Publications

We report the discovery of a possible nova in M 31 on four consecutive dithered stacked 100s R filter CCD images, obtained on 2008 July 06.04, with the 1.3m Ritchey Chretien f/7.5 telescope at Skinakas Observatory, Crete, Greece, using an Andor DZ436-BV CCD Camera (with a Marconi 2k x 2k chip with 13.5μm sq. pixels). The R magnitude of the object was 18.7. The object is already visible with a magnitude of 18.3 on a 12*60s stacked R filter CCD image obtained with the robotic 60cm telescope with an E2V CCD (2kx2k) of the Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System (Super-LOTIS, located at Steward Observatory, Kitt Peak, Arizona, USA) on 2008 June 30.45.

We report the discovery of a new nova in M 31 on four consecutive dithered stacked R filter CCD images, obtained on 2008 Oct 18.91, with the 1.3m Ritchey Chretien f/7.5 telescope at Skinakas Observatory, Crete, Greece, using an Andor DZ436-BV CCD Camera (with a Marconi 2k x 2k chip with 13.5µm sq. pixels). The R magnitude of the object was 18.3. The object is already visible on several earlier R images obtained with the same telescope and camera.

Two new possible hetero-holococcolithophore combinations are shown: Syracosphaera histrica withS. pulchra HOL oblonga type and S. molischii with Gliscolithus amitakareniae. In addition, an ambiguous combination of S. pulchra HOL oblonga type with S. pulchra HOL pirus type is recorded by light-microscope imaging. Although represented by ambiguous combinations, they potentially document new life-cycle associations within coccolithophores to add to the complexity of haplo-diplontic coccolithophore stages.

In many aspects, respiratory allergies, i.e., allergic asthma and rhinitis, represent the hallmarks of allergy. Epidemiologic data highlight their large prevalence of most parts of the world, socioeconomic analysis reveal their large impact on global health and the large number of scientific publications in this field regularly brings to light many new aspects of these diseases. However, the current understanding of respiratory allergies, in particular in children remains scarce. How can we efficiently prevent respiratory allergies in allergy-prone infants? How can we prevent the progression of the disease? What therapeutic strategies could efficiently address efficient immunomodulation? the international Pediatric Allergy and Asthma Consortium, addressed these issues by a thorough review of the literature providing a state-of-the-art current knowledge in respiratory allergy, and identified a series of needs to be addressed in future studies.

We present a detailed analysis of three globular cluster X-ray sources in the XMM-Newton extended survey of M31. The X-ray counterpart to the M31 globular cluster Bo 45 (XBo 45) was observed with XMM-Newton on 2006 December 26. Its combined pn+MOS 0.3-10 keV light curve was seen to vary by ~10%, and its 0.3-7.0 keV emission spectrum was well described by an absorbed power law with photon index 1.44 +/- 0.12. Its variability and emission is characteristic of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) in the low-hard state, whether the accretor is a neutron star or black hole. Such behavior is typically observed at luminosities lesssim10% Eddington. However, XBo 45 exhibited this behavior at an unabsorbed, 0.3-10 keV luminosity of 2.5 +/- 0.2 × 1038 erg s-1, or ~140% Eddington for a 1.4 M⊙ neutron star accreting hydrogen. Hence, we identify XBo 45 as a new candidate black hole LMXB. XBo 45 appears to have been consistently bright for ~30 years, consistent with theoretical prediction for a globular cluster black hole binary formed via tidal capture. Bo 375 was observed in the 2007 January 2 XMM-Newton observation, and has a two-component spectrum that is typical for a bright neutron star LMXB. Bo 135 was observed in the same field as Bo 45, and could contain either a black hole or a neutron star.

A combined experimental, using the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, and theoretical investigation, using the full-potential Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) Green function method, is carried out to study the spin structure of small magnetic Cr adatom clusters on the surface of 3 monolayers of fcc Fe deposited on Cu(001). The exchange interaction between the different Cr adatoms as well as between the Cr atoms and the Fe atoms is of antiferromagnetic nature and of comparable magnitude, leading due to frustration to complex non-collinear magnetic configurations. The presence of non-collinear magnetic coupling obtained by ab initio calculations is confirmed by the experimental results. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2008.

Neoangiogenesis is involved in the pathophysiology of multiple myeloma and angiopoietins possibly contribute to myeloma-induced neovascularization. Bortezomib's antineoplastic potential includes an anti-angiogenic effect. We determined serum levels of angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2 with ELISA pre- and post-bortezomib administration in 35 patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Pre-bortezomib, serum angiopoietin-1 levels did not differ in patients and in healthy individuals, while serum angiopoietin-2 levels were elevated. Corresponding serum angiopoietin-1/angiopoietin-2 ratio was reduced in patients compared with controls. After treatment, serum angiopoietin-1 levels increased, while serum angiopoietin-2 levels decreased, therefore the angiopoietin-1/ angiopoietin-2 ratio increased and normalized. This increase was significant in patients who responded to treatment. In conclusion, angiopoietin-1/angiopoietin- 2 ratio normalization reflected response to bortezomib. ©2008 Ferrata Storti Foundation.

During the last decade several novel agents have been used in the management of patients with multiple myeloma. Immunomodulatory drugs and proteasome inhibitors exert their efficacy both directly by inducing apoptosis of myeloma cells and indirectly through the interruption of the interactions between myeloma and stromal cells in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. These interactions are crucial for myeloma cell growth and survival. The adherence of myeloma cells to BM stromal cells leads to the overproduction of several cytokines with angiogenic properties that enhance the survival and growth of myeloma cells through paracrine and autocrine loops. The correlation of these molecules with clinical features and survival of myeloma patients supports the importance of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of the disease and reveals these cytokines as suitable targets for the development of novel anti-myeloma therapies. This review summarises all available preclinical and clinical data for the effect of novel agents that are used in myeloma therapy, such as thalidomide, lenalidomide, bortezomib and VEGF inhibitors, on angiogenesis, which is at least partially responsible for their remarkable anti-myeloma efficacy.

A variety of long chain 1,2-diamines and related compounds were synthesized and tested for their activity on fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacyglycerol lipase (MGL). (2S,9Z)-Octadec-9-ene-1,2-diamine selectively inhibits MGL (Ki 21.8 μM) without significantly affecting FAAH. This compound exhibited interesting in vivo analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, suggesting that selective inhibitors of MGL may be valuable novel agents for the treatment of inflammatory pain.

This review summarizes knowledge concerning a ubiquitous plasma transmembrane protein family that mediates nucleobase or ascorbate secondary active transport (NAT). We show that prototype bacterial and mostly fungal members have become unique model systems to unravel structure-function relationships and regulation of expression, using classical and reverse genetics, as well as biochemical approaches. We discuss the importance of NAT-mediated ascorbate transport in mammals and how changes in substrate specificity, from different nucleobases to ascorbate, might have evolved at the molecular level. Finally, we also discuss how modelling NAT-purine interactions might constitute a step towards the use of NAT proteins as specific gateways for targeting pathogenic microbes.

Two tautomeric forms of one-electron oxidized 2-aminoadenosine (2AA) have been produced by reactions of hydrated electrons (e(aq)(-)) with 8-bromo-2-aminoadenosine (8-Br-2AA) at natural pH, whereas only one tautomer is formed by oxidation of 2AA. Tailored experiments by pulse radiolysis and time-dependent DFT (TD-B3LYP/6-311G**//B1B95/6-31+G**) calculations allowed the definition of the reaction mechanism in some detail. The electron adducts of 8-Br-2AA protonated at C8 eject Br- and produce the two short-lived tautomers (8 and 9). The first observable species decays by first-order kinetics to produce the second intermediate, which is also obtained by oxidation of 2AA by SO4 center dot-. The rate of tautomerization (k(taut) = 4.5 x 10(4) s(-1)) is strongly accelerated by phosphate and is retarded in D2O (kinetic isotope effect 7). B1B95/631+G** calculations showed that the tautomerization is a water-assisted process. In acidic or basic solutions, the "instantaneous" formation of one-electron oxidized 2AA or its deprotonated forms has been produced by reactions of e(aq)(-) with 8-Br-2AA. gamma-Radiolysis of 8-Br-2AA in aqueous solutions followed by product studies led to the formation of 2AA as a single product.

Two tautomeric forms of one-electron oxidized 2-aminoadenosine (2AA) have been produced by reactions of hydrated electrons (eaq-) with 8-bromo-2-aminoadenosine (8-Br-2AA) at natural pH, whereas only one tautomer is formed by oxidation of 2AA. Tailored experiments by pulse radiolysis and time-dependent DFT (TD-B3LYP/6-311G**//B1B95/6-31+G**) calculations allowed the definition of the reaction mechanism in some detail. The electron adducts of 8-Br-2AA protonated at C8 eject Br- and produce the two short-lived tautomers (8 and 9). The first observable species decays by first-order kinetics to produce the second intermediate, which is also obtained by oxidation of 2AA by SO4•-. The rate of tautomerization (ktaut = 4.5 × 104 s -1) is strongly accelerated by phosphate and is retarded in D 2O (kinetic isotope effect 7). B1B95/6-31+G** calculations showed that the tautomerization is a water-assisted process. In acidic or basic solutions, the "instantaneous" formation of one-electron oxidized 2AA or its deprotonated forms has been produced by reactions of eaq- with 8-Br-2AA. $\gamma$-Radiolysis of 8-Br-2AA in aqueous solutions followed by product studies led to the formation of 2AA as a single product. © 2008 American Chemical Society.

Plasmonic systems of two- and three-dimensional ordered arrays of metallic nanodisks are studied by means of full-electrodynamic calculations using the layer-multiple-scattering method. In particular, we investigate the electromagnetic interaction of waveguide modes of an indium tin oxide film on a quartz substrate with collective-plasmon modes of a two-dimensional periodic overlayer of gold nanodisks and obtain excellent quantitative agreement with experiment. Moreover, we report a thorough analysis of the optical properties of three-dimensional photonic crystals of metallic nanodisks.

We report a theoretical study of two-dimensional periodic arrays of composite particles, consisting of two metallic nanodisks separated by a dielectric spacer, using an efficient and accurate multiple-scattering method, which was originally developed for systems of spherical particles and recently extended to non-spherical shapes. In particular, we discuss the plasmonic excitations in such isolated nanosandwiches and study the influence of geometrical parameters like the thickness of the dielectric spacer. Moreover, we investigate the interaction between such composite particles as they approach each other in a two-dimensional periodic lattice.

We carried out spectroscopic observations of the optical transient near M31 reported in ATel #1591 (RA = 0h42m27s.81 DEC =+41o14'48".2 (J2000)) from the 1.3m telescope of the Skinakas Observatory in Crete (Greece) on the nights 27 June 2008 and 2 July 2008. The spectra covered the range 5080-7160 angstroms. The Halpha appeared strongly in emission and displayed a double peaked profile. The ratio of the blue peak to the red peak (B/R) reversed from B > R (i.e blue-dominated profile) on 27 June to B < R (i.e red-dominated profile) on 2 July.

A proposal for transporting photons invisibly between two unconnected points in space seems worthy of a Star Trek plot. But it is in principle wholly realizable, and could open up new vistas - literally. ©2008 Nature Publishing Group.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoid osteoma is a benign tumor of the growing skeleton. It presents with pain, which is usually worse at night. The radiographic features consist of a central oval or round nidus surrounded first by a radiolucent area followed by another area of sclerotic bone. In the hand, osteoid osteoma is more commonly located in the phalanges and carpal bones. The metacarpals are the least common sites for osteoid osteoma. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of an osteoid osteoma of the left third metacarpal bone in a 36-year-old woman. The clinical and radiographic findings along with the surgical management of the lesion are presented. The pain disappeared immediately after the operation. At the 2-year follow-up, the patient was pain-free and there was no evidence of recurrence. CONCLUSION: Physicians should be aware of the unusual presence and the atypical clinical presentation of this benign lesion in the metacarpal bones of the hand.

The city planning of Heraklion in Crete included the construction of the new Courthouse building at the eastern part of the town where several active fault have been mapped during an earlier microzonation study. The significance of the new building required detailed studies for the exact tracing of the faults and the period of their latest activation. The proposed methodology included trenching across the fault traces which are either controlling a morphological discontinuity or covered by human activities. Sampling for radiocarbon and optical luminance dating was carried out aiming for the exact age of the ruptured strata by the active faults. The combination of the described methodologies resulted the modification of the city plan, as constructions were designed to be built on the fault trace.

BACKGROUND: This phase III study was designed to compare the combination paclitaxel (Taxol)-gemcitabine (PG) versus carboplatin-gemcitabine (CG) in patients with advanced inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer. METHODS: Chemotherapy-naive patients with performance status of zero or one were randomized to gemcitabine 1 gm/m(2) on days 1 and 8 plus either paclitaxel 200 mg/m(2) on day 1 (arm A) or carboplatin at an area under the concentration-time curve of 6 mg on day 1 (arm B) every 3 weeks. Primary end point was overall survival (OS). Secondary end points included objective response (OR), time to progression and toxicity. RESULTS: A total of 512 patients were enrolled and 452 eligible (arm A, 225; arm B, 227) were analyzed. All characteristics were well balanced with the exception of vena cava obstruction symptoms and lymph node involvement. Median survival was 9.97 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.74-12.0] for group A and 10.49 (95% CI 9.04-11.94) for group B. There was no difference in the OS, 1-year survival, OR and TtP. However, statistically significant differences were seen in toxicity. CONCLUSION: The two regimens are equally active. Myelotoxicity is worse in the CG group whereas alopecia, myalgia and neurotoxicity worse in the PG group.

Background: Primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) is a rare gynecologic malignancy with very few data existing on the activity of the combination of paclitaxel with a platinum analogue as adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 41 consecutive patients with PFTC who were treated postoperatively with paclitaxel- and platinum-containing chemotherapy regimens. Results: We observed 12 (63.2%) complete and 6 (31.6%) partial responses among 19 patients with measurable disease. The median time to disease progression (TTP) for all patients was 68 months. The median overall survival (OS) for all patients has not been reached yet. The median TTP was 84 months for patients with stage I/II disease and 34 months for patients with advanced disease (p = 0.017). Median OS has not been reached yet for patients with stage I/II PFTC, while it was 63.8 months for patients with stage III/IV disease (p = 0.002). Furthermore, OS has not been reached yet for patients with optimally debulked tumors, while it was 34.1 months for patients with residual disease >2 cm (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Adjuvant platinum- and paclitaxel-based chemotherapy should be regarded as the standard treatment in patients with PFTC. Early stage disease and optimal debulking are associated with improved TTP and OS. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG.

Objective: Taxanes, anthracyclines, and platinum compounds represent the chemotherapeutic agents with the greatest activity in metastatic endometrial carcinoma. We administered the combination of paclitaxel, epirubicin and carboplatin to patients with metastatic or recurrent carcinoma of the endometrium to evaluate its activity and to define its toxicity. Methods: Sixty-three consecutive patients were treated on an outpatient basis with epirubicin 50 mg/m2, followed by paclitaxel 150 mg/m2, administered intravenously over a 3-h period. Subsequently, the patients received carboplatin at AUC of 5. The chemotherapy was repeated every 3 weeks with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) support for a maximum of six courses. Results: Response was assessed among 56 eligible patients. Thirty-six (63.2%) patients achieved objective clinical response (95% CI, 50.6-75.7%) including 14 (24.6%) complete and 22 (38.6%) partial responses. The median duration of response was 7.9 months, and the median times to progression and survival for all patients were 7.8 and 13.8 months, respectively. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia occurred in 9 (15.5%) patients but only 3 episodes of neutropenic fever were encountered. Grade 2 or 3 neurotoxicity was observed in 19% of patients. Two patients died of sudden cardiac death 10 and 14 days after the administration of the first chemotherapy cycle, respectively, but these deaths were not clearly treatment related. Conclusions: The combination of paclitaxel, epirubicin and carboplatin with G-CSF support appears active in patients with metastatic or recurrent carcinoma of the endometrium. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Objective: Taxanes, and platinum compounds represent the chemotherapeutic agents with the greatest activity in metastatic endometrial carcinoma. We administered the combination of paclitaxel, topotecan and carboplatin to patients with metastatic or recurrent carcinoma of the endometrium to evaluate its activity and to define its toxicity. Methods: Thirty-nine consecutive patients were treated on an outpatient basis with paclitaxel 150 mg/m2, administered intravenously over a 3-h period and followed by carboplatin at AUC of 5 on day 3, with both agents proceding topotecan that was given at 0.75 mg/m2/day on days 1 through 3. The chemotherapy was repeated every 3 weeks with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) support for a maximum of six courses. Results: Twenty-one (60%) patients achieved objective clinical response (95% CI, 42.2-75.7%) including 4 (11.4%) complete and 17 (48.6%) partial responses. The median times to progression and survival for all patients were 8.9 and 17.7 months, respectively. Grade 3 or 4 thombocytopenia and neutropenia occurred in 5 (13%) and 4 (10%) patients, respectively, but only 2 episodes of neutropenic fever were encountered. Grade 2 or 3 neurotoxicity was observed in 23% of patients. Conclusions: The combination of paclitaxel, topotecan and carboplatin with G-CSF support appears active with acceptable toxicity in patients with metastatic or recurrent carcinoma of the endometrium. © 2008 Elsevier Inc.

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether Parental Body Mass Index is associated with overweight/obesity in a sample of Greek adolescents, taking into consideration dietary and lifestyle habits. The Vyronas study is a cross-sectional health and nutrition survey. During 2004/2005, 2008 schoolchildren were selected. BMI was calculated for both parents and adolescents. A semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire was applied. Results demonstrated that there is a strong positive association between the parental overweight/obesity status and their offspring's BMI. Some dietary and lifestyle habits seem to affect boys and girls BMI in relation to parental status differently.

The Fermi (diffusive) particle acceleration in astrophysical shocks is reviewed and evaluated. We discuss their properties and we present Monte Carlo simulations studying the shocks’ efficiency in accelerating particles (i.e. protons) up to very high energies with an application to astrophysical regions such as Supernovae, Active Galactic Nuclei hot spots and Gamma Ray Bursts. We find that the efficiency of the acceleration mechanism at shocks, varies in regard to the inclination of the magnetic field and the shock normal (e.g. sub-luminal shocks, super-luminal shocks), with consequences to the contribution of the very high energy particles to the observed cosmic ray spectrum.

Renal failure is a frequent complication in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) that causes significant morbidity. In the majority of cases, renal impairment is caused by the accumulation and precipitation of light chains, which form casts in the distal tubules, resulting in renal obstruction. In addition, myeloma light chains are also directly toxic on proximal renal tubules, further adding to renal dysfunction. Adequate hydration, correction of hypercalcemia and hyperuricemia and antimyeloma therapy should be initiated promptly. Recovery of renal function has been reported in a significant proportion of patients treated with conventional chemotherapy, especially when high-dose dexamethasone is also used. Severe renal impairment and large amount of proteinuria are associated with a lower probability of renal recovery. Novel agents, such as thalidomide, bortezomib and lenalidomide, have significant activity in pretreated and untreated MM patients. Although there is limited experience with thalidomide and lenalidomide in patients with renal failure, data suggest that bortezomib may be beneficial in this population. Clinical studies that have included newly diagnosed and refractory patients indicate that bortezomib-based regimens may result in rapid reversal of renal failure in up to 50% of patients and that full doses of bortezomib can be administered without additional toxicity.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To examine the incremental effect of patients' dependence on others, on cost of medical and nonmedical care, and on informal caregiving hours over time. METHODS: Data are obtained from 172 patients from the Predictors Study, a large, multicenter cohort of patients with probable Alzheimer disease (AD) followed annually for 4 years in 3 University-based AD centers in the USA. Enrollment required a modified Mini-Mental State Examination score >or=30. We examined the effects of patient dependence (measured by the Dependence Scale, DS) and function (measured by the Blessed Dementia Rating Scale, BDRS) on medical care cost, nonmedical care cost, and informal caregiving time using random effects regression models. RESULTS: A one-point increase in DS score was associated with a 5.7% increase in medical cost, a 10.5% increase in nonmedical cost, and a 4.1% increase in caregiving time. A one-point increase in BDRS score was associated with a 7.6% increase in medical cost, a 3.9% increase in nonmedical cost and an 8.7% increase in caregiving time. CONCLUSIONS: Both functional impairment and patient dependence were associated with higher costs of care and caregiving time. Measures of functional impairment and patient dependence provide unique and incremental information on the overall impact of AD on patients and their caregivers.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of patient's age on the impact of typically proposed predictors of sustained virological response (SVR) in treatment-naïve, high-pretreatment viral load (>700.000 IU/ml), chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients treated under real-life conditions in Greece. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 185 CHC patients (14.4% cirrhotics) who had been treated with weight-adjusted dosing (1.5 microg/kg per week) of pegylated interferon-a2b (PEG) plus genotype-based ribavirin (RIB) for 24 or 48 weeks of treatment, based on viral genotype. SVR was confirmed by undetectable serum HCV-RNA 6 months after the end of treatment. RESULTS: Overall, 68.5% of patients exhibited SVR and 31.5% were non-responders (non-SVRs). Among the non-SVRs, 71.4% were infected with HCV genotype-1. Importantly, 71.4% of genotype 4-infected treated patients exhibited SVR. In the multivariate analyses, only the early histological stage of liver disease (p=0.015) and the presence of genotype non-1 infection (p=0.003) were independent predictors of SVR. For patients younger than 35 years, none of the baseline parameters and neither viral genotype (p=0.284) nor the stage of liver disease (p=0.351) was an independent predictor of non-SVR, whereas for patients between 35 and 55, only the presence of genotype-1 infection independently predicted non-SVR (p=0.008). For older patients (>55 years), only the histological stage of liver disease (p=0.047) and not the viral genotype (p=0.275) independently predicted non-SVR. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of the typical predictors of SVR, such as viral genotype and liver histopathology, is modified according to patient's age in currently approved combination treatment.

The aim of this study was to determine the relative exercise intensity that elicits maximal fat oxidation during walking in inactive and overweight men and women and evaluate any possible sex differences. Forty six healthy, sedentary, overweight men (age: 36.3±1.3 years, body fat: 28.8 ± 0.8%, n = 28, mean ± SE) and women (age: 36.6±1.8 years, body fat: 37.1 ± 0.8%, n = 18) participated in the study. Fat oxidation was calculated from expired air analysis using indirect calorimetry during an incremental treadmill walking test. Peak fat oxidation rate (PFO) was higher in men compared to women (0.31 ± 0.02 vs. 0.20 ± 0.02 g.min-1; p < 0.001), but this difference disappeared when PFO was scaled per kg fat-free mass (4.36 ± 0.23 vs. 3.99 ± 0.37 mg.kg fat free mass -1.min-1). Also, the relative exercise intensity at which PFO occurred was similar for men and women and corresponded to 40.1 ± 1.8 and 39.5 ± 2.3% of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and 60.0 ± 1.4 and 57.8 ± 1.4% of maximal heart rate, respectively. The walking speed corresponding to PFO was 5.5 ± 0.2 and 5.0 ± 0.1 km·h-1 for men and women, respectively. Regression analysis showed that sex, FFM and VO2max were significant predictors of PFO expressed in g.min-1 (adjusted R2 = 0.48, p = 0.01). However when PFO was scaled per kg FFM, only a small part of the variance was explained by VO2max (adjusted R2 = 0.12, p < 0.05). In conclusion, peak fat oxidation rate and the corresponding relative exercise intensity were similar in male and female overweight and sedentary individuals, but lower compared to those reported for leaner and/or physically active persons. Walking at a moderate speed (5.0-5.5 km·h-1) may be used as a convenient way to exercise at an intensity eliciting peak fat oxidation in overweight individuals. ©Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2008).

{The aim of this study was to determine the relative exercise intensity that elicits maximal fat oxidation during walking in inactive and overweight men and women and evaluate any possible sex differences. Forty six healthy, sedentary, overweight men (age: 36.3±1.3 years, body fat: 28.8 ± 0.8%

{The aim of this study was to determine the relative exercise intensity that elicits maximal fat oxidation during walking in inactive and overweight men and women and evaluate any possible sex differences. Forty six healthy, sedentary, overweight men (age: 36.3±1.3 years, body fat: 28.8 ± 0.8%

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous cholecystostomy without interval cholecystectomy as definitive treatment for acute cholecystitis in elderly or critically ill patients with various coexisting diseases who were unfit for surgery under general anesthesia. DESIGN: Between July 2004 and June 2006, 24 consecutive elderly and critically ill patients unfit for surgery, suffering from acute cholecystitis, and in whom significant comorbid factors were present, underwent percutaneous cholecystostomy as an emergency procedure at Laiko General Hospital. The diagnosis and the severity of acute cholecystitis were based on the Tokyo Guidelines, whereas the American Society of Anesthesiologists' (ASA) physical status classification was used for the perioperative risk stratification for cholecystectomy. RESULTS: There were 14 male and 10 female patients with a median age of 79 years. Acute cholecystitis was classified as grade 2 in 20 patients and as grade 3 in 4 patients; 17 patients were classified as ASA score III and 7 as ASA score IV, whereas a total of 52 comorbid factors were present. Gallstones were disclosed as the underlying etiology in 23 patients, whereas one patient was diagnosed as suffering from acalculous cholecystitis. Percutaneous cholecystostomy was technically feasible in all patients (100%). Clinical improvement was noticed in 14 patients within 24 hours and in all patients within 72 hours. Statistically significant reduction in the values of white blood cells, C-reactive protein, and axillary body temperature were observed within 72 hours. The procedure-related mortality was 4%, whereas within a median follow-up of 17.5 months, definitive and effective control of symptoms was achieved in 90.5% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: For the subgroup of extremely high-risk and unfit for surgery patients, percutaneous cholecystostomy might be considered as the definitive treatment since it controls the local symptoms and the systemic inflammatory response.

The capability of the general circulation model(GCM) Hadley Center atmospheric general circulation model 3P (HadAM3P) to reproduce the mean pattern and the frequency of circulation types concerning the 500 hPa geopotential height fields and 1000-500 hPa thickness fields over Europe and the Mediterranean region are evaluated against the NCEP/NCAR dataset for the period 1960-1990. Daily catalogues of the circulation types describing the regional circulation over Greece at the 500 hPa and 1000-500 hPa thickness fields are constructed based on the two datasets, and the corresponding seasonal frequencies are also estimated. The evaluation is performed for the mean seasonal fields of the two parameters, as well as for those derived for each circulation type separately. It is demonstrated that the HadAM3P model generally succeeds in reproducing the two fields over the examined area, while their seasonal variability is underestimated. The mean patterns of the circulation types are well represented by the model but the seasonal simulated frequencies of the circulation types are not in good agreement with the national centers for environmental predictions (NCEP) ones. The systematic errors of the frequency estimation and the variability in some anticyclonic or cyclonic types should be considered seriously, because it can introduce some degree of uncertainty in the results of a downscaling method based on a circulation type approach. Nevertheless, the links between the precipitation, temperature and circulation types frequency seem to hold in the GCMs. It is therefore safe to use the frequencies of circulation types as predictor in a downscaling technique in order to obtain future precipitation and temperature. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society.

