Christopher Marlowe's The Massacre at Paris, a play which probably dates from 1592 but has reached posterity in a mangled form, enacts the incorporation of religious and state politics in the theatre. Through a sequence of short scenes characterized by senseless brutality and black humor, Marlowe revisits one of the darkest episodes of French history, the Saint Bartholomew‘s Day Massacre, which took place on the 24th and 25thAugust 1572. Dramatizing the slaughter of thousands of Protestants by Catholics, the play not only reflects on the significance of massacre as a political term for an increasingly absolutist Renaissance Europe but also translates the violence of massacre into aesthetic form. Itself alien within the body of Marlowe’s dramatic works, The Massacre at Paris has rarely been performed after its Elizabethan successful performances at the Rose; this is not surprising given the state of the extant text and its dismissal by many critics as crude anti-Catholic propaganda. Yet, the Massacre's corrupt and incomplete form, political ambiguities and emphasis on theatrical violence have inspired two contemporary artists, the French director Guillaume Delaveau and the Austrian composer Wolfgang Mitterer, to rethink and revive it. Both Delaveau's Massacre à Paris, first performed at Toulouse in 2007 and Mitterer's experimental opera Massacre, composed in 2003 and performed in 2008 and 2010 in France, refer to recent wars and atrocities and rejoice in the irony of the play. This paper seeks to investigate the play's ability to convey political thought and provoke contemporary audiences by reading it together with Delaveau and Mitterer's adaptations.The challenge of reworking the Massacre for our age involves the question of the theatre's potential to expose the audience to the horror of history.
Maternal affective disorders are frequently treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications (SSRIs); with up to 10% of women being prescribed these medications during pregnancy. Infant development depends on the early serotonergic environment, which is altered by perinatal SSRIs, raising concern about how these medications affect neural outcomes. While clinical and preclinical research suggests an impact of SSRIs on the developing brain, more research is needed to determine the effects on neuroplasticity, the serotonergic system, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in neural regions mediating behavior. The current work investigated the effects of the SSRI, fluoxetine, on the serotonergic system in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during pre-adolescence, and changes to synaptic markers and glucocorticoid receptor density in the cingulate cortex (medial PFC) of pre-adolescent and adult Sprague-Dawley male and female rats. To model aspects of Perinatal Depression and maternal anxiety, pre-gestational maternal stress was used resulting in male and female offspring from 4 groups: 1) control, 2) perinatal fluoxetine exposed, 3) pre-gestational maternal stress exposed, and 4) pre-gestational maternal stress + fluoxetine. Perinatal fluoxetine prevented the effects of maternal stress on 5-HT levels and 5-HT turnover ratio in the PFC of pre-adolescent offspring, particularly in females. However, pre-gestational stress reduced synaptophysin and PSD-95 densities in the cingulate cortex, effects that were more pronounced in males. Interestingly, perinatal fluoxetine exposure reduced GR density in adult males in this same brain area. Together, results show differential effects of perinatal SSRIs and pre-gestational maternal stress on neurodevelopment in the PFC of males and females.
Maternal affective disorders are frequently treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications (SSRIs); with up to 10% of women being prescribed these medications during pregnancy. Infant development depends on the early serotonergic environment, which is altered by perinatal SSRIs, raising concern about how these medications affect neural outcomes. While clinical and preclinical research suggests an impact of SSRIs on the developing brain, more research is needed to determine the effects on neuroplasticity, the serotonergic system, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in neural regions mediating behavior. The current work investigated the effects of the SSRI, fluoxetine, on the serotonergic system in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during pre-adolescence, and changes to synaptic markers and glucocorticoid receptor density in the cingulate cortex (medial PFC) of pre-adolescent and adult Sprague-Dawley male and female rats. To model aspects of Perinatal Depression and maternal anxiety, pre-gestational maternal stress was used resulting in male and female offspring from 4 groups: 1) control, 2) perinatal fluoxetine exposed, 3) pre-gestational maternal stress exposed, and 4) pre-gestational maternal stress + fluoxetine. Perinatal fluoxetine prevented the effects of maternal stress on 5-HT levels and 5-HT turnover ratio in the PFC of pre-adolescent offspring, particularly in females. However, pre-gestational stress reduced synaptophysin and PSD-95 densities in the cingulate cortex, effects that were more pronounced in males. Interestingly, perinatal fluoxetine exposure reduced GR density in adult males in this same brain area. Together, results show differential effects of perinatal SSRIs and pre-gestational maternal stress on neurodevelopment in the PFC of males and females.
We study the energy structure and the transfer of an extra electron or hole along periodic polymers made of N monomers, with a repetition unit made of P monomers, using a tight-binding wire model, where a site is a monomer (e.g., in DNA, a base pair), for P even, and deal with two categories of such polymers: made of the same monomer (GC…, GGCC…, etc.) and made of different monomers (GA…, GGAA…, etc.). We calculate the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) eigenspectra, density of states, and HOMO-LUMO gap and find some limiting properties these categories possess, as P increases. We further examine the properties of the mean over time probability to find the carrier at each monomer. We introduce the weighted mean frequency of each monomer and the total weighted mean frequency of the whole polymer, as a measure of the overall transfer frequency content. We study the pure mean transfer rates. These rates can be increased by many orders of magnitude with appropriate sequence choice. Generally, homopolymers display the most efficient charge transfer. Finally, we compare the pure mean transfer rates with experimental transfer rates obtained by time-resolved spectroscopy.
BACKGROUND: Firefighters participate in activities with intense physical and psychological stress and are constantly at risk to develop various psychopathological reactions. AIMS: To investigate psychological reactions in firefighters one month after devastating wildfires in Greece, during August 2007, which lead to the devastation of large areas and the death of 43 people among whom three were firefighters. METHODS: One month after the wildfires, a joint task force of mental health clinicians was organized in order to provide psychological support and to investigate the psychological consequences of wildfires to firefighters. One hundred and two firefighters, living within the fire-devastated area, who were on duty for the whole period of wildfires were interviewed and assessed with the use of several questionnaires and inventories. RESULTS: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was detected in 18.6% of firefighters. Multiple logistic regression found that existence of fear of dying during firefighting, insomnia and increased scores in neuroticism, as well as in depression subscale of the SCL-90, were significantly associated with greater likelihood for having PTSD. Additionally those firefighters who worked permanently had 70% lower probability of having PTSD vs. those seasonally employed. CONCLUSIONS: Insomnia, depressive symptoms, as well as personality characteristics as neuroticism and the perception of fear of imminent death during firefighting operations may precipitate the development of PTSD in firefighters. Within this context, mental health clinicians should be aware that the early detection of these predisposing factors may facilitate the prevention and mitigation of PTSD in firefighters particularly those who are seasonally employed.
Dry powder inhalers containing the budesonide/formoterol combination have currently a well-established position among other inhaled products. Even though their efficacy mainly depends on the local concentrations of the drug they deliver within the lungs, their safety profile is directly related to their total systemic exposure. The aim of the present investigation was to explore the absorption and disposition kinetics of the budesonide/formoterol combination delivered via two different dry powder inhalers in asthma patients. Plasma concentration time data were obtained from a single-dose, crossover bioequivalence study in asthma patients. Non compartmental and population compartmental approaches were applied to the available datasets. The non compartmental analysis allowed for an initial characterization of the primary pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of the two inhaled drugs and subsequently the bioequivalence assessment of the two different dry powder inhalers. The population pharmacokinetic analysis further explored the complex absorption and disposition characteristics of the two drugs. In case of inhaled FOR, a five-compartment PK model including an enterohepatic re-circulation process was developed. For inhaled BUD, the incorporation of two parallel first-order absorption rate constants (fast and slow) for lung absorption in a two-compartment PK model emphasized the importance of pulmonary anatomical features and underlying physiological processes during model development. The role of potential covariates on the variability of the PK parameters was also investigated.
During the 2014-2015 mutual events season, the Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des Éphémérides (IMCCE), Paris, France, and the Sternberg Astronomical Institute (SAI), Moscow, Russia, led an international observation campaign to record ground-based photometric observations of Galilean moon mutual occultations and eclipses. We focused on processing the complete photometric observations data base to compute new accurate astrometric positions. We used our method to derive astrometric positions from the light curves of the events. We developed an accurate photometric model of mutual occultations and eclipses, while correcting for the satellite albedos, Hapke's light scattering law, the phase effect, and the limb darkening. We processed 609 light curves, and we compared the observed positions of the satellites with the theoretical positions from IMCCE NOE-5-2010-GAL satellite ephemerides and INPOP13c planetary ephemeris. The standard deviation after fitting the light curve in equatorial positions is ±24 mas, or 75 km at Jupiter. The rms (O-C) in equatorial positions is ±50 mas, or 150 km at Jupiter.
The geological, geomorphic conditions of a mountainous environment along with precipitation and human activities influence landslide occurrences. In many cases, their relation to landslide events is not well defined. The scope of the present study is to identify the influence of physical and anthropogenic factors in landslide activity. The study area is a mountainous part of the northern Peloponnesus in southern Greece. The existing landslides, lithology, slope angle, rainfall, two types of road network (highway-provincial roads and rural roads) along with land use of the study area are taken into consideration. Each physical and anthropogenic factor is further divided into sub-categories. Statistical analysis of landslide frequency and density, as well as frequency and density ratios, are applied and combined with a geographic information system (GIS) to evaluate the collected data and determine the relationship between physical and anthropogenic factors and landslide activity. The results prove that Plio-Pleistocene fine-grained sediments and flysch, relatively steep slopes (15°-30°) and a rise in the amount of rainfall increase landslide frequency and density. Additionally, Plio-Pleistocene fine-grained sediments and flysch, as well as schist chert formations, moderate (5°-15°) and relatively steep slopes (15°-30°), along with the amount of rainfall of > 700 mm are strongly associated with landslide occurrences. The frequency and magnitude of landslides increase in close proximity to roads. Their maximum values are observed within the 50 m buffer zone. This corresponds to a 100 m wide zone along with any type of road corridors, increasing landslide occurrences. In addition, a buffer zone of 75 m or 150 m wide zone along highway and provincial roads, as well as a buffer zone of 100 m or 200 m wide zones along rural roads, are strongly correlated with landslide events. The extensive cultivated land of the study area is strongly related to landslide activity. By contrast, urban areas are poorly related to landslides, because most of them are located in the northern coastal part of the study area where landslides are limited. The results provide information on physical and anthropogenic factors characterizing landslide events in the study area. The applied methodology rapidly estimates areas prone to landslides and it may be utilized for landslide hazard assessment mapping as well as for new and existing land use planning projects.
Wild or semi-wild edible greens (chórta) are an integral part of the traditional Greek Mediterranean diet due to their nutritional value, containing various phytonutrients beneficial to human health. Water-based decoctions of chórta are widely consumed in Greek alternative medicine as health promoting agents. This study examined the chemical profile of the decoctions of eight edible plants, Cichorium intybus, C. endivia, C. spinosum, Crepis sancta, Sonchus asper, Carthamus lanatus, Centaurea raphanina, and Amaranthus blitum, by UPLC-ESI-HRMS and HRMS/MS analysis, to determine possibly bioactive constituents. The profiles of the plants from the Asteraceae family are dominated by the presence of phenolic acids and flavonoid derivatives, whereas the A. blitum decoction is rich in triterpene saponins. Interestingly, the Centaurea raphanina decoction was found to be extremely rich in flavanones, particularly in the aglycone pinocembrin. Further phytochemical investigation and fractionation of this extract resulted in the isolation and identification of five compounds: phlorin (1), syringin (2), pinocembrin (3), pinocembroside (4), and pinocembrin-7-O-neohesperidoside (5). The extracts were also tested for their antioxidant and differential cytotoxic activity against tumor cells. C. raphanina was found to be differentially toxic against metastatic tumor cells. In conclusion, we found that Greek edible greens are a rich source of bioactive secondary metabolites and their consumption could contribute to the maintenance of overall health.
Mankind has an inherent desire to explore the planets, which is closely connected with the nature and curios- ity of human beings. Unfortunately, the actual explo- ration is a privilege of only a few people, at least in the near future. The presented project, entitled "Planets In Your Hand" (PIYH) gives everyone the chance to see, touch and feel the differences of each planetary sur- face in our Solar System and learn about the world we all live in. The PIYH project consists of a portable ex- hibition of planetary surface models in square frames. It is carefully designed and addressed to both young and elder people, families, students, educational insti- tutions and especially to visually impaired individuals, giving them a unique opportunity to meet and get fa- miliar with planetary science.
Plasmoids, overdense blobs of plasma containing magnetic fields and high-energy particles, are a self-consistent outcome of the reconnection process in the relativistic regime. Recent two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations have shown that plasmoids can undergo a variety of processes (e.g. mergers, bulk acceleration, growth, and advection) within the reconnection layer. We developed a Monte Carlo code, benchmarked with the recent PIC simulations, to examine the effects of these processes on the steady-state size and momentum distributions of the plasmoid chain. The differential plasmoid size distribution is shown to be a power law, ranging from a few plasma skin depths to ∼0.1 of the reconnection layer's length. The power-law slope is shown to be linearly dependent upon the ratio of the plasmoid acceleration and growth rates, which slightly decreases with increasing plasma magnetization. We perform a detailed comparison of our results with those of recent PIC simulations and briefly discuss the astrophysical implications of our findings through the representative case of flaring events from blazar jets.
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate whether and to what extent a single injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), under ultrasound guidance, can improve the clinical symptoms of patients with a mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). We conducted a prospective, randomized, clinical study including 50 patients suffering from mild to moderate CTS for a minimum duration of 3 months. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: Group A (26 patients) received an ultrasound-guided PRP injection into the carpal tunnel, whereas Group B (24 patients) was injected with placebo (0.9% normal saline). The short- and mid-term outcomes were determined with the use of the Q-DASH questionnaire and the pain scale VAS administered at 0, 4, and 12 weeks follow-up. The success ratio was determined by the difference in the Q-DASH obtained pre-injection minus the final Q-DASH obtained after 12 weeks follow-up. Success was defined as a difference more than 25%. Group A patients demonstrated a 76.9% success as determined by the difference Q-DASH, whereas Group B patients demonstrated 33.3% success, which was significantly less than Group A (Χ , p = .011). The findings of this study suggest that a single PRP ultrasound-guided injection has positive effects in patients with CTS.
Various systematic reviews have recently shown that intra-articular platelet-rich plasma (IA-PRP) can lead to symptomatic relief of knee osteoarthritis for up to 12 months. There exist limited data on its use in small joints, such as the trapeziometacarpal joint (TMJ) or carpometacarpal joint (CMCJ) of the thumb. A prospective, randomized, blind, controlled, clinical trial of 33 patients with clinical and radiographic osteoarthritis of the TMJ (grades: I-III according to the Eaton and Littler classification) was conducted. Group A patients (16 patients) received 2 ultrasound-guided IA-PRP injections, while group B patients (17 patients) received 2 ultrasound-guided intra-articular methylprednisolone and lidocaine injections at a 2-week interval. Patients were evaluated prior to and at 3 and 12 months after the second injection using the visual analogue scale (VAS) 100/100, shortened Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Questionnaire (Q-DASH), and patient's subjective satisfaction. No significant differences between the baseline clinical and demographic characteristics of the 2 groups were identified. After 12 months' follow-up, the IA-PRP treatment has yielded significantly better results in comparison with the corticosteroids, in terms of VAS score ( P = 0.015), Q-DASH score ( P = 0.025), and patients' satisfaction ( P = 0.002). Corticosteroids offer short-term relief of symptoms, but IA-PRP might achieve a lasting effect of up to 12 months in the treatment of early to moderate symptomatic TMJ arthritis.
As part of a network study of HIV infection among people who inject drugs (PWID) and their contacts, we discovered a connected subcomponent of 29 uninfected PWID. In the context of a just-declining large epidemic outbreak, this raised a question: What explains the existence of large pockets of uninfected people? Possible explanations include "firewall effects" (Friedman et al., 2000; Dombrowski et al., 2017) wherein the only HIV+ people that the uninfected take risks with have low viral loads; "bottleneck effects" wherein few network paths into the pocket of non-infection exist; low levels of risk behavior; and an impending outbreak. We considered each of these. Participants provided information on their enhanced sexual and injection networks and assisted us in recruiting network members. The largest connected component had 241 members. Data on risk behaviors in the last 6 months were collected at the individual level. Recent infection was determined by LAg (Sedia(TM) Biosciences Corporation), data on recent seronegative tests, and viral load. HIV RNA was quantified using Artus HI Virus-1 RG RT-PCR (Qiagen). The 29 members of the connected subcomponent of uninfected participants were connected (network distance = 1) to 17 recently-infected and 24 long-term infected participants. Fourteen (48%) of these 29 uninfected were classified as "extremely high risk" because they self-reported syringe sharing and had at least one injection partner with viral load >100,000 copies/mL who also reported syringe sharing. Seventeen of the 29 uninfected were re-interviewed after 6 months, but none had seroconverted. These findings show the power of network research in discovering infection patterns that standard individual-level studies cannot. Theoretical development and exploratory network research studies may be needed to understand these findings and deepen our understanding of how HIV does and does not spread through communities. Finally, the methods developed here provide practical tools to study "bottleneck" and "firewall" network hypotheses in practice.
