The Arkalochori village in central Crete was hit by a large earthquake (Mw = 6.0) on 27 September 2021, causing casualties, injuries, and severe damage to the infrastructure. Due to the absence of apparent surface rupture and the initial focal mechanism solution of the seismic event, we initiated complementary, multi-disciplinary research by combining seismological and remote sensing data processing, followed by extensive field validation. Detailed geological mapping, fault surface measuring accompanied with tectonic analysis, fault photorealistic model creation by unmanned aerial system data processing, post-seismic surface deformation analysis by DInSAR image interpretation coupled with accurately relocated epicenters recorded by locally established seismographs have been carried out. The combination of the results obtained from these techniques led to the determination of the contemporary tectonic stress regime that caused the earthquake in central Crete, which was found compatible with extensional processes parallel to the Hellenic arc.

The Arkalochori village in central Crete was hit by a large earthquake (Mw = 6.0) on 27 September 2021, causing casualties, injuries, and severe damage to the infrastructure. Due to the absence of apparent surface rupture and the initial focal mechanism solution of the seismic event, we initiated complementary, multi-disciplinary research by combining seismological and remote sensing data processing, followed by extensive field validation. Detailed geological mapping, fault surface measuring accompanied with tectonic analysis, fault photorealistic model creation by unmanned aerial system data processing, post-seismic surface deformation analysis by DInSAR image interpretation coupled with accurately relocated epicenters recorded by locally established seismographs have been carried out. The combination of the results obtained from these techniques led to the determination of the contemporary tectonic stress regime that caused the earthquake in central Crete, which was found compatible with extensional processes parallel to the Hellenic arc.

The coastal area of Myrtos beach, is a very popular Natura protected area at the Northern part of Cephalonia Island, in W. Greece, which suffered severe damages during the Medicane named after “Ianos”, that affected the Greek territory in September 2020. Most of the steep slope area, which hosts the road that leads to the the beach area itself were extensively covered by debris due to mudflows, interrupting aggressively the road connection with the inland network. The use of Unmanned Aerial Systems proved to be an ideal way of mapping quite small areas, with limited access to road networks. The generation of ultra-high resolution spatial products seems to be optimal for mapping and quantifying mass movements that cover areas ranging from less than one square kilometer up to few square kilometers. The aim of such a multi-temporal study, which is described herein, contains aerial image data collection and analysis, before and after the catastrophic event. It is leading to the quantification of the surface topographic changes, by generating a time series of point clouds, after creating several terrain models along with ortho-photo-mosaics, based on Structure-from-Motion photogrammetric techniques. The digital comparison of the co-registered photogrammetric products showed that significant surface alterations have taken place due to the 2020 Medicane. The diachronic point clouds led to the detection and quantification of elevation changes, mainly at the central part of the area of interest, whereas the elevation values of the point clouds were found rather altered, before and after “Ianos”, either positively (deposition) or negatively (erosion), delineating the areas that suffered surface changes.

This paper investigates accounts justifying the closures of businesses found on public signs in Athens and London during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data for the study was drawn from a corpus of COVID-19-related public signage collected in the two cities during the first lockdown. The accounts used on these signs are analysed as acts of identity and, specifically, as discursive means deployed by the authors of the signs to project themselves and their businesses favourably. It is shown that the accounts used at the micro-level of discourse align to various degrees with the dominant discourses surrounding the pandemic at the macro-level and with the values these discourses draw upon. It is also shown that the accounts are used to reframe the public’s understanding of the closures and to construct identities congruent with the interests of the business owners, ensuring post-pandemic continuity.

The main goal of the present paper is to discuss how and under what circumstances, active labor market policies and adult education could assist staff to cope with stress and enhance skills and abilities to achieve employment. The high numbers of unemployed in Greece together with the long-term ineffective austerity measures and policies imposed in the country and the reduction of the social welfare state, created many multiple and complex issues that deteriorated after the pandemic. The present paper suggests that specific active labor market policies must be employed together with lifelong learning policies and programmes to ensure future developments. Greece, more than any other modern European country, was faced for several years with extreme austerity measures that affected the social, economic, and personal level. The working population and especially young people had to cope with prolonged unemployment, limited options for reentering the job market and the associated stress that follows exposure to adverse experiences. The phenomena of brain drain and brain waste, are well documented in Greek research and literature. Covid-19 pandemic was another stroke in an already unbalance economy. Lifelong learning programmes, that are meant to assist not only the working but also the general population to increase social and other skills, as a way of ensuring access to the labour market, are addressed to only a small portion of the population and usually to those who need them the least. The current paper presents the challenges that Active labor market and Lifelong policies in Greece must face in the process of coping with prolonged unemployment, brain drain and brain waste.

Some authors have suggested that, contrary to what is usually thought, ‘actually’ and similar expressions (‘in fact’, ‘in reality’, etc.) cannot effect a return to the actual world when used in a context generated by a different modal operator, and so are quite unlike the actuality operator of modal logic. I argue that they can induce such a return. The argument involves comparing them with other devices that can play a similar role, such as scope and mood, and examining the effect of ‘actually’ and the like in a range of different sentences.

A reduced removal of dysfunctional mitochondria is common to aging and age-related neurodegenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Strategies for treating such impaired mitophagy would benefit from the identification of mitophagy modulators. Here we report the combined use of unsupervised machine learning (involving vector representations of molecular structures, pharmacophore fingerprinting and conformer fingerprinting) and a cross-species approach for the screening and experimental validation of new mitophagy-inducing compounds. From a library of naturally occurring compounds, the workflow allowed us to identify 18 small molecules, and among them two potent mitophagy inducers (Kaempferol and Rhapontigenin). In nematode and rodent models of AD, we show that both mitophagy inducers increased the survival and functionality of glutamatergic and cholinergic neurons, abrogated amyloid-beta and tau pathologies, and improved the animals' memory. Our findings suggest the existence of a conserved mechanism of memory loss across the AD models, this mechanism being mediated by defective mitophagy. The computational-experimental screening and validation workflow might help uncover potent mitophagy modulators that stimulate neuronal health and brain homeostasis.

We comprehensively review several general methods and analytical tools used for causality evaluation of photonic materials. Our objective is to call to mind and then formulate, on a mathematically rigorous basis, a set of theorems which can answer the question whether a considered material model is causal or not. For this purpose, a set of various distributional theorems presented in literature is collected as the distributional version of the Titchmarsh theorem, allowing for evaluation of causality in complicated electromagnetic systems. Furthermore, we correct the existing material models with the use of distribution theory in order to obtain their causal formulations. In addition to the well-known Kramers–Krönig (K–K) relations, we overview four further methods which can be used to assess causality of given dispersion relations, when calculations of integrals involved in the K–K relations are challenging or even impossible. Depending on the given problem, optimal approaches allowing us to prove either the causality or lack thereof are pointed out. These methodologies should be useful for scientists and engineers analyzing causality problems in electrodynamics and optics, particularly with regard to photonic materials, when the involved mathematical distributions have to be invoked.

Accumulating data has shown a contribution of the renin-angiotensin system in COVID-19 pathogenesis. The role of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion (I)/deletion (D) polymorphism as a risk factor in developing COVID-19 disease comes from epidemiological data and is controversially discussed. We conducted a retrospective case-control study and assessed the impact of ACE I/D genotype in COVID-19 disease prevalence and severity. In 81 COVID-19 patients explicitly characterized and 316 controls, recruited during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic, ACE I/D genotype, and ACE activity were determined. A generalized linear model was used and Poisson regression analysis estimated the risk ratios (RRs) of alleles and genotypes for disease severity. DD patients had almost 2.0-fold increased risk (RR: 1.886, confidence limit [CL] 95%: 1.266-2.810, p = 0.0018) of developing a more severe disease when contrasted to ID and II individuals, as did D allele carriers compared to I carriers (RR: 1.372; CL 95%: 1.051-1.791; p = 0.0201). ACE activity (expressed as arbitrary units, AU/L) was lower in patients (3.62 +/- 0.26) than in controls (4.65 +/- 0.13) (p < 0.0001), and this reduction was observed mainly among DD patients compared to DD controls (3.97 +/- 0.29 vs. 5.38 +/- 0.21; p = 0.0014). Our results demonstrate that ACE DD genotype may predispose to COVID-19 increased disease severity via a mechanism associated, at least in part, with the significant fall in their ACE activity. Our findings suggest a more complex pattern of synergy between this polymorphism and ACE activity in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy individuals and set the grounds for large-scale studies assessing ACE genotype-based optimized therapies with ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers

BACKGROUND: the apolipoprotein e4 allele (APOE4) constitutes an established genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease Dementia (ADD). We aimed to explore the frequency of the APOE isoforms in the Greek population of Southern Greece. METHODS: peripheral blood from 175 Greek AD patients, 113 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 75 healthy individuals. DNA isolation was performed with a High Pure PCR Template Kit (Roche), followed by amplification with a real-time qPCR kit (TIB MolBiol) in Roche's Light Cycler PCR platform. RESULTS: APOE4 allele frequency was 20.57% in the ADD group, 17.69% in the MCI group, and 6.67% in the control group. APOE3/3 homozygosity was the most common genotype, while the frequency of APOE4/4 homozygosity was higher in the AD group (8.60%). APOE4 carrier status was associated with higher odds for ADD and MCI (OR: 4.49, 95% CI: [1.90-10.61] and OR: 3.82, 95% CI: [1.59-9.17], respectively). CONCLUSION: this study examines the APOE isoforms and is the first to report a higher APOE frequency in MCI compared with healthy controls in southern Greece. Importantly, we report the occurrence of the APOE4 allele, related to ADD, as amongst the lowest globally reported, even within the nation, thus enhancing the theory of ethnicity and latitude contribution