More than half of all serious adverse reactions are identified 7 or more years after a drug receives approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2002, 9 months after the intravenous bisphosphonate zoledronic acid received regulatory approval for marketing, the FDA received reports of nine patients with cancer, who were treated with zoledronic acid, who unexpectedly developed osteonecrosis of the jaw. During the next 2 years, three oral surgeons described 104 patients with cancer with osteonecrosis of the jaw in the medical literature and identified intravenous bisphosphonate therapy as being common to the care of these patients. In subspecialty medical, radiology, and dental journals, case reports and case series described clinical features of osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients with cancer who were treated with bisphosphonates. Manufacturer-sponsored epidemiological studies reported the first estimates of the incidence of this toxic effect, ranging from 0·1% to 1·8%. By contrast, independent epidemiological efforts from clinicians and the International Myeloma Foundation reported incidence estimates between 5% and 10%. Between 2003 and 2005, warnings about the risks of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis were disseminated by national regulatory agencies, the manufacturers of bisphosphonates, and the International Myeloma Foundation. From 2006, independent clinical recommendations for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of this toxic effect have been disseminated by manufacturers, national regulatory authorities, the International Myeloma Foundation, and medical specialty organisations. Furthermore, independent efforts by pharmaceutical manufacturers, dental and medical professionals, a non-profit organisation (the International Myeloma Foundation), patients, and regulatory authorities has led to the rapid identification and dissemination of safety information for this serious adverse reaction. Better coordination of safety-related pharmacovigilance initiatives is now needed. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Polarized micro-Raman spectroscopy was applied to investigate the phase composition and transformation from the amorphous to the crystalline state, size effects, and the crystallographic orientation and antenna polarization effects on self-organized anodic TiO2 nanotubes (NTs), The morphological characteristics of the NTs were tailored by electrochemical anodization in both aqueous (phosphate buffer) and organic (ethylene glycol) electrolytes as well as in perchlorate/chloride-containing electrolytes. Postgrowth thermal annealing was confirmed to reduce markedly the organic and inorganic species encapsulated in the as-grown arrays and drive the transformation of the amorphous titania to nanocrystalline anatase. Crystallite size and shape effects as well as oxygen nonstoichiometry were investigated through the variation of the low-frequency Eg anatase mode for the TiO2 NT arrays produced in different electrolyte media, and the results were compared with the predictions of the phonon confinement model for anatase nanoparticles. Polarized micro-Raman spectra identify partial orientation effects, indicating preferential (101) growth in the case of the shorter TiO2 NTs (length ≤ 1 μm), while a predominant random orientation of the anatase crystallites is found for the long tubes (length ≥ 10 μm). Polarized measurements on the cross section of free-standing NT membranes revealed significant enhancement of the Raman intensity when the polarization of the incident laser beam is parallel to the NT axis, indicating an "antenna" effect attributed to the enhanced light scattering along the cylindrical NT structure. Such an effect could result in optimum optical properties and selectively enhanced vectorial transport of electric carriers. © 2008 American Chemical Society.

The majority of patients with indolent lymphomas relapse due to minimal residual disease (MRD). In the present study, we sought to determine whether by using rituximab consolidation, for eradication of MRD, following induction chemotherapy with fludarabine and mitoxantrone (FN) combination could improve the outcome of indolent lymphomas. Patients with indolent lymphoma received fludarabine 25mg/m2 Day 1-3 and mitoxantrone 10mg/m2 on Day 1 every 28 days. Patients who attained a response (complete response, CR or partial response, PR) received four weekly doses of Rituximab 375mg/m2 1 month and 3 months after completion of treatment. Forty-five patients were entered into this Phase II trial. The median follow-up time was 39 months. The median number of delivered cycles was 6. Fifty-three percent of patients attained a CR and 38% a PR for an overall response rate of 91%. One patient had stable disease, one had progression of the disease, whereas 2 were non-evaluable. After a median follow-up of 39 months, 32 of 46 patients (74%) are alive and disease-free. Grade III and IV toxicities included leucopenia (37%), neutropenia (28%), thrombocytopenia (7%), anemia (4%), and diarrhea (2%). Grade V toxicities included septic death in one patient and death due to hepatititis B reactivation 6 months after the last Rituximab dose in another patient. FN followed by R consolidation is a well-tolerated and active regimen in the treatment of patients with indolent lymphomas. Further follow-up is required to determine if these remissions are maintained.

Periodic nanostructures for plasmonic engineering, comprising one or two types of silica core - metallic shell spherical particles, are studied by means of full electrodynamic calculations using the layer-multiple-scattering method. The complex photonic band structure of such three-dimensional crystals is analyzed in conjunction with relevant transmission spectra of corresponding finite slabs and the physical origin of the different optical modes is elucidated, providing a consistent interpretation of the underlying physics. In the case of binary structures, collective plasmonic modes originating from the two building components coexist, leading to broadband absorption and a rich structure of resonances and hybridization gaps over an extended frequency range.

Background: A randomized phase III trial in high-risk breast cancer patients was conducted, to further explore the impact of dose-density in the adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. The safety analysis is presented. Patients and methods: From October 2000 until June 2005, 1121 node-positive patients were randomized to sequential dose-dense epirubicin 110 mg/m2 and paclitaxel (Taxol®, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey, USA) 250 mg/m2 (group A), or concurrent epirubicin 83 mg/m2 and paclitaxel 187 mg/m2 (group B), both followed by three cycles of 'intensified' combination chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil (CMF). Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was given prophylactically with the dose-dense treatments. Results: Median dose intensity of epirubicin and paclitaxel was double in group A, as designed, with significantly less cycles administered at full dose (P < 0.001). Median cumulative dose of all drugs and total treatment duration, however, were identical between groups. Severe taxane-related toxic effects were more frequent in group A, while severe thrombocytopenia was low and present only in group A. There were no differences in the rates of other hematological toxic effects, including febrile neutropenia. The rates of secondary malignancies were low. Conclusion: Both regimens as used in the present study are well tolerated and safe. The rates of severe taxane-related toxic effects and thrombocytopenia, although low overall, are significantly increased with the dose-dense sequential regimen. © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved.

Land use changes are sources for a series of problems but they can be solutions as well. In a nature conservation area it call reduce and increase biodiversity, however in the Tihany Peninsula nature conservationists try to protect the present natural environment. Human induced landscape changes gained the peninsula the first landscape protection district status of the Country. Geological background, microclimatic conditions, given soil heritage, plant cover and land use plays all important role in the life of the Peninsula. We wish to give an example flow human induced activities might affect the valuable natural environment ill a way that threatens the aim of the protection.

The closed intra-mountainous Levidi basin (average altitude 680 m), characterized by an asymmetric spatial extension, drains at its south-eastern part by the homonymous sinkhole, and its paleorelief is covered by homogeneous quaternary sediments. The boundaries of the basin consist mostly of carbonate and clastic sediments of the Pindos unit, while carbonate sediments of the Tripoli unit are limited to the south and south-western parts. In order to investigate the alpine basement of the quaternary deposits, the geometry of the prequaternary topography of the basin and the lithology of the quaternary sediments, geophysical investigation was employed. The study involved 27 geoelectrical soundings and 7 resistivity measurements, both in boreholes and surface outcrops of the alpine formations. The results of the geophysical investigations facilitated the constructing of (i) the sub-terrain morphological map of the alpine basement, where the thickness of Pleistocene sediments in the central part of the basin does not exceed 15 m, although in the area of Palaeopyrgos (to the north-east) the sediments appear to reach a thickness up to 60 m, and (ii) the sub-terrain geological map. Structurally, the Levidi basin can be characterised as a polje, formed as a result of alpine deformation and subsequent karsting, accentuated by the lack of impermeable flyschic formations in the area.

Among a total of 101 isolates from the first systematic multicentre surveillance effort concerning invasive Streptococcus pyogenes disease in Greece, conducted between 2003 and 2005 and covering 38% of the population, emm types 1 and 12 were prevalent, being responsible for 27 and nine cases, respectively. The isolates from the remaining 65 cases were assigned to 26 other emm types. Erythromycin resistance (12 isolates) was primarily mef(A)-mediated, although all emm type 1 strains were susceptible. Tetracycline resistance, due mostly to tet(M), was detected in 26 isolates. Subtyping by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis yielded 50 chromosomal fingerprints, thus discriminating further among ten of the 28 observed emm types.

The study was aimed to find out the prevalence of non-classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NC-CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHdef) among Greek women with hirsutism and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and to compare the results of ACTH stimulated 17-hydroxyprogesterone 60 min (17-OHP60) values, with human leukocyte antigens (HLA) phenotypes, in any patient diagnosed as having NC-CAH. One hundred and seven women with hirsutism and PCOS were included in the study. All were presented at the Reproductive Endocrinology Outpatient Clinic with hirsutism and PCOS. After ACTH stimulation test, 10 women were diagnosed as having NC-CAH because of high 17-OHP60 values ≥36 nmol/l, and 97 as having PCOS. Ten (10.3%) of the 97 women presented hormonal findings compatible with adrenal hyper-response due to ACTH testing, because of hyperstimulated 17-OHP60 values ≥21 nmol/l and <32 nmol/l. The HLA typing of 10 patients with NC-CAH revealed the phenotypes B14, DR1, B35, B7 and B44 which present positively genetic linkage disequilibrium with 21-OHdef, as reported in the literature. In conclusion: In Greek women with hirsutism and PCOS we have found that: a. The prevalence of NC-CAH among these women is relatively high and reaches at 10%. b. The HLA phenotypes B14, DR1, B35, B7 and B44 were found in high frequency in these NC-CAH patients. c. Adrenal NC-CAH due to 21-OHdef as well as adrenal hyperactivity, revealed after ACTH testing, constitutes an important reason of hirsutism and PCOS in these Greek women and both reach a rate of 20%.

The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is more than 1‰ annually in the general population and increases further in cancer patients. The risk of VTE is higher in multiple myeloma (MM) patients who receive thalidomide or lenalidomide, especially in combination with dexamethasone or chemotherapy. Various VTE prophylaxis strategies, such as low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), warfarin or aspirin, have been investigated in small, uncontrolled clinical studies. This manuscript summarizes the available evidence and recommends a prophylaxis strategy according to a risk-assessment model. Individual risk factors for thrombosis associated with thalidomide/lenalidomide-based therapy include age, history of VTE, central venous catheter, comorbidities (infections, diabetes, cardiac disease), immobilization, surgery and inherited thrombophilia. Myeloma-related risk factors include diagnosis and hyperviscosity. VTE is very high in patients who receive high-dose dexamethasone, doxorubicin or multiagent chemotherapy in combination with thalidomide or lenalidomide, but not with bortezomib. The panel recommends aspirin for patients with ≤1 risk factor for VTE. LMWH (equivalent to enoxaparin 40mg per day) is recommended for those with two or more individual/myeloma-related risk factors. LMWH is also recommended for all patients receiving concurrent high-dose dexamethasone or doxorubicin. Full-dose warfarin targeting a therapeutic INR of 2-3 is an alternative to LMWH, although there are limited data in the literature with this strategy. In the absence of clear data from randomized studies as a foundation for recommendations, many of the following proposed strategies are the results of common sense or derive from the extrapolation of data from many studies not specifically designed to answer these questions. Further investigation is needed to define the best VTE prophylaxis.

We study a system where the service provider offers priority options. We identify the optimal option pricing policy, by deriving the optimal number a customer would buy and the customer's exercise policy as a function of system congestion, options remaining, time to expiration and possibility of balking.

Objectives: To investigate potential prognostic and predictive factors in patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC) treated with docetaxel chemotherapy. Methods: This analysis included 94 consecutive AIPC patients who were treated between March 2001 and May 2006 with biweekly docetaxel 45 mg/m2 (day 2) and estramustine 140 mg three dimes daily (days 1-3). Results: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) responses were observed in 45 of 84 evaluable patients (53%), whereas objective responses were observed in 16 of 40 patients with measurable disease (40%). Median survival (OS) was 16.2 mo (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.9-19.4) and median time to PSA progression (TTP) 5.0 mo (95%CI, 3.6-7.1). OS was independently associated with pain score baseline PSA and weight loss. Patients with only extraosseous disease had higher PSA response rate (87% vs. 49%, p = 0.014) and superior TTP compared with patients with bone metastases with or without extraosseous disease (7.3 vs. 4.3 vs. 4 mo, p = 0.002). Concurrent bone and extraosseous metastases were associated with worse prognosis compared with each site alone (median OS: 12.3 vs.19 vs.18.3 mo, p = 0.007). Conclusions: Among patients with AIPC treated with biweekly docetaxel and estramustine, baseline PSA >100, existence of pain, weight loss, and simultaneous extraosseous and bone disease were associated with worse prognosis. Extraosseous metastases seem to be more sensitive than bone disease to this chemotherapy. © 2007 European Association of Urology.

Kallikrein-related peptidases, a subgroup of the serine protease enzyme family, are considered important prognostic biomarkers in cancer. In the present study, we sought to determine the prognostic value of kallikrein-related peptidase 6 (KLK6) in ovarian cancer using a novel method of compartmentalized in situ protein analysis. A tissue array composed of 150 advanced stage ovarian cancers, uniformly treated with surgical debulking followed by platinum-paclitaxel combination chemotherapy, was constructed. For evaluation of KLK6 protein expression, we used an immunofluorescence-based method of automated in situ quantitative measurement of protein analysis (AQUA). Mean follow-up time of the cohort was 34.35 months. One hundred and thirty-five of 150 cases had sufficient tissue for AQUA analysis. In univariate survival analysis, low tumor KLK6 expression was associated with better outcome for overall survival over 3.years (P = 0.019). There was no association between tumor KLK6 expression and progression-free survival (P = 0.128). In multivariate survival analysis, adjusting for well-characterized prognostic variables, low tumor KLK6 expression level was one of the most significant predictor variable for overall survival (95% confidence interval, 1.19-3.50; P = 0.009). High tumor KLK6 protein expression is associated with inferior patient outcome in ovarian cancer. KLK6 may represent a promising disease biomarker and therapeutic target in ovarian cancer. © 2008 Japanese Cancer Association.

One in two Europeans is xenophobic and one in three is racist, according to a survey conducted by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). Following the riots in France, officials in Brussels had to concede that after 50 years of immigration policies the assimilation of immigrants has not been achieved. In recent years we have seen many manifestations of racial intolerance and violence at football matches, converted into stages for regional and identity conflicts. The impact of globalization on racism and xenophobia has generated international discourse concerning the need to integrate Peace Education in schools and communities around the globe. This paper examines the holistic education model, namely the holistic school-change model and experience of the American Peace Games Organization (Peace Games), an NGO that supports and inspires a new generation of educators, volunteers and activists in becoming peacemakers through curriculum, social action, service-learning activities and civic engagement. Subsequently, it identifies the role of public education as an incubator and laboratory for democracy, taking into account the first Peace Education Seminars recently held in Greece, where a core group of peacemakers—regional trainers from Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Bosnia— combined their experience and expertise. The purpose of the seminars, organized by Women’s Initiative for Peace (WINPEACE), was to introduce the concept as well as the process of sensitizing key stakeholders and decision-makers on the importance of integrating Peace Education into the public school system and the surrounding community. This paper argues that Peace Education should be incorporated into future reforms, in educational policies and practices— integrated into all subjects, classrooms, schools and communities, and not only. Furthermore required is international- interdisciplinary research and collaborations with organizations and institutions— such as Peace Games, Olympism or Olympic Education (peace education) and the IOC as well as activities such as those of games and sports, specifically the power of play— in order to raise awareness concerning the core values of peace, i.e. promoting multiethnic understanding, respect for ethnic diversity, cross-cultural cooperation, gender equality, non-violent conflict resolution and democratic decision-making, while fostering intergenerational connections and intergenerational interactions. Ultimately, networking or partnerships between international organizations, institutions, universities and NGO’s could prove invaluable, in view of today’s increasing multi-ethnic diversity, multiculturalism and rising violence in public schools and sport arenas. Incontestably, the ‘globalization of peace’ through Peace Education requires allies and networks..   Keywords: collaborative games, a holistic school change model, multicultural awareness, non-violent conflict resolution, ethnic diversity, civic engagement, active agents, ageappropriate curriculum, service-learning activities, “Peacemaker Projects”, cross-cultural understanding, intergenerational activities/projects, an ethos of peacemaking, Peace Education/Pedagogy. ..............................when citing: Kamperidou, Irene (2008). Promoting a Culture of Peacemaking: Peace Games and Peace Education. International Journal of Physical Education (IJPE). Issue 4/2008: 176-188.

Following the riots in France, officials in Brussels had to concede that after 50 years of immigration policies the assimilation of immigrants has not been achieved. In recent years we have seen many manifestations of racial intolerance and violence at football matches, converted into stages for regional and identity conflicts. The impact of globalization on racism and xenophobia has generated international discourse concerning the need to integrate Peace Education in schools and communities around the globe. This paper examines the holistic education model, namely the holistic school-change model and experience of the American Peace Games Organization (Peace Games), an NGO that supports and inspires a new generation of educators, volunteers and activists in becoming peacemakers through curriculum, social action, service-learning activities and civic engagement. Subsequently, it identifies the role of public education as an incubator and laboratory for democracy, taking into account the first Peace Education Seminars recently held in Greece, where a core group of peacemakers—regional trainers from Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Bosnia— combined their experience and expertise. The purpose of the seminars, organized by Women’s Initiative for Peace (WINPEACE), was to introduce the concept as well as the process of sensitizing key stakeholders and decision-makers on the importance of integrating Peace Education into the public school system and the surrounding community. This paper argues that Peace Education should be incorporated into future reforms, in educational policies and practices— integrated into all subjects, classrooms, schools and communities, and not only. Furthermore required is international- interdisciplinary research and collaborations with organizations and institutions— such as Peace Games, Olympism or Olympic Education (peace education) and the IOC as well as activities such as those of games and sports, specifically the power of play— in order to raise awareness concerning the core values of peace, i.e. promoting multiethnic understanding, respect for ethnic diversity, cross-cultural cooperation, gender equality, non-violent conflict resolution and democratic decision-making, while fostering intergenerational connections and intergenerational interactions. Ultimately, networking or partnerships between international organizations, institutions, universities and NGO’s could prove invaluable, in view of today’s increasing multi-ethnic diversity, multiculturalism and rising violence in public schools and sport arenas. Incontestably, the ‘globalization of peace’ through Peace Education requires allies and networks..   Keywords: collaborative games, a holistic school change model, multicultural awareness, non-violent conflict resolution, ethnic diversity, civic engagement, active agents, ageappropriate curriculum, service-learning activities, “Peacemaker Projects”, cross-cultural understanding, intergenerational activities/projects, an ethos of peacemaking, Peace Education/Pedagogy.

Symmetric DNA sequence motifs allow the formation of palindromic protein/DNA complexes. Although symmetric protein sequence motifs are less common, recent structural discoveries have unraveled a few protein/protein complexes with palindromic symmetry. Remarkably, symmetric protein/protein complexes can be generated either by adjacent or remote sequence motifs, which may be repeated or inverted. This contribution reflects and comments on recent findings of palindromic protein/protein complexes.

Due to the competition between spatial and magnetic confinement, the density of states (DOS) of a quasi-two-dimensional system deviates from the ideal step-like form both quantitatively and qualitatively. We study how this affects the spin-subband populations and the spin polarization as functions of the temperature, T, and the in-plane magnetic field, B, for narrow to wide dilute-magnetic-semiconductor quantum wells (QWs). We focus on the QW width, the magnitude of the spin–spin exchange interaction, and the sheet carrier concentration dependence. We look for ranges where the system is completely spin polarized. Increasing T, the carrier spin splitting, U0σU0&#x3C3;">, decreases, while on increasing B, U0&#x3C3;"> U0σ increases. Moreover, due to the DOS modification, all energetically higher subbands become gradually depopulated.

We consider the internal shock formation in magnetized outflows and we examine the plastic collision between such relativistic blobs taking into account a possible dissipation of magnetic flux. We find that after the collision a large amount of energy is released in thermal form and consequently we assume that this is transferred into protons which obtain a relativistic Maxwellian distribution. The relativistic thermal proton plasma is dense enough to suffer substantial energy losses through proton-proton interactions and thus to transfer its initial energy into photons, electron-positron pairs and neutrinos. We estimate the radiated spectrum by following the evolution of protons, electrons and photons as they interact with each other and with the magnetic field as well.

OBJECTIVE: To assess combined antidepressant and cognitive enhancer treatment in elderly patients presenting with depression plus cognitive impairment. METHODS: Twenty-three elderly (>50 years old) depressed, cognitively impaired (DEP-CI) patients participated in a pilot study. We evaluated whether, after 8 weeks of open antidepressant treatment, donepezil HCl (Aricept) would afford added cognitive benefit compared to placebo in a randomized 12-week trial. A subsample continued in an 8-month extension phase of open treatment with donepezil. Neuropsychological testing (NPT) was performed and antidepressant response monitored at baseline and the 8, 20, and 52-week time points. RESULTS: At 8-weeks, the antidepressant response rate was 61% (14/23). Improvement in SRT immediate recall (SRT-IR; e.g. episodic verbal memory) was observed in responders compared to non-responders. During the 12-week, placebo-controlled, donepezil add-on trial, patients on donepezil showed further improvement in SRT-IR versus patients on placebo. In the open extension phase, patients who continued open donepezil treatment (n = 6) maintained improvement in memory and tended to show an advantage over patients who never received donepezil and were evaluated at the 52-week time point (n = 6). There were no observed significant donepezil effects on non-memory cognitive domains. CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings suggest that addition of a cholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) following antidepressant medication treatment in elderly Dep-CI patients may improve cognition, and support the need for a confirmatory, larger randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Aims: We investigate the one-zone SSC model of TeV blazars in the presence of electron acceleration. In this picture, electrons achieve their maximum energy as the acceleration saturates due to a combination of synchrotron and inverse Compton scattering losses. Methods: We solve the spatially averaged kinetic equations that describe the simultaneous evolution of particles and photons, obtaining the multiwavelength spectrum as a function of time. Results: We apply the model to the rapid flare of Mrk 501 of July 9, 2005 as observed by the MAGIC telescope, and derive the relevant parameters for the pre-flare quasi-steady-state and the states during the flare. We demonstrate that a hard lag flare can be obtained with parameters well inside the range expected for this source. In particular, a high value of Doppler factor appears necessary.

La présente recherche prend appui d’une part sur les textes viatiques d’un groupe de voyageuses françaises appartenant au milieu de l’enseignement secondaire féminin et d’autre part sur leurs dossiers personnels conservés aux Archives Nationales. Le profil socioprofessionnel de ces éducatrices commande le caractère spécifique de leur voyage (pays de destination, motif du voyage, contraintes temporelles et financières) et de son écriture (discours qui sous-tendent le récit). Par la publication de ces textes au début du xxe siècle un genre particulier de narration est créé : le récit de “voyage universitaire” féminin.This article examines a series of texts written by a group of French women travellers, who were secondary school teachers, in conjunction with their personnel files in the French National Archives. Analysis of the socio-professional profile of these teachers sheds light on their travels (country of destination, reasons for embarking on this journey, financial and chronological limitations) and its textualisation, that is the specific discourse underlying and enveloping their narrative. The publication of these narratives in the early 20th century, constitute a new literary genre: the female educational travelogue.

The major allergen of the house-dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Der p 2, is recognized by approximately 90% of mite-allergic patients. We have produced two recombinant fragments of Der p 2 comprising aa 1-53 and aa 54-129 and a hybrid molecule (aa 54-129+1-53), combining the two fragments in inverse order, by genetic engineering. The recombinant Der p 2 derivatives were expressed in E. coli and purified to homogeneity. rDer p 2 derivatives (fragments and hybrid) showed a considerably reduced beta sheet structure and IgE reactivity compared to the Der p 2 wild-type allergen. The allergenic activity of the Der p 2 derivatives was reduced more than tenfold as evaluated in vitro in basophil activation assays and in vivo by skin prick testing of mite-allergic patients. Immunization of mice and rabbits with rDer p 2 derivatives induced Der p 2-specific IgG antibodies, which inhibited the binding of allergic patients' IgE to Der p 2. Immunization of mice with rDer p 2 derivatives induced less allergenic IgE responses than immunization with rDer p 2. Thus the rDer p 2 derivatives exhibited less in vivo allergenic activity and allergenicity than the Der p 2 allergen but preserved immunogenicity and may hence represent candidates for specific immunotherapy of house-dust mite allergy.

Although development of clinical tolerance is the rule in allergy to cow's milk (CM), food challenges are required in order to reintroduce CM into the patient's diet. Less 'invasive' procedures able to predict tolerance would be useful as clinical tools. The purpose of this study was to identify potential risk factors for clinical reactivity in CM-allergic children assessed for CM reintroduction.|One hundred and sixteen open challenges performed in children 10-47 months old with IgE-mediated allergy to CM, in order to reintroduce CM into the diet, were retrospectively evaluated. Specific IgE (sIgE) levels assessed by the CAP System FEIA and skin prick tests (SPT) were obtained at diagnosis and prechallenge. Demographic parameters and measures of sIgE were evaluated as potential predictors of a positive challenge in univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.|Twenty-four out of 116 challenges were positive, 9 of which required the use of adrenaline. In order of performance, prechallenge sIgE <3.94 kU/l, the combination of SPT and sIgE or an SPT wheal <4 mm could correctly predict a negative challenge outcome, whereas values of SPT >7.5 mm or sIgE >25.4 kU/l, or their combination, had a high positive predictive value. The presence of atopic dermatitis did not affect the predictive accuracy of these values.|Milk sIgE level prechallenge is a useful predictor of challenge outcome in patients with milk allergy. SPT do not offer an additional predictive value, but can be used when sIgE is not available.

BACKGROUND: Although there has been much research devoted to understanding the predictors of nursing home placement (NHP) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, there is currently a lack of research concerning the predictors of home health care. The objective of this study was to examine whether the Dependence Scale can predict home health aide (HHA) use. METHODS: The sample is drawn from the Predictors Study, a large, multicenter cohort of patients with probable AD, prospectively followed annually for up to 7 years in three university-based AD centers in the United States. Markov analyses (n=75) were used to calculate annual transition probabilities for the "new onset" of HHA use (instances where an HHA was absent at the previous visit, but present at the next visit) as a function of HHA presence at the preceding year's visit and dependence level at that preceding year's visit. RESULTS: The dependence level at the previous year's visit was a significant predictor of HHA use at the next year's visit. Three specific items of the Dependence Scale (needing household chores done for oneself, needing to be watched or kept company when awake, and needing to be escorted when outside) were significant predictors of the presence of an HHA. CONCLUSION: The Dependence Scale is a valuable tool for predicting HHA use in AD patients. Obtaining a better understanding of home health care in AD patients may help delay NHP and have a positive impact on the health and well-being of both the caregiver and the patient.