Aim: To evaluate the biomization technique for reconstructing past vegetation in the Eastern Mediterranean–Black Sea–Caspian-Corridor using an extensive modern pollen data set and comparing reconstructions to potential vegetation and observed land cover data. Location: The region between 28–48°N and 22–62°E. Methods: We apply the biomization technique to 1,387 modern pollen samples, representing 1,107 entities, to reconstruct the distribution of 13 broad vegetation categories (biomes). We assess the results using estimates of potential natural vegetation from the European Vegetation Map and the Physico-Geographic Atlas of the World. We test whether anthropogenic disturbance affects reconstruction quality using land use information from the Global Land Cover data set. Results: The biomization scheme successfully predicts the broadscale patterns of vegetation across the region, including changes with elevation. The technique discriminates deserts from shrublands, the prevalence of woodlands in moister lowland sites, and the presence of temperate and mixed forests at higher elevations. Quantitative assessment of the reconstructions is less satisfactory: the biome is predicted correctly at 44% of the sites in Europe and 33% of the sites overall. The low success rate is not a reflection of anthropogenic impacts: only 33% of the samples are correctly assigned after the removal of sites in anthropogenically altered environments. Open vegetation is less successfully predicted (33%) than forest types (73%), reflecting the under-representation of herbaceous taxa in pollen assemblages and the impact of long-distance pollen transport into open environments. Samples from small basins ( < 1 km 2 ) are more likely to be reconstructed accurately, with 58% of the sites in Europe and 66% of all sites correctly predicted, probably because they sample an appropriate pollen source area to reflect regional vegetation patterns in relatively heterogeneous landscapes. While methodological biases exist, the low confidence of the quantitative comparisons should not be over-emphasized because the target maps themselves are not accurate representations of vegetation patterns in this region. Main Conclusions: The biomization scheme yields reasonable reconstructions of the broadscale vegetation patterns in the Eastern Mediterranean–Black Sea–Caspian-Corridor, particularly if appropriate-sized sampling sites are used. Our results indicate biomization could be used to reconstruct changing patterns of vegetation in response to past climate changes in this region.
n July 25 and August 26 2016 wildfires broke out in the southwestern and central-western part of Chios Island(NE Aegean Sea, Greece), respectively. The first affected an area of approximately 47km2 and burned throughalmost 90% of olive groves and mastic trees, while the second broke out in a forested area and affected approximately6.6km2 of forest and farmland.A research aiming at the post-fire landslide susceptibility (LS) mapping of both areas was conducted. Morphologicaldata (slope, aspect, curvature, drainage network) derived from a 5m-DEM model of the areas was used.Lithological and geological data (lithology, tectonic structures) were digitized from previous field work maps.Land cover was derived from Worldview-2 satellite images before and after the fire events. Soil thickness was derivedfrom field survey observations within the fire-affected areas, road network from OpenStreetMap and rainfalldata resulted from related measurements derived from Chios meteorological station. Post-fire landslide inventorywas created after an extensive field survey of both areas before the beginning of the rainfall period (October 2016)and before the end of winter season (February 2017).Data classification of each factor according to their estimated LS followed, by using the reverse ranking method,where 1 is the least susceptible and 10 is the most one. Each category was normalized to 100% and the final rasterthematic maps of landslide controlling factors were produced. Finally, using numerical weight for each factor,which was assigned by the Analytic Hierarchy Process using Pairwise Comparison Method and according to theweighted linear combination, a map was generated where each cell has a certain post-fire LS index (LSI) value.The higher the LSI value, the higher the LS, whereas lower LSI value means lower LS.This procedure was repeated twice, first using pre-fire land cover and secondly using the severity of the fire events.The resulted maps, classified with natural breaks method, constitute the final pre- and post-fire LS maps of theaffected areas with five LS categories: very low, low, moderate, high and very high.Comparison of these two final maps showed, more or less, the same LS areas, but with LSI value enhanced. Thevalidated results showed good agreement between post-fire landslide occurrence and the produced post-fire LS maps.
The synthesis and characterisation of a new anionic flexible scorpionate ligand, methyl(bis-7-azaindolyl)borohydride [MeBai]- is reported herein. The ligand was coordinated to a series of group nine transition metal centres forming the complexes, [Ir(MeBai)(COD)] (1), [Rh(MeBai)(COD)] (2), [Rh(MeBai)(CODMe)] (2-Me) and [Rh(MeBai)(NBD)] (3), where COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene, CODMe = 3-methyl-1,5-cyclooctadiene and NBD = 2,5-norbornadiene. In all cases, the boron based ligand was found to bind to the metal centres via a κ3-N,N,H coordination mode. The ligand and complexes were fully characterised by spectroscopic and analytical methods. The structures of the ligand and three of the complexes were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The potential for migration of the "hydride" or "methyl" units from boron to the metal centre was also explored. During these studies an unusual transformation, involving the oxidation of the rhodium centre, was observed in complex 2. In this case, the η4-COD unit transformed into a η1,η3-C8H12 unit where the ring was bound via one sigma bond and one allyl unit. This is the first time such a transformation has been observed at a rhodium centre.
BACKGROUND: Bacterial infections in cirrhotic patients remain a challenge. Presepsin has been proposed as a valuable sepsis biomarker. We aimed to assess plasma presepsin levels in uncomplicated cirrhotic patients and to correlate them with liver disease severity and complicating events, defined as documented bacterial infection with or without concomitant portal hypertension-related bleeding, or bleeding without documented bacterial infection, with or without acute kidney injury.
METHODS: We prospectively evaluated the presepsin levels of 108 consecutive uncomplicated cirrhotic patients with compensated (55, 50.9%) or decompensated (53, 49.1%) cirrhosis. During the follow up, 20 patients were reevaluated for a complicating event.
RESULTS: Mean baseline presepsin levels of the entire population were 440.4 pg/mL. Patients with decompensated cirrhosis exhibited significantly higher baseline levels than patients with compensated cirrhosis (599.1±492.2 vs. 287.5±130.5 pg/mL, P<0.001). In complicated cirrhotic patients, admission levels were remarkably higher than baseline (1438.0±1247.2 vs. 725.3±602.8 pg/mL, P<0.001), especially in those who developed acute kidney injury compared to those who did not (1827.3±1118.8 vs. 1048.7±1302.1 pg/mL, P<0.05). Baseline presepsin levels, using a cutoff of 607.5 pg/mL, could predict liver disease-related 3-month mortality with 77.8% sensitivity and 86.9% specificity: area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.825; 95% confidence interval 0.684-0.967; P<0.01.
CONCLUSIONS: Plasma presepsin levels are elevated in uncomplicated cirrhotic patients, especially in those with advanced liver disease, and rise further in those complicated by an event. Baseline presepsin levels in cirrhotic patients could be used as an additional marker, along with the model for end-stage liver disease score, to predict short-term outcomes.
Georgiou A, Prapa A, Papatheodoridis G, Deutsch M, Alexopoulou A, Vlachogiannakos J, Ioannidou P, Papageorgiou M-V, Papadopoulos N, Karagiannakis D, et al.Prevalence of malnutrition in a sample of cirrhotic patients. Clinical Nutrition. 2018;37:S63–S64.
The mammalian neocortex has undergone remarkable changes through evolution. A consequence of such rapid evolutionary events could be a trade-off that has rendered the brain susceptible to certain neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions. We analyzed the exomes of 65 patients with the structural brain malformation periventricular nodular heterotopia (PH). De novo coding variants were observed in excess in genes defining a transcriptomic signature of basal radial glia, a cell type linked to brain evolution. In addition, we located two variants in human isoforms of two genes that have no ortholog in mice. Modulating the levels of one of these isoforms for the gene PLEKHG6 demonstrated its role in regulating neuroprogenitor differentiation and neuronal migration via RhoA, with phenotypic recapitulation of PH in human cerebral organoids. This suggests that this PLEKHG6 isoform is an example of a primate-specific genomic element supporting brain development.
Liu F, Pitilakis A, Mirmoosa MS, Tsilipakos O, Wang X, Tasolamprou AC, Abadal S, Cabellos-Aparicio A, Alarcon E, Liaskos C, et al.Programmable Metasurfaces: State of the Art and Prospects. In: Proceedings - IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems. Vol. 2018-May. ; 2018. Website
The liar and kindred paradoxes show that we can derive contradictions if our language possesses sentences lending themselves to paradox and we reason classically from schema (T) about truth:
S is true iff p,
where the letter p is to be replaced with a sentence and the letter S with a name of that sentence. This article presents a theory of truth that keeps (T) at the expense of classical logic. The theory is couched in a language that possesses paradoxical sentences. It incorporates all the instances of the analogue of (T) for that language and also includes other platitudes about truth. The theory avoids contradiction because its logical framework is an appropriately constructed nonclassical propositional logic. The logic and the theory are different from others that have been proposed for keeping (T), and the methods used in the main proofs are novel.
This paper aims to analyze the structure and quality of prospective mathematics teachers’ (PMTs)’ argumentation when identifying and interpreting critical incidents from their initial field experiences. We use Toulmin’s model and recent elaborations of it to analyze the discussions that took place at the university where PMTs reflected on their recent classroom experiences. Our aim is to identify the structure of the argumentation and characterize the emerging warrants, backings, and rebuttals. Results indicate different argumentation structures and types of warrants, backings, and rebuttals in the process of PMTs’ interpretations of students’ mathematical activity. We discuss these findings from the perspective of noticing to identify shifts at the level of PMTs’ interpretations.
Background: Senescence is a fundamental biological process implicated in various pathologies, including cancer. Regarding carcinogenesis, senescence signifies, at least in its initial phases, an anti-tumor response that needs to be circumvented for cancer to progress. Micro-RNAs, a subclass of regulatory, non-coding RNAs, participate in senescence regulation. At the subcellular level micro-RNAs, similar to proteins, have been shown to traffic between organelles influencing cellular behavior. The differential function of micro-RNAs relative to their subcellular localization and their role in senescence biology raises concurrent in situ analysis of coding and non-coding gene products in senescent cells as a necessity. However, technical challenges have rendered in situ co-detection unfeasible until now. Methods: In the present report we describe a methodology that bypasses these technical limitations achieving for the first time simultaneous detection of both a micro-RNA and a protein in the biological context of cellular senescence, utilizing the new commercially available SenTraGorTM compound. The method was applied in a prototypical human non-malignant epithelial model of oncogene-induced senescence that we generated for the purposes of the study. For the characterization of this novel system, we applied a wide range of cellular and molecular techniques, as well as high-throughput analysis of the transcriptome and micro-RNAs. Results: This experimental setting has three advantages that are presented and discussed: i) it covers a "gap" in the molecular carcinogenesis field, as almost all corresponding in vitro models are fibroblast-based, even though the majority of neoplasms have epithelial origin, ii) it recapitulates the precancerous and cancerous phases of epithelial tumorigenesis within a short time frame under the light of natural selection and iii) it uses as an oncogenic signal, the replication licensing factor CDC6, implicated in both DNA replication and transcription when over-expressed, a characteristic that can be exploited to monitor RNA dynamics. Conclusions: Consequently, we demonstrate that our model is optimal for studying the molecular basis of epithelial carcinogenesis shedding light on the tumor-initiating events. The latter may reveal novel molecular targets with clinical benefit. Besides, since this method can be incorporated in a wide range of low, medium or high-throughput image-based approaches, we expect it to be broadly applicable.
Το βιβλίο των Holton και Brush "Εισαγωγή στις έννοιες και τις θεωρίες της Φυσικής Επιστήμης" αποτέλεσε το βασικό εγχειρίδιο για τη διδασκαλία της Φυσικής του Harvard Project Physics Course. Από το 1952, που γράφτηκε για πρώτη φορά, γνώρισε αλλεπάλληλες εκδόσεις και αναθεωρήσεις μέχρι το 1985, οπότε και έλαβε την τελική μορφή του στην οποία βασίστηκε η ελληνική έκδοση. Η παρούσα έκδοση καινοτομεί ενσωματώνοντας τον Οδηγό Διδακτικής Αξιοποίησης, ο οποίος απευθύνεται ειδικά στους υποψήφιους και εν ενεργεία εκπαιδευτικούς των φυσικών επιστημών, προσφέροντας ένα διδακτικό παράδειγμα για τη Φυσική βασισμένο στην ιστορία της. Η διαχρονική του πρωτοτυπία οφείλεται στο ότι συνδυάζει τη διδασκαλία της Φυσικής με απαντήσεις στα ερωτήματα για το τι είναι η Φυσική, ποια η μέθοδός της και πώς συγκροτείται ιστορικά ως επιστήμη.
Tatsis G, Votis CI, Christofilakis V, Chronopoulos SK, Kostarakis P, Lolis CJ, Bartzokas A, Nistazakis HE. Rainfall events' correlation with S-band signal attenuation. In: 2018 7th International Conference on Modern Circuits and Systems Technologies, MOCAST 2018. ; 2018. pp. 1-4. Website
The aim of this work is to develop a gastrointestinal (GI) drug absorption model based on a reaction limited model of dissolution and consider its impact on the biopharmaceutic classification of drugs. Estimates for the fraction of dose absorbed as a function of dose, solubility, reaction/dissolution rate constant and the stoichiometry of drug-GI fluids reaction/dissolution were derived by numerical solution of the model equations. The undissolved drug dose and the reaction/dissolution rate constant drive the dissolution rate and determine the extent of absorption when high-constant drug permeability throughout the gastrointestinal tract is assumed. Dose is an important element of drug-GI fluids reaction/dissolution while solubility exclusively acts as an upper limit for drug concentrations in the lumen. The 3D plots of fraction of dose absorbed as a function of dose and reaction/dissolution rate constant for highly soluble and low soluble drugs for different ``stoichiometries{''} (0.7, 1.0, 2.0) of the drug-reaction/dissolution with the GI fluids revealed that high extent of absorption was found assuming high drug-reaction/dissolution rate constant and high drug solubility. The model equations were used to simulate in vivo supersaturation and precipitation phenomena. The model developed provides the theoretical basis for the interpretation of the extent of drug's absorption on the basis of the parameters associated with the drug-GI fluids reaction/dissolution. A new paradigm emerges for the biopharmaceutic classification of drugs, namely, a model independent biopharmaceutic classification scheme of four drug categories based on either the fulfillment or not of the current dissolution criteria and the high or low % drug metabolism.
There is a wide range of alternative approaches to study erosion processes. In this paper the construction of a model based in the interaction of Geographical Information System (GIS) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) is described. Theneural model uses supervised competitive learning process. The whole procedure starts with the digitization of collected data and the definition of the input variables, such as slope form and gradient, susceptibility to erosion and protective cover. The input variables are transformed into the erosion risk output variable using the neural model. The last stage concerns the development of an erosion risk zones map.
Vegetation patterns during the 1st millennium AD in the central Mediterranean, exhibit a great variability, due to the richness of these habitats and the continuous shaping of the environment by human societies. Variations in land use, witnessed in the pollen record, reflect the role that local vegetation and environmental conditions played in the choices made by local societies. The interdisciplinary study of off-site cores remains the key evidence for palaeoenvironmental transformations mirroring the ‘semi-natural’ vegetation, and revealing temporal fluctuations and the amount of human impact on a regional scale.
HSPB6/Hsp20 (heat shock protein family B [small] member 6) has emerged as a novel cardioprotector against stress-induced injury. We identified a human mutant of HSPB6 (HSPB6(S10F)) exclusively present in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients. Cardiac expression of this mutant in mouse hearts resulted in remodeling and dysfunction, which progressed to heart failure and early death. These detrimental effects were associated with reduced interaction of mutant HSPB6(S10F) with BECN1/Beclin 1, leading to BECN1 ubiquitination and its proteosomal degradation. As a result, autophagy flux was substantially inhibited and apoptosis was increased in HSPB6(S10F)-mutant hearts. In contrast, overexpression of wild-type HSPB6 (HSPB6 WT) not only increased BECN1 levels, but also competitively suppressed binding of BECN1 to BCL2, resulting in stimulated autophagy. Indeed, preinhibition of autophagy attenuated the cardioprotective effects of HSPB6 WT. Taken together, these findings reveal a new regulatory mechanism of HSPB6 in cell survival through its interaction with BECN1. Furthermore, Ser10 appears to be crucial for the protective effects of HSPB6 and transversion of this amino acid to Phe contributes to cardiomyopathy.
Characterization of the least number of muscle fibers analyzed for a quick and reliable, evaluation of intramuscular fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) is of importance for sport scientists. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of vastus lateralis' intramuscular MFCV measuring either 25 or 50 different muscle fibers per participant, as well as to compare intramuscular MFCV measured in 25 (C ), 50 (C ), or 140 (C ) muscle fibers. Resting vastus lateralis' MFCV was measured in 21 young healthy males (age 22.1±2.4 years) using intramuscular microelectrodes in different days. Test-retest reliability of MFCV's parameters was calculated for C and C , while MFCV was compared among C , C , and C . Significant differences of MFCV parameters were observed between C condition and those of C and C . The differences in MFCV values between conditions C and C were non-significant. A close correlation was found for MFCV between C and C (r=0.884-0.988, P=.000). All reliability measures of MFCV measured with 50 fibers were high (eg, ICC=0.813-0.980, P=.000), in contrast to C (eg, ICC=0.023-0.580 P>.05). In conclusion, an average of 50 different fibers per subject is sufficient to provide a quick and reliable intramuscular evaluation of vastus lateralis MFCV.
BACKGROUND: Radiographic fracture classification helps with research on prognosis and treatment. AO/OTA classification into fracture type has shown to be reliable, but further classification of fractures into subgroups reduces the interobserver agreement and takes a considerable amount of practice and experience in order to master.
QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We assessed: (1) differences between more and less experienced trauma surgeons based on hip fractures treated per year, years of experience, and the percentage of their time dedicated to trauma, (2) differences in the interobserver agreement between classification into fracture type, group, and subgroup, and (3) differences in the interobserver agreement when assessing fracture stability compared to classifying fractures into type, group and subgroup.
