The sarcomere is the basic unit of the myofibrils, which mediate skeletal and cardiac Muscle contraction. Two transverse structures, the Z-disc and the M-band, anchor the thin (actin and associated proteins) and thick (myosin and associated proteins) filaments to the elastic filament system composed of titin. A plethora of proteins are known to be integral or associated proteins of the Z-disc and its structural and signalling role in muscle is better understood, while the molecular constituents of the M-band and its function are less well defined. Evidence discussed here suggests that the M-band is important for managing force imbalances during active muscle contraction. Its molecular composition is fine-tuned, especially as far as the structural linkers encoded by members of the myomesin family are concerned and depends on the specific mechanical characteristics of each particular muscle fibre type. Muscle activity signals from the M-band to the nucleus and affects transcription of sarcomeric genes, especially via serum response factor (SRF). Due to its important role as shock absorber in contracting muscle, the M-band is also more and more recognised as a contributor to muscle disease.
Chronic pain manifests in multiple disorders and is highly debilitating. While its pathophysiology is not fully understood, the involvement of the mesocorticolimbic monoaminergic systems have been shown to play a critical role in chronic pain emergence and/or maintenance. In this study, we analyzed the levels of monoamines dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA) and serotonin (5-HT) in mesocorticolimbic areas - medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, striatum, nucleus accumbens and amygdala - 1 month after a neuropathic lesion, Spared Nerve Injury (SNI). In SNI animals, were observed a marginal decrease of DA and 5-HT in the striatum and a rightward shift in the levels of NA in the nucleus accumbens. While mesocorticolimbic monoamines might be relevant for chronic pain pathophysiology its content appears to be relatively unaffected in our experimental conditions.
Mezirow was introduced to Gould’s ideas in the mid-1970s, when the latter was practicing psychiatry at UCLA Outpatient and Community Psychiatry Center. At that time, Mezirow was in the early stages developing his theory of transformation and became particularly interested in the work that Gould was carrying out with psychodynamic groups in psychiatric settings. In 1980, Mezirow was granted a Teacher’s College sabbatical and was invited by Gould to spend some months as a counsellor in his laboratory. Gould and Mezirow had distinct routes and professional origins that are important to bear in mind in any type of comparison or analogue that one would like to draw. Gould was a psychiatrist and an expert in adult developmental psychology. He was not involved in educational theory. At the time he met Mezirow, Gould was focusing his research interests on the developmental stages of adult life through group observation methods and analyses that included life narratives of psychiatrists, treatment staff, and patients with mental health problems. These studies formed the basis of Gould’s theory of individual change and perhaps his most significant theoretical contribution on developmental psychology and adult theory of change. Later, Gould (1990, 1995, 1996) developed a computer-assisted self-help Therapeutic Learning Program (TLP) focused on the treatment of eating disorders and the anxiety that is associated with them. The program was accompanied in 2008 by the publication of the self-help manual Shrink Yourself (Gould, 2008), that was widely accepted in the United States, where eating disorders seem to be a major concern. Gould’s theory on adult developmental stages and subsequent transformations exerted an important influence on Mezirow’s concept of perspective transformation. Therefore, the relationship between Gould and Mezirow deserves attention in a volume dedicated to Transformation Theory.
Aging research aims at developing interventions that delay normal aging processes and some related pathologies. Recently, many compounds and extracts from natural products have been shown to delay aging and/or extend lifespan. Marine sponges and their associated microorganisms have been found to produce a wide variety of bioactive secondary metabolites; however, those from the Southwest of the Indian Ocean are much less studied, especially regarding anti-aging activities. In this study, the microbial diversity of the marine sponge Scopalina hapalia was investigated by metagenomic analysis. Twenty-six bacterial and two archaeal phyla were recovered from the sponge, of which the Proteobacteria phylum was the most abundant. In addition, thirty isolates from S. hapalia were selected and cultivated for identification and secondary metabolites production. The selected isolates were affiliated to the genera Bacillus, Micromonospora, Rhodoccocus, Salinispora, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Nigrospora and unidentified genera related to the family Thermoactinomycetaceae. Crude extracts from selected microbial cultures were found to be active against seven targets i.e., elastase, tyrosinase, catalase, sirtuin 1, Cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7), Fyn kinase and proteasome. These results highlight the potential of microorganisms associated with a marine sponge from Mayotte to produce anti-aging compounds. Future work will focus on the isolation and the characterization of bioactive molecules.
Ovarian cancer (OC) remains a leading cause of gynecological cancer-related death worldwide, characterized by poor 5-year survival. Molecular markers could serve as crucial tools of personalized prognosis and therapy. Herein, we present miR-181a as novel predictor of OC prognosis, using five independent OC cohorts. In particular, a screening (n = 81) and an institutionally independent validation (n = 100, OVCAD multicenter study) serous OC (SOC) cohorts were analyzed. Bagnoli et al (2016) OC179 (n = 124) to OC133 (n = 100) and TCGA (n = 489) served as external validation cohorts. Patients' survival and disease progression were assessed as clinical endpoint events. Bootstrap analysis was performed for internal validation and decision curve analysis was utilized to evaluate clinical benefit. miR-181a overexpression was unveiled as powerful and independent molecular predictor of patients' poor survival and higher risk for disease progression after debulking surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. Analysis of the OVCAD institutionally independent cohort, as well as of Bagnoli et al. and TCGA external cohorts further confirmed the unfavorable prognostic nature of miR-181a overexpression in SOC. Strikingly, multivariate prognostic models incorporating miR-181a with established disease markers clearly improved patients' risk-stratification and offered superior clinical benefit in OC prognostication. Conclusively, miR-181a evaluation could augment prognostic accuracy and support precision medicine decisions in OC.
Ovarian cancer (OC) accounts for the most gynecological cancer-related deaths in developed countries. Unfortunately, the lack of both evident early symptoms and effective asymptomatic population screening results in late diagnosis and inevitably poor prognosis. Hence, it is urgent to identify novel molecular markers to support personalized prognosis. In the present study, we have analyzed the clinical significance of miR-203 in OC using two institutionally independent cohorts. miR-203 levels were quantified in a screening (n = 125) and a validation cohort (n = 100, OVCAD multicenter study). Survival analysis was performed using progression and death as clinical endpoint events. Internal validation was conducted by bootstrap analysis, and decision curve analysis was used to evaluate the clinical benefit. Increased miR-203 levels in OC patients were correlated with unfavorable prognosis and higher risk for disease progression, independently of FIGO stage, tumor grade, residual tumor after surgery, chemotherapy response and age. The analysis of the institutionally independent validation cohort (OVCAD study) clearly confirmed the shorter survival outcome of the patients overexpressing miR-203. Additionally, integration of miR-203 levels with the established disease prognostic markers led to a superior stratification of OC patients that can ameliorate prognosis and benefit patient clinical management. In this regard, miR-203 expression constitutes a novel independent molecular marker to improve patients' prognosis in OC.
Neurodegenerative diseases are strongly age-related and currently cannot be cured, with a surge of patient numbers in the coming decades in view of the emerging worldwide ageing population, bringing healthcare and socioeconomic challenges. Effective therapies are urgently needed, and are dependent on new aetiological mechanisms. In neurons, efficient clearance of damaged mitochondria, through the highly evolutionary conserved cellular process termed mitophagy, plays a fundamental role in mitochondrial and metabolic homeostasis, energy supply, neuronal survival, and health. Conversely, defective mitophagy leads to accumulation of damaged mitochondria and cellular dysfunction, contributing to ageing and age-predisposed neurodegeneration. Here, we discuss the contribution of defective mitophagy in these diseases, and underlying molecular mechanisms, and highlight novel therapeutics based on new discovered mitophagy-inducing strategies.
Battling human neurodegenerative pathologies and managing their pervasive socioeconomic impact is becoming a global priority. Notwithstanding their detrimental effects on the human life quality and the healthcare system, the majority of human neurodegenerative disorders still remain incurable and non-preventable. Therefore, the development of novel therapeutic interventions against such maladies is becoming a pressing urgency. Age-associated deterioration of neuronal circuits and function is evolutionarily conserved in organisms as diverse as the lowly worm Caenorhabditis elegans and humans, signifying similarities in the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. C. elegans is a highly malleable genetic model, which offers a well-characterized nervous system, body transparency and a diverse repertoire of genetic and imaging techniques to assess neuronal activity and quality control during ageing. Here, we introduce and describe methodologies utilizing some versatile nematode models, including hyperactivated ion channel-induced necrosis (e.g., deg-3(d) and mec-4(d)) and protein aggregate (e.g., alpha-syunclein and poly-glutamate)-induced neurotoxicity, to monitor and dissect the cellular and molecular underpinnings of age-related neuronal breakdown. A combination of these animal neurodegeneration models, together with genetic and pharmacological screens for cell death modulators will lead to an unprecedented understanding of age-related breakdown of neuronal function and will provide critical insights with broad relevance to human health and quality of life.
BACKGROUND.: The aim of the current study was to explore the changing interrelationships among clinical variables through the stages of schizophrenia in order to assemble a comprehensive and meaningful disease model. METHODS.: Twenty-nine centers from 25 countries participated and included 2358 patients aged 37.21 ± 11.87 years with schizophrenia. Multiple linear regression analysis and visual inspection of plots were performed. RESULTS.: The results suggest that with progression stages, there are changing correlations among Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale factors at each stage and each factor correlates with all the others in that particular stage, in which this factor is dominant. This internal structure further supports the validity of an already proposed four stages model, with positive symptoms dominating the first stage, excitement/hostility the second, depression the third, and neurocognitive decline the last stage. CONCLUSIONS.: The current study investigated the mental organization and functioning in patients with schizophrenia in relation to different stages of illness progression. It revealed two distinct "cores" of schizophrenia, the "Positive" and the "Negative," while neurocognitive decline escalates during the later stages. Future research should focus on the therapeutic implications of such a model. Stopping the progress of the illness could demand to stop the succession of stages. This could be achieved not only by both halting the triggering effect of positive and negative symptoms, but also by stopping the sensitization effect on the neural pathways responsible for the development of hostility, excitement, anxiety, and depression as well as the deleterious effect on neural networks responsible for neurocognition.
This study quantifies the effects of the Fed’s quantitative easing (QE) and tapering programs’ announcements on professionals’ consensus forecasts of U.S. macroeconomic and financial variables at different forecast horizons. The results of a vector autoregression (VAR) analysis show that the first QE (QE1) program is more effective in terms of significantly affecting the variability of near and medium term forecasts on GDP, inflation and short-term interest rates. This is not the case for these variables of long forecast horizons across all QE/tapering announcements, the forecasts of U.S. currency and long-term rates present significant short-lived responses, while the tapering displays a dominant effect on the volatility of long-term rates across long-term forecast horizons. A dynamic correlation analysis among different horizon forecasts also reveals that the Fed successfully anchor inflation and real economic growth expectations during the expansionary policy (QE) periods. Additional findings show the anchoring of the expectations across different horizons on short-term rates, as opposed to long-term rates, during the QE1 program. During the contractionary (tapering) period, the decrease in the correlations among different horizons for the short-term rates’ forecasts is a sign that the Fed increases the range of possible outcomes and highlights a signal of a monetary policy change.
BACKGROUND: The spread of SARS-CoV-2 generated an unprecedented global public health crisis. Soon after Asia, Europe was seriously affected. Many countries, including Romania, adopted lockdown measures to limit the outbreak. AIM: We performed a molecular epidemiology analysis of SARS-CoV-2 viral strains circulating in Romania during the first two months of the epidemic in order to detect mutation profiles and phylogenetic relatedness. METHODS: Respiratory samples were directly used for shotgun sequencing. RESULTS: All Romanian sequences belonged to lineage B, with a different subtype distribution between northern and southern regions (subtype B.1.5 and B.1.1). Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the Romanian epidemic started with multiple introduction events from other European countries followed by local transmission. Phylogenetic links between northern Romania and Spain, Austria, Scotland and Russia were observed, as well as between southern Romania and Switzerland, Italy, France and Turkey. One viral strain presented a previously unreported mutation in the Nsp2 gene, namely K489E. Epidemiologically-defined clusters displayed specific mutations, suggesting molecular signatures for strains coming from areas that were isolated during the lockdown. CONCLUSIONS: Romanian epidemic was initiated by multiple introductions from European countries followed by local transmissions. Different subtype distribution between northern and southern Romania was observed after two months of the pandemic.
Asynchronous movement of the carotid atheromatous plaque from B-mode ultrasound has been previously reported, and associated with higher risk of stroke, but not quantitatively estimated. Based on the hypothesis that asynchronous plaque motion is associated with vulnerable plaque, in this study, synchronisation patterns of different tissue areas were estimated using cross-correlations of displacement waveforms. In 135 plaques (77 subjects), plaque radial deformation was synchronised by approximately 50% with the arterial diameter, and the mean phase shift was 0.4 s. Within the plaque, the mean phase shifts between the displacements of the top and bottom surfaces were 0.2 s and 0.3 s, in the radial and longitudinal directions, respectively, and the synchronisation about 80% in both directions. Classification of phase-shift-based features using Random Forests yielded Area-Under-the-Curve scores of 0.81, 0.79, 0.89 and 0.90 for echogenicity, symptomaticity, stenosis degree and plaque risk, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that echolucent, high-stenosis and high-risk plaques exhibited higher phase shifts between the radial displacements of their top and bottom surfaces. These findings are useful in the study of plaque kinematics.
The IceCube report of a ∼ 3.5σ excess of 13 ± 5 neutrino events in the direction of the blazar TXS 0506+056 in 2014-2015 and the 2017 detection of a high-energy neutrino event, IceCube-170922A, during a gamma-ray flare from the same blazar, have revived the interest in scenarios for neutrino production in blazars. We perform comprehensive analyses on the long-term electromagnetic emission of TXS 0506+056 using optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray data from the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, and the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We also perform numerical modeling of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in four epochs prior to 2017 with contemporaneous gamma-ray and lower-energy (optical and/or X-ray) data. We find that the multi-epoch SEDs are consistent with a hybrid leptonic scenario, where the gamma-rays are produced in the blazar zone via external inverse Compton scattering of accelerated electrons, and high-energy neutrinos are produced via the photomeson production process of co-accelerated protons. The multi-epoch SEDs can be satisfactorily explained with the same jet parameters and variable external photon density and electron luminosity. Using the maximal neutrino flux derived for each epoch, we put an upper limit of ∼0.4-2 on the muon neutrino number in 10 years of IceCube observations. Our results are consistent with the IceCube-170922A detection, which can be explained as an upper fluctuation from the average neutrino rate expected from the source, but in strong tension with the 2014-2015 neutrino flare.
The IceCube report of a ∼ 3.5σ excess of 13 ± 5 neutrino events in the direction of the blazar TXS 0506+056 in 2014-2015 and the 2017 detection of a high-energy neutrino event, IceCube-170922A, during a gamma-ray flare from the same blazar, have revived the interest in scenarios for neutrino production in blazars. We perform comprehensive analyses on the long-term electromagnetic emission of TXS 0506+056 using optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray data from the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, and the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We also perform numerical modeling of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in four epochs prior to 2017 with contemporaneous gamma-ray and lower-energy (optical and/or X-ray) data. We find that the multi-epoch SEDs are consistent with a hybrid leptonic scenario, where the gamma-rays are produced in the blazar zone via external inverse Compton scattering of accelerated electrons, and high-energy neutrinos are produced via the photomeson production process of co-accelerated protons. The multi-epoch SEDs can be satisfactorily explained with the same jet parameters and variable external photon density and electron luminosity. Using the maximal neutrino flux derived for each epoch, we put an upper limit of ∼0.4-2 on the muon neutrino number in 10 years of IceCube observations. Our results are consistent with the IceCube-170922A detection, which can be explained as an upper fluctuation from the average neutrino rate expected from the source, but in strong tension with the 2014-2015 neutrino flare.
A thorough theoretical study of the optical properties of periodic Si nanosphere arrays is undertaken, placing a particular emphasis on the synergy between multipolar, electric and magnetic, Mie resonances, which occur in high-refractive-index nanoparticles and can lead to a rich variety of phenomena ranging from perfect reflection to controlled diffraction. Systematic calculations using the layer-multiple-scattering method, which we properly extended to describe periodic arrays with many different scatterers per unit cell, in conjunction with finite-element simulations are presented. It is shown that rectangular arrays of pairs of Si nanospheres can efficiently diffract light in reflection or transmission mode at large angles as well as split light with minimum backreflection by properly adjusting the geometry of the structure. Our rigorous full-electrodynamic calculations highlight the importance of higher-order multipoles, which are not taken into account in the commonly employed dipole approximation, in the description of these effects.
The paleoenvironmental evolution of Lake Ismarida in Thrace (Northern Greece) is revealed by the combined lithological, micropaleontological (benthic foraminifera, pollen and NPPS), molluscan analyses, magnetic susceptibility measurement and radiocarbon dating of a 5.8-m long sediment core. The mid Holocene evolution of the lake area is evidenced by the documentation of four sedimentary Units in the core ISMR-2, corresponding to four distinct evolutionary stages: (1) during ∼5500-3500 cal yr BP the lake area was a shallow marine environment characterized by an Ammonia beccarii, small rotaliids, miliolids, Bittium reticulatum and Veneridae spp. assemblage, marine dinoflagellate cysts, and low magnetic susceptibility values; (2) during ∼3500-3000 cal BP the environment is gradually tending to more isolated conditions forming an open lagoon, characterized by marine and euryhaline fauna and low magnetic susceptibility values; (3) during 3000 cal yr BP, the open lagoon presented a transition to an oligohaline inner lagoon, characterized by an Ammonia tepida, Haynesina germanica, Aubignyna perlucida, Pirenella conica, Cerastoderma glaucum and Abra spp. assemblage, sedges and aquatic vegetation. This restricted, entirely isolated from the sea inner lagoon could be definitely used as the landmark of the Lake Ismaris from Heorodotus, while describing the march of Xerxes through Thrace in 480 B.C.; (4) since ∼2000 cal yr BP to the present, the Lake Ismarida is formed, characterized by fresh-water indicators and aquatic pollen, Pseudoschizaea and high magnetic susceptibility values. Finally, the progradation of the Filiouris River deltaic deposits resulted to a 4 km wide deltaic plain between Lake Ismarida and the nowadays coastline. Pollen assemblages record the dominance of a rather rich deciduous forest in the area with traces of human presence in the lower part of the sequence, whereas the opening of the plant landscape under the increasing human pressure is evidenced after ∼ 3000 cal yr BP. Finally, an open vegetation pattern, contemporaneous with the retreat of forest vegetation, is evidenced in the area already before 2000 cal yr BP.
Our aim was to investigate the dispersal patterns and parameters associated with local molecular transmission clusters (MTCs) of subtypes A1 and B in Greece (predominant HIV-1 subtypes). The analysis focused on 1751 (28.4%) and 2575 (41.8%) sequences of subtype A1 and B, respectively. Identification of MTCs was based on phylogenetic analysis. The analyses identified 38 MTCs including 2-1518 subtype A1 sequences and 168 MTCs in the range of 2-218 subtype B sequences. The proportion of sequences within MTCs was 93.8% (1642/1751) and 77.0% (1982/2575) for subtype A1 and B, respectively. Transmissions within MTCs for subtype A1 were associated with risk group (Men having Sex with Men vs. heterosexuals, OR = 5.34, p < 0.001) and Greek origin (Greek vs. non-Greek origin, OR = 6.05, p < 0.001) and for subtype B, they were associated with Greek origin (Greek vs. non-Greek origin, OR = 1.57, p = 0.019), younger age (OR = 0.96, p < 0.001), and more recent sampling (time period: 2011-2015 vs. 1999-2005, OR = 3.83, p < 0.001). Our findings about the patterns of across and within country dispersal as well as the parameters associated with transmission within MTCs provide a framework for the application of the study of molecular clusters for HIV prevention.
Guided by the self-determination theory, this weekly diary study tested a process model in which week-to-week mother-reported interparental conflict and perceived partner responsiveness were associated with maternal autonomy support by means of maternal psychological need satisfaction. During six consecutive weeks, 258 mothers (Mage = 41.71 years) and their 157 adolescents (51.4% females, Mage = 14.92 years) from Turkey provided weekly reports of the study variables via an online survey. Multilevel analyses showed that maternal need satisfaction was predicted by lower levels of interparental conflict and greater levels of perceived partner responsiveness. Maternal need satisfaction, in turn, was positively associated with maternal and adolescent reports of maternal autonomy support. Further, these week-to-week associations were partly moderated by maternal perfectionism. The results underscore the dynamic nature of the intra-family relationships, the important role of particular conditions in which mothers may become more autonomy supportive, and the necessity to consider mother’s personal characteristics while examining these dynamics.
Maintenance of neuronal homeostasis is a challenging task, due to unique cellular organization and bioenergetic demands of post-mitotic neurons. It is increasingly appreciated that impairment of mitochondrial homeostasis represents an early sign of neuronal dysfunction that is common in both age-related neurodegenerative as well as in neurodevelopmental disorders. Mitochondrial selective autophagy, known as mitophagy, regulates mitochondrial number ensuring cellular adaptation in response to several intracellular and environmental stimuli. Mounting evidence underlines that deregulation of mitophagy levels has an instructive role in the process of neurodegeneration. Although mitophagy induction mediates the elimination of damaged mitochondria and confers neuroprotection, uncontrolled runaway mitophagy could reduce mitochondrial content overstressing the remaining organelles and eventually triggering neuronal cell death. Unveiling the molecular mechanisms of neuronal mitophagy and its intricate role in neuronal survival and cell death, will assist in the development of novel mitophagy modulators to promote cellular and organismal homeostasis in health and disease.
The IceCube collaboration reported an ∼3.5σ excess of 13 ± 5 neutrino events in the direction of the blazar TXS 0506+056 during an ∼6 month period in 2014-2015, as well as the (∼3σ) detection of a high-energy muon neutrino during an electromagnetic flare in 2017. We explore the possibility that the 2014-2015 neutrino excess and the 2017 multimessenger flare are both explained in a common physical framework that relies on the emergence of a relativistic neutral beam in the blazar jet due to interactions of accelerated cosmic rays (CRs) with photons. We demonstrate that the neutral beam model provides an explanation for the 2014-2015 neutrino excess without violating X-ray and γ-ray constraints and yields results consistent with the detection of one high-energy neutrino during the 2017 flare. If both neutrino associations with TXS 05065+056 are real, our model requires that (I) the composition of accelerated CRs is light, with a ratio of helium nuclei to protons ≳5; (II) a luminous external photon field (∼1046 erg s-1) variable (on yearlong timescales) is present; and (III) the CR injection luminosity, as well as the properties of the dissipation region (I.e., Lorentz factor, magnetic field, and size), vary on yearlong timescales.