Aims: To correlate the values of MBG to HbA1c in Greek patients with Type 2 diabetes and/or metabolic syndrome. Methods: We followed up 140 Greek adult patients: 92 patients with Type 2 diabetes treated with insulin or oral glucose-lowering medication, and 48 patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome not receiving any treatment. MBG was calculated for each patient from self-measurements of blood glucose using a portable glucometer, made six times a day (before eating and 2 h after a meal), three times a week for 1 month. HbA1c was determined by HPLC at 0 and 12 weeks. Results: HbA1c at 0 (x) and 12 weeks (y) correlated strongly (y = 0.790x + 1.115, r = 0.92), confirming that the patient's glycaemic status remained stable during the whole period of follow-up. Linear regression was performed on MBG values; HbA1c at 12 weeks, sex, age, body mass index (BMI) and patient status (Type 2 diabetes treated or not) were used as independent variables. None of the independent variables reached statistical significance in the model, with the exception of HbA1c at 12 weeks. The final model was: MBG (mg/dl) = (34.74 × HbA1c) - 79.21, r = 0.93; or MBG (mmol/l) = 1.91 × HbA1c - 4.36, r = 0.93. Conclusions: Our results establish for the first time a strong correlation between MBG and HbA1c in Type 2 diabetic patients and support the idea of expressing HbA1c results as MBG. This will help patients to gain a clearer interpretation of the result, with less confusion. This simplification will allow every person with diabetes using home glucose-monitoring to understand his or her own target level. © 2008 The Authors.

The main driving mechanism of relativistic jets is likely related to magnetic fields. These fields are able to tap the rotational energy of the central compact object or disk, accelerate and collimate matter ejecta. To zeroth order these outflows can be described by the theory of steady, axisymmetric, ideal magnetohydrodynamics. Results from recent numerical simulations of magnetized jets, as well as analytical studies, show that the efficiency of the bulk acceleration could be more than ∼ 50 %. They also shed light to the degree of the collimation and how it is related to the pressure distribution of the environment, the apparent kinematics of jet components, and the observed polarization properties.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the possible relationship between a change in Thr(389) phosphorylation of p70S6 kinase (p70(S6k)) after a single resistance training session and an increase in skeletal muscle mass following short-term resistance training. Eight male subjects performed an initial resistance training session in leg press, six sets of 6RM with 2 min between sets. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis before (T1) and 30 min after the initial training session (T2). Six of these subjects completed a 14-week resistance-training programme, three times per week (nine exercises, six sets, 6RM). A third muscle biopsy was obtained at the end of the 14-week training period (T3). One repetition maximum (1RM) squat, bench press and leg press strength as well as fat-free mass (FFM, with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) were determined at T1 and T3. The results show that the increase in Thr(389) phosphorylation of p70(S6k) after the initial training session was closely correlated with the percentage increase in whole body FFM (r = 0.89, P < 0.01), FFM(leg) (r = 0.81, P < 0.05), 1RM squat (r = 0.84, P < 0.05), and type IIA muscle fibre cross sectional area (r = 0.82, P < 0.05) after 14 weeks of resistance training. These results may suggest that p70(S6k) phosphorylation is involved in the signalling events leading to an increase in protein accretion in human skeletal muscle following resistance training, at least during the initial training period.

Numerical simulations with self-similar initial and boundary conditions provide a link between theoretical and numerical investigations of jet dynamics. We perform axisymmetric resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations for a generalized solution of the Blandford & Payne type, and compare them with the corresponding analytical and numerical ideal MHD solutions. We disentangle the effects of the numerical and physical diffusivity. The latter could occur in outflows above an accretion disc, being transferred from the underlying disc into the disc corona by MHD turbulence (anomalous turbulent diffusivity), or as a result of ambipolar diffusion in partially ionized flows. We conclude that while the classical magnetic Reynolds number Rm measures the importance of resistive effects in the induction equation, a new introduced number, Rβ = (β/2)Rm with β the plasma beta, measures the importance of the resistive effects in the energy equation. Thus, in magnetized jets with β < 2, when Rβ <~ 1 resistive effects are non-negligible and affect mostly the energy equation. The presented simulations indeed show that for a range of magnetic diffusivities corresponding to Rβ >~ 1, the flow remains close to the ideal MHD self-similar solution.

Numerical simulations with self-similar initial and boundary conditions provide a link between theoretical and numerical investigations of jet dynamics. We perform axisymmetric resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations for a generalized solution of the Blandford & Payne type, and compare them with the corresponding analytical and numerical ideal MHD solutions. We disentangle the effects of the numerical and physical diffusivity. The latter could occur in outflows above an accretion disc, being transferred from the underlying disc into the disc corona by MHD turbulence (anomalous turbulent diffusivity), or as a result of ambipolar diffusion in partially ionized flows. We conclude that while the classical magnetic Reynolds number Rm measures the importance of resistive effects in the induction equation, a new introduced number, Rβ = (β/2)Rm with β the plasma beta, measures the importance of the resistive effects in the energy equation. Thus, in magnetized jets with β < 2, when Rβ <~ 1 resistive effects are non-negligible and affect mostly the energy equation. The presented simulations indeed show that for a range of magnetic diffusivities corresponding to Rβ >~ 1, the flow remains close to the ideal MHD self-similar solution.

Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) and house dust mites (HDMs) are among the most common environmental factors able to induce airway inflammation in asthma. Although epidemiological studies suggest that they also synergize in inducing asthma exacerbations, there is no experimental evidence to support this, nor any information on the possible mechanisms involved.|To investigate their interaction on the induction of airway epithelial inflammatory responses in vitro.|BEAS-2B cells were exposed to activated HDM Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus major allergen I (Der p I), HRVs (HRV1b or HRV16) or both in different sequences. IL-8/CXCL8 release, intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 surface expression and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) translocation were evaluated. Complementary, primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) exposed to both Der p I and RVs and IL-8, IL-6, IFN-gamma-induced protein (IP)-10/CXCL10, IFN-lambda1/IL-29, regulated upon activation normal T lymphocyte expressed and secreted (RANTES)/CCL5 release were measured.|RV and Der p I up-regulated IL-8 release, ICAM-1 expression and NF-kappaB translocation in BEAS-2B cells. Simultaneous exposure to both factors, as well as when cells were initially exposed to HRV and then to Der p I, resulted in further induction of IL-8 in a synergistic manner. Synergism was not observed when cells were initially exposed to Der p I and then to HRV. This was the pattern in ICAM-1 induction although the phenomenon was not synergistic. Concurrent exposure induced an early synergistic NF-kappaB translocation induction, differentiating with time, partly explaining the above observation. In HBECs, both HRV and Der p I induced IL-8, IL-6, IL-29 and IP-10, while RANTES was induced only by HRV. Synergistic induction was observed only in IL-8.|HRV and enzymatically active Der p I can act synergistically in the induction of bronchial epithelial IL-8 release, when HRV infection precedes or is concurrent with Der p I exposure. Such a synergy may represent an important mechanism in virus-induced asthma exacerbations.

OBJECTIVES: Limited data exist about the risk factors of melanoma in the Greek population. We investigated the association of melanoma with phenotypic and solar indices in this darker skin population residing in an environment of high ambient ultraviolet radiation. METHODS: Our study included 200 sporadic melanoma cases and 200 age-, sex-matched control subjects. Information on history of sun exposure patterns and cutaneous reaction to sunlight was obtained and a clinical evaluation of pigmentary traits, pigmented lesions, and actinic keratoses was performed. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, fair skin (OR: 4.63, for fair skin versus light brown, 95% CI: 1.54-13.92), intermittent sun exposure during childhood (OR: 3.33, >2 weeks/year of sun exposure versus < or =2 weeks/year 95% CI: 1.37-8.09), and outdoor leisure activities (OR: 2.74, 95% CI: 1.28-5.89), but not skin phototype or sunburns, were positively related to the risk of melanoma. In addition to an elevated count of common melanocytic nevi (OR: 6.27, > or =10 nevi versus no nevi, 95% CI: 1.65-23.76) and the presence of clinically atypical nevi (OR: 2.84, 95% CI: 1.16-6.98), solar lentigenes were an independent risk factor of melanoma (OR: 4.33, 95% CI: 1.67-11.22). CONCLUSIONS: Intermittent sun exposure of moderate intensity during childhood/adolescence and outdoor leisural activities, in conjunction with a more resistant skin phenotype to acute sunburns and a strong association with nevi and solar lentigenes was a prominent determinant of melanoma risk in our population.

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for fluoroquinolone resistance (QR) among ESBL- producing Enterobacteriaceae causing nosocomial infections. The study was conducted in Laikon General Hospital in Athens, Greece, during the period January 2004 - January 2005. Epidemiological and clinical data were collected from the medical charts of the patients diagnosed with nosocomial infections due to an ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. QR was 60% among the 84 ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates. Infection from QR-ESBL bacteria was associated with increased hospital stay (p=0.028); QRESBL bacteria were isolated later during hospitalization than fluoroquinolone susceptible (QS)-ESBL (p=0.089); factors associated with QR were immune-deficiency (p=0.047), previous use of carbapenems (p=0.08) and fluoroquinolones (p=0.067), and admission to the Transplantation Unit (p=0.047). In addition, QR-ESBL bacteria were more likely to be resistant to co-trimoxazole (p<0.001), gentamicin (p=0.054) and tobramycin (p=0.004). Logistic regression analysis indicated that admission to the transplantation unit was an independent risk factor for infection due to a QR-ESBL isolate. Results of this study question ciprofloxacin's usefulness as a valid alternative to carbapenems in our hospital for the treatment of infections due to ESBL-producing bacteria. In addition strategies for addressing the QR-ESBL situation should focus on limiting fluoroquinolone and carbapenem consumption and emphasize on barrier precautions in patients with longer hospitalization, immunosuppression, or admission to the transplantation unit.

This study focuses on the phenomenon of erosion regarding the coastal dune system inNaxos island (Cyclades), Greece. In the western coastal zone of Naxos, several dunefields are observed. Despite the fact that erosion on the inland has become more intenseduring the last years, providing thus sufficient material for the development of new dunefields, the current dunes are retreating.Climate variability and prolonged human activities are the major components that lead tothe dunes’ modification, which is a sign of desertification that comes in accordance withthe recent climate change. The climatic factors that are probably involved in the dunes’erosion are the aeolian blow and the precipitation, which may act in counterbalance to thedunes formation. The climatic data that were used in the analysis include daily values ofprecipitation and wind speed, acquired from the Hellenic National Meteorological Service,for the period from 1955 to 2003.This study results in the main reasons for the retreat of the dune fields, namelyanthropogenic constructions, whose intensity increases because of the touristicdevelopment on the western coastal zone, climatic conditions and wave processes.

A geographical information system (GIS) is more than a sophisticated softwareprogram; it is a powerful tool that can be used effectively in geocultural landscape research. Geocultural landscape researchers analyze the historical content of a present landscape and its landscape evolution over time; they strive to reconstruct historical states of a landscape, using different sources, methods and techniques developed in various disciplines such as archaeology, geography, history, planning sciences as well as in related auxiliary sciences. The general interest of this study is the application of geoinformation technology in the geocultural landscape research.The introductory chapter overviews different functions of a GIS and demonstrates its role in a geocultural landscape analysis. The differences between methodology, science and GIS as a tool are presented, specifically dealing with research issues with a time and space component, as well as their representation in a computer-based system. The chapter concludes with a summary of research issues that may concern the interdisciplinary teams of both landscape researchers and geoinformation scientists.

We investigate the emission spectra of individual lens-shaped self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) in the high-temperature regime in order to contribute to the fine structural analysis and to the appreciation of the QDs’ optical response. Our theoretical analysis results in an expression for the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of QDs in the linear regime, which reproduces satisfactorily the experimentally observed PL signal of individual lens-shaped In0.5Ga0.5As self-assembled QDs. Using the appropriate material parameters, the theoretical predictions for the interlevel spacing as well as for the dephasing time caused by electron-longitudinal optical phonon interactions are in good agreement with experiment.

This study aimed to identify candidate new diagnosis and prognosis markers and medicinal targets of prostate cancer (PCa), using state of the art proteomics. A total of 20 prostate tissue specimens from 10 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 10 with PCa (Tumour Node Metastasis [TNM] stage T1-T3) were analyzed by isobaric stable isotope labeling (iTRAQ) and two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (2DLC-MS/MS) approaches using a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight system (QqTOF). The study resulted in the reproducible identification of 825 nonredundant gene products (p < or = 0.05) of which 30 exhibited up-regulation (> or =2-fold) and another 35 exhibited down-regulation (< or =0.5-fold) between the BPH and PCa specimens constituting a major contribution toward their global proteomic assessment. Selected findings were confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis of prostate tissue specimens. The proteins determined support existing knowledge and uncover novel and promising PCa biomarkers. The PCa proteome found can serve as a useful aid for the identification of improved diagnostic and prognostic markers and ultimately novel chemopreventive and therapeutic targets.

A long-term (2000–2005) data set of aerosol optical properties obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is analyzed focusing on the Greater Athens Area in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The MODIS aerosol optical depth standard product (AOD at 550 nm) and its respective ratio attributed to fine-mode particles (FM) are employed to evaluate the inter-annual and seasonal variability of the aerosol properties over Athens. Based on AOD550 and FM values three specific aerosol types are discriminated corresponding to different aerosol load and optical properties. The aerosol types considered correspond to urban/industrial aerosols, coarse-mode particles and clean maritime conditions. This study focuses on the seasonal and year-to-year fluctuation of the number of occurrences as well as the AOD550 and FM values of each aerosol type. The coarse-mode particles are observed mainly in the summer, while spring is the most favorable season for the occurrence of urban/industrial aerosols. On the other hand, clean maritime conditions occur mainly in the winter. The AOD550 values for the coarse-mode particles are higher in spring, while the urban/industrial and clean maritime aerosols exhibit slightly higher values in the summer. The seasonal distribution of the aerosol properties is related to anthropogenic and dust emissions in the spring/summer period, but is modified by atmospheric dispersion and precipitation in late autumn/winter. The main conclusion of the study is that the coarse-mode particles exhibit much stronger interannual and seasonal variability compared to the urban/industrial aerosols. Finally, three cases corresponding to each aerosol type are analyzed with the aid of synoptic weather maps, air mass trajectories and MODIS data.

This study concerns the species composition and seasonality of extant coccolithophore communities in Eastern Mediterranean coastal environments and investigates their significance as environmental indicators. Water samples were collected during six one-day cruises carried out between 2001 and 2004, in two separate marine ecosystems (Gulfs of Korthi and Kastro, southeastern coast of Andros Island). High species diversities (65 species of heterococcolithophores and 45 species of holococcolithophores), associated with the dominant K-selected taxa, Rhabdosphaeraceae, and holococcolithophores, were recorded during summer whereas low diversities coupled with maximum concentration of cells and the predominance of r-selected species (Emiliania huxleyi) were observed during late autumn-early spring. The coccolithophores of the upper photic zone have been grouped into four distinct communities (Emiliania huxleyi group, Palusphaera vandelii group, Rhabdosphaera clavigera group and Helladosphaera cornifera group).A taxonomic study of the modern coccolithophores of Aegean Sea is presented. Several combination coccospheres of Algirosphaera robusta with Sphaerocalyptra quadridentata have been well documented, therefore their synonymy is proposed and the remaining species of Sphaerocalyptra have been transferred to the genus Holococcolithophora. One more holococcolith-heterococcolith association between Corisphaera sp. type A, Zygosphaera bannockii, Zygosphaera amoena and Syracosphaera bannockii is presented, recombining all taxa into Syracosphaera amoena comb. nov. A new species, Holococcolithophora kastriensis sp. nov. is described.

Anorectal melanoma (AM) is a rare disease and few guidelines have been established regarding its therapeutic management. Wide local excision, or less frequently, abdominoperineal resection is the treatment of choice. We present a female patient with an excised AM who was submitted to our Nuclear Medicine department for sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping of the area. Under rigid proctoscopy the anal scar received four submucosal injections of technetium-99m-sulfur nanocolloid of 29.6 MBq each. Lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative gamma-probe guided detection of the SLNs followed. SLNs were localized in the inguinal basins bilaterally and were negative on histology. A wide local excision followed the above test. Thirty months postoperatively the patient developed distant metastases, underwent radiotherapy and died six months later. Without changing prognosis sentinel lymph node detection, excision and histology were important in sparing the patient a futile inguinal lymph node dissection.

AIMS: To investigate whether genetic variants of the histidine-rich calcium (HRC)-binding protein are associated with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its progression. METHODS AND RESULTS: We screened 123 idiopathic DCM patients and 96 healthy individuals by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and direct sequencing for genetic variants in HRC. Six polymorphisms were detected: Leu35Leu (A/G), Ser43Asn (G/A), Ser96Ala (T/G), Glu202_Glu203insGlu (-/GAG), Asp261del (GAT/-), and an in-frame insertion of 51 amino acids at His321. The analysis of their frequencies did not reveal any significant correlation with DCM development. However, the Ser96Ala polymorphism exhibited a statistically significant correlation with the occurrence of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. During a follow-up of 4.02 +/- 2.4 years, the risk for ventricular arrhythmias was higher (HR, 9.620; 95% CI, 2.183-42.394; P = 0.003) in the Ala/Ala patients, compared with Ser/Ser homozygous patients. On multivariable Cox regression analysis, the Ser96Ala polymorphism was the only significant genetic arrythmogenesis predictor in DCM patients (HR, 4.191; 95% CI, 0.838-20.967; P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: The Ser96Ala genetic variant of HRC is associated with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias in idiopathic DCM and may serve as an independent predictor of susceptibility to arrhythmogenesis in the setting of DCM.

OBJECTIVES: Oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. The aim of the present study was to estimate the extent of oxidative stress in patients with aneurysmal and arterial occlusive disease (AAOD) by analyzing the magnitude of serum oxidizability, total antioxidant status and serum antioxidants and to evaluate their potential clinical significance. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 47 patients with AAOD and 49 healthy individuals. Oxidative stress was assessed by: a) copper-induced lipid oxidation described in terms of "lag-time" (t(LAG)) and "maximal rate of accumulation of absorbing products" (RA) and b) the measurement of serum total antioxidant status (TAS) and hydrophilic serum antioxidants (albumin, uric acid, transferrin, bilirubin). LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were also estimated. RESULTS: A decrease of t(LAG) and albumin levels in patients as compared to controls was observed. t(LAG) was negatively correlated with RA in both patients and controls. RA and LDL-cholesterol did not differ between the two groups. HDL-cholesterol was decreased in patients in comparison to controls. There is statistically significant evidence that low albumin serum levels are associated with increased risk of AAOD. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the involvement of oxidative stress in AAOD. Significant alterations in serum oxidizability were found in patients with AAOD and low albumin serum levels were correlated with the disease. Clinical evaluation of both findings needs further investigation

Sex differences in behavioral and neurobiological responses to stress are considered to modulate the prevalence of some psychiatric disorders, including major depression. In the present study, we compared dopaminergic neurotransmission and behavior in response to two different stress paradigms, the Forced Swim Test (FST) and the Chronic Mild Stress (CMS). Male and female rats were subjected to one session of swim stress for two consecutive days (FST) or to a variety of mild stressors alternating for six weeks (CMS). Subsequently, the tissue levels of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites (HVA and DOPAC) in the hippocampus, the hypothalamus, the prefrontal cortex and the striatum were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The ratios HVA/DA and DOPAC/DA were also calculated as indices of the dopaminergic activity. Results from the FST determined that males exhibited lower immobility, higher climbing duration and increased dopaminergic activity in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus compared to females. CMS induced alterations in sucrose intake in both sexes, while it only decreased dopaminergic activity in the prefrontal cortex of females. These findings show that FST and CMS have different effects on the dopaminergic activity of discrete brain regions depending on the sex of the animal. These data support the growing evidence that females display a differential response and adaptation to stress than males.

Sex differences in behavioral and neurobiological responses to stress are considered to modulate the prevalence of some psychiatric disorders, including major depression. In the present study, we compared dopaminergic neurotransmission and behavior in response to two different stress paradigms, the Forced Swim Test (FST) and the Chronic Mild Stress (CMS). Male and female rats were subjected to one session of swim stress for two consecutive days (FST) or to a variety of mild stressors alternating for six weeks (CMS). Subsequently, the tissue levels of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites (HVA and DOPAC) in the hippocampus, the hypothalamus, the prefrontal cortex and the striatum were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The ratios HVA/DA and DOPAC/DA were also calculated as indices of the dopaminergic activity. Results from the FST determined that males exhibited lower immobility, higher climbing duration and increased dopaminergic activity in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus compared to females. CMS induced alterations in sucrose intake in both sexes, while it only decreased dopaminergic activity in the prefrontal cortex of females. These findings show that FST and CMS have different effects on the dopaminergic activity of discrete brain regions depending on the sex of the animal. These data support the growing evidence that females display a differential response and adaptation to stress than males.

This paper presents a new shear velocity and attenuation model for the lower crust and litho-sphere of the Aegean region, obtained by inversion of broadband surface-wave phase veloci-ties and attenuation coefficients. We have two main motivations for conducting this study. First, knowledge of the regional structure of the Aegean lithosphere is fundamental for understanding the tectonic framework and mantle dynamics, posing constraints on possible models of deformation and evolution. Second, the exponential dependence of Q with temperature implies that attenuation tomography could explain better hot regions (high attenuation) than elastic tomography. Furthermore, elastic velocity is highly influenced by the constitution of the medium. In case of strong lateral Q variations, elastic parameters also vary. Hence, it is important to combine results of elastic and anelastic tomography. Apparently, the high rates of deformation in the Aegean constitute this region particularly interesting in this perspective.

Significant changes in the regional climate of coastal and island stations in and bordering the Aegean during 1961-2002 are identified. Here we start with a very large number of parameters describing the surface temperature climate measured at 9 Greek island and coastal stations, and highlight those parameters which show regionally significant trends. Statistical significance of trends is assessed over multiple sliding time-windows of data. For each parameter and each time-window, a regional summary is produced using two quantities: the statistical significance of the trend in the regionally averaged parameter, and the number of stations which individually show significant trends in that parameter. The relationship between these two quantities provides a simple way of highlighting those climate parameters for which the region shows a trend, which is spatially relatively homogeneous, and those for which the region may need to be divided into sub-regions. Some very detailed characteristics of trends in daily surface temperatures are summarized in a concise way. Notably, the established cooling during the 1960s is shown to be especially strong for November and also December. Some trends were also shown to be significant only in terms of temperatures of unseasonably warm or cool days. For example, cooling in May temperatures in the late 70s/early 80s occurred most clearly for the low-temperature range-appearing as a decrease in the temperature reached by unseasonably cold days. This behaviour was inhomogeneous across the region, with significant cooling at only a subset of the stations. Such results could be used by subsequent analysis to focus on particular parts of the data, rather than using averaging to reduce the data. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society.

We report on the observation of two hypersonic phononic gaps of different nature in three-dimensional colloidal films of nanospheres using Brillouin light scattering. One is a Bragg gap occurring at the edge of the first Brillouin zone along a high-symmetry crystal direction. The other is a hybridization gap in crystalline and amorphous films, originating from the interaction of the band of quadrupole particle eigenmodes with the acoustic effective-medium band, and its frequency position compares well with the computed lowest eigenfrequency. Structural disorder eliminates the Bragg gap, while the hybridization gap is robust.

A Singular Antiquity is an attempt to investigate the ideological strategies, somewhat improvised yet at times quite effective, through which the materiality of Greek archaeology has been employed as the foundation for the metaphysics of Greekness.

We demonstrate the deceleration of guided electromagnetic waves propagating along an adiabatically tapered negative-refractive-index metamaterial heterostructure and show that light can ideally be brought to a complete halt. It is analytically shown that, in principle, this method simultaneously allows for broad bandwidth operation (since it does not rely on group index resonances), large delay-bandwidth products (since a wave packet can be completely stopped and buffered indefinitely) and high, almost 100 % in/out-coupling efficiencies. The halting of a monochromatic field component travelling along the heterostructure is demonstrated on the basis of a wave analysis and confirmed in a pertinent ray analysis, which unmistakably illustrates the trapping of the associated light-ray and the formation of a double light-ray cone (optical clepsydra) at the point where the ray is trapped. This method for trapping photons conceivably opens the way to a multitude of hybrid optoelectronic devices to be used in quantum information processing, communication networks and signal processors and may herald a new realm of combined metamaterials and slow light research © 2008 IEEE.

We show how guided electromagnetic waves propagating along an adiabatically tapered negative-refractive-index metamaterial heterostructure can be brought to a complete halt. It is analytically shown that, in principle, this method simultaneously allows for broad bandwidth operation (since it does not rely on group index resonances), large delaybandwidth products (since a wave packet can be completely stopped and buffered indefinitely) and high, almost 100%, in/out-coupling efficiencies. By nature, the presented scheme invokes solid-state materials and, as such, is not subject to low-temperature or atomic coherence limitations. A wave analysis, which demonstrates the halting of a monochromatic field component travelling along the heterostructure, is followed by a pertinent ray analysis, which unmistakably illustrates the trapping of the associated light-ray and the formation of a double light-ray cone ('optical clepsydra') at the point where the ray is trapped. This method for trapping photons conceivably opens the way to a multitude of hybrid optoelectronic devices to be used in 'quantum information' processing, communication networks and signal processors and may herald a new realm of combined metamaterials and slow light research.

A competent method for slowing and completely stopping light, based on wave propagation along an adiabatically tapered negative-refractive-index metamaterial heterostructure, is presented. It is analytically shown that, in principle, this method simultaneously allows for broad bandwidth operation (since it does not rely on group index resonances), large delay-bandwidth products (since a wave packet can be completely stopped and buffered indefinitely) and high, almost 100%, in/out-coupling efficiencies. Moreover, by nature, the presented scheme invokes solid-state materials and, as such, is not subject to low-temperature or atomic coherence limitations. A wave analysis, which demonstrates the halting of a monochromatic field component travelling along the heterostructure, is followed by a corresponding ray analysis that illustrates the trapping of the associated light-ray and the formation of a double light-ray cone ('optical clepsydra'). This method for trapping photons conceivably opens the way to a multitude of hybrid, optoelectronic devices to be used in 'quantum information' processing, communication networks and signal processors, and may herald a new realm of combined metamaterials and slow light research.

Background: Small cell carcinomas (SCC) originate mainly from bronchial tissue. Several extrapulmonary sites of origin have been described, including the genitourinary and gastrointestinal tracts, the ear, nose and throat and lymph nodes. SCC of the lung may be associated with paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes. Case Report: We report an oat cell histological variant of SCC found in the thymus gland of a 53-year-old woman who presented with subacute cerebellar dysfunction. Conclusions: SCC of the thymus gland, which is a rare extrapulmonary site of origin of SCC, accompanied by cerebellar dysfunction, is rarely reported.