METHODS: This study used the Science of Variation Group to measure factors associated with variation in interobserver agreement on classification of proximal femur fractures according to the AO/OTA classification on radiographs. We selected 30 anteroposterior radiographs from 1061 patients aged 55 years or older with an isolated fracture of the proximal femur, with a spectrum of fracture types proportional to the full database. To measure the interobserver agreement the Fleiss' kappa was determined and bootstrapping (resamples = 1000) was used to calculate the standard error, z statistic, and 95% confidence intervals. We compared the Kappa values of surgeons with more experience to less experienced surgeons.
RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the Kappa values on each classification level (type, group, subgroup) between more and less experienced surgeons. When all surgeons were combined into one group, the interobserver reliability was the greatest for classifying the fractures into type (kappa, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.97; p < 0.001), reflecting almost perfect agreement. When comparing the kappa values between classes (type, group, subgroup), we found statistically significant differences between each class. Substantial agreement was found in the clinically relevant groups stable/unstable trochanteric, displaced/non-displaced femoral neck, and femoral head fractures (kappa, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.67, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to a growing body of evidence that relatively simple distinctions are more reliable and that this is independent of surgeon experience.
B[e] supergiants are luminous evolved massive stars. The mass-loss during this phase creates a complex circumstellar environment with atomic, molecular, and dusty regions usually found in rings or disc-like structures. For a better comprehension of the mechanisms behind the formation of these rings, detailed knowledge about their structure and dynamics is essential. To address that, we obtained high-resolution optical and near-infrared (near-IR) spectra for eight selected Galactic B[e] supergiants, for which CO emission has been detected. Assuming Keplerian rotation for the disc, we combine the kinematics obtained from the CO bands in the near-IR with those obtained by fitting the forbidden emission [O I] λ5577, [O I] λλ6300,6363, and [Ca II] λλ7291,7323 lines in the optical to probe the disc structure. We find that the emission originates from multiple ring structures around all B[e] supergiants, with each one of them displaying a unique combination of rings regardless of whether the object is part of a binary system. The confirmed binaries display spectroscopic variations of their line intensities and profiles as well as photometric variability, whereas the ring structures around the single stars are stable.
This work describes the derivation of the tectonic stress from the inversion of focal mechanisms of double-couple earthquakes. The presented material is based, in large part, on several review papers, lecture notes and practices on the matter, developed by the authors during the last years.
The firsthand accounts of 252 European and American women travelers of the 17th to early 20th centuries in Asia Minor, Cyprus, Syria, Egypt, Greece and other Ottoman occupied territories confirm that thousands of women travelled and witnessed historic events. Women from Great Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and America explored, visited, resided as permanent residents, worked or served as volunteers, missionaries, educators, nurses, artists, governesses, ladies in waiting and servants of the western or eastern elite in different regions of the Ottoman Empire. This paper begins with a brief discussion on women travelers, subsequently focusing on 19th Century accounts regarding women’s contributions in times of conflict, exclusively from archival sources: the narratives of women volunteers, nurses, care givers and morale builders during the Crimean War (1853-1856), when the colonial experience encouraged female engagement. The accounts of English, French and German women who cared for the soldiers in the military hospitals of Constantinople and its environs reveal that women played key roles in social care, public health and hospital management, showing initiative and innovation in crisis management. The female accounts describe the British military and naval hospitals; the nurses duties and hardships (1,500 patients per 3 women: two lady volunteers and one nurse); the hundreds of women who followed their husbands to war; the demoralizing barrack system; the degrading social status and abuse of the English soldier’s wife and babies; the elevated status and protection enjoyed by the French soldier’s wife; the French military system. The female narratives argue that the French soldiers, as opposed to the English, are educated, industrious, productive and creative, adding to the general good. They spotlight the superiority of the French soldiers as regards their manners, morals, courtesy, organizational skills, patriotism and especially their respect and treatment of women.
Cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) remain the major cause of death and disability worldwide. However, the mortality of MI has declined dramatically over the past several decades because of advances in medicines (thrombolytic agents, antiplatelet drugs, beta blockers, and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors) and approaches to restore tissue perfusion (percutaneous coronary intervention and cardiopulmonary bypass). Animal studies have been shown that these treatments have been effective in reducing acute myocardial ischemic injury and limiting MI size. The paradox is that the process of reperfusion can itself amplify cell injury and death, known as myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R). Intensive research has uncovered several complex mechanisms of cardiomyocyte damage after reperfusion,and potential therapeutic targets for preventing I/R. Importantly, it is now recognized that excessive elevation of intracellular and mitochondrial Ca2+during reperfusion predisposes the cells to hypercontracture, proteolysis and mitochondrial failure and eventually to necrotic or apoptotic death. These enormous alterations in cytosolic Ca2+ levels are induced by the Ca2+ channels of the sarcolemma(L-Type Ca2+channels, sodium/calcium exchanger), the endoplasmic/ sarcoplasmic reticulum (SERCA ATPase) and ryanodine receptors, SOCE(store-operated calcium entry), lysosomes and others, which are modified by I/R injury. The overall goal of this review is to describe the different pathways that lead to I/R injury via Ca2+ overload, focus on recent discoveries and highlight prospects for therapeutic strategies for clinical benefit.
Nicotinamide phosphoribosyl-transferase (Nampt) or pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor or visfatin represents a pleiotropic molecule acting as an enzyme, a cytokine and a growth factor. Intracellular Nampt plays an important role in cellular bioenergetics and metabolism, particularly NAD biosynthesis. NAD biosynthesis is critical in DNA repair, oncogenic signal transduction, transcription, genomic integrity and apoptosis. Although its insulin-mimetic function remains a controversial issue, extracellular Nampt presents proliferative, anti-apoptotic, pro-inflammatory, pro-angiogenic and metastatic properties. Nampt is upregulated in many malignancies, including obesity-associated cancers, and is associated with worse prognosis. Serum Nampt may be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in cancer. Pharmacologic agents that neutralize Nampt or medications that decrease Nampt levels or downregulate signaling pathways downstream of Nampt may prove to be useful anti-cancer treatments. In particular, Nampt inhibitors as monotherapy or in combination therapy have displayed anti-cancer activity in vivo and in vitro. The aim of this review is to explore the role of Nampt in cancer pathophysiology as well as to synopsize the mechanisms underlying the association between extracellular and intracellular Nampt, and malignancy. Exploring the interplay of cellular bioenergetics, inflammation and adiposopathy is expected to be of importance in the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies against cancer.
Mitochondria are cellular organelles essential for multiple biological processes, including energy production, metabolites biosynthesis, cell death, and immunological responses among others. Recent advances in the field of immunology research reveal the pivotal role of energy metabolism in innate immune cells fate and function. Therefore, the maintenance of mitochondrial network integrity and activity is a prerequisite for immune system homeostasis. Mitochondrial selective autophagy, known as mitophagy, surveils mitochondrial population eliminating superfluous and/or impaired organelles and mediating cellular survival and viability in response to injury/trauma and infection. Defective removal of damaged mitochondria leads to hyperactivation of inflammatory signaling pathways and subsequently to chronic systemic inflammation and development of inflammatory diseases. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms of mitophagy and highlight its critical role in the innate immune system homeostasis.
Although forest fires are an integral part of Mediterranean forest ecosystems, they constitute one of the most devastating natural hazards in the region. Apart from the direct consequences, fires induce well-documented longer term effects in the geomorphological and hydrological processes, influencing environmental factors that in turn can affect the occurrence of other natural hazards, such as floods and mass movement phenomena.This work focuses on the forest fire of 2007 in Peloponnese, Greece that burnt 1773 km2, causing 78 fatalities and very significant damages in property and infrastructure and went down as the largest fire in the country’s record. It examines the occurrence of flood and mass movement phenomena, before and after this mega-fire and studies different influencing factors to investigate the degree to which the 2007 fire and/or other parameters have affected their frequency.Observational evidence based on several data sources collected during the period 1989-2016 show that the 2007 fire has contributed to an increase of average flood and mass movement events frequency by approximately 3.3 and 5.6 times respectively.Fire affected areas record a substantial increase in the occurrence of both phenomena, presenting a noticeably stronger increase compared to neighbouring areas that have not been affected. Examination of the monthly occurrence of events showed an increase even in months of the year were rainfall intensity presented decreasing trends.Although no major land use changes has been identified and chlorophyll is shown to recover 2 years after the fire incident, differences on the type of vegetation as tall forest has been substituted with lower vegetation are considered significant drivers for the observed changes in hydrogeomorphic response of the fire affected basins.The findings of this work are strong indications that future climatic change, with more frequent and severe droughts and storms will be a disastrous combination for the Mediterranean region.
Trakadas P, Karkazis P, Leligou H-C, Zahariadis T, Tavernier W, Soenen T, van Rossem S, Miguel Contreras Murillo L. Scalable monitoring for multiple virtualized infrastructures for 5G services. In: SoftNetworking 2018, The International Symposium on Advances in Software Defined Networking and Network Functions Virtualization. ; 2018. pp. 1–4.
A seismic risk model on a building block scale is presented for the earthquake prone city of Aigion (W. Corinth Gulf) by combining deterministic seismic hazard with Risk-UE LM1 structural vulnerability, assessed per building, taking into account site conditions approximated by Horizontal-to-Vertical-Spectral-Ratios (HVSR) from ambient noise. The stochastic finite-fault method has been applied to simulate strong ground motion from two close earthquake scenarios, capable of occurring within the seismotectonic frame of the area: (a) a repetition of the 1995, June 15 (Mw=6.4) devastating earthquake and (b) a repetition of the 1861, December 26 earthquake of Mw=6.7 on the East Heliki Fault (EHF). The applied methodology provided comparable pattern with the real damage distribution of the 1995 earthquake, highlighting outlooks toward earthquake preparedness and riskmitigation purposes.
The AP-1 complex is essential for membrane protein traffic via its role in the pinching-off and sorting of secretory vesicles from the trans-Golgi and/or endosomes. While its essentiality is undisputed in metazoa, its role in simpler eukaryotes seems less clear. Here we dissect the role of AP-1 in the filamentous fungus and show that it is absolutely essential for growth due to its role in clathrin-dependent maintenance of polar traffic of specific membrane cargoes towards the apex of growing hyphae. We provide evidence that AP-1 is involved in both anterograde sorting of RabE-labeled secretory vesicles and RabA/B-dependent endosome recycling. Additionally, AP-1 is shown to be critical for microtubule and septin organization, further rationalizing its essentiality in cells that face the challenge of cytoskeleton-dependent polarized cargo traffic. This work also opens a novel issue on how non-polar cargoes, such as transporters, are sorted to the eukaryotic plasma membrane.
A large amount of new and existing data was applied, aiming at delineating structural seismic risk in the earthquake prone modern city of Kalamata (SW Peloponnese) that was largely reconstructed after the devastating Mw=5.8 earthquake of September 13, 1986. Synthetic site-specifc ground motion parameters derived from the nearest known shallow hazardous seismogenic sources were combined with EMS-98 structural vulnerability estimates of the city’s building stock and four structural and economic loss models have been developed on a building-block scale. Assuming absence of non-linear, nearsource effects, the building stock of Kalamata is anticipated to present sufficient seismic behaviour, due to the large number of new and innovative constructions replacing the demolished ones after the 1986 earthquake.
Natural products are characterized by extreme structural diversity and thus they offer a unique source for the identification of novel anti-tumor agents. Herein, we report that the herbal substance acteoside being isolated by advanced phytochemical methods from Lippia citriodora leaves showed enhanced cytotoxicity against metastatic tumor cells; acted in synergy with various cytotoxic agents and it sensitized chemoresistant cancer cells. Acteoside was not toxic in physiological cellular contexts, while it increased oxidative load, affected the activity of proteostatic modules and suppressed matrix metalloproteinases in tumor cell lines. Intraperitoneal or oral (via drinking water) administration of acteoside in a melanoma mouse model upregulated antioxidant responses in the tumors; yet, only intraperitoneal delivery suppressed tumor growth and induced anti-tumor-reactive immune responses. Mass-spectrometry identification/quantitation analyses revealed that intraperitoneal delivery of acteoside resulted in significantly higher, vs. oral administration, concentration of the compound in the plasma and tumors of treated mice, suggesting that its in vivo anti-tumor effect depends on the route of administration and the achieved concentration in the tumor. Finally, molecular modeling studies and enzymatic activity assays showed that acteoside inhibits protein kinase C. Conclusively, acteoside holds promise as a chemical scaffold for the development of novel anti-tumor agents.
Aromatase inhibitors, which are widely used for the treatment of estrogen-dependent cancers, have been associated with psychiatric side effects ranging from mania to depression. In the present study, we investigated sex differences in the behavioral and neurochemical effects of aromatase inhibition on male and female, sham-operated or gonadectomized adult rats. Three weeks after surgery, rats received chronic treatment with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole or vehicle and were then subjected to the open field test, which assesses general activity. Half of the subjects were subsequently exposed to the stressful procedure of the forced swim test (FST), which is also a test of antidepressant activity. Aromatase activity was analyzed in the hypothalamus and testosterone and corticosterone were assayed in the blood serum of all rats. The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) were analyzed for monoamine (noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin), as well as amino acid (GABA, glutamate, glycine, taurine, alanine and histidine) levels. The observed decrease in hypothalamic aromatase activity confirmed the efficacy of letrozole treatment in both sexes. Moreover, letrozole enhanced testosterone levels in sham-operated females. In the open field test, females were overall more active and explorative than males and gonadectomy eliminated this sex difference. In the FST, females exhibited overall higher immobility than males and gonadectomy further enhanced this passive behavior in both sexes. However, sustained aromatase inhibition had no effect on open field and FST behaviors. Head shakes during FST, which were fewer in females than in males, were reduced by castration in males and by letrozole treatment in ovariectomized females, suggesting a role of testosterone and extra-gonadal estrogens in the expression of this behavior. Sustained aromatase inhibition also decreased noradrenaline and the dopaminergic turnover rates [DOPAC/DA, HVA/DA] in the hippocampus and PFC of male and female rats, irrespectively of gonadectomy. Moreover, letrozole treatment enhanced the serotonergic turnover [5HIAA/5HT] rate in the hippocampus of males and females, irrespectively of gonadectomy. Amino acid levels were not influenced by letrozole, but sex differences were demonstrated with higher levels in the PFC of females vs. males. Present findings suggest that the neuropsychiatric effects of aromatase inhibition can be attributed to the inhibition of extragonadal estrogen synthesis, presumably in the brain, and could be further associated with serotonergic and catecholaminergic changes in brain regions involved in mood and cognition. Importantly, present data could be linked with the neurobiology of affective side-effects in post-menopausal women receiving aromatase inhibitors.
Aromatase inhibitors, which are widely used for the treatment of estrogen-dependent cancers, have been associated with psychiatric side effects ranging from mania to depression. In the present study, we investigated sex differences in the behavioral and neurochemical effects of aromatase inhibition on male and female, sham-operated or gonadectomized adult rats. Three weeks after surgery, rats received chronic treatment with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole or vehicle and were then subjected to the open field test, which assesses general activity. Half of the subjects were subsequently exposed to the stressful procedure of the forced swim test (FST), which is also a test of antidepressant activity. Aromatase activity was analyzed in the hypothalamus and testosterone and corticosterone were assayed in the blood serum of all rats. The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) were analyzed for monoamine (noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin), as well as amino acid (GABA, glutamate, glycine, taurine, alanine and histidine) levels. The observed decrease in hypothalamic aromatase activity confirmed the efficacy of letrozole treatment in both sexes. Moreover, letrozole enhanced testosterone levels in sham-operated females. In the open field test, females were overall more active and explorative than males and gonadectomy eliminated this sex difference. In the FST, females exhibited overall higher immobility than males and gonadectomy further enhanced this passive behavior in both sexes. However, sustained aromatase inhibition had no effect on open field and FST behaviors. Head shakes during FST, which were fewer in females than in males, were reduced by castration in males and by letrozole treatment in ovariectomized females, suggesting a role of testosterone and extra-gonadal estrogens in the expression of this behavior. Sustained aromatase inhibition also decreased noradrenaline and the dopaminergic turnover rates [DOPAC/DA, HVA/DA] in the hippocampus and PFC of male and female rats, irrespectively of gonadectomy. Moreover, letrozole treatment enhanced the serotonergic turnover [5HIAA/5HT] rate in the hippocampus of males and females, irrespectively of gonadectomy. Amino acid levels were not influenced by letrozole, but sex differences were demonstrated with higher levels in the PFC of females vs. males. Present findings suggest that the neuropsychiatric effects of aromatase inhibition can be attributed to the inhibition of extragonadal estrogen synthesis, presumably in the brain, and could be further associated with serotonergic and catecholaminergic changes in brain regions involved in mood and cognition. Importantly, present data could be linked with the neurobiology of affective side-effects in post-menopausal women receiving aromatase inhibitors.
Zahariadis T, Trakadas P, Skias D, Leligou H, Voliotis S, Spada MR. Smart Energy as a Service Network Architecture. In: European Conference on Networks and Communications (EUCNC), 2018. ; 2018.
Pitilakis A, Tasolamprou AC, Liaskos C, Liu F, Tsilipakos O, Wang X, Mirmoosa MS, Kossifos K, Georgiou J, Pitsilides A, et al.Software-Defined Metasurface Paradigm: Concept, Challenges, Prospects. In: 2018 12th International Congress on Artificial Materials for Novel Wave Phenomena, METAMATERIALS 2018. ; 2018. pp. 483 – 485. Website
This volume examines the role of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in education in Europe. Following the implementation of the Bologna process, English has assumed a central role in European education offering institutions the opportunity to cater to the needs of an internationalized student body and increase their competitiveness. On the other hand, the increased use of ELF has become an issue of concern, often perceived as a threat to other languages, tilting the scale towards linguistic inequality and stressing the urgent need for the development of new language policies. Both aspects of ELF are at the center of discussion in the proposed volume, which consists of a variety of papers examining ELF in different parts of Europe (Eastern, Central and Western) and different levels of education. The volume makes a substantial contribution to the lively and controversial debate about what is recognized as a central topical concern of language education policy in Europe and beyond.