Clinicians trust medical laboratories to provide reliable results on which they rely for clinical decisions. Laboratories fulfil their responsibility for accurate and consistent results by utilizing an arsenal of approaches, ranging from validation and verification experiments to daily quality control procedures. All these procedures verify, on different moments, that the results of a certain examination procedure have analytical performance characteristics (APC) that meet analytical performance specifications (APS) set for a particular intended use. The APC can in part be determined by estimating the measurement uncertainty component under conditions of within-laboratory precision (u(Rw)), which comprises all components influencing the measurement uncertainty of random sources. To maintain the adequacy of their measurement procedures, laboratories need to distinguish aspects that are manageable vs. those that are not. One of the aspects that may influence u(Rw) is the momentary significant bias caused by shifts in reagent and/or calibrator lots, which, when accepted or unnoticed, become a factor of the APC. In this paper, we postulate a model for allocating a part of allowable u(Rw) to between-reagent lot variation, based on the need for long-term consistency of the measurement variability for that specific measurand. The allocation manages the ratio between short-term and long-term variation and indicates laboratories when to reject or correct certain variations due to reagent lots

A strong, shallow earthquake occurred near Heraklion (Crete, Greece) on 27 September 2021. The earthquake produced significant ground deformation in the vicinity of Arkalochori village but without any evidence for surface ruptures of primary origin. We used geodetic (InSAR and GNSS) data to map motions of the Earth’s surface that occurred during and shortly after the earthquake. A 14 cm subsidence of the GNSS station ARKL and a maximum of 19 cm distance from the SAR satellite were recorded. The measured surface displacements were used to constrain the rupture geometry and slip distribution at depth. Our best-fitting inversion model suggests that the rupture occurred on a 13 km-long planar normal fault striking N195° E dipping 55° to the northwest, with major slip occurring to the east and updip of the hypocentre. The fault tip is located 1.2 km beneath the surface. The maximum coseismic slip occurred in the uppermost crust, in the depth interval of 4–6 km. A decrease in the fault offsets toward the Earth’s surface is likely caused by an increased frictional resistance of the shallow layers to rapid coseismic slip. Satellite observations made in the first month after the earthquake detected no post-seismic deformation (i.e., below one fringe or 2.8 cm). The seismic fault may be identified with the Avli (Lagouta) segment of the NNE-SSW striking, west-dipping, 23 km-long neotectonic Kastelli Fault Zone (KFZ). Part of the rupture occurred along the Kastelli segment, indicating a fault segment linkage and a history of overlapping ruptures along KFZ. Based on geological data and footwall topography we estimate an average slip rate between 0.17–0.26 mm/yr for the KFZ. The Arkalochori earthquake is a paradigm example for the on-going extension of Heraklion basin (central Crete) in the WNW-ESE direction, which is almost orthogonal to the E-W Messara graben and other active faults along the south coast of Crete.

The wildfires of summer 2021 in Greece were among the most severe forest fire events that have occurred in the country over the past decade. The conflagration period lasted for 20 days (i.e., from 27 July to 16 August 2021) and resulted in the devastation of an area of more than 3600 Km2. Forest fire events of similar severity also struck other Mediterranean countries during this period. Apart from their direct impacts, forest fires also render an area more susceptible to runoff erosion by massively removing its vegetation, among other factors. It is clear that immediately after a forest fire, most areas are much more susceptible to erosion. In this paper, we evaluate the erosion hazard of Attica, Northern Euboea, and the Peloponnese that were devastated by forest fires during the summer of 2021 in Greece, in comparison with their geological and geomorphological structures, as well as land cover and management. Given that a very significant part of these areas were burnt during the major conflagrations of this summer, erosion risk, as well as flood risk, are expected to be very high, especially for the coming autumn and winter. For the evaluation of erosion risk, the burnt areas were mapped, and the final erosion-risk maps were constructed through GIS software. The final maps suggest that most of the burnt areas are highly susceptible to future surface runoff erosion events. View Full-Text

Transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans that expresses the full-length wild-type human alpha-synuclein in dopaminergic neurons provides a well-established Parkinson's disease (PD) nematode model. Here, we present a detailed protocol to monitor and dissect the molecular underpinnings of age-associated neurodegeneration using this PD nematode model. This protocol includes preparation of nematode growth media and bacterial food sources, as well as procedures for nematode growth, synchronization, and treatment. We then describe procedures to assess dopaminergic neuronal death in vivo using fluorescence imaging. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to SenGupta et al. (2021).

Geological heritage or geoheritage refers to the total of geosites, i.e., areas of high geological interest in a given area. Geosites have a high potential of attracting geotourists, thus contributing to the development of the local economy. Assessing sites of geological interest can contribute to their promotion, as well as their preservation and protection. Greece’s geotectonic position in the convergent zone between the African and Eurasian plates has contributed to the existence of a considerable wealth of geosites, with the particularly active geotectonic region of the Ionian Sea characterized as a geoheritage hotspot. The purpose of this study is the selection of several such sites from the islands of Lefkas, Meganisi, Kefalonia and Ithaki and their assessment regarding their scientific, environmental, cultural, economic and aesthetic value. The most representative sites for the individual disciplines of geology (e.g., geomorphology, tectonics, stratigraphy and palaeontology) have been chosen, mapped and assessed, while indicative georoutes are proposed, which could aid the island’s geotouristic promotion to geologist and non-geologist future visitors.

The article investigates the impact of the issuance of Tier 1 and Tier 2 regulatory capital by Greek banks for the period 2002-2020 on the return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), leverage ratios (SLR) and liquidity and funding ratios (NSFR), by taking also into account the changes in the macroeconomic environment with variables such as GDP and unemployment. In this context, we perform data analysis on 14 systemic and non-systemic Greek banks and we find that capital ratios of banking institutions affect profitability, asset quality and earnings, liquidity and leverage. Bank size, loan-to-deposit ratio and NPLs ratio are important determinants of banks’ profitability. Finally, unemployment is an important exogenous determinant of profitability ratios.

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been investigated over the past years with the aim of identifying any association with the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, information regarding the potential association of VDR SNP haplotypes with AD is limited. The aim of the present study was to provide additional knowledge on the effects of VDR haplotypes on the development of late-onset AD in a cohort of Southeastern European Caucasians (SECs). The study sample included 78 patients with late-onset AD and 103 healthy subjects as the control group. VDR SNPs that were analyzed were TaqI (rs731236), BsmI (rs1544410) and FokI (rs2228570). The CAC (TaqI, BsmI and FokI) haplotype was found to be associated with a 53% lower risk of developing the disease (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.23-0.96; P=0.04) and the TAC (TaqI, BsmI and FokI) haplotype was associated with an ~6-fold greater risk of developing AD (OR, 6.19; 95% CI, 1.91-20.13; P=0.0028). Female subjects carrying the TAC haplotype had a ~9-fold greater risk of developing AD in comparison to female control subjects (OR, 9.27; 95% CI, 1.86-46.28; P<0.05). The TaqI and BsmI polymorphisms were in high linkage disequilibrium (D'=0.9717, r=0.8467) and produced a haplotype with a statistically significant different frequency between the control and AD group. The TA (TaqI and BsmI) haplotype was associated with an ~8-fold greater risk of developing AD (OR, 8.27; 95% CI, 2.70-25.28; P<0.05). Female TA carriers had an ~14-fold greater risk of developing the disease in comparison to female control subjects (OR, 13.93; 95% CI, 2.95-65.87; P<0.05). On the whole, the present study demonstrates that in the SEC population, TAC and TA are risk haplotypes for AD, while the CAC haplotype may act protectively. SEC women carrying the TAC or TA haplotype are at a greater risk of developing AD, thus suggesting that women are markedly affected by the poor utilization of vitamin D induced by the VDR haplotype

The role of vitamin D in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) has been studied over the past years. The results from numerous studies have indicated that the molecular pathways involved in the development of AD are closely related to the molecular pathways of the mechanisms of action of vitamin D. However, only a limited number of studies have described the key role of vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the regulation of the functions of vitamin D and the potential effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the VDR gene. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the VDR TaqI polymorphism in relation to AD in a Southeastern European Caucasian (SEC) cohort. Further, the present study aimed to compare the results obtained with those of other AD populations. For this purpose, blood samples from 90 confirmed patients with AD [median age, 74 years; median mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score of 21; median frontal assessment battery (FAB) score of 10] and 103 healthy controls (median age, 57 years) were analyzed to determine the genotypes of TaqI (rs731236) using quantitative PCR. The frequencies (%) of the TaqI TT, TC and CC genotypes in the controls/patients were 34/48.9, 47.6/41.1 and 18.4/10.0, respectively. Statistically significant differences were observed for the TaqI C allele [odds ratio (OR). 0.54; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.30-0.96; P=0.035], the TaqI TT genotype (OR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.04-3.32; P=0.035) and the TaqI CC genotype (OR, 0.119; 95% CI, 0.014-0.995; P=0.032,) in relation to the MMSE score <21 in the patient's group. The TaqI TT allele was found to increase the risk of developing AD by 1.86-fold in the SEC population, while the TaqI C allele may act protectively, with a 46% lower risk of developing the disease. Patients with the TaqI CC genotype were found to have an 88% less likelihood of developing severe cognitive impairment based on the MMSE score. On the whole, the present study did not confirm the results of previous studies on the VDR TaqI C allele in patients with AD