Οι ριζοτόμοι ήταν βοτανοσυλλέκτες. Το Ριζοτομικό βοτανολόγιο του Κρατεύα (2ος αιώνας π.Χ.) χάθηκε. Το πρωτότυπο κείμενο του Διοσκουρίδη Περί ύλης ιατρικής ή De materia medica του Διοσκουρίδη (1ος αιώνας μ.Χ.) δεν υπάρχει. Ό,τι βρίσκεται γραμμένο σε κώδικες είναι προϊόν αντιγραφής από άγνωστο αρχέτυπο. Το αρχαιότερο αντίγραφο, ο περίφημος ελληνικός, εικονογραφημένος κώδικας του 6ου αιώνα, φυλάσσεται στην Εθνική Βιβλιοθήκη της Αυστρίας, στη Βιέννη, από τον 16ο αιώνα. Το κείμενο Περί ύλης ιατρικής διαδόθηκε, μελετήθηκε, μεταφράστηκε και περιπλανήθηκε, από ανάγκη, για την αναγνώριση ύλης χρήσιμης, με ιδιότητες θεραπευτικές, που είναι διαθέσιμη στη φύση. Τα πρώτα χειρόγραφα έγιναν πηγή πληροφοριών για δραστικά συστατικά των φυτών. Στο έργο του Διοσκουρίδη υπάρχει γνώση που φαίνεται πως βασίζεται στην παράδοση, η οποία προέρχεται από θρυλικούς ριζοτόμους. Η γνώση πυροδότησε την ενασχό ληση με υλικά της φύσης, σε μια διαδικασία αέναης αναζήτησης, με σκοπό τη βελτίωση των συνθηκών ζωής των ανθρώπων. Αυτή την πληροφορία μάς την παραδίδουν χειρόγραφοι κώδικες του έργου Περί ύλης ιατρικής, που συνέχισε να διαδίδεται με την τυπογραφία. Μυθική γνώση, παρατήρηση, εμπειρική προσέγγιση και ζωγραφική απεικόνιση, όλα βοήθησαν την έρευνα επίμονων μελετητών και τη διάδοση της αξίας που κρύβει η ποικιλότητα των φυτών, έως τις μέρες μας. Στο βιβλίο αυτό παρουσιάζεται η περιπλάνηση του έργου του Διοσκουρίδη και αναφέρονται εκατοντάδες φυτά, όπως τοποθετήθηκαν κατά αλφαβητική σειρά (χάριν ευκολίας) σε κώδικες με αξία γνωστική, πολιτισμική και ανταλλακτική.

Στα τέλη του 19ου αι. σε όλες τις ελληνικές κοινότητες της Αμερικής γεννήθηκε και ένας ερασιτεχνικός θίασος δρώντας εθελοντικώς και προσφέροντας υπηρεσίες δίδοντας ευεργετικές παραστάσεις. Το πρώτο μισό του 20ού αι. η θεατρική κίνηση αυξάνεται ραγδαία. Η εξαπλωμένη θεατρική δραστηριότητα δεν αφήνει ανέπαφη ούτε την μικρότερη ελληνική κοινότητα στην Αμερική. Και η μικρότερη παροικία διέθετε ερασιτεχνικό θεατρικό όμιλο και κάθε αστικό κέντρο διέθετε επαγγελματικό ελληνικό θίασο. Το θέατρο γίνεται για τους μετανάστες οικείος τρόπος έκφρασης. Μετά τη δεκαετία του 1950 διαφαίνεται μια μεταστροφή. Στις θεατρικές ομάδες συμμετέχουν και Έλληνες δεύτερης γενιάς, το ρεπερτόριο παραμένει ελληνικό αλλά η γλώσσα παύει να είναι η ελληνική. Μετά το δεύτερο παγκόσμιο πόλεμο τα έργα των Ελληνοαμερικανών δραματουργών γράφονται κυρίως στην αγγλική. Οι πρώτοι μετανάστες απ’ τη μια αγνοούσαν πλήρως την αγγλική κι απ’ την άλλη απευθύνονταν αυστηρά στο κοινό των Ελλήνων μεταναστών. Οι Έλληνες δεύτερης γενιάς αλλά και εκείνοι, οι οποίοι διασχίζουν τον Ατλαντικό μεταπολεμικά διακατέχονται από την ανάγκη να απεγκλωβιστούν από τα στενά όρια των ελληνικών κοινοτήτων και να αναπτύξουν πιο σύνθετες ανάγκες επικοινωνίας σε ένα διευρυμένο περιβάλλον διατηρώντας όμως συναισθηματικά στοιχεία σε σχέση με την ελληνικότητα, όπως διαφαίνεται στη συγγραφέα Αθηνά Ντάλλα-Ντάμη. Το δεύτερο μισό του 20ου αι. σηματοδοτείται από τον Αδαμάντιο Λεμό, τον George Arkas, τον Yiannis Simonides, ο οποίος το 1979 όταν ήταν ακόμα καθηγητής και πρόεδρος του Drama Department of New York University ίδρυσε το Greek Theater of New York. Αξιοσημείωτη είναι η εμφάνιση του νεοσύστατου θιάσου στο La Mama E.T.C., 74 A East Fourth Street όπου παρουσίασε τα “Theatrika”, ένα φεστιβάλ μουσικής, χορού, ποίησης και θεάτρου στην αγγλική γλώσσα αλλά και στην ελληνική. Παράλληλα με τη δράση των George Arkas και Yannis Simonides, το 1974 ιδρύθηκε το Greek Cultural Center, με σκοπό να προάγει τη μουσική, τους παραδοσιακούς χορούς, το θέατρο σκιών και το θέατρο. Η συστηματική θεατρική δράση ξεκίνησε το 1978. Τα τελευταία τριάντα χρόνια έχει παραστήσει πάνω από 75 έργα. Και ο θίασος έχει επανδρωθεί από νέους Έλληνες επαγγελματίες και κατορθώνει να ανεβάζει έως και τέσσερις παραγωγές ετησίως λαμβάνοντας θερμές κριτικές και στηρίζοντας σθεναρά το νεοελληνικό θέατρο.

The study of particulate matter with diameter less than 1 μm (PM 1) in Athens' atmosphere and their impacts on human health is the goal of this study. PM1 concentrations were recorded by three detectors (light scattering method) at six vital points in high traffic peak roads, during the period 1/10/2006-30/9/2007. The collected PM1 samples concern the same hour of the day, in absence of wind. The spatial distributions of the PM1 concentrations for the warm (April to September) and the cold (October to March) period of the year were achieved by the use of Kriging method. Further to, in order to find out the impacts of PM1 concentrations on health, we analyzed daily admissions for non-fatal arrhythmias to emergency units of the Social Security Institute and a Regional Hospital of Athens. Results demonstrate a significant relationship of PM1 with sinus arrhythmias, which confirms the assumption that PM1 represent one of the main hazards in cardio respiratory syndromes in the most polluted cities of Europe, which confront high traffic problems, due to the enormous number of exhausts emissions.

UapA, a uric acid-xanthine permease of Aspergillus nidulans, has been used as a prototype to study structure-function relationships in the ubiquitous nucleobase-ascorbate transporter (NAT) family. Using novel genetic screens, rational mutational design, chimeric NAT molecules, and extensive transport kinetic analyses, we show that dynamic synergy between three distinct domains, transmembrane segment (TMS)1, the TMS8-9 loop, and TMS12, defines the function and specificity of UapA. The TMS8-9 loop includes four residues absolutely essential for substrate binding and transport (Glu356, Asp388, Gln408, and Asn409), whereas TMS1 and TMS12 seem to control, through steric hindrance or electrostatic repulsion, the differential access of purines to the TMS8-9 domain. Thus, UapA specificity is determined directly by the specific interactions of a given substrate with the TMS8-9 loop and indirectly by interactions of this loop with TMS1 and TMS12. We finally show that intramolecular synergy among UapA domains is highly specific and propose that it forms the basis for the evolution of the unique specificity of UapA for uric acid, a property not present in other NAT members.

Electron spin resonance (ESR) has been applied to study spin dynamics and charge transfer interactions in C60(Fe(C5H5)2)2. A low concentration of C60- spins is derived by ESR, suggesting the presence of weak charge transfer between C60 and ferrocene. The C60- ESR spectra display an appreciable anisotropy at T < 40 K reflecting molecular rotation freezing, while their low temperature variation (T < 10 K) implies development of antiferromagnetic spin-spin interactions. At high temperatures, the narrow ESR line of C120O- impurity spins inhibits observation of a C60- ESR. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We study the possibility of spin injection from Fe into Si(001), using the Schottky barrier at the Fe/Si contact as tunneling barrier. Our calculations are based on density-functional theory for the description of the electronic structure and on a Landauer-Buttiker approach for the current. The current-carrying states correspond to the six conduction-band minima (pockets) of Si, which, when projected on the (001) surface Brillouin zone (SBZ), form five conductance hot spots: one at the SBZ center and four symmetric satellites. The satellites yield a current polarization of about 50%, while the SBZ center can, under very low gate voltage, yield up to almost 100%, showing a zero-gate anomaly. This extremely high polarization is traced back to the symmetry mismatch of the minority-spin Fe wave functions to the conduction-band wave functions of Si at the SBZ center. The tunneling current is determined by the complex band structure of Si in the {[}001] direction, which shows qualitative differences compared to that of direct-gap semiconductors. Depending on the Fermi level position and Schottky barrier thickness, the complex band structure can cause the contribution of the satellites to be orders of magnitude higher or lower than the central contribution. Thus, by appropriate tuning of the interface properties, there is a possibility to cut off the satellite contribution and to reach high injection efficiency. Also, we find that a moderate strain of 0.5% along the {[}001] direction is sufficient to lift the degeneracy of the pockets so that only states at the zone center can carry current.

Violence and Racism in sport under the spotlight Sport federations, academics, politicians, and NGOs alike are sounding the alarm over the increase in violence and racism linked with sport events. In recent years we have seen many manifestations of racial intolerance and violence at football matches, converted into stages for regional and identity conflicts: (1) In Spain, racist right-wing supporters mocked and taunted black players. (2) In Greece, an Albanian fan was stabbed to death by a Greek at a qualifying match for the World Cup. (3) A referee was slashed by a missile at the Champions League match between Roma and Dynamo Kiev. (4) In the Netherlands, Dutch fans threw a smoke bomb into the Portuguese goal and firecrackers on to the pitch, hitting one of the players at the UEFA Cup match between Feyenoord of Rotterdam and Sporting Lisbon of Portugal. (5) German police used clubs and riot gas to arrest 46 fans after a minor regional league match between SSV Ulm of Germany and visiting FC Normannia Gmuend of Switzerland. (6) The violence in Milan, when two bitter rivals, Inter and AC, played in the quarter-finals for the Champions League, the top European club tournament, and (5) riots, such as those in the cities of Leipzig (Germany) and Catania (Italy), are the reason why the EU ministers responsible for sport are now closely studying the issue of sport and violence. Instead of focusing on enjoying sports, teaching youth pro-social attitudes and values through sports, or in reaping physical benefits, and instilling a lifelong involvement in athletics, we have been witnessing a notable increase of violent behaviour in stadiums, dehumanizing racist and xenophobic attitudes, hooliganism, doping, corruption, cheating, wheeling-and-dealing, political interference as well as the influence of big business, the media, sponsors, etc. Has sport lost its fun, and its positive social impact and values? Is it geared exclusively toward winning at all costs, and supporting obsessive competitiveness that leads to violence and racial conflicts?

Violence and Racism in sport under the spotlight Sport federations, academics, politicians, and NGOs alike are sounding the alarm over the increase in violence and racism linked with sport events. In recent years we have seen many manifestations of racial intolerance and violence at football matches, converted into stages for regional and identity conflicts: (1) In Spain, racist right-wing supporters mocked and taunted black players. (2) In Greece, an Albanian fan was stabbed to death by a Greek at a qualifying match for the World Cup. (3) A referee was slashed by a missile at the Champions League match between Roma and Dynamo Kiev. (4) In the Netherlands, Dutch fans threw a smoke bomb into the Portuguese goal and firecrackers on to the pitch, hitting one of the players at the UEFA Cup match between Feyenoord of Rotterdam and Sporting Lisbon of Portugal. (5) German police used clubs and riot gas to arrest 46 fans after a minor regional league match between SSV Ulm of Germany and visiting FC Normannia Gmuend of Switzerland. (6) The violence in Milan, when two bitter rivals, Inter and AC, played in the quarter-finals for the Champions League, the top European club tournament, and (5) riots, such as those in the cities of Leipzig (Germany) and Catania (Italy), are the reason why the EU ministers responsible for sport are now closely studying the issue of sport and violence. Instead of focusing on enjoying sports, teaching youth pro-social attitudes and values through sports, or in reaping physical benefits, and instilling a lifelong involvement in athletics, we have been witnessing a notable increase of violent behaviour in stadiums, dehumanizing racist and xenophobic attitudes, hooliganism, doping, corruption, cheating, wheeling-and-dealing, political interference as well as the influence of big business, the media, sponsors, etc. Has sport lost its fun, and its positive social impact and values? Is it geared exclusively toward winning at all costs, and supporting obsessive competitiveness that leads to violence and racial conflicts?

Context: Finite radius accretion disks are a strong candidate for launching astrophysical jets from their inner parts and disk-winds are considered as the basic component of such magnetically collimated outflows. Numerical simulations are usually employed to answer several open questions regarding the origin, stability and propagation of jets. The inherent uncertainties, however, of the various numerical codes, applied boundary conditions, grid resolution, etc., call for a parallel use of analytical methods as well, whenever they are available, as a tool to interpret and understand the outcome of the simulations. The only available analytical MHD solutions to describe disk-driven jets are those characterized by the symmetry of radial self-similarity. Those exact MHD solutions are used to guide the present numerical study of disk-winds. Aims: Radially self-similar MHD models, in general, have two geometrical shortcomings, a singularity at the jet axis and the non-existence of an intrinsic radial scale, i.e. the jets formally extend to radial infinity. Hence, numerical simulations are necessary to extend the analytical solutions towards the axis and impose a physical boundary at finite radial distance. Methods: We focus here on studying the effects of imposing an outer radius of the underlying accreting disk (and thus also of the outflow) on the topology, structure and variability of a radially self-similar analytical MHD solution. The initial condition consists of a hybrid of an unchanged and a scaled-down analytical solution, one for the jet and the other for its environment. Results: In all studied cases, we find at the end steady two-component solutions. The boundary between both solutions is always shifted towards the solution with reduced quantities. Especially, the reduced thermal and magnetic pressures change the perpendicular force balance at the “surface” of the flow. In the models where the scaled-down analytical solution is outside the unchanged one, the inside solution converges to a solution with different parameters. In the models where the scaled-down analytical solution is inside the unchanged one, the whole two-component solution changes dramatically to stop the flow from collapsing totally to the symmetry axis. Conclusions: It is thus concluded that truncated exact MHD disk-wind solutions that may describe observed jets associated with finite radius accretion disks, are topologically stable.

Lightwaves guided along an adiabatically tapered negative-index heterostructure can efficiently be brought to a complete halt. We prove this conclusion by means of, both, full-wave and pertinent ray-tracing analyses. © 2007 Optical Society of America.

Mitten in einem sich bewegenden, unabgeschlossenen Literaturprozess versucht der vorliegende Band Christa Wolfs poetisches Schaffen sowie ihr Poetikverständnis in der Kontinuität und Diskontinuität seiner Entwicklung in der spätesten Phase ihres Oeuvres nachzuzeichnen. Wolfs Schreiben ist eine archäologische Arbeit, eine Suche nach der Wahrheit und nach den blinden Flecken der persönlichen Geschichte und der modernen Industriegesellschaft. Was ist dem Menschen zumutbar? Wie entsteht Literatur angesichts unzumutbarer sozialer Verhältnisse? Welcher Art kann die Beziehung von Literatur zu Mythos, antikem und modernem, zur Subjektwerdung des modernen Ichs, zur Psyche und Psychologie bzw. Psychoanalyse, zur Krankheit, zur Friedensforschung sein? Ist eine Literatur von Frauen über Frauen "Frauenliteratur"? Kann eine "Ästhetik des Alltags" zur "Ästhetik des Widerstands" werden? 

A variety of 2-oxoamides and related amides based on natural and non-natural amino acids were synthesized. Their activity on two human intracellular phospholipases (GIVA cPLA2 and GVIA iPLA2) and one human secretory phospholipase (GV sPLA2) was evaluated. We show that an amide based on (R)-γ-norleucine is a highly selective inhibitor of GV sPLA2.

The aim of this paper is to study the historical alluviation of Thessaloniki using mainly archaeological data. Such data have been found in many places in the study-area. These findings date from the Neolithic to the Ottoman period. We have approached this problem by studying the geomorphological processes of this area and through detailed mapping of the alluviation around ancient monuments. A spatial database was created containing geological, geomorphological and archaeological data, along with all measurements collected during fieldwork. Apart from contemporary data, older topographical maps of the area were also imported and analyzed in the GIS together with the other datasets. The results indicate that deposition rates vary on temporal and spatial scales. This is due to the topography, the lithology and the climatic changes in the area. Thus, the whole landscape of Thessaloniki area has undergone continuous change; we have estimated vertical deposition rates ranging between 1,66 and 7,5 mm p.a.

Using Chandra, XMM-Newton and optical data (published photometric catalogs and our 2dF spectroscopic survey) we study the X-ray binary (XRB) populations of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We find that the number of Be/X-ray binaries (Be-XRBs) peaks at the age of maximum Be-star formation ~30-70 Myr ago. We also examine the ``overabundance'' of Be-XRBs in the SMC fields covered by Chandra, in comparison with the Milky Way. Even after taking into account the difference in the formation rate of OB stars, we estimate that Be-XRBs are ~2 times more common in the SMC when compared to the Milky Way and for luminosities down to ~1034 erg s-1. We explain this large number of SMC Be-XRBs as the result of both its low metallicity environment (~1/5 solar) and its high star-formation (SF) rate at the age of maximum formation of Be stars.

Springtime constitutes the most favorable period for Sahara dust outbreaks and transport over Eastern Mediterranean. This study investigates the aerosol properties during April 2005 using remote-sensing and ground-based measurements. Three dust events with high aerosol optical depth (AOD) values have been observed during the measuring period, with duration of two days, i.e. 11-12, 16-17 and 25-26 April 2005. In this paper we mainly focus on the intense dust event of 16-17 April 2005, when a thick dust layer transported from Libya affected the whole Greek territory. Very high AOD values obtained from Aqua-MODIS sensor were observed over Greece (mean 2.42 ± 1.25) on 17 April, while the respective mean April value was 0.31 ± 0.09. The AOD at 550 nm (AOD 550) values over Crete were even larger, reaching ∼4.0. As a consequence, the PM 10 concentrations over Athens dramatically increased reaching up to 200 μg m -3. On the other hand, the fine-mode fraction values obtained from Terra-MODIS showed a substantial decrease in the whole Greek area on 17 April with values below 0.2 in the Southern regions. The intense dust layer showed a complex behavior concerning its spatial and temporal evolution and allowed us to study the changes in the optical properties of the desert dust particles along their transport routes due to the mixing processes with other aerosol types. The results from different measurements (ground-based and remote-sensing) did not contradict each other and, therefore, are adequate for monitoring of dust load over the Eastern Mediterranean. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acute complicated diverticulitis, particularly with colon perforation, is a rare but serious condition in transplant recipients with high morbidity and mortality. Neither acute diverticulitis nor colon perforation has been reported in young heart-lung grafted patients. A case of subclinical peritonitis due to perforated acute sigmoid diverticulitis 14 years after heart-lung transplantation is reported. A 26-year-old woman, who received heart-lung transplantation 14 years ago, presented with vague abdominal pain. Physical examination was normal. Blood tests revealed leukocytosis. Abdominal X-ray showed air-fluid levels while CT demonstrated peritonitis due to perforated sigmoid diverticulitis. Sigmoidectomy and end-colostomy (Hartmann's procedure) were performed. Histopathology confirmed perforated acute sigmoid diverticulitis. The patient was discharged on the 8th postoperative day after an uneventful postoperative course. This is the first report of acute diverticulitis resulting in colon perforation in a young heart-lung transplanted patient. Clinical presentation, even in peritonitis, may be atypical due to the masking effects of immunosuppression. A high index of suspicion, urgent aggressive diagnostic investigation of even vague abdominal symptoms, adjustment of immunosuppression, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and immediate surgical treatment are critical. Moreover, strategies to reduce the risk of this complication should be implemented. Pretransplantation colon screening, prophylactic pretransplantation sigmoid resection in patients with diverticulosis, and elective surgical intervention in patients with nonoperatively treated acute diverticulitis after transplantation deserve consideration and further studies.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease encountered by general physicians as well as medical specialists. Subcutaneous sarcoidosis is not an uncommon clinical presentation of sarcoidosis and is challenging for physicians because it can mimic cellulitis or several chronic infections. Our patient presented with a swollen forearm and hand which were initially treated as acute cellulitis with antibiotics by general physicians but without any improvement. A skin biopsy showed granulomatous panniculitis but confirmation of the diagnosis of systemic sarcoidosis was based on the characteristic chest roentgenogram, the high CD4/CD8 ratio of T lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage, and the typical 'panda' and 'lambda' signs on the (67)Ga scan. Such cases with atypical clinical presentation cause some difficulty in reaching the diagnosis but a skin biopsy as well as typical imaging and laboratory signs are usually important to establish the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, when invasive procedures cannot be performed to get confirmation from a second target organ.

The "supercritical pile" is a very economical GRB model that provides for the efficient conversion of the energy stored in the protons of a relativistic blast wave (RBW) into radiation and at the same time produces — in the prompt GRB phase, even in the absence of any particle acceleration — a spectral peak at an energy ~ 1 MeV. We extend this model to include also the evolution of the RBW Lorentz factor Γ and thus follow the spectral and temporal features of this model into the GRB early afterglow stage. One of the novel features of the present treatment is the inclusion of the feedback of the GRB produced radiation on the evolution of Γ with radius. This way one can obtain afterglow light curves with steep decays followed by a relatively flatter flux stage, as observed in a large number of bursts.

Posterior wall fractures are the commonest type of acetabular fracture. Nonoperative management is associated with significant complications and poor outcome. Consequently, open reduction and internal fixation has become increasingly common. In this article, inaugurating the new section of "how do I do it", we present our current approach to the treatment of posterior wall fractures of the acetabulum, including the preoperative planning, the details of the operative procedure in terms of patient's positioning and draping, surgical approach, osteosynthesis and wound closure.

OBJECTIVE: To describe factors associated with survival in Alzheimer disease (AD) in a multiethnic, population-based longitudinal study. METHODS: AD cases were identified in the Washington Heights Inwood Columbia Aging Project, a longitudinal, community-based study of cognitive aging in Northern Manhattan. The sample comprised 323 participants who were initially dementia-free but developed AD during study follow-up (incident cases). Participants were followed for an average of 4.1 (up to 12.6) years. Possible factors associated with shorter lifespan were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models with attained age as the time to event (time from birth to death or last follow-up). In subanalyses, median postdiagnosis survival durations were estimated using postdiagnosis study follow-up as the timescale. RESULTS: The mortality rate was 10.7 per 100 person-years. Mortality rates were highest [corrected] among those diagnosed at older ages, and among non-Hispanic whites compared to [corrected] Hispanic [corrected] The median lifespan of the entire sample was 92.2 years (95% CI: 90.3, 94.1). In a multivariable-adjusted Cox model, history of diabetes and history of hypertension were independently associated with a shorter lifespan. No differences in lifespan were seen by race/ethnicity after multivariable adjustment. The median postdiagnosis survival duration was 3.7 years among non-Hispanic whites, 4.8 years among African Americans, and 7.6 years among Hispanics. CONCLUSION: Factors influencing survival in Alzheimer disease include race/ethnicity and comorbid diabetes and hypertension.

Objective: To establish the spectrum of presentation, natural history and gynaecological outcomes in women with Swyer syndrome. Design: Retrospective notes review. Setting: Tertiary referral centre for disorders of sex development. Population: A total of 29 adult women with Swyer syndrome. Methods: Information was collected on age at diagnosis, biometric characteristics, timing of gonadectomy, histology of gonad, bone mineral density, uterine size and fertility. Main outcome measures: Age at diagnosis, risk of gonadal malignancy, bone mineral density, uterine size. Results: With regard to presentation, 26/29 (90{%}) women in this series presented with delayed puberty, and the median age at diagnosis was 17.2 years (range 0-55 years). The median age at gonadectomy was 18 years (range 9-33 years). Histology of the gonad was available in 22 women and demonstrated streak gonads with no evidence of malignancy in 12, dysgerminoma in 7 and gonadoblastoma in 3. The youngest patient diagnosed with dysgerminoma was 10 years old. The median height of the women was 1.73 m (range 1.54-1.95 m). Twelve out of the 20 (60{%}) women had evidence of osteopenia on dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scan. The uterine size and shape was assessed in eight women after completion of induction of puberty, and the uterine cross-section was found to be significantly lower than that in normal controls. Fertility was achieved with ovum donation in three women, all of whom had live births and one subsequently had a second successful pregnancy. Conclusion: Early diagnosis of Swyer syndrome is necessary in view of the risk of dysgerminoma that can develop at an early age. Adequate hormone replacement is required to maintain bone mineral density and may improve the uterine size and shape. © 2008 The Authors.

A variety of lipophilic 2-oxoamides containing sulfonamide analogs of γ-amino acids as well as acyl sulfonamides of γ-aminobutyric acid were synthesized. Their ability to inhibit intracellular GIVA cPLA2 and GVIA iPLA2 as well as secreted GV sPLA2 was evaluated. The sulfonamide group seems a bioisosteric group suitable to replace the carboxyl group in 2-oxoamide inhibitors of GVIA cPLA2.

The development of selective inhibitors for individual PLA2 enzymes is necessary in order to target PLA2-specific signaling pathways, but it is challenging due to the observed promiscuity of known PLA2 inhibitors. In the current work, we present the development and application of a variety of synthetic routes to produce pentafluoro, tetrafluoro, and trifluoro derivatives of activated carbonyl groups in order to screen for selective inhibitors and characterize the chemical properties that can lead to selective inhibition. Our results demonstrate that the pentafluoroethyl ketone functionality favors selective inhibition of the GVIA iPLA2, a very important enzyme for which specific, potent, reversible inhibitors are needed. We find that 1,1,1,2,2-pentafluoro-7-phenyl-heptan-3-one (FKGK11) is a selective inhibitor of GVIA iPLA2 (XI(50) = 0.0073). Furthermore, we conclude that the introduction of an additional fluorine atom at the α′ position of a trifluoromethyl ketone constitutes an important strategy for the development of new potent GVIA iPLA2 inhibitors.