In this chapter, we will provide a review of the major aspects related to teacherawareness, with special reference to non- native teachers’ awareness of English as an International Lingua Franca (ELF), and will then provide an account of a hands on practical approach aimed at introducing teachers in Expanding Circle countries (Kachru, 1985 ) to the challenges and implications of teaching a global language, thus transforming them into ELF- aware teachers who will be ready to convey such awareness among their students. We will focus on non- native English- speaking teachers’ (NNESTs’) awareness of the global properties of ELF. In order to support our suggestions in the light of a new model of transformative teacher education (Sifakis, 2007, 2014), we provide evidence from an on- going project on ELF- aware language teaching, and we report NNESTs’ perspectives on what they consider to be an ELF- aware lesson, as well as teachers’ observations of how successful they were in raising their students’ awareness towards ELF (Bayyurt and Sifakis, 2015a , 2015b; Sifakis, 2014 ; Sifakis and Bayyurt, 2015).
The chapter focuses on the challenges and opportunities raised by the growing awareness of the role that English as a lingua franca (ELF) can play in Expanding Circle contexts, namely, contexts where English does not have a historical or statutory role of any kind. The context under review is Greece, where English is taught as a foreign language (EFL). I present an account of the English language teaching, learning and use situation in Greece and reflect on the impact ELF can have for domains like language instruction, materials design, selection and evaluation and teacher education. I argue that ELF research can inform EFL contexts in a number of ways: It can be used to empower non-native speakers of English by broadening their perspective of communicating on a global scale in the 21st century. It can also be used as a means of teacher development. The essential element that underpins this perspective is that, for Expanding Circle contexts like the Greek one, English is not a foreign language (in the way that other major languages like French and German are), but a language with which learners have some degree of familiarity.
Η παρούσα ανακοίνωση αναδεικνύει τη ζωή και το έργο τριών Επτανήσιων μουσουργών, οι οποίοι έζησαν και έδρασαν στις Η.Π.Α. κατά το πρώτο μισό του 20ού αι. Α) Ο Κερκυραίος Λορέντζος Καμιλιέρης (1877-1956), συνθέτης, διευθυντής ορχήστρας και χορωδίας διακρίθηκε στη Νέα Υόρκη με την ίδρυση και λειτουργία της μακροβιότερης χορωδίας στις ΗΠΑ, της People’s Chorus. B) O επίσης Κερκυραίος Σπύρος Μπεκατώρος (1862-1938), συνθέτης, διευθυντής ορχήστρας και καθηγητής μουσικής, εγκαταστάθηκε στο Σικάγο και στη Νέα Υόρκη, όπου για τριάντα χρόνια υπηρέτησε τις ελληνοαμερικανικές ορχήστρες. Γ) Ο Κεφαλλονίτης Ιωάννης Βεργωτής (1875-;) συνθέτης, λιμπρετίστας και διευθυντής ορχήστρας ίδρυσε στη Νέα Υόρκη ελληνοαμερικανικό οπερετικό θίασο, όπου παρουσίαζε προσωπικά του έργα.
Διακουμοπούλου Κατερίνα. Το ελληνικό σοσιαλιστικό θέατρο στις ΗΠΑ. Ε΄ Πανελλήνιο Θεατρολογικό Συνέδριο Θέατρο και Δημοκρατία: Με αφορμή τη συμπλήρωση 40 χρόνων από την αποκατάσταση της Δημοκρατίας, αφιερωμένο στον Βάλτερ Πούχνερ, [Internet]. 2018;A:439-457. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Στο απόηχο της Ρωσικής Επανάστασης, το 1918 ιδρύθηκε στις ΗΠΑ η ελληνική κομμουνιστική εφημερίδα «Η Φωνή του Εργάτου» με στόχο να συσπειρώσει τον ελληνικό εργατικό κόσμο. Στους κόλπους της εφημερίδας γεννήθηκε ο πρώτος γηγενής σοσιαλιστικός θίασος στη Νέα Υόρκη, ο «Θεατρικός Εργατικός Όμιλος». Ο «Θεατρικός Εργατικός Όμιλος», αυστηρά προσανατολισμένος στις κομμουνιστικές αρχές, συμμετείχε σε γιορτές συλλόγων, σε χοροεσπερίδες με αφορμή την επέτειο της Ρωσικής Επανάστασης ή υπέρ της εφημερίδας «Η Φωνή του Εργάτου», η οποία το 1923 μετονομάστηκε σε «Εμπρός». Απ’ τους κόλπους του «Θεατρικού Εργατικού Ομίλου» γεννήθηκαν πολυάριθμοι σοσιαλιστικοί ερασιτεχνικοί όμιλοι (π.χ. ο «Σπάρτακος» και ο «Λόκαλ 70» των Γουναροεργατών).Ταυτόχρονα προέκυψε ένας πυρήνας θεατρικών συγγραφέων, προερχόμενοι από τους σοσιαλιστικούς θιάσους, οι οποίοι συνέγραψαν έργα επαναστατικά νατουραλιστικά, τα οποία αναδεικνύουν τις κοινωνικές αδικίες, την εκμετάλλευση των εργατών, την ανισότητα, το ρατσισμό και γενικότερα όλη την κοινωνική παθογένεια της Αμερικής. Το παρόν επιστημονικό άρθρο αναδεικνύει το σοσιαλιστικό ρεπερτόριο, τη δραματουργία των στρατευμένων συγγραφέων και τις δράσεις των σοσιαλιστικών θιάσων στις ΗΠΑ από το 1918 έως τη δεκαετία του 1940.
BACKGROUND: Eastern European countries including Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet Union (FSU) countries have experienced an HIV epidemic spreading mostly among people who inject drugs (PWID). We aimed to investigate the origin and the dispersal patterns of HIV-1 CRF02_AG in Russia and other FSU countries.
METHODS: We studied 136 CRF02_AG sequences originating from Russia, and FSU countries along with a globally sampled dataset of 3,580 CRF02_AG sequences. Maximum-likelihood phylogeny reconstruction with bootstrap evaluation was conducted in RAxML. Bayesian phylogeographic analysis was performed in BEAST v1.8 using the discrete trait model.
RESULTS: We found that all CRF02_AG sequences from Russia and other FSU countries formed a single monophyletic cluster within CRF02_AG radiation. The Russian/FSU clade was classified as CRF63_02A1. Sequences from the FSU countries clustered further within distinct subclades (two from Russia, three from Uzbekistan and one Kazakhstan) according to the geographic origin of sampling. Molecular clock analysis revealed that the tMRCA of the CRF63_02A1 epidemic was in 1996 (95%HPD: 1992-1999), while for the two Russian subclades, tMRCA was estimated in 2003 (95%HPD: 2001-2004) and in 2007 (95%HPD: 2005-2008). Phylogeographic analysis suggested that the potential origin of the epidemic was in Uzbekistan. Early dispersal of CRF63_02A1 occurred in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and thereafter the epidemic spread to Russia. Notably, spillover transmissions to Russia kept occurring in both countries.
DISCUSSION: Previous studies have shown that Russia and Ukraine have provided the source for the PWID-driven, HIV-1 subtype-A epidemic, spreading across the FSU countries (AFSU). In great contrast, CRF63_02A1 established an epidemic in central Asia (Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan), from where it subsequently disseminated to Russia. Our study suggests that cross-border transmissions among PWID occur bi-directionally between Russian and other FSU populations. These results are of public health importance and suggest that prevention actions have to be reinforced in this area to assist the management of high-risk practices.
We report on the electronic structure, density of states and transmission properties of the periodic one-dimensional tight-binding (TB) lattice with a single orbital per site and nearest-neighbor hoppings, with a generic unit cell of u sites. The determination of the eigenvalues is equivalent to the diagonalization of a real tridiagonal symmetric u-Toeplitz matrix with (cyclic boundaries) or without (fixed boundaries) perturbed upper right and lower left corners. We solve the TB equations via the Transfer Matrix Method, producing analytical solutions and recursive relations for its eigenvalues, closely related to the Chebyshev polynomials. We examine the density of states and provide relevant analytical relations. We attach semi-infinite leads, determine and discuss the transmission coefficient at zero bias and investigate the peaks number and position, and the effect of the coupling strength and asymmetry as well as of the lead properties on the transmission profiles. We introduce a generic optimal coupling condition and demonstrate its physical meaning.
Following the discovery of the newly discovered ULX pulsar in NGC 300 (ATel #11158) we searched the available X-ray data for the evolution of the spin period of the neutron star and the X-ray luminosity.
The semimetal MoTe2 is studied by spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy across the centrosymmetry-breaking structural transition temperature of the bulk. A three-dimensional spin- texture is observed in the bulk Fermi surface in the low temperature, noncentrosymmetric phase that is consistent with first-principles calculations. The spin texture and two types of surface Fermi arc are not completely suppressed above the bulk transition temperature. The lifetimes of quasiparticles forming the Fermi arcs depend on thermal history and lengthen considerably upon cooling toward the bulk structural transition. The results indicate that a new form of polar instability exists near the surface when the bulk is largely in a centrosymmetric phase.
We consider a state-dependent single-server queue with orbit. This is a versatile model for the study of service systems, where the server needs a non-negligible time to retrieve waiting customers every time he completes a service. This situation arises typically when the customers are not physically present at a system, but they have a remote access to it, as in a call center station, a communication node, etc. We introduce a probabilistic approach for the performance evaluation of this queueing system, that we refer to as the queueing and Markov chain decomposition approach. Moreover, we discuss the applicability of this approach for the performance evaluation of other non-Markovian service systems with state dependencies.
The Indian summer monsoon (ISM) is a prominent feature of the summer circulation in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and has been found to modulate the weather and climate conditions in many remote regions. This study investigates the most recurrent patterns of summertime midlatitude circulation, over the eastern Mediterranean (EM) and also globally, that are most associated with the ISM. Monthly data of 44 summers from the ERA40 dataset are used and two multidimensional statistical methods, the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA), are implemented. The ISM is found to be related to subsidence anomalies in the middle and more extendedly in the upper troposphere over the central and eastern Mediterranean and with an Etesian-like pattern regarding the field of the lower troposphere winds. An equatorial Rossby wave pattern, extending westward from an ISM heat source up to EM and N. Africa, was identified to be associated with the variability of ISM. The observed relationship between the ISM and the EM circulation features can be attributed to this equatorial Rossby wave response to the monsoon forcing. CCA implementation revealed the interconnection of the aforementioned PCA results with an ISM action center over the northern Arabian Sea and the monsoon trough region.
Magnetic reconnection is invoked as an efficient particle accelerator in a variety of astrophysical sources of non-thermal high-energy radiation. With large-scale two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of relativistic reconnection (i.e. with magnetization σ ≫ 1) in pair plasmas, we study the long-term evolution of the power-law slope and high-energy cut-off of the spectrum of accelerated particles. We find that the high-energy spectral cut-off does not saturate at γcut ∼ 4σ, as claimed by earlier studies, but it steadily grows with time as long as the reconnection process stays active. At late times, the cut-off scales approximately as γ _cut∝ √{t}, regardless of the flow magnetization and initial temperature. We show that the particles dominating the high-energy spectral cut-off reside in plasmoids, and in particular in a strongly magnetized ring around the plasmoid core. The growth of their energy is driven by the increase in the local field strength, coupled with the conservation of the first adiabatic invariant. We also find that the power-law slope of the spectrum (p = -d log N/d log γ) evolves with time. For σ ≳ 10, the spectrum is hard at early times (p ≲ 2), but it tends to asymptote to p ∼ 2; the steepening of the power-law slope allows the spectral cut-off to extend to higher and higher energies, without violating the fixed energy budget of the system. Our results demonstrate that relativistic reconnection is a viable candidate for accelerating the high-energy particles emitting in relativistic astrophysical sources.
A series of uranium(III) mixed sandwich complexes with sterically demanding CpR ligands, of the type [U(COTTIPS2)(CpR)] (CpR = CptBu (C5H4tBu), CptBu2 (C5H3tBu2-1,3), CptBu3 (C5H2tBu3-1,2,4), CpTIPS2 (C5H3(SiiPr3)2-1,3), CpMe4Bz (C5Me4CH2Ph), IndMe6 (C9HMe6) and IndMe7 (C9Me7), and COTTIPS2 = C8H6(SiiPr3)2-1,4), have been synthesised and their X-ray crystal structures determined. The reactivity of these complexes with CO and CO2 is reported, including the squarate complex [U(COTTIPS2)(IndMe6)]2(μ-C4O4), IR data on the long-lived carbonyl complex [U(COTTIPS2)(IndMe7)(CO)] and the carbonate complex [U(COTTIPS2)(CptBu)]2(μ-η1:η2-CO3). The Solid-G algorithm has been to assess the steric properties of these and previously reported mixed-sandwich complexes in the solid state and correlate these properties with the observed reactivity.
We present the results of our power spectral density analysis for the BL Lac object OJ 287, utilizing the Fermi-LAT survey at high-energy γ-rays, Swift-XRT in X-rays, several ground-based telescopes and the Kepler satellite in the optical, and radio telescopes at GHz frequencies. The light curves are modeled in terms of continuous-time autoregressive moving average (CARMA) processes. Owing to the inclusion of the Kepler data, we were able to construct for the first time the optical variability power spectrum of a blazar without any gaps across ∼6 dex in temporal frequencies. Our analysis reveals that the radio power spectra are of a colored-noise type on timescales ranging from tens of years down to months, with no evidence for breaks or other spectral features. The overall optical power spectrum is also consistent with a colored noise on the variability timescales ranging from 117 years down to hours, with no hints of any quasi-periodic oscillations. The X-ray power spectrum resembles the radio and optical power spectra on the analogous timescales ranging from tens of years down to months. Finally, the γ-ray power spectrum is noticeably different from the radio, optical, and X-ray power spectra of the source: we have detected a characteristic relaxation timescale in the Fermi-LAT data, corresponding to ∼150 days, such that on timescales longer than this, the power spectrum is consistent with uncorrelated (white) noise, while on shorter variability timescales there is correlated (colored) noise.
Montenegro plans to enhance its educational system in the area of health information management, in accordance with well-known EU best practices. Within the Erasmus+ project PH-ELIM, a Stratified Framework was developed to provide education of public health professionals making them highly skilled to support the nation in creating a sustainable and flexible health system, in providing good quality health, in protecting citizens against health threats, all by a cost-effective and straightforward approach. The objective of this presentation is to present the intermediate results of the Framework and lessons learned until now.
Schizotypal personality traits may increase proneness to psychosis and likely index familial vulnerability to schizophrenia (SZ), implying shared genetic determinants with SZ. Here, we sought to investigate the contribution of common genetic risk variation for SZ on self-reported schizotypy in 2 ethnically homogeneous cohorts of healthy young males during compulsory military service, enrolled in the Athens Study of Proneness and Incidence of Schizophrenia (ASPIS, N = 875) and the Learning on Genetics of Schizophrenia Spectrum study (LOGOS, N = 690). A follow-up psychometric assessment was performed in a sub-sample of the ASPIS (N = 121), 18 months later at military service completion. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) for SZ were derived based on genome-wide association meta-analysis results from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. In the ASPIS, higher PRSSZ significantly associated with lower levels of positive (ie, perceptual distortions), disorganization and paranoid facets of schizotypy, whereas no association with negative (ie, interpersonal) facets was noted. Importantly, longitudinal data analysis in the ASPIS subsample revealed that PRSSZ was inversely associated with positive schizotypy at military induction (stressed condition) but not at follow-up (nonstressed condition), providing evidence for environmental rather than SZ-implicated genetic influences. Moreover, consistent with prior reports, PRSSZ was positively correlated with trait anxiety in the LOGOS and additionally the recruits with higher PRSSZ and trait anxiety exhibited attenuated paranoid ideation. Together, these findings do not support an etiological link between increased polygenic liability for SZ and schizotypy, suggesting that psychosocial stress or trait anxiety may impact schizotypal phenotypic expressions among healthy young adults not genetically predisposed to SZ.
The role of membrane lipids in modulating eukaryotic transporter assembly and function remains unclear. We investigated the effect of membrane lipids in the structure and transport activity of the purine transporter UapA from Aspergillus nidulans. We found that UapA exists mainly as a dimer and that two lipid molecules bind per UapA dimer. We identified three phospholipid classes that co-purified with UapA: phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylinositol (PI). UapA delipidation caused dissociation of the dimer into monomers. Subsequent addition of PI or PE rescued the UapA dimer and allowed recovery of bound lipids, suggesting a central role of these lipids in stabilizing the dimer. Molecular dynamics simulations predicted a lipid binding site near the UapA dimer interface. Mutational analyses established that lipid binding at this site is essential for formation of functional UapA dimers. We propose that structural lipids have a central role in the formation of functional, dimeric UapA.
The purpose of the study is the determination of the morphodynamical processes and the changes of the shoreline of Marathon Bay, which is located at northeast Attica. The area was lagoon 3.500 years BP (Pavlopoulos et al.2006) and it is characterized by low elevations and smooth slopes.
The survey of the coastal and marine geomorphology was carried out by acoustic scanning of the seafloor with an echo sounder and sonar side scan topographical sections perpendicular to the shoreline and collection and analysis of surface sediments. The quantification of long-term shoreline displacements (Thieler et al. 2009) was carried out by comparing historical and recent aerial photographs (1945, 1960, 1969, 1988, 1996, 2001, 2010,), satellite imagery (6/2015, World View 2) and the imprint of the coastline (3/2013) with real time kinematic digital global positioning system (RTK DGPS). The estimation of rate and volume of the sediments transportation was realized by a hydrodynamical model (MIKE 21 Flow Model FM).