Economou A. New coronavirus outbreak. Current Pharmaceutical AnalysisCurrent Pharmaceutical Analysis. 2020;16:335-336.
Knowledge and visualization of the present-day relationship between earthquakes, active tectonics and crustal deformation is a key to understanding geodynamic processes, and is also essential for risk mitigation and the management of geo-reservoirs for energy and waste. The study of the complexity of the Greek tectonics has been the subject of intense efforts of our working group, employing multidisciplinary methodologies that include detailed geological mapping, geophysical and seismological data processing using innovative methods and geodetic data processing, involved in surveying at various scales. The data and results from these studies are merged with existing or updated datasets to compose the new Seismotectonic Atlas of Greece. The main objective of the Atlas is to harmonize and integrate the most recent seismological, geological, tectonic, geophysical and geodetic data in an interactive, online GIS environment. To demonstrate the wealth of information available in the end product, herein, we present thematic layers of important seismotectonic and geophysical content, which facilitates the comprehensive visualization and first order insight into seismic and other risks of the Greek territories. The future prospect of the Atlas is the incorporation of tools and algorithms for joint analysis and appraisal of these datasets, so as to enable rapid seismotectonic analysis and scenario-based seismic risk assessment.
A novel finite-time convergent zeroing neural network (ZNN) based on varying gain parameter for solving time-varying (TV) problems is presented. The model is based on the improvement and generalization of the finite-time ZNN (FTZNN) dynamics by means of the varying-parameter ZNN (VPZNN) dynamics, and termed as VPFTZNN. More precisely, the proposed model replaces fixed and large values of the scaling parameter by an appropriate time-dependent gain parameter, which leads to a faster and bounded convergence of the error function in comparison to previous ZNN methods. The convergence properties of the proposed VPFTZNN dynamical evolution in its generic form is verified. Particularly, VPFTZNN for solving linear matrix equations and for computing generalized inverses are investigated theoretically and numerically. Moreover, the proposed design is applicable in solving the TV matrix inversion problem, solving the Lyapunov and Sylvester equation as well as in approximating the matrix square root. Theoretical analysis as well as simulation results validate the effectiveness of the introduced dynamical evolution. The main advantages of the proposed VPFTZNN dynamics are their generality and faster finite-time convergence with respect to FTZNN models.
The treatment of AL amyloidosis aims to eradicate the plasma cell clone and eliminate toxic free light chain production. Only in a minority of patients the plasma cell clone is completely eradicated; residual light chain production may still exist while clonal relapse may occur. We used sensitive next-generation flow cytometry (NGF) to detect minimal residual disease (MRD) in AL amyloidosis patients at complete haematologic response. MRD evaluation was feasible in 51 of 52 (98{%}) tested patients and at a median sensitivity of 2.3 × 10−6 MRD was undetectable in 23 (45{%}). An organ response occurred in 86{%} of MRDneg vs 77{%} in MRDpos; renal response in 15/17(88{%}) of MRDneg vs in 14/16(87.5{%}) of MRDpos and cardiac response in 10/10(100{%}) of MRDneg vs 11/15(73{%}) of MRDpos patients. After a median follow-up of 24 months post MRD testing, no MRDneg patient had a haematologic relapse vs 6/28(21{%}) MRDpos (p =.029). Pooling haematologic and organ progressions, 9 (32{%}) MRDpos patients had disease progression vs only 1 (4{%}) MRDneg patient (p =.026). In conclusion, MRD detection using NGF has profound clinical implications, so that AL patients with undetectable MRD have a very high probability of organ response and a very low probability of haematologic relapse.
Following the detection of recent X-ray activity from the Be X-ray binary pulsar 1A 0535+262 on 2020 November 6 (ATel #14157), the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) has observed the system at multiple epochs.
Following the SRG/eROSITA discovery of a strong outburst from the LMC Be/X-ray binary RX J0529.8-6556 (Haberl et al., ATEL #13828) we triggered NICER ToO observations to search for pulsations and obtain high-quality spectra.
Trans-crocin 4 (TC4) is an important carotenoid constituent of saffron showing potential activity against Alzheimer's Disease (AD) due to its antioxidant and antiamyloidogenic properties. Metabolomics is an emerging scientific field that enhances biomarker discovery and reveals underlying biochemical mechanisms aiming towards the early subclinical diagnosis of diseases. To date, there are no reports on the changes induced to mice plasma metabolome after TC4 administration. We report a novel untargeted UHPLC-ESI HRMS metabolomics strategy to determine the alteration of the metabolic fingerprint following i.p. administration of TC4 in male and female mice. Blood samples from fiftysix mice treated with TC4 as well as from control animals were analyzed with UHPLC-ESI HRMS. Statistical evaluation of the results was achieved by multivariate analysis (MVA), i.e., principal component analysis (PCA), Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) in order to discover the variables that contributed to the discrimination between treated and untreated groups which were identified by online database searching (e.g., Metlin, HMDB, KEGG) aided by chemometric processing, e.g., covariance searching etc. Due to the high variability imposed by various factors, e.g., sex of the animals participating in the study, administration dose and time-points of sacrifice, multilevel sparse PLS-DA analysis, e.g., splitting variation to each individual component, has been employed as a more efficient approach for such designs. This methodology allowed the identification of the time sequence of metabolome changes due to the administration of TC4, whereas a sex-related effect on the metabolome is indicated, denoting that the administration in both sexes is indispensable in order to acquire safe conclusions as reliable metabolome pictures. The results demonstrated a number of annotated metabolites playing a potential role in neuroprotection while they are closely related to AD. Moreover, five additional annotated metabolites were involved in the steroid biosynthesis pathway while two of them may be considered as putative neuroprotective agents.
Trans-crocin 4 (TC4) is an important carotenoid constituent of saffron showing potential activity against Alzheimer's Disease (AD) due to its antioxidant and antiamyloidogenic properties. Metabolomics is an emerging scientific field that enhances biomarker discovery and reveals underlying biochemical mechanisms aiming towards the early subclinical diagnosis of diseases. To date, there are no reports on the changes induced to mice plasma metabolome after TC4 administration. We report a novel untargeted UHPLC-ESI HRMS metabolomics strategy to determine the alteration of the metabolic fingerprint following i.p. administration of TC4 in male and female mice. Blood samples from fiftysix mice treated with TC4 as well as from control animals were analyzed with UHPLC-ESI HRMS. Statistical evaluation of the results was achieved by multivariate analysis (MVA), i.e., principal component analysis (PCA), Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) in order to discover the variables that contributed to the discrimination between treated and untreated groups which were identified by online database searching (e.g., Metlin, HMDB, KEGG) aided by chemometric processing, e.g., covariance searching etc. Due to the high variability imposed by various factors, e.g., sex of the animals participating in the study, administration dose and time-points of sacrifice, multilevel sparse PLS-DA analysis, e.g., splitting variation to each individual component, has been employed as a more efficient approach for such designs. This methodology allowed the identification of the time sequence of metabolome changes due to the administration of TC4, whereas a sex-related effect on the metabolome is indicated, denoting that the administration in both sexes is indispensable in order to acquire safe conclusions as reliable metabolome pictures. The results demonstrated a number of annotated metabolites playing a potential role in neuroprotection while they are closely related to AD. Moreover, five additional annotated metabolites were involved in the steroid biosynthesis pathway while two of them may be considered as putative neuroprotective agents.
Recent modeling of Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) observations of the millisecond pulsar PSR J0030+0451 suggests that the magnetic field of the pulsar is non-dipolar. We construct a magnetic field configuration where foot points of the open field lines closely resemble the hotspot configuration from NICER observations. Using this magnetic field as input, we perform force-free simulations of the magnetosphere of PSR J0030+0451, showing the three-dimensional structure of its plasma-filled magnetosphere. Making simple and physically motivated assumptions about the emitting regions, we are able to construct the multiwavelength lightcurves that qualitatively agree with the corresponding observations. The agreement suggests that multipole magnetic structures are the key to modeling this type of pulsar, and can be used to constrain the magnetic inclination angle and the location of radio emission.
The computational study of x-pinch plasmas driven by pulsed power generators demands the development of advanced numerical models and simulation schemes, able to enlighten the experiments. The capabilities of PLUTO code are here extended to enable the investigation of low current produced x-pinch plasmas. The numerical modules of the code used and modified are presented and discussed. The simulations results are compared to experiments, carried out on a table-top pulsed power plasma generator implemented in a mode of producing a peak current of ∼45 kA with a rise time (10%-90%) of 50 ns, loaded with Tungsten wires. The structural evolution of plasma density is studied and its influence on the magnetic field is analyzed with the help of the new simulation data. The simulated areal mass density is compared with the experimentally measured dense opaque region to enlighten the dense plasma evolution. In addition, the measured areal electron density is compared to the simulation results. Moreover, the new simulation data offer valuable insights to the main jet formation mechanisms, which are further analyzed and discussed in relation to the influence of the J× B force and the momentum.
The computational study of x-pinch plasmas driven by pulsed power generators demands the development of advanced numerical models and simulation schemes, able to enlighten the experiments. The capabilities of PLUTO code are here extended to enable the investigation of low current produced x-pinch plasmas. The numerical modules of the code used and modified are presented and discussed. The simulations results are compared to experiments, carried out on a table-top pulsed power plasma generator implemented in a mode of producing a peak current of ∼45 kA with a rise time (10%-90%) of 50 ns, loaded with Tungsten wires. The structural evolution of plasma density is studied and its influence on the magnetic field is analyzed with the help of the new simulation data. The simulated areal mass density is compared with the experimentally measured dense opaque region to enlighten the dense plasma evolution. In addition, the measured areal electron density is compared to the simulation results. Moreover, the new simulation data offer valuable insights to the main jet formation mechanisms, which are further analyzed and discussed in relation to the influence of the J× B force and the momentum.
Aims: Spectral and temporal analysis of the NuSTAR observation Galactic Be-XRB Swift J1845.7-0037. during its recent outburst. Methods: For the spectral analysis we use both phenomenological and physics-based models. We employ an often used empirical model to identify the main characteristics of the spectral shape in relation to nominal spectral characteristics of X-ray pulsars. Additionally, we used the latest version of Bulk amp; Thermal comptonization model (BW), to assess the validity of the spectral components required by the empirical model and to investigate the origin of the hard X-ray emission. We also analyzed the source light-curve, studying the pulse shape at different energy ranges and tracking the spectral evolution with pulse phase by using the model independent hardness ratio (HR). Results: We find that while both the empirical and physical (BW) spectral models can produce good spectral fits, the BW model returns physically plausible best-fit values for the source parameters and does not require any additional spectral components to the non-thermal, accretion column emission. The BW model also yielded an estimation of the neutron star magnetic field placing it in the 10^12G range. Conclusions: Our results, show that the spectral and temporal characteristics of the source emission are consistent with the scattering processes expected for radiation dominated shocks within the accretion column of highly magnetized accreting neutron stars. We further indicate that physically-derived spectral models such as BW, can be used to tentatively infer fundamental source parameters, in the absence of more direct observational signatures.
«O scriere a lui Sevastos Kyminitis adresată Voievodului Constantin Basarab», Relevanța Bisericii Ortodoxe în cultura română: interferenţe interortodoxe şi intercreştine, Facultatea de Teologie Ortodoxă “Ilarion V. Felea” Arad, Editura Universității “Aurel Vlaicu”, Arad - Editura Universitaria, Craiova, 2020, p. 45-56 (Romanian language) // « Ἕνα ἰδιόρυθμο “Κάτοπτρο Ἡγεμόνος” τοῦ Σεβαστου Κυμηνίτου γιὰ τὸν Constantin Basarab», Relevanța Bisericii Ortodoxe în cultura română: interferenţe interortodoxe şi intercreştine, Facultatea de Teologie Ortodoxă “Ilarion V. Felea” Arad, Editura Universității “Aurel Vlaicu”, Arad - Editura Universitaria, Craiova, 2020, p. 45-56
The increased development of computer vision technology combined with the increased availability of innovative platforms with ultra-high-resolution sensors, has generated new opportunities and fields for investigation in the engineering geology domain in general and landslide identification and characterization in particular. During the last decade, the so-called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been evaluated for diverse applications such as 3D terrain analysis, slope stability, mass movement hazard and risk management. Their advantages of detailed data acquisition at a low cost and effective performance identifies them as leading platforms for site-specific 3D modelling. In this study, the proposed methodology has been developed based on Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) and fusion of multivariate data resulted from UAV photogrammetry processing in order to take full advantage of the produced data. Two landslide case studies within the territory of Greece, with different geological and geomorphological characteristics, have been investigated in order to assess the developed landslide detection and characterization algorithm performance in distinct scenarios. The methodology outputs demonstrate the potential for an accurate characterization of individual landslide objects within this natural process based on ultra high-resolution data from close range photogrammetry and OBIA techniques for landslide conceptualization. This proposed study shows that UAV-based landslide modelling on the specific case sites provides a detailed characterization of local scale events in an automated sense with high adaptability on the specific case site.
Lekkas E, Mavroulis S, Gogou M, Papadopoulos GA, Triantafyllou I, Katsetsiadou KN, Kranis H, Skourtsos E, Carydis P, Voulgaris N. The October 30, 2020, Mw 6.9 Samos (Greece) earthquake. Newsletter of Environmental, Disaster and Crises Management Strategies. 2020;21.
In this paper, for the first time in literature, we introduce one-sided weighted inverses and extend the notions of one-sided inverses, outer inverses and inverses along given elements. Although our results are new and in the matrix case, we decided to present them in tensor space with reshape operator. For this purpose, a left and right (M,N)-weighted (B,C)-inverse and the (M,N)-weighted (B,C)-inverse of a tensor are defined. Additionally, necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of these new inverses are presented. We describe the sets of all left (or right) (M,N)-weighted (B,C)-inverses of a given tensor. As consequences of these results, we consider the one-sided (B,C)-inverse, (B,C)-inverse, one-sided inverse along a tensor and inverse along a tensor. Further, we introduce a (M,N)-weighted (B,C)-outer inverse and a W-weighted (B,C)-outer inverse of tensors with a few characterizations. Then, corresponding algorithms for computing various types of outer inverses of tensors are proposed, implemented and tested. The prowess of the proposed inverses are demonstrated for finding the solution of Poisson problem and the restoration of 3D color images.
Chemical study of the CH2Cl2−MeOH (1:1) extract from the sponge Haliclona sp. collected in Mayotte highlighted three new long-chain highly oxygenated polyacetylenes, osirisynes G-I (1–3) together with the known osirisynes A (4), B (5), and E (6). Their structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectra and HRESIMS and MS/MS data. All compounds were evaluated on catalase and sirtuin 1 activation and on CDK7, proteasome, Fyn kinase, tyrosinase, and elastase inhibition. Five compounds (1; 3–6) inhibited proteasome kinase and two compounds (5–6) inhibited CDK7 and Fyn kinase. Osirisyne B (5) was the most active compound with IC50 on FYNB kinase, CDK7 kinase, and proteasome inhibition of 18.44 µM, 9.13 µM, and 0.26 µM, respectively.
AIM: This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
METHOD: This was an international cohort study of patients undergoing elective resection of colon or rectal cancer without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Centres entered data from their first recorded case of COVID-19 until 19 April 2020. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included anastomotic leak, postoperative SARS-CoV-2 and a comparison with prepandemic European Society of Coloproctology cohort data.
RESULTS: From 2073 patients in 40 countries, 1.3% (27/2073) had a defunctioning stoma and 3.0% (63/2073) had an end stoma instead of an anastomosis only. Thirty-day mortality was 1.8% (38/2073), the incidence of postoperative SARS-CoV-2 was 3.8% (78/2073) and the anastomotic leak rate was 4.9% (86/1738). Mortality was lowest in patients without a leak or SARS-CoV-2 (14/1601, 0.9%) and highest in patients with both a leak and SARS-CoV-2 (5/13, 38.5%). Mortality was independently associated with anastomotic leak (adjusted odds ratio 6.01, 95% confidence interval 2.58-14.06), postoperative SARS-CoV-2 (16.90, 7.86-36.38), male sex (2.46, 1.01-5.93), age >70 years (2.87, 1.32-6.20) and advanced cancer stage (3.43, 1.16-10.21). Compared with prepandemic data, there were fewer anastomotic leaks (4.9% versus 7.7%) and an overall shorter length of stay (6 versus 7 days) but higher mortality (1.7% versus 1.1%).
CONCLUSION: Surgeons need to further mitigate against both SARS-CoV-2 and anastomotic leak when offering surgery during current and future COVID-19 waves based on patient, operative and organizational risks.
The spatial and temporal scale of flash flood occurrence provides limited opportunities for observations and measurements using conventional monitoring networks, turning the focus to event-based, post-disaster studies. Post-flood surveys exploit field evidence to make indirect discharge estimations, aiming to improve our understanding of hydrological response dynamics under extreme meteorological forcing. However, discharge estimations are associated with demanding fieldwork aiming to record in small timeframes delicate data and data prone-to-be-lost and achieve the desired accuracy in measurements to minimize various uncertainties of the process. In this work, we explore the potential of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technology, in combination with the Structure for Motion (SfM) and optical granulometry techniques in peak discharge estimations. We compare the results of the UAS-aided discharge estimations to estimates derived from differential Global Navigation Satellite System (d-GNSS) surveys and hydrologic modelling. The application in the catchment of Soures torrent in Greece, after a catastrophic flood shows that the UAS-aided approach succeeded in determining peak discharge with high accuracy. The technique proved to be particularly effective, providing flexibility in terms of resources and timing, although there are certain limitations to its applicability. The application highlighted important advantages and certain weaknesses of these emerging tools in indirect discharge estimations, which we discuss in detail.
Restrictions on exercising worship can be applied for the protection of hunan life and health during pandemic crisis by the power of the 88th Canon of the Penthekti Ecumenical Synods (In Trullo, 691).The Holy Canon introduces a general principle within the postitive law of the Church. It is described as the principle of apatheia:
"And we are taught that the Sabbath was made for man: wherefore also the safety and comfort of man are by all means to be placed first."
Hymnale Ambrosianum. The structural background of a paleochristian hymnological modelThe monograph covers exhaustively all aspects of the structural material of Ambrose’s hymnological prototype. Given that the locating of the structural material is identified with its semiological understanding in the researcher’s language, the translation-related elaboration of the texts could not be excluded from this study.At its beginning the book comprises: the Table of Contents (pp. 9- 11), the Foreword (pp. 13-14) and Abbreviations (pp. 15-19). The following parts are: 1. Introduction (pp. 21-65). The first paragraph entitled Foreword (pp. 22-30), focuses on the significance of Ambrose’s Hymnologion. It focuses on the fourteen authentic hymns by Ambrose, as an aspect constituting common knowledge in the two ancient liturgical traditions, those of West and East. The next paragraph is entitled References of the Research of Ambrose’s Hymnology (pp. 30-39), which is a presentation of hitherto literary studies and publications of Ambrose’s Hymnologion with critical observations. The title of the next paragraph is The Hard to Explore Structural Dimension of Hymnale Ambrosianum (pp. 39-47). This paragraph locates the gaps in the research of Ambrose’s hymnography as a spiritual creation. It does this through the prism of the question of whether as a prototype of the hymnological development Ambrose’s hymnography fits within the structural basis of the treasury of the tradition of worship of the Church universally and whether, as such, it could point to a desirable balance between the creative freedom and the required adherence to the treasury of the Holy Tradition of worship. The fourth paragraph is entitled The Translational Gap of Ambrose’s Hymns in Greek Bibliography (pp. 47-62). The fifth and last paragraph entitled The Translational Approach of the Present Publication (pp. 62-65) is divided into three subsections: the ad litteram translation (literal, word by word translation), the ad sensum translation (translation according to meaning) and lastly, the translations where Latin alphabet is used for writing in Greek. 2. Chapter I (pp. 67-154) entitled The Ambrosian Context is divided into two parts. The first part, entitled The Mystic and Teacher (pp. 67-90), offers a portrayal of Ambrose while focusing on the aspects that are significant for the topic of the present study. The second part, entitled Divine Mystagogy (pp. 90-154) deals with the three basic components of Ambrose’s pedagogy: (a) the fishing of souls through preaching (liturgical Evangelism), (b) the passing on of the Eucharistic theology and its embrace by the faithful and (c) the formation of an appealing and complete prototype of the mystagogical performance. These three components place the regular presence of the faithful inside the Church and the creation of a live, participation-loving and zealously pulsating community at the epicentre of Ambrose’s pastoral aim. 3. Chapter II (pp. 155-179) bears the title The Dogmatic Reading of Ambrose’s Hymns. This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part is entitled Confession of Faith (pp. 155-170), whereas the second part is entitled Confession of Martyrdom (pp. 170-179). In the first part, the commentary on the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed with verses from Ambrose’s hymns demonstrates that Ambrose’s hymns are a vehicle for transmitting and consolidating of the foundational dogmas of orthodoxy. In the second part, we make use of the translations included in the publication part of this study (ad litteram, ad sensum and 19th century Greek texts with Latin characters) in order to demonstrate Ambrose’s position in relation to those dogmatic teachings which are not included in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. The main axis of that second part of Chapter II is the teaching regarding the Martyrdom. It is upon that teaching that Peter’s primacy is constructed, as a primacy of the Confession of Faith. The equality between Peter and Paul in terms of the Martyrdom, the honouring of the memory of the Martyrs by the Church and the veneration of their relics by the faithful within the context of Divine Worship are aspects which are also established. 4. Chapter III (pp. 181-230) is entitled Ambrose’s Hymnological Prototype. The Introduction (pp. 181-188) is followed by the section entitled Melopoetic and Performative Method (pp. 188-212), where within three separate paragraphs, three prototypes of the hymnological development are presented and analysed, based on the research sources. These prototypes are presented and analysed according to the chronological order of the epochs to which they belong and not according to the epoch of the source’s writer. More specifically, these are: the prototype of Antiochians Flavian and Diodoros, the prototype of Ambrose and the prototype of Chrysostom. In the fourth paragraph a common historical provenance of these three prototypes is located. The similarity between Ambrose’s prototype and other prototypes which are collectively of Eastern provenance provides an answer to the crucial question posed in the Introduction, meaning that Ambrose’s is a prototype of hymnological development which fits within the structural basis of the treasury of worship of the entire Church. The third part of Chapter III bears the title Poetic Art (pp. 213-230) and it relates to the idiosyncratic aspect of Ambrose’s poetic art, which was imitated by later hymnographers of the Western Church. The monograph locates these aspects and includes them by paying attention to that which is particular as distinct to that which is general. It does this while paying attention to the simplicity of the texts, the density of the narrative meanings and the dominating lyricism. Accordingly, the monograph conducts the analysis of the content of the sources which is arranged into three subsections with following titles: The Oikonomia of the Depicting Word (pp. 213-219), The Perspective of the Verbal Image (pp. 219-227) and Ambrose’s Lyrical State (pp. 227-230). The last part of the monograph is the publication part (pp. 233-319) which includes: (a) the threefold publication of the text of the fourteen authentic Ambrosian Hymns (the Latin original, the Greek ad litteram translation and the Greek ad sensum translation), (b) the publication of the Latin original and the equivalent Greek text with Latin characters of five hymns which have been attributed to Ambrose in the past and which fit within the broader category of imitations of Hymnale Ambrosianum - the texts confirm the position supported in this monograph, that Ambrose’s orthodoxy was crystal clear and undeniable and that his status was such that translators who re-wrote hymns in Greek with Latin characters which were considered Ambrosian respected their dogmatic precision, (c) the publication of one hymn in Latin and its equivalent Greek text with Latin characters which was never attributed to Ambrose and which, contrary to the category of translated hymns mentioned in point ‘b’, manifests serious dogmatic alterations which occurred during the translation from Latin to Greek, despite the fact that its prototype does not deviate from the orthodox dogma. The Abstract in English is then included, followed by the Bibliography, the Translation Index, the Index of Excerpts from the Bible, the Index of Names and the Index of Terms
Swift J0243.6+6124 is a Be/X-ray binary and the first known ultraluminous X-ray pulsar in our Galaxy that reached a peak luminosity Lx > 1039 erg s-1 during its 2017-2018 outburst. The proximity of this system allows for the study of super-Eddington accretion as an analog of distant ultraluminous X-ray sources. We used data from the Neil Gehrels Swift X-ray Telescope to investigate the evolution of the spectral and temporal properties of this system, looking for characteristic transitions that could reveal changes in the accretion regime with Lx. A first transition is found in the hardness-intensity diagram at Lx ~ 7 x 1036 erg s-1. The system exhibits a harder-when-brighter trend that changes to a softer-when-brighter trend. This transition is typical in Galactic BeXRB pulsars, and is often used as a proxy of the magnetic field strength of the neutron star. A second transition is indicated by changes in fractional variability and spectral hardness at a critical luminosity Lcrit ~ 3 x 1038 erg s-1. Pulsations exhibit single peak behavior and change to double peak following the transition. Associating these transitions with the formation and evolution of the accretion column can help us derive constraints on the magnetic field of the neutron star, and gain insights on super-Eddington accretion.