We use new on-land and offshore structural data and scaled analogue models to analyse the fault tectonic pattern at Nisyros Island (Greece), which has an active caldera that shows a complicated network of faults, fractures and volcano-tectonic structures. We measured 157 faults that show dominant dip-slip normal motions along planes mainly striking NE-SW, NNE-SSW, and NNW-SSE. Inside the caldera, dykes, necks and morphometric parameters of volcanic domes, explosion craters and fumarole pits indicate the control by NE-striking discontinuities on magma and gas paths. The NNW- and NE-striking faults bound a major block that underwent repeated downthrow and uplift movements during the late Pleistocene-Holocene. Experiments with scaled models of caldera resurgence and two magma chambers indicate the formation of an hourglass-shaped fault pattern, as seen in plan view, with an asymmetric increase in the fault offset and a widening of the fault divergence towards the volcano flank. All these data suggest that regional fault tectonics and stress state strongly guided magma upwelling and the emplacement of volcanic centres, whereas periodical bulging due to the overpressure of a second magma chamber located northwest of the caldera combined with faulting due to tectonic stresses, can account for the overall deformation field.

Thalidomide with dexamethasone (thal-dex) is an active therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM). In this Practice Point, we discuss the findings of a trial by Rajkumar et al. that aimed to compare the response rate, time to progression and progression-free survival among previously untreated patients with MM who received either thal-dex or placebo plus dexamethasone. The thal-dex regimen was associated with a significantly higher response rate at the expense of more-frequent adverse effects, in particular deep-vein thrombosis, which occurred in almost 20% of patients. Median time to progression was three times longer with thal-dex than with placebo plus dexamethasone, but was shorter, however, than the time to progression observed in studies in which thalidomide or bortezomib was added to melphalan and prednisone. Nevertheless, thal-dex is a convenient oral and relatively inexpensive non-myelosuppressive regimen, which can be used in patients with previously untreated MM.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of neurological disability. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been used in the management of patients with MS with equivocal efficacy. With this work we would like to present our experience with 10 patients (seven male and three female, mean age 34 years [range 27-53 years]) with secondary progressive MS, who were treated with immunomodulating agents and who also underwent TPE. The patients' expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score of entry to the study varied from 5.0 to 6.5. One year before study entry all patients showed a marked deterioration (12 months before starting TPE they had been rated 4.5-5.5 on the EDSS). TPE was performed three times a week for two weeks and thereafter once a week, or once a month for the stable patients. The machine used was the Cobe Spectra and albumin 5% was the replacement fluid. Peripheral veins were used in nine patients and indwelling vascular access was required in one patient. Eighteen months later, patients stopped taking the immunomodulating agent therapy and continued only with TPE. No side-effects occurred during the TPE session. After 36 months of TPE therapy, five patients were stabilized in their disability, while two patients showed a minor progression of the disease (an additional 0.5 degree in disability as determined by the EDSS). No relapses occurred during TPE. Three patients stopped the therapy: one patient because of persistent nausea and two patients for reasons unrelated to TPE. Periodic TPE was associated with reduced accumulation of neurological deficits (as documented by EDSS) in patients with secondary progressive MS. © 2008 International Society for Apheresis.

Aims: The purpose of this study is to find transient X-ray sources in M 31 and to investigate and classify their nature. Methods: Three X-ray transients were observed with Swift. For each of the three X-ray transients, we used the Swift X-ray and optical data with observations from XMM-Newton and Chandra to investigate the lightcurves and the spectra of the outburst, thereby identifying the source types. Results: The outburst of XMMU J004215.8+411924 lasted about one month. The source had a hard power-law spectrum with a photon index of 1.6. It was previously identified as a Be/X-ray binary based on the optical identification with a star. However, we show that, with improved source coordinates it is clear that the optical source is not the counterpart to the X-ray source. The source SWIFT J004217.3+411532 had a bright outburst, after which it slowly decayed over half a year. The spectrum was soft, corresponding to a thermal accretion disc with an innermost temperature of ~250-600 eV. The source was not seen in the optical, and the soft spectrum indicates that the source is most likely a black-hole low-mass X-ray binary. M31N 2006-11a is a nova that was previously observed in the optical. We detected it both in X-rays and UV with Swift ~half a year after the optical maximum, after which it decayed below the Swift detection threshold within a month. The spectrum of the X-ray transient can be modelled by a black-body with a temperature of 50 eV. We use catalogues of X-ray transients in M 31 to estimate their rate, and we find a lower limit of 9 yr-1.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of short-term resistance training and detraining on shot put throwing performance. Eleven young healthy subjects with basic shot put skills participated in 14 weeks of resistance training, which was followed by 4 weeks of detraining. Shot put performance in four field tests was measured before (T1) and after (T2) resistance training and after detraining (T3). At the same time points, one repetition maximum (1RM) was measured in squat, bench press, and leg press. Fat-free mass (FFM) was determined with dual x-ray absorptiometry and muscle biopsies obtained from vastus lateralis for the determination of fiber type composition and cross-sectional area (CSA). 1RM strength increased 22-34% (p < 0.01) at T2 and decreased 4-5% (not significantly different) at T3. Shot put performance increased 6-12% (p < 0.05) after training and remained unaltered after detraining. FFM increased at T2 (p < 0.05) but remained unchanged between T2 and T3. Muscle fiber CSA increased 12-18% (p < 0.05) at T2. Type I muscle fiber CSA was not altered after detraining, but type IIa and IIx fiber CSA was reduced 10-12% (p < 0.05). The percentage of type IIx muscle fibers was reduced after training (T1 = 18.7 +/- 4, T2 = 10.4 +/- 1; p < 0.05), and it was increased at T3 compared with T2 (T3 = 13.7 +/- 1; p < 0.05). These results suggest that shot put performance remains unaltered after 4 weeks of complete detraining in moderately resistance-trained subjects. This might be linked to the concomitant reduction of muscle fiber CSA and increase in the percentage of type IIx muscle fibers.

OBJECTIVE: Thyroid disease has been associated with leukemia and lymphoma. No previous study using clinical and laboratory data has explored whether thyroid disease and especially autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD) is associated with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) risk. In this case-control study, we investigated the association of ATD with MDS. METHODS: Our study included 101 cases with incident primary MDS confirmed by histology and cytogenetics, and 101 controls matched on gender and age, admitted for non-neoplastic and non-infectious diseases. All subjects were submitted to clinical, ultrasound thyroid evaluation and serum free T3, free T4, TSH, thyroglobulin, and thyroperoxidase antibodies determination. RESULTS: Adjusting for age, gender, and body mass index, there was statistically significant evidence that ATD is associated with increased risk of MDS (OR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.29-5.16). Interestingly, ATD starting from the remote past (more than 10 years from MDS onset) was positively associated with MDS risk (OR = 5.73. 95% CI 2.03-16.16). Mean serum levels of fT3, fT4, and thyroid antibodies were significantly higher in MDS patients and mean TSH serum levels were significantly lower in MDS patients than in controls (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Biological plausibility and empirical evidence highlights the importance of ATD in MDS etiopathogenesis. Further studies are needed to explore underlying mechanisms associating thyroid autoimmunity with leukemogenesis.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to compare the outcome of total thyroidectomy using the electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing system, the harmonic scalpel, and the classic suture ligation technique. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of prospectively collected data from 382 consecutive total thyroidectomies from September 2004 to August 2006. Patients were divided into 3 groups: group SL patients (n = 90) underwent total thyroidectomy with the classic suture ligation technique, group L (n = 148) with the electrothermal bipolar vessel sealer, and group U (n = 144) with the harmonic scalpel. The main outcomes measured were surgical and hospitalization time, intraoperative and postoperative bleeding, postoperative hypocalcemia, and superior and inferior laryngeal nerves injuries. RESULTS: The 3 groups were similar in terms of demographics, thyroid gland weight and pathology, perioperative complications, and hospital stay. Compared with the classic technique, surgical time was reduced significantly by about 20% when the bipolar vessel sealer or harmonic scalpel was used (93.3 +/- 12.5 vs 74.3 +/- 14.2 and 73.8 +/- 13.8 min, P = .001, and P = .001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Both the bipolar vessel sealer and harmonic scalpel are safe, useful, and time-saving alternatives to the traditional suture ligation technique for thyroid surgery. Because no differences were observed regarding these 2 devices, the choice should be made based on the surgeon's preferences and experience.

We report a consistent derivation of a tight-binding formalism, both in the frequency and in the time domain, for the analysis of electromagnetic energy transfer in single-mode cavity-plasmon waveguides. Moreover, we derive closed-form solutions of the relevant tight-binding equations, which describe the response of these waveguides under time-varying excitations by a localized light source. In this context, we discuss the possibility of efficient single-mode waveguiding through coupled cavity-plasmon modes in chains of spheroidal silicon nanoparticles in silver at optical frequencies.

We present the mathematical formulation and numerical results for the resonance characteristics of the TMmp modes in a coaxial cavity with a longitudinally corrugated insert. Based on the spatial harmonics method, the eigenvalues of the transverse plane are calculated, and then, the Vlasov approximation is used to calculate the resonance frequency, diffractive quality factor, and longitudinal field profile of every mode. The numerical results are presented and compared with those found in the literature.

Transfusion-related lung injury (TRALI) is the leading cause of mortality following transfusion of blood products. Despite increasing awareness, the condition often remains unrecognised and therefore underreported. A 28-year-old with moderate preeclampsia had a post-partum haemorrhage following emergency caesarean section. Shortly after receiving three units of packed red cells she went into respiratory failure, which progressed to cardiac arrest. She was successfully resuscitated and made a slow but full recovery. Investigation through the National Blood Service confirmed the diagnosis of TRALI. TRALI is an increasingly common life-threatening complication of blood transfusion and should be included in the differential diagnosis of collapse in an obstetric patient who has recently received a blood product transfusion. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A 52-year-old man presented with a 3-week history of right knee pain, significant enough to prevent weight bearing. There was no history of knee injury or disease. On knee examination, an effusion and medial joint line tenderness was noted. Knee range of motion was full, but painful. Radiographs revealed minor osteoarthritic changes. Laboratory values were within normal limits, including those associated with infection. Magnetic resonance imaging showed decreased signal intensity on T1-weighted images within the medial femoral condyle and corresponding increased signal intensity on T2-weighted consistent with bone marrow edema as well as edema to the adjacent soft tissues. Bone scanning showed increased uptake of radioisotope in the medial femoral condyle. The patient was diagnosed with bone marrow edema syndrome, and managed medically with analgesics and continued non weight-bearing status. At the 1-month follow-up, his symptoms had improved significantly. The patient progressively increased weight bearing as tolerated over the subsequent weeks. At 12-week follow-up, symptoms had completely resolved. Magnetic resonance imaging showed no signal abnormalities in the affected knee. Transient osteoporosis is an uncommon and typically self-limiting condition that can be challenging to diagnose and treat. The clinician must be aware of this entity, as well as its typical course, to prevent unnecessary testing and invasive intervention.

The authors examined the effectiveness of the local anti-microbial treatment on methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) experimental osteomyelitis. Thirty-six rabbits with chronic MRSA osteomyelitis of the right femur were treated with local grepafloxacin delivery system prepared by a mixture of acrylic bone cement (polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA) plus 4% grepafloxacin. Osteomyelitis was induced by inoculating MRSA (100 microl of cultured bacteria; 10(7)) and the local insertion of a needle, serving as a foreign body, at the upper third of the femur. The course of the infection was followed by clinical, radiographic and microbiological examination. In the third week, all animals were re-operated, needles were removed, and antibiotic containing acrylic cement was implanted. Thereafter, one control and five treated animals were sacrificed per week, within 6 weeks. Osteomyelitis was found in all rabbits. In vitro grepafloxacin levels remained high throughout the 6 weeks of the experiment. Histologically tissue reaction against the cement was not observed. Osteomyelitis lesions and bone structure were progressively repaired after cement implantation. Biomechanical analysis showed no significant influence on the mechanical properties of acrylic cement due to grepafloxacin. The above mixture could prove to be an important supplementary method for the treatment of bone infections. Such a system could replace the use of gentamycin PMMA beads in the treatment of patients with chronic osteomyelitis due to MRSA. Furthermore, the proposed method could be used as a spacer after removal septic loosened prostheses in combination with systemic administration of antibiotics.

Renal failure is a common feature of multiple myeloma and a major management problem. However there is limited data regarding the reversibility of renal failure, the kinetics of serum creatinine and the safety of novel agents such as bortezomib when administered to newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory patients with renal failure. Patients and Methods. We evaluated 20 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma and renal failure, defined as a serum creatinine ≥ 2 mg/dl. All patients received bortezomib with dexamethasone or in combination with other agents (thalidomide, doxorubicin or melphalan). Results. Reversal of renal failure was documented in 40% of all patients and the median time to reversal was 17 days. Moreover 10 patients (50%) had 50% decrease in serum creatinine and the median time to decrease was 35 days. Some decrease of creatinine was documented in 85% of patients. The objective response rate was 65%. Toxicities were similar to those seen in myeloma patients without renal failure. Conclusions. Bortezomib based regimens can be administered to myeloma patients with renal impairment and their toxicity and efficacy are similar to those observed in patients without renal impairment. Moreover, bortezomib-based regimens induce improvement of serum creatinine in most patients and reversal of renal failure in approximately one-third.

Lenalidomide is an immunomodulatory drug, structurally related to thalidomide, with pleiotropic activity including antiangiogenic and antineoplastic properties. It is the product of advances in our understanding of the biology of myeloma cells, their interactions with the microenvironment and of the underlying molecular pathways. In preclinical and clinical studies, lenalidomide was more potent and less toxic than thalidomide. Subsequent phase II and III studies confirmed the activity of lenalidomide either as a single agent or in combination with dexamethasone in relapsed or refractory myeloma patients, whereas combinations with chemotherapy induce high response rates and durable remissions. Lenalidomide has been used successfully as an upfront treatment either with high or low dose dexamethasone or with melphalan and prednisone, resulting in high overall response and complete response rates and excellent 1-year survival. Lenalidomide causes less neuropathy than thalidomide; however, the risk of thromboembolism is high, especially in patients treated with lenalidomide and steroids. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms of action, toxicity and clinical activity, and the current role of lenalidomide in patients with multiple myeloma or other related plasma cell disorders.

Primary objective: Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is used for the mobilization of bone marrow and endothelial progenitor cells, though G-CSF-induced inflammation may cause endothelial dysfunction. We examined the effects of G-CSF on endothelium, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory cytokines namely interleukin 10 (IL-10). Research design: We studied 60 women with breast cancer, who were randomized to either subcutaneous G-CSF (5 μg/kg), o.d. for 5 days after adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 40) or placebo (n = 20). Experimental interventions: We measured flow-mediated dilatation (FMD%) of the brachial artery by ultrasonography, CRP, TNF-α, IL-10 and the ratio TNF-α/IL-10 blood levels before, 2-h and 5-days after the G-CSF or placebo treatment. Main outcomes and results: There was a greater increase of FMD, IL-10 and reduction of TNF-α/IL-10, 2 h and 5 days after the G-CSF treatment compared to placebo. Although, CRP and TNF-α were higher, TNF-α/IL-10 was lower at the end of G-CSF treatment compared to placebo. Improvement of FMD was related to changes of IL-10 and TNF-α/IL-10. Conclusions: Treatment with G-CSF improves endothelial function in vivo, possibly by shifting the balance between the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

We report the discovery of two new, bright possible novae in M 31 on dithered stacked R filter CCD images, obtained on 2008 August 09, with the 1.3m Ritchey Chretien f/7.5 telescope at Skinakas Observatory, Crete, Greece, using an Andor DZ436-BV CCD Camera (with a Marconi 2k x 2k chip with 13.5µm sq. pixels). The first object is visible in two different pointings of four images taken on 2008 August 09.96 and three images taken on 2008 August 09.97, respectively.

Recently, several works have focused on the lacertid lizards of the genus Podarcis, revealing cases of hidden diversity and paraphyly, and offering evidence that suggests the revision of the extant taxonomical arrangements within the genus. Hidden diversity and paraphyly have been shown to exist in the relationships betweentheBalkan species P. peloponnesiacaandP. erhardii as well. Herewecouple a molecular (mtDNA) dataset with a corresponding morphological one, consisting of morphometric and pholidotic characters, to check for concordance between the two. Phylogenetic analyses reinforced previous suggestions for paraphyly of P. erhardii with respect to P. peloponnesiaca.We found the variation of certain pholidotic characters concordant with the relationships inferred from partial mtDNA sequences, whereas morphometric characters were not. The latter is possibly due to greater influence of morphometric characters by environmental factors. To avoid the observed paraphyly we proceed with the description of the populations from Crete and the islet of Pori, until now designated as P. erhardii, as separate taxa at the species level.

Context: Observations of collimated outflows in young stellar objects indicate that several features of the jets can be understood by adopting the picture of a two-component outflow, wherein a central stellar component around the jet axis is surrounded by an extended disk wind. The precise contribution of each component may depend on the intrinsic physical properties of the YSO-disk system as well as its evolutionary stage. Aims: This article reports a systematic separate investigation of these jet components via time-dependent simulations of two prototypical and complementary analytical solutions, each closely related to the properties of stellar outflows and disk winds. These models describe a meridionally and a radially self-similar exact solution of the steady-state, ideal hydromagnetic equations, respectively. Methods: Using the PLUTO code to carry out the simulations, the study focuses on the topological stability of each of the two analytical solutions, which are successfully extended to all space by removing their singularities. In addition, their behavior and robustness over several physical and numerical modifications is extensively examined. Therefore, this work serves as the starting point for the analysis of the two-component jet simulations. Results: It is found that radially self-similar solutions (disk winds) always reach a final steady-state while maintaining all their well-defined properties. The different ways to replace the singular part of the solution around the symmetry axis, being a first approximation towards a two-component outflow, lead to the appearance of a shock at the super-fast domain corresponding to the fast magnetosonic separatrix surface. These conclusions hold true independently of the numerical modifications and/or evolutionary constraints that the models have undergone, such as starting with a sub-modified-fast initial solution or different types of heating/cooling assumptions. Furthermore, the final outcome of the simulations remains close enough to the initial analytical configurations, thus showing their topological stability. Conversely, the asymptotic configuration and the stability of meridionally self-similar models (stellar winds) is related to the heating processes at the base of the wind. If the heating is modified by assuming a polytropic relation between density and pressure, a turbulent evolution is found. On the other hand, adiabatic conditions lead to the replacement of the outflow by an almost static atmosphere.

Supernova remnant (SNR) blast shells can reach the flow speed $v_s = 0.1 c$ and shocks form at its front. Instabilities driven by shock-reflected ion beams heat the plasma in the foreshock, which may inject particles into diffusive acceleration. The ion beams can have the speed $v_b \approx v_s$. For $v_b \ll v_s$ the Buneman or upper-hybrid instabilities dominate, while for $v_b \gg v_s$ the filamentation and mixed modes grow faster. Here the relevant waves for $v_b \approx v_s$ are examined and how they interact nonlinearly with the particles. The collision of two plasma clouds at the speed $v_s$ is modelled with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, which convect with them magnetic fields oriented perpendicular to their flow velocity vector. One simulation models equally dense clouds and the other one uses a density ratio of 2. Both simulations show upper-hybrid waves that are planar over large spatial intervals and that accelerate electrons to $\sim$ 10 keV. The symmetric collision yields only short oscillatory wave pulses, while the asymmetric collision also produces large-scale electric fields, probably through a magnetic pressure gradient. The large-scale fields destroy the electron phase space holes and they accelerate the ions, which facilitates the formation of a precursor shock.

Plasmonic excitations in two- and three-dimensional ordered assemblies of metal-dielectric-metal nanosandwiches are studied by means of full-electrodynamic calculations using the layer-multiple-scattering method. Plasmon hybridization results in collective electric-dipole-like and magnetic-dipole-like resonant modes, which are directly controlled by the lattice constant and the geometrical characteristics of the building units. It is shown that, in planar arrays of such composite nanoparticles on a dielectric substrate, the magnetic resonance induces a negative effective permeability, as large as −2  , which can be tuned within the range of near-infrared and visible frequencies. However, as successive layers are stacked together to build a three-dimensional crystal, the region of negative effective permeability shrinks and disappears for relatively thick slabs. Our analysis demonstrates that the complex photonic band structure is a valuable tool in the study of three-dimensional metamaterials and their effective-medium description.

BACKGROUND: Unintentional parathyroidectomy during thyroidectomy has been evaluated in a few studies. Moreover, the impact of the surgeon's experience and operative technique has not been evaluated. Our aim was to identify the incidence of unintentional parathyroidectomy during total thyroidectomy, its clinical consequences, and factors affecting its occurrence. METHODS: We reviewed all total thyroidectomies during a 2-year period. Patients were categorized into 2 groups: those with unintentional parathyroidectomy (parathyroidectomy group) and those without unintentional parathyroidectomy (no-parathyroidectomy group). RESULTS: Incidental parathyroidectomy occurred in 100 (19.7%) of the 508 patients. The groups were comparable in age, thyroid weight and pathology, operative time, surgeon experience (high/low volume), operative technique (suture-ligation, LigaSure, or Ultracision), postoperative calcium, and transient hypocalcemia. No permanent hypocalcemia occurred. However, 11% of the parathyroidectomy group was men compared with 22% of the no-parathyroidectomy group (p =.002). CONCLUSIONS: Unintentional parathyroidectomy, although common, has no clinical consequences. Unlike surgeon's experience and operative technique, patient sex was the only factor affecting its occurrence.

At a time when the European Union is further expanding and countries, such as Turkey are being accepted for eventual membership, the question of what is meant by a unified Europe and how that might be achieved has never been more pressing. Europe is more than a system of rules and political institutions that regulate European citizenship: it is also a space of political traditions, political experiences and cultural memories. Can political integration ever be realised without an understanding and acceptance of the complexity of the political cultures that make up Europe ? In this volume, European scholars from a diversity of backgrounds explore the issues that must be addressed if the challenge of an integrated Europe is to be successfully met.

Objective: Data exchange and interoperability are necessary to support modern healthcare. The purpose of this study was to use a data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach in order to evaluate the degree of efficiency and interoperability of Information Technology within Greek Regional Health Authorities. Methods: Publicly available data were collected from the Greek Information Society organisation regarding specific IT attributes of relevant Greek healthcare organisations for the period 2000 until 2006 and a DEA approach was applied against them. Inputs were network and software infrastructure and outputs were interoperability, data exchange mechanisms and ability to support open standards. Results: Results obtained for 15 of the 17 healthcare regions clearly demonstrated limited utilisation of the physical and software infrastructure for achieving interoperability. Conclusion: Based on the fact that the input data reflect a specific period of time, there is a need to increase the level of interoperability amongst existing healthcare information systems within the healthcare regions in Greece. Key factors in achieving this will be standardisation, and the adoption and introduction of new, open technologies. © The Journal on Information Technology in Healthcare 2008.

In this paper the counteractive dynamic marine and river environments responsible for a river mouth’s and a delta’s modulation is studied. The Acheloos River (West Greece) was chosen as the case study due to the recent changes taken place in its basin. The aim of this study is to analyze the present dominant environment and the impact of human activity on this balance. A GIS database was developed and updated in order to provide access for future use and computer analysis (both spatial and chronological). The study, includes an estimation of the delta forming processes, the impact of the anthropogenic parameters on these processes, and, finally, their representation.

Background. The utilization of modern achievements from nanobiotechnology has resulted in novel modalities for renal replacement therapy. For conventional intermittent haemodialysis (HD), sophisticated membranes are currently being manufactured that guarantee selective removal of target toxins. These membranes have a narrow pore-size distribution that is focused around a mean value at the nanometre level. For continuous HD, novel artificial renal devices are currently being designed and evaluated in in vitro experiments that will be both implantable and have continuous function. Methods. We present mock-dialysis experiments using magnetically assisted HD (MAHD) that we very recently introduced for the selective removal of target toxins. MAHD is based on the preparation of conjugates (Cs) made up of biocompatible ferromagnetic nanoparticles (FNs) and a specifically designed targeted binding substance that must have a high affinity for a specific target toxin substance. The FN-targeted binding substance Cs should be administered to the patient prior to MAHD to allow for binding with the target toxin substance in the bloodstream. The complex FN-targeted binding substance-target toxin substance will then be removed by a 'magnetic dialyzer' that is installed in the dialysis machine in series to the conventional dialyzer. In the present work, we compared the in vitro efficiency of MAHD to conventional HD for the removal of homocysteine (Hcy) during mock-dialysis experiments. Results. These mock-dialysis experiments performed on Hcy revealed that both the removal rate and the overall removal efficiency of MAHD were significantly greater than conventional HD. Conclusions. MAHD appears to be a promising method that can be employed for the selective and more efficient extraction of toxins that are not adequately removed by conventional HD.

Tropical days (TD) are defined as the days with a maximum air temperature greater than 30.0°C. It is clear that the study of TD includes also the absolute maximum temperatures, which are of great interest for the description of a region's climate. These days are considered as very hot, and they particularly are of great importance not only for bioclimatology and applied sciences, but also for the individuals who are sensitive in the heat-stress. The regime of the TD in Greece is the focus of this study. The aim is to demonstrate their changes from decade to decade, for the time period 1960-2000. For this study, the Annual Number of Tropical Days (ANTD) recorded by each of the 26 meteorological stations of National Meteorological Service, which are uniformly distributed in the Hellenic peninsula, was calculated and analysed. In terms of quantifying the conditions in a human-biometeorological manner, the thermal index Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and the consecutive days for Athens have been included in this study. The trends of the TD for each station were analysed through the Mann-Kendall technique, while the spatial distribution per decade reveals the regions with change (increase or decrease) in the ANTD during the examined period. Two characteristic periods of change for the ANTD appear in the majority of the meteorological stations in Greece. The first period (1955-1976) is determined by a negative trend, which is statistically significant (c.l. 95%), for adequate stations. In the period between 1976 and 2000, the increase in the ANTD and the maximum temperature exceed the corresponding maximum that appeared in the beginning of the 1950s for several of the examined meteorological stations. The human-biometeorological analysis shows that the consecutive days of PET >35°C have had a positive trend in the last two decades of the last century. © Springer-Verlag 2007.

Living coccolithophores were collected in August 2001, at different photic depths (0-120 m), form 8 stations along a transect in the gulf of Korthi (Andros island). The analysis of the vertical distribution of coccolithophores certified high differentiation in density and diversity, as well as in the species composition at different depth levels. As a result, the photic zone is separated into three distinct sub-zones: upper (0-25 m depth), middle (45-60 m depth) and lower (90-120 m depth). The total cell density varies between 14.7x103 cells/l and 1.9x103 cells/l, and is usually higher in the upper and middle photic zone, while in the lower photic zone it gradually decreases. The highest species richness (max=34 taxa) was observed at the middle photic zone. Emiliania huxleyi, Rhabdosphaera clavigera and holococcolithophores preferred the upper photic zone. On the contrary, in the lower photic zone, the presence of Florisphaera profunda and Algirosphaera robusta becomes important, making up the typical deep community. Umbellosphaera tenuis is an additional important component of the summer heterococcolithophore nannoflora, especially in the middle photic zone. The studied coastal marine coccolithophore communities indicate that temperature and availability of nutrient concentrations are the most important controlling factors controlling their vertical distribution.