At the north section of the area, near the estuary of Kainourio stream, and the lagoon’s draining channel, the maximum rates of coastal retreat are noticed (̴0,35m/year).
The exposition of the coast to the southern waves, the reduced sediment supply from local rivers, due to the Marathon’s Dam and secondly of the morphology of their riverbeds, they have been filled because of the sea level rise the last 50yrs (IPCC, 2007). The lack of sediment supply, the sediment's composition and the morphological appearance of the submarine basin at the northeast of the Bay are mainly responsible for the coastal retreat along with the sea level rise.
In this paper, we explore the process of becoming a teacher educator in the pedagogical use of digital tools in mathematics teaching. The study took place in the context of an in-service program during the trainees’ engagement in their practicum fieldwork activities including the process observation–reflection–design–implementation–reflection. We explored the features of this context that facilitated the trainees’ transition from the level of trainee educator to the level of teacher educator as well as the nature of the trainees’ documentation work for teachers. The results showed that observation of other teacher educators’ teaching in conjunction with reflection during the program’s respective sessions facilitated the trainees’ transition to the professional level. The identified operational invariants underlying the trainees’ designs concerned the focus of their observation in teacher education classrooms, the importance they attributed to the constraints and opportunities provided by the wider educational context and epistemological issues regarding the teaching and learning of mathematics with technology. The analysis of trainees’ designs revealed three kinds of documents (‘‘explanatory,’’ ‘‘instructive’’ and ‘‘facilitative’’) and corresponding roles of trainees during the implementation. These documents targeted different aspects of TPACK depending on the trainees’ conceptualizations of teachers’ roles either ‘‘as students’’ or ‘‘of students.’’
Electric-field-controlled piezoelectric strain has been used, recently, to modify the superconducting properties in a new class of piezoelectric/superconducting (PE/SC) hybrids. Here, we investigate the appearance of thermomagnetic instabilities (TMIs) and the respective modification of the critical current density (J(C)) through the application of electric field (E-ex) in PE/SC hybrids. Specifically, the SC nanolayers are Nb (thickness, d(SC) = 20 nm) deposited on both surfaces of PE macroscopic crystals of (1-x)Pb(Mg-1/3 Nb-2/3)O-3-xPbTiO(3) (PMN-PT) with optimum composition x = 0.31 (thickness, d(PE) = 0.5-0.8 mm). The appearance of TMIs and the modification of J(C) by E-ex is studied for two PMN-PT crystals of drastically different surface roughness (Sa). In the case of the PMN-PT crystal with low Sa (on the order of a few tenths of nm) TMIs are absent so that J(C) does not change under the variation of E-ex. On the contrary, in the case of the PMN-PT crystal with high Sa (on the order of a few hundreds of nm) E-ex induces TMIs in the Nb nanolayers. Specifically, the number of TMIs exhibits a non-monotonic increase on E-ex, thus causing a non-monotonic degradation of J(C). These experimental data are interpreted in terms of the variation of both volume strain and surface roughness on E-ex. This work highlights practical means to control the current-carrying capability of SC nanolayers through strain provided by PE substrates. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
River deltas sustain important ecosystems with rich biodiversity and large biomass, as well as human populations via the availability of water and food sources. Anthropogenic activities, such as urbanization, tourism and agriculture, may pose threats to river deltas. The knowledge of the factors controlling the regional water quality regime in these areas is important for planning sustainable use and management of the water resources. Here, hydrochemical methods and multivariate statistical techniques were combined to investigate the shallow aquifer of the Pinios River (Thessaly) deltaic plain with respect to water quality, hydrogeochemical evolution and interactions between groundwater and surface water bodies. Water quality assessment indicated that most of the river and groundwater samples fully comply with the criteria set by the Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC). The river is recharged mainly from springs of the Tempi valley and the shallow aquifer, and to a lesser degree from precipitation, throughout the year. The hydrogeochemical characteristics indicated a cation (Ca, Mg, and Na) bicarbonate water type, which evolves to calcium-chloride, sodium-bicarbonate and sodium-chloride water type, in the northern part of the delta. Calcite and dolomite dissolution determined the major ion chemistry, but other processes, such as silicate weathering and cation exchange reactions, also contributed. In the northern part of the plain, the interaction with the deeper aquifer enriched the shallow aquifer with Na and Cl ions. Principal Component Analysis showed that five components (PCs) explain 77% of the total variance of water quality parameters; these are: (1) salinity; (2) water-silicate rocks interaction; (3) hardness due to calcite dissolution, and cation exchange processes; (4) nitrogen pollution; and (5) non-N-related artificial fertilizers. This study demonstrated that the variation of water hydrochemistry in the deltaic plain could be attributed to natural and anthropogenic processes. The interpretation of the PCA results dictated the parameters used for the development of a modified Water Quality Index (WQI), to provide a more comprehensive spatial representation of the water quality of the river delta.
Swift J1858.6-0814: Localization and variability of the optical counterpart G. Vasilopoulos (Yale), C. Bailyn (Yale), J. Milburn (Caltech) Following the detection of the new galactic transient source Swift J1858.6-0814 (Krimm et al. ATEL #12151) we performed photometric follow up observations of its optical counterpart using the WASP instrument on the Hale 200" Telescope at Palomar Observatory.
Historic data and old topographic maps include information on historical floods and paleo-floods. This paper aims at identifying the flood hazard by using historic data in the drainage basin of Pinios (Peneus) River, in Thessaly, central Greece. For this purpose, a catalogue of historical flood events that occurred between 1979 and 2010 and old topographic maps of 1881 were used. Moreover, geomorphic parameters such as elevation, slope, aspect and slope curvature were taken into account. The data were combined with the Geographical Information System to analyze the temporal and spatial distribution of flood events. The results show that a total number of 146 flood events were recorded in the study area. The number of flood events reaches its maximum value in the year 1994, while October contains the most flood events. The flood occurrences increased during the period 1990-2010. The flooded area reaches its maximum value in the year 1987, and November is the month with the most records. The type of damages with the most records is for rural land use. Regarding the class of damages, no human casualties were recorded during the studied period. The annual and monthly distribution of the very high category reaches the maximum values, respectively, in the year 2005 and in June. The analysis of the spatial distribution of the floods proves that most of the occurrences are recorded in the southern part of the study area. There is a certain amount of clustering of flood events in the areas of former marshes and lakes along with the lowest and flattest parts of the study area. These areas are located in the central, southern, south-eastern and coastal part of the study area and create favorable conditions for flooding. The proposed method estimates the localization of sites prone to flood, and it may be used for flood hazard assessment mapping and for flood risk management.
BACKGROUND: The rate of transmitted drug resistance (TDR) may increase with wider use of antiretroviral therapy and can contribute to therapeutic failure. We analysed time trends in TDR among HIV seroconverters.
METHODS: Using CASCADE data of individuals with well estimated dates of HIV seroconversion, we examined HIV nucleotide sequences collected prior to antiretroviral therapy use from 1996-2012. All samples were taken within 12 months of testing HIV positive. Using logistic regression, we examined the association between TDR and year of seroconversion, adjusting for confounders.
RESULTS: Of 4717 individuals seroconverting between 1996 and 2012, median (IQR) age at seroconversion was 33 (27, 39) years. The majority (3839; 92%) were male, mainly exposed through MSM (3767; 80%), and infected with subtype B (3464; 73%). Overall, 515 (11%) individuals had at least one drug resistance-related mutation; 280 individuals with nucleoside reverse transcriptase, 185 with nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase, and 144 with protease inhibitor mutations. Estimated TDR prevalence was 19.4% (8.2, 36.0) in 1996, significantly decreasing to 8.5% (5.9, 11.9) in 2012 [odds ratio (OR; 95% confidence interval (CI)) = 0.92 (0.90, 0.95) per year increase]. Individuals exposed through sex between men and women were significantly less likely to have been infected with a drug-resistant strain [OR (95% CI) = 0.59 (0.41, 0.87) compared with MSM], and there was marginal evidence that sampling during acute infection was associated with higher odds of resistance [OR (95% CI) = 1.20 (0.97, 1.7), P = 0.093] compared with later sampling.
CONCLUSION: TDR has decreased over calendar time although a significant proportion of new infections still carry resistance-related mutations.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of terrorism on tourism demand in Greece using monthly data from 1977 to 2012. We investigate whether this relationship is bidirectional and whether it exhibits long run persistence. Thus, we employ a large dataset of terrorist incidents and perform cointegration and long-run causality tests, correcting our data for cyclical seasonality and applying PCA to construct a terrorism proxy according to the severity of the incident. Our findings concur that terrorism has a significant negative impact on tourist arrivals to Greece and that causality is noted from terrorism to tourism only. The results suggest that authorities should establish firm measures against terrorism and that further actions should be taken to promote tourism, safety and security, as a response to terrorist incidents. Our study is, to the best our knowledge, the first to approach terrorism using a three-factor proxy with qualitative features.
This study documented the change in study design and statistics employed in applied sports and exercise biomechanics research from 1985 to 2014. The sample comprised 676 data based original research reports published in the Journal of Applied Biomechanics (JAB) from 1985 to 2014. Eight design and 10 statistical criteria were extracted from each study. Descriptive statistics were calculated and change in study criteria over time were documented. Design criteria that did not change over time, remaining at relatively low levels of rigor, were widespread (71%) use of small (2-20) sample sizes and examination of numerous dependent variables (26.6% with >13). The number of experimental groups and independent variables also did not change with typically 1 to 2 reported. There was a significant 61% linear increase in randomization of participants into groups, however by 2014 still a minority (39%) of studies were not reporting randomized assignment. Types of statistical analysis showed positive changes over time with a 48% quadratic decrease in descriptive analyses, a 3% linear increase in nonparametric statistics, and a 45% linear increase in reporting parametric statistical analysis. Changes in specific statistical methods included a 9% linear decrease in bivariate correlation and a 73% linear increase in ANOVA. Reporting of assumptions had a 35% linear increase, yet in 2014 sixty-five percent still did not report on meeting statistical assumptions. Changes in test statistics included a linear 56% increase of reporting observed P values and a quadratic 29% increase in reporting effect sizes beginning in the late 1990s. It was concluded there was evidence of small improvements in research design and statistics in JAB over the last 30 years; however, there is still room for improvement to meet higher levels of research rigor and current recommendations on statistical analysis and reporting.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate size and shape variation of human premolars between Indigenous Australians and Australians of European ancestry, and to assess whether sex and ancestry could be differentiated between these groups using 3D geometric morphometrics.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy dental casts from each group, equally subdivided by sex, were scanned using a structured-light scanner. The 3D meshes of upper and lower premolars were processed using geometric morphometric methods. Seventy-two landmarks were recorded for upper premolars and 50 landmarks for lower premolars. For each tooth type, two-way ANOVA was used to assess group differences in centroid size. Shape variations were explored using principal component analysis and visualized using 3D morphing. Two-way Procrustes ANOVA was applied to test group differences for ancestry and sex, and a "leave-one-out" discriminant function was applied to assess group assignment.
RESULTS: Centroid size and shape did not display significant difference between the sexes. Centroid size was larger in Indigenous Australians for upper premolars and lower second premolars compared to the Australians of European ancestry. Significant shape variation was noted between the two ancestral groups for upper premolars and the lower first premolar. Correct group assignment of individual teeth to their ancestral groups ranged between 80.0 and 92.8% for upper premolars and 60.0 and 75.7% for lower premolars.
DISCUSSION: Our findings provide evidence of significant size and shape variation in human premolars between the two ancestral groups. High classification rates based on shape analysis of upper premolars highlight potential application of geometric morphometrics in anthropological, bioarcheological and forensic contexts.
SXP 15.3 (RX J0052.1-7319) is a Be X-ray binary pulsar located in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The source was classified as a transient X-ray binary candidate based on ROSAT observations in the 1990's, and pulsations at 15.3 s were subsequently discovered from an outburst in 1996 from the ROSAT data. The source has never been studied in an outburst or a bright state ever since. Following reports of an outburst in November 2017, we triggered a Target of Opportunity observation of SXP 15.3 with AstroSat. We report here the first broadband spectral and timing studies of the source, when the source was accreting near the Eddington limit of 10^38 erg/s. We discuss the energy dependence of the pulse profiles and the broadband spectrum in context of accretion onto magnetized neutron stars accreting near its Eddington limit.
Magnetically doped topological insulators may produce novel states of electronic matter, where for instance the quantum anomalous Hall effect state can be realized. Pivotal to this goal is a microscopic control over the magnetic state, defined by the local electronic structure of the dopants and their interactions. We report on the magnetic coupling among Mn or Co atoms adsorbed on the surface of the topological insulator Bi2Te3. Our findings uncover the mechanisms of the exchange coupling between magnetic atoms coupled to the topological surface state in strong topological insulators. The combination of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and ab initio calculations reveals that the sign of the magnetic coupling at short adatom-adatom distances is opposite for Mn with respect to Co. For both elements, the magnetic exchange reverses its sign at a critical distance between magnetic adatoms, as a result of the interplay between superexchange, double exchange and Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida interactions.
A novel, fit-for-purpose, highly sensitive, analytical UPLC-PDA methodology was developed and fully validated, according to ICH, FDA and EMA guidelines, for the rapid and accurate quantification of trans-crocin 4 (TC4) and crocetin (CRC) in mice plasma and brain after i.p. administration. A PDA based methodology shows a wider applicability as it is cost effective and can be easily and seamlessly adopted by the pharma industry. The separation of the analytes was performed on a C18 Hypersil Gold column with 2.5 min run time, employing the internal standard (ISTD) methodology. The two methods were successfully applied for the determination of CRC and TC4 in mouse plasma and brain after i.p. administration of TC4 (50 mg/kg) in a time range of 0-240 min. Due to the selection of i.p. administration route, the first-pass metabolism and/or gastric hydrolysis were bypassed, a fact that enhanced the bioavailability of TC4. Furthermore, TC4 was found to be capable of crossing the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) and build up levels in the mouse brain, regardless of its highly hydrophilic character. CRC was not detected in any plasma or brain sample, although it has been reported that TC4 quickly hydrolyzes to CRC after p.o. administration. Therefore i.p. administration could be used in the case of TC4 for the accurate determination of its biological role. Overall, the developed methodology offers important information about the bioavailability of TC4 in mouse plasma and for the first time, demonstrates the ability of TC4 to penetrate the BBB and localize inside the brain.
A novel, fit-for-purpose, highly sensitive, analytical UPLC-PDA methodology was developed and fully validated, according to ICH, FDA and EMA guidelines, for the rapid and accurate quantification of trans-crocin 4 (TC4) and crocetin (CRC) in mice plasma and brain after i.p. administration. A PDA based methodology shows a wider applicability as it is cost effective and can be easily and seamlessly adopted by the pharma industry. The separation of the analytes was performed on a C18 Hypersil Gold column with 2.5 min run time, employing the internal standard (ISTD) methodology. The two methods were successfully applied for the determination of CRC and TC4 in mouse plasma and brain after i.p. administration of TC4 (50 mg/kg) in a time range of 0-240 min. Due to the selection of i.p. administration route, the first-pass metabolism and/or gastric hydrolysis were bypassed, a fact that enhanced the bioavailability of TC4. Furthermore, TC4 was found to be capable of crossing the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) and build up levels in the mouse brain, regardless of its highly hydrophilic character. CRC was not detected in any plasma or brain sample, although it has been reported that TC4 quickly hydrolyzes to CRC after p.o. administration. Therefore i.p. administration could be used in the case of TC4 for the accurate determination of its biological role. Overall, the developed methodology offers important information about the bioavailability of TC4 in mouse plasma and for the first time, demonstrates the ability of TC4 to penetrate the BBB and localize inside the brain.
The reaction of the syn-bimetallic bis(pentalene)dititanium complex Ti2(μ:η5,η5-Pn†)2 (Pn† = C8H4(1,4-SiiPr3)2) 1 with carbon suboxide (OCCCO, C3O2) results in trimerisation of the latter and formation of the structurally characterised complex [{Ti2(μ:η5,η5-Pn†)2}{μ-C9O6}]. The trimeric bridging C9O6 unit in the latter contains a 4-pyrone core, a key feature of both the hexamer and octamer of carbon suboxide which are formed in the body from trace amounts of C3O2 and are, for example, potent inhibitors of Na+/K+-ATP-ase. The mechanism of this reaction has been studied in detail by DFT computational studies, which also suggest that the reaction proceeds via the initial formation of a mono-adduct of 1 with C3O2. Indeed, the carefully controlled reaction of 1 with C3O2 affords [Ti2(μ:η5,η5-Pn†)2 (η2-C3O2)], as the first structurally authenticated complex of carbon suboxide.
