide records of palaeoenvironmental changes (e.g. climate and vegetation) in onshore catchments, particularly where they are connected by narrow shelves. However, a chronostratigraphically constrained record of climatic fluctuations and process responses in the hinterland source area recorded in deep-water deposits is rare. Here, we integrate a fully cored research borehole with outcrop exposures of deep-water syn-rift stratigraphy to reconstruct palaeoenvironmental change within the stratigraphy of the West Xylokastro Fault Block in the Corinth Rift, Greece. We used palaeomagnetic and palynological analyses from borehole core samples to develop a chronostratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental model, which we compare to global records of Early-Mid Pleistocene climate and eustatic change. This framework allows establishment of a chronostratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental context to stratigraphic variability encountered in outcrop and in the borehole. Our results show that the ∼240 m thick studied succession was deposited from ∼1.1 to 0.6 Ma across the Early-to Mid-Pleistocene transition. During the Early Pleistocene, obliquity-paced climatic variability is largely coherent with vegetation changes of forest coverage within catchments on the southern margin of the Corinth Rift. Large magnitude, eccentricity-paced cyclicity dominant after the Mid-Pleistocene Transition can alter sediment supply from onshore catchments during the warming stages of severe interglacials where expansion of forest cover may trap sediment within catchments. Conglomeratic grade sediment delivery to the deep-water is enhanced during glacial periods, interpreted to reflect sparse forest cover and large winter storms, and during semi-arid, grassland-dominated interglacial highstands during severe interglacials. Base-level rise during minor interglacials is easily outpaced by high sediment supply and is seldom represented stratigraphically. The study demonstrates the value of integrated palynological and sedimentological studies, whilst applying a conservative approach to interpretation when dealing with sparse palynological records from proximal deep-water stratigraphy. The case study provides conceptual models where climatic and vegetation changes can begin to be incorporated as a key control on sediment flux from onshore drainage basins to deep-water syn-rift successions.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Adolescent cannabis use is associated with adult psychopathology. When Δ(9) -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), mainly in high doses, is administered to adolescence rats there are also long lasting effects in adults. This study aims to determine the specific adult bio-behavioural profile after adolescent low-dose THC, which better mirrors adolescent recreational cannabis use. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Adolescent male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with escalating low-dose of THC. In adulthood, they were evaluated for their spontaneous locomotion, sensorimotor gating, higher order and spatial cognitive functions. Dopaminergic activity and cannabinoid receptor expression were measured in distinct brain regions. Hippocampal neurogenic activity of neural stem cells was determined and protein levels of neuroplasticity-related biomarkers were quantified. Adolescent low-dose THC exposure increased spontaneous open-field activity, without affecting prepulse inhibition and attentional set-shifting performance. Region-specific dopaminergic alterations and CB(1) receptor up-regulation in the prefrontal cortex were observed. Impaired spatial memory, as assessed with the object location task and Morris water maze test, was associated with significantly decreased proliferative activity (SOX2-positive cells), neurogenic potential (decreased doublecortin-positive cells) in the adult hippocampus and defective neuroplasticity, including reduced BDNF expression in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. KEY RESULTS: Our findings reveal the adverse impact of adolescent low-dose THC on the psychomotor profile, dopaminergic neurotransmission, compensatory cannabinoid receptor response, cognition-related neurobiological and behavioural functions. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Our adolescent low-dose THC animal model does not induce tangible psychotic-like effects, such as those reported in high-dose THC studies, but it impairs cognitive functions and points to hippocampal vulnerability and disrupted neurogenesis.

Research in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), that is the medium of communication between people who come from different linguacultural backgrounds, has created a rich body of work in various areas. This article focuses on a more recent development of this research for teachers and teacher educators in the perspective of critical language education (CLE). We explore how ELF research, both the linguistic/discourse-oriented one and the pedagogic-oriented one, can benefit from its links to CLE, with its understanding of teaching for social change. We then refer to aspects of critical transformative theory that become relevant in designing and implementing ELF-aware teacher education programmes, focusing especially on three recursive (non-linear) components, i.e. the phase of exposure, the phase of critical awareness and the phase of development of actions that teachers can implement in their teaching. We finish by exploring the critical role of assessment in language education and conclude by inviting teachers and educators to become involved in ELF research for CLE.