Background:Although several studies that rely on self-determinationtheory have shown the positive interrelations among perceived needsupportive learning environment, needs satisfaction, quality ofmotivation, and desired outcomes in the context of physical education,only few studies have tested so far the full sequence of relations withina single integrated model.Purpose:The main aim of this study was to test whether indeed needssatisfaction and in turn quality of motivation mediate the relations ofneed supportive learning environment to physical activity engagementand intentions.Method:Participants were 1120 Spanish students (49.9% males;Mage =11.70 years;SD= 1.63; range = 10–17 years) from 30 classes out of 13primary and secondary schools.Results:The multilevel path model showed a positive relation ofperceived need-supportive teaching to physical activity engagementand intentions by means of needs satisfaction and autonomousmotivation and a negative relation of perceived need-thwartingteaching to engagement and intentions by means of needs frustrationand amotivation. Although controlled motivation was found toassociate with need frustration and need-thwarting teaching it was notassociated with engagement and intentions.Conclusion:the presentfindings suggest that the type of teaching styleemployed by the teachers is decisive to achieve positive consequences inphysical education students.
Recent developments in digital technologies regarding the cultural heritage domain have driven technological trends in comfortable and convenient traveling, by offering interactive and personalized user experiences. The emergence of big data analytics, recommendation systems and personalization techniques have created a smart research field, augmenting cultural heritage visitor’s experience. In this work, a novel, hybrid recommender system for cultural places is proposed, that combines user preference with cultural tourist typologies. Starting with the McKercher typology as a user classification research base, which extracts five categories of heritage tourists out of two variables (cultural centrality and depth of user experience) and using a questionnaire, an enriched cultural tourist typology is developed, where three additional variables governing cultural visitor types are also proposed (frequency of visits, visiting knowledge and duration of the visit). The extracted categories per user are fused in a robust collaborative filtering, matrix factorization-based recommendation algorithm as extra user features. The obtained results on reference data collected from eight cities exhibit an improvement in system performance, thereby indicating the robustness of the presented approach.
Triassic rift-related volcanic rocks outcrop over all mainland Greece, comprising of trachybasalts and basaltic trachyandesites. Relatively immobile to the effects of alteration processes major and trace element abundances classify the volcanics into OIB and E-MORB lavas. They have mainly been distinguished based upon their: i) LREE contents, ii) silica-saturation index (S·I.), iii) Zr/Nb and Nb/Y ratio values; iv) Th, U, and Ta contents v) geotectonic discrimination diagrams. Their geochemistry indicates that most rocks were affected by moderate to extensive differentiation processes, mostly expressed by clinopyroxene fractionation. Some of the OIB and E-MORB volcanics are considered as primitive undersaturated, displaying (low SiO2, Zr/Nb and S.I. values, enhanced CaO/Al2O3 ratios). Calculated average mantle potential temperatures are comparable (1410 °C OIB; 1370 °C E-MORB), with melt fractions estimated at 3–5% for primary OIB magmas and 6–8% for primary E-MORB magmas. An asthenospheric origin is inferred for the OIB lavas, with melting in the garnet stability field (75–95 km; 2.5–3.0 GPa), whereas E-MORB parent magmas were formed with melting in the garnet/spinel (transitional) stability field (55–70 km; 1.8–2.2 GPa). The Hellenic Triassic rift-related lavas were most likely generated and erupted after lithospheric attenuation and extension, followed by subsequent asthenospheric upwelling of the mantle. The high calculated partial melting degrees and the observed thick and voluminous lava formations account for fast-spreading of the Tethys ridge during the Triassic. Temperature results suggest that the Hellenic Triassic rift-related magmas were generated from mantle at ambient temperature, render a mantle plume-based scenario improbable.
Cepheids are pulsating variable stars with a periodic chromospheric response at UV wavelengths close to their minimum radius phase. Recently, an X-ray variable signature was captured in observations during the maximum radius phase. This X-ray emission came as a surprise and is not understood. In this work, we use the modern astrophysical code PLUTO to investigate the effects of pulsations on Cepheid X-ray emission. We run a number of hydrodynamic numerical simulations with a variety of initial and boundary conditions in order to explore the capability of shocks to produce the observed phase-dependent X-ray behavior. Finally, we use the Simulated Observations of X-ray Sources (SOXS) package to create synthetic spectra for each simulation case and link our simulations to observables. We show that, for certain conditions, we can reproduce observed X-ray fluxes at phases 0.4-0.8 when the Cepheid is at maximum radius. Our results span a wide range of mass-loss rates, 2 × 10-13 M☉ yr-1 to 3 × 10-8 M☉ yr-1, and peak X-ray luminosities, 5 × 10-17 erg cm-2 s-1 to 1.4 × 10-12 erg cm-2 s-1. We conclude that Cepheids exhibit two-component emission with (a) shock waves being responsible for the phase-dependent variable emission (phases 0.2-0.6) and (b) a separate quiescent mechanism being the dominant emission mechanism for the remaining phases.
Cepheids are pulsating variable stars with a periodic chromospheric response at UV wavelengths close to their minimum radius phase. Recently, an X-ray variable signature was captured in observations during the maximum radius phase. This X-ray emission came as a surprise and is not understood. In this work, we use the modern astrophysical code PLUTO to investigate the effects of pulsations on Cepheid X-ray emission. We run a number of hydrodynamic numerical simulations with a variety of initial and boundary conditions in order to explore the capability of shocks to produce the observed phase-dependent X-ray behavior. Finally, we use the Simulated Observations of X-ray Sources (SOXS) package to create synthetic spectra for each simulation case and link our simulations to observables. We show that, for certain conditions, we can reproduce observed X-ray fluxes at phases 0.4-0.8 when the Cepheid is at maximum radius. Our results span a wide range of mass-loss rates, 2 × 10-13 M⊙ yr-1 to 3 × 10-8 M⊙ yr-1, and peak X-ray luminosities, 5 × 10-17 erg cm-2 s-1 to 1.4 × 10-12 erg cm-2 s-1. We conclude that Cepheids exhibit two-component emission with (a) shock waves being responsible for the phase-dependent variable emission (phases 0.2-0.6) and (b) a separate quiescent mechanism being the dominant emission mechanism for the remaining phases.
Assessment of the long-term population-level effects of HIV interventions is an ongoing public health challenge. Following the implementation of a Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP) in Odessa, Ukraine, in 2013-2016, we obtained HIV pol gene sequences and used phylogenetics to identify HIV transmission clusters. We further applied the birth-death skyline model to the sequences from Odessa (n = 275) and Kyiv (n = 92) in order to estimate changes in the epidemic's effective reproductive number (R(e)) and rate of becoming uninfectious (δ). We identified 12 transmission clusters in Odessa; phylogenetic clustering was correlated with younger age and higher average viral load at the time of sampling. Estimated R(e) were similar in Odessa and Kyiv before the initiation of TRIP; R(e) started to decline in 2013 and is now below R(e) = 1 in Odessa (R(e) = 0.4, 95%HPD 0.06-0.75), but not in Kyiv (R(e) = 2.3, 95%HPD 0.2-5.4). Similarly, estimates of δ increased in Odessa after the initiation of TRIP. Given that both cities shared the same HIV prevention programs in 2013-2019, apart from TRIP, the observed changes in transmission parameters are likely attributable to the TRIP intervention. We propose that molecular epidemiology analysis can be used as a post-intervention effectiveness assessment tool.
Numerous studies covering some aspects of SARS-CoV-2 data analyses are being published on a daily basis, including a regularly updated phylogeny on nextstrain.org. Here, we review the difficulties of inferring reliable phylogenies by example of a data snapshot comprising a quality-filtered subset of 8, 736 out of all 16, 453 virus sequences available on May 5, 2020 from gisaid.org. We find that it is difficult to infer a reliable phylogeny on these data due to the large number of sequences in conjunction with the low number of mutations. We further find that rooting the inferred phylogeny with some degree of confidence either via the bat and pangolin outgroups or by applying novel computational methods on the ingroup phylogeny does not appear to be credible. Finally, an automatic classification of the current sequences into sub-classes using the mPTP tool for molecular species delimitation is also, as might be expected, not possible, as the sequences are too closely related. We conclude that, although the application of phylogenetic methods to disentangle the evolution and spread of COVID-19 provides some insight, results of phylogenetic analyses, in particular those conducted under the default settings of current phylogenetic inference tools, as well as downstream analyses on the inferred phylogenies, should be considered and interpreted with extreme caution.
According to Piaget, the attainment of formal operational thought (between the ages of 12 and 15 years) is the final stage of cognitive development, preparing the adolescent to efficiently adapt to the adult world. Piaget regarded formal thinking as propositional, abstract, hypothetico-deductive, combinatory, and reflective, allowing for the conception of both the possible and the real. This entry discusses the fundamental mechanisms that lead to the acquisition of formal thought, along with its specific manifestations. Finally, it presents an overview of the criticism of the Piagetian theoretical standpoint.
A generalized rigorous Floquet scattering-matrix method for stratified anisotropic optical media, subject to a periodic spatiotemporal modulation, is formulated and implemented. The method is applied for studying an optomagnonic cavity formed by an in-plane magnetized ferrite film, in which a magnetostatic surface spin wave propagates, sandwiched between two nonmagnetic dielectric Bragg mirrors. Our results provide unambiguous evidence that externally incident light, when trapped in a cavity mode, experiences a strongly enhanced interaction with the spin wave due to the increased coupling time, which can give rise to pronounced effects if the appropriate selection rules are fulfilled. By means of systematic calculations we reveal and explain some remarkable features of this interaction, such as formation of spectral gaps, controllable transmission, and the emergence of inelastic diffracted beams, and show that efficient conversion of the optical wave can be achieved by triply resonant inelastic scattering through (multi)magnon absorption and emission processes.
Planets In Your Hand is a science education program, that consists of a portable interactive exhibition of eight planetary surface models. The program offers the visitors a tactile experience and the opportunity to understand the diversity of the planetary surfaces in our Solar System. The planetary models have been exhibited in a series of public events since their construction in 2018 and have been visited by a wide range of audience, including visually impaired people. The project is still running, while Planets In Your Hand team is working on improvements, that foresee to a greater social and educational impact. The current work summarizes the social impact of the program through the visitors" questionnaires, comments and impressions.1. IntroductionPlanets In Your Hand (PIYH) is a science communication project, initiated at the Department of Physics of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). Its purpose is to reach individuals, that do not have any previous interaction with the field, trigger their interest to interactively participate in scientific activities and public events and eventually bring them closer to science and contribute in lifelong learning. This is mainly attempted through a visual and tangible representation of the planetary environments and morphologies in our Solar System (Kefala et al., 2018), that also benefits visually impaired people.The success of PIYH project is established by the Science Communication Award (EΠI2 Award 2019) in the category of "Awareness Activities and Campaigns".PIYH program is a non-formal learning experience, the importance of which is widely accepted and supported by the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996). The way science communication is organized and planned as well as the visitor"s intrinsic motivation for learning (Eshach 2007) declares this an indisputable fact.2. Data CollectionIn order to evaluate the social impact of the PIYH project, questionnaires were filled out by the visitors after their conceivable journey to our Solar System. Multiple-choice questions and a comment section were included. The goal was to examine whether the exhibition provides an overall positive experience to the visitors and to find possible ways to improve its presentation.The planetary models have been exhibited in a series of public events (Fig. 1) since the beginning of the program (Palafouta et al., 2019). This research was conducted during two major events where PIYH was presented. These are the opening of the exhibition and the Athens Science Festival 2019.Oral impressions and evaluations for every event were also made directly by the members of the PIYH team that presented the planetary surfaces. They were based on the reactions and the comments of the visitors and were really helpful. PIYH program is a non-formal learning experience, the importance of which is widely accepted and supported by the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996). The way science communication is organized and planned as well as the visitor"s intrinsic motivation for learning (Eshach 2007) declares this an indisputable fact.3. The social impactThe questionnaire provided an overall positive feedback by the visitors. As shown in Fig. 2 the majority (97.5 %) of the visitors were pleased with PIYH project and the exhibition. Early ages (≤23 years old) occupy great percentage (61 %) of the visitors, while the rest include individuals, parents or educators.The overwhelming majority of the participants (98.5%) would recommend the exhibition to a friend, enhancing the social impact of the project, while many parents and educators mentioned that this project can trigger new generations to engage with Astrophysics and science in general.More than 47% of the visitors shared their impressions through additional comments. Positive remarks were given, for the exhibition and its presentation by the PIYH team members.Visually impaired people commented positively, mentioning that exhibitions in general do not offer tangible experience, and they are limited to an oral, acoustic or pre-recorded presentation. PIYH exhibition gave them for the first time the sense of planetary scale, surface characteristics and the unique opportunity to interact with planetary surfaces.A wide range of reactions was perceived by the PIYH team members during the events with respect to the visitor"s background in astrophysics.Regardless of their age, people who were getting in touch with Planetary Science for the first time were curious to touch and feel the surface"s differences, asking questions about the internal and external structure and the atmospheric phenomena of each planet. Those who had scientific background, combined facts and knowledge from their own scientific field with the information provided during the events.On the other hand, visitors familiar with astronomy and planetary science expressed more elaborate questions, many of which concerned the current research on space exploration.4. Summary and ConclusionsThis research has shown that people of different age and scientific background can be brought together through an interactive and tangible educational experience. PIYH exhibition is considered a pleasant and memorable experience according to the conducted analysis. The project attracted individuals that have no previous interaction with the field of Planetary Science, triggering their interest and brought together people who are already interested or contribute to science. PIYH project makes this learning experience accessible to visually impaired people, encouraging this way the local community to create similar activities. It is an alternative, creative and interesting way of learning about our Solar System. Similar projects can be inspired by PIYH program and engage the general public in science through a pleasant and cognitively successful way, enhancing the communication of science in many fields.References[1] Eshach, H., 2007, Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16, 171-190.[2] Kefala, K., et al., 2018, EPSC2018,1251-2.[3] National Research Council, 1996.National Science Education Standards. Washington DC: National Academy Press.[4] Palafouta, S., et al., 2019, EPSC-DPS2019, 1816-1
Tzanakaki A, Varvarigos E, Muñoz R, Nejabati R, Yoshikane N, Anastasopoulos M. PNET “ONDM 2019” special issue. Photonic Network Communications [Internet]. 2020;40:123-125. Website
Tzanakaki A, Varvarigos E, Muñoz R, Nejabati R, Yoshikane N, Anastasopoulos M. PNET “ONDM 2019” special issue. Photonic Network Communications [Internet]. 2020;40(3):123 - 125. Website
W Ursae Majoris-type binaries belong to the old population of our Galaxy, while their metallicity is close to solar. Their physical properties, kinematics and spatial distribution reflect the properties of their stellar progenitors. This study focuses on the spatial distribution of W UMa's in our solar neighborhood within a 500 pc radius, with a combined astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic determination of their stellar parameters. The sample is carefully selected, in order to fulfill certain criteria, and has well defined metallicity and distance parameters. H-R diagram, as well as similar correlation plots (mass-radius and mass-luminosity), show that the primary (more massive) components in such systems are located close or below the ZAMS region, while secondary components seem to be evolved, as a result of their common envelope geometry. Some prominent outliers are carefully examined in order to judge the environmental properties and evolution in certain locations of the Milky Way. It is found that metallicity is not correlated with distance, but there is a weak correlation between metallicity [M/H] and evolution state, as it is expressed by the location of the systems in the H-R diagram, the type of binary (A or W), and temperature.
During the period 24-25 November 2019 a low pressure system with organised convective storms has affected Greece as it crossed the country from west to east. The system, which was name Gyrionis, after a name used in the Greek mythology, has produced heavy rainfall, with increased lightning activity and local hailstorms. In the area of western Attica the maximum rainfall has been reported with 92 mm of on 24 November and additional 115 mm in 25 November, adding to a storm total of 206 mm, which caused flash floods in the town of Kineta. The storm caused overflowing of local torrents draining the south slopes of Geraneia Ori, inducing significant damages in property and infrastructure mainly within the town and across the coastal zone.
Field surveys showed that a wildfire that burned through almost the entire catchment of the main torrent (named Pikas) on 2018, played a crucial role in flooding and its impact on the town. At critical locations along the river, vegetation debris and eroded material of various grain sizes, including boulders, diminished dramatically the hydraulic capacity of the river, intensifying flooding in the downstream areas, which formed an alluvial fan.
Based on comparison of pre- and post-flood aerial photography of the burned area, a major source of this deposited material was identified as burned trees still standing after the fire, uprooted from the river banks of the main channel and carried away together with additional soil debris. The material was jammed at a crucial location near the apex of the alluvial fan causing floodwaters to overflow and inundate significant parts of the fan’s apron, a geomorphological setting that increased the extent and impact of flooding further.
Overall, the case of Kineta, is a characteristic case of post-wildfire flash flooding, in which the fire effects are critical in the enhancement of subsequent flooding phenomena.
Marathon Lake is an artificial reservoir with great environmental, ecological, social, and economic significance because it was the main source of water for Athens, the capital of Greece, for many years. The present study details the first attempt to map sedimentation in Marathon Lake in detail, using bathymetric mapping and soil erosion field surveying of the torrent watershed areas. First, the results of a bathymetric survey carried out in 2011 were compared with topographic maps that pre-date the construction of the dam. Based on this comparison, an estimated 8.34 hm3 of sediment have been deposited in the 80 years since the dam’s construction. In the current survey, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used to estimate soil loss in the watershed area of the streams that end in Marathon Lake. The estimated value from the RUSLE was substantially lower (3.02 hm3) than that calculated in the bathymetric survey.