Lots have happened in the East-Mediterranean since the beginning of the third millennium. A list of the main events reveals a long series of issues that took place in the region and heavily affect it. The impact of these issues and events will stay with us for the foreseeable future and is heavily discernible in the relations between the eastern- Mediterranean non- Arab littoral countries: Turkey, Israel, Greece and Cyprus. This list includes, for example, the 2000s deteriorating relations between Turkey and Israel (in 2016 the two resumed full diplomatic relations); the current crises in the relations between Turkey several Middle Eastern countries (Egypt, Syria, Iraq); the civil war that rages in Syria since 2011 and Turkey’s deep involvement in it; acts of Islamist led terrorism, attacks by ISIS1, and manifestations of religious extremism that heavily affect daily life, economies and tourism in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, as well as in other places; illegal immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers that inundate Turkey, Greece (and via them) many EU countries; energy explorations in the Mediterranean Sea; issues related to civil rights, minorities, the growing tendencies towards strong executives and authoritarian regimes at the expense of democracy and pluralism; heavy internal changes like the decline of Turkish Kemalism, the growing impact of religion in Israel and Turkey, and the fi nancial crisis of Greece; In addition, the struggle for self-determination of various ethnic groups and peoples (the Kurds, the Palestinians, and others); the Russian reappearance, American disappearance and the EU weak impact on events in the Middle East and the Eastern – Mediterranean - - these and subjects have brought about dramatic changes in the Eastern Mediterranean sub-system. 1. See at the end of this text: ANNEX: Evidence on the Collaboration of Turkey with ISIS and other jihadist groups, as well as relevant testimonies from international sources. From the Turkish standpoint, the events in our region express what is happening in the global arena: Europe is aging, its economy and currency are limping and convulsing, and the EU radiates political disintegration (the Brexit) and economic weaknesses. The US is suffering from an economic crisis, it is globally and politically on the decline, internally it is also on the decline following the eight years’ presidency of Barak Obama, and the November 2016 election of President Donald Trump. Simultaneously, other powers (China, Russia) strive to replace American hegemony all around the globe. Also from the standpoint of Ankara, Turkey desires to be now a rising «uneasy» power, and is demarcating the limits of its infl uence: Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans, on the one hand; black Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East, on the other. Following several setbacks, Turkish- Russian relations are developing and disagreements have been settled. And all these developments and events have greatly affected the three eastern - Mediterranean non - Muslim countries (Greece, Israel, Cyprus), and the region’s sole non- Arab but Muslim country- Turkey. In our paper we will make an attempt to describe and analyze the major impacts that these events and issues have had on the developments in the eastern- Mediterranean, with particular focus on Turkey and Israel, and the growing cooperation between Greece and Israel.
The discovery of Weyl semimetals represents a significant advance in topological band theory. They paradigmatically enlarged the classification of topological materials to gapless systems while simultaneously providing experimental evidence for the long-sought Weyl fermions. Beyond fundamental relevance, their high mobility, strong magnetoresistance, and the possible existence of even more exotic effects, such as the chiral anomaly, make Weyl semimetals a promising platform to develop radically new technology. Fully exploiting their potential requires going beyond the mere identification of materials and calls for a detailed characterization of their functional response, which is severely complicated by the coexistence of surface-and bulk-derived topologically protected quasiparticles, i.e., Fermi arcs and Weyl points, respectively. Here, we focus on the type-II Weyl semimetal class in which we find a stoichiometry-dependent phase transition from a trivial to a nontrivial regime. By exploring the two extreme cases of the phase diagram, we demonstrate the existence of a universal response of both surface and bulk states to perturbations. We show that quasiparticle interference patterns originate from scattering events among surface arcs. Analysis reveals that topologically nontrivial contributions are strongly suppressed by spin texture. We also show that scattering at localized impurities can generate defect-induced quasiparticles sitting close to the Weyl point energy. These give rise to strong peaks in the local density of states, which lift the Weyl node, significantly altering the pristine low-energy spectrum. Remarkably, by comparing the WTe2 and the MoTe2 cases we found that scattering response and topological transition are not directly linked. Visualizing the existence of a universal microscopic response to scattering has important consequences for understanding the unusual transport properties of this class of materials. Overall, our observations provide a unifying picture of the type-II Weyl phase diagram.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection constitutes a global public health problem. In order to establish how HBV was disseminated across different geographic regions, we estimated the levels of regional clustering for genotypes D and A. We used 916 HBV-D and 493 HBV-A full-length sequences to reconstruct their global phylogeny. Phylogeographic analysis was conducted by the reconstruction of ancestral states using the criterion of parsimony. The putative origin of genotype D was in North Africa/Middle East. HBV-D sequences form low levels of regional clustering for the Middle East and Southern Europe. In contrast, HBV-A sequences form two major clusters, the first including sequences mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, and the second including sequences mostly from Western and Central Europe. Conclusion: We observed considerable differences in the global dissemination patterns of HBV-D and HBV-A and different levels of monophyletic clustering in relation to the regions of prevalence of each genotype.
{The purpose of the present study was to determine whether a battery of anthropometric and lower and upper body strength, speed and power tests predicted selection of young volleyball players for a Junior National Team by expert coaches. Fifty-two male junior volleyball players (14.8±0.5 yrs, height: 1.84±0.05 m, body mass: 72.5±7.1 kg) took part in a training camp and underwent a selection procedure by expert coaches' of the junior national team. Anthropometric data and fitness tests results were obtained and players were graded on a scale from 0 to 100 on the basis of their performance in a volleyball tournament. Selected players were superior in the majority of measured variables (p≤0.017) and had higher grading scores compared with non-selected players (85.3±4.1 vs. 70.5±5.6, respectively, p<0.01). The combination of spike jump and reach test (SJR) and 3 kg medicine ball throw velocity (MB3) explained 63.5% of the variance in expert coaches' grading (p<0.001). A multivariate discriminant analysis yielded a significant discriminant function (Wilk's lambda= 0.55, χ= 29.324, p<0.001, η=0.82). SJR and MB3 were the only variables that contributed to the discriminant function (standardized function coefficients: SJR = 0.68
Principal component analysis (PCA) is being extensively used in Astronomy but not yet exhaustively exploited for variability search. The aim of this work is to investigate the effectiveness of using the PCA as a method to search for variable stars in large photometric data sets. We apply PCA to variability indices computed for light curves of 18 152 stars in three fields in M 31 extracted from the Hubble Source Catalogue. The projection of the data into the principal components is used as a stellar variability detection and classification tool, capable of distinguishing between RR Lyrae stars, long-period variables (LPVs) and non-variables. This projection recovered more than 90 per cent of the known variables and revealed 38 previously unknown variable stars (about 30 per cent more), all LPVs except for one object of uncertain variability type. We conclude that this methodology can indeed successfully identify candidate variable stars.
We have determined the membership of 46 open clusters. For the nine clusters within 250pc we determined optimised parallaxes based on the combined information extracted from the measured parallax and proper motion values. These clusters are : in Tables A1a & A3: alphaPer, Blanco1, ComaBer, Hyades, IC2391, IC2602, NGC2451A, Pleiades, Praesepe. The remaining 37 clusters are in Table A1b & A4: Coll140, IC4651, IC4665, IC4725, IC4756, NGC0188, NGC0752, NGC0869, NGC0884, NGC1039, NGC1901, NGC2158, NGC2168, NGC2232, NGC2323, NGC2360, NGC2422, NGC2423, NGC2437, NGC2447, NGC2516, NGC2547, NGC2548, NGC2682, NGC3228, NGC3532, NGC6025, NGC6281, NGC6405, NGC6475, NGC6633, NGC6774, NGC6793, NGC7092, Stock2, Trump02, Trump10. (4 data files).
Our analysis was performed on the iDR4 consisting of ~260000 single exposures (corresponding to ~100 000 stacked spectra) of about 51000 distinct stars observed with the FLAMES instrument feeding the optical spectrographs GIRAFFE (with setups HR3, HR5A, HR6, HR9B, HR10, HR14A, HR15N, HR15, HR21) and UVES (with setups U520 and U580) covering the optical and near-IR wavelength ranges. (5 data files).
We used archival observations of NGC 4535 taken with the HST WFPC2 as part of the HST Key Project. We used 13 epochs of F555W (equivalent to Johnson V) and 9 epochs of F814W (equivalent to Kron-Cousins I). The F555W data consisted in total of eight 3x1200 sec exposures and five 4x1300s exposures, while the F814W of nine 3x1300s exposures. (1 data file).
We have observed two fields in the northern disc of M31 in a large programme (LP) of XMM-Newton (PI: M. Sasaki). The data were taken with the European Photon Imaging Cameras (EPICs) in full-frame mode using the thin filter for the pn camera (EPIC-pn) and the medium filter for the two MOS cameras (EPIC-MOS1/2), in order to minimise the contamination by background but to maximise the sensitivity for soft diffuse emission. Each of the two fields was observed twice. (6 data files).
Plant species grown in the Mediterranean region have been selected for an experimental study regarding plant ability to endure harsh, abiotic conditions such as water deficiency. Young plants of Ceratonia siliqua L., Myrtus communis L., Nerium oleander L., Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Pittosporum tobira (Thunb.) were placed in elongated plastic tubes and rhizotrons, which allow non-destructive observations of plant material, and were grown under controlled light and temperature conditions, with varying irrigation patterns in a growth chamber, for a 30-day period. Sugar, proline and chlorophyll content were measured in above and below ground tissues of the considered species, during the 30-day experimental period. The results show that Ceratonia siliqua, Myrtus communis and Nerium oleander are more capable of enduring drought conditions, in comparison to Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Pittosporum tobira (Thunb.). The results can be used for planning green urban landscapes with introduction of naturalistic planting, using plant species adapted to the scarcity of water during prolonged, ambient drought conditions.
This paper examines Greek invitations as first pair parts of an adjacency pair within the framework of Conversation Analysis. The focus of our research is on impromptu invitations issued via polar negative-interrogative constructions and the effects this type of con- struction has on the interactional organization of the whole invitation-response sequence. It is suggested that the issuing of the invitation by means of this particular syntactic choice has ramifications for the unfolding of the interaction with respect to sequencing and preference organization. Specifically, it is maintained that impromptu invitations issued by means of polar negative-interrogatives in Greek tend to trigger markedly delayed accep- tances. It is suggested that the explanation for this phenomenon lies in the “cross-cutting” preferences built in the construction when used to make impromptu invitations.
This paper examines Greek invitations as first pair parts of an adjacency pair within the framework of Conversation Analysis. The focus of our research is on impromptu invitations issued via polar negative-interrogative constructions and the effects this type of construction has on the interactional organization of the whole invitation-response sequence. It is suggested that the issuing of the invitation by means of this particular syntactic choice has ramifications for the unfolding of the interaction with respect to sequencing and preference organization. Specifically, it is maintained that impromptu invitations issued by means of polar negative-interrogatives in Greek tend to trigger markedly delayed acceptances. It is suggested that the explanation for this phenomenon lies in the “cross-cutting” preferences built in the construction when used to make impromptu invitations.
This paper is concerned with the Greeks’ unfavorable perceptions of the ‘Turk’ among and suggests that they are part of a psychological barrier which constitutes one of the major factors underlining Greek-Turkish relations. It examines how these perceptions have been set by Greek historiography and complemented by popular to this day works of literature from a previous period. It maintains that despite the rapprochement between Greece and Turkey, they cannot be expected to sharply change because they are part of the deeply ingrained in the Greek psyche national schema. However, in the light of findings of empirical research, it also argues that the picture is more complicated because a less-stereotypical image of the Turk has been accepted by more Greeks than in the recent past.
PSR J2032+4127 is a young and rapidly rotating pulsar on a highly eccentric orbit around the high-mass Be star MT91 213. X-ray monitoring of the binary system over an ∼4000 d period with Swift has revealed an increase of the X-ray luminosity which we attribute to the synchrotron emission of the shocked pulsar wind. We use Swift X-ray observations to infer a clumpy stellar wind with r-2 density profile and constrain the Lorentz factor of the pulsar wind to 105 < γw < 106. We investigate the effects of an axisymmetric stellar wind with polar gradient on the X-ray emission. Comparison of the X-ray light curve hundreds of days before and after the periastron can be used to explore the polar structure of the wind.
ATel #12209 reported the detection of a new X-ray transient in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), Swift J005139.2-721704, exhibiting outbursting activity. The system has been classified as a new SMC high-mass X-ray binary based on its identification with the B-type star [M2002]20671.
Οι Εθνομάρτυρες αποτελούν θεμελιακό στοιχείο της εθνικής ιδιοσυστασίας των νεωτερικών κρατών είτε αυτή υφίσταται ως συνέχεια μιας προ-εθνικής ταυτότητας είτε τυγχάνει αποτέλεσμα σύγχρονης εθνογένεσης. Στην παλαιά βυζαντινή ενδοχώρα, στα σκληρά Βαλκάνια και τη θεήλατο Ανατολή, ο Ελληνισμός συνεχίζει να ολοκληρώνεται μέσα στην Εκκλησία. Παράγει, δηλαδή, μία θεολογία γεγονότων εντός της οποίας ο Ιερομάρτυρας ταυτίζεται με τον Εθνομάρτυρα και βιώνεται η διαλεκτική σχέση μεταξύ αγωνιστή και αγίου. Καθώς η αρχαία Εκκλησία θεμελιώθηκε στο αίμα των Μαρτύρων έτσι και η Εκκλησία της Ελλάδος αναζήτησε τους οικείους Μάρτυρες, μέσω των οποίων θεμελίωσε τη θεολογία και την ταυτότητά της. Και τους αναζήτησε στον εξ αίματος ποταμό της ευσεβείας, το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο, εκ του οποίου συνεχώς εκχέεται το περιούσιο πλήθος Εθνομαρτύρων και Ιερομαρτύρων.
Στην παρούσα μελέτη επιχειρείται μια ανίχνευση, με την οπτική της Ψυχολογίας, των πολλών και ποικίλων όψεων της μοναξιάς, αυτού του ουσιώδους βιώματος της ανθρώπινης ύπαρξης, στον ελληνικό πολιτισμό, με έμφαση στην παραδοσιακή ελληνική κοινωνία. Μετά τις εννοιολογικές αποσαφηνίσεις, παρουσιάζονται όψεις της επώδυνης και της ευεργετικής μοναξιάς, όπως αυτές εκδηλώνονταν στον ελληνικό λαϊκό βίο και διατυπώνονται σκέψεις σχετικά με τη σημασία της μοναξιάς για τη νεοελληνική αυτοσυνείδηση.
In this essay, we attempt to trace the many faces of loneliness, which is an essential experience of human existence, in the Greek culture, especially in the traditional Greek society, from the viewpoint of Psychology. Following some conceptual clarifications and references to the Greek language, we describe facets of painful aloneness (i.e., loneliness) and beneficial aloneness (i.e., solitude), as exhibited in life within the traditional Greek context. Finally, some thoughts on the significance of loneliness for the neo-hellenic identity are expressed.
This paper uses rich ethnographic material deriving from fieldwork carried out by the author in Tarpon Springs, a small city in Florida boasting a significant Greek community with a background in sponge diving and the sponge trade. I look at the performance of the Epiphany ritual in this city, where about fifty Greek Orthodox American male adolescents aged 16-18 dive in the waters of Spring Bayou to retrieve the Cross cast by the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America every year on 6 January, in a reenactment of Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan. I analyse the ritual both historically and synchronically in order to show how it functions as a framework for the communal initiation of Greek Orthodox American adolescents into their roles as responsible members of their parishes and communities. When sponge diving was widely practised in Tarpon Springs, such adolescents used to dive for the Cross to secure good weather and calm seas for the sponge-boats. Today they continue to bring the blessing of the Church in symbolic terms to their community, which they do by diving for the Cross, by conducting a procession, in which the Cross is borne aloft, and by singing hymns in the Sponge Docks and in the Greek area of the city.
Giovani C, Kamberidou I, Patsantaras N. ΕΠΑΝΕΞΕΤΑΖΟΝΤΑΣ ΤΗΝ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΚΗ ΣΗΜΑΣΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΦΥΣΙΚΗΣ ΑΓΩΓΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΗ ΘΕΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΣΤΟ ΣΗΜΕΡΙΝΟ ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟ. In: «Η κοινωνιολογία και ο δημόσιος ρόλος της στην εποχή της μεταμόρφωσης του κόσμου»: 6ο ΣΥΝΕΔΡΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΟΛΟΓΙΚΗΣ ΕΤΑΙΡΕΙΑΣ (ΕΚΕ) - HELLENIC SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY (HSS), March 28-31, 2018 Athens, Greece. Athens Greece. Συνεδρία: ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΟΛΟΓΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΚΠΑΙΔΕΥΣΗΣ: ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΟΛΟΓΙΚΗ ΕΤΑΙΡΕΙΑ (EKE); 2018.Abstract
Η Φυσική αγωγή (ΦΑ), ως μάθημα στην Πρωτοβάθμια και Δευτεροβάθμια Εκπαίδευση χαρακτηρίζεται από την ιδιαιτερότητά της , καθώς περιλαμβάνει την οργανωμένη και συστηματική κινητική δραστηριότητα των μαθητών/μαθητριών μέσα από βιωματικές και διαθεματικές προσεγγίσεις. Όπως επισημαίνεται από ένα σημαντικό αριθμό ερευνητικών δεδομένων μέσα από το παιχνίδι και τις αθλοπαιδιές καλλιεργούνται κοινωνικές δεξιότητες και σημαντικές κοινωνικές αξίες— όπως η δικαιοσύνη, το ομαδικό πνεύμα, η αλληλεγγύη, ο σεβασμός προς τον αντίπαλο και τους κανόνες— που είναι απαραίτητες για μια ποιοτική κοινωνική συνύπαρξη. Η παρούσα μελέτη αποτελεί μέρος μιας εν εξελίξει ποιοτικής έρευνας και εδράζεται σε μια ενδελεχή ανασκόπηση της σχετικής με αυτό το ζήτημα βιβλιογραφίας στο πλαίσιο της οποίας διαπιστώνεται, αφ’ ενός η σημαντικότητα της ΦΑ για την προετοιμασία σωματικά, ψυχικά και κοινωνικά ενεργών πολιτών και αφ’ ετέρου διαπιστώνεται ότι οι υλικοτεχνικές υποδομές και ο χρόνος που διατίθεται στο σχολικό πρόγραμμα για το μάθημα της ΦΑ λειτουργούν αναντίστοιχα για την πραγμάτωση των πολύπλευρων σκοπών που καλείται αυτή να εκπληρώσει. Συμπερασματικά και με βάση τα μέχρι τώρα ερευνητικά δεδομένα, προτείνεται η αναδιαμόρφωση του σχολικού προγράμματος σχετικά με το μάθημα της ΦΑ προκειμένου να μπορούν να εφαρμοστούν επιπλέον καινοτόμα προγράμματα και να επιτευχθεί ο απώτερος σκοπός της δια βίου άσκησης.