BACKGROUND: Parkinsonian symptoms are common adverse effects of antipsychotics. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to drug-induced parkinsonism. Nonetheless, parkinsonian symptoms in seniors treated with antipsychotics cannot be straightforwardly attributed to antipsychotic medication. A comprehensive diagnostic workup is necessary in many cases in order to shed light on the cause of such symptoms in this patient population. CASE SERIES: Eight cases of hospitalized depressed older adults with parkinsonian symptoms, who were treated for at least one year with antipsychotics, are reported. Based on neurological consultation, structural brain imaging and Ioflupane (I-123) dopamine transporter (DAT) single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT), Parkinson's disease was diagnosed in one case, idiopathic tremor in another, vascular parkinsonism in another one, while in another individual parkinsonian symptoms persisted at 12-month post-discharge follow-up even though his/her symptoms were classified as drug-induced on discharge. In four patients, parkinsonian symptoms were definitely drug-induced and no movement disturbances were reported at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in the cause and outcome of parkinsonian symptoms in seniors treated with antipsychotics merit systematic and in-depth study considering the therapeutic and prognostic implications of an accurate detection of the cause of such symptoms. Familiarizing clinical psychiatrists with these differences could pave the way towards approaching seniors with severe, atypical and/or persistent parkinsonian symptoms in a more individualized diagnostic and therapeutic manner, and towards more cautious prescribing of antipsychotics in this age group.

The language of arboreal metamorphosis in Han Kang’s The Vegetarian notonly invokes the Ovidian myth of Daphne and Apollo but also establishes apost-anthropocentric perspective according to which the irreducible materialand symbolic connections between humans and other entities are brought tolight. Drawing on the Derridean concept of carnophallogocentrism, on onehand, and on posthuman feminist scholarship, on the other, this article arguesthat the protagonist’s gradual release from her bond to Anthropos to embraceforms of plant life highlights feminist posthumanism’s attempt to explore theintricate relationships of human beings with each other and other species outsidethe parameters of anthropocentrism.

In this paper, we employ Ian Hacking’s insight that ‘‘unity’’ has a double meaning, singleness and harmonious integration, to revisit a major episode from the recent history of CERN: the UA1 and UA2 experiments in the early 1980s, which led to the discovery of the W and Z bosons. CERN is a complex institution, where diverse groups are called upon to cooperate. We argue that this lack of unity, in the first sense of the term, is counterbalanced by specific mechanisms of integration, so that CERN achieves its standing as a unified organization. The UA1/UA2 episode highlights this interplay between unity and disunity. The UA2 experiment was designed and carried out in order to confirm the validity of the results obtained by UA1. The two experimental teams, working independently and with different mentalities, built separate detectors and refrained from systematically sharing their data. This gave rise to strong antagonisms and diametrically opposed opinions over what conclusions could legitimately be drawn from the resulting data. Our analysis focuses on the mechanisms which compensated for that disunity and eventually led to a unified consensus between UA1 and UA2.

Lasithi is the easternmost regional unit on Crete Island (Greece), south of which lies the Hellenic Arc. The broader offshore study area is dominated by reverse and strike-slip faulting, while active normal faults are mapped on land. Detailed research of the latter suggests that the northern and central parts of Lasithi are affected by arc-parallel extension, whereas the southern part by arc-normal extension. The NNE-SSW striking faults are more frequent and form horst and graben or half-graben macro-structures. These faults usually consist of two or more segments accompanied by post-glacial scarps and clear evidence of recent reactivations. The E-W to ESE-WNW striking faults are scarcer and mainly observed along the southern coastal zone or offshore. Compared to the NNE-SSW strikingfaults, they present fewer active traces. Significant events in the study area include the 8th August1303 (M≈8.0) earthquake and the 1st July 2009 (Mw=6.4) earthquake that occurred south of Crete, triggering a small tsunami. A probabilistic seismic hazard assessment is performed for Lasithi. The maximum expected ground motion parameters (PGA, PGV and PGD) for mean return periods of 475and 950 years are determined using the SHARE 2013 zones and seismicity model. Greek GMPEs that consider type of faulting and soil type were applied. Optimum results are obtained through a logic-tree approach, which considers all GMPEs. The Uniform Hazard Spectrum for Agios Nikolaos, Sitia and Ierapetra are presented and compared with the elastic design spectra proposed by the Greek National Building Code and Eurocode 8.