On the eastern part of the Greek island of Crete, in the semi-arid area of Lasithi, lies the old monastery of Toplou. The monastery hosts the unique icon Megas ei Kyrie (“Great are you, O Lord”), written on wood by Ioannis Kornaros in 1770.1 The name of the icon is not that of a person but of a doxological praise; this in itself is indicative of a very unusual theme. The central motif is the baptism of Christ, which is celebrated in the East on the feast of Theophany (January 6). Upon closer inspection, the central motif is placed between heaven (the Trinity and the angels) and earth (Mary with the Christ Child, Adam and Eve), whereas the descent of Christ into the underworld is depicted at the bottom of the icon. Fifty-seven episodes from the Old and the New Testaments surround the central motif on the right and on the left, all connected by running waters. The total of sixtyone motifs are enumerated by the artist and glossed by headings, which faithfully reproduce the verses of the Theophany Poem, attributed to the Patriarch Sophrony of Jerusalem. The poem contains the prayer Megas ei Kyrie (“Great are you, O Lord”), which is the central liturgical event of the

X-Ray pulsars are systems powered by accretion, the majority of which is found in Be X-ray binaries (BeXRBs). The study of Giant outbursts (L_{X} > 1038 erg s -1) in such systems becomes very relevant in the advent of the recent discoveries of pulsating ultra-luminous X-ray sources (PULXs) with an apparent isotropic luminosity above the Eddington limit for a typical neutron star (NS) demonstrating that stable accretion onto NSs is possible at super - Eddington rates. Given that PULXs host magnetized NSs, several attempts have been made to estimate the magnetic field of the NS using standard torque models. At the same time theoretical studies have demonstrated that it is required to adjust these models due to changes in the accretion disc structure when exceeding the Eddington limit. Motivated by these findings we studied torque models during Giant outbursts of BeXRBs monitored by Fermi/GBM and Swift/BAT. We developed a code to estimate posterior distributions for the parameters of standard accretion models and binary orbital parameters using a nested sampling algorithm for Bayesian Parameter Estimation. Most notably we applied our method to the recently discovered Swift J0243.6+6124 (i.e., the only known Galactic PULX) and we illustrate that the standard torque models need adjustment to explain the observed spin evolution of the NS. Finally, we discuss the implications the newest GAIA distances have on the NS equation of state.

Beachrocks are a window to the past environmental, geological, sedimentological and morphological conditions that were dominant in the coastal zone during their formation. Furthermore, beachrocks have the ability to reduce coastal erosion impact on sandy beaches. This study focuses on the beachrock formation mechanism through the comparison of cement characteristics, mineral chemistry and sedimentology of beachrock occurrences from two different geological and geographical localities: Diolkos, Corinth, Greece and Sumuide, Okinawa, Japan. In addition, in order to investigate a potential soft engineering method to protect coasts from erosion, artificial beachrock samples were created in vitro using sand samples and ureolytic bacteria from both areas under accelerating conditions. For Okinawa artificial beachrock experiments, the bacteria Pararhodobacter sp. was used, and for Diolkos, it was the bacteria Micrococcus yunnainensis sp. For the natural beachrocks, a multi-analytical approach was accomplished with the use of microscopic investigation, a scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. Correlations were made between natural and artificial beachrocks. Results have shown that Diolkos beachrock was formed in the upper part of the intertidal zone, consisting of detrital material originating from the local bedrock, while Sumuide beachrock formed in the low intertidal–upper subtidal zone, consisting of coral sand and foraminifera fragments. For the artificial beachrocks, three samples were created using the microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) method, one from Diolkos (Corinth, Greece) and two from Sumuide (Okinawa, Japan). Diolkos artificial beachrock was better consolidated in comparison to Sumuide. Our investigation has shown that bacterial density was the key factor for the creation of the artificial beachrocks, while the samples’ granulometry played a secondary role in the process. The laboratory artificial beachrocks show encouraging results for a new soft engineering method to encounter beach erosion while keeping an ecofriendly character by saving energy, material resources and gas emissions. Artificial beachrocks can share the same properties of a natural beachrock and can contribute positively to marine biodiversity as a natural rocky habitat.

Using the example of the Raymond Duncan family this article will explore the human body as an object of self-determination, a means of overcoming social boundaries, a field of racist shooting and phobic enforcement, a reference point of public outrage and the complex between sociality and corporality, but also as a tool of political vigilance and social intervention. Does a body dressed in a tunic resist the western way of life? Or is it a stereotypical outpouring of people unable to modernize? Is the body instrumentalized as a means of narrating exoticism? The bodies of the Duncan family members are an occasion for discussion in the public sphere, even today.

This monograph is a detailed introduction to the nascent and ever-evolving fields of metamaterials and nanophotonics, with key techniques and applications needed for a comprehensive understanding of these fields all detailed. These include the 'standard' and high-accuracy 'nonstandard' FDTD techniques, finite-difference frequency-domain mode solvers, the transfer matrix method, analytic calculations for dielectric and plasmonic waveguides, dispersion, Maxwell-Bloch and density functional theory, as well as design methods for constructing metamaterials and nanolasers, and quantum plasmonics. The book is intended for final-year undergraduates, as well as postgraduates or active researchers who wish to understand and enter these fields in a 'user-friendly' manner, and who have a basic understanding of and familiarity with electromagnetic theory.

This study examined the connection between two prominent deficits in schizophrenia: the deficit in parasympathetic regulation and the deficit in cognitive inhibitory control, within the framework of the Neurovisceral Integration Model (NIM).Thirty healthy controls and 30 patients with schizophrenia performed the internationally standardized antisaccade protocol while their electrocardiographic data were recorded. The interaction between the group, the cognitive inhibitory control as measured with error rate (ER) in the antisaccade task and parasympathetic activity as measured with the High Frequency power component of Heart Rate Variability (HF-HRV) was tested.Findings confirmed that decreased HF-HRV was specifically related to increased ER in patients with schizophrenia. In contrast, patient deficits in other oculomotor function measures such as reaction time and reaction time variability related to volitional movement control and cognitive stability respectively were not linked to the deficit in parasympathetic regulation.Our study validates the theory behind NIM proposing that cognitive inhibition has common physiological substrate with parasympathetic regulation. Future research could test this brain-heart link in other mental disorders especially those with a prominent deficit in inhibitory cognitive function.

Αn isotype heterojunction n+-ZnO/n-Si photodetector is developed, demonstrating wavelength-selective or broadband operation, depending on the applied bias voltage. Additionally, at self-powered (zero bias) operation, it distinguishes between UV, visible, and near IR (NIR) photons by polarity control of the photocurrent. The photodetector is developed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ZnO on n-Si, followed by electric contact deposition and annealing. Photoluminescence measurements reveal high optical quality and improved crystallinity of annealed ZnO on silicon. Photocurrent measurements as a function of illumination wavelength and bias voltage show small negative values in the UV–visible spectral range at zero and positive bias voltage and high positive values in the NIR spectral range. For these measurements, we consider the electric contact to ZnO as the anode and the electric contact to silicon as the cathode. At negative bias voltage, the device shows broadband operation with high photocurrent values across the UV–vis-NIR.

Objective: A fine-tuned balance of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activation is essential for organ formation, with disturbances influencing many health outcomes. In utero, glucocorticoids have been linked to brain-related negative outcomes, with unclear underlying mechanisms, especially regarding cell-type-specific effects. An in vitro model of fetal human brain development, induced human pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cerebral organoids, was used to test whether cerebral organoids are suitable for studying the impact of prenatal glucocorticoid exposure on the developing brain. Methods: The GR was activated with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone, and the effects were mapped using single-cell transcriptomics across development. Results: The GR was expressed in all cell types, with increasing expression levels through development. Not only did its activation elicit translocation to the nucleus and the expected effects on known GR-regulated pathways, but also neurons and progenitor cells showed targeted regulation of differentiation- and maturation-related transcripts. Uniquely in neurons, differentially expressed transcripts were significantly enriched for genes associated with behavior-related phenotypes and disorders. This human neuronal glucocorticoid response profile was validated across organoids from three independent hiPSC lines reprogrammed from different source tissues from both male and female donors. Conclusions: These findings suggest that excessive glucocorticoid exposure could interfere with neuronal maturation in utero, leading to increased disease susceptibility through neurodevelopmental processes at the interface of genetic susceptibility and environmental exposure. Cerebral organoids are a valuable translational resource for exploring the effects of glucocorticoids on early human brain development. Keywords: Biology; Brain; Child/Adolescent Psychiatry; Development; Glucocorticoid Receptor; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Pre/Peri/Postnatal Issues; Stress; Translational Research.     

PLCgamma enzymes are autoinhibited in resting cells and form key components of intracellular signaling that are also linked to disease development. Insights into physiological and aberrant activation of PLCgamma require understanding of an active, membrane-bound form, which can hydrolyze inositol-lipid substrates. Here, we demonstrate that PLCgamma1 cannot bind membranes unless the autoinhibition is disrupted. Through extensive molecular dynamics simulations and experimental evidence, we characterize membrane binding by the catalytic core domains and reveal previously unknown sites of lipid interaction. The identified sites act in synergy, overlap with autoinhibitory interfaces, and are shown to be critical for the phospholipase activity in cells. This work provides direct evidence that PLCgamma1 is inhibited through obstruction of its membrane-binding surfaces by the regulatory region and that activation must shift PLCgamma1 to a conformation competent for membrane binding. Knowledge of the critical sites of membrane interaction extends the mechanistic framework for activation, dysregulation, and therapeutic intervention.

Undisputedly, the 61st round of Greek-Turkish exploratory talks has not comeas something totally unexpected. Several signs at the level either of Greece’s internal policy-making processes or the one of international alliances have indicated that Ankara sought persistently for a lifeline and finally, this was given by Athens. The current paper describes analytically the evolutions before the “Greek-Turkish dialogue”, makes an extensive analysis of the content of recent agreements of EEZ delineation and proceeds into policy proposals with regard to how Greek geostrategy has to be formed while it stands critical against current strategic decisions. For this reason and on the eve of the “dialogue”, relevant questions are posed: Under what conditions will it take place? With what correlations of power at operational level? How far does Turkey intend to go in order to shape these correlations to its benefit and to what extent does Greece intend to continue to back down, given that making concessions all the time gives rise to new demands? Citing maps and law texts, this paper gives emphasis on the pathogenies of Greek foreign policy and how these are reflected onto current policies.