Ο σκοπός της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι ο εξής: (α) να συγκρίνει την αυτοεκτίμηση των δυσλεκτικών και των μη δυσλεκτικών παιδιών ηλικίας 11-12 ετών,(β) να συσχετίσει την αυτοεκτίμηση των παιδιών με την αποδοχή-απόρριψη από τον/την εκπαιδευτικό και (γ) να συγκρίνει τους παραπάνω παράγοντες ως προς το φύλο των συμμετεχόντων. Το δείγμα της έρευνας προέρχεται από 6 δημόσια σχολεία της Α’ Περιφέρειας της Αττικής και αποτελείται από 118 μαθητές ελληνικής καταγωγής (21 δυσλεκτικοί & 97 μη δυσλεκτικοί) που φοιτούν στην Ε’ και ΣΤ’ Δημοτικού και τους δασκάλους τους (N = 12). Τα μέσα συλλογής των δεδομένων για το δείγμα των μαθητών αποτελούν τα εξής δύο ερωτηματολόγια: «Πώς Αντιλαμβάνομαι τον Εαυτό μου ΙΙ» (Μακρή-Μπότσαρη, 2013) και «Child Teacher Acceptance-Rejection/Control Questionnaire-Short Form» (Kourkoutas, Propersi, & Georgiadi, 2013). Το δείγμα των εκπαιδευτικών συμπλήρωσε το ερωτηματολόγιο «Κλίμακα της Σχέσης Δασκάλου-Μαθητή» (Galanaki & Vassilopoulou, 2007) για τον κάθε μαθητή. Τα βασικά αποτελέσματα της έρευνας είναι ότι η αυτοεκτίμηση των δυσλεκτικών παιδιών είναι χαμηλότερη από αυτή των μη δυσλεκτικών, όπως επίσης και ότι η αυτοεκτίμηση των μαθητών συσχετίζεται με την αποδοχή-απόρριψη από τον/την εκπαιδευτικό. Τέλος, ένα βασικό εύρημα είναι ότι η αποδοχή-απόρριψη από τον δάσκαλο βιώνεται διαφορετικά από τους μαθητές ανάλογα το φύλο τους, ενώ από την μεριά του εκπαιδευτικού, το φύλο του μαθητή δεν επηρεάζει τη μεταξύ τους σχέση.
Κουκουνάρας- Λιάγκης Μ. Η έρευνα-δράση ως προσωπική ανάγκη του εκπαιδευτικού. Αναστοχασμός και συνεργασία, με σκοπό τον μετασχηματισμό. In: Κατσαρού Ε, Τσάφος Β Ορίζοντας την έρευνα-δράση στην Ελλάδα. Στην προοπτική διαμόρφωσης μιας επαγγελματικής κοινότητας εκπαιδευτικών ερευνητών. Πρακτικά 1ου Πανελλήνιου Συμποσίου (Ρέθυμνο, 27-06-2015). Αθήνα και Ρέθυμνο, Τμήμα Φιλοσοφικών και Κοινωνικών Σπουδών, Πανεπιστήμιο Κρήτης-Τμήμα Εκπαίδευσης και Αγωγής στην Προσχολική Ηλικία, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών; 2018. pp. 101-121.Abstract
Ο εκπαιδευτικός, που αναστοχάζεται τα σχέδια του, την εφαρμογή τους και τα αποτελέσματά της στη μάθηση και τη ζωή των προσώπων της σχολικής κοινότητας, οδηγείται στην αναζήτηση τρόπων ολοκληρωμένης και αυτόνομης αυτό-εκπαίδευσης στην υπηρεσία της αυτό-ανάπτυξης και αυτό-κατανόησης με σκοπό την αλλαγή. Η λύση σε ένα υπάρχον σύστημα και σε ένα πολιτιστικά κατασκευασμένο πλαίσιο φαίνεται να είναι η σύζευξη έρευνας και δράσης. Η ανακοίνωση στηρίζεται στην εμπειρία έρευνας-δράσης σε γυμνάσιο των Αχαρνών, που διαρκεί από το 2012.
This paper presents a brief literature review on the impact of Waldorf education on students’ and graduates’ socio-emotional health. The main elements of Waldorf education which contribute to socio-emotional health are identified and described, namely, integration of the arts, movement and play, promoting relationships, reconnecting with nature, and spiritual development. Finally, the positive impact of Waldorf education on the reduction of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is analyzed.
GR: Η Συριακή κρίση έχει λάβει σηµαντικές διαστάσεις και έχει απασχολήσει εκτεταµένα τόσο την κοινή γνώµη όσο και την επιστηµονική κοινότητα. Όπως και σε αντίστοιχες περιπτώσεις συγκρούσεων, είναι δύσκολο να βρεθούν δεδοµένα που να περιγράφουν τις χωρο-χρονικές διαστάσεις της κρίσης. Κατά συνέπεια, γίνεται προσπάθεια να µελετηθεί η Συριακή κρίση µε βάση δορυφορικές εικόνες που είναι διαθέσιµες ως ανοικτά δεδοµένα για την εν λόγω περίοδο. Συγκεκριµένα, χρησιµοποιούνται δορυφορικές εικόνες νύκτας που καταγράφουν µε αρκετή ακρίβεια τις κοινωνικό-οικονοµικές επιπτώσεις στον χώρο. Από την ανάλυση των δορυφορικών εικόνων προκύπτουν οι επιπτώσεις της κρίσης διαχρονικά και χωρικά µε αρκετά συγκεκριµένο τρόπο. Κάτι που δύσκολα µπορεί να επιτευχθεί βάσει οποιασδήποτε άλλης πηγής πληροφοριών για τη συγκεκριµένη ή για παρόµοιες πολεµικές συρράξεις. ΕΝ: The Syrian crisis has gained significant attention both in the scientific community and in the general public. As in similar conflict cases, data that capture the spatio-temporal dimensions of the crisis are hard to find. Consequently, we attempt to study the Syrian conflict using satellite images, available as open domain data, for the relevant time period. In specific, night-light images that record sufficiently accurately the socioeconomic impacts, with a distinctive geographic dimension, are used. The impacts of the crisis are relieved in time and space quite specifically, based on the analysis of the imagery. This result is hard to be achieved based on any other information source in this particular or other similar war zones.
Το νέο βιβλίο του Δημήτρη Πλάντζου προσφέρει μια εμπεριστατωμένη επισκόπηση της αρχαίας ελληνικής ζωγραφικής μέσα από τα σωζόμενα μνημεία. Παράλληλα, επιχειρεί μια μοναδική στο είδος της διεπιστημονική μελέτη των αρχαιολογικών καταλοίπων μέσα από τις φιλοσοφικές αντιλήψεις και θεωρητικές προσεγγίσεις τόσο της αρχαιότητας όσο και του καιρού μας. Με τη βοήθεια των αρχαίων φιλολογικών πηγών – από τον Πλάτωνα και τον Ξενοφώντα στον Κικέρωνα, τον Πλίνιο, τον Λουκιανό και τον Φιλόστρατο – ο συγγραφέας αναλύει εικονογραφικές και τεχνοτροπικές τάσεις της αρχαίας ζωγραφικής, επανεξετάζοντας παράλληλα και τις απόψεις της σύγχρονης έρευνας. Με συχνές αναφορές στην ιστορία της τέχνης, την ανθρωπολογία, την ψυχανάλυση, και τις πολιτισμικές σπουδές, το βιβλίο προτείνει μια νέα, ρηξικέλευθη ματιά στον κόσμο της αρχαιοελληνικής ζωγραφικής.
Μετά από μια συνοπτική αναφορά στην ελλαδική ζωγραφική της Εποχής του Χαλκού (Κυκλάδες, Κρήτη, Θήρα, Μυκηναϊκή Ελλάδα), το βιβλίο καλύπτει τις τεχνικές, τεχνοτροπικές, εικονογραφικές και αισθητικές εξελίξεις κατά την Αρχαϊκή, την Κλασική, και την Ελληνιστική περίοδο, για να ολοκληρωθεί με τη μελέτη της ζωγραφικής του ελληνορωμαϊκού κόσμου, έως τον 2ο-3ο αι. μ.Χ. Καλύπτονται έτσι όχι μόνον οι σημαντικότερες περίοδοι της ελληνικής ζωγραφικής από τους προϊστορικούς έως και τους ρωμαϊκούς χρόνους, αλλά και όλα τα περισσότερο ή και λιγότερο γνωστά έργα, καθώς και το έργο των σημαντικότερων ζωγράφων της αρχαιότητας. Η εισαγωγή της μελέτης παρουσιάζει συνοπτικά τα υλικά και τις μεθόδους της αρχαίας ζωγραφικής, ενώ παράλληλα αναλύει τις σύγχρονες τεχνικές και θεωρητικές ερευνητικές μεθόδους. Το κείμενο συνοδεύεται από εξαντλητική έγχρωμη εικονογράφηση, πλήρη βιβλιογραφία, και ευρετήριο.
Η μελέτη Η τέχνη της ζωγραφικής στον αρχαιοελληνικό κόσμο απευθύνεται στους θαυμαστές της αρχαίας ελληνικής τέχνης, στους μελετητές της κλασικής αρχαιότητας, στους φοιτητές αρχαιολογίας και ιστορίας της τέχνης, και σε κάθε αρχαιόφιλο, Έλληνα ή ξένο (καθώς κυκλοφορεί παράλληλα και στην αγγλική γλώσσα).
Ποια είναι τα μηνύματα της Αποκάλυψης του Ιωάννη στη δυτική λογοτεχνία του εικοστού αιώνα;Πώς διαβάζουν επτά Έλληνες ποιητές μια μπαλλάντα ενός Γερμανού ρομαντικού;Μπορεί να εκφράσει θρησκευτικότητα η ποίηση ενός αγνωστικιστή;Είναι προτιμότερο η θεία λειτουργία στην ελληνική εκκλησία να γίνεται στη σημερινή μας γλώσσα;Τι απεικονίζουν οι ελληνικές επανεγγραφές της Έρημης Χώρας του Έλιοτ;Ποια είναι η εικόνα της Ελλάδας στα έργα των σημερινών Ευρωπαίων συγγραφέων;Μπορεί να γραφεί ένα μυθιστόρημα σε στίχο;Στις ερωτήσεις αυτές, και σε κάποιες άλλες, επιχειρούν να απαντήσουν κριτικά τα κείμενα που απαρτίζουν αυτό το βιβλίο.
The occultation of the 14th mag star UCAC4 345-180315 by Pluto on the evening of the 19th of July, 2016 could be observed from large parts of Europe, middle east and northern Africa as well. A campaign had been organized with for many observers and observatories throughout Europe and other countries. Professional as well as amateur observatories and observers shared in a PRO-AM cooperation to achieve the highest possible degree of coverage. The scientific goal was the ongoing monitoring of Pluto's atmosphere, waiting for a possible shrinking of its pressure due to the increasing distance of Pluto from the sun.
Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (GIVA cPLA2) is the only PLA2 that exhibits a marked preference for hydrolysis of arachidonic acid containing phospholipid substrates releasing free arachidonic acid and lysophospholipids and giving rise to the generation of diverse lipid mediators involved in inflammatory conditions. Thus, the development of potent and selective GIVA cPLA2 inhibitors is of great importance. We have developed a novel class of such inhibitors based on the 2-oxoester functionality. This functionality in combination with a long aliphatic chain or a chain carrying an appropriate aromatic system, such as the biphenyl system, and a free carboxyl group leads to highly potent and selective GIVA cPLA2 inhibitors (XI(50) values 0.00007–0.00008) and docking studies aid in understanding this selectivity. A methyl 2-oxoester, with a short chain carrying a naphthalene ring, was found to preferentially inhibit the other major intracellular PLA2, the calcium-independent PLA2. In RAW264.7 macrophages, treatment with the most potent 2-oxoester GIVA cPLA2 inhibitor resulted in over 50% decrease in KLA-elicited prostaglandin D2 production. The novel, highly potent and selective GIVA cPLA2 inhibitors provide excellent tools for the study of the role of the enzyme and could contribute to the development of novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
INTRODUCTION: Aberrant subvesical bile ducts are a scarce anatomical variation, consisted by a network of bile ducts located in the peri-hepatic capsule of the gallbladder fossa. These rare ducts are usually discovered intraoperatively and their presence poses the risk of bile injury and clinically significant bile leak.
PRESENTATION OF CASE: Aberrant subvesical bile ducts were unexpectedly identified in a young woman during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. These three ducts were clipped carefully for avoidance of bile duct injury and subsequent bile leak. The operation was uneventful. A meticulous review of the recent literature was conducted as well.
DISCUSSION: This unusual anatomical variation of the biliary tract is mainly discovered during the operation. Thus, surgical injury of these ducts is nearly inevitable and it provokes the severe complication of bile leak. Bile injury represents the most crucial and life-threatening postoperative complication of cholecystectomies. Surgeons in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen should be constantly aware of this rare anatomical variation.
CONCLUSION: Aberrant subvesical bile ducts are associated with a high risk of surgical bile duct injury. Nevertheless, meticulous operative technique combined with surgeons' perpetual awareness concerning this peculiar anatomical aberration leads to a safe laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Synetos A, Toutouzas K, Benetos G, Drakopoulou M, Stathogianis K, Latsios G, Agrogiannis G, Papalois A, Anagnostopoulos K, Cokkinos D, et al.Abstract 17995. Circulation. 2017;136.
Accreditation is an important process ensuring quality of academic programs in Biomedical Informatics. Certification ensures standards in knowledge and skills of professionals in Health Informatics. The process of Accreditation is analyzed for its pros and cons. Procedures are applied to ensure the completion of accreditation of a program is transparent, objective and leads in quality qualifications. Finally, the logistics required for Accreditation are calculated in terms of human resources as well to meeting cost expectations.
Moschos MM, Chatziralli I, Gazouli M, Brouzas D, Cennamo G, Eidenberger T, Forte R, Panzella L, Cesarano I, Napolitano A, et al.Acknowledgements to the Referees. Ophthalmic Research. 2017;58:243–243.
Using an extension of the full elastodynamic layer-multiple-scattering method to structures of fluid-saturated poroelastic spherical bodies, a comprehensive theoretical study of the acoustic response of double-porosity submerged liquid-saturated granular polymeric materials of specific morphology consisting of touching porous polymer spheres arranged in a fcc lattice, beyond the long-wavelength effective-medium description, is presented. Calculated transmission and absorption spectra of finite slabs of these materials are analyzed by reference to the acoustic modes of the constituent porous spherical grains as well as to relevant dispersion diagrams of corresponding infinite crystals, and a consistent interpretation of the results is provided. In particular, it is shown that resonant modes with very long lifetime, localized in the spheres in the form of slow longitudinal waves, which are peculiar to poroelastic materials, are formed when the viscous length is much shorter than the radius of the inner pores of the spheres. These modes, which can be easily tuned in frequency by adjusting the intrinsic porosity of the spheres, induce some remarkable features in the acoustic behavior of these double-porosity materials, such as narrow dispersionless absorption bands and directional transmission gaps.
Karampatsos, GP, Korfiatis, PG, Zaras, ND, Georgiadis, GV, and Terzis, GD. Acute effect of countermovement jumping on throwing performance in track and field athletes during competition. J Strength Cond Res 32(1): 359-364, 2017-The purpose of the study was to investigate whether performing 3 consecutive countermovement jumps (CMJs) just before an attempt enhances performance in track and field throwers during competition. Twelve shot putters, 8 hammer throwers, 9 discus throwers, and 3 javelin throwers of both sexes participated in the study. They performed 3 maximal CMJs 85 ± 12 seconds before the second, fourth, and sixth attempt during 3 different official competitions of national level. Maximal strength (1 repetition maximum [1RM]) in squat and bench press was measured 1 week after the competition. Mean throwing performance was significantly higher after the CMJs intervention (2.66 ± 4.3%, range of increase 0.02-18.98%, p = 0.0001). Similarly, maximum throwing performance was significantly higher after the CMJs (2.76 ± 3.29%, range of increase 0.09-13.93%, p = 0.0009). All but 2 athletes increased their best performance after the CMJs. The percentage increase in performance was similar between sexes (male athletes 2.56 ± 3.01%; female athletes 3.06 ± 3.76%, p = 0.677), but it was higher for the "lighter throws" (discus and javelin throw: 4.66 ± 4.11%) compared with the "heavier throws" (shot and hammer throw: 1.62 ± 2.04%, p = 0.008). The percentage increase in performance was not significantly correlated with 1RM squat or bench press, anthropometric characteristics, and personal best performance. These results suggest that performing 3 CMJs approximately 1 minute before an attempt may increase track and field throwing performance during competition.
Egocentrism is a central concept in the developmental psychology literature with important implications for adaptation and mental health. Despite its negative moral connotation, it is not related to egoism. Genetic epistemologist Jean Piaget introduced egocentrism (or centration) and described it as a normal phenomenon during the course of human development. Egocentrism is defined as a heightened focus on one’s self and it takes several forms in ontogeny. During adolescence, egocentrism is regarded to be associated with pubertal changes and important developmental tasks, such as the acquisition of new mental capacities, the process of separation from parents, and the formation of individuality. Research has shown that egocentrism may be at the root of a wide variety of typical adolescent behaviors and disturbances. In this entry we will briefly describe the two main theoretical models for the interpretation of adolescent egocentrism, namely the cognitive model and the psychodynamic “New Look” model. References to research evidence concerning the two models will also be made. Finally, conclusions about current understanding of adolescent egocentrism will be drawn.