Tzanakaki A, Varvarigos M, Muñoz R, Nejabati R, Yoshikane N, Anastasopoulos M, Marquez-Barja J. Preface. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics) [Internet]. 2020;11616 LNCS:v-vi. Website
The so-called "primordial family", is a recently discovered collisional family [1] that could be as old as the Solar system. It contains low-albedo asteroids and is located in the inner Main Belt. This family was identified by the V-shape technique [2] and is estimated to be at least 4 Gyr old, meaning that occurred before the giant planet instability [3]. Asteroids 2768 Gorky (1972 RX3) and 9086 (1995 SA3) are members of the primordial family and have been observed in order to determine their rotational period, spin pole and shape, which will give insights about their membership and the family evolution. The photometric data are obtained mainly by the University of Athens Observatory (UOAO) [4]. Models of the asteroids are derived by the lightcurve inversion method, which is stored in the Database of Asteroid Models from Inversion Techniques (DAMIT) [5].1. IntroductionThe so-called primordial family formed by an impact event 4 Gyr ago or even earlier, i.e. before the giant planet instability [3]. The identification of the primordial family has been done by using the V-shape technique [2]. The V-shape in (α,1/D) space is occurred due to the thermal Yarkovsky effect [6, 7, 2], where prograde-rotating asteroids drifting outwards and retrograde ones inward. As only the inward side of the V-shape of the primordial family is well defined, the members should have retrograde spin. Otherwise, the membership of asteroids with prograde spin could be disputed or the contradicting spin sense could be due to YORP cycles or a collision or a close encounter with other asteroid [8, 9]. Thus, it is essential to observe thoroughly the asteroids belonging to the primordial family, in order to determine their rotational state and shape.2. ObservationsAsteroid 2768 Gorky (1972 RX3) is member of the primordial asteroid family of the inner main belt [1]. Its rotational period is 4.507 ± 0.010 h [10], while its spin pole and shape remain unknown. Observations from Sopot Astronomy Observatory (SAO) for 2 nights in September 2019, in phase angle of 32°, are available in Asteroid Lightcurve Photometry Database (ALCDEF)[11] and present a period of 4.445 ± 0.003 h [12]. On the Observatoire de Genève website of R. Behrend [13] rotational period of the asteroid was reported to be 4.5118 ± 0.0007 h. Asteroid 2768 Gorky (1972 RX3) has been observed from UOAO for 5 nights in December 2019, in phase angles between 10° to 14°.Asteroid 9086 (1995 SA3) is member of the primordial asteroid family in the inner main belt [1]. Its rotational period, spin pole and shape remain unknown. UOAO has been observed this asteroid for 22 nights from October to November 2019, in phase angle ranging between 4° to 22°.3. Methodology and Preliminary ResultsDifferential photometry of the asteroid has been obtained for each sky field. All images were dark and flat-field corrected and unguided. The measured values are in magnitudes and have been transformed properly in relative flux. The determination of the rotational period of the two asteroids and the estimation of the spin pole and shape of 2768 Gorky (1972) has been carried out through the lightcurve inversion method stored in DAMIT [5]. 3.1 Asteroid 2768 Gorky (1972 RX3) The lightcurve of asteroid 2768 Gorky (1972 RX3) present a low amplitude of ~0.1 mag (or ~0.1 intensity units), as Figure 1 shows. Generating 50 random spin poles as initial input for DAMIT software, the results have the distribution presented in Figure 2. The plot in this figure constrains the possible spin poles of the asteroid, while the χ2 value and the dark facet percentage should have the lowest value. 3.2 Asteroid 9086 (1995 SA3) The lightcurve of asteroid 9086 (1995 SA3) present also a low amplitude of ~ 0.2 mag (or ~0.2 intensity units). The low brightness of the object in combination with the low amplitude of its lightcurve render the detection of its periodicity difficult, due to the background noise. In order to address this problem, the exposures of each night were combined in packs of 3, in order to increase the S/N and make the detection of light variation more prominent. The resulted period spectrum from DAMIT is presenting in Figure 3. 4. Summary and Conclusions The rotational period of 2768 Gorky (1972 RX3) has been calculated as 4.510 ± 0.020 h, in agreement with the literature. The spin pole is not defined well enough. It is needed observations from more than one apparition for more robust results. Asteroid 9086 (1995 SA3), despite the extensive observations, does not present a clear lightcurve, as a result to have not unique solution in the period. 5. Further work The determination of asteroids" rotational state and shape requires observations from more than one apparition. Alternatively, combing the already ground based with sparse data from sky surveys or space-borne could also drive to unique solutions. Acknowledgements We would to acknowledge Dr. Hanus J. for his valuable help and advices for the lightcurve analysis that performed. References [1] Delbo, M. et al. (2017). Science, 357, 1026-1029. [2] Bolin, B. T. et al. (2017). Icarus, 282, 290-312. [3] Tsiganis, K., et al. (2005). Nature, 435(7041), 459-461. [4] Gazeas, K. (2016). Revista Mexicana de Astronomía y Astrofísica, 48, 22-23. [5] Ďurech, J. et al. (2010). Astronomy & Astrophysics, 513, A46. (DAMIT"s website: astro.troja.mff.cuni.cz) [6] Milani, A. et al. (2014). Icarus, 239, 46-73. [7] Spoto, F. et al. (2015). Icarus, 257, 275-289. [8] Carruba, V. et al. (2013). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 433(3), 2075-2096. [9] Delisle, J. B., & Laskar, J. (2012). Astronomy & Astrophysics, 540, A118. [10] Pray, D. P. et al. (2008). Minor Planet Bulletin, 35, 34-36. [11] Asteroid Lightcurve Photometry Database (ALCDEF)"s website: alcdef.org [12] Benishek, V. (2020). Minor Planet Bulletin, 47(1), 75-83. [13] Observatoire de Genève, Website of R. Behrend: obswww.unige.ch/~behrend
OBJECTIVE: We aim to show the feasibility of using an integrated prevention and care continuum (PCC) model as a complete and improved tool for HIV control measurement and programming. Alignment of prevention and care continua is essential to further improve health outcomes and minimize HIV transmission risk. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Data from 977 persons who inject drugs (PWID) collected in 2011-2016 in Tallinn, Estonia, were used to construct an HIV PCC for PWID, stratified by risk for acquiring or transmitting HIV infection and by coverage of combined interventions. We also estimated the average protective effect of current levels of intervention provision. RESULTS: 74.4%, 20.3% and 35.2% of PWID were currently using needle and syringe programmes (NSP), drug treatment and HIV testing, respectively. 51.1% of current PWID were HIV seropositive and of those 62.5% were currently on ART and 19.0% were virally suppressed. Across the PCC, individuals moved between categories of being aware and ever using drug treatment (resulting in -50% "leakage"); from ever having used to currently using drug treatment (-59%); between "ever testing" and "current (continuous) testing" (-62%); and from self-reported antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence to viral suppression (-70%). Use of prevention services was higher among those at risk of transmission (HIV positive). The overall reduction in acquisition risk among HIV-negative PWID was 77.7% (95% CrI 67.8-84.5%), estimated by the modelled protective effects of current levels of NSP, drug treatment and ART compared to none of these services. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that developing a cohesive model for HIV prevention and treatment is feasible and reflects the bi-directional relationships between prevention and care. The integrated continuum model indicates the major factors which may predict the epidemic course and control response.
INTRODUCTION: Both stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and acute exacerbations represent leading causes of death, disability and healthcare expenditure. They are complex, heterogeneous and their mechanisms are poorly understood. The role of respiratory viruses has been studied extensively but is still not adequately addressed clinically. Through a rigorous evidence update, we aim to define the prevalence and clinical burden of the different respiratory viruses in stable COPD and exacerbations, and to investigate whether viral load of usual respiratory viruses could be used for diagnosis of exacerbations triggered by viruses, which are currently not diagnosed or treated aetiologically. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Based on a prospectively registered protocol, we will systematically review the literature using standard methods recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation working group. We will search Medline/PubMed, Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE), the Cochrane Library, the WHO's Clinical Trials Registry and the proceedings of relevant international conferences on 2 March 2020. We will evaluate: (A) the prevalence of respiratory viruses in stable COPD and exacerbations, (B) differences in the viral loads of respiratory viruses in stable COPD vs exacerbations, to explore whether the viral load of prevalent respiratory viruses could be used as a diagnostic biomarker for exacerbations triggered by viruses and (C) the association between the presence of respiratory viruses and clinical outcomes in stable COPD and in exacerbations. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required since no primary data will be collected. Our findings will be presented in national and international scientific conferences and will be published in peer reviewed journals. Respiratory viruses currently represent a lost opportunity to improve the outcomes of both stable COPD and exacerbations. Our work aspires to 'demystify' the prevalence and clinical burden of viruses in stable COPD and exacerbations and to promote clinical and translational research. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019147658.
The current paper emphasizes on the debate referring to how historical case studies are processed in social sciences and humanities and which limitations have to be surpassed towards a clear-cut descriptive analysis. Systemic Geopolitical Analysis does offer the necessary set of methodological tools contributing to a reading of causes and effects without any deontological bias. To this aim, it uses a sequence of methodological stages for the description, the standardization, the terminology definition, the synthesis and finally, the draw of conclusions named as “sample of redistributions of power”. This last part is essentially followed by the geostrategic synthesis part; the descriptive and clearly scientific in which the geopolitical framework is given is followed by the subjective geostrategic one in which the challenges, dilemmas, threats and opportunities on behalf of a certain actor are presented. Based on this legacy, processing historical case studies is made with a clear distinction between objectivity and subjectivity or, in other words, between science with ontological reference and geostrategic recommendations. This paper replies to the epistemological legacy Systemic Geopolitical Analysis relying on as well as its core theoretical and methodological contribution.
Neocortex development depends on neural stem cell proliferation, cell differentiation, neurogenesis, and neuronal migration. Cytoskeletal regulation is critical for all these processes, but the underlying mechanisms are only poorly understood. We previously implicated the cytoskeletal regulator profilin1 in cerebellar granule neuron migration. Since we found profilin1 expressed throughout mouse neocortex development, we here tested the hypothesis that profilin1 is crucial for neocortex development. We found no evidence for impaired neuron migration or layering in the neocortex of profilin1 mutant mice. However, proliferative activity at basal positions was doubled in the mutant neocortex during mid-neurogenesis, with a drastic and specific increase in basal Pax6+ cells indicative for elevated numbers of basal radial glia (bRG). This was accompanied by transiently increased neurogenesis and associated with mild invaginations resembling rudimentary neocortex folds. Our data are in line with a model in which profilin1-dependent actin assembly controls division of apical radial glia (aRG) and thereby the fate of their progenies. Via this mechanism, profilin1 restricts cell delamination from the ventricular surface and, hence, bRG production and thereby controls neocortex development in mice. Our data support the radial cone hypothesis" claiming that elevated bRG number causes neocortex folds.
Rizou S, Athanasoulis P, Andriani P, Iadanza F, Trakadas P, Griffin D, Kheirkhah M, Breitgand D, Weit A, Ustok RF, et al.Programmable edge-to-cloud virtualization for 5G media industry: The 5G-media approach. In: Artificial Intelligence Applications and Innovations. AIAI 2020 IFIP WG 12.5 International Workshops: MHDW 2020 and 5G-PINE 2020, Neos Marmaras, Greece, June 5–7, 2020, Proceedings 16. Springer International Publishing; 2020. pp. 95–104.
The origin of high-energy emission in blazars jets (I.e., leptonic versus hadronic) has been a longstanding matter of debate. Here, we focus on one variant of hadronic models where proton synchrotron radiation accounts for the observed steady γ-ray blazar emission. Using analytical methods, we derive the minimum jet power ( ${P}_{j,\min }$ ) for the largest blazar sample analyzed to date (145 sources), taking into account uncertainties of observables and jet's physical parameters. We compare ${P}_{j,\min }$ against three characteristic energy estimators for accreting systems, I.e., the Eddington luminosity, the accretion disk luminosity, and the power of the Blandford-Znajek process, and find that ${P}_{j,\min }$ is about 2 orders of magnitude higher than all energetic estimators for the majority of our sample. The derived magnetic field strengths in the emission region require either large amplification of the jet's magnetic field (factor of 30) or place the γ-ray production site at sub-pc scales. The expected neutrino emission peaks at ∼0.1-10 EeV, with typical peak neutrino fluxes ∼10-4 times lower than the peak γ-ray fluxes. We conclude that if relativistic hadrons are present in blazar jets, they can only produce a radiatively subdominant component of the overall spectral energy distribution of the blazar's steady emission.
RATIONALE: Νeurosteroids, like dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), play an important role in neurodegeneration and neural protection, but they are metabolized in androgens, estrogens, or other active metabolites. A newly developed synthetic DHEA analog, BNN27 ((20R)-3β,21-dihydroxy-17R,20-epoxy-5-pregnene), exerts neurotrophic and neuroprotective actions without estrogenic or androgenic effects. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate potential anxiolytic or antidepressant properties of BNN27. METHODS: Male and female adult Wistar rats were treated with BNN27 (10, 30, or 90 mg/kg, i.p.) and subjected to behavioral tests measuring locomotion, exploration, and "depressive-like" behavior (open field, light/dark box, hole-board, and forced swim tests). The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were collected for glutamate and GABA measurements, and trunk blood was collected for gonadal hormone analysis. RESULTS: Acute high-dose BNN27 reduced locomotion and exploratory behavior in both sexes. Intermediate acute doses (30 mg/kg) of BNN27 reduced exploration and testosterone levels only in males, and enhanced progesterone levels in both sexes. Notably, with the present design, BNN27 had neither anxiolytic nor antidepressant effects and did not affect estrogen levels. Interestingly, acute administration of a low BNN27 dose (10 mg/kg) increased glutamate turnover, GABA, and glutamine levels in the hippocampus. The same dose also enhanced glutamate levels in the prefrontal cortex of males only. Sex differences were apparent in the basal levels of behavioral, hormonal, and neurochemical parameters, as expected. CONCLUSIONS: BNN27 affects locomotion, progesterone, and testosterone levels, as well as the glutamatergic and GABAergic systems of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in a sex-dependent way.
A critical issue for the safe operation of nuclear power plants is to quickly and accurately detect possible anomalies and perturbations in the reactor. Defects in operation are principally identified through changes in the neutron flux, as captured by detectors placed at various points inside and outside of the core. While wavelet-based analysis of the measured signals has been thoroughly used for anomaly detection, it has yet to be coupled with deep learning approaches. To this end, this work presents a novel technique for anomaly detection on nuclear reactor signals through the combined use of wavelet-based analysis and convolutional neural networks. In essence, the wavelet transform is applied to the signals and the corresponding scaleograms are produced, which are subsequently used to train a convolutional neural network that detects possible perturbations in the reactor core. The overall methodology is experimentally validated on a set of simulated nuclear reactor signals generated by a well-established relevant tool. The obtained results indicate that the trained network achieves high levels of accuracy in failure detection, while at the same time being robust to noise.
The knapsack problem is a problem in combinatorial optimization, and in many such problems, exhaustive search is not tractable. In this paper, we describe and analyze the randomized time-varying knapsack problem (RTVKP) as a time-varying integer linear programming (TV-ILP) problem. In this way, we present the on-line solution to the RTVKP combinatorial optimization problem and highlight the restrictions of static methods. In addition, the RTVKP is applied in the field of finance and converted into a portfolio insurance problem. Our methodology is confirmed by simulation tests in real-world data sets, in order to explain being an excellent alternative to traditional approaches.
The organization of the mitochondrial electron transport chain proteins into supercomplexes (SCs) is now undisputed; however, their assembly process, or the role of differential expression isoforms, remain to be determined. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, cytochrome c oxidase (CIV) forms SCs of varying stoichiometry with cytochrome bc(1) (CIII). Recent studies have revealed, in normoxic growth conditions, an interface made exclusively by Cox5A, the only yeast respiratory protein that exists as one of two isoforms depending on oxygen levels. Here we present the cryo-EM structures of the III(2)-IV(1) and III(2)-IV(2) SCs containing the hypoxic isoform Cox5B solved at 3.4 and 2.8 A, respectively. We show that the change of isoform does not affect SC formation or activity, and that SC stoichiometry is dictated by the level of CIII/CIV biosynthesis. Comparison of the CIV(5B)- and CIV(5A)-containing SC structures highlighted few differences, found mainly in the region of Cox5. Additional density was revealed in all SCs, independent of the CIV isoform, in a pocket formed by Cox1, Cox3, Cox12, and Cox13, away from the CIII-CIV interface. In the CIV(5B)-containing hypoxic SCs, this could be confidently assigned to the hypoxia-induced gene 1 (Hig1) type 2 protein Rcf2. With conserved residues in mammalian Hig1 proteins and Cox3/Cox12/Cox13 orthologs, we propose that Hig1 type 2 proteins are stoichiometric subunits of CIV, at least when within a III-IV SC.
The joint detection of GW170817/GRB 170817 confirmed the long-standing theory that binary neutron star mergers produce short gamma-ray burst (sGRB) jets that can successfully break out of the surrounding ejecta. At the same time, the association with a kilonova provided unprecedented information regarding the physical properties (such as masses and velocities) of the different ejecta constituents. Combining this knowledge with the observed luminosities and durations of cosmological sGRBs detected by the Burst Alert Telescope onboard the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, we revisit the breakout conditions of sGRB jets. Assuming self-collimation of sGRB jets does not play a critical role, we find that the time interval between the binary merger and the launch of a typical sGRB jet is $\lesssim 0.1\,{\rm{s}}$ . We also show that for a fraction of at least $\sim 30 \% $ of sGRBs, the usually adopted assumption of static ejecta is inconsistent with observations, even if the polar ejecta mass is an order of magnitude smaller than that in GRB 170817. Our results disfavor magnetar central engines for powering cosmological sGRBs, limit the amount of energy deposited in the cocoon prior to breakout, and suggest that the observed delay of ∼1.7 s in GW170817/GRB 170817 between the gravitational wave and gamma-ray signals is likely dominated by the propagation time of the jet to the gamma-ray production site.
Maintenance of synaptic homeostasis is a challenging task, due to the intricate spatial organization and intense activity of synapses. Typically, synapses are located far away from the neuronal cell body, where they orchestrate neuronal signalling and communication, through neurotransmitter release. Stationary mitochondria provide energy required for synaptic vesicle cycling, and preserve ionic balance by buffering intercellular calcium at synapses. Thus, synaptic homeostasis is critically dependent on proper mitochondrial function. Indeed, defective mitochondrial metabolism is a common feature of several neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), bipolar disorders and schizophrenia among others, which are also accompanied by excessive synaptic abnormalities. Specialized and compartmentalized quality control mechanisms have evolved to restore and maintain synaptic energy metabolism. Here, we survey recent advances towards the elucidation of the pivotal role of mitochondria in neurotransmission and implicating mitophagy in the maintenance of synaptic homeostasis during ageing.
806 DIRECT CITATIONS – 806 ΑΝΑΦΟΡΕΣΑΠΕΥΘΕΙΑΣΣΤΟΕΡΓΟ(updated June 2, 2021)
....... Χιλιάδες «Αναγνώσεις» στονΠΕΡΓΑΜΟ-Pergamos (Thousands of Reads/Accesses Ενδεικτικά/example: 1) TheGreek Experience: Outstanding Women in the Social Space of Sport1,032 Αναγνώσεις/reads/accesses https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/2332855, 2)Athlete Activism and Peace Education: Bridging the Social Inequality Gap through Sports 765 Αναγνώσεις/reads https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/2359317 , 3) Interacting, sharing and bonding: ‘notes of personal experience’ by nineteenth-century women 1,004 Αναγνώσεις/reads https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/2330579 (τελευταία πρόσβαση 11/12/2020)
Beldachi AF, Anastasopoulos M, Manolopoulos A, Tzanakaki A, Nejabati R, Simeondou D. Resilient Cloud-RANs Adopting Network Coding. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics) [Internet]. 2020;11616 LNCS:349-361. Website
A plethora of scholarly works have been published on male Western travelers in the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, however the accounts of female travel writers drawing attention to experiences hidden from history could also be a welcome addition or an alternative discourse with a gender perspective. Motivated by a cross-examination of the original accounts of 240 Western women travelers in Ottoman territories in the 17th to 19th centuries, showing that over 6000 women travelled and experienced the Orient (Kamberidou 2017, 2016, 2015a), this paper continues the research, examining women’s contributions in times of conflict. As early as the 17th century, women have been going from one corner of the world to the other witnessing historic events, war and conflict, religious persecutions, pillaging and the removal or destruction of antiquities, and writing about it. The firsthand accounts of 252 European and American women travelers of the 17th to early 20th centuries in Asia Minor, Cyprus, Syria, Egypt, Greece and other Ottoman occupied territories confirm that thousands of women travelled and witnessed historic events. Women from Great Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and America explored, visited, resided as permanent residents, worked or served as volunteers, missionaries, educators, nurses, artists, governesses, ladies in waiting and servants of the western or eastern elite in different regions of the Ottoman Empire. This paper begins with a brief discussion on women travelers, subsequently focusing on 19th Century accounts regarding women’s contributions in times of conflict, exclusively from archival sources: the narratives of women volunteers, nurses, care givers and morale builders during the Crimean War (1853-1856), when the colonial experience encouraged female engagement. The accounts of English, French and German women who cared for the soldiers in the military hospitals of Constantinople and its environs reveal that women played key roles in social care, public health and hospital management, showing initiative and innovation in crisis management. The female accounts describe the British military and naval hospitals; the nurses duties and hardships (1,500 patients per 3 women: two lady volunteers and one nurse); the hundreds of women who followed their husbands to war; the demoralizing barrack system; the degrading social status and abuse of the English soldier’s wife and babies; the elevated status and protection enjoyed by the French soldier’s wife; the French military system. The female narratives argue that the French soldiers, as opposed to the English, are educated, industrious, productive and creative, adding to the general good. They spotlight the superiority of the French soldiers as regards their manners, morals, courtesy, organizational skills, patriotism and especially their respect and treatment of women.Keywords: Gender, Women, War, Female accounts, Volunteerism
AbsractPurposeTo demonstrate that oral drug absorption is terminated in finite time. To develop models based on biopharmaceutical/physiological and finite absorption time concepts.MethodsThe models are based on i) the passive drug diffusion mechanism under the sink conditions principle ii) the rate limiting role of the drug's properties solubility and permeability and iii) the relevant restrictions associated with the gastrointestinal transit times of drug in the stomach, the small intestines and the colon. Two input functions of constant rate are considered for the absorption of drug from i) the stomach/small intestines with an upper limit of 5 h and ii) the colon with an upper limit of 30 h. Branched differential equations were written for the time course of drug in the body.ResultsSimulations were performed using different scenarios, assuming a variety of drug properties and limited or non-existent absorption from the colon. Literature oral data of cephradine, ibuprofen, flurbiprofen and itraconazole were analyzed. For all drugs examined, nice fittings of the branched differential equations to the experimental data were observed.ConclusionsFor all drugs the absorption process was terminated in the small intestine. The meaning of partial AUCs, Cmax, tmax are questioned. Applications of these models to IVIVC are anticipated.
We present the results obtained from the analysis of high-mass X-ray binary pulsar 4U 1909+07 using NuSTAR and Astrosat observations in July 2015 and 2017, respectively. X-ray pulsations at ≈604 s are clearly detected in our study. Based on the long-term spin-frequency evolution, the source is found to spun-up in the last 17 yr. We observed a strongly energy-dependent pulse profile that evolved from a complex broad structure in soft X-rays into a profile with a narrow emission peak followed by a plateau in energy ranges above 20 keV. This behaviour ensured a positive correlation between the energy and pulse fraction. The pulse profile morphology and its energy evolution are almost similar during both the observations, suggesting a persistent emission geometry of the pulsar over time. The broad-band energy spectrum of the pulsar is approximated by an absorbed high-energy exponential cut-off power-law model with iron emission lines. In contrast to the previous report, we found no statistical evidence for the presence of cyclotron absorption features in the X-ray spectra. We performed phase-resolved spectroscopy using data from the NuSTAR observation. Our results showed a clear signature of absorbing material at certain pulse phases of the pulsar. These findings are discussed in terms of stellar wind distribution and its effect on the beam geometry of this wind-fed accreting neutron star. We also reviewed the subsonic quasi-spherical accretion theory and its implication on the magnetic field of 4U 1909+07 depending on the global spin-up rate.
Hadronic supercriticalities are radiative instabilities that appear when large amounts of energy are stored in relativistic protons. When the proton energy density exceeds some critical value, a runaway process is initiated resulting in the explosive transfer of the proton energy into electron-positron pairs and radiation. The runaway also leads to an increase of the radiative efficiency, namely the ratio of the photon luminosity to the injected proton luminosity. We perform a comprehensive study of the parameter space by investigating the onset of hadronic supercriticalities for a wide range of source parameters (I.e. magnetic field strengths of 1 G-100 kG and radii of 1011-1016 cm) and maximum proton Lorentz factors (103-109). We show that supercriticalities are possible for the whole range of source parameters related to compact astrophysical sources, like gamma-ray bursts and cores and jets of active galactic nuclei. We also provide an in-depth look at the physical mechanisms of hadronic supercriticalities and show that magnetized relativistic plasmas are excellent examples of non-linear dynamical systems in high-energy astrophysics.