Nickel laterites constitute a significant proportion of world nickel reserves. In Greece, LARCO GMMSA exploits the domestic laterite deposits, operating in Locris area and Euboea island (Central Greece) and in Kastoria area (Northern Greece). During the last decades, the use of remote sensing technology in geological mapping has gained significant attention worldwide. In particular, multispectral/hyperspectral imagery is one of the most widespread and standard source of data for the recognition of spatial and/or spectral patterns in mineral/ore exploration. To this purpose, the development of suitable state-of-the-art processing algorithms, either at pixel level or at sub-pixel level, is of crucial importance. In particular, spectral unmixing (SU) is currently a very powerful method that allows sub-pixel level processing in order to assess spectral information regarding different lithologies that co-exist within a pixel. The aim of SU is the decomposition of the spectral signatures of mixed pixels onto a space spanned by a set of spectral signatures (represented as vectors) corresponding to pure physical materials (endmembers). The latter are retrieved either from spectral libraries or they are extracted from the image itself by detecting the relatively “purest” pixels via suitable algorithms. The resulting decomposition coefficients are indicative of the degree of each endmember’s presence within each pixel. It should be noted here, that in contrast to other scalar-based approaches (e.g. spectral indices), SU is a vector-based processing that provides richer representational capabilities. The most widely used assumption in SU is that each pixel’s spectral signature can be written as a linear combination of the spectral signatures of its endmembers (linear mixing hypothesis). In this study, we investigate the ability of SU to reliably map FeNi laterite outcrops. The study area is the Tsouka laterite excavation in Central Greece, operated by LARCO GMMSA. More specifically, linear SU is applied to a Sentinel-2 satellite image. The dataset is atmospherically corrected, spatially resampled to 10m pixel size and subset to the excavation area. For the needs of SU, two endmembers are used, namely a laterite endmember and a non-laterite endmember. The former corresponds to the average spectral signature of selected pixels of pure laterite composition. The latter represents both the other two existing lithologies, namely Cretaceous limestones and ophiolites. The SU resulting abundance maps show that Sentinel-2 succeeds to satisfactorily map the FeNi laterite. The proposed method is fast, low-cost and non-destructive and can contribute to the research of LARCO GMMSA for new exploitable ores.

Dysregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is often linked to the neurobiology of depression, though the presence and type of this dysregulation is not a consistent finding. Meanwhile, significant sex differences exist regarding depression and the HPA axis. Animal models of depression simulate certain aspects of the human disease and aim to advance our knowledge regarding its neurobiology and discover new antidepressant treatments. Most animal models of depression induce a depressive-like phenotype taking advantage of stressful experimental conditions, that also increase corticosterone, the main stress hormone in rodents. In this review we present inconsistent results in male and female rodents regarding the interaction between the depressive-like behavioral phenotype and corticosterone. In commonly used models, the female depressive-like phenotype in rodents seems significantly less dependent on the stress hormone corticosterone, whereas the male behavioral response is more evident and associates with variations of corticosterone. Further research and clarification of this sex-dependent interaction will have significant ramifications on the improvement of the validity of animal models of depression.

The aim of this article is to make a case for the pertinence of a biographical approach to the history of scientific objects. I first lay out the rationale of that approach by revisiting and extending my earlier work on the topic. I consider the characteristics of scientific objects that motivate the biographical metaphor, and I indicate its virtues and limitations by bringing out the positive and negative analogies between biographies of scientific objects and ordinary biographies. I then point out various ways in which scientific objects may pass away and argue that their demise should be conceptualized as a process. Finally, I sketch the history of the concept of “ether” in nineteenth and early twentieth century physics and suggest that it lends itself particularly well to a biographical treatment. To that effect, I discuss the identity, heuristic character, and recalcitrance of the ether and examine the reasons that may have led to its passing.

Bed sharing—the sharing of a sleeping surface by parents and children—is a common, yet controversial, practice. While most research has focused on the public health aspect of this practice, much less is known regarding its effect on the marital relationship. The aim of the present study was to conduct a scoping review on the impact of parent–infant bed sharing sleeping practices on the sexual and marital relationship of couples. The qualitative synthesis of six studies on this topic suggests that overall, bed sharing does not exert a significant negative impact on family functioning; when it does, it appears to be related to incongruent parental beliefs and expectations, especially when bed sharing is not an intentional choice of sleep arrangement, and there are other confounding factors such as fatigue and psychological distress. Suggestions for future studies and clinical implications are discussed.

The discrimination of enantiomers is crucial in biochemistry. However, chiral sensing faces significant limitations due to inherently weak chiroptical signals. Nanophotonics is a promising solution to enhance sensitivity thanks to increased optical chirality maximized by strong electric and magnetic fields. Metallic and dielectric nanoparticles can separately provide electric and magnetic resonances. Here we propose their synergistic combination in hybrid metal–dielectric nanostructures to exploit their dual character for superchiral fields beyond the limits of single particles. For optimal optical chirality, in addition to maximization of the resonance strength, the resonances must spectrally coincide. Simultaneously, their electric and magnetic fields must be parallel and π/2 out of phase and spatially overlap. We demonstrate that the interplay between the strength of the resonances and these optimal conditions constrains the attainable optical chirality in resonant systems. Starting from a simple symmetric nanodimer, we derive closed-form expressions elucidating its fundamental limits of optical chirality. Building on the trade-offs of different classes of dimers, we then suggest an asymmetric dual dimer based on realistic materials. These dual nanoresonators provide strong and decoupled electric and magnetic resonances together with optimal conditions for chiral fields. Finally, we introduce more complex dual building blocks for a metasurface with a record 300-fold enhancement of local optical chirality in nanoscale gaps, enabling circular dichroism enhancement by a factor of 20. By combining analytical insight and practical designs, our results put forward hybrid resonators to increase chiral sensitivity, particularly for small molecular quantities.