Research on students’ motivation has mainly focused on interpersonal differences rather than on the ongoing, intrapersonal dynamics that forge students’ everyday life. In this five-month longitudinal (diary) study, we recruited a sample of 179 high school students from Greece (35.8% males; Mage = 16.27; SD = 1.02) to investigate through multilevel analyses the ongoing dynamics of students’ motivation. We did so by examining the relation between autonomous functioning and aspects of study regulation (namely, study efforts and procrastination) and well-being (namely, subjective vitality and depressive feelings). After controlling for perceived competence, we found week-to-week autonomous functioning to relate positively to study efforts and subjective vitality and negatively to procrastination and depressive feelings. Interestingly, implicit theories of ability - the degree to which one believes that ability is fixed or amenable - were found to moderate the week-to-week relations of autonomous functioning to study efforts and homework procrastination. In particular, autonomous functioning co-varied positively to study efforts and negatively to homework procrastination only among students who believed that ability is malleable. Also, beliefs that ability is fixed predicted poorer grades, lower mean levels of study efforts, and higher homework procrastination. The results underscore the necessity of taking a more dynamic view when studying motivational phenomena and the importance of jointly considering the implicit theory framework and self-determination theory.
Two well-developed quaternary sand dune fields have been identified on the western and eastern side of Akrotiri promontory (Lemesos, Cyprus, Mediterranean Sea). The fields extend immediately from the low level of their source beaches onto higher ground (> 38m amsl). Geomorphic observation supported by OSL dating of multimineral sand horizons demonstrate several phases of sand accumulation in the western field in contrast to the smaller eastern system, where the evidence direct to a relatively recent dune emplacement. The effects of climatic change, relative sea-level change and anthropogenic influence in dune evolution, have been evaluated in both sites in combination with documented evidence of human induced destabilization of the western sand dune field during the 1970s and 1980s. Both fields share similar topographic settings and situated in close proximity but they do not share an entirely similar evolution history. The observations and the data suggest the combination of local and regional control of the development of the sand dunes and the geochronological analysis with luminescence methodology support the ability of the method to reconstruct the evolution of sand dunes fields in the south eastern Mediterranean area.
Aspect is more or less universally recognized as the defining TMA category of the Greek verbal system. There is a consensus on this in both the philological tradition and the linguistic literature on aspect. It is moreover almost universally accepted that diachronically the Greek verbal system has been extremely conservative, remaining practically unchanged down to the present day.This paper largely accepts the former assumption, but not the latter, which has been increasingly challenged in the last few years. It is argued here that, while there has been little change morphologically, the system has been altered in a fundamental way. More specifically, it takes up the analysis proposed in Moser (2008 and 2009), according to which the history of the Greek verb indicates that the system of three (and later two) stems shifts from the expression of Aktionsart (actionality/lexical aspect) to the expression of (grammatical) aspect, and develops it further, taking a fresh look at the data from a different point of view and in the light of recent studies.
We look at Poisson geometry taking the viewpoint of singular foliations, understood as suitable submodules generated by Hamiltonian vector fields rather than partitions into (symplectic) leaves. The class of Poisson structures which behave best from this point of view, are those whose submodule generated by Hamiltonian vector fields arises from a smooth holonomy groupoid. We call them almost regular Poisson structures and determine them completely. They include regular Poisson and log symplectic manifolds, as well as several other Poisson structures whose symplectic foliation presents singularities. We show that the holonomy groupoid associated with an almost regular Poisson structure is a Poisson groupoid, integrating a naturally associated Lie bialgebroid. The Poisson structure on the holonomy groupoid is regular, and as such it provides a desingularization. The holonomy groupoid is "minimal" among Lie groupoids which give rise to the submodule generated by Hamiltonian vector fields. This implies that, in the case of log-symplectic manifolds, the holonomy groupoid coincides with the symplectic groupoid constructed by Gualtieri and Li. Last, we focus on the integrability of almost regular Poisson manifolds and exhibit the role of the second homotopy group of the source-fibers of the holonomy groupoid.
El objeto del presente trabajo es comparar la disponibilidad léxica de un grupo de aprendientes griegos de español de nivel C1 con la disponibilidad léxica de estudiantes españoles para detectar las diferencias o las similitudes entre los hablantes extranjeros y nativos de español. Para ello, se han analizado diferentes aspectos cuantitativos y cualitativos de la disponibilidad léxica de los dos grupos en cuestión siguiendo las pautas metodológicas en las que se basan los estudios de disponibilidad léxica. Se ha recogido léxico de tres campos semánticos (comida y bebida, la casa, profesiones y oficios) y los datos se han analizado con el objetivo de encontrar el número de palabras producidas, el promedio de las palabras producidas por participante, el número de vocablos (palabras diferentes), el promedio de los vocablos producidos por participante, el índice de cohesión y las palabras más comunes de cada campo semántico.
Au sein du complexe géopolitique méditerranéen, on observe ces derniers mois des mouvements dangereux de grande ampleur, dans le sous-système des Balkans occidentaux. La Grèce a le funeste privilège de constituer la frontière des deux sous-systèmes du complexe géopolitique méditerranéen: a. du sous-système des Balkans et, b. du sous-système turco-proche-oriental. Nous allons démontrer d’une part, que ces deux sous-systèmes se trouvent confrontés à des disfonctionnements intenses et instables et d’autre part, que le facteur géopolitique déterminant de l’instabilité est celui de la sécurité énergétique. De surcroit, nous montrerons que les deux principaux pôles de puissances internationales que sont Moscou et Washington, de par leur antagonisme de type néo guerre froide, confèrent une dynamique déstabilisatrice au complexe géopolitique méditerranéen, dont l’épicentre se trouve dans les Balkans de l’ouest (Balkans occidentaux). La notion dite: «de type néo guerre froide» est utilisée pour souligner le fait qu’il existe une grande distance politico idéologique entre ces deux pôles (et bien sur, il en existe une plus grande encore entre Washington et Pékin), comme pendant la période de la guerre froide. La différence idéologique, en l’occurrence, réside entre l’approche cosmopolite et ultra libérale occidentale et l’approche nationale-identitaire conservatrice orientale, avec comme pole dominant Moscou. Le corpus théorique de la présente analyse est celui de la géopolitique anglo-saxonne classique, issue de l’école de N. Spykman, ayant évolué avec l’approche de Z. Brzezinsky et celui de l’analyse géopolitique systémique contemporaine
INTRODUCTION: Identification and preservation of the facial nerve (FN) is a major challenge when performing parotidectomy. Anatomic variations of the relation between the FN and the retromandibular vein (RMV) pose a high risk of nerve injury and bleeding during the operation.
PRESENTATION OF CASE: An unusual anatomic variation of the relation between the FN and the RMV was unexpectedly detected during superficial parotidectomy. The operation was uneventful. A meticulous review of the recent literature was conducted as well.
DISCUSSION: Variations of the relation between the FN and the RMV are mainly identified during the operation, since when performing parotidectomy, surgeons typically detect all the FN branches by locating the RMV. Such kind of variations, are not as rare as considered and their presence complicates parotid surgery and increases the potentiality of nerve injury and hemorrhage.
CONCLUSION: Surgeons' deep knowledge and perpetual awareness concerning the probable anatomic variations of the relation between the FN and the RMV combined with detailed exposure of the operative field and of the relationship between these adjacent anatomical structures lead to safe parotid surgery.
Complete mesocolic excision (CME) is a standardized surgical procedure for colonic cancer that requires ample knowledge of the anatomical patterns of the colic arteries. Variations of the colic vessels encumber both surgical and endovascular techniques. In the presented case below, the right colic artery was incidentally detected emerging from the right gastroepiploic artery, during CME. Surgeons should be always aware of this variation in order to perform safe abdominal surgeries and sufficient resection of the regional lymph nodes with a view to minimizing the probability of recurrence of disease when encountering colonic cancer.
In therapeutic interventions associated with melanin hyperpigmentation, tyrosinase is regarded as a target enzyme as it catalyzes the rate-limiting steps in mammalian melanogenesis. Since many known agents have been proven to be toxic, there has been increasing impetus to identify alternative tyrosinase inhibitors, especially from natural sources. In this study, we investigated 900 extracts from Greek plants for potential tyrosinase inhibitive properties. Among the five most potent extracts, the methanol extract of Morus alba wood (MAM) demonstrated a significant reduction in intracellular tyrosinase and melanin content in B16F10 melanoma cells. Bioassay-guided isolation led to the acquisition of twelve compounds: oxyresveratrol (1), kuwanon C (2), mulberroside A (3), resorcinol (4), dihydrooxyresveratol (5), trans-dihydromorin (6), 2,4,3′-trihydroxydihydrostilbene (7), kuwanon H (8), 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (9), morusin (10), moracin M (11) and kuwanon G (12). Among these, 2,4,3′-trihydroxydihydrostilbene (7) is isolated for the first time from Morus alba and constitutes a novel potent tyrosinase inhibitor (IC50 0.8 ± 0.15). We report here for the first time dihydrooxyresveratrol (5) as a potent natural tyrosinase inhibitor (IC50 0.3 ± 0.05). Computational docking analysis indicated the binding modes of six tyrosinase inhibitors with the aminoacids of the active centre of tyrosinase. Finally, we found both MAM extract and compounds 1, 6 and 7 to significantly suppress in vivo melanogenesis during zebrafish embryogenesis.
Transcatheter interventions for structural heart disease represent an emerging field in interventional cardiology. Undoubtedly, there is an absolute necessity for antiplatelet and/or anticoagulation treatment prior, during and post such interventions. However, currently administered regimens are mainly based in expert consensus recommendations. In the present review we aim to summarize data regarding anti platelet and/or anticoagulation treatment in the following transcatheter structural heart interventions: left atrial appendage closure, atrial septal defect closure, patent foramen oval closure, paravalvular leak closure.
BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hemorrhage is the pathological accumulation of blood within the brain. It is a type of stroke more likely to be lethal or to severely disable the patient and results from a wide variety of causes. On the other hand antithrombotic therapy is used for the prevention or/and the therapy of thromboembolic episodes. Antithrombotic drugs are very effective in reducing risk or mortality rate after a thromboembolic event, yet they are associated with significant hemorrhages.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to review current literature for intracerebral hemorrhage and antithrombotic therapy and offer recommendations on the reversal, the discontinuation and the resumption of antithrombotic therapy.
METHODS AND MATERIALS: Current literature has been reviewed for intracerebral hemorrhage associated with three major categories of patients, those with atrial fibrillation, those with prosthetic mechanical valves and those with venous thromboembolism. Antithrombotic therapy is categorized in antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants. The risk of intracerebral hemorrhage, of a thromboembolic event and of a rebleeding with or without antithrombotic therapy was also reported.
CONCLUSION: Although no one can deny the usefulness of antithrombotic therapy a therapeutic strategy should be developed in order to optimize the clinical decision of stopping, reversing and restarting antithrombotic treatment. This review concludes in strong recommendations, yet a multidisciplinary panel by a stroke physician or neurologist, a cardiologist, a neuroradiologist and a neurosurgeon should evaluate the benefits and the risks for each patient and decide the best therapeutic strategy.
Filamentous fungi provide excellent systems for investigating the role of the AP-2 complex in polar growth. Using Aspergillus nidulans, we show that AP-2 has a clathrin-independent essential role in polarity maintenance and growth. This is in line with a sequence analysis showing that the AP-2 β subunit (β2) of higher fungi lacks a clathrin-binding domain, and experiments showing that AP-2 does not co-localize with clathrin. We provide genetic and cellular evidence that AP-2 interacts with endocytic markers SlaB(End4) and SagA(End3) and the lipid flippases DnfA and DnfB in the sub-apical collar region of hyphae. The role of AP-2 in the maintenance of proper apical membrane lipid and cell wall composition is further supported by its functional interaction with BasA (sphingolipid biosynthesis) and StoA (apical sterol-rich membrane domains), and its essentiality in polar deposition of chitin. Our findings support that the AP-2 complex of dikarya has acquired, in the course of evolution, a specialized clathrin-independent function necessary for fungal polar growth.
Eukaryotic cells heavily depend on ATP generated by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) within mitochondria. Besides being the main suppliers of cell's energy, mitochondria also provide an additional compartment for a wide range of cellular processes and metabolic pathways. Mitochondria constantly undergo fusion/fission events and form a mitochondrial network, which is a highly dynamic, tubular structure allowing for rapid and continuous exchange of genetic material, as well as, targeting dysfunctional mitochondria for degradation through mitochondrial selective autophagy (mitophagy). Mitophagy mediates the elimination of damaged and/or superfluous organelles, maintaining mitochondrial and cellular homeostasis. In this chapter, we present two versatile, noninvasive methods, developed for monitoring in vivo mitophagy in C. elegans. These procedures enable the assessment of mitophagy in several cell types during development or under stress conditions. Investigating the role of mitophagy at the organismal level is essential for the development of therapeutic interventions against age-related diseases.
PURPOSE: β-catenin and AXIN2 play an important role in the Wnt signaling pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate β-catenin and AXIN2 expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) and relate these findings with patients' clinicopathological features and prognosis.
METHODS: 57 consecutive patients with surgically treated CRC were included in this study. Quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses were performed to characterize the expression of the aforementioned markers in CRC tissues.
RESULTS: β-catenin overexpression in the nucleus was associated with advanced N stage CRCs (p=0.04). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that β-catenin overexpression is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (OS). A positive correlation between β-catenin location and AXIN2 mRNA was observed.
CONCLUSIONS: Nuclear β-catenin is a valuable prognostic factor. AXIN2 is a component of the "Destruction Complex" and also a Wnt target gene. However, the clinical importance of AXIN2 expression in CRC remains unclear.
The thermal comfort conditions in a complex urban area is influenced by the surrounding structures and obstacles which modify the incoming radiation fluxes. A measure of this modification is the sky view factor (SVF), which could be estimated in each point of a selected area if a high resolution digital elevation model (DEM), or other urban morphological data including the manmade infrastructure, are available. The goal of this study is to model the continuous SVF for a complex building environment in the campus of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, based on a high resolution DEM (0.09 m). For this purpose, we applied the structure-from-motion (SfM) technique, which takes advantage of the interpretation of ultra-high resolution colour images acquired by remotely piloted airborne systems, also known as drones or unmanned aerial vehicles. A quantitative analysis, by applying statistical metrics, yields perfect agreement between modelled and observed SVF values, over the examined area. The proposed methodology could be applied for human-biometeorology research in micro scale complex urban environments.
The thermal comfort conditions in a complex urban area is influenced by the surrounding structures and obstacles which modify the incoming radiation fluxes. A measure of this modification is the sky view factor (SVF), which could be estimated in each point of a selected area if a high resolution digital elevation model (DEM), or other urban morphological data including the manmade infrastructure, are available. The goal of this study is to model the continuous SVF for a complex building environment in the campus of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, based on a high resolution DEM (0.09 m). For this purpose, we applied the structure-from-motion (SfM) technique, which takes advantage of the interpretation of ultra-high resolution colour images acquired by remotely piloted airborne systems, also known as drones or unmanned aerial vehicles. A quantitative analysis, by applying statistical metrics, yields perfect agreement between modelled and observed SVF values, over the examined area. The proposed methodology could be applied for human-biometeorology research in micro scale complex urban environments.
Serial 3-dimensional dental model superimposition provides a risk-free, detailed evaluation of morphological alterations on a patient's mouth. Here, we evaluated accuracy and precision of five palatal areas, used for superimposition of maxillary 3D digital dental casts. Sixteen pre- and post-orthodontic treatment dental casts of growing patients (median time lapse: 15.1 months) were superimposed on each palatal area using the iterative closest point algorithm. Area A (medial 2/3 of the third rugae and a small area dorsal to them) was considered the gold standard, due to high anatomical stability. Areas B, C, and D added a distal extension along the midpalatal raphe, an anterior extension to the second rugae, and the remaining palatal surface, respectively. Area E was similar to A, located more posteriorly. Non parametric multivariate models showed minimal or no effect on accuracy and precision by operator, time point, or software settings. However, the choice of superimposition area resulted in statistically significant differences in accuracy and clinically significant differences in detected tooth movement (95% limits of agreement exceeding 1 mm and 3°). Superimposition on area A provided accurate, reproducible, and precise results. Outcomes were comparable for area B, but deteriorated when alternative areas were used.
Carotid atherosclerosis represents a primary cause for cerebrovascular ischemic events and its contemporary management includes surgical revascularization for moderate to severe symptomatic stenoses. However, the role of invasive therapy seems to be questioned lately for asymptomatic cases. Numerous reports have suggested that the presence of neovessels within the atherosclerotic plaque remains a significant vulnerability factor and over the last decade imaging modalities have been used to identify intraplaque neovascularization in an attempt to risk-stratify patients and offer management guidance. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of the carotid artery is a relatively novel diagnostic tool that exploits resonated ultrasound waves from circulating microbubbles. This property permits vascular visualization by producing superior angiography-like images, and allows the identification of vasa vasorum and intraplaque microvessels. Moreover, plaque neovascularization has been associated with plaque vulnerability and ischemic symptoms lately as well. At the same time, attempts have been made to quantify contrast-enhanced ultrasonography signal using sophisticated software packages and algorithms, and to correlate it with intraplaque microvascular density. The aim of this review was to collect all recent data on the characteristics, performance, and prognostic role of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography regarding carotid stenosis management, and to produce useful conclusions for clinical practice.