The associations between various meteorological parameters, concentrations of PM10, SO2, and O3 pollutants and bronchial asthma of residents of the wider region of Athens are examined in this study. For this purpose, 1,288 patients’ admissions (412 males and 876 females) recorded in 13 pneumonological clinics of Sotiria Hospital, which is the major Hospital for respiratory diseases in Athens, were analyzed for the period 1/1/2001–31/12/2002. The meteorological data were available by the National Observatory of Athens and the concentrations of PM10, SO2, and O3 pollutants were obtained by the air pollution network of 10 stations of the Ministry of Environment (Directorate of Air and Noise pollution Control).The evaluation of the possible relationship between the bronchial asthma admissions (BAA) and the meteorological variables was achieved by the application of Generalized Linear Models with Poisson distribution, because the medical dataset presents large divergence from a Gaussian distribution. The results showed that a statistically significant (p < 0.01) negative correlation between all examined air temperature variables, water vapor pressure, evaporation, sunshine, total solar irradiance, and BAA exists. Moreover, the findings of the analysis showed that a statistically significant relationship between the examined pollutants and BAA on the same day does not exist, with the exception of O3, which is correlated negatively (p < 0.01) with BAA. Nevertheless, there is a statistically significant lag effect (7–8 days) between the increase in BAA and the peak in the concentrations of PM10, SO2, and O3 pollutants. During the cold period of the year (October–April), BAA is significantly associated with O3 lag 2 day. The interannual variation of bronchial asthma admissions (BAA) reveals peaks within the transitional seasons of the year (spring and autumn), while the main minimum is apparent during summer period and especially in August.

Wegener's granulomatosis is a systemic necrotizing vasculitis that usually involves the kidneys, typically causing segmental necrotizing glomerulonephritis. An association between Wegener's granulomatosis and renal cell carcinoma was recently reported. We describe a case of Wegener's granulomatosis presenting as a renal mass in a 72-year-old woman. Histologic examination of the mass revealed granulomatous inflammation, an extremely rare manifestation of this disease. We also review the incidence of renal mass in Wegener's granulomatosis and highlight the importance of excluding the coexistence of renal cell carcinoma. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The determination of the chemical composition of rainfall related to the origin of the air masses, in two urban sites in Greece during the year 2006, is investigated in this study. Two model automatic rain samplers were installed, the first in the city of Larissa, Thessaly, central Greece and the second in Heraklio, Attica, a northern suburb of Athens. The concentrations (ppm) of the major cations (H+, Na+, K+, Ca2+, NH4+ and Mg2+) and major anions (NO 3-, NO2-, HCO3 -, and SO42-), as well as total hardness (ppm CaCO3), pH and electric conductivity in 25°C (μS/cm) for 27 rainfall samples -11 samples in Larissa and 16 samples in Heraklio (Athens)- were determined. In Larissa, the figures of pH range from 5.13 to 6.13 while in Heraklio (Athens), the pH within the range 5.62 to 7.88 indicates a shift of the rainfalls towards alkalinity. The electric conductivity in Larissa ranges from 16.30 μS/cm to 110.60 μS/cm and in Heraklio (Athens) from 7.00 μS/cm to 151.00 μS/cm. The analysis showed that Ca2+ and Mg2+ appear the highest concentrations out of the examined cations, while HCO 3- and SO42- present the highest concentrations within the anions. Moreover, in order to find out the origin of the air masses, the air mass back trajectories were calculated using the HYSPLIT 4 model of Air Resources Laboratory of NOAA for two different levels: 1500 and 3000 m (a.m.s.l.). © by PSP 2008.

The incidence of proximal femoral fractures has increased significantly in recent years, and is expected to continue to rise with increasing life expectancy. However, the optimal method of treatment of these fractures is still debated. This article summarises current evidence concerning the most controversial issues in the treatment of intracapsular and extracapsular proximal femoral fractures. Despite initial enthusiasm, many new treatment options have been proved inferior to older, traditional methods, and physicians should be cautious when it comes to managing these fractures. It seems that meticulous surgical technique and implant selection according to fracture pattern and the characteristics of the individual patient offer the best route to optimal final outcome.

Women Writing Greece explores images of modern Greece by women who experienced the country as travellers, writers, and scholars, or who journeyed there through the imagination. The essays assembled here consider women's travel narratives, memoirs and novels, ranging from the eighteenth to the late twentieth century, focusing on the role of gender in travel and cross-cultural mediation and challenging stereotypical views of 'the Greek journey', traditionally seen as an antiquarian or Byronic pursuit. This collection aims to cast new light on women's participation in the discourses of Hellenism and Orientalism, examining their ideological rendering of Greece as at once a luminous land and a site crossed by contradictory cultural memories. Arranged chronologically, the essays discuss encounters with Greece by, among others, Lady Elizabeth Craven, Lady Hester Stanhope, Lady Montagu, Lady Morgan, Mary Shelley, Felicia Skene, Emily Pfeiffer, Eva Palmer, Jane Ellen Harrison, Virginia Woolf, Ethel Smyth, Christa Wolf, Penelope Storace and Gillian Bouras, and analyse them through a variety of critical, historical, contextual and theoretical frames.

We present preliminary results from a study of the X-ray source population and the star formation history (SFH) of the nearby galaxy M81, based on archival Chandra data and our HST/ACS survey. These data provide the deepest and most detailed picture of the stellar populations in this prototypical spiral galaxy. The preliminary analysis of the ACS data shows variations of the SFH across the galaxy. The Chandra observations allow us to classify the X-ray sources and study their link with the SFH. In combination with the ACS data we can identify their optical counterparts and classify them, based on their photometric properties. We can classify 80% of the detected X-ray sources as OB stars, globular clusters, giant/supergiant stars, and background AGNs, demonstrating the diagnostic power of combining high spatial resolution optical and X-ray observations.

Στη θεωρητική αυτή εργασία εξετάζεται η ηλικιακή περίοδος από το 18ο μέχρι το 25ο έτος περίπου υπό το πρίσμα μιας καινούριας θεώρησης που χαρακτηρίζει την περίοδο αυτή ως «αναδυόμενη ενηλικίωση» (Arnett, 2004) και με βάση σχετικές έρευνες κυρίως από τις Η.Π.Α. και τη Δ. και Β. Ευρώπη, οι οποίες ανασκοπούνται. Αρχικά, επιχειρούνται αποσαφηνίσεις της έννοιας αυτής και η διάκρισή της από άλλους όρους που έχουν χρησιμοποιηθεί για να αποδώσουν την ίδια περίοδο. Στη συνέχεια, περιγράφονται τα γενικά χαρακτηριστικά της αναδυόμενης ενηλικίωσης και εντοπίζονται κοινωνικο-πολιτισμικές παράμετροι με τις οποίες συνδέεται η ύπαρξη και η αναγνώρισή της. Παρουσιάζονται αναλυτικά οι αντιλήψεις των νεαρών ατόμων για την ηλικία αυτή, καθώς και τα αναπτυξιακά χαρακτηριστικά τους και, τέλος, συνδέεται η αναδυόμενη ενηλικίωση με τη φοίτηση στην τριτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση.

Cette étude porte sur l’évolution de la question de la parité linguistique dans quatre régions de la francophonie à partir des années 1970 : la France, le Québec, la Communauté française de Belgique et la Suisse romande. Elle examine le degré d’adaptation de la langue française aux conquêtes professionnelles et politiques du sexe féminin. Sont pris en considération les paramètres suivants :1. Les prises de position divergentes des linguistes. À la fin du XXe siècle deux sont les camps formés au sein des communautés francophones (notamment en Europe) : d’une part, les linguistes traditionnels prônent le caractère inaltérable d’une langue qui ne peut en conséquence devenir, en aucun cas, objet de revendications féministes ; d’autre part, les thèses des linguistes féministes qui mettent en valeur la dimension sociale de la question : à leur sens, la langue n’est pas neutre, mais constitue, au contraire, un vecteur privilégié de culture, d’idéologie.2. Les politiques en la matière mises en oeuvre par les pouvoirs publics dans les quatre pays de la francophonie considérés. Le Québec fut le premier à prendre des mesures en faveur de la féminisation linguistique ; suivent les autres pays, à partir des années 1990 notamment.3. La mise en application de la réforme linguistique dans le secteur administratif, dans le domaine de la lexicographie et des médias également. En ce qui concerne le secteur public, les enquêtes effectuées ont enregistré des résultats encourageants : utilisation des formes féminines des noms de métier, grade, fonction et titre dans les documents émanant des administrations ou des partis politiques. Presse et télévision ont largement contribué à la diffusion de la question en médiatisant le débat ; en adoptant également, dans la majorité des cas, les règles de la féminisation linguistique. La lexicographie, enfin, suit, bien que plus lentement, les évolutions dans ce domaine.

(2008). Γογγάκη, Κωνσταντίνα. Σημειώσεις Εισαγωγής στη Φιλοσοφία: Ψυχή και σώμα στον αρχαίο ελληνικό και στο σύγχρονο κόσμο, έκδοση Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών.   Η ζωή, ένα τόσο αντίθετο φαινόμενο στα έμψυχα όντα από την άψυχη ύλη, είναι για τον άνθρωπο κάτι ανεξήγητο και μυστήριο, και παρά τα εκατομμύρια χρόνια ύπαρξης και παρουσίας του στον πλανήτη, τα ερωτήματα και ο προβληματισμός σχετικά με τη ζωή παραμένουν χωρίς να μπορεί να δώσει κανείς με απόλυτη βεβαιότητα τον ορισμό και την απαρχή της. Η αντίθεση μεταξύ ζωής και θανάτου προξένησε μεγάλη αναστάτωση στη συνείδηση του ανθρώπου, καθώς ο τελευταίος δεν μπορεί να αποδεχθεί ότι ο βιολογικός του θάνατος αποτελεί φυσική συνέχεια, αναγκαία για την οικονομία της φύσης. Το γεγονός οτι από τη στιγμή της σύλληψης και της γέννησής του κουβαλάει ο άνθρωπος το σπέρμα του θανάτου, συνιστά μιαν αντίφαση της οποίας μόνο αυτός, από τους άλλους οργανισμούς, έχει την επίγνωση. «Τι είναι ζωή;» Από τη φύση του προβλήματος στο πέρασμα του χρόνου δημιουργήθηκαν διάφορες περί ζωής αντιλήψεις. Τα ερωτήματα οδήγησαν στην υπόθεση μιας πηγής ζωής. Σύμφωνα με τη θεωρία αυτή η πηγή ζωής ολόκληρου του σύμπαντος είναι η ψυχή. Αλλά τι είναι «ψυχή;» Και από πού πηγάζει η ζωή; Τι είναι φύση; Γιατί ο άνθρωπος έχει τη δυνατότητα του «συμπεριφέρεσθαι;» Και γιατί συμπεριφέρεται με αυτόν και όχι με τον άλλο τρόπο; Η μελέτη του ερωτήματος τι είναι ψυχή και ποια η ουσία, η προέλευση και το περιεχόμενό της, οδήγησε σε μεταφυσικές, οντολογικές κοσμολογικές και θεολογικές ερμηνείες για την αρχή της ζωής, ενώ με τη φιλοσοφική προσέγγιση του θέματος ασχολούνται πρώτοι οι προσωκρατικοί φιλόσοφοι. Η έννοια της ψυχής, εν γένει, από καταβολής κόσμου θεωρείται αλληλένδετη με την έννοια της ζωής.      Οι επικρατέστερες αντιλήψεις ζωής είναι η δυναμική και η μηχανιστική αντίληψη. Η πρώτη, επιβιώνοντας σε όλη τη διάρκεια της αρχαίας φιλοσοφίας, επικρατεί και κατά την περίοδο του Μεσαίωνα, οπότε η φιλοσοφία είναι επηρεασμένη από τον Αριστοτέλη και κυρίως από την ιουδαϊκή και τη χριστιανική θεολογία. Η «ζωή» για τη θεωρία αυτή είναι κάτι διαφορετικό από την ύλη και τις ιδιότητές της, είναι μια πραγματικότητα sui generis, η οποία διαθέτει τη δική της αρχή και ρυθμό. Η δεύτερη αντίληψη για τη ζωή, η μηχανιστική, ερμηνεύει τα φαινόμενα της ζωής και της ψυχής από φυσικές αιτίες. Οι περισσότεροι Ίωνες φιλόσοφοι, παρά το οτι οι θεωρίες τους είναι ακόμη ακαθόριστες, στο βάθος τους είναι μηχανιστές. Και για τους Στωϊκούς, όμως, αιτία της ζωής είναι το πνεύμα. Η θεωρία των ζωϊκών πνευμάτων, είναι μια τρίτη θεωρία της αρχαιότητας για τη ζωή, στην οποία πρωτοστατούν οι γιατροί, σύμφωνα με την οποία ο άνθρωπος έχει μέσα του κάποιον αγέρα, ένα είδος πνεύματος, το οποίο θέτει σε λειτουργία τον οργανισμό. Το πνεύμα αυτό, βάζοντας τον οργανισμό σε κίνηση, επιτυγχάνει να ενεργεί η ψυχή πάνω στο σώμα και ταυτόχρονα το σώμα πάνω στην ψυχή. Τα ζωϊκά πνεύματα με τη λειτουργία τους προκαλούν την ψυχική λειτουργία και τις σωματικές κινήσεις, μεσολαβούν ανάμεσα στην ψυχή και το σώμα εξηγώντας την αμοιβαία τους επίδραση. Η θεωρία των ζωϊκών πνευμάτων έλαβε την οριστική της μορφή στην ιατρική σχολή της Αλεξάνδρειας, τον 2ο μ.Χ. αιώνα, από τον ιατροφιλόσοφο Γαληνό. Στη συνέχεια επικράτησε σαν επιστημονική αλήθεια, ενώ κατά το Μεσαίωνα και την Αναγέννηση λαμβάνει τον χαρακτήρα αδιαμφισβήτητης φυσιολογικής ερμηνείας. Τον 17ο αιώνα υποστηρίζεται από τον Άγγλο φιλόσοφο Bacon, ενώ αργότερα ο Descartes σε αυτήν βασίζεται προκειμένου να ερμηνεύσει τις σχέσεις μεταξύ ψυχής και σώματος. Η θεωρία των ζωϊκών πνευμάτων καταργήθηκε μόνο από τη στιγμή που έγινε γνωστή η φυσιολογία του μηχανισμού της κυκλοφορίας του αίματος! Η φυσική επιστήμη στην αρχή, η φυσιολογία και η ψυχολογία αργότερα, δημιουργούν νέες θεωρίες για τη ζωή, οι οποίες ανατρέπουν πολλές από τις απόψεις της αρχαιότητας και του Μεσαίωνα. Οι ‘βιολογικές’ θεωρίες που επικρατούν από την Αναγέννηση και εξής αλληλοδιαδέχονται η μία την άλλη, περιστρεφόμενες όμως κυρίως γύρω απ’ τις παλιές βιταλιστικές θεωρίες. Η διανόηση, που εξαιτίας της ανάπτυξης της μαθηματικής και της φυσικής επιστήμης έχει ωριμάσει, καταφεύγει σε διαρκώς θετικότερες ερμηνείες, με τη μηχανιστική αντίληψη να επικρατεί οριστικά στα μέσα του 19ου αιώνα. Έτσι, σταδιακά, η έννοια του ‘φυσιολογικού’ διαλευκαίνεται, και αποσπάται από την έννοια του ‘ψυχικού’, κερδίζοντας ολοένα και ευρύτερο έδαφος η μηχανιστική ερμηνεία και οι νόμοι της φυσικής και της χημείας. Ο οριστικός διαχωρισμός του ‘φυσιολογικού’ από το ‘ψυχικό’ οφείλεται κυρίως στον Descartes, ο οποίος, μεταξύ άλλων, την έννοια της ψυχής την περιορίζει στη νόηση, εκλαμβάνοντας, αντίθετα με τον Πλάτωνα και τον Αριστοτέλη, την ψυχή ως αρχή της πνευματικής ζωής και όχι και της οργανικής. Η μηχανιστική αντίληψη της ζωής εξελισσόμενη στη συνέχεια από επιστήμονες όπως ο Hobbes, και υλιστές φιλοσόφους όπως οι Diderot και Holbach, κατέλαβε κεντρική θέση στην επιστήμη, χωρίς όμως να εξοβελίσει εξ ολοκλήρου τις βιταλιστικές αντιλήψεις. Η φυσιολογία του 19ου αιώνα, κατ’ εξοχήν μηχανιστική ούσα, ασκεί αποφασιστική παρέμβαση στις εξελίξεις. Στη διευρυνόμενη κυριαρχία της μηχανιστικής θεωρίας διαπιστώνεται, από τους υποστηρικτές των θετικών επιστημών μέχρι τους δαρβινιστές και τους υλιστές, μια σύγκλιση απόψεων. Η μηχανιστική ερμηνεία της ζωής κυριάρχησε κατά τα μέσα του 20ου αιώνα στη φυσιολογία, μαζί με την πίστη πως οι φυσικο-χημικές ερμηνείες είναι οι μόνες γόνιμες. Σαν αντίδραση απέναντι στις απόψεις αυτές, και μέσα στη δογματική και ιδεαλιστική ατμόσφαιρα της εποχής, αναπτύχθηκαν νέες δυναμικές θεωρίες, όπως ο ‘νεοβιταλισμός’, υποστηρίζοντας πως οι φυσικοχημικές ερμηνείες από μόνες τους δεν εξηγούν καθ’ ολοκληρίαν το φαινόμενο της ζωής, και επομένως είναι αναγκαία η καταφυγή σε μεταφυσικές ή απόκρυφες δυνάμεις. Με κύριο εκφραστή τον βιολόγο Driesch, ο οποίος βρίσκεται κοντά στη φυσιολογία, ή τον Bergson, αναπτύσσεται η βιολογική φιλοσοφία.    

Στο σύγχρονο κόσμο, γίνεται όλο και περισσότερο φανερό ότι οι οικονομικές, πολιτικές, κοινωνικές και πολιτιστικές εξελίξεις έχουν επιπτώσεις που συχνά υπερβαίνουν τα σύνορα των κρατών. Η διεθνής αλληλεπίδραση αυξάνεται με τη συμμετοχή των χωρών σε διεθνείς οργανισμούς και παγκόσμια δίκτυα, την υπογραφή πολυμερών ή διεθνών συμφωνιών και την ενσωμάτωση διεθνών κανονισμών στις εθνικές νομοθεσίες. Στο περιβάλλον της «παγκοσμιοποίησης», η εκπαίδευση αποτελεί όλο και περισσότερο αντικείμενο διεθνών διεργασιών, αφού θεωρείται σημαντικός παράγοντας για την οικονομική ανάπτυξη και την κοινωνική συνοχή, στο πλαίσιο των σύγχρονων «κοινωνιών και οικονομιών της γνώσης». Σ’ αυτή τη νέα πραγματικότητα που διαμορφώνεται, η μελέτη των διεθνών εκπαιδευτικών εξελίξεων μπορεί να συμβάλλει στην καλύτερη κατανόηση και ανάλυση των ζητημάτων που απασχολούν την εκπαίδευση σε μια χώρα, προσθέτοντας στην εμπειρογνωμοσύνη και διευρύνοντας την αντίληψη των πρακτικών ζητημάτων και άλλων παραμέτρων που επηρεάζουν τις εκπαιδευτικές πολιτικές. Το τεύχος αυτό έχει ως κύριο αντικείμενο ακριβώς αυτό: Τη μελέτη του σύγχρονου διεθνούς συγκειμένου της εκπαίδευσης, και ιδιαίτερα των εξελίξεων που σχετίζονται με τη συμμετοχή της χώρας μας στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση. Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση αποτελεί, ιδιαίτερα τα τελευταία χρόνια, σημαντικό φορέα εκπαιδευτικών πρωτοβουλιών που επηρεάζουν τις πολιτικές και τις δράσεις για την εκπαίδευση όχι μόνο στα κράτη-μέλη της, αλλά και σε ολόκληρο τον κόσμο. Το συγκεκριμένο εγχειρίδιο έχει ως στόχο να παρουσιάσει τις βασικές κατευθύνσεις των πολιτικών της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης στον τομέα της εκπαίδευσης.Τα στελέχη της εκπαίδευσης αποτελούν το συνδετικό κρίκο ανάμεσα στο μακροεπίπεδο της εκπαιδευτικής πολιτικής και στο μικροεπίπεδο της εκπαιδευτικής πράξης. Καλούνται να κατανοήσουν τις εκπαιδευτικές πολιτικές αλλά και να συμβάλλουν από τη θεσμική τους θέση στην υλοποίησή τους. Είναι γι’ αυτό, ιδιαίτερα σημαντική η συμμετοχή των στελεχών στον προβληματισμό σχετικά με το περιεχόμενο, τις μεθοδολογίες και τις βασικές πολιτικές της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης. Πολιτικές, όπως η «δια βίου μάθηση», το ευρωπαϊκό πλαίσιο προσόντων, τα ευρωπαϊκά επίπεδα αναφοράς κ.ά., οι οποίες διαδραματίζουν σημαντικό ρόλο στη χάραξη της ευρωπαϊκής εκπαιδευτικής πολιτικής και επηρεάζουν σε μεγάλο βαθμό την ελληνική εκπαιδευτική πραγματικότητα, όπως συμβαίνει σε όλα τα κράτη-μέλη.Στόχος του τόμου αυτού είναι να παρουσιάσει μια σφαιρική εικόνα των ευρωπαϊκών εξελίξεων στον τομέα της εκπαίδευσης, τις κεντρικές επιλογές και τις εφαρμογές τους στο ελληνικό εκπαιδευτικό σύστημα. Δεν αποβλέπει στο να εξαντλήσει, στο περιορισμένο του μέγεθος, το ευρύ εκπαιδευτικό περιεχόμενο της συγκεκριμένης θεματολογίας, αλλά προσβλέπει στο να αποτελέσει ουσιαστική βάση για την ποιοτική επιμόρφωση των στελεχών της εκπαίδευσης, τόσο σε θεωρητικό όσο και σε πρακτικό επίπεδο, στο εν λόγω θεματικό πεδίο.Στο κεφάλαιο 1 γίνεται διεξοδική αναφορά στις γενικές κατευθύνσεις και τάσεις των ευρωπαϊκών πολιτικών στο τομέα της εκπαίδευσης-κατάρτισης καθώς και στα δίκτυα ενημέρωσης, που θα βοηθήσουν τα στελέχη της εκπαίδευσης να ανατροφοδοτούν συνεχώς τις γνώσεις τους στον τομέα αυτό. Στο κεφάλαιο 2 παρουσιάζονται οι τάσεις και οι προοπτικές σε ευρωπαϊκό επίπεδο σχετικά με την επιμόρφωση και την αξιολόγηση των στελεχών της εκπαίδευσης. Στο κεφάλαιο 3 αναπτύσσονται οι τάσεις και οι προοπτικές σε ευρωπαϊκό επίπεδο για την ανάδειξη και το ρόλο των στελεχών της εκπαίδευσης. Το κεφάλαιο 4 αφορά τις ικανότητες-κλειδιά και το πλαίσιο προσόντων των στελεχών της εκπαίδευσης. Στο κεφάλαιο 5 αναπτύσσεται η προσέγγιση της «δια βίου μάθησης» και οι προεκτάσεις της στην ελληνική εκπαίδευση ενώ το κεφάλαιο 6 είναι αφιερωμένο στην ετερότητα και στην ταυτότητα του πολίτη στο πλαίσιο ανάδειξης και δημιουργικής αξιοποίησης της πολυπολιτισμικότητας τόσο σε κοινωνικό όσο και σε εκπαιδευτικό επίπεδο.Το βιβλίο συμπληρώνει ένα γλωσσάριο ειδικών όρων και η πλήρης αναφορά της βιβλιογραφίας που χρησιμοποιήθηκε.

το πλαίσιο των διαδικασιών προώθησης προϊόντων και υπηρεσιών για την ικανοποίηση αναγκών ή επιθυμιών των καταναλωτών εφαρμόζονται ποσοτικές μέθοδοι για την ανάλυση της αγοράς. Με αυτό τον τρόπο επιδιώκεται η ανάδειξη των αποφάσεων που πρέπει να λαμβάνονται, προκειμένου να αξιοποιούνται κατά τον άριστο δυνατό τρόπο οι διατιθέμενοι παραγωγικοί συντελεστές.Στο βιβλίο αναλύονται μέσα από την εφαρμογή μεθόδων ποσοτικής ανάλυσης οι ακόλουθες ελληνικές αγορές: η αγορά αναψυκτικών, η αγορά μπύρας, η αγορά αυτοκινήτων, η αγορά οδοντόκρεμας, η αγορά τσιγάρων, συγκριτική αξιολόγηση της διαφήμισης και της διανομής συγκεκριμένου προϊόντος και η τουριστική αγορά.Μέσα από την ανάλυση αυτών των αγορών, αναδεικνύονται τα θέματα που αναφέρονται στα ακόλουθα επιχειρησιακά επιστητά:

• Συμπεριφορά του καταναλωτή
• Βασικές αρχές που ισχύουν κατά τη λειτουργία της αγοράς
• Προσδιορισμός των πολιτικών marketing των προϊόντων / υπηρεσιών στην αγορά (Marketing Mix)
• Εκτίμηση και σύγκριση της αποτελεσματικότητας της διανομής προϊόντων και της διαφήμισης
• Προσδιορισμός του ύψους της διαφημιστικής δαπάνης και διαχρονικός προγραμματισμός της
• Προσδιορισμός του άριστου μείγματος μέσων προώθησης προϊόντων στην αγορά (Μedia Mix)
• Διερεύνηση των εφαρμοστέων πολιτικών προώθησης προϊόντων στην αγορά στην περίπτωση εισαγωγής νέων προϊόντων
• Αλληλεπίδραση των στρατηγικών προώθησης ανταγωνιστικών προϊόντων στις πωλήσεις τους
• Προσδιορισμός των παραγόντων που επιδρούν στη διαμόρφωση των πωλήσεων προϊόντων εποχικής ζήτησης.