The broad high-energy spectral component in blazars is usually attributed to various inverse Compton scattering processes in the relativistic jet, but has not been clearly identified in most cases due to degeneracies in physical models. AP Librae, a low-synchrotron-peaking BL Lac object (LBL) detected in 2015 by H.E.S.S. at very high energies (VHE; >0.5 TeV), has an extremely broad high-energy spectrum, covering ~9 decades in energy. Standard synchrotron self-Compton models generally fail to reproduce the VHE emission, which has led to the suggestion that it might arise not from the blazar core, but on kiloparsec scales from inverse Compton (IC) scattering of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons by a still-relativistic jet (IC/CMB). IC/CMB models for the TeV emission of AP Librae in prior works have implied a high level of infrared emission from the kiloparsec-scale jet. With newly obtained Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging, we obtain a deep upper limit on the kiloparsec-scale jet emission at 1.6 μm, well below the expected level. High-resolution Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array imaging in bands 3-9 reveals a residual dust-disk signature after core subtraction, with a clearly thermal spectrum, and an extent (~500 pc) that matches with a nonjet residual emission seen after point-spread function subtraction in our 1.6 μm HST imaging. We find that the unusually broad GeV and VHE emission in AP Librae can be reproduced through the combined IC scattering of photons from the CMB and the dust disk, respectively, by electrons in both the blazar core and subkiloparsec jet.

BACKGROUND: Burn injury (BI) is one of the most serious causes of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. BI triggers an initial stage of hyperinflammation, followed by hypersecretion of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. IL- 18 is a vital pro-inflammatory cytokine, the effect of which has been investigated not only in animal models but also in adult patients. No study has yet examined the association of serum IL- 18 levels and the clinical significance in the course of pediatric BI. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study including all children with burn injuries who were hospitalized from December 2015 to December 2018 in a tertiary Children's Hospital. RESULTS: A total of 55 children with BI were included. In the present study, we found a strong positive correlation between total body surface area (TBSA) and the levels of IL-18 at admission and on the third day postburn, respectively. The WBC count, the number of lymphocytes and the CRP levels at admission revealed a strong, positive correlation with IL-18 levels. The correlation between IL-18 levels at admission and the length of stay (LOS) was moderate. CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown that the levels of IL-18 collected at admission correlate positively with the extent of TBSA and inflammatory indices in pediatric patients. Moreover, IL-18 levels at admission may not be the most accurate prognostic factor regarding the LOS. However, further research is needed in order to establish more accurate predictive factors for the outcome of BIs in pediatric patients

The infinite time of oral drug absorption was conceived from the first day of the birth of pharmacokinetics when H. Dost introduced the term pharmacokinetics in his book published in 1953. He adopted the function developed by H. Bateman back in 1908 for the decay of the nuclei isotopes to describe oral drug absorption as a first-order process. We unveiled this false hypothesis relying on common wisdom i.e. drugs are absorbed in finite time. This false assumption had dramatic effects on the evolution of oral pharmacokinetics but most importantly on the bioavailability and bioequivalence concepts and metrics. This work focuses on the finite absorption time (FAT) concept, the relevant Physiologically Based Finite Time (PBFTPK) models developed and their applications in oral pharmacokinetics, bioavailability and bioequivalence. The crux of the matter is that drug absorption from the gastrointestinal tract takes place under sink conditions because of the high blood flow rate in the vena cava. The termination of oral, pulmonary and intranasal drug absorption at a specific time point, calls for regulatory changes in bioavailability and bioequivalence studies in terms of the study design and metrics used for the bioequivalence assessment.

Motivated by the control problem of a robot tracked vehicle, the problem of common noninteracting control with simultaneous partial output zeroing is introduced and solved for the case of multi model normal linear time invariant systems, using a regular and static measurement output feedback controller. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the solvability of the problem are established, and the general solution of the controllers is derived. The present design results are successfully applied to the two-model description of the robot tracked vehicle, through a common controller, using only measurements of the motor currents and the orientation of the vehicle. Additionally, approximate asymptotic command following is achieved. Finally, using a metaheuristic algorithm the transient behavior of the independently controlled outputs, is improved.

In this study, the geoeducational value of five geosites, located in the aspiring geopark of the volcanic island of Nisyros, SE Aegean Sea, was assessed by means of two methods: the G-P method of Brilha (2016) and the M-GAM method. The first method takes into account 12 criteria belonging to the educational potential. The M-GAM method, on the other hand, takes into account the opinions of visitors who, as non-experts, express a different point of view that is rarely calculated or evaluated in different geosite assessment methods. For the better and more objective comparison of the two methods of evaluation of the educational potential of the study areas, the results were converted to a percentage scale (%). The first G-P method clearly highlights the high geological value of the studied geosites, which have a relatively high score and can be used for geotourism and geoeducation. The second method, on the other hand, yields a moderate score in areas with objectively high geological value. This is clearly evident, as this method considers the opinions of visitors who lack the necessary cognitive geological background, thereby underestimating the significance and potential of certain geological features due to lack of formal training.

We study the giant outbursts of SMC X-3 and RX J0209.6-7427 (hereafter RX J0209) to compare their super-Eddington accretion regime with that of Swift J0243.6+6124 (hereafter Swift J0243). The high double-peak profile of SMC X-3 is found to be 0.25 phase offset from that below 2.3 × 1038 erg s-1, which is similar to Swift J0243 (happened around 0.9 × 1038 erg s-1). The profile of RX J0209 shows a similar 0.25 phase offset between high double-peak and low double-peak around 1.25 × 1038 erg s-1. The 0.25 phase offset corresponds to a 90° angle change of the emission beam and strongly supports for a transition from a fan beam to a pencil beam. Their critical luminosities imply a surface magnetic field ~4 × 1013 and 2 × 1013 G for SMC X-3 and RX J0209, respectively, based on the recently measured cyclotron line of Swift J0243. The spin-up rate and luminosity of SMC X-3 follows a relation of $\dot{\nu }\propto L^{0.94\pm 0.03}$, while that of RX J0209 follows $\dot{\nu }\propto L^{1.00\pm 0.03}$, which are similar to Swift J0243 and consistent with the prediction of a radiation-pressure-dominated disc. These results indicate that accretion columns are indeed formed above Eddington luminosity, and the population of ultraluminous X-ray pulsars likely corresponds to X-ray pulsars of highest magnetic field.

The caper (Capparis spinosa L.) is a winter deciduous, perennial plant that grows and completes its life cycle entirely during the dry season in the Mediterranean region. Mature caper fruits and their pericarp, collected from the wild shrubs of the Capparis spinosa grown in the inland and coastal sites of Greece during summer, have been studied in order to improve and complete our knowledge of the successful establishment of the C. spinosa in Mediterranean ecosystems. Caper fruits possess substantial nutritional, medicinal and ecological properties that vary according to the developmental stage, agroclimatic and geographical parameters; however, the fruit pericarp and pedicel, unlike the other aboveground plant parts of the caper, have not hitherto been studied. The higher sugar and starch content in the pericarps and fruit pedicels harvested from wild caper plants grown in coastal habitats was investigated in comparison with those from inland habitats, while the higher proline and nitrogen content in pericarps and fruit pedicels harvested from wild caper plants grown in inland habitats was investigated in comparison with those from coastal habitats. The PCA, based on the considered functional traits underlying the constitutional aspects, reveals groupings of fruit pericarp specimens of the C. spinosa collected from coastal and inland habitats that are grounds for adaptive variation.

The maintenance of a healthy mitochondrial network and the ability to adjust organelle population in response to internal or external stimuli are essential for the function and the survival of eukaryotic cells. Over the last two decades several studies have demonstrated the paramount importance of mitophagy, a selective form of autophagy that removes damaged and/or superfluous organelles, in organismal physiology. Post-mitotic neuronal cells are particularly vulnerable to mitochondrial damage, and mitophagy impairment has emerged as a causative factor in multiple neurodegenerative pathologies, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease among others. Although mitochondrial turnover is a multifaceted process, neurons have to tackle additional complications, arising from their pronounced bioenergetic demands and their unique architecture and cellular polarisation that render the degradation of distal organelles challenging. Mounting evidence indicates that despite the functional conservation of mitophagy pathways, the unique features of neuronal physiology have led to the adaptation of compartmentalised solutions, which serve to ensure seamless mitochondrial removal in every part of the cell. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge concerning the molecular mechanisms that mediate mitophagy compartmentalisation and discuss their implications in various human pathologies.

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated complete blood count-derived inflammation indices in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO). METHODS: Participants in this case-control study were 54 patients with RVO and 54 age- and sex-matched control subjects. All participants underwent a thorough ophthalmic examination, as well as blood sample testing for complete blood count. Comparison of all parameters derived from complete blood count as well as calculation of specific indices was performed between patients with RVO and controls. RESULTS: Patients with RVO presented significantly higher white blood cell count (p = 0.033), neutrophil count (p = 0.003), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR, p = 0.002), red cell distribution width (RDW, p = 0.009), mean platelet volume (MPV, p = 0.023), and systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII, p = 0.007) compared to controls. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed that NLR was superior to other inflammatory indices, having the greatest area under the curve. The optimal cutoff value for NLR to predict RVO was 2.29 with 46.2% sensitivity and 77.8% specificity. CONCLUSION: Patients with RVO presented increased NLR, RDW, MPV, and SII, providing evidence that inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of RVO. Complete blood cell count-derived indices can be easily calculated and may serve as an easy, simple, and cost-effective tool to evaluate the degree of systemic inflammation in patients with RVO, so as to potentially guide treatment

Complex time-dependent Lyapunov equation (CTDLE), as an important means of stability analysis of control systems, has been extensively employed in mathematics and engineering application fields. Recursive neural networks (RNNs) have been reported as an effective method for solving CTDLE. In the previous work, zeroing neural networks (ZNNs) have been established to find the accurate solution of time-dependent Lyapunov equation (TDLE) in the noise-free conditions. However, noises are inevitable in the actual implementation process. In order to suppress the interference of various noises in practical applications, in this paper, a complex noise-resistant ZNN (CNRZNN) model is proposed and employed for the CTDLE solution. Additionally, the convergence and robustness of the CNRZNN model are analyzed and proved theoretically. For verification and comparison, three experiments and the existing noise-tolerant ZNN (NTZNN) model are introduced to investigate the effectiveness, convergence and robustness of the CNRZNN model. Compared with the NTZNN model, the CNRZNN model has more generality and stronger robustness. Specifically, the NTZNN model is a special form of the CNRZNN model, and the residual error of CNRZNN can converge rapidly and stably to order 10−5 when solving CTDLE under complex linear noises, which is much lower than order 10−1 of the NTZNN model. Analogously, under complex quadratic noises, the residual error of the CNRZNN model can converge to 2∥A∥F/ζ3 quickly and stably, while the residual error of the NTZNN model is divergent.