This paper provides some new insights into the dual function of expressive speech acts discussed in pragmatic theory as either expressions of genuine emotions or conventionalised acts of courtesy. Drawing on the framework of interpersonal pragmatics, it analyses signs displayed on the doors of closed businesses in Athens and London during the first lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic. These closure signs are characterised by a heavy use of relational features, including four expressive speech acts, namely greetings, apologies, thanks and wishes, which form the focus of the analysis. The relational work performed by these speech acts reflects the social changes brought about by the pandemic as well as the business owners’ attempts to retain their customers. The expressive speech acts featured on the signs are evaluated against the norms set out by the genre of closure signs. The comparative angle of the study, on the other hand, links the discussion to norms related to the display of emotions and to the use of conventionalised formulae in the two countries under study, thus revealing culture-specific perspectives on the dual function of expressive speech acts.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic presented an unexpected challenge for the surgical community in general and Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) specialists in particular. This document aims to summarize recent evidence and experts' opinion and formulate recommendations to guide the surgical community on how to best organize the recovery plan for surgical activity across different sub-specialities after the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Recommendations were developed through a Delphi process for establishment of expert consensus. Domain topics were formulated and subsequently subdivided into questions pertinent to different surgical specialities following the COVID-19 crisis. Sixty-five experts from 24 countries, representing the entire EAES board, were invited. Fifty clinicians and six engineers accepted the invitation and drafted statements based on specific key questions. Anonymous voting on the statements was performed until consensus was achieved, defined by at least 70% agreement. RESULTS: A total of 92 consensus statements were formulated with regard to safe resumption of surgery across eight domains, addressing general surgery, upper GI, lower GI, bariatrics, endocrine, HPB, abdominal wall and technology/research. The statements addressed elective and emergency services across all subspecialties with specific attention to the role of MIS during the recovery plan. Eighty-four of the statements were approved during the first round of Delphi voting (91.3%) and another 8 during the following round after substantial modification, resulting in a 100% consensus. CONCLUSION: The recommendations formulated by the EAES board establish a framework for resumption of surgery following COVID-19 pandemic with particular focus on the role of MIS across surgical specialities. The statements have the potential for wide application in the clinical setting, education activities and research work across different healthcare systems.

Climate change education (CCE) fosters the skills and behavioral patterns of students in regards to climate-related challenges and risks. Despite its importance, the integration of CCE in schools is challenging due to the interdisciplinary nature of climate science and the obstacles and demands of everyday school reality. Here, we examine the case of satellite Remote Sensing (RS) for Earth Observation (EO) as an innovative tool for facilitating CCE. We focus on Greece, a country that, despite being a hot spot for climate change, shows a low level of CCE integration in schools and awareness for EO-based educational resources. Based on interviews with in-service teachers, our research reveals the following: (a) there is a high interest in how satellites depict environmental phenomena; (b) EO is considered an efficient vehicle for promoting CCE in schools because it illustrates climate change impacts most effectively; (c) local natural disasters, such as intense forest fires and floods, are more familiar to students and, thus, preferable for teaching when compared to global issues, such as the greenhouse effect and sea level rise; and (d) educators are in favor of short, hands-on, EO-based activities (also known as “activity-shots”), as the most useful material format for integrating climate change topics in their everyday teaching practice.

Climate change education (CCE) fosters the skills and behavioral patterns of students in regards to climate-related challenges and risks. Despite its importance, the integration of CCE in schools is challenging due to the interdisciplinary nature of climate science and the obstacles and demands of everyday school reality. Here, we examine the case of satellite Remote Sensing (RS) for Earth Observation (EO) as an innovative tool for facilitating CCE. We focus on Greece, a country that, despite being a hot spot for climate change, shows a low level of CCE integration in schools and awareness for EO-based educational resources. Based on interviews with in-service teachers, our research reveals the following: (a) there is a high interest in how satellites depict environmental phenomena; (b) EO is considered an efficient vehicle for promoting CCE in schools because it illustrates climate change impacts most effectively; (c) local natural disasters, such as intense forest fires and floods, are more familiar to students and, thus, preferable for teaching when compared to global issues, such as the greenhouse effect and sea level rise; and (d) educators are in favor of short, hands-on, EO-based activities (also known as “activity-shots”), as the most useful material format for integrating climate change topics in their everyday teaching practice.