Τα Ζητήματα Θεωρίας των Επιστημών της Φύσης είναι μια συλλογή αυτόνομων κειμένων που ασχολούνται με επιλεγμένα ζητήματα της θεωρίας της επιστήμης και ειδικότερα της θεωρίας των επιστημών της φύσης, δηλαδή της Φυσικής, της Χημείας και των υποκλάδων τους. Για τους συγγραφείς η επιστήμη δεν είναι απλώς ένα διατεταγμένο σύνολο από νόμους και θεωρίες, αλλά μια δυναμικά εξελισσόμενη διαδικασία με διαμάχες, αντιπαραθέσεις και ανατροπές θεωριών και ως εκ τούτου η μελέτη της κάθε επιστήμης δεν είναι δυνατόν να αποκοπεί από τη μελέτη της ιστορίας της.Τα κείμενα του βιβλίου εξετάζουν: 

• Τις επιστημονικές επαναστάσεις και διαμάχες στη Φυσική, εστιάζοντας στην αντιπαράθεση Newton-Leibniz για τη βαρύτητα, τον χώρο και τον χρόνο.
• Την πειραματική πρακτική.
• Τη Χημεία και τη σχέση της με την Αλχημεία.
• Την ιστορική διαμόρφωση της σχέσης των Φυσικών Επιστημών με τα Μαθηματικά και τα επιστημονικά όργανα.
• Τις προσεγγίσεις των επιστημών και της ιστορίας τους με βάση το φύλο καθώς και προτάσεις εκπαιδευτικών στρατηγικών υπονόμευσης των έμφυλων στερεοτύπων.
• Την ιστορία των Φυσικών Επιστημών στην Ελλάδα και την υποδοχή των θεωριών της Σχετικότητας και της Κβαντομηχανικής στον ελληνικό χώρο.
• Την επίδικη σχέση μεταξύ της ιστορίας των επιστημών και της διδασκαλίας των Φυσικών Επιστημών.

Το βιβλίο απευθύνεται σε προπτυχιακούς και μεταπτυχιακούς φοιτητές, σε εκπαιδευτικούς Πρωτοβάθμιας και Δευτεροβάθμιας Εκπαίδευσης που θα ήθελαν να εμβαθύνουν σε ζητήματα της καθημερινής πρακτικής τους, καθώς και σε κάθε αναγνώστη με αντίστοιχα ενδιαφέροντα. 

Η ελληνική γλώσσα από την ομηρική αρχαιότητα μέχρι τη σύγχρονη εποχή αξιοποίησε το επιρρηματικό πρόθεμα «ευ» με πολλαπλούς τρόπους, αναδεικνύοντας ιδιότητες και αξίες ή φωτίζοντας ηθικά νοήματα. Το ‘ευ’, παρότι σύντομο, δρα ανατρεπτικά, καθώς εισηγείται την διαφοροποίηση της ποιότητας της λέξης. Η προσθήκη του ‘ευ’ στο ουσιαστικό ‘δαίμων’, επί παραδείγματι, συνθέτει τη λέξη που, κατά τον Αριστοτέλη, αποτελεί τον υψηλότερο σκοπό της ζωής, δηλαδή τον ευ-δαίμονα, καθώς και την ευδαιμονία και την ευτυχία. Το θαυματουργό ‘ευ’ εμπεριέχει μια πολύτιμη δυναμική, την οποία προβάλλει σ’ εκείνη τη λέξη που θα έχει την εύνοιά του. Η θετική αυτή εμφάνιση κατορθώνει την αντιστροφή της ατυχίας και όλων όσων αρνητικών περιέχουν οι έννοιες εκείνες στις οποίες προπορεύεται το άλφα-στερητικό ή το ‘κακός’, όπως το κακοτυχία, το κακοδαιμονία ή το αζωΐα. Έτσι, με τη μαγική εσωτερική του δύναμη, αφού κατορθώνει έναν απλό ‘λόγο’ να τον μετατρέψει σε ευ+λόγο, ήτοι σε ‘ευλογία’, το ‘ευ’ αποτελεί κάτι το περιζήτητο, όχι μόνο επειδή θέτει τα όρια της ηθικής, αλλά, επιπλέον, γιατί συνιστά το όριο υπέρβασης της μετριότητας.                Το «ευ ασκείσθαι» υπήρξε καθολικό βίωμα των Ελλήνων, σε όλες τις εκφάνσεις της πολιτιστικής τους δραστηριότητας. Κατά την κλασική περίοδο όμως της ελληνικής αρχαιότητας η αίσθηση της αξίας του ‘ευ’ και του ‘καλού αγώνα’, φτάνει στο απόγειό της. Η ομηρική αριστεία εξανθρωπίζεται, λαμβάνοντας μια διάσταση πιο ανθρώπινη, η οποία προσιδιάζει στο ιδανικό του τέλειου ανθρώπου. Ο εναρμονισμός των ανθρώπινων υποστάσεων μέσω της γύμνασης και της μουσικής εξυπηρετεί την ιδέα του καλού κ’ αγαθού πολίτη, του ανθρώπου της μεσότητας, καθώς και την ιδέα του ευ ζειν. Ο αθλητικός αγώνας συνιστά μια προέκταση των αρετών του ιδανικού πολίτη. Στην έννοια του «ευ» αποτυπώνεται η ηθική αντίληψη του κλασικού κόσμου, η οποία προβάλλεται και στους αγώνες. Οι λέξεις που ως πρώτο συνθετικό έχουν το ‘ευ’ ή το ‘καλός’, συνιστούν αρετές σώματος και ψυχής, και ως τέτοιες υπόκεινται σε αγώνα και σε κρίση. Στο σύγχρονο κόσμο, αντί του ‘ευ αγωνίζεσθαι’, επικράτησε ο όρος “Fair Play”, κυρίως, χάρη στη χρήση του από τα Βρετανικά Δημόσια Σχολεία του 19ου αιώνα, τα οποία με την σειρά τους διεκδικούσαν ρίζες στον κλασικό ελληνικό αθλητισμό. Στα μέσα του 19ου αιώνα ο αθλητισμός αποτελούσε την αποκλειστικότητα μιας ταξικής ελίτ, των μορφωμένων, αριστοκρατών και αργόσχολων ανδρών, οι κοινές αξίες των οποίων επεκτείνονταν και στις αθλητικές τους συνήθειες. Ο εκδημοκρατισμός του αθλητισμού επέτρεψε την είσοδο αθλητών από πολύ ευρύτερη ποικιλία προπαίδειας, ενώ σιγά-σιγά ακόμη και γυναίκες επικράτησε να συμμετάσχουν στον αθλητισμό. Οι παλιές ξεκάθαρες αντιλήψεις, όμως, μερικές φορές δεν αντανακλώνταν, πλέον, στις πρακτικές των αθλητών. Το «ευ αγωνίζεσθαι» ως έννοια σε ορισμένες περιπτώσεις σήμαινε περισσότερο την επιθυμία να χρησιμοποιηθούν τα αθλήματα για τη διδαχή κάποιων θετικών αξιών, παρά το στόχο να γίνει κατανοητή η φύση της ίδιας της έννοιας. Πάνω σ’ αυτήν την αντίληψη το «ευ αγωνίζεσθαι» διαμορφώνει ένα σύνολο γενικών ηθικών ή κοινωνικών αξιών που διδάσκονται μέσα από τα αθλήματα και τη σωματική δραστηριότητα.                Η ευ-γενής άμιλλα, ως εκ τούτου, λειτουργεί διαχρονικά ως στοιχείο ηθικής αγωγής, αποτελώντας, δικαίως, τον πυρήνα του αθλητικού ιδεώδους. Λειτουργεί ως ασπίδα στην επίθεση ενός παράλογου ανταγωνισμού, ο οποίος μετατρέπει την αγαθή έριδα σε ανελέητη μάχη. Η ισχύς του «ευ αγωνίζεσθαι» εξαρτάται, ωστόσο, παράλληλα, και από άλλες αρχές, τις οποίες οφείλει ν’ αναγνωρίζει ο αθλητής εξίσου: την ισονομία, την αξιοκρατία, τη δημοκρατία, καθώς και την αδιάκοπη προσπάθεια περιφρούρησης του αθλητισμού από την ευκολία, τους «στημένους αγώνες», τους ιδιοτελείς παράγοντες και τις κατευθυνόμενες συνειδήσεις. Ο συνδυασμός των αξιών αυτών ασκεί αποτελεσματική πολεμική τακτική ενάντια στα αθέμιτα μέσα που περιβάλλουν τον αθλητισμό. Στην Ελλάδα, τη χώρα της σμίλευσης της αρμονίας λόγου και πράξης, εδώ και τέσσερις χιλιετίες ξεπήδησε η ιδέα της σωματικής δραστηριότητας ως μέσου ανύψωσης του ανθρώπου, καθώς και αυτή του αγώνα ως τρόπου επίδειξης του ηρωικού πνεύματος. Οι ιδέες αυτές εξελίχθηκαν, ενισχύοντας την αξία της γύμνασης ως μέσου συνένωσης της φυσικής ενέργειας και της ζωηρότητας του πνεύματος. Όλη αυτή η αξιοποίηση συντελέστηκε με την αρωγή εκείνων των αρετών που διέπουν τον υγιή αθλητισμό. Δεν της αξίζει, ως εκ τούτου, αυτής της χώρας, σαν συνέχεια η κακοδαιμονία, η απληστία, το ευέξαπτο, το ευτελές, το εύκολο, το κακοπροαίρετο. Αντιθέτως, της αξίζει να προκύπτουν από το χώρο του αθλητισμού νοήματα θετικά, συνδεόμενα με το ‘ευ’, όπως ευχαρίστηση, ευφορία, ευσυνειδησία, ευνομία, καθώς και αθλητές και θεατές που διαθέτουν ευγένεια, ευαισθητοποίηση, ευθυκρισία, ευθύνη, ευπρέπεια, όντες ευαγείς.

ISBN 960-86870-9-8. Η εισήγηση βασίζεται, όσον αφορά τη θέση των ορθοδόξων, στη διπλωματική μας μεταπτυχιακή εργασία ειδίκευσης, καθώς μετά από δέκα χρόνια από την υποβολή της, ζητήθηκε να παρουσιαστούν τα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας σε μια από τις επτά ομιλίες στη Διεπιστημονική Σύσκεψη, περί Συζυγίας και Τεκνογονίας, που διοργάνωσε η Ειδική Συνοδική Επιτροπή Γάμου, Οικογένειας, Προστασίας Παιδιού και Δημογραφικού προβλήματος της Ιεράς Συνόδου της Εκκλησίας της Ελλάδος, που τελικά πραγματοποιήθηκε στην Αθήνα στις 13-14 Δεκεμβρίου 2002. Οι θέσεις των Ρωμαιοκαθολικών, προτεσταντών, όσο και της ιουδαϊκής και μουσουλμανικής θρησκείας για την τεκνογονία στο θεσμό του γάμου αποτελούν πρωτότυπο έργο και βασίζονται σε δημοσιευμένα κείμενα που βρίσκονται είτε σε έντυπη μορφή είτε στο διαδίκτυο.

Στο κείμενο αυτό παρουσιάζονται με συντομία οι απόψεις του αγ. Γρηγορίου Νύσσης για τη μεταθανάτια κατάληξη των νηπίων και επιχειρείται η αναλογική σύνδεση του θέματος με τα έμβρυα που καταστρέφονται στις σύγχρονες αναπαραγωγικές τεχνολογίες. Ωστόσο το άρθρο δεν φιλοδοξεί να απαντήσει για την αβέβαιη κατάληξη των υπάρξεων αυτών, αλλά να προβληματίσει με τα ερωτήματα που  απορρέουν, είτε από το έργο του αγίου Γρηγορίου για τα νήπια είτε από τα σημερινά δεδομένα για τα έμβρυα.

Συλλογικός τόμος της Σχολής Επιστημών Αγωγής του Πανεπιστημίου Κρήτης

In this essay, we describe, compare and comment on various psychoanalytic approaches to loneliness. Loneliness has long been neglected by psychologists and psychiatrists, and there are very few studies on the psychoanalytic interpretation of this universal human condition. After some conceptual clarifications, the developmental origins of loneliness are discussed (on the basis of Mahler’s and Stern’s theories). Subsequently, the relation of loneliness to anxiety and narcissism is analyzed, drawing from the Freudian framework, as well as the theories of Klein, Bion, Bowlby, Zilboorg, Kohut, Kernberg, and Balint. Other facets of the pathology of loneliness are discussed, such as the loneliness of the depressed and the borderline individual (Freud, Fairbairn, Guntrip, Kernberg). Finding solace in alternative worlds (e.g., phantasies, illusions, manic defenses, obsessive acts) is a way of dealing with painful loneliness, described in this essay. The capacity to play and to live in the location of cultural experience, according to Winnicott, are evaluated as fundamental ways of making creative use of aloneness. Solitude or beneficial aloneness – a human state highly neglected by psychology (theory and research) – is psychoanalytically approached in the theories of Freud, Winnicott, Storr, and Quinodoz. Moreover, the notion of the private self (Winnicott, Bollas, Stern, Modell, Ogden) is also developed in relation to solitude. In conlusion, the role that loneliness has played in the lives of several psychoanalysts is stressed, and an attempt to delineate the many faces of loneliness is made.

Ο σύγχρονος αθλητισμός, από πολιτικής και οικονομικής επόψεως, ανήκει σε ευνομούμενες χώρες, ενώ για τις χώρες που έχουν προβλήματα επιβίωσης ο αθλητισμός συνιστά πολυτέλεια - εκτός αν εξαιρέσει κανείς τις περιοχές των εθνικοαπελευθερωτικών κινημάτων, όπου ασκούνται στρατιωτικά για να διατηρούν την φυσική τους κατάσταση σε καλό επίπεδο, και πάλι όμως για λόγους επιβίωσης. Η σύγκριση αυτή καθιστά φανερό πως η αξία του αθλητισμού έρχεται δεύτερη, συγκριτικά με τη μάθηση της γλώσσας, της ιστορίας, της αριθμητικής και των συναφών αντικειμένων στις χώρες όπου προέχει ο αγώνας της επιβίωσης. Στην Ελλάδα όμως, και γενικότερα στα κράτη της δυτικής Ευρώπης, που διαθέτουν ένα προηγμένο πολιτικό σύστημα και τον λεγόμενο ‘δυτικό πολιτισμό’, δεν μπορεί κανείς ν’ αφαιρεί ή ν’ αγνοεί το δικαίωμα της σωματικής άσκησης και κουλτούρας. Αθλητική παιδεία, όμως, δεν μπορεί να πραγματοποιηθεί χωρίς παράλληλες, εκπαιδευτικές, οικολογικές και πολιτιστικές υποδομές. Η ανάπτυξη όλων αυτών επικοινωνεί σ’ ένα σχήμα συγκοινωνούντων δοχείων, που αλληλεπιδρούν. Κέντρο αυτής της συμφωνίας είναι η βελτίωση του επιπέδου της ζωής και η αίσθηση οτι ζει κανείς όπως του αξίζει: Μια καθημερινότητα ανάλογη της ανθρώπινης υπόστασης, αντάξια όχι μόνο της αντικειμενικής, αλλά και της υποκειμενικής του ποιότητας, και του επιπέδου του προσωπικού πολιτισμού του. Η ύπαρξη, συνεπώς, του αθλητισμού προϋποθέτει κάποιο οντολογικής φύσεως ερώτημα: τι είδος ανθρώπου δηλαδή και τι είδος κοινωνίας επιθυμεί κανείς να δημιουργήσει; Η απάντηση σ’ ένα τέτοιο ερώτημα προϋποθέτει την διασαφήνιση της ποιότητας του πολιτικού συστήματος στο οποίο προσβλέπει, ώστε να δοθούν ιδεολογικά χαρακτηριστικά στην ‘παιδεία’ και τον ‘πολιτισμό’ που παράγουν τις αντίστοιχες αξίες. Στο πλαίσιο μιας καπιταλιστικής οικονομίας, δηλαδή μιας γενικευμένης εμπορευματικής και ανταγωνιστικής οικονομίας, πόσο εφικτή είναι η ανατροπή της κυρίαρχης ιδεολογίας που αντανακλάται στην παιδεία; Η νευρωτική ιδεολογία της αποτίμησης και της αναγνωρισμένης αξιοποίησης, η τάση κοινωνικής αντικειμενικοποίησης των αξιών, στην οποία και ο αθλητισμός όπως τόσες άλλες κοινωνικές δραστηριότητες εντάσσονται, μπορούν ν’ αντικατασταθούν με οτιδήποτε αναφέρεται ως «υγιές», «αυθεντικό», «φυσικό» και «αληθινό»; Αν ναι, τότε, αντί για τη χειραγώγηση ή την απώθηση του αυθεντικού σώματος, θα μπορεί κανείς να μιλήσει για το παιχνίδι, την αίσθηση, τη συγκίνηση, τη μνήμη του σώματος, που έχουν και πνευματικές διαστάσεις. Αντί για τον καταπιεστικό χαρακτήρα του πολιτισμού και της εκπαίδευσης θα μπορεί κανείς να μιλήσει για ελευθερία, και όχι ελευθεριότητα. Αντί για ένα σώμα που θα είναι πηγή δυσφορίας και έλλειψης ικανοποίησης, θα μιλήσει για «αυθεντικό σώμα», που δεν θα είναι ακρωτηριαστικό, αντιαισθητικό κι εκμεταλλευτικό. Τότε η αθλητική δραστηριότητα θα λάβει τον χαρακτήρα της πολιτιστικής κατάκτησης και της πρακτικής εφαρμογής μιας ηθικής, ενώ στην εκπαίδευση, που είναι προέκταση του πολιτισμού και της κουλτούρας, θ’ ανακτήσει έναν διαπαιδαγωγικό, παιδευτικό χαρακτήρα.

Ἡ ἐπικρατοῦσα ἀγγλοσαξωνικὴ γεωστρατηγικὴ προσέγγισις, ἰδιαιτέρως κατὰ τὴν περίοδο τοῦ ψυχροῦ πολέμου ἐκφράζεται ἀπολύτως ἀπὸ δύο σημαντικωτάτους ἀγγλοσάξωνες γεωγράφους καὶ γεωπολιτικοὺς: τὸν Sir Halford Mackinder (1861-1947) καὶ τὸν Nicholas Spykman (1893-1943). Ἐκεῖνο τὸ ὁποῖον προκύπτει ἀπὸ τὰ συγκεκριμένα γεωπολιτικὰ μοντέλα εἶναι ὅτι τὸ στρατηγικὸ τμῆμα τῆς Rimland τὸ ὁποῖον παραμένει ὡς σημεῖον ἀσταθείας καὶ γιὰ τὴν περίπτωση τῆς νοτιοανατολικῆς πτέρυγος τοῦ ΝΑΤΟ, εἶναι ἡ κατακόρυφος γεωγραφικὴ ζώνη τοῦ αἰγαιακοῦ ἀρχιπελάγους καὶ ἡ συνέχειά της στὴν Κρήτη καὶ τὴν Κύπρο. Τὸ ἀγγλοσαξωνικὸ ἐνδιαφέρον γιὰ τὴν διατήρηση τοῦ στρατηγικοῦ ἐλέγχου αὐτῶν τῶν σημείων ὑπῆρξε διακαὲς καθ’ ὅλην τὴν διάρκεια τοῦ Κ΄ αἰῶνος καὶ ἔφθασε στὰ κορυφαῖά του σημεῖα κατὰ τὴν περίοδο τοῦ ψυχροῦ πολέμου. Το παρόν κείμενο αναφέρεται στον Βρεταννικὸ Παράγων, στον Κυπριακὸ Ἀγὼν καὶ στὰ Σεπτεμβριανά τοῦ 1955.

  Επεξεργαζόμαστε τις μαρτυρίες (στις αρχές του 20ου αιώνα) που αφορούν το θέμα της βίαιης εξολόθρευσης των Ελλήνων και άλλων αυτόχθων αλλοεθνών του Πόντου και της Μικρά Ασίας που άρχισε με την εξαφάνιση των νεολαίων-ανδρών στα εργατικά τάγματα και συνεχίστηκε με τις μαζικές σφαγές, τις μαζικές εκτοπίσεις και τον απαγχονισμό. Η Μάστιγα του Τρομερού Φόβου, τρομοκρατία, συνεχής τρόμος, ο αφανισμός όλων των στοιχείων που δεν είναι καθαροί Μουσουλμάνοι, δικτατορία, μίσος, εξολόθρευση, σφαγές, πρόσφυγες, βάναυσα βασανιστήρια, βίαιες εκτοπίσεις, εχθρότητα, εξόντωση, περιφρόνηση, λιμοκτονία, κ.α. Αυτούς τους όρους, μεταξύ άλλων, χρησιμοποιεί στο άρθρο της με τίτλο «Ο Κουτσός Δήμαρχος της Κερασούντας», η Blanche Norton, Αμερικανίδα περιηγήτρια-ιατρός στην Τραπεζούντα, στην Κερασούντα, στην Κωνσταντινούπολη, στο Καραχισάρ και στο Μπουλανκτζάκ, για να περιγράψει την κατάσταση των Ελλήνων και των Αρμενίων  της Μικρά Ασίας και του Πόντου, και όχι μόνο.   «Όσον αφορά τους πρόσφυγες, τι μπορώ να πω γι’ αυτούς τους ανθρώπους που δεν έχει ήδη ειπωθεί, και ποιες λέξεις είναι αρκετά δυνατές για να τους ζωγραφίσουν στους Αμερικανούς, οι οποίοι ποτέ δεν έχουν δει πρόσφυγα; Πριν το πόλεμο η πόλης κατοικούταν από Έλληνες. Τώρα, υπάρχουν μόνο 200, οι περισσότεροι γυναίκες και παιδιά που επέστρεψαν μετά από μεγάλη περιπλάνηση. Στους δρόμους έβλεπα ομάδες θλιμμένων και ταλαιπωρημένων ανθρώπων, άστεγοι[...] » (Blanche Norton, 1922: 289-290)  Η Αμερικανίδα ιατρός του Near East Relief, στο άρθρο της, που δημοσιεύτηκε στις 4 Απριλίου του 1822, καταγγέλλει και καταδικάζει για τον αφανισμό όλων των στοιχείων που δεν είναι Μουσουλμάνοι ή καθαροί Μουσουλμάνοι, όχι μόνο τους Τούρκους, αλλά «την ιμπεριαλιστική Βρετανία, την ιμπεριαλιστική Γαλλία, την ιμπεριαλιστική Ελλάδα και την αδιάφορη Αμερική.» Η Αγγλίδα περιηγήτρια-συγγραφέας, Dorina L. Neave στο έργο της «Είκοσι-Έξι Χρόνια στο Βόσπορο» (1933:174,179),  υποστηρίζει ότι «Επικρατούσε ένα τρομερό καθεστώς τρομοκρατίας, μία τρομερή κατάσταση τρομοκρατίας [...] Η κυριαρχία της Τρομοκρατίας στην Τουρκία σκανδάλιζε και συγκλόνιζε ολόκληρο τον κόσμο […] θύμιζε την χειρότερη τρομοκρατία του Μεσαίωνα». Η δημοσιογράφος-περιηγήτρια Lady Dorothy Mills από την Άγκυρα γράφει: «Ο Τούρκος έχει αποδειχθεί ότι είναι ένας άνδρας πολέμου [...] έχοντας κερδίσει με πόλεμο μία χώρα, νομίζει ότι εκείνη μπορεί να διοικείται από μόνη της. Στην περίπτωση των Αρμενίων και των Ελλήνων, και άλλων εμπορικών λαών που έκαναν τόση μεγάλη ευημερία για την Τουρκία, ο Τούρκος ικανοποιήθηκε να τους πετάξει στη θάλασσα, αντί να χρησιμοποιήσει προς όφελός του για τα χαρίσματά τους και τις ικανότητές τους στο εμπόριο.» 

Οἱ δύο θεμελιωτὲς τῆς ἀγγλοσαξωνικῆς σχολῆς τῆς γεωπολιτικῆς, οἱ γεωγράφοι Sir Halford Mackinder (1861-1947) καὶ Nicholas J. Spykman (1893-1943) καὶ τὰ ἀντίστοιχα γεωστρατηγικά τους Ὑποδείγματα ἔχουν ἀσφαλῶς ἔντονες ἐπιρροὲς ἀπὸ τὶς διπλωματικὲς πραγματικότητες τοῦ ΙΘ΄ αἰῶνος. Οἱ δύο γεωγράφοι κατέγραψαν κάθε φυσικο-γεωγραφικὸ καὶ οἰκονομικο-γεωγραφικὸ παράγοντα τῆς Εὐρασίας, στὴν ὁποίαν περιλαμβάνονται καὶ τὰ Βαλκάνια. Η παρούσα εισήγηση αναφέρεται στους Βαλκανικούς Πολέμους τοῦ 1912-13 ὡς περιπτωσιολογικὴ μελέτη στὰ Γεωπολιτικὰ καὶ Γεωστρατηγικὰ Ὑποδείγματα τῶν Sir Halford Mackinder καὶ Nicholas Spykman.