The game analysis is known as a useful tool for understanding the level of technical-tactical performance of volleyball. As one of the main characteristics of volleyball is defined as the intense relationship between its skills and concluded performance, the present study aimed to perform a comprehensive analysis of the serve reception zone, set zone and attack quality of the top-level volleyball players. The analysis process included reviewing the videos of the games by an experienced scout man who was an expert analyst and specialist in the knowledge of volleyball skills. Initially, during each game video checking, data were collected, and irrelevant/invalid outputs were deleted. Data were exported to the Data Volley special volleyball analysis software. Bivariate associations were assessed for pairs of variables with Pearson’s chi-squared tests. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Moreover, the effect size was calculated in terms of Crammer’s V, with values of <0.1, 0.1-0.3 and > 0.5 for small, medium, and large effects respectively. The results showed that there were significant relationships between reception zone with setting zone, setting zone with attack quality as well as reception zone with attack quality. Coaches may consider the relationship between critical skills of volleyball to promote their team performance.

This paper investigates the problem of computing the time-varying {2,3}- and {2,4}-inverses through the zeroing neural network (ZNN) method, which is presently regarded as a state-of-the-art method for computing the time-varying matrix Moore–Penrose inverse. As a result, two new ZNN models, dubbed ZNN23I and ZNN24I, for the computation of the time-varying {2,3}- and {2,4}-inverses, respectively, are introduced, and the effectiveness of these models is evaluated. Numerical experiments investigate and confirm the efficiency of the proposed ZNN models for computing the time-varying {2,3}- and {2,4}-inverses.

In this paper we use learning trajectories to study 11th grade students’ conceptualization of function as a covariational relationship between two quantities while they engaged in modeling tasks to support their experimentation and conceptualizations. Pairs of students used digital tools that offer integrated representations of functions while working on an instructional sequence of modeling tasks in their mathematics classrooms. The analysis shows students’ progressive conceptualization of functional relationships starting from quantitative and covariational relationships using learning trajectories. The findings indicate the potential of upper secondary students to conceptualize function as a covariational relationship involving the rate of change, as well as the role of the available tools and the role of models and their connections in students’ conceptualizations.

A stellar occultation by Neptune's main satellite, Triton, was observed on 5 October 2017 from Europe, North Africa, and the USA. We derived 90 light curves from this event, 42 of which yielded a central flash detection. We aimed at constraining Triton's atmospheric structure and the seasonal variations of its atmospheric pressure since the Voyager 2 epoch (1989). We also derived the shape of the lower atmosphere from central flash analysis. We used Abel inversions and direct ray-tracing code to provide the density, pressure, and temperature profiles in the altitude range $\sim$8 km to $\sim$190 km, corresponding to pressure levels from 9 {\mu}bar down to a few nanobars. Results. (i) A pressure of 1.18$\pm$0.03 {\mu}bar is found at a reference radius of 1400 km (47 km altitude). (ii) A new analysis of the Voyager 2 radio science occultation shows that this is consistent with an extrapolation of pressure down to the surface pressure obtained in 1989. (iii) A survey of occultations obtained between 1989 and 2017 suggests that an enhancement in surface pressure as reported during the 1990s might be real, but debatable, due to very few high S/N light curves and data accessible for reanalysis. The volatile transport model analysed supports a moderate increase in surface pressure, with a maximum value around 2005-2015 no higher than 23 {\mu}bar. The pressures observed in 1995-1997 and 2017 appear mutually inconsistent with the volatile transport model presented here. (iv) The central flash structure does not show evidence of an atmospheric distortion. We find an upper limit of 0.0011 for the apparent oblateness of the atmosphere near the 8 km altitude.

Psychiatric disorders that are characterized by impairments in sustained attention, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and major depression are also sensitive to exacerbation by stress. Sustained attention relies on cholinergic and non-cholinergic projections from the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) in the basal forebrain to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We have previously shown that central administration of the stress neuropeptide corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) impairs performance on the sustained attention task (SAT) in adult male and female rats. The present study investigated whether this effect was mediated by CRF's action in the NBM. Rats were administered CRF in the NBM and subsequent SAT performance was measured. A high dose of CRF (100 ng) significantly impaired performance on non-signaled events across sex. Because performance on non-signaled events is believed to depend on non-cholinergic (i.e., GABA and glutamate) signaling, high performance liquid chromatography was used to quantify amino acid levels in the NBM and mPFC. We found females have higher levels of glutamate, glutamine, GABA glycine, and alanine in the NBM than males. Importantly, CRF in the NBM led to a local decrease of taurine and several amino acids involved in glutamate synthesis in males and females, changes which may mediate the CRF-induced SAT performance deficit. Together these studies suggest that CRF regulation of amino acids in the NMB contributes to stress-induced attention deficits.

In mitochondria, complex IV (CIV) can be found as a monomer, a dimer or in association with other respiratory complexes. The atomic structure of the yeast S. cerevisiae CIV in a supercomplex (SC) with complex III (CIII) pointed to a region of significant conformational changes compared to the homologous mammalian CIV structures. These changes involved the matrix side domain of Cox5A at the CIII-CIV interface, and it was suggested that it could be required for SC formation. To investigate this, we solved the structure of the isolated monomeric CIV from S. cerevisiae stabilised in amphipol A8-35 at 3.9 A using cryo-electron microscopy. Only a minor change in flexibility was seen in this Cox5A region, ruling out large CIV conformational shift for interaction with CIII and confirming the different fold of the yeast Cox5A subunit compared to mammalian homologues. Other differences in structure were the absence of two canonical subunits, Cox12 and Cox13, as well as Cox26, which is unique to the yeast CIV. Their absence is most likely due to the protein purification protocol used to isolate CIV from the III-IV SC.

Recent synthesis of cyclo[18]carbon has spurred increasing interest in carbon rings. We focus on a comparative inspection of ground and excited states{,} as well as of hole transfer properties of cumulenic and polyynic cyclo[18]carbon via Density Functional Theory (DFT){,} time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) and real-time time-dependent DFT (RT-TDDFT). Zero-point vibrations are also accounted for{,} using a Monte Carlo sampling technique and a less exact{,} yet mode-resolved{,} quadratic approximation. The inclusion of zero-point vibrations leads to a red-shift on the HOMO–LUMO gap and the first singlet and triplet excitation energies of both conformations{,} correcting the values of the ‘static’ configurations by 9% to 24%. Next{,} we oxidize the molecule{,} creating a hole at one carbon atom. Hole transfer along polyynic cyclo[18]carbon is decreased in magnitude compared to its cumulenic counterpart and lacks the symmetric features the latter displays. Contributions by each mode to energy changes and hole transfer between diametrically opposed atoms vary{,} with specific bond-stretching modes being dominant.

For the class of general neutral multi delay systems with measurable and non-measurable (unknown) disturbances, the problem of triangular decoupling with simultaneous disturbance rejection, is studied via delayless dynamic and/or static controllers, feeding back the measurement outputs and the measurable disturbances. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the problem to have a solution via delayless dynamic controllers are established and the general form of the delayless dynamic controller matrices solving the problem are derived. For the delayless static controller case, the respective solvability conditions and general controller solutions are derived.

The paper presents the background, design, implementation and impact of the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme of the EU-funded ENRICH Project, which ran from 2018 to 2021. The programme, which has been freely available online since January 2022 (http://enrichproject.eu), aims at implementing the principles and processes of ELF awareness in empowering English language teachers to integrate the role of English as a Lingua Franca in their multilingual classrooms. We begin by justifying the development of the ENRICH Project with reference to the policies of the European Union supporting multilingualism and go on to discuss the principles of ELF awareness that informed the ENRICH CPD programme. We also present the priorities, target groups, key objectives and innovative practices of the ENRICH CPD programme. The paper is rounded up with a sample of participants’ responses to certain CPD activities and with an appreciation of the impact of the programme on participant teachers and their learners.

The paper presents four premises and two principles guiding the ENRICH Project, an EU-funded (Erasmus+) project that ran from 2018 to 2021 and developed an innovative online continuous professional development programme aimed at educating teachers of English as a foreign language in raising their own and their learners’ ELF awareness. I further discuss my own observations from the extensive training programme with regard to implications of ELF aware teacher education and pedagogy and present the essential ingredients of what I call the “ELF state of mind”.