Hadronic supercriticalities are radiative instabilities that appear when large amounts of energy are stored in relativistic protons. When the proton energy density exceeds some critical value, a runaway process is initiated resulting in the explosive transfer of the proton energy into electron-positron pairs and radiation. The runaway also leads to an increase of the radiative efficiency, namely the ratio of the photon luminosity to the injected proton luminosity. We perform a comprehensive study of the parameter space by investigating the onset of hadronic supercriticalities for a wide range of source parameters (I.e. magnetic field strengths of 1 G-100 kG and radii of 1011-1016 cm) and maximum proton Lorentz factors (103-109). We show that supercriticalities are possible for the whole range of source parameters related to compact astrophysical sources, like gamma-ray bursts and cores and jets of active galactic nuclei. We also provide an in-depth look at the physical mechanisms of hadronic supercriticalities and show that magnetized relativistic plasmas are excellent examples of non-linear dynamical systems in high-energy astrophysics.
This text analyzes the main points of behavior of the Super-systemic (Russia, Turkey, Israel, EU, USA) and Systemic (Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan) factors of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh following the Azeri attack, which was obviously supported in various means -both diplomatic and operational in the field- by Ankara, but also assisted by Israel in terms of armaments. An analysis follows of the self-proclaimed "Republic of Artsakh’s international legal status, taking into accountboth the UN General Assembly’s and Security Council's Resolutions.Further to that, and on the basis of the above analysis, the diplomatic and operational behavior of the Russian Federation before, during and after the conflict is interpreted and conclusions are drawn about the current distribution of power in the South Caucasus, the winners and losers, and the future dynamics for super-systemic actors: Russia and Turkey. In the context of this analysis, the Greek geopolitical position is also considered, alongside policy proposals, which must be taken into account by Athens in order to face those important security issues marked by the redistribution of power in the Caucasus Complex.
In the course of a primary screening of 614 microbial actinomycete extracts for the discovery of tyrosinase inhibitors, the EtOAc extract of the fermentation broth of the strain Streptomyces sp. CA-129531 isolated from a Martinique sample, exhibited in cell free and cell-based assays the most promising activity (IC50 value of 63 $μ$g/mL). Scaled-up production in a bioreactor led to the isolation of one new trichostatic acid analogue, namely trichostatic acid B (1), along with six known trichostatin derivatives (2-7), four diketopiperazines (8-11), two butyrolactones (12-13) and one hydroxamic acid siderophore (14). Among them, trichostatin A (4) showed six times stronger anti-tyrosinase activity (IC50 2.18 $μ$Μ) than kojic acid (IC50 14.07 $μ$Μ) used as a positive control. Deoxytrichostatin A (6) displayed also strong inhibitory activity against tyrosinase (IC50 19.18 $μ$Μ). Trichostatin A production in bioreactor started together with the exponential phase of growth (day 4) and the maximum concentration was reached at day 9 (2.67 ± 0.13 $μ$g/mL). Despite the cytotoxicity of some individual components, no cytotoxic effect on HepG2, A2058, A549, MCF-7 and MIA PaCa-2 cell lines was found for the EtOAc extract (IC50 {\textgreater} 2.84 mg/mL), while it found no cytotoxic against BG fibroblasts at the concentrations were it exerted whitening effect, reassuring its safety and great tyrosinase inhibitory potential.
The tectonic setting of western Peloponnese and central Ionian Islands, Greece, is characterized by the subduction of the oceanic African plate beneath the Aegean micro-plate. The transition from subduction to continental collision in northwestern Greece is accommodated by the right-lateral Cephalonia transform fault. In this work, we exploit the recordings of a temporary seismic network composed of 15 stations operating from July 2016 until May 2017 to investigate the complex deformation of this region. Our local network fills in a major observational gap in one of the most tectonically active regions of the Hellenic arc. We detected and located more than 1200 local earthquakes and constrained five 1D optimum local velocity models. The relocated seismicity (including the aftershock sequence that followed the October 2018 Mw 6.7 earthquake offshore Zakynthos) and associated focal mechanisms constrained for the major earthquakes point out a complex crustal deformation. We propose a clockwise rotation of the Ionian Akarnania Block accommodated by major marginal strike-slip fault zones that appear segmented along their strike. Additionally, left-lateral motion is observed on the Kyllini-Cephalonia fault along a north-west direction. Finally, the seismicity recorded in north Cephalonia (offshore Myrtos and Fiskardo) suggests that the Cephalonia transform fault is a large deformation zone where secondary WNW-striking sinistral strike-slip faults occur.
Due to early implementation of public health measures, Greece had low number of SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 severe incidents in hospitalized patients. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (ΝΚUA), especially its health-care/medical personnel, has been actively involved in the first line of state responses to COVID-19. To estimate the prevalence of antibodies (Igs) against SARS-CoV-2 among NKUA members, we designed a five consecutive monthly serosurvey among randomly selected NKUA consenting volunteers. Here, we present the results from the first 2500 plasma samples collected during June-July 2020. Twenty-five donors were tested positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 Igs; thus, the overall seroprevalence was 1.00%. The weighted overall seroprevalence was 0.93% (95% CI: 0.27, 2.09) and varied between males [1.05% (95% CI: 0.18, 2.92)] and females [0.84% (95% CI: 0.13, 2.49)], age-groups and different categories (higher in participants from the School of Health Sciences and in scientific affiliates/faculty members/laboratory assistants), but no statistical differences were detected. Although focused on the specific population of NKUA members, our study shows that the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 Igs for the period June-July 2020 remained low and provides knowledge of public health importance for the NKUA members. Given that approximately one in three infections was asymptomatic, continuous monitoring of the progression of the pandemic by assessing Ig seroprevalence is needed.
Prevalence and symptoms of most psychiatric and neurological disorders differ in men and women and there is substantial evidence that their neurobiological basis and treatment also differ by sex. This special issue sought to bring together a series of empirical papers and targeted reviews to highlight the diverse impact of sex in neuroscience and neuropsychopharmacology. This special issue emphasizes the diverse impact of sex in neuroscience and neuropsychopharmacology, including 9 review papers and 17 research articles highlighting investigation in different species (zebrafish, mice, rats, and humans). Each contribution covers scientific topics that overlap with genetics, endocrinology, cognition, behavioral neuroscience, neurology, and pharmacology. Investigating the extent to which sex differences can impact the brain and behavior is key to moving forward in neuroscience research.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was recently reported to be lower in Asian chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) than entecavir (ETV), but this finding remains controversial. We assessed whether there was a difference between ETV and TDF treated patients of the well monitored, multicenter European PAGE-B cohort in the HCC incidence and other patient outcomes. METHODS: We included 1935 Caucasians with CHB, with or without compensated cirrhosis, treated with ETV (n=772) or TDF (n=1163) monotherapy. Mean follow-up has been 7.1+/-3.0 years from ETV/TDF onset. RESULTS: The 5-year cumulative HCC incidence was 5.4% in ETV and 6.0% in TDF treated patients (log-rank, P=0.321) without significant difference in any patient subgroup [with or without cirrhosis, naive or experienced to oral antiviral(s) (total, with or without cirrhosis)]. In multivariable Cox regression analyses, the hazard of HCC was similar between ETV and TDF treated patients after adjustment for several HCC risk factors. ETV and TDF treated patients had similar rates of on-therapy biochemical and virological remission, HBsAg loss, liver transplantation and/or death. Elastographic reversion of cirrhosis at year 5 (liver stiffness <12 kPa) was observed in 245/347 (70.6%) patients with pretreatment cirrhosis being more frequent in TDF than ETV treated patients (73.8% vs 61.5%, P=0.038). CONCLUSION: In Caucasian CHB patients, with or without cirrhosis, ETV and TDF long-term monotherapy is associated with similar HCC risk and rates of biochemical and virological remission, HBsAg loss and liver transplantation or death, but TDF seems to result in more frequent elastographic reversion of cirrhosis at year 5.
In the interconfessional theological dialogue between the Orthodox and the Roman-Catholic Church, there has been much discussion about the famous passage 16:16–19 of Matthew’s Gospel. However, not much attention has been paid to the testimonies of other New Testament books about the Apostle Peter’s person, work, and historical impact. This paper examines the narrative character of Simon Peter in John’s Gospel to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the great apostle’s historical significance in early Christianity. In our analysis, we make use of the narrative-critical method focusing on the comparison between Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple. This approach opens a window to how the Johannine community evaluated Peter’s person and significance at the time of the composition of the Fourth Gospel, and, thus, helps us better understand the biblical foundations of the theological debate on the papal office.
The Ionian Islands are located in the northwestern part of the Hellenic Arc and constitute one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean. Building a geospatial database including all the available geo-information layers was the initial step for identifying and delineating the earthquake-related environmental effects by using various mapping algebra techniques and algorithms. Landslide, liquefaction and tsunami related inventories were created. Real time recording network of sensors such as meteorological instruments, seismographs, accelerometers etc was designed to trans pond data telemetrically and feed a dynamically interactive geodatabase, which in turn act as a smart tool for declaring an area as vulnerable to a specific hazard. The abovementioned approach can contribute to the reduction of the consequences after a disastrous event, as it will provide useful information to the civil protection authorities for increased alertness during an ongoing threat.
The identification of the risk areas by using various methods has become significant in recent years due to the fact that among others it serves as a valuable tool for revealing and highlighting sites of significant hazards. In this study we present a smart tool, specially developed for recording and taking under consideration any changing parameters that affect the susceptibility of an area to any of the studied geo-hazards and highlight it on a digital real time updateable map.
Using the core-EP inverse, we obtain the unique solution to the constrained matrix minimization problem in the Euclidean norm: $$\mathrm{Minimize }\ \Vert Mx-b\Vert _2$$Minimize‖Mx-b‖2, subject to the constraint $$x\in \mathcal{R}(M^k),$$x∈R(Mk),where $$M\in {\mathbb {C}}^{n\times n}$$M∈Cn×n, $$k=\mathrm {Ind}(M)$$k=Ind(M)and $$b\in {\mathbb {C}}^n$$b∈Cn. This problem reduces to well-known results for complex matrices of index one and for nonsingular complex matrices. We present two kinds of Cramer’s rules for finding unique solution to the above mentioned problem, applying one well-known expression and one new expression for core-EP inverse. Also, we consider a corresponding constrained matrix approximation problem and its Cramer’s rules based on the W-weighted core-EP inverse. Numerical comparison with classical strategies for solving the least squares problems with linear equality constraints is presented. Particular cases of the considered constrained optimization problem are considered as well as application in solving constrained matrix equations.
At the eve of the global financial crisis, it is particularly interesting to find out which are the theoretical bases or theoretical models that we can use to analyze today's reality. Indeed, today’s mainstream micro- and macroeconomic models are proven to be insufficient for exploring the dynamic and complex interactions among humans, institutions, and nature in our real economy. This issue has again gained momentum because of the recent global financial crisis, as theoretical constructs or models have been unable to provide interpretations of what really happened and what has to be done from now on. More precisely it is proven that microeconomics is filled with black-box models that fail to study the actual contractual relations between firms and markets, while macroeconomics over the last three decades has been useless at best and harmful at worst, since economists using macroeconomics became blind to catastrophic macro failure because they mistook the beauty or elegance of theoretical models for truth. Thus, questions have arisen about using new theoretical and empirical structures that would better describe our complex economic systems.
This edited book aims to address issues related to how growth issues are treated as having individual origins, but also how aggregates affect parts of the economic system with the ultimate goal of highlighting important microeconomic factors that affect macroeconomic factors and finally the economic development and growth process. This is the question of whether and how theoretical constructs take account of the application of microeconomic approaches to macroeconomic theory and how economies can be driven to a sustainable economic development and growth path. Thus, the scope is to analyze the hypotheses that govern the relationships of aggregate structures (macroeconomic analysis) that may are compatible with the assumptions that govern the behavior of the individuals, households, and firms (micro analysis), and vice versa, in trying to achieve positive economic growth rates, sustainably. Moreover, the analysis of this edited volume is oriented to focus on deeper issues that affect the functioning of the economic systems; this is what mesoeconomics and metaeconomics analysis deals with, since the focus must be in factors that are the deep roots of economic development and growth that bridge the microeconomics to macroeconomics. This is the future of evolutionary growth thinking over the next decades.
In ELT contexts, the concept of ELF awareness has been proposed as a means of developing the skills, strategies, and overall outlook that learners require to competently participate in ELF interactions. Depending on the teaching context, this can be a demanding process. We discuss the ELF-aware instructional interventions carried out by two practitioners working in high-stakes exam preparation contexts in Greece. These contexts are predominantly Standard English oriented. The interventions described an attempt to put into practice the principles of ELF-aware pedagogy, namely awareness of language and language use, awareness of instructional practice, and awareness of learning. The innovative aspect of these interventions is that they do not run contrary to the curriculum of these high-stakes exam preparation classes. On the contrary, they complement the courseware used in these contexts with authentic audiovisual materials and original metalinguistic activities that boost learners’ self-confidence as ELF speakers and as candidates of these exams.
The purpose of this paper is to present a new method for early detection of forest fires, especially in forest zones prone to fires using microwave remote sensing and information-modeling tools. A decision-making system is developed as a tool for operational coupled analysis of modeling results and remote sensing data. The main operating structure of this system has blocks that calculate the moisture of forest canopy, the soil-litter layer, and the forest physical temperature using the observed brightness temperature provided by the flying platform IL-18 equipped with passive microwave radiometers of 1.43, 13.3 and 37.5 GHz frequencies. The hydrological parameters of the forest are assessed with both a developed regional hydrological model and remote sensing observations. The hydrological model allows for the detection of fire-prone zones that are subject to remote sensing when modeling results are corrected and thermal temperatures are evaluated. An approach for the real time forest fires classification via daytime remote sensing observations is proposed. The relative theoretical and experimental results presented here have allowed us to use a new approach to forests monitoring during periods of potential fire. A decision-making algorithm is presented that aims at analyzing data flows from radiometers located on the remote sensing platform to calculate the probability of forest fire occurring in geographical pixels. As case study, the state of forest fires that occurred in Siberia in 2019 using microwave remote sensing measurements conducted by a flying IL-18 laboratory is presented. This remote sensing platform is equipped with optical and microwave tools that allow the optical and microwave images of the observed forest areas. The main operating frequencies of microwave radiometers are 1.43, 13.3 and 37.5 GHz. Microwave radiometers provide data on water content in the forest canopy and on litter and physical temperatures. Based on the long-term measurements made in Siberia, the possible improvement of the proposed decision-making system for future relevant studies is discussed in detail. The basic idea of cost-effective monitoring of forested areas consists of a two-stage exploration of fire risk zones. The first monitoring stage is performed using the hydrological model of the study area to identify low moisture areas of the forest canopy and litter. The second stage of monitoring is conducted using the remote sensing platform only in the local fire-dangerous areas in order to more precisely identify the areas prone to fire and to detect and diagnose real burning zones. The developed algorithm allows the calculation of physical temperatures and the detection of temperature anomalies based on measured brightness temperatures. Finally, the spatial distribution of the probability of forest fire occurrence is given as an example of the decision-making system along with a comparison of this distribution with the satellite images provided by the EOSDIS Land data.
Ο Λεωνίδας Αρνιώτης, γεννημένος το 1862 στην Σπάρτη Λακωνίας, υπήρξε εξέχουσα προσωπικότητα, καλλιτέχνης των παραστατικών τεχνών του τέλους του 19ου και των αρχών του 20ου αι. με εθνική αλλά κυρίως διεθνή παρουσία. Στο άρθρο περιγράφεται η άγνωστη καλλιτεχνική πορεία του Λεωνίδα Αρνιώτη στις Η.Π.Α. αλλά και σε μεγάλες ευρωπαϊκές πρωτεύουσες: Παρίσι, Λονδίνο, Ρώμη, Βερολίνο, Βρυξέλλες κα. Ο Αρνιώτης υπήρξε ιπποδαμαστής, jockey, ακροβάτης επί ίππου, πυγμάχος, πυγμάχος επί ίππου, θιασάρχης, θεατρώνης, στιχουργός, συγγραφέας επιθεωρήσεων, θεατρικών έργων, επιστημονικών μελετών, πιλότος αεροπλάνων αλλά κυρίως ένας από τους διασημότερους εκπαιδευτές ζώων παγκοσμίως. Στα τέλη του 19ου αι. συνοδευόμενος από τη σύζυγό του Μαίρη και τον πολυάρθμο θίασο τετραπόδων σκύλων και γάτων πραγματοποίησε διετή περιοδεία στις Η.Π.Α. και υπήρξε ο πρώτος Έλληνας καλλιτέχνης στην άλλη πλευρά του Ατλαντικού με σταθερή και εκτεταμένη παρουσία. Εμπνευστής αλλαγών, με πολυδύναμες και διαισθητικές ικανότητες, εξέφρασε με ενάργεια το πνεύμα της εποχής, της μετάβασης από το 19ο στον 20ο αι. και αποτέλεσε καθοριστική προσωπικότητα σε σχέση με την εισαγωγή παγκόσμιων παραστατικών τάσεων στην αθηναϊκή σκηνή.
Kostis PC. Preface. In: Kostis P.C. (Ed.), Bridging Microeconomics and Macroeconomics and the Effects on Economic Development and Growth. IGI Global; 2020. Publisher's Version
Papaioannou S. Plautus and the Topography of His World. In: The Blackwell Companion to Plautus. Edited by Dorota Dutsch and George Franko. 1st ed. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell; 2020. pp. 287-301.
Introduction. In volleyball, setting is a critical skill from a technical and tactical point of view, as it affects attack directly: the better the quality of the setter’s performance, the more excellent attack actions are carried out by men and women attackers. Aim of Study. This study aimed to assess the spatial and temporal characteristics of the setting choices made by junior male volleyball setters and their performance concerning the game complex per match rotation. Material and Methods. A three-member group of experienced coaches assessed the setting zones choices, the setting tempo, and the performance of junior male setters from 20 volleyball games of teams competing in the final phase of the 2016 Greek Junior Championship. A five-level ordinal scale was used to evaluate the setting. The test of independence for the categorical variables was carried out using the chi-square test (χ2 ). Following the overall independence test, the difference in proportions among all levels of variables was tested. Results. Results showed that zone 4 was the junior setters’ first choice irrespective of the game complex. More detailed, in Complex II, the most preferable setting zones were 4 and 6, while zone 3 was the primary selection in Complex I. The setting in the first tempo was the most favorite option in Complex I, although second slow tempo was the most frequently used setting option in Complex II. As for the quality of the setting, the dominant value for both complexes was quality level 2. Conclusions. In conclusion, the junior male setters directed the ball mainly to position 4 by using the slow 2nd tempo settings irrespective of the game rotation. Moreover, they showed a higher proportion of excellent setting actions and used fast settings (first tempo) more frequently in Complex I than in Complex II. KEYWORDS:
Between May 2017 and November 2018, Greece has experienced a severe measles outbreak with a total of 3258 cases reported, after reaching its goal of eliminating measles since 2014-2015. In this study, we aimed to investigate the origin and the dispersal patterns of the measles strains that circulated in Greece during this outbreak and to identify possible transmission patterns of measles virus (MeV) in the country. Of the 832 measles suspect cases referred to the National Measles and Rubella Reference Laboratory for MeV RNA detection, 131 randomly selected positive samples, representative of the temporal and spatial distribution of the laboratory-confirmed measles cases in Greece, were processed for genotypic identification by an RT-PCR amplification of a 598 bp fragment containing the 450 bp hypervariable region of the measles virus N gene. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out by the approximate maximum likelihood method (ML) under the generalized time-reversible (GTR + cat) model. All samples analyzed were found to belong to genotype B3. Comparative analysis with other European and reference measles strains revealed three separate major clusters and other multiple viruses circulating simultaneously in Greece. They were all isolated from three main community groups, Greek-Roma children, non-minority Greek nationals and immigrants/refugees, a finding that is in accordance with what was also observed in the last two measles outbreaks in 2005-2006 and 2010-2011. Notably, for one of the three clusters, no similarity was detected with previously reported prototype strains. Our results indicate the need for a more intensive vaccination program against measles amongst minority populations and in refugee hot-spots as well as the importance of molecular surveillance as a tool for monitoring measles outbreaks.
We report a thorough theoretical investigation of magnon-assisted photon transitions in magnetic garnet micron-sized spheres, which operate as optomagnonic resonators. In this case, matching the intraband splitting of optical Mie modes, induced by particle magnetization, to the eigenfrequency of the uniform-precession spin wave, high-efficiency triply resonant optical transitions between these modes, through respective emission or absorption of a cavity magnon, are enabled. By means of rigorous full electrodynamic computations, supported by corresponding approximate analytical calculations, we provide compelling evidence of greatly increased optomagnonic interaction, compared to that in similar processes between whispering gallery modes of corresponding submillimeter spheres, due to the reduced magnon mode volume. We explain the underlying mechanisms to a degree that goes beyond existing interpretation, invoking group theory to derive general selection rules and highlighting the role of the photon spin as the key property for maximizing the respective coupling strength.
Binary black hole (BH) central engine description for the unique blazar OJ 287 predicted that the next secondary BH impact-induced bremsstrahlung flare should peak on 2019 July 31. This prediction was based on detailed general relativistic modeling of the secondary BH trajectory around the primary BH and its accretion disk. The expected flare was termed the Eddington flare to commemorate the centennial celebrations of now-famous solar eclipse observations to test general relativity by Sir Arthur Eddington. We analyze the multi-epoch Spitzer observations of the expected flare between 2019 July 31 and 2019 September 6, as well as baseline observations during 2019 February-March. Observed Spitzer flux density variations during the predicted outburst time display a strong similarity with the observed optical pericenter flare from OJ 287 during 2007 September. The predicted flare appears comparable to the 2007 flare after subtracting the expected higher base-level Spitzer flux densities at 3.55 and 4.49 μm compared to the optical R-band. Comparing the 2019 and 2007 outburst lightcurves and the previously calculated predictions, we find that the Eddington flare arrived within 4 hr of the predicted time. Our Spitzer observations are well consistent with the presence of a nano-Hertz gravitational-wave emitting spinning massive binary BH that inspirals along a general relativistic eccentric orbit in OJ 287. These multi-epoch Spitzer observations provide a parametric constraint on the celebrated BH no-hair theorem.
In the course of the first all-sky survey (eRASS1), the eROSITA instrument on board the Russian/German Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission started scanning the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC).
In the course of the first all-sky survey (eRASS1), the eROSITA instrument on board the Russian/German Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission discovered a strong outburst from RX J0529.8-6556 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).
We investigate the spin-orbit torque exerted on the magnetic moments of the transition-metal impurities Cr, Mn, Fe, and Co, embedded in the surface of the topological insulator Bi2Te3, in response to an electric field and a consequent electrical current flow in the surface. The multiple scattering problem of electrons off impurity atoms is solved by first-principles calculations within the full-potential relativistic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) Green function method, while the spin-orbit torque calculations are carried out by combining the KKR method with the semiclassical Boltzmann transport equation. We analyze the correlation of the spin-orbit torque to the spin accumulation and spin flux in the impurities and unveil the effect of resonant scattering. In addition, we relate the torque to the resistivity and Joule heat production. We predict that the Mn/Bi2Te3 is optimal among the studied systems.