Στο άρθρο αυτό αναλύονται αφενός τα νομικά ζητήματα που έχουν απασχολήσει τα Δικαστήρια κατά την ενοποίηση δημόσιων νομικών προσώπων με δημόσια νομικά πρόσωπα και αφετέρου τα διαφορετικής φύσεως νομικά ζητήματα που απασχόλησαν τα Δικαστήρια κατά την ενοποίηση ιδιωτικών νομικών προσώπων με δημόσιο νομικό πρόσωπο. Η διαφορετική φύση των ζητημάτων που ανέκυψαν οφείλεται στο διαφορετικό νομικό καθεστώς των ιδιωτικών νομικών προσώπων.  Σχολιάζονται επίσης τα δύο εκ διαμέτρου αντίθετα πρακτικά επεξεργασίας του ΣτΕ, το 190/2006 επί αρχικού σχεδίου προεδρικού διατάγματος και  στη συνέχεια το (Ολ.) 240/2006 επί του τροποποιηθέντος ιδίου σχεδίου προεδρικού διατάγματος καθώς και η 116/2008 απόφαση του Μονομελούς Πρωτοδικείου Αθηνών που έκρινε το κύρος της καταγγελίας των παραπάνω συλλογικών συμφωνιών. Τα πολιτικά και διοικητικά Δικαστήρια εκκινούν από διαφορετική αφετηρία και καταλήγουν σε εκ διαμέτρου αντίθετα συμπεράσματα. α) Το ΠΕ (Ολ.) ΣτΕ 240/2006 εκκινεί από τη σκέψη ότι στο άρθρο 22 παρ. 5 του Συντάγματος εμπίπτει η κύρια και η επικουρική κοινωνική ασφάλιση καθώς και η  αναγνωριζόμενη ως ισοδύναμη με την επικουρική ασφάλιση σε ιδιωτικά νομικά πρόσωπα. Αντίθετα, το Μονομελές Πρωτοδικείο Αθηνών θεωρεί ότι από το πεδίο εφαρμογής του 22 παρ. 5 του Συντάγματος εξαιρείται η προαιρετική, ιδιωτική, επικουρική ασφάλιση που παρέχεται δυνάμει συλλογικών ενοχικών συμφωνιών μεταξύ εργοδοτών και εργαζομένων.  β) Το ΣτΕ δεν ελέγχει αν πράγματι συντρέχουν λόγοι δημοσίου συμφέροντος για την ενοποίηση του ταμείου. Αντίθετα, το Μον. Πρωτοδικείο Αθηνών κάνει έναν εξαιρετικά αναλυτικό και εμπεριστατωμένο έλεγχο ως προς το ότι δεν αποτελεί σπουδαίο λόγο για την καταγγελία των εν λόγω συλλογικών συμβάσεων και συμφωνιών το αναφερόμενο στην αιτιολογική έκθεση του νόμου δημόσιο συμφέρον και συγκεκριμένα ο κίνδυνος  να καταστούν τα πιστωτικά ιδρύματα μη βιώσιμα ή οριακά μη βιώσιμα μετά την τυχόν εμφάνιση των υποχρεώσεών τους προς τα ταμεία σύμφωνα με τα διεθνή λογιστικά πρότυπα. γ) Το ΣτΕ, μη ελέγχοντας τη συνδρομή των λόγων δημοσίου συμφέροντος, δεν ελέγχει ούτε την αναλογικότητα των περιορισμών των δικαιωμάτων των εν λόγω ταμείων και των ασφαλισμένων. Αντίθετα, το πολιτικό δικαστήριο κάνει σχετικές κρίσεις. Η απόφαση του Μον. Πρωτοδικείου Αθηνών είναι αιτιολογημένη ως προς το ότι δεν συντρέχουν οι λόγοι δημοσίου συμφέροντος που επικαλείται ο νομοθέτης όσον αφορά στη διασφάλιση της αξίας των μετοχών των συγκεκριμένων πιστωτικών ιδρυμάτων μετά την εφαρμογή των διεθνών λογιστικών προτύπων και ως προς το ότι οι περιορισμοί που εισάγονται είναι δυσανάλογοι με τον σκοπό που επιδιώκει ο νομοθετης. Ωστόσο, δεν εξετάζεται αν οι  λοιποί λόγοι δημοσίου συμφέροντος τους οποίους επικαλείται η αιτιολογική έκθεση του νόμου συνιστούν σπουδαίο λόγο για την καταγγελία των εν λόγω συλλογικών συμβάσεων εργασίας και συμφωνιών. Απαιτείται αντίστοιχη τεκμηρίωση για τον σπουδαίο λόγο σε σχέση με τους λοιπούς λόγους δημοσίου συμφέροντος που αναφέρει η αιτιολογική έκθεση.                Το άρθρο καταλήγει ότι η νομοθεσία και η νομολογία δεν έχουν αξιοποιήσει τις αρχές του δικαίου της κοινωνικής ασφάλισης που θα μπορούσαν να συμβάλουν στη στη δικαστική αξιολόγηση του δημοσίου συμφέροντος και της αναλογικότητας των ενοποιήσεων. Οι  ενοποιήσεις δεν είναι πανάκεια. Για να αρθούν οι ανισότητες και να επιτευχθούν οι στόχοι της δικαιότερης κατανομής του πλούτου μεταξύ των γενειών και μεταξύ των ασφαλισμένων απαιτείται ενοποίηση των καθεστώτων, όχι κατ’ ανάγκην των οργανισμών κοινωνικής ασφαλίσεως. Η κρατική παρέμβαση θα πρέπει να εστιάζει στον εξορθολογισμό της νομοθεσίας που διέπει τους ειδικούς ασφαλιστικούς οργανισμούς, τη σύγχρονη διοικητική οργάνωση και την υποστήριξη του έργου των ασφαλιστικών οργανισμών, έτσι ώστε η προσφυγή στις ενοποιήσεις να μην υποδηλώνει αδυναμία συντονισμού και ελέγχου.   

Τὸ παρὸν κείμενον, χρησιμοποιῶντας τὴν μεθοδολογία τῆς Συστημικῆς Γεωπολιτικῆς Ἀναλύσεως (Systemic Geopolitical Analysis), προσεγγίζει τὸ ζήτημα τῶν δυνατοτήτων σταθεροποιήσεως τοῦ γεωστρατηγικοῦ περιβάλλοντος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ θεωρῶντας ὅτι ἡ διανυομένη συγκυρία παρουσιάζει ἰδιαίτερη εὐπάθεια ἀναφορικῶς πρὸς τὴν βελτίωση τῆς σταθερότητος στὸ κομβικὸ αὐτὸ σημεῖο γιὰ τὶς γεωστρατηγικὲς ἰσορροπίες τῆς Μέσης Ἀνατολῆς. Στὸ παρὸν κείμενο ὁρίζονται τὰ κατωτέρω τρία, γεωστρατηγικῆς φύσεως καὶ μέσου Συστημικοῦ ἐπιπέδου1 δεδομένα, ἀλλὰ μὲ τὰ ποιοτικὰ χαρακτηριστικὰ τῆς προ-Ὀμπάμα ἐποχῆς: i) τοῦ διατηρουμένου συγκρουσιακοῦ κλίματος μεταξὺ PKK καὶ τουρκικῶν στρατευμάτων στὴν Ν/Α Τουρκία καὶ στὸ βόρειο Ἰρὰκ μὲ τὶς ἐπακόλουθες τουρκικὲς ἐπιθέσεις, ii) τῆς διαφαινομένης ἀσταθείας στὸν νότιο Λίβανο, ὅπου ἡ ἀνάμιξις τῆς ∆αμασκοῦ προκαλεῖ ἀντιδράσεις ἀπὸ πλευρᾶς της χειραφετημένης πλέον, καὶ μὲ ὑψηλὸν κῦρος στοὺς σηιτικοὺς πληθυσμοὺς τῆς χώρας, Χεζμπαλᾶ. Τὰ γεγονότα αὐτὰ δὲν ἐπιτρέπουν τὴν σταθεροποίηση τῶν ὅποιων θετικῶν ὑπερσυστημικῶν καὶ ἐνδοσυστημικῶν πολιτικο-οἰκονομικῶν συντελεστῶν τῆς παρούσης συγκυρίας καὶ iii) τῆς ὑπαρχούσης στασιμότητος στὴν δυναμικὴ τῆς Ἀναπόλεως (26-28 Νοεμβρίου 2007), λόγῳ τῆς ἀμφισήμου στάσεως τῆς ∆αμασκοῦ.

This theoretical paper presents and discusses recent research findings on victimization in childhood as assessed by children themselves and by peers. The two sources of information are found to yield four categories of victims: true victims, self-identified victims (or "paranoids", or "sensitives"), peer-identified victims (or "deniers", or "defensives"), and non victims. Discussion focuses on the different characteristics of these categories of victims, on age and gender differences, as well as on the implications of the existing research data for prevention and intervention.

Στο άρθρο αυτό παρουσιάζονται ερευνητικά αποτελέσματα που αφορούν τη χρήση ειδικού υπολογιστικού εργαλείου δυναμικού χειρισμού γεωμετρικών μεγεθών στο πλαίσιο του πειραματισμού 13χρονων μαθητών για την αυξομείωση γεωμετρικών κατασκευών με βάση σχέσεις αναλογίας μεταξύ μεταβλητών μεγεθών. Τα παιδιά εργάστηκαν σε ομάδες στο εργαστήριο υπολογιστών του σχολείου τους χρησιμοποιώντας ειδικά σχεδιασμένα υπολογιστικά εργαλεία συμβολικής και γραφικής αναπαράστασης των μεταβλητών μεγεθών, που παράλληλα μπορούσαν να τα χειριστούν ελέγχοντας με δυναμικό τρόπο την αριθμητική μεταβολή τους. Η ανάλυση εστιάζεται στα σχήματα που αναδύθηκαν κατά τη χρήση του εργαλείου δυναμικού χειρισμού αλλά και στις μεταξύ τους διασυνδέσεις. Στα ευρήματα καταγράφεται η αξιοποίηση του δυναμικού χειρισμού ως πλαισίου αναγνώρισης και έκφρασης συσχετίσεων μεταξύ των μεταβλητών μεγεθών μιας γεωμετρικής κατασκευής με στόχο την αυξομείωσή της στο πλαίσιο κατάλληλα σχεδιασμένων δραστηριοτήτων.

Cette étude fut élaborée dans le cadre d’une bourse de recherche du gouvernement canadien (Canadian Studies Faculty Enrichment Award) et s’appuie sur un matériel récolté dans divers centres de recherche (Bibliothèque nationale du Québec à Montréal, Bibliothèque des sciences humaines et sociales de l’université Laval, Centre de documentation de la Centrale de l’enseignement du Québec) et organismes québécois (Centre de documentation et Coordination à la condition féminine au ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport). La recherche ambitionne de combler un vide historiographique : au Québec, une des régions les plus progressistes de la francophonie en matière d’égalité des sexes et de parité, le champ d’investigation des représentations des sexes et du genre dans les manuels scolaires du secondaire est encore inexploré.L’étude porte plus précisément sur les manuels d’histoire des deux dernières classes de l’enseignement secondaire en usage entre 1980 et 2004. Pourquoi des manuels du second cycle du secondaire ? Dépourvus des stéréotypes trop voyants rencontrés parfois dans les manuels de l’école primaire, ils se prêtent plus facilement à l’analyse. Pourquoi des manuels si récents ? Compte tenu de la mission civique dont ils sont investis, l’examen de ces ouvrages permet d’interroger un avenir en train de s’inventer. La démarche méthodologique adoptée est à la fois quantitative et qualitative : constituer un corpus de notations sexuées afin d’examiner la place de chaque sexe dans l’histoire scolaire québécoise ; comparative également : il s’agit de mettre en évidence tant les évolutions advenues au cours de vingt-cinq ans que les lignes de force communes et les disparités entre manuels.Deux axes se profilent : l’examen des sources imprimées (programmes d’études, manuels) qui révèle un certain progrès de la place accordée au sexe féminin dans l’espace historique ; la proposition d’une relecture de deux périodes historiques fondée sur les apports des spécialistes de l’histoire des femmes et du genre, afin de repérer les vides laissés dans le récit historique : il s’agit des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles (étude de l’histoire de la colonie française de la Nouvelle-France) d’une part, de la période de l’entre-deux-guerres (étude de l’histoire de France), d’autre part. L’étude des chapitres correspondants des manuels québécois révèle que l’action des individus est largement mesurée à l’aune des structures du pouvoir interprétées au masculin ; les femmes, n’étant pas toujours concernées par cet aspect de l’histoire, restent souvent invisibles.

Total reaction cross section measurements for the 6,7Li + 28Si systems have been performed at near-barrier energies. The results indicate that, with respect to the potential anomaly at barrier, 6Li and 7Li on light targets exhibit similar energy dependence on the imaginary potential. Comparisons are made with 6,7Li cross sections on light and heavy targets, extracted via previous elastic scattering measurements and also with CDCC calculations. Energy dependent parametrisations are also obtained for total reaction cross sections of 6,7Li on Si, as well as on any target, at near barrier energies. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The role of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) system, and osteopontin (OPN) was studied in patients with solid tumors metastatic to the bone in relation to the type of malignancy and the neoplastic burden to the skeleton. Levels of soluble RANKL (sRANKL), OPG and OPN were assessed in 61 patients with breast, lung and prostate cancer with newly-diagnosed metastasis to the bone, in parallel with bone resorption [C-telopeptide of type-I collagen (CTX), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b)] and bone formation markers [bone-alkaline phosphatase (bALP), osteocalcin (OC), and C-terminal propeptide of collagen type-I (CICP)]. Patients had elevated serum levels of sRANKL, OPG, OPN, TRACP-5b, and bALP, and reduced OC levels compared to controls. OPG correlated with the extent of metastatic bone burden. Patients with breast and lung cancer shared increased levels of sRANKL, OPG, and OPN whereas prostate cancer patients had elevated values of OPG and bALP only. These results suggest that patients with solid tumors metastatic to the bone have severe disruption of the sRANKL/OPG axis. Breast and lung cancer seem to exert their osteolytic action through upregulation of the sRANKL/OPG system and OPN, whereas prostate cancer seems to provoke profound elevation of OPG levels only, thus leading to increased osteoblastic activity. © 2007 Taylor & Francis.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the histologic changes that occur between 3 and 12 weeks in an intra-articular, semitendinosus autograft, which was harvested without detachment of its tibial insertion and was placed through tibial and femoral drill holes, in a rabbit model. About 30 New Zealand white rabbits underwent ACL replacement using a semitendinosus tendon autograft. The normal ACL was transected at its femoral and tibial insertions. The tendon graft was harvested without detachment of its tibial insertion and its free end was secured with sutures. The graft was then passed through one tibial and one femoral tunnel and secured at the lateral femoral condyle. All animals were divided into three groups and were killed at 3, 6 and 12 weeks after surgery. Nine more animals underwent ACL reconstruction using a free semitendinosus tendon autograft. These animals were used as controls. The intra-articular portion of the graft and the interface between the bone tunnel and the graft was evaluated postoperatively for gross morphology and histological appearance. Results of this study showed that in a rabbit model the semitendinosus tendon autograft retained its viability when harvested without detachment of its peripheral insertion. On contrary, at the control group, necrosis of the graft was observed 3 weeks after surgery and progressively revascularization and maturation occurred 6 and 12 weeks after surgery. Retaining the tibial insertion of the semitendinosus autograft seems to preserves its viability and bypasses the stages of avascular necrosis and revascularization that occurs with the use of a free tendon autograft.

Kyparissiakos Gulf forms a 45 km long zone located at 70-80 km east from the Hellenic trench with a general direction NNW-SSE. Onshore studies show the existence of several neotectonic horsts and grabens bounded by E-W trending normal faults. Thrust sheets of the underlying Hellenides crop out within the horst areas and younger sediments, mostly Lower Pleistocene, have been deposited in the grabens. The age of the marine sediments is mostly Lower Pleistocene. Throw rate on the normal faults varies between 0.7 and >1.0 mm/yr, accommodating extension in the N-S direction. Subsidence rates during Early Pleistocene are between 0.1 and 0.3 mm/yr, whereas uplift rates during Middle Pleistocene-Present are between 0.18 and 0.50 mm/yr. Offshore data were obtained using bathymetric and air-gun litho-seismic profiles. The shelf has been disrupted by active faults with several meters of throw. Average Holocene throw rates are 0.4-0.6 mm/yr, but in some areas adjacent Filiatra and Olympia values greater than 3 mm/yr are detected. Holocene and Upper Pleistocene marine sediments thicken gradually to the north, as do the marine Lower Pleistocene sediments onshore. A NNW-SSE offshore longitudinal fault parallel to the Kyparissiakos coast with throw rate above 3 mm/yr is the dividing structure between the uplifted coastal area and the present-day gulf. This indicates a major change in paleogeography between Early and Middle Pleistocene. Present-day transition from E-W compression in the Hellenic Trench to E-W extension in the Kyparissiakos Gulf and to N-S extension in Western Peloponnesus is discussed. The development of E-W structures in Western Peloponnesus since Latest Pliocene may be related to the Central Hellenic Shear Zone, which accommodates differential GPS rates between Northern Greece and Southern Peloponnesus.

Background: The prognostic significance of age in ovarian cancer has not been clarified. We investigated the characteristics of ovarian cancer presenting in ages >70 years and assessed the prognostic significance of advanced age. Patients and Methods: Four hundred and fifty-three patients with stage IIC-IV ovarian cancer (age>70 years n=106 [23%]), treated postoperatively with platinum-based chemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Median overall survival (OS) of patients ≤70 years old (52.3 months, 95% CI: 43.2-61.3) was longer than that of older patients (38.8 months, 95% CI: 29.9-47.7) (p=0.005), but this difference was not significant in a multivariate analysis (p=0.978). Age >70 years was correlated with worse performance status (PS) (p=0.019), higher tumor grade (p=0.033), residual disease >2 cm (p=0.006) and less frequent paclitaxel administration (p<0.001). Toxicity from chemotherapy was similar between the two age groups, but the relative dose intensity of paclitaxel was lower among elderly patients. Conclusion: The worse outcome of ovarian cancer in elderly patients may be attributed to other associated adverse prognostic factors, but advanced age was not an independent prognostic factor.

Three advanced models of pharmacokinetics are described. In the first class are physiologically based pharmacokinetic models based on in vitro data on transport and metabolism. The information is translated as transporter and enzyme activities and their attendant heterogeneities into liver and intestine models. Second are circulatory models based on transit time distribution and plasma concentration time curves. The third are fractal models for nonhomogeneous systems and non-Fickian processes are presented. The usefulness of these pharmacokinetic models, with examples, is compared.

A long-term (2000-2005) monitoring of aerosol data from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) is analyzed focusing on the Greater Athens Area (GAA) in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The MODIS aerosol optical depth standard product (AOD at 550 nm) and its respective ratio attributed to fine-mode (FM) particles are employed to evaluate the seasonal variability of the aerosol properties over Athens. The climatological trend of both parameters in the period 2000-2005 is nearly absent, while remarkable year-to-year variability can be observed. The seasonal analysis reveals a significant AOD variability over Athens, with minimum values in winter (AOD550 ∼ 0.2), and maximum in summer (AOD550 ∼ 0.45). Regarding the FM fraction, maximum values are present in spring and minimum in summer, thus revealing the dominance of FM and coarse-mode particles, respectively. For the whole data set, a method is implemented to distinguish the main aerosol types (urban/industrial (hereafter UI), clean maritime (hereafter CM type) and desert dust (hereafter DD) over Athens, based on both AOD and FM values. Because of the mixing processes in the atmosphere the majority of the cases (46.6%) belong to a mixed (hereafter MT) aerosol type. The UI aerosols are more frequent in spring (41.2%) and less in winter (9.1%), while the coarse particles, probably DD, more frequent in summer (35.8%) and less in winter (3.5%). In contrast, the clean atmospheric conditions are more frequent in winter (23.9%), when the mixing processes are also well established (63.5%). For each aerosol type, the mean AOD550 and FM values are also computed. Their seasonal variability exhibits a clear summer maximum for UI, CM and MT aerosols, while the DD exhibits maximum in spring. As regards the FM values of the different aerosol types they exhibit a rather constant variation with small fluctuations from season to season. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The description of coastal recession is a difficult asset that is characterized by highuncertainty. This uncertainty stems from the nature of the different factors that constitute the coastal systems. Physical features such as the different geological formations, the tectonic state of the coastal area and the sea level are all factors that complicate the efforts to describe the situation. In addition, any GIS software is lacking the tools to explain or map the uncertainty factors. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a tool that may handle the natural factors in a GIS interface. In this paper we present an algorithm that works on a GIS interface and uses grid modelingtechniques. Taking into account factors such as the geology of the areas that are examined, the drainage system, the coastal type etc., the system applies a set of user defined empirical rules, to estimate the evolution of the recession process in the affected areas. For this paper we have tested the algorithm at the island of Samos (Eastern Aegean, Greece). In the last 20 years, huge problems of coastal erosion have been observed at the northeastern part of the island near the town of Karlovassi and at the southwestern part near the Castle of Pythagorion.The algorithm may prove to be of great assistance as a decision support tool for the municipalities in these areas, since the measures that have been taken so far are temporary and do not envision the future development of the coastline.

ualitative research conducted with specific focus groups in areas representative of Greece - urban, industrial and agricultural populations, confirms the gender impact factor on digital illiteracy. A large part of the population in Greek society today is displaying technophobia, women in particular, as is the case internationally. Gender-constrained attitudes against science and technology are formulated very early. The compatibility of private life and career is essentially a female problem, a factor that is clearly evident in the latest EU average employment quota for women which is marked by a decrease of 14.3 percent, in contrast to the 5.6 percent increase in the employment quota for men. The situation is even worse in the science and technology fields. Alarming are the results of the latest study of the EU-Commission ‘She Figures 2006’, according to which women remain a minority among researchers in the EU. The first part of the study is based on questionnaires, group interviews and discourse analyses with specific focus group: (1) female and male university students, (2) female students, and (3) primary and secondary male and female school teachers. In the second unity, social theories and theoretical approaches are used to examine the multivariable inclusive vs. exclusionary factors that result in the ‘leaky pipeline’ and the ‘glass ceiling’, namely the digital divide, the under-representation of women in science and technology. Although efforts are being made to attract women to the knowledge economy and IT professions, educational reforms alone will have very limited impact without the systematic promotion of inter and multidisciplinary research, international collaborations, interdisciplinarity in Education, the promotion of a gender-inclusive labor market that recruits and retains women as well as the establishment of a more flexible and family-friendly oriented working environment. *************KEYWORDS:   Gender neutral vs gender constrained, Gender-neutral technological education, Technoethos, Technophobia, Gender factor in digital illiteracy, Digital divide, Gender gaps, Women's underrepresentation, Gender-inclusive labor market, Recruitment, Retention, Flexible and family-friendly oriented working environment, Gender mainstreaming.

Background: p53 protein is regarded as a valuable prognostic marker in cancer with a potential use as a molecular target. Here, we sought to determine the prognostic value of p53 in ovarian cancer using a novel method of compartmentalized in situ protein analysis. Patients and methods: A tissue array composed of 141 advanced stage ovarian cancers uniformly treated was constructed. For evaluation of p53 protein expression, we used an immunofluorescence-based method of automated in situ quantitative measurement of protein analysis (AQUA). Results: High nuclear p53 expression levels were associated with better outcome for overall survival (OS) (P = 0.0023) and disease-free survival (P = 0.0338) at 5-years. High cytoplasmic p53 expression levels were associated with better outcome for OS (P = 0.0002). In multivariable analysis, high nuclear and high cytoplasmic p53 level with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage were the most significant predictor variables for OS and high nuclear p53 level with FIGO stage were the significant predictor variables for disease-free survival. Conclusions: Assessment of the prognostic value of p53 protein levels using conventional immunohistochemistry is limited by the nonquantitative nature of the method. AQUA provides precise estimation of p53 protein levels and was able to elucidate the association of p53 protein levels and ovarian cancer prognosis. © 2007 Oxford University Press.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Procleix Ultrio human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)/hepatitis C virus (HCV)/hepatitis B virus (HBV) (Ultrio) assay simultaneously detects HIV-1 RNA, HCV RNA and HBV DNA in individual blood donations. The main objective of the study was to assess the analytical and clinical sensitivity of the multiplex and discriminatory probe assays in samples with a low viral load. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The VQC HIV RNA genotype B, HCV RNA genotype 1 and HBV DNA genotype A standard dilutions were tested in 26 repeats. The probability of detection by Ultrio was compared with previously obtained data of the Procleix Duplex HIV-1/HCV assay on the same reference panels. A selection of 121 anti-HIV-1, 138 anti-HCV and 190 HBsAg positive samples from patients receiving antiviral therapy were tested. The majority of patient samples had a viral load below the detection limit of the diagnostic nucleic acid test assays, which made them suitable to evaluate the performance of the multiplex and discriminatory assays on yield cases with a similar low viral load. RESULTS: The 95% and 50% detection end-points of the Ultrio assay along with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals are 53.7 (32.9-117.2) and 8.6 (6.2-12.1) geq/ml for HIV-1 RNA, 30.3 (19.0-62.4) and 5.2 (3.7-7.2) geq/ml for HCV RNA and 393.7 (147.9-6978) and 54.5 (22.4-143.8) geq/ml for HBV DNA. The analytical sensitivity of Ultrio expressed as a potency factor relative to previously obtained Duplex results on the same HIV-1 RNA and HCV-RNA standard dilutions was 1.09 (0.20-6.10) and 1.11 (0.21-5.89), respectively. The assay detected all 22 HIV-1 infected patients with viral load > 50 copies/ml, and 41 of 99 patients (41%) with viral load < 50 copies/ml, of which 23 (56%) were detected by the discriminatory assay. All 47 patients with HCV RNA load > 521 IU/ml and 10/91 polymerase chain reaction-negative patients with viral load < 50 IU/ml tested positive in Ultrio assay of which five were missed in the discriminatory test. The assay detected 53/55 HBV infected patients (96%) with viral load > 250 copies/ml and 108/135 patients (80%) with viral load < 250 copies/ml of which 17 (16%) were missed by the discriminatory test. CONCLUSIONS: The new Procleix Ultrio assay is as sensitive as the Procleix Duplex assay for HIV-1 and HCV detection meeting the requirements of universal guidelines. The ability of the assay to detect HBV DNA in low viral load samples could be useful for screening blood. Inevitable negative results of discriminatory probe assays caused by stochastic sample variation will reduce the chance of recognizing low viraemic blood donors detected by individual donation nucleic acid test.

A democratic European Turkey, that endorses the acquis communautaire and the European political culture as that has evolved over the last 50 years is not considered by Greece as a security threat. However, certain forms of conduct on the part of our neighbor and NATO ally cause serious concern to Athens and the Greek people, which determines the approach of the Greek government towards Greek-Turkish relations.

Purpose of investigation: Uterine sarcomas are rare neoplasms characterized by a high rate of local recurrences and distant metastases. The role of chemotherapy in early-stage completely resected disease remains controversial. Methods: Thirty-one patients with Stage I or II uterine sarcomas, referred to our center for adjuvant chemotherapy, received anthracycline-based regimens. Seventeen (54.8%) patients received ifosfamide, etoposide and epirubicin, six (19.4%) were treated with doxorubicin and carboplatin, three (9.6%) were administered doxorubicin and ifosfamide, while five (16.1%) patients received various anthracycline-based regimens. Results: With a median follow-up of 82 months disease recurred in 12 (38.7%) patients. Five-year survival probability is estimated at 54%. Both median overall survival and time to progression for all patients have not been reached yet. Patients who received ifosfamide-containing regimens had a statistically significant benefit in overall survival (p ≤ 0.05) when compared with those treated with non-ifosfamide-containing regimens. Conclusion: Our data suggest a potential role for anthracycline- and ifosfamide-containing chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting for early-stage uterine sarcomas.

The electronic properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been studied using dc magnetization and electron spin resonance (ESR). The dc magnetization displays a weak diamagnetic susceptibility of ≈ 10-7 emu/g. ESR measurements reveal a narrow resonance line of low intensity and metallic line shape. The spin susceptibility shows a major Pauli contribution at high temperatures (T>150 K) and an appreciable Curie component at lower temperatures. A marked drop of the spin susceptibility is observed at T<14 K, pointing to the opening of a spin gap at low temperatures. The underlying mechanism is discussed in terms of an electronic instability of the SWNTs or the occurrence of defect-mediated spin magnetism. © 2007 The American Physical Society.

Respiratory infections by bacteria and viruses often trigger symptoms of asthma in both adults and children. This observation and subsequent mechanistic studies have demonstrated important interactions among allergens, microbes and the atopic host. The mechanisms responsible for microbe-induced asthma exacerbations are only incompletely understood. A focal point of current research is the inflammatory response of the host following an encounter with a pathogenic microbe, including variations in chemokine and cytokine production and resulting in changes in bronchial hyper-responsiveness and lung function. Direct bronchial infection, exposure of nerves with resulting neurogenic inflammation and a deviated host immune response are among the mechanisms underlying these functional disorders. Lately, suboptimal innate immune responses, expressed as defective interferon production, have gained attention as they might be amenable to intervention. This review describes the suggested mechanisms involved in the complex interactions between 'asthmagenic' microbes, the immune system and atopy, based on in-vitro and in-vivo experimental models and epidemiological evidence. In addition, it provides a synopsis of potential therapeutic strategies either directly against the microorganisms or in respect to the associated inflammation.