Purpose The development of health literacy skills is of paramount importance especially for students, as it is associated with their wellbeing and academic success. Assessing students' health literacy is necessary for its advancement. This study comes to fill the need for a valid multidimensional health literacy assessment instrument for secondary school students. Design/methodology/approach Initially, the authors defined the conceptual framework within which the items of this instrument were generated. Its final form was obtained through three pilot studies. A test-retest followed and, finally, a nationwide survey was conducted on Greek seventh-, ninth- and tenth-grade students (N = 2,800). Findings A 37-item instrument, the Health Literacy Assessment for Secondary School Students (HeLiASeSS), was developed which includes the following nine dimensions/skills of health literacy: “access to”, “understand” and “evaluate” (health information), “functional communication”, “interactive communication” and “critical communication”, “relying on health information”, “self-efficacy regarding health matters” and “intention for active citizenship regarding health matters”. HeLiASeSS proved to have good stability (ICC = 0.943) and high internal consistency reliability (a = 0.903). Originality/value HeLiASeSS offers the possibility of a reliable and valid assessment of secondary school students' health literacy skills providing a multidimensional evaluation of this construct and is expected to be useful in interventions aiming at promoting this type of literacy.

This article examines the different registers of music interaction between Greek Orthodox and Jewish communities of Istanbul in the late Ottoman period. Intercommunal interaction is approached within the broader framework of modernization of music and in relation to the degree in which this interaction was implicated in the modernization process. New forms of music sociality related to music print and entertainment in which musicians and other agents from the two com- munities participated are analyzed in terms of their spatial dimension and as knots in a network of important locales within the city. This spatial approach challenges the centralized narratives concerning the modernization of Ottoman music and highlights the important role of local intermediaries and new economic patterns in shaping Otto- man musical modernity. KEYWORDS: Greek Orthodox, Jews, Istanbul, music print, sociality, Ottoman modernity

Purpose - The purpose of this study is twofold: To provide a general overview of the existing literature circulating the Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) in the European Banking System and to provide evidence of the future of European NPL developments, from the prism of the recent Covid-19 pandemic and the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) factors, placing the focus on the Greek banking sector. Design/methodology/approach - The research methodology implemented is a critical overview of the existing literature regarding NPLs, comprising of officially published papers. Due to the fact that both the Covid-19 pandemic & and the ESG factors are very recent, the papers included are mainly of theoretical nature. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the NPL literature, placing the focus on the implications that the recent worldwide developments will have on NPL flows. Findings - The findings showed that Covid -19 is expected to negative impact the European NPLs. Moreover, the alterations due to the implementation of ESG factors will cause major effects to the European banking system, which are expected to withhold the upcoming the NPL level increase. Originality/value - This paper offers the first attempt, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, by analyzing the existing literature regarding Covid-19 & ESG, expected to have a profound impact on the NPLs stocks. It also provides a general overview of the expected impact of the two prementioned factors in the European NPLs, driven by the relative shortage of relevant research, while offering useful insights which contribute to a deeper understanding.

Recent observations of supermassive black holes have brought us new information on their magnetospheres. In this study, we attempt a theoretical modelling of the coupling of black holes with their jets and discs, via three innovations. First, we propose a semi-analytical MHD description of a steady relativistic inflow-outflow structure characteristic to the extraction of the hole rotational energy. The mass-loading is ensured in a thin layer, the stagnation surface, by a two-photon pair production originating to a gamma-ray emission from the surrounding disc. The double flow is described near the polar axis by an axisymmetric meridionally self-similar MHD model. Secondly, the inflow and outflow solutions are crossing the MHD critical points and are matched at the stagnation surface. Knowledge of the MHD field on the horizon gives us the angular momentum and energy extracted from the black hole. Finally, we illustrate the model with three specific examples of double-flow solutions by varying the energetic interaction between the MHD field and the rotating black hole. When the isorotation frequency is half of the black hole one, the extracted Poynting flux is comparable to the one obtained using the force-free assumption. In two of the presented solutions, the Penrose process dominates at large colatitudes, while the third is Poynting flux dominated at mid-colatitudes. Mass injection rate estimations, from disc luminosity and inner radius, give an upper limit just above the values obtained for two solutions. This model is pertinent to describe the flows near the polar axis, where pair production is more efficient.

Soil improvement via MICP (microbially induced carbonate precipitation) technologies has recently received widespread attention in the geoenvironmental and geotechnical fields. The durability of MICP-treated samples remains a critical concern in this novel method. In this work, fiber (jute)-reinforced MICP-treated samples were investigated to evaluate their durability under exposure to distilled water (DW) and artificial seawater (ASW), so as to advance the understanding of long-term performance mimicking real field conditions, along with improvement of the MICP-treated samples for use in coastal erosion protection. Primarily, the results showed that the addition of fiber (jute) improved the durability of the MICP-treated samples by more than 50%. Results also showed that the wet–dry (WD) cyclic process resulted in adverse effects on the mechanical and physical characteristics of fiber-reinforced MICP-treated samples in both DW and ASW. The breakdown of calcium carbonates and bonding effects in between the sand particles was discovered to be involved in the deterioration of MICP samples caused by WD cycles, and this occurs in two stages. The findings of this study would be extremely beneficial to extend the insight and understanding of improvement and durability responses for significant and effective MICP treatments and/or re-treatments.

The vortex matter properties of a Ba1-xKxFe2As2 single crystal (T-c = 38.2 K) were studied, by employing both isofield and isothermal ac-susceptibility measurements, chi(n)(f, H-0) = chi(n)' (f, H-0) - i chi(n)'' (f, H-0), in a wide range of frequencies and amplitudes of the applied ac magnetic field. The irreversibility line (H-irr(T, theta)), formally defined by the onset of the third harmonic, is recorded for both H parallel to c-axis and H parallel to ab-plane. It can be reproduced from the empirical equation, H-irr(T) = H-0(1 - T/T-c)(n), with n(c) = n(ab) = 1.24 and mu H-0(0)c = 210 Tesla, torro mu H-0(0)ab = 540 Tesla. The isofield measurements of the first harmonic revealed a narrow diamagnetic peak, related to a local peak of the critical current below the irreversibility line for both H parallel to c-axis and H parallel to ab-plane. The local peak for mu H-0 < 0.2 Tesla is transformed to a sudden drop before it completely disappears. Detailed ac-susceptibility measurements were conducted for frequencies ranging within f = 0.1 10 kHz. From these data, the pinning potential, U, is deduced both as function of temperature and dc magnetic field. These results revealed that the ac response of vortex matter exhibits three distinct dynamic behaviors. By employing a model proposed by Mikitik and Brandt (2001 Phys. Rev. B 64 184514), that is based on a Lindemann type criterion and the collective pinning theory, we reproduced the experimentally recorded vortex matter phase diagram by taking into account both thermal fluctuations and random point disorder. To this effect, we adopted a delta T-c, pinning mechanism, c(L) = 0.25, D-0/c(L) = 1.1-1.5 and a Ginzburg number Gi = 10(-3).

The pyroclastic rocks of the Lesvos Petrified Forest in the North Aegean comprise one of the early Miocene's most imposing megaflora assemblage. In this area, the new outcrop of Akrocheiras yielded numerous leaf compressions. Based on their macroscopic characteristics, we identified a total of sixteen different taxa, most of them of palaeotropical origin. Dominant species are Daphnogene polymorpha, Pungiphyllum cruciatum and Phoenicites sp., represented by more than 50% of the specimens. Several taxa are new for the Neogene palaeobotanical record of Lesvos Island, such as Laurophyllum sp. 1, Smilax weberi, Celtis japeti, div. Juglandaceae, Ilex miodipyrena, cf. Ilex sp. and Apocynophyllum sp., and provide new floristic data for the area. According to the vegetation analysis, the plant assemblage of Akrocheiras site assigned to lowland/riparian and mesophytic forests on well drained soils. The palaeoclimatic analysis for the new flora revealed a humid warm-temperate climate with seasonal alternations from wetter to drier conditions. The floristic characteristics are outlined, and the record is compared to other ones of the early Miocene period.

In recent years, the interest of society in the geoenvironment is constantly increasing [...]

OBJECTIVE: There have been concerns about the long term safety of paclitaxel coated devices in the lower limbs. A formal systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was performed to examine the long term risk of major amputation using paclitaxel coated balloons in peripheral arterial disease (PAD). METHOD: This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO (ID 227761). A broad bibliographic search was performed for RCTs investigating paclitaxel coated balloons in the peripheral arteries (femoropopliteal and infrapopliteal) for treatment of intermittent claudication or critical limb ischaemia (CLI). The literature search was last updated on 20 February 2021 without any restrictions on publication language, date, or status. Major amputations were analysed with time to event methods employing one and two stage models. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses, combinatorial meta-analysis, and a multivariable dose response meta-analysis to examine presence of a biological gradient were also performed. RESULTS: In all, 21 RCTs with 3 760 lower limbs were analysed (52% intermittent claudication and 48% CLI; median follow up two years). There were 87 major amputations of 2 216 limbs in the paclitaxel arms (4.0% crude risk) compared with 41 major amputations in 1 544 limbs in the control arms (2.7% crude risk). The risk of major amputation was significantly higher for paclitaxel coated balloons with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.66 (95% CI 1.14 - 2.42; p = .008, one stage stratified Cox model). The prediction interval was 95% CI 1.10 - 2.46 (two stage model). The observed amputation risk was consistent for both femoropopliteal (p = .055) and infrapopliteal (p = .055) vessels. Number needed to harm was 35 for CLI. There was good evidence of a significant non-linear dose response relationship with accelerated risk per cumulative paclitaxel dose (chi square model p = .007). There was no evidence of publication bias (p = .80) and no significant statistical heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 0%, p = .77). Results were stable across sensitivity analyses (different models and subgroups based on anatomy and clinical indication and excluding unpublished trials). There were no influential single trials. Level of certainty in evidence was downrated from high to moderate because of sparse events in some studies. CONCLUSION: There appears to be heightened risk of major amputation after use of paclitaxel coated balloons in the peripheral arteries. Further investigations are warranted urgently.