Alexandrianism was among the trends that defined the formation of Roman literature across genres since the early decades of Roman literary history. This volume introduces a collection of original essays that contribute to a developing appreciation of the comedy of Plautus, the leading representative of Roman comedy, as a multi-faceted text that engages in a creative dialogue with various contemporary cultural and literary developments. The studies here, both individually and as parts of a longer, interactive discussion, offer a comprehensive examination of the first complete expression of the intellectual reception of Greek and Hellenistic literature and culture in Rome, and, at the same time, examine Plautus’ correspondence with the popularization of science and medicine, the Romanization of philosophy, and contemporary religious practices. As the first Latin poet whose work survives in extant form, Plautus is also examined here as a major literary figure who significantly influenced the development of Latin literature. This book will appeal to specialist scholars of Roman comedy, but also to graduate students working in the fields of classics and literary history. All long quotations of Greek and Latin are translated.
CITE AS:Ευαγγελία Κέφη-Χατζηχαμπέρη και Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου (2020). Ο ρόλος της άθλησης ως μέσο αποδοχής του «ασθενούς» φύλου στα Ανώτατα Στρατιωτικά Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα (ΑΣΕΙ). Πρακτικά Συνεδρίου ‘Κοινωνίες μετά την κρίση, κοινωνίες χωρίς κρίση;΄ Ενότητα: Έμφυλες διακρίσεις στην κοινωνία, 7ο Τακτικό Συνέδριο Ελληνικής Κοινωνιολογικής Εταιρείας (ΕΚΕ)-Hellenic Sociological Society (HSS), 23-25 Σεπτεμβρίου 2020: περίληψη, σελ. 17-18. ΕΚΠΑ, ΤΜΗΜΑ ΕΠΙΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΜΜΕ.
Παρουσίαση της Ημερίδας «Νέες Τεχνολογίες τροποποίησης του γονιδιώματος: Βιοηθικά Ζητήματα», Σπίτι της Κύπρου, Πρεσβεία της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας στην Αθήνα, 21.2.2020.https://spititiskyprou.gr/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/prosklisi-21-feb-2020-esperida-nees-technologies.pdf
Insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP) is a transmembrane zinc metallopeptidase with many important biological functions and an emerging pharmacological target. Although previous structural studies have given insight on how IRAP recognizes linear peptides, how it recognizes its physiological cyclic ligands remains elusive. Here, we report the first crystal structure of IRAP with the macrocyclic peptide inhibitor HA08 that combines structural elements from angiotensin IV and the physiological substrates oxytocin and vasopressin. The compound is found in the catalytic site in a near canonical substrate-like configuration and inhibits by a competitive mechanism. Comparison with previously solved structures of IRAP along with small-angle X-ray scattering experiments suggests that IRAP is in an open conformation in solution but undergoes a closing conformational change upon inhibitor binding. Stabilization of the closed conformation in combination with catalytic water exclusion by the tightly juxtaposed GAMEN loop is proposed as a mechanism of inhibition.
Previous research has shown that utility value and expectancy forsuccess, as well as the reasons for academic striving, could partlyexplain academic engagement. Yet, their joint role in predictinglearning strategies and test anxiety has not been thoroughlyunderstood, especially in contexts where pressure for success ishigh. We examined this issue in a sample of Turkish universitystudents who were attending a language preparatory school(N¼1009; 53% males,Mage¼19.14years;SD¼1.08) and wereunder the psychological pressure to pass their qualifying exams.Regression analyses showed that next to self-efficacy beliefs, itwas intrinsic reasons which positively and consistently predictedlearning strategies; in contrast, self-worth concerns positively pre-dicted test anxiety. These relations emerged even among stu-dents who experienced failure and were thus psychologicallypressed to succeed. Our findings suggest that intrinsic reasons foracademic striving might play a decisive role even in psychologic-ally pressuring contexts
The Be X-ray binary pulsar 1A 0535+262 has recently been observed in outburst with Swift/BAT and MAXI (ATel #14157, #14173). Since then the pulsar has been rapidly evolving in X-rays.
Dysregulation of glycogen phosphorylase, an enzyme involved in glucose homeostasis, may lead to a number of pathological states such as type 2 diabetes and cancer, making it an important molecular target for the development of new forms of pharmaceutical intervention. Based on our previous work on the design and synthesis of 4-arylamino-1-(β-d-glucopyranosyl)pyrimidin-2-ones, which inhibit the activity of glycogen phosphorylase by binding at its catalytic site, we report herein a general synthesis of 2-substituted-5-(β-d-glucopyranosyl)pyrimidin-4-ones, a related class of metabolically stable, C-glucosyl-based, analogues. The synthetic development consists of a metallated heterocycle, produced from 5-bromo-2-methylthiouracil, in addition to protected d-gluconolactone, followed by organosilane reduction. The methylthio handle allowed derivatization through hydrolysis, ammonolysis and arylamine substitution, and the new compounds were found to be potent (μM) inhibitors of rabbit muscle glycogen phosphorylase. The results were interpreted with the help of density functional theory calculations and conformational analysis and were compared with previous findings.
The core aim of the current paper is to summarize the basic argumentation of the Waltzian program and re-examine it in comparison with the legacy of systemic geopolitics. Which is Waltz’s contribution, what is added by Mearsheimer and what does systemic geopolitical analysis offer in the margins of the relevant debate? Both of them focus on Great Powers, since these are considered without any doubt rational actors shaping international system. On this line of thought, their specific legacy is comparatively analyzed with systemic geopolitics and it is developed on the common basis of “system”. Systemic analysis is their common starting point towards analysis of international affairs and interstate distribution of power. Beyond their contradiction with reference to conclusions and epistemological issues, systemic analysis offers a common framework of understanding and conceptualizing systemic geopolitical analysis and structural realism. For this reason, system-level parameters are considered critical representing an epistemological and methodological prioritization far from blinkered analyses cited by other theoretical and philosophical traditions.
Mesogiti I, Theodoropoulou E, Lyberopoulos G, Setaki F, Filis K, Di Giglio A, Percelsi A, Tzanakaki A. Techno-Economic Aspects of 5G Transport Network Deployments. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics) [Internet]. 2020;11616 LNCS:118-129. Website
The existence of magnetic activity on the eclipsing binary DV Psc has been known for almost two decades. However, until recently, no evidence of periodic behaviour relevant to this activity had been found. In this study, long-term photometric observations of DV Psc are used to analyze the system's magnetic activity, seek a possible magnetic cycle and determine orbital and physical parameters. The combination of photometric and spectroscopic observations results in a unified model that describes the system over time in terms of variable spot activity. New times of minimum light are determined and an accurate astronomical ephemeris and updated O-C diagram are constructed for a total span of 19 years (1997-2017). The intense magnetic activity, as indicated by strong asymmetries in the light curves (O' Connell effect), and the periodic variation of the O-C diagram are combined to explain the system's behaviour. The existence of a third body, orbiting the eclipsing binary in an eccentric orbit, as well as a magnetic cycle are the most likely scenario.
{The purpose of this study was to investigate the areas from which the serves performed by elite volleyball players were carried out, the zones into where they were directed and their performance in respect to the serve type used per gender. A three-member group of coaches assessed the serve actions of male (M) and female (F) elite players from 20 volleyball games (M=10
Der Zusammenbruch des NS-Regimes signalisierte für die westdeutsche Kunst eine deutliche Distanzierung von Politik. „Der Stellvertreter“ führt einen Wendepunkt herbei und verwandelt das Theater wieder in ein Politikum. Hochhuth richtet den Blick auf die verdrängte Vergangenheit, in dem er am Beispiel des Schweigens der katholischen Kirche während des Holocaust die Frage der individuellen Verantwortung bzw. Schuld untersucht. Auschwitz wird erstmals auf die Bühne gebracht und das Stück löst eine Repolitisierungswelle aus, so dass es mit Recht als Vorläufer des Dokumentartheaters gilt. Auch „Vor dem Ruhestand“ istpolitisches Theater par excellence in dem Sinne, dass es Partei ergreift, irritiert, die bestehende Ordnung in Frage stellt. Illusionslos entdeckt Bernhard hinter der Fassade eines bürgerlich-demokratischen Staates das Fortbestehen der nationalsozialistischen Ideologie, nicht nur in Extremfällen, sondern auch in sozialen Strukturen und Gedankenmuster der sozialen Elite. Im Gegensatz zu Hochhuth, der immer noch fest an die Macht des bürgerlichen Individuums glaubt, dient Faschismus Bernhard als Musterbeispiel für die verfallenden bürgerlichen politischen Systeme.
Human brain possesses a unique anatomy and physiology. For centuries, methodological barriers and ethical challenges in accessing human brain tissues have restricted researchers into using 2-D cell culture systems and model organisms as a tool for investigating the mechanisms underlying neurological disorders in humans. However, our understanding regarding the human brain development and diseases has been recently extended due to the generation of 3D brain organoids, grown from human stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This system evolved into an attractive model of brain diseases as it recapitulates to a great extend the cellular organization and the microenvironment of a human brain. This chapter focuses on the application of brain organoids in modelling several neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.
This study examined the role of parents’ reminiscing style in preschoolers’ memory-related functioning and general emotion regulation. In 87 families, each parent rated their child’s (Mage = 4.07 years, SD = 0.80) emotion regulation and discussed a positive and a negative memory with their child (resulting in 275 conversations). Multilevel analyses showed that children’s rated engagement during the conversation was higher when parents were observed to use autonomy-supportive, elaborative, and positive evaluative reminiscing, while children’s rated disaffection was predicted by low autonomy support, low elaboration, and negative evaluation. Parental positive evaluation also related positively to children’s memory performance. With respect to emotion regulation, only parents’ negative evaluation when talking about negative memories related to higher emotional lability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
Mediterranean mountain ecosystems have been attractive to human societies due to their valuable resources, but are also susceptible to environmental and climate changes. The Rhodope Mountain Range hosts one of the least disturbed natural forests of Europe and is a conservation priority area in the Southern Balkans. Located in the borderlands of the plain of Macedonia, the forest ecosystem development of Rhodope Mountains was shaped not only by Late Holocene climatic variability, but also by changes in human activities since Byzantine times. Palynological and microscopic charcoal analysis of the Livaditis ombrotrophic bog record offers unique insights into vegetation and landscape evolution under the influence of human land-use practices in the south Rhodope area during the last c.a. 1100 years. The findings show a forested landscape, with well-developed Pinus and Abies forests of in the montane zone and mixed deciduous oak forests below that flourished in the area until 900 AD. The expansion of human activity in mountainous areas during the period of Byzantine economic growth (ca. 1000 AD) is evidenced by forest clearance through fire, affecting mainly the Abies populations. The Livaditis record bears evidence about both, arboriculture and cereal cultivation as well as animal husbandry during the first period of human activities in the uplands, while a shift towards pastoralism is most likely associated with the establishment of the Vlach population in the region (ca. 1200 AD). Subsequently, a short-lived expansion of the Pinus percentages could be attributed to the afforestation of abandoned pasture land during the Little Ice Age. Finally, a further intensification of pastoralism is most likely concurrent with the population expansion documented during the Ottoman period (after 1500 AD). The Livaditis pollen record shows significant vegetation shifts in the upland area of southern Rhodope Mountains that could be associated with changes in climate, population mobility and density, as well as evolving land-use practices.
Background: Thyroid follicular cells have physiologically high levels of reactive oxygen species because oxidation of iodide is essential for the iodination of thyroglobulin (Tg) during thyroid hormone synthesis. Thyroid follicles (the functional units of the thyroid) also utilize incompletely understood autoregulatory mechanisms to defend against exposure to excess iodide. To date, no transcriptomic studies have investigated these phenomena in vivo. Nuclear erythroid factor 2 like 2 (Nrf2 or Nfe2l2) is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of numerous antioxidant and other cytoprotective genes. We showed previously that the Nrf2 pathway regulates the antioxidant defense of follicular cells, as well as Tg transcription and Tg iodination. We, thus, hypothesized that Nrf2 might be involved in the transcriptional response to iodide overload. Methods: C57BL6/J wild-type (WT) or Nrf2 knockout (KO) male mice were administered regular water or water supplemented with 0.05{%} sodium iodide for seven days. RNA from their thyroids was prepared for next-generation RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). Gene expression changes were assessed and pathway analyses were performed on the sets of differentially expressed genes. Results: Analysis of differentially expressed messenger RNAs (mRNAs) indicated that iodide overload upregulates inflammatory-, immune-, fibrosis- and oxidative stress-related pathways, including the Nrf2 pathway. Nrf2 KO mice showed a more pronounced inflammatory–autoimmune transcriptional response to iodide than WT mice. Compared to previously published datasets, the response patterns observed in WT mice had strong similarities with the patterns typical of Graves' disease and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) also responded to iodide overload, with the latter targeting mRNAs that participate mainly in inflammation pathways. Conclusions: Iodide overload induces the Nrf2 cytoprotective response and upregulates inflammatory, immune, and fibrosis pathways similar to autoimmune hyperthyroidism (Graves' disease) and PTC.
Nutrient transporters, being polytopic membrane proteins, are believed, but not formally shown, to traffic from their site of synthesis, the ER, to the plasma membrane through Golgi-dependent vesicular trafficking. Here, we develop a novel genetic system to investigate the trafficking of a neosynthesized model transporter, the well-studied UapA purine transporter of Aspergillus nidulans. We show that sorting of neosynthesized UapA to the plasma membrane (PM) bypasses the Golgi and does not necessitate key Rab GTPases, AP adaptors, microtubules or endosomes. UapA PM localization is found to be dependent on functional COPII vesicles, actin polymerization, clathrin heavy chain and the PM t-SNARE SsoA. Actin polymerization proved to primarily affect COPII vesicle formation, whereas the essential role of ClaH seems indirect and less clear. We provide evidence that other evolutionary and functionally distinct transporters of A. nidulans also follow the herein identified Golgi-independent trafficking route of UapA. Importantly, our findings suggest that specific membrane cargoes drive the formation of distinct COPII subpopulations that bypass the Golgi to be sorted non-polarly to the PM, and thus serving house-keeping cell functions.
BACKGROUND: Transverse vaginal septum is a rare Müllerian anomaly that can coexist with other defects. CASE: A 12-year-old patient was referred to our clinic for cyclic, lower abdominal pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed the presence of a transverse vaginal septum, a hemiuterus with a nonfunctioning rudimentary horn, and left unilateral ureter and kidney. The septum was excised laparoscopically assisted by a vaginal dilator to guide the dissection. The mucosal gap of the vagina was then bridged with sutures using the perineal approach. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged with instructions for vaginal dilations. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: Early identification of a transverse vaginal septum and careful planning of the operation can improve the outcome of corrective surgery and prevent possible complications.
Monoamine oxidases MAOA and MAOB catalyze important cellular functions such as the deamination of neurotransmitters. Correspondingly, MAO inhibitors are used for the treatment of severe neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression. A commonly prescribed drug against refractory depression is tranylcypromine, however, the side effects are poorly understood. In order to decipher putative off-targets, we synthesized two tranylcypromine probes equipped with either an alkyne moiety or an alkyne-diazirine minimal photocrosslinker for in situ proteome profiling. Surprisingly, LC-MS/MS analysis revealed low enrichment of MAOA and relatively promiscuous labeling of proteins. Photoprobe labeling paired with fluorescent imaging studies revealed lysosomal trapping which could be largely reverted by the addition of lysosomotropic drugs.
The heterogeneity of bladder cancer (BlCa) prognosis and treatment outcome requires the elucidation of tumors' molecular background towards personalized patients' management. tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs), although originally considered as degradation debris, represent a novel class of powerful regulatory non-coding RNAs. In silico analysis of the TCGA-BLCA project highlighted 5'-tRF-LysCTT to be significantly deregulated in bladder tumors, and 5'-tRF-LysCTT levels were further quantified in our screening cohort of 230 BlCa patients. Recurrence and progression for non-muscle invasive (NMIBC) patients, as well as progression and patient's death for muscle-invasive (MIBC) patients, were used as clinical endpoint events. TCGA-BLCA were used as validation cohort. Bootstrap analysis was performed for internal validation and the clinical net benefit of 5'-tRF-LysCTT on disease prognosis was assessed by decision curve analysis. Elevated 5'-tRF-LysCTT was associated with unfavorable disease features, and significant higher risk for early progression (multivariate Cox: HR = 2.368; p = 0.033) and poor survival (multivariate Cox: HR = 2.151; p = 0.032) of NMIBC and MIBC patients, respectively. Multivariate models integrating 5'-tRF-LysCTT with disease established markers resulted in superior risk-stratification specificity and positive prediction of patients' progression. In conclusion, increased 5'-tRF-LysCTT levels were strongly associated with adverse disease outcome and improved BlCa patients' prognostication.
In this paper I discuss the possibilities, opportunities, challenges and (even) perils in applying the ELF-aware perspective in teacher education. I focus on presenting two obstacles in enabling this application, the first related to teachers’ attitudes, which tend to be fundamentally negative, and the second referring to an uncertainty about establishing, applying and evaluating appropriate ELF pedagogy. The obstacles are discussed with reference to examples from my personal experience as teacher educator, and argue (a) that these obstacles are also present in more “traditional” teaching and teacher education practices and (b) that they can be overcome if they are perceived as opportunities for integrating real-life interactions involving non-native English language users in the EFL classroom and prompting EFL teacher reflection and growth.
The purpose of this systematic review was to identify adolescents' awareness on the human papillomavirus (HPV), the HPV vaccine, and the willingness to undergo the vaccination. A systematic review of studies concerning the adolescent's knowledge and education on the admission of the HPV vaccine was carried out, through the Medline/PubMed and the Google Scholar databases, covering information on adolescent attitudes towards HPV vaccination, as well as their perceptions regarding the vaccination and the need for more training, towards the public information about the HPV and the HPV vaccine. This study concludes that adolescents are poorly informed about the HPV and the preventive vaccination issues, underestimating the likelihood of the infection by the virus. The way to improve their knowledge about the HPV and the implications of the HPV infection is to provide information through the framework of compulsory schooling, primary health care, and the development of informative interactive interventions. The awareness for the need of training about the HPV and its implications should be broadened to address the major barrier to vaccination, which is regarded to be the lack of adequate information. The knowledge and the perceptible susceptibility to the HPV infection and HPV-related diseases among adolescents demonstrate the need for a well-designed training program to bridge the gap of information about the HPV virus and to accept the HPV vaccine.
Using self-determination theory as a framework, we aimed to study the relationships between perceived need support and need satisfaction with self-determined motivation and extracurricular physical activity intentions in the physical education (PE) classroom, including sex and out-of-school sport participation as moderators. Additionally, we aimed to test whether a need-supportive classroom environment in PE moderates these associations. Participants were 1259 students (556 males) aged between 12 to 16 years (Mage = 13.46 years; SD = 0.74) from 77 PE classes. At the student level we found (a) need satisfaction to predict positively autonomous motivation and negatively amotivation, and (b) autonomous motivation to predict positively and amotivation to predict negatively intentions to undertake extracurricular physical activities. At the classroom level, in need-supportive classes males benefit more than females in terms of increased autonomous motivation while females benefit more than males in terms of decreased amotivation. Finally, class-level perceived need support moderated (i.e., attenuated) the negative association between need satisfaction and amotivation and between amotivation and intentions. These results suggest a buffering role that a need-supportive classroom environment may have on students’ motivation and behavior.
Ultra luminous X-ray pulsars (ULXP) are fascinating objects, whose X-ray emission greatly exceeds the Eddington limit for a solar mass object. Given the coherent pulsations we now know that these systems host accreting magnetized Neutron Stars (NS), thus challenging our understanding of accretion theory. Moreover several of these systems show super-orbital variability where the observed flux change by factor more than 10. Key questions about the nature of these systems are; is there is beaming involved that enhances the derived isotropic Luminosity? What is the magnetic field of the NS in ULXPs and how this compares to the typical X-ray pulsars? and what is the nature of the super-orbital modulation? The study of individual ULXPS can help us answer these key questions. Here I will present observational constrains on the properties of NGC 300 ULX1. Through a year long X-ray monitoring we discovered that even when the X-ray flux of the system decreased by a factor of 20 the spin-up of the NS continues at a constant rate denoting constant mass accretion onto the NS. Moreover, I will discuss the changes in the observed flux in the context of a precessing disc and outflows. In addition, I will discuss the properties of newly confirmed ULXP M51 ULX7, I will show that outflows are not a necessary requirement to account for super orbital variability, and will discuss alternative mechanisms.
We present the results of the first dedicated observation of the young X-ray pulsar SXP 1062 in the broad X-ray energy band obtained during its 2019 outburst with the NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observatories. The analysis of the pulse-phase averaged and phase-resolved spectra in the energy band from 0.5 to 70 keV did not reveal any evidence for the presence of a cyclotron line. The spin period of the pulsar was found to have decreased to 979.48 ± 0.06 s implying a ∼10% reduction compared to the last measured period during the monitoring campaign conducted about five years ago, and is puzzling considering that the system apparently has not shown major outbursts ever since. The switch of the pulsar to the spin-up regime supports the common assumption that torques acting on the accreting neutron star are nearly balanced and thus SXP 1062 likely also spins with a period close to the equilibrium value for this system. The current monitoring of the source also revealed a sharp drop in its soft X-ray flux right after the outburst, which is in drastic contrast to the behavior during the previous outburst when the pulsar remained observable for years with only a minor flux decrease after the end of the outburst. This unexpected off state of the source lasted for at most 20 days after which SXP 1062 returned to the level observed during previous campaigns. We discuss this and other findings in context of the modern models of accretion onto strongly magnetized neutron stars.
The 1:1 reactions of uranium(iv) tetrakis(borohydride) with the sodium and potassium salts of the cyclobutadienyl anion [C4(SiMe3)4]2- (Cb′′′′) produce the half-sandwich complexes [Na(12-crown-4)2][U(η4-Cb′′′′)(BH4)3] and [U(η4-Cb′′′′)(μ-BH4)3{K(THF)2}]2. In the 1:2 reaction of U(BH4)4 with Na2Cb′′′′, formation of [U(η4-Cb′′′′)(η3-C4H(SiMe3)3-κ-(CH2SiMe2)(BH4))]- reveals that a Cb′′′′ ligand undergoes an intramolecular deprotonation, resulting in an allyl/tuck-in bonding mode. A computational study reveals that the uranium-Cb′′′′ bonding has an appreciable covalent component with contributions from the uranium 5f and 6d orbitals.
The paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a teaching intervention for the teaching of Evolution. This is carried out through an evolution-based investigation activity of the nervous system from Protozoan to Humans. Specifically, students were able to follow two main evolutionary pathways related to the Nervous system. In the first place, they were familiarized with a march of the Nervous System (NS) from Protozoans to Vertebrates and from Fishes to Humans. In a second stage they studied and compared the difference between the development of Spatial Memory and Hippocampus between polygamous mice and taxi drivers of NY city. I.e. they were faced with a case of adaptation in a Darwinian evolution way in contrast to a Lamarckian case of an acquired trait. The results of two studies concerning the increased size of the Hippocampus as a result of the impact of the environment and as an adaptive characteristic of reproductive and survival strategies are given to students who are invited to investigate whether this characteristic is inherited or not in the two cases. In addition to the main question, individual concepts of Evolution through Natural Selection and Neurobiology are explored. Teaching intervention is a proposal for the teaching of basic concepts of Evolution through the promotion of the idea of using the Evolution by Natural Selection as the Unifying Theory of Biology. The results show a statistically significant
The brain is one of the most complex organs, responsible for the advanced intellectual and cognitive ability of humans. Although primates are to some extent capable of performing cognitive tasks, their abilities are less evolved. One of the reasons for this is the vast differences in the brain of humans compared to other mammals, in terms of shape, size and complexity. Such differences make the study of human brain development fascinating. Interestingly, the cerebral cortex is by far the most complex brain region resulting from its selective evolution within mammals over millions of years. Unraveling the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating brain development, as well as the evolutionary differences seen across species and the need to understand human brain disorders, are some of the reasons why scientists are interested in improving their current knowledge on human corticogenesis. Toward this end, several animal models including primates have been used, however, these models are limited in their extent to recapitulate human-specific features. Recent technological achievements in the field of stem cell research, which have enabled the generation of human models of corticogenesis, called brain or cerebral organoids, are of great importance. This review focuses on the main cellular and molecular features of human corticogenesis and the use of brain organoids to study it. We will discuss the key differences between cortical development in human and nonhuman mammals, the technological applications of brain organoids and the different aspects of cortical development in normal and pathological conditions, which can be modeled using brain organoids. This article is categorized under: Comparative Development and Evolution > Regulation of Organ Diversity Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: General Principles.
This paper reflects the opinion of the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) Working Group Accreditation and ISO/CEN standards (WG-A/ISO). It aims to provide guidance for drawing up local/national documents about validation and verification of laboratory methods. We demonstrate how risk evaluation can be used to optimize laboratory policies to meet intended use requirements as well as requirements of standards. This is translated in a number of recommendations on how to introduce risk evaluation in various stages of the implementation of new methods ultimately covering the whole process cycle
The variability of the water mass exchange between the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean is investigated using a high-resolution (1/36°) ocean model. We focus on the period from December 1996 to March 1998, having as reference in situ measurements at the Strait of Hormuz. Previous studies, based on models and observations, suggested a perpetual deep outflow, mainly in the southern part of the Strait, and a variable flow in the upper layers. In the present study, we confirm that there is a permanent core of a deep outflow in the Strait at depths greater than 40 m, characterised by high-salinity waters. In addition, we show that there is a seasonal signal in the upper layers net flow in the southern part of the Strait, altering from net inflow during winter/spring to net outflow during summer/fall. The mean annual inflow through the Strait is estimated at 0.22 ± 0.01 Sv and the deep outflow at 0.147 ± 0.01 Sv. The water mass exchange through the Strait is controlled by synoptic processes with high variability net transport fields. These processes characterise the structure and the intensity of the transport patterns, exhibiting 2- to 5-day period. On synoptic time scales, winds drive an immediate baroclinic flow at the Strait of Hormuz, affecting mostly the upper layers, and a quasi-barotropic flow that peaks approximately 2 days later.
Package recommendation systems have gained in popularity especially in the tourism domain, where they propose combinations of different types of attractions that can be visited by someone during a city tour. These systems can also be applied in suggesting home entertainment, proper nutrition or academic courses. Such systems must optimize multiple user criteria in tandem, such as preference score, package cost or duration. This work proposes a flexible framework for recommending packages that best fit users' preferences while satisfying several constraints on the set of the valid packages. This is achieved by modeling the relation between the items and the categories these items belong to, aiming at recommending to each user the top-k packages that cover their preferred categories and the restriction of a maximum package cost. Our contribution includes an optimal and a greedy algorithm, that both outperform a state-of-the-art system and a popularity-based baseline solution. The novelty of the optimal algorithm is that it combines the collaborative filtering predictions with a graph-based model to produce package recommendations. The problem is expressed through a minimum cost flow network and is solved by integer linear programming. The greedy algorithm has a low computational complexity and provides recommendations which are close to the optimal one. An extensive evaluation of the proposed framework has been carried out on six popular recommendation datasets. The results obtained using a set of widely accepted metrics show promising performance. Finally, the formulation of the problem for specific domains has also been addressed.
Nutritional and lifestyle changes remain at the core of healthy aging and disease prevention. Accumulating evidence underscores the impact of genetic, metabolic, and host gut microbial factors on individual responses to nutrients, paving the way for the stratification of nutritional guidelines. However, technological advances that incorporate biological, nutritional, lifestyle, and health data at an unprecedented scale and depth conceptualize a future where preventative dietary interventions will exceed stratification and will be highly individualized. We herein discuss how genetic information combined with longitudinal metabolomic, immune, behavioral, and gut microbial parameters, and bioclinical variables could define a digital replica of oneself, a "virtual digital twin," which could serve to guide nutrition in a personalized manner. Such a model may revolutionize the management of obesity and its comorbidities, and provide a pillar for healthy aging.
The discovery and analysis of the system CzeV1731 represents a rare configuration of a 2+2 quadruple star system containing two eclipsing binaries, the third system of its kind known to date. The system under investigation in this work is TYC 3929-724-1 (= 2MASS J19245582+5704084 = TIC 284482112), located at RA=19:24:55.82, DE=+57:04:08.39, with Vmax=10.5mag. We present times of eclipses and radial velocities of both pairs. (2 data files).
Figure10.4-0.7keV.fits and Figure10.7-1.25keV XMM-Newton mosaic images of M 31 in the 0.4-0.7keV and 0.7-1.25keV range. We used all XMM-Newton data up to and including our new observations (early 2016). To produce these mosaics we used the the XMM-Newton Extended Source Analysis Software (XMM-ESAS), packaged in SAS1 15.0.0. XMM-ESAS is based on the software used for the background modelling described by Snowden et al. (2004ApJ...610.1182S). The units of the images are cts/s/deg2. See Section 2.1.1 for more details. Figure2_0.4-1.25keV.fits. XMM-Newton image of the northern disk of M 31 in the 0.4-1.25keV range produced as in Figure 1. See Sections 2.1.1 and 2.2 for more details. (2 data files).
Table 1 includes the data from the astrometric monitoring runs for 2002 TC302 carried out to narrow down the shadow path uncertainty, in October, November, December 2017 and January 2018 with the Sierra Nevada 1.5m telescope (Granada, Spain) and the Calar Alto 1.2m telescope (Almeria, Spain). The astrometric catalog used for the occultation prediction was Gaia DR1. Tables 2 and 3 include, respectively, all the photometry and astrometry of 2002 TC302 analyzed, from 2014 to 2019. The astrometry was derived with respect to the Gaia DR2 catalog (Cat. I/345). (3 data files).
Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, and obtained from the Hubble Legacy Archive, which is a collaboration between the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI/NASA), the Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility (ST-ECF/ESA) and the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC/NRC/CSA). (1 data file).
The COVID-19 pandemic has unhinged the lives of employees across the globe, yet there is little understanding of how COVID-19 health anxiety (CovH anxiety)-that is, feelings of fear and apprehension about having or contracting COVID-19-impacts critical work, home, and health outcomes. In the current study, we integrate transactional stress theory (Lazarus {&} Folkman, 1984) with selfdetermination theory (Deci {&} Ryan, 2000) to advance and test a model predicting that CovH anxiety prompts individuals to suppress emotions, which has detrimental implications for their psychological need fulfillment. In turn, lack of psychological need fulfillment hinders employees' abilities to work effectively, engage with their family, and experience heightened well-being. Our model further predicts that handwashing frequency-a form of problem-focused coping-will mitigate the effects of CovH anxiety. We test our propositions using a longitudinal design that followed 503 employees across the first four weeks that stay-at-home and social distancing orders were enacted. Consistent with predictions, CovH anxiety was found to impair critical work (goal progress), home (family engagement) and health (somatic complaints) outcomes due to increased emotion suppression and lack of psychological need fulfillment. Further, individuals who frequently engage in handwashing behavior were buffered from the negative impact of CovH anxiety. Combined, our work integrates and extends existing theory and has a number of important practical implications. Our research represents a first step to understanding the work-, home-, and health-related implications of this unprecedented situation, highlighting the detrimental impact of the anxiety stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Το κείμενο αντλεί από την αναπλαισιωτική (reconceptual) παράδοση των αναλυτικών προγραμμάτων, η οποία το θεωρεί (μεταξύ άλλων και) ως πολιτικό κείμενο. Εξετάζεται ιστορικά ο τρόπος μετασχηματισμού/μεταρρύθμισης του αναλυτικού προγράμματος στην Ελλάδα, από τη δεκαετία του 1950 και μετά. Αξιοποιώντας ως θεωρητικό-ερμηνευτικό μοντέλο την μη-αναγωγιστική και μη-στρουκτουραλιστική προσέγγιση των φορέων δράσης (agency) καταλήγει στο συμπέρασμα ότι τα) καταλήγει στο συμπέρασμα ότι τα αναλυτικά προγράμματα στην Ελλάδα συγκροτούνται κυρίως από τις επιλογές των πολιτικά κυρίαρχων φορέων δράσης, με αποτέλεσμα να εμπεριέχουν φονταμενταλιστικές στάσεις ως προς τη γνώση και να χαρακτηρίζονται από τη δυσκολία εναρμόνισης με το οικονομικό και κοινωνικό γίγνεσθαι.
Το επικοινωνιακό πεδίο αλλάζει τόσο ως προς το προσφερόμενο περιεχόμενο, όσο και ως προς τους τρόπους με τους οποίους οι άνθρωποι ανακαλύπτουν, χρησιμοποιούν, καταναλώνουν και αλληλεπιδρούν με τα σύγχρονα μέσα επικοινωνίας. Δεν βλέπουμε πια τηλεόραση με προσήλωση όπως παλαιότερα. Δεν διαβάζουμε εφημερίδες, και ούτε ακούμε ραδιόφωνο πέραν του αυτοκινήτου. Αντίθετα, ενημερωνόμαστε και ψυχαγωγούμαστε όλο και περισσότερο από το διαδίκτυο και τις ιστοσελίδες του. Σχολιάζουμε τα πολιτικά και κοινωνικά δρώμενα και τα κοινοποιούμε στα μέσα κοινωνικής δικτύωσης. Μπορεί να μην αντέχουμε να βλέπουμε διαφημίσεις περισσότερο από μισό λεπτό και αλλάζουμε τηλεοπτικό σταθμό όταν δεν προκαλεί το ενδιαφέρον μας, αλλά παρακολουθούμε για ώρες συνεχόμενες τα επεισόδια των αγαπημένων μας σειρών που μας προφέρουν οι νέοι τηλεοπτικοί πάροχοι μέσω του διαδικτύου.
Σε οποιαδήποτε δεδομένη ημέρα ο μέσος πολίτης μπορεί να επιλέξει ανάμεσα σε δεκάδες τηλεοπτικά κανάλια επίγεια ή δορυφορικά ή διαδικτυακά, ραδιοφωνικούς σταθμούς, εφημερίδες σε έντυπη ή ηλεκτρονική μορφή κι ένα πλήθος από ιστοσελίδες. Στην πράξη το κοινό των μέσων κατακερματίζεται όλο και περισσότερο, ενώ η κατανάλωση του περιεχομένου των μέσων, είτε αυτό είναι ενημερωτικό είτε ψυχαγωγικό, γίνεται πλέον μπροστά από μια οθόνη, είτε αυτή είναι η παραδοσιακή τηλεοπτική οθόνη είτε ο φορητός υπολογιστής είτε το τάμπλετ ή το έξυπνο κινητό. Ποτέ άλλωστε στην ιστορία των επικοινωνιών το ίδιο περιεχόμενο δεν μπορούσε να καταναλωθεί από τέσσερις διαφορετικές οθόνες, και μάλιστα ταυτόχρονα, μέσα στο σπίτι ή έξω από το σπίτι, σταθερά ή εν κινήσει. Το παρόν βιβλίο έχει στόχο να αναδείξει τα βασικά χαρακτηριστικά της νέας αυτής επικοινωνιακής συνθήκης, καθώς η κατανάλωση του σύγχρονου περιεχομένου των μέσων επικοινωνίας επιτελείται «ανάμεσα σε 4 οθόνες».
Όπως έχουμε ήδη δημοσιεύσει στο παρελθόν η φάση κατασκευής των ενεργειακών οδεύσεων διασύνδεσης Ισραήλ – Κύπρου – Ελλάδας αλλά και η έναρξη των σεισμικών ερευνών στην περιοχή νοτίως της Κρήτης δύναται να ορίσει χρονικώς και γεωγραφικώς μια περίοδο εντονοτέρων τριβών με την γείτονα Τουρκία. Εις επίρρωσιν των ανωτέρω, η πρόσφατη παράνομη αλλά και αδιευκρινίστου, τυπικώς, νομικής υποστάσεως «συμφωνία» μεταξύ Λιβύης – Τουρκίας, υπογράφεται και «επικυρούται» σε μία περίοδο χαρακτηριζόμενη από τα κάτωθι χρονικά στιγμιότυπα (τα κυριότερα):Σεπτέμβριος 2019: Η διαδικασία αδειοδoτήσεως σεισμικών ερευ-νών στην περιοχή του Ιονίου και της Κρήτης από την Ελληνική Βου-λή ολοκληρώνεται.Οκτώβριος 2019: Το γεωτρητικό πλοίο Yavuz ενεργεί, παρά τα τε-χνικά προβλήματα που συνήντησε, εργασίες εντός του βυθοτεμαχίου7, ανήκοντος στην κυπριακή ΑΟΖ.Δεκέμβριος 2019: Η Τουρκία καταθέτει συντεταγμένες υφαλοκρη-πίδας με τη Λιβύη στον ΟΗΕ.Δεκέμβριος 2019: Η Ελλάδα βιαζομένη από την δυναμική τωντουρκικών προσπαθειών δημιουργίας παρανόμων τετελεσμένων προ-χωρά σε συναντήσεις με την Αίγυπτο και την Ιταλία για τον καθορι-σμό της ΑΟΖ αντιδρώντας στη συμφωνία Τουρκίας - Λιβύης. (Δεν έχειεισέτι πρωτοκολληθεί, αλλά αναμένεται η πρωτοκόλλησή του, μάλλονπερί τον μήνα Μάρτιο 2020).
Ιανουάριος 2020: Η Τριμερής Ελλάδα-Κύπρος-Ισραήλ υπογράφουν το σύμφωνο συνεργασίας για την κατασκευή του αγωγού EastMed
Μάιος 2018: Η Exxon Mobil ολοκληρώνει τις προκαταρκτικές μελέτες για γεώτρηση στο βυθοτεμάχιο 10 της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας
Οκτώβριος 2018: Έναρξη σεισμικών ερευνών από το τουρκικό σεισμογραφικό πλοίο BARBAROS
Νοέμβριος 2018: Το γεωτρύπανο Stena Icemax ξεκινά γεώτρηση στο βυθοτεμάχιο 10 της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας για λογαριασμό της ΕΧΧΟΝ ΜΟΒΙL
Απρίλιος 2019: Με επίσημη επιστολή της στην Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, η Exxon Mobil επισημοποίησε τα δεδομένα για το κοίτασμα «Γλαύκος» με την ανακάλυψη των 5 έως 8 τρισεκατομμυρίων κυβικών ποδών, ενώ επιβεβαίωσε και το γεγονός ότι θα πραγματοποιήσει επιβεβαιωτική γεώτρηση.
Από τα παραπάνω καταγεγραμμένα γεγονότα είναι προφανές ότι μέσα σε ένα διάστημα 21ός μηνών επεχειρήθη η κλιμάκωση της εντάσεως στην περιοχή της Ανατολικής Μεσογείου. Διάστημα, κατά την διάρκεια του οποίου, η Τουρκία εισέβαλε στην ζώνη 120 χλμ μεταξύ Ταλ αλ Αμπιάντ - Ρας αλ Άϊν της Συρίας, κατέλαβε συριακά εδάφη υπό την προστασία, στήριξη και ανοχή της Ρωσίας, επιχείρησε παράνομες γεωτρήσεις στην Ανατολική Μεσόγειο, κατάθεσε στον ΟΗΕ μία παράνομη αλλά επικίνδυνη συμφωνία (τη λέξη «επικίνδυνη» θα την εξηγήσουμε σε επόμενο κεφάλαιο) με την κυβέρνηση της Τριπόλεως της Λιβύης, σκοπούσα στον καθορισμό της μεταξύ των υφαλοκρηπίδας, ανεμείχθη με αποστολή τούρκων αξιωματικών των μυστικών υπηρεσιών της, με αποστολή μισθοφόρων ισλαμιστών μαχητών τρομοκρατικών ομάδων από την Συρία, με αποστολή όπλων και πυρομαχικών και βαρέως οπλισμoύ στις δυνάμεις των ισλαμιστών μισθοφόρων του κου Σάρατζ, παραβαίνοντας και την συμφωνία εκεχειρίας της προσφάτου «επιλεκτικώς συνεθημένης συναντήσεως του Βερολίνου» αλλά και το εμπάργκο το ορισθέν από την 1995/2011 απόφαση του ΣΑ του ΟΗΕ με την αποστολή τακτικών στρατευμάτων στη Λιβύη για την υποστήριξη της κυβερνήσεως της Τριπόλεως.
Μετά από μια κοινωνιολογική προσέγγιση και έρευνα των κοινωνικών αναπαραστάσεων για την αναπηρία, διακρίνουμε τον κοινωνικό αποκλεισμό που αντιμετωπίζουν οι συνάνθρωποί μας με αναπηρίες: ως κοινωνική ομάδα και ως άτομα. Αν συμπεριλάβουμε εδώ και τη διάσταση του φύλου, ο κοινωνικός αποκλεισμός, οι κοινωνικές ανισότητες αυξάνονται ραγδαία, και όχι μόνο. Οι γυναίκες και τα κορίτσια με αναπηρίες διατρέχουν μεγαλύτερο κίνδυνο να υποστούν εκμετάλλευση, βία, και σεξουαλική κακοποίηση. Μια ενδελεχή ανασκόπηση της διεθνούς σχετικής βιβλιογραφίας τεκμηριώνει πως ο αθλητισμός προσφέρει μια πλατφόρμα (ένα βήμα/μια κοινωνική περιοχή) για την ευαισθητοποίηση των ατόμων χωρίς αναπηρίες. Ο αθλητισμός και η φυσική αγωγή αποτελούν εργαλεία ή μέσα κοινωνικής ενσωμάτωσης και ένταξης για τους συνανθρώπους μας με αναπηρίες, και ειδικά για τη γυναίκα. __________________________________________________________________________________________________Citation:Καμπερίδου, Ειρήνη (2020). Γυναίκα με αναπηρία στον Αθλητισμό: «Διεκδικώ τα δικαιώματά μου!». Κοινωνική αναπαράσταση αναπηρίας στον Aθλητισμό. Εισήγηση (μετά από πρόσκληση) στην Ημερίδα Γυναίκα –Μητέρα – Αναπηρία & Αθλητισμός, 8 Μαρτίου, Κέντρο Πολιτισμού Ίδρυμα Σταύρος Νιάρχος (Πύργος Βιβλίων), 17:00-21.00, υπό την επιστημονική επίβλεψη του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών (ΕΚΠΑ). Κέντρο Πολιτισμού Ίδρυμα Στάυρος Νιάρχος, Αναγέννηση & Πρόοδος, και Sports Excellence της Α’ Ορθοπαιδικής Κλινικής του ΕΚΠΑ. https://www.uoa.gr/anakoinoseis_kai_ekdiloseis/proboli_ekdilosis/imerida_gynaika_mitera_anapiria_athlitismos/ Aναλυτικό ΠρόγραμμαVideo της ημερίδας - Ενότητα 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zo6h2Xb5lo
"Αθλητισμός και αναπηρία" Συντονιστής: Τσολάκης Χάρης, Καθηγητής Σχολής Επιστήμης Φυσικής Αγωγής και Αθλητισμού, ΕΚΠΑ.
Παρουσιάζουν οι:
1. Καμπερίδου Ειρήνη, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια Κοινωνιολογίας, Κοινωνικό Φύλο και Αθλητισμός, Σχολής Επιστήμης Φυσικής Αγωγής και Αθλητισμού, ΕΚΠΑ
Θέμα παρουσίασης: "Γυναίκα με αναπηρία στον Αθλητισμό: «Διεκδικώ τα δικαιώματά μου!» Κοινωνική αναπαράσταση της αναπηρίας στον Αθλητισμό"
Θέμα Παρουσίασης: "Ο ρόλος του αθλητισμού στην κοινωνική ένταξη των ατόμων με αναπηρία"
3. Συμμετέχουν οι: Βλάμη Έφη, Πωταθλήτρια Ελλάδος στην ξιφασκία με αμαξίδιο & Σταματάτου Άδα, αθλήτρια μεγάλων αποστάσεων, μητέρα παιδιού ΑΜΕΑ
Η ημερίδα: "Γυναίκα-Μητέρα, Αθλητισμός & Αναπηρία," διοργανώθηκε από το Κέντρο Πολιτισμού Ίδρυμα Σταύρος Νιάρχος (ΚΠΙΣΝ), με σχεδιασμό και υλοποίηση από το Τμήμα Αθλητικής
Αριστείας - Sports Excellence, της Α’ Ορθοπαιδικής Κλινικής του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών, σε συνεργασία με το Εργαστήριο Προσαρμοσμένης Κινητικής Δραστηριότητας / Αναπτυξιακών και Κινητικών Διαταραχών της Σχολής Επιστήμης Φυσικής Αγωγής και Αθλητισμού του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών, με αποκλειστική δωρεά από το Ίδρυμα Σταύρος Νιάρχος (ΙΣΝ).
Η διασαφήνιση των ορίων ανάμεσα στην εκπαίδευση ενηλίκων και στη συμβουλευτική είναι ένα πεδίο το οποίο συζητάτε χωρίς ωστόσο να έχει διερευνηθεί επαρκώς. Διερευνάται η σχέση ανάμεσα στα δυο πεδίο με βάση τη θεωρία μετασχηματισμών, τον ορισμό της ενηλικιότητας και τη διερεύνηση των δυσλειτουργικών ψυχικών παραδοχών. Δίνεται ο ορισμός της ενηλικιότητας και της ωριμότητας με βάση τη θεωρία μετασχηματισμών και την κατάρρευση των ψευδαισθήσεων της παιδικής ηλικίας. Διερευνώνται τα επτά στάδια προς την ενηλικιότητα καθώς και οι επιπτώσεις των δυσλειτουργικών παραδοχών. Συζητούνται τα όρια ανάμεσα στην συμβουλευτική και στην εκπαίδευση ενηλίκων με προτάσεις για την εκπαίδευση των εκπαιδευτών ενηλίκων.