We employ the extended boundary condition method (EBCM) that we properly extend so as to describe gyroelectric and gyromagnetic (i.e., gyrotropic) anisotropy and report on the electromagnetic (EM) complex resonances of magnetooptic (i.e., gyroelectric) bodies of revolution (BoRs), as well as on the complex magnetic plasmon resonances (MPRs) of ferrite (i.e., gyromagnetic) BoRs. The proposed extension is based on an alternative scheme for the expansion of the EM field inside a gyrotropic medium, namely, a discrete eigenfunction (DE) expansion in terms of spherical vector wave functions (SVWFs). This approach provides the transition matrix (namely, T-matrix) that allows not only for the direct computation of the scattered field from the incident one, but also for the determination of the complex resonances of open (i.e., situated in free space) gyrotropic BoR resonators. The EBCM is validated on two levels: first, by calculating the EM scattering from various BoRs, including anisotropic spheroids, cylinders, and rods, and comparing with HFSS commercial software; second, by computing the complex eigenfrequency spectrum of gyroelectric spheroidal resonators and comparing with a recently developed rigorous technique for the EM modeling of anisotropic spheroids.

This paper examines the impact of the European Central Bank’s unconventional monetary policy (UMP) on bank lending supply and performance in the euro area, through comparing the evolution of bank-specific variables before and after the UMP implementation. By using a dynamic panel data analysis on banks across discrete country groups (euro zone, core, peripheral) and by controlling for bank-specific and country-level variables, we provide evidence that the bank lending decisions and performance of euro zone banks are not UMP driven, implying the limited ability of the ECB to enhance the effectiveness of banks’ lending channel and to affect banks’ profitability during the crisis. Our findings also suggest that different criteria determine banks’ lending strategy before the UMP period, bank credit strategies vary across the country samples, while the weaker economies’ banks seem to underestimate the impact of liquidity risk on their lending activity.

BACKGROUND: The driving behavior of patients with mild Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD) and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is frequently characterized by errors. A genetic factor affecting cognition is apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4), with carriers of APOE4 showing greater episodic memory impairment than non-carriers. However, differences in the driving performance of the two groups have not been investigated. OBJECTIVE: To compare driving performance in APOE4 carriers and matched non-carriers. METHODS: Fourteen APOE4 carriers and 14 non-carriers with amnestic MCI or mild ADD underwent detailed medical and neuropsychological assessment and participated in a driving simulation experiment, involving driving in moderate and high traffic volume in a rural environment. Driving measures were speed, lateral position, headway distance and their SDs, and reaction time. APOE was genotyped through plasma samples. RESULTS: Mixed two-way ANOVAs examining traffic volume and APOE4 status showed a significant effect of traffic volume on all driving variables, but a significant effect of APOE4 on speed variability only. APOE4 carriers were less variable in their speed than non-carriers; this remained significant after a Bonferroni correction. To further examine variability in the driving performance, coefficients of variation (COV) were computed. Larger headway distance COV and smaller lateral position COV were observed in high compared to moderate traffic. APOE4 carriers had smaller speed COV compared to non-carriers. CONCLUSION: The lower speed variability of APOE4 carriers in the absence of neuropsychological test differences indicates reduced speed adaptations, possibly as a compensatory strategy. Simulated driving may be a sensitive method for detecting performance differences in the absence of cognitive differences

Performance in a volleyball match is the result of a dynamic and interactive process between two teams. The current study aimed to investigate the influence of the quality of opposition on skill performance indicators. A total of 550 teams’ performances (N¼550) from 275 sets of men’s European Championship 2019 was recorded and the effectiveness of 12 parameters from 5 basic volleyball skills was analyzed. A two-step cluster analysis was performed to divide 24 teams into three quality groups (upper, middle, lower) and 6 types of match status were created according to the quality of the opponents. Binomial logistic regression showed that for each type of match, the key performance factors that discrim- inate win and loss are differentiated, while the efficacy of attack win is associated with the success almost with all contexts studied. Other significant parameters were serve aces for matches between upper-quality teams, opponent’s errors for matches between teams of different quality and avoidance of blocked attacks for balanced matches. The findings emphasize the need for coaches to plan strategies that allow players with special serving abilities to risk for an ace, to enhance the side-out skills of their team and to work detailed on attack coverage systems