{A skilled control of postural stability is fundamental in many of the actions performed by volleyball athletes. The effectiveness in serving, forearm passing or setting the ball is affected by the athlete’s ability to control their dynamic balance. When referring to team sports, earlier studies have shown that balance and proprioception training have the potential to induce performance enhancement in selected components of physical fitness and some technical skills but only few of them focus on the field of volleyball. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a balance and proprioception training program on dynamic balance and volleyball skills of female volleyball players aged 13-15 years. The sample is consisted by 18 participants who were divided into an experimental group (EG

The impact of ambient on the field emission and the resulting breakdown induced damage of rigid MEMS capacitive structure are investigated. The effect of asperities burning due to Joule heating and the resulting explosive breakdown are presented. The breakdown gives rise to almost mirror craters formation on the cathode and anode electrodes. A linear relation between crater diameter and the breakdown current is found when breakdown occurs in vacuum. In ambient atmosphere the breakdown leads to large amplitude current oscillations and the formation of extended damage on both electrodes.

The representation of boundary layer clouds during marine Cold-Air Outbreaks (CAO) remains a great challenge for weather prediction models. Recent studies have shown that the representation of the transition from closed stratocumulus clouds to convective cumulus open cells largely depends on microphysical and precipitation processes, which secondary ice production (SIP) may strongly modulate. In this study we use the Weather Research and Forecasting model to investigate the impact of the most well-known SIP mechanisms (Hallett-Mossop, mechanical break-up upon collisions between ice particles and drop-shattering) on a CAO case observed north of the United Kingdom in 2013. While Hallett-Mossop is the only SIP process extensively implemented in atmospheric models, our results indicate that the other two SIP mechanisms are also favored in the examined conditions. Activation of drop-shattering and especially collisional break-up can result in enhanced riming, ice depositional growth and/or ice aggregation. The first two processes quicken liquid depletion in the stratocumulus cloud, while along with aggregation, they enhance precipitation. The increased precipitation results in enhanced evaporation/sublimation in the sub-cloud layer, promoting boundary-layer decoupling, which further accelerates the onset of the stratocumulus break-up. However, the strong sensitivity to the expression of terminal velocity of the precipitating particles and the rimed fraction of cloud ice/snow suggests that the robust implementation of SIP to improve CAO predictions requires data from a large number of CAO events.

BACKGROUND: A clear patency benefit of a drug-eluting stent (DES) over bare metal stents (BMSs) for treating peripheral artery disease of the femoropopliteal segment has not been definitively demonstrated. The EMINENT study (Trial Comparing Eluvia Versus Bare Metal Stent in Treatment of Superficial Femoral and/or Proximal Popliteal Artery) was designed to evaluate the patency of the Eluvia DES (Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA), a polymer-coated paclitaxel-eluting stent, compared with BMSs for the treatment of femoropopliteal artery lesions. METHODS: EMINENT is a prospective, randomized, controlled, multicenter European study with blinded participants and outcome assessment. Patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease (Rutherford category 2, 3, or 4) of the native superficial femoral artery or proximal popliteal artery with stenosis ≥70%, vessel diameter of 4 to 6 mm, and total lesion length of 30 to 210 mm were randomly assigned 2:1 to treatment with DES or BMS. The primary effectiveness outcome was primary patency at 12 months, defined as independent core laboratory-assessed duplex ultrasound peak systolic velocity ratio ≤2.4 in the absence of clinically driven target lesion revascularization or surgical bypass of the target lesion. Primary sustained clinical improvement was a secondary outcome defined as a decrease in Rutherford classification of ≥1 categories compared with baseline without a repeat target lesion revascularization. Health-related quality of life and walking function were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 775 patients were randomly assigned to treatment with DES (n=508) or commercially available BMSs (n=267). Baseline clinical, demographic, and lesion characteristics were similar between the study groups. Mean lesion length was 75.6±50.3 and 72.2±47.0 mm in the DES and BMS groups, respectively. The 12-month incidence of primary patency for DES treatment (83.2% [337 of 405]) was significantly greater than for BMS (74.3% [165 of 222]; P<0.01). Incidence of primary sustained clinical improvement was greater among patients treated with the DES than among those who received a BMS (83.0% versus 76.6%; P=0.045). The health-related quality of life dimensions of mobility and pain/discomfort improved for the majority of patients in both groups (for 66.4% and 53.6% of DES-treated and for 64.2% and 58.1% of BMS-treated patients, respectively) but did not differ significantly. At 12 months, no statistical difference was observed in all-cause mortality between patients treated with the DES or BMS (2.7% [13 of 474] versus 1.1% [3 of 263]; relative risk, 2.4 [95% CI, 0.69-8.36]; P=0.15). CONCLUSIONS: By demonstrating superior 1-year primary patency, the results of the EMINENT randomized study support the benefit of using a polymer-based paclitaxel-eluting stent as a first-line stent-based intervention for patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease attributable to femoropopliteal lesions. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov; Unique identifier: NCT02921230.

Resumen: Federico Gamboa en su novela Santa, mediante una crítica sutil del sistema político positivista, retrata varios aspectos de la sociedad mexicana durante el gobierno de Porfirio Díaz. En aquella época, con el apoyo del Porfiriato y de las inversiones extranjeras, México conoce un período de prosperidad económica y de florecimiento tecnológico que atrae a inmigrantes europeos y norteamericanos. El autor mexicano, a través de la vida trágica de la protagonista en la capital mexicana, presenta el mosaico de la sociedad mexicana, cuya parte importante son los inmigrantes. En el presente estudio se analiza el perfil y la posición del inmigrante en el ambiente histórico social del Porfiriato con el objetivo de revelar tanto la mentalidad y la conducta de los mexicanos hacia los inmigrantes, como la de los inmigrantes hacia los mexicanos. Palabras clave: México, naturalismo, porfirismo, positivismo, inmigrante Abstract: Federico Gamboa, in his novel Santa, on the one hand criticizes the political system of positivism and on the other presents various aspects of the Mexican society during the Porfirio Díaz´ government. During this period, Mexico is experiencing an amazing economic growth and technological development that attract European and North American immigrants. In order to describe the protagonist´s life in the Mexican capital, Gamboa depicts the mosaic of the Mexican society whose major part are immigrants. In the present conference we analyze the profile and the position of the immigrant in the social environment of Porfirio Diaz time, in order to reveal the mentality and the behavior of both parties: the immigrants and the Mexicans. Keywords: México, naturalism, porfirismo, positivism, immigrant.

This book examines theoretical and applied terminology issues in the light of the translation process. In particular, it aims at introducing students to the basic principles of terminological science and its different applications in translation practice. This subject field, being interdisciplinary by nature, as it combines linguistics, translation, language technology as well as various other subject fields through the study of their terminology, has been an independent subject field for more than five decades. In today’s globalised and constantly changing technological environment, the need for appropriate multilingual communication makes the role of terminology even more crucial and directly related to translation studies. The book is structured in ten chapters, in which key issues related to terminology are studied. The discussion focuses inter alia on special languages and their particular characteristics, basic theoretical principles of terminology, the place of terminology in translation, terminology management, terminology products and data, as well as terminology management tools. Special emphasis is placed on language technologies that support terminological work in translation, such as termbases, terminological mining tools or corpus management tools, etc. Then the cases of specific types of texts, such as for example legal, medical, financial or EU texts, are studied and the particularities presented from a terminological point of view are analysed. The study is supported by extensive use of examples and authentic texts in various language pairs.

Background: The regenerative efficacy of platelet-derived products has been recently investigated in the treatment of pelvic floor disorders (PFDs). We aimed to synthesize the current evidence of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) products used in urogynaecological disorders including vaginal atrophy, pelvic organ prolapse (POP), urinary incontinence, vaginal fistulas and vaginal mesh exposure. Methods: A meticulous search of the currently available literature on the use of PRP for the management of PFDs was performed using 3 electronic databases. Results: PRP could be a feasible alternative modality for the management of vaginal atrophy with favourable outcomes in vaginal atrophy parameters and patients' satisfaction, especially when hormone therapy is contraindicated. In patients with POP, an increase in collagen concentration after PRP application was observed while the use of PRP resulted in improvement of stress urinary incontinence symptoms. A considerable proportion of vesicovaginal fistulas were treated after application of PRP-based injections. Conclusions: There is only limited evidence of the use of PRP for PFDs. Platelet-rich plasma appears to be a promising, easy to apply, cost-effective and feasible alternative therapeutic modality for the management of various urogynaecological disorders. Future randomized trials are needed to confirm the efficacy of PRP in the treatment of urogynaecological disorders.

Τη διάλεξη μπορείτε να παρακολουθήσετε κάνοντας «κλικ» στον παρακάτω σύνδεσμο του YouTube: https://youtu.be/fuYH96ayNTU CITE AS:Καμπερίδου, Ειρήνη (2022). Ο Κινητικός Πολιτισμός των Ελλήνων: Ο χορός, η εκμάθηση μουσικών οργάνων και η εκγύμναση  ως "σύμβολα κατωτερότητας" στην οθωμανική κοινωνία. Εισήγηση/παρουσίαση στον κύκλο διαλέξεων «1922-2022, 100 χρόνια από τη Μικρασιατική καταστροφή. Ιστορική αποτίμηση, εθνικός αναστοχασμός». Διαδικτυακή ενότητα «Πολιτισμός και Τέχνες στη Μ. Ασία και τον Πόντο», 21 Φεβρουαρίου 2022, ώρα 20.00. Διοργάνωση: το «Λαϊκό  Πανεπιστήμιο» της Ευξείνου Λέσχης Θεσσαλονίκης (Βραβείο Ακαδημίας Αθηνών  (https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/2970118).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΕΧΝΕΣ ΣΤΗ Μ. ΑΣΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΝ ΠΟΝΤΟ (Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου και Βασίλης Καρφής) https://www.uoa.gr/anakoinoseis_kai_ekdiloseis/proboli_ekdilosis/politismos_kai_technes_sti_m_asia_kai_ton_ponto/

Energy transport within biological systems is critical for biological functions in living cells and for technological applications in molecular motors. Biological systems have very complex dynamics supporting a large number of biochemical and biophysical processes. In the current work, we study the energy transport along protein chains. We examine the influence of different factors such as temperature, salt concentration, and external mechanical drive on the energy flux through protein chains. We obtain that energy fluctuations around the average value for short chains are greater than for longer chains. In addition, the external mechanical load is the most effective agent on bioenergy transport along the studied protein systems. Our results can help design a functional nano-scaled molecular motor based on energy transport along protein chains.