Funding of research proposals by the European Commission (EC) requires notonly scientific excellence and innovation, but also ethical conduct of research. For thisreason, the EC performs ethics review for all the research proposals that are going to befunded, in order to check compliance with the ethics principles of research, as well asthe European and National laws, in the countries where research is conducted. The aimof the present manuscript is to raise awareness and familiarize researchers with theethics review of research proposals, as conducted in the EC, through the eyes of twoethics experts.Firstly, the stages of the ethics review process are described, which is performedwith the assistance of independent ethics experts. The criteria which are provided andmonitored by the Ethics and Research Integrity Sector in the EC are then presented indetail. Based on these criteria, the possible outcomes of an ethics review are analyzed,which may include the formation of specific requirements that need to be fulfilled by theresearchers. Specific reference is made to the requirements that may result when aresearch proposal involves collection, processing and storage of personal data accordingto the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679, because this Regulation enteredinto force recently in the ethics review.Finally, reference is made to the importance of ensuring integrity in researchthought the ethics review process, and the necessary compliance with the ethicsstandards of EC-funded research.
Η παρούσα μελέτη συμβάλει στην ανάπτυξη νέων επιστημονικών αντικειμένων που προκύπτουν από τη συνέργεια επιστημών. Αφορά δυνατότητες συνέργειας της Κοινωνικής Παιδαγωγικής και της Θρησκευτικής Εκπαίδευσης (Μυλωνάκου-Κεκέ, 2013∙ Κουκουνάρας Λιάγκης, 2019), που έχουν εμφανιστεί, στο πλαίσιο της τυπικής εκπαίδευσης με βάση τις Ευρωπαϊκές Συστάσεις και Συμβάσεις, τα Ανθρώπινα Δικαιώματα και τα Δικαιώματα του Παιδιού, αλλά και τις σύγχρονες θεωρίες στη θρησκειοπαιδαγωγική και θεολογία. Παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα της μελέτης της Θρησκευτικής Εκπαίδευσης (μάθημα και έρευνα) και του πλαισίου της, με όρους κοινωνικών συστημάτων (Engeström, 1999; 2005), αλλά και του Υπερ(συν)επιστημονικού Κοινωνικοπαιδαγωγικού Μοντέλου, που έχει σχεδιαστεί με βάση τη διαλεκτική σχέση των θεωριών της Μεθοδολογίας των Ανθρώπινων Συστημάτων, της Συστημικής Επιστήμης (Senge, 2006) και του Μοντέλου της Συνεκπαίδευσης/Syneducation και της Διαχείρισης της Γνώσης (Κεκές, 2007, 2008∙ Mylonakou-Keke, 2015∙ Μυλωνάκου-Κεκέ, 2016). Φαίνεται ότι δημιουργείται ένα διακριτό επιστημονικό πεδίο δράσης κοινού ενδιαφέροντος των δύο επιστημονικών πεδίων, που βασίζεται σε κοινές προϋποθέσεις και επιδιώξεις. Μπορεί, μάλιστα να έχει εφαρμογές στην ολόπλευρη ανάπτυξη του ανθρώπου, στην προσωπική και συλλογική ζωή, και επιπλέον να προκαλεί βελτιωτικές αλλαγές, που είναι ένας από τους βασικούς ρόλους της εκπαίδευσης.
Για έναν περίπου αιώνα (1837-1930), η ελληνική Πολιτεία δεν μερίμνησε για την οργάνωση μιας επίσημης δομής αρχικής κατάρτισης επιφορτισμένης με τη μόρφωση των καθηγητών γαλλικής. Στα τέλη του 19ου αιώνα, το ζήτημα αρχίζει να απασχολεί και τη γαλλική πολιτιστική διπλωματία, η οποία το συνδέει άμεσα με τη διάδοση/διάχυση της γαλλικής γλώσσας και κατ’ επέκταση με την ισχυροποίηση της γαλλικής παρουσίας στο γεωπολιτικό γίγνεσθαι της περιοχής. Η μελέτη αυτή επιχειρεί να αποτυπώσει τους βασικότερους σταθμούς της ιστορίας της εκπαίδευσης των καθηγητών γαλλικής στην Ελλάδα από τη θεσμική ανυπαρξία έως τη συγκρότηση της γαλλικής γραμματείας σε γνωστικό αντικείμενο ακαδημαϊκών σπουδών με την ίδρυση τμημάτων στα πανεπιστήμια Αθηνών και Θεσσαλονίκης (1954). Να αναδείξει επίσης ότι, πέρα από την ελληνική κοινωνικοοικονομική και πολιτική συγκυρία που τη χάραξε, η πορεία του ζητήματος αυτού έχει και διπλωματικές/διεθνικές προεκτάσεις, καθώς συνδέεται άμεσα και με πολιτικές που αναπτύχθηκαν στο πλαίσιο μιας ελληνογαλλικής μορφωτικής συνεργασίας. Η εκπαιδευτική αυτή σύμπραξη Ελλάδας-Γαλλίας αποδεικνύεται ωστόσο αμφίσημη, καθώς εξυπηρετεί διαφορετικούς πολιτιστικούς στόχους, διαφορετικά πολιτικά και διπλωματικά συμφέροντα και διακυβεύματα.
"The French teacher education in Greece in the 19th and 20th centuries: aspects of an ambiguous Greek-French cultural collaboration"
For about a century (1837-1930), the Greek State did not accommodate the organization of a formal educational structure of initial training for French teachers. At the end of the 19th century this became an issue for the French cultural diplomacy who directly linked this to the spreading of the French language and by extension to the strengthening of the French presence in the Balkan geopolitical scene. In the following study, it is attempted to map the main landmarks of the history of French teachers’ education in Greece, from institutional non-existence until the establishment of the French Language and Literature as an academic discipline with the founding of departments at the Universities of Athens and Thessaloniki (1954). Another aim of the current study is to highlight that, in addition to the Greek socio-economic and political context that has shaped it, this issue also has diplomatic / international implications, as it is directly linked to policies developed in the context of Greek-French cooperation. This educational partnership between Greece and France, however, proves to be rather ambiguous, erratic, often confrontational, since it serves different cultural goals, different political and diplomatic interests and stakes.
Καρακόλης Χρήστος. Η ηθική της βασιλείας του Θεού στο κήρυγμα του Ιησού Χριστού. In: Ευαγγέλιο και ήθος κατά τον απόστολο Παύλο: Πρακτικά διεθνούς επιστημονικού συνεδρίου. 26α Παύλεια (Βέροια, 20-21 Ιουνίου 2020). Vol. 26. Βέροια: Ιερά Μητρόπολις Βεροίας, Ναούσης και Καμπανίας; 2020. pp. 155-170.Abstract
The present paper aims to investigate the characteristics of the kingdom of God and the ethical presuppositions for entering it. The study is limited to the witness of the synoptic gospels. The approach to the issue at hand is a synchronic one based on the method of reader-response criticism. Concretely, the gospels are read through the lens of an assumed ancient reader of the synoptic gospels who is well-versed in Greek literature and compares the concept of the kingdom of God with the one of Athenian democracy according to Pericles’s Epitaph in Thucydides.From an ethical point of view, the kingdom of God exceeds by far even the ideal democracy. Contrary to the latter, the kingdom of God is entirely peaceful, treats all its citizens as equals, invites all human beings to enter it but leaves them free to decide for themselves whether or not they wish to.
The only fight its prospective citizens have to give is against demonic powers and their own negative inclinations. Differently from Pericles’s Epitaph, in God’s kingdom, active love towards all, enemies included, is the quintessence of ethics. To receive God’s kingdom, human beings have to love God more than anything else and their neighbor like themselves. They also have to be forgiving, self-denying, and self-sacrificing without expecting to be rewarded in the present world. On their way to the kingdom of God, they belong to those mourning, crying, and being persecuted. Earthly honor does not matter at all; the sinners, the poor, and the outliers are the first to enter the kingdom.
In sum, the ethical standards for belonging to God’s kingdom are much higher than those of the citizens of the Athenian democracy. Most importantly, though, the ethics of God’s kingdom is founded on faith in Jesus Christ, the true Son of God, whose earthly presence inaugurates his and his Father’s kingdom.
Fasting is undeniably one of the religious practices that form the identity of the members of the Orthodox Church. Among other points, the official document on fasting of the Holy and Great Council of Crete focuses on the need for the local Churches to apply the principle of oikonomia when necessary. However, in the pertinent argumentation, there is hardly any reference to the relevant witness of the New Testament. The present paper attempts to fill in this blank by presenting St. Paul’s teaching on abstinence from idol food as an important contribution to this discussion.
While Paul is not interested in the practice of fasting per se, he is concerned with the problem of believers eating or avoiding idol food. According to him, Christians with a strong conscience should feel free to consume idol food. However, they also have to take into account their brethren with a weak conscience who think of such practice as participation in idolatry. If necessary, the first ones should be even prepared to give up their right of eating meat so as not to scandalize the latter. It is then clear that St. Paul understands abstinence from food as a condescension to spiritual weakness.
Contemporary civilization has created new serious health disorders, which are partly due to modern-day eating habits. For this, as well as for other reasons, many Christians nowadays cannot and should not be fasting in the traditional way. Taking into consideration the Pauline testimony, the historical diversity of the practice of fasting, as well as the complexity of contemporary problems, an individualized understanding and application of both akribeia and oikonomia is required. In addition, Church members should be encouraged to reach spiritual maturity, so that they are able to take responsibility for both their spiritual and their physical health.
«Εσείς οι Άγγλοι μας παίρνετε τα έργα των προγόνων μας. Φυλάξτε τα καλά. Εμείς οι Έλληνες στο μέλλον θα τα ζητήσουμε πίσω» (Αθανάσιος Ψαλίδας 1809). Μια νέα εξέλιξη προέκυψε αναφορικά με το θέμα των γλυπτών του Παρθενώνα που απέσπασε ο Lord Elgin στις αρχές του 19ου αιώνα και εκτίθενται στο Βρετανικό Μουσείο σήμερα. Δυο Τούρκοι επιστήμονες (Ζεϊνέπ Αϊγκέν και Ορχάν Σακίν) εξετάζοντας τα οθωμανικά αρχεία, καταρρίπτουν τους ισχυρισμούς των Βρετανών πως είχαν λάβει άδεια από τον σουλτάνο για την ‘αρπαγή’. Αποδεικνύεται ότι το Βρετανικό Μουσείο βασίζει τους ισχυρισμούς του σε μια ιταλική μετάφραση του φερόμενου ως πρωτότυπου σουλτανικού φιρμανιού (άδειας). Οι δύο Τούρκοι επιστήμονες ήρθαν στην Αθήνα στις 23 Φεβρουαρίου 2019 και σε συνεργασία με Έλληνες ομολόγους τους, αποφάνθηκαν πως δεν υπάρχει σουλτανικό φιρμάνι. Αρχαία ελληνικά ευρήματα και έργα τέχνης υπάρχουν σήμερα σε όλο τον κόσμο. Συλλεκτική μανία είχε καταλάβει τις ευρωπαϊκές αυλές και τους μεγιστάνες του πλούτου ήδη, από την αυγή της Αναγέννησης. «Είναι θλιβερή η διαπίστωση», έγραφε τον 19ο αιώνα, ο François-René de Chateaubriand, «ότι οι πολιτισμένοι ευρωπαϊκοί λαοί προξένησαν στα μνημεία των Αθηνών περισσότερο κακό κατά τη διάρκεια 150 χρόνων από’ όσο όλοι μαζί οι βάρβαροι κατά τη διάρκεια των αιώνων. Είναι σκληρό να σκεφτεί κανείς ότι ο Αλάριχος και ο Μωάμεθ Β’ σεβάστηκαν τον Παρθενώνα, για να τον αφανίσουν ο Μοροζίνι και ο Έλγιν». Είναι βέβαιο ότι η πολιτισμική κληρονομιά ενός τόπου, δεν είναι μόνο οι αρχαιότητες και τα παλαιά έργα τέχνης. Είναι η πνευματική του δημιουργία που σε συνδυασμό με την ιστορική-πολιτισμική μνήμη συγκροτούν καθημερινή βιωματική εμπειρία, η οποία δεν μπορεί να κλαπεί και να δημοπρατηθεί.Είναι λυπηρό που η διεθνής κοινότητα στέκεται με απάθεια μπροστά στο δράμα της πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς ενός τόπου, που αποτελεί μέρος της παγκόσμιας πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς! [στο τυπογραφείο-υπό έκδοση, καθυστέρηση λόγω μέτρων/Covid 19]
H Ελλάδα (ως κράτος, ως πολιτεία και ως κοινωνία) διέρχεται μια πολυσχιδή και πολυσήμαντη κρίση τα τελευταία 10 χρόνια. Στη διάρκεια αυτής της περιόδου (2007-2018) έχουν πραγματοποιηθεί και εκπαιδευτικές μεταρρυθμίσεις, μεγαλύτερης, ή μικρότερης εμβέλειας, υπό διαφορετικές κυβερνήσεις.
Εάν στα πλαίσια μιας «λειτουργικής» θεώρησης, η οποία, αφενός, ερμηνεύει τον τρόπο διασύνδεσης των δομικών στοιχείων του κοινωνικού, ενώ, αφετέρου, κριτικά, αναστοχάζεται επί της επίτευξης -ή μη- αυτής της διασύνδεσης (ενώ, αντιθέτως, οι συγκρουσιακές θεωρήσεις αναφέρονται στις επιπτώσεις των επιλογών -με έμφαση σε όσες κατασκευάζουν ανισότητες, πειθαρχίες, αποκλεισμούς, κ.τ.λ.- κατά την κοινωνική θέσμιση) θεωρήσουμε ότι ένα από τα ζητούμενα μιας εκπαιδευτικής μεταρρύθμισης είναι η προσαρμογή και διασύνδεση της εκπαίδευσης με την οικονομία και τις κοινωνικές ανάγκες (όπως, επί παραδείγματι, φαίνεται μέσα από τις ανακοινώσεις εργοδοτικών και άλλων κοινωνικών φορέων), μέσω της παρεχόμενης σχολικής γνώσης, με την πρότασή μας επιχειρούμε να διερευνήσουμε τον τρόπο με τον οποίο η πολιτική ηγεσία (και οι πολιτικά κυρίαρχοι φορείς δράσης) διερμήνευσε και αντιμετώπισε αυτές τις ανάγκες κυρίως ως προς το επίπεδο της παρεχόμενης σχολικής γνώσης, καθώς φαίνεται ότι αυτή αποτελεί έναν από τους βασικούς πυρήνες διαμόρφωσης της κοινωνίας (βλ. Apple 1982, 1986, Bernstein 1991, 1996, Jackson 1992, κ.α.). Βασικός στόχος, συνεπώς, της ανακοίνωσης είναι η διερεύνηση των αιτιών της διαφαινόμενης ασυνέχειας μεταξύ εκπαιδευτικής πολιτικής και κοινωνικο-οικονομικής πραγματικότητας, ως προς τις επιλογές στο επίπεδο της σχολικής γνώσης (είτε πρόκειται για περιόδους κρίσεων, είτε για κρίσεις που προκαλούνται από τις επιλογές στην εκπαίδευση).
Η βασική μεθοδολογική προσέγγιση θα είναι η ιστορικοσυγκριτική, καθώς θα εξεταστούν τα ιστορικά τεκμήρια καθέτως, για να φανεί το επίπεδο στο οποίο η κρίση γίνεται αντιληπτή και οριζοντίως για να φανεί η χρονική συνέχεια, ή ασυνέχεια στις επιλογές.
Ως συμπέρασμα μπορεί κανείς να θεωρήσει τον προεξάρχοντα ρόλο του πολιτικού πεδίου και την κατίσχυσή του έναντι όλων των άλλων κοινωνικών πεδίων.
The time of Photios the Great was crucial for the Jewish-Christian relations. The Byzantine Empire exited the iconoclastic controversy in 842 AD, for which the Jews had been partly held responsible. In 861 AD, the Byzantines attempted to approach the Khazars, who had largely embraced Judaism. Furthermore, starting in 872, emperor Basil I made a series of attempts to convert the Byzantine Jews to Christianity.This historical background is reflected by the numerous references to the Jews in Photios’s works. Photios generally utilizes acute anti-Jewish rhetoric, through which he seems to be seeking to construct a unified Christian identity following the iconoclastic divide. It is noteworthy, however, that Photios focuses his anti-Jewish rhetoric on the events of the New Testament, while he avoids referring to the Jews of his time and thereby inciting tension towards them. He also makes positive remarks about Jewish believers and states his faith in the eschatological conversion of all Jews to Christianity. While Photios addresses his sermons and writings to an exclusively Christian audience, the discourse of modern-day Church is de facto addressed to humanity as a whole. Therefore, our Church should rather adopt a rhetoric of reconciliation, promote a sincere theological discourse, and transcend all sorts of stereotypes. The theological dialogue between the Byzantines and the Khazars, inspired by Photios the Great, is a valuable precedent in this endeavor.
International tendencies and the dominant educational policy that is associated with special education is focusing on integration practices and the promotion of inclusive education. The purpose of the given investigation was to imprintthe thoughts of principals of special education school settings, regarding the currently applied educational status of special education inGreece. The researchers, through semi-structured interviews, aimed to designate the factors that contribute to forming the inclusion politics in general education classrooms of students with some form of disability. The content analysis of the data that were collected by the investigators, lead them in the conclusion that it is of high importance to consider the school culture as a significant factor of the degree of which students with disabilities can be included in general education and the quality of the cooperation that will be developed through the principles and the educational stuff.
Religion is a key theme in the learning process that aims to design, reflect, and transform knowledge in order for students to acquire the ability to: reflect on issues of social, economic, political and cultural pluralism, take reflective action which leads to responsible citizenship, bring about transformation and social change, enable understanding, and manage diversity through synthesis, collaboration, dialogue and creative debate, while cultivating a consciousness that leverages any local and differring elements. The above pedagogical approaches to the curriculum are presented here, focusing on the role of knowledge of religion in preschool and first-school education. The local environment, the family, the person‟s religion, and other persons of religion in the environment at pre-school and of pre-school age, have a role to play in the process of constructing the personal identity that is carried out in school by meaningful personal experiences. This process of giving meaning requires the student to know the language, to be literate and in this case the religious language. Literacy in the early years of school is fundamental to a child's development and maturity. Religious literacy is therefore essential from an early age, since it has a profound effect. Therefore, it is about the zone of proximal development, i.e. the functions that have not yet matured but are in the process of maturing.
From the very beginning of the establishment of the Church, education and peda-gogy had beenat the epicenter of the thought of great theologians and Christian philosophers as anthropomorphic ideals, which civilization offers to societies in order to form complete and integrated personalities capable to understand the truth about life, the world,and their place in it. The Church Father’s knowledge is based on Divine Wisdom which they passed to the community of believers in proclamations, preaching, witnessing and which was also shared at the gathering of worshiping communities.
Wheelock F. Τα Λατινικά του Wheelock. (Μιχαλόπουλος, Ανδρέας Παπαϊωάννο). Athens: Gutenberg - Γ και Κ. Δαρδανός; 2020 pp. 769.Abstract
Τα Λατινικά του Wheelock είναι η πρώτη ελληνική μετάφραση του Wheelock's Latin (7η έκδοση, επικαιροποιημένη και ανανεωμένη), ενός από τα δημοφιλέστερα εγχειρίδια εκμάθησης της Λατινικής γλώσσας παγκοσμίως. Με τρόπο μεθοδικό, ευχάριστο και εύληπτο αναδεικνύει την ομορφιά, τη ζωντάνια και τη διαχρονική αξία της Λατινικής. Περιλαμβάνει:- 40 κεφάλαια με λεπτομερή παρουσίαση της Γραμματικής και του Συντακτικού, και εφαρμογή των κανόνων πάνω σε κείμενα σπουδαίων Ρωμαίων συγγραφέων, συνοδευόμενα από σημειώσεις, μεταφραστικές συμβουλές και ερωτήσεις κατανόησης.- Εκτενές Ελληνο-Λατινικό και Λατινο-Ελληνικό λεξιλόγιο.- Ασκήσεις αυτοβελτίωσης, με τις απαντήσεις τους, για ανεξάρτητη μελέτη.- Πλούσια συλλογή από αυθεντικά, μη διασκευασμένα, λατινικά κείμενα για μετάφραση, μαζί με πλήρη λεξιλογική υποστήριξη.- Ετυμολογικές πληροφορίες, χάρτες και γκραφίτι που αναδεικνύουν ποικίλες πτυχές του ρωμαϊκού πολιτισμού.Το βιβλίο απευθύνεται πρωτίστως σε φοιτητές/φοιτήτριες φιλοσοφικών σχολών αλλά και σε μαθητές/μαθήτριες που επιθυμούν να μάθουν Λατινικά με τρόπο έγκυρο και παιδαγωγικά άρτιο, καθώς και στο ευρύτερο κοινό που φιλοδοξεί μέσα από τη μεθοδική κατάκτηση της Λατινικής να απολαύσει από το πρωτότυπο τη λογοτεχνία των Ρωμαίων και να γνωρίσει την ιστορία και τον πολιτισμό τους.
Αναμφισβήτητα, η συμβολή των ελληνικών θιάσων στην πολιτιστική και κοινωνική ζωή των ελληνικών κοινοτήτων στις Η.Π.Α. κατά το πρώτο μισό του 20ού αιώνα είναι αξιοσημείωτη. Με την καλλιτεχνική δραστηριότητα που ανέπτυξαν, δίδαξαν κοινωνικότητα και αδελφοσύνη, απάλυναν τον μετανάστη -ως θεατή, ηθοποιό ή και δραματουργό- από τα καθημερινά προβλήματα, τις δεσμεύσεις τόπου, χρόνου και βιοτικών αναγκών, παρέχοντάς του έναν χώρο ελευθερίας. Το θέατρο, προωθώντας την πνευματική επικοινωνία και την ψυχική επαφή, πρόσφερε, επίσης, στους μετανάστες κοινά ιδανικά και επιδιώξεις, διαμορφώνοντας μία κοινή ταυτότητα. Κυρίως, όμως, καλλιέργησε την έννοια του ανήκειν σε ένα ευρύτερο σύνολο ατόμων, τόνωσε την εθνική συνείδηση και διαδραμάτισε έναν ενοποιητικό ρόλο. (Από την παρουσίαση στο οπισθόφυλλο του βιβλίου)
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