Owing to its highly heterogeneous molecular landscape, bladder cancer (BlCa) is still characterized by non-personalized treatment and lifelong surveillance. Motivated by our previous findings on miR-143/145 value in disease prognosis, we have studied the underlying epigenetic regulation of the miR-143/145 cluster in BlCa. Expression and DNA methylation of miR-143/145 cluster were analyzed in our screening (n = 162) and The Cancer Genome Atlas Urothelial Bladder Carcinoma (TCGA-BLCA; n = 412) cohorts. Survival analysis was performed using tumor relapse and progression as clinical endpoints for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC; TaT1), while disease progression and patients' death were used for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC; T2-T4). TCGA-BLCA served as validation cohort. Bootstrap analysis was carried out for internal validation, while decision curve analysis was used to evaluate clinical benefit. TCGA-BLCA and screening cohorts highlighted MIR145 core promoter as the pivotal, epigenetic regulatory region on cluster's expression. Lower methylation of MIR145 core promoter was associated with aggressive disease phenotype, higher risk for NMIBC short-term progression, and poor MIBC survival. MIR145 methylation-fitted multivariate models with established disease markers clearly enhanced patients' risk stratification and prediction of treatment outcome. MIR145 core promoter methylation was identified as a potent epigenetic regulator of miR-143/145 cluster, supporting modern personalized risk stratification and management in BlCa.

Methylation of the fundamental macromolecules, DNA/RNA, and proteins, is remarkably abundant, evolutionarily conserved, and functionally significant in cellular homeostasis and normal tissue/organism development. Disrupted methylation imprinting is strongly linked to loss of the physiological equilibrium and numerous human pathologies, and most importantly to carcinogenesis, tumor heterogeneity, and cancer progression. Mounting recent evidence has documented the active implication of miRNAs in the orchestration of the multicomponent cellular methylation machineries and the deregulation of methylation profile in the epigenetic, epitranscriptomic, and epiproteomic levels during cancer onset and progression. The elucidation of such regulatory networks between the miRNome and the cellular methylation machineries has led to the emergence of a novel subclass of miRNAs, namely "epi-miRNAs" or "epi-miRs." Herein, we have summarized the existing knowledge on the functional role of epi-miRs in the methylation dynamic landscape of human cancers and their clinical utility in modern cancer diagnostics and tailored therapeutics.

Wearable technologies and digital phenotyping foster unique opportunities for designing novel intelligent electronic services that can address various well-being issues in patients with mental disorders (i.e., schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), thus having the potential to revolutionize psychiatry and its clinical practice. In this paper, we present e-Prevention, an innovative integrated system for medical support that facilitates effective monitoring and relapse prevention in patients with mental disorders. The technologies offered through e-Prevention include: (i) long-term continuous recording of biometric and behavioral indices through a smartwatch; (ii) video recordings of patients while being interviewed by a clinician, using a tablet; (iii) automatic and systematic storage of these data in a dedicated Cloud server and; (iv) the ability of relapse detection and prediction. This paper focuses on the description of the e-Prevention system and the methodologies developed for the identification of feature representations that correlate with and can predict psychopathology and relapses in patients with mental disorders. Specifically, we tackle the problem of relapse detection and prediction using Machine and Deep Learning techniques on all collected data. The results are promising, indicating that such predictions could be made and leading eventually to the prediction of psychopathology and the prevention of relapses.

A number of Nature Based Solutions (NBS) are being used around the world in order to address various hydrometeorological hazards as a more environmentally friendly alternative to hard structures. Such a solution has been created in the Spercheios river basin in Central Greece, which is susceptible to heavy rainfall and river bank overflow due to flood water from upstream, in order to mitigate flood and drought impacts under current and future climate conditions. Here a first attempt is made to use actual measurements taken from various sources in the river, including in-situ and satellite data, in order to establish early experimental evidence of the NBS efficiency in the area. The measurements include data from automated hydrological stations from the OpenHi network, satellite remote sensing data and field measurements performed along the Spercheios River basin. For each measurement used, different analysis has been performed based on data availability and pertinence to the NBS efficiency. Preliminary results presented here show that the NBS functions as designed and provides protection against flooding in the area, and can potentially diminish the risk of drought. The results are in agreement with the numerical outputs already presented in our previous work.

This study examines the forecasting performance of the professional analysts participating in the Blue Chip Economic Indicators Survey using an alternative methodological research design. Specifically, we employ a panel specification, which takes into consideration both the time dimension and the forecast horizon, and a quantile regression technique, which evaluates the hidden non-monotonic relations between the forecasts and the target variables being forecasted. Evaluating the accuracy of economic forecasts is critical since they are widely used in financial, investment and policy decision making. Our empirical findings show that survey-based forecasts of interest rates and certain key macroeconomic variables are generally biased, but still efficient predictors of target variables. In particular, we find that survey participants are more efficient in predicting long-term interest rates in the long-run and short-term interest rates in the short-run, while the predictability of medium-term interest rates is the least accurate. Finally, our empirical analysis suggests that currency fluctuations are very hard to predict in the short-run, while we show that survey-based forecasts are among the most accurate predictors of key macroeconomic variables.

Of the 13 known independent zoonoses of simian immunodeficiency viruses to humans, only one, leading to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1(M) has become pandemic, causing over 80 million human infections. To understand the specific features associated with pandemic human-to-human HIV spread, we compared replication of HIV-1(M) with non-pandemic HIV-(O) and HIV-2 strains in myeloid cell models. We found that non-pandemic HIV lineages replicate less well than HIV-1(M) owing to activation of cGAS and TRIM5-mediated antiviral responses. We applied phylogenetic and X-ray crystallography structural analyses to identify differences between pandemic and non-pandemic HIV capsids. We found that genetic reversal of two specific amino acid adaptations in HIV-1(M) enables activation of TRIM5, cGAS and innate immune responses. We propose a model in which the parental lineage of pandemic HIV-1(M) evolved a capsid that prevents cGAS and TRIM5 triggering, thereby allowing silent replication in myeloid cells. We hypothesize that this capsid adaptation promotes human-to-human spread through avoidance of innate immune response activation.

Degradation of coastal environments is an issue that many areas in Europe are facing. In the present work, an ancient coastal lake wetland is investigated, the so-called Lake Lerna in NE Peloponnese, Greece. The area hosted early agricultural populations of modern Greece that started modifying their environment as early as the early–middle Neolithic. Two drill cores in the area of the ancient lake were analysed to establish the sedimentological succession and the depositional environments using sub-fossil assemblages (molluscs and ostracods). Three lithological and faunal units were recovered, the latter being confirmed by the statistical ordination method (non-metric multidimensional scaling). The usage of sub-fossil mollusc species for the first time in the region enriched the dataset and contributed significantly to the delimitation of the faunas. These consist of environments characterised by various levels of humidity (from stagnant waters to freshwater lake) and salinity, with ephemeral intrusions of salt water to the lake, documented by mollusc and ostracod populations. We conclude that the lake and its included fauna and flora were mostly affected by climatic fluctuations rather than human intervention in the area.

This article explores the influence that an unexpected athletic success can have on the construction of national identity while attempting to answer the question on how such a success can be used as a means to overcome national crises. Using a reflective analysis, this study examines the impact of the Euro 2004 Championship on Greece’s national identity, highlighting the correlation between two events associated with Greekness, to wit national pride and Hellenic identity in the sport, economic and social contexts. The first event was the unpredicted victory of the Greek football team in 2004, thanks to their German coach Otto Rehhagel, and the second Rehhagel’s visit to Athens in March 2013, in his informal role of political mediator, in an attempt to contribute to restoring Greek-German friendship which had been shattered during the country’s period of economic memorandums. This conceptual paper uses a qualitative discourse analysis to explain and understand human action through an examination of media texts and symbolic narratives: the headlines and narratives on the Euro 2004 victory in the Greek and foreign press and media, along with the slogans used by football fans after each victory, voicing the ‘superiority’ of Greekness.   Keywords: Greekness, national identity, media, gender, hegemonic masculinity, sport, Euro 2004, Rehhagel, economic crisis, historical memory,  the closest other      

The Black-Litterman (BL) model is a particularly essential analytical tool for effective portfolio management in financial services sector since it enables investment analysts to integrate investor views into market equilibrium returns. In this research, we define and study the continuous-time BL portfolio optimization (CTBLPO) problem as a time-varying quadratic programming (TVQP) problem. The investor’s views in the CTBLPO problem are regarded as a forecasting problem, and they are generated by a novel neural network (NN) model. More precisely, employing a novel multi-function activated by a weights-and-structure-determination for time-series (MAWTS) algorithm, a 3-layer feed-forward NN model, called MAWTSNN, is proposed for handling time-series modeling and forecasting problems. Then, using real-world datasets, the CTBLPO problem is approached by two different TVQP NN solvers. These solvers are the zeroing NN (ZNN) and the linear-variational-inequality primal–dual NN (LVI-PDNN). The experiment findings illustrate and compare the performances of the ZNN and LVI-PDNN in three various portfolio configurations, as well as indicating that the MAWTSNN is an excellent alternative to the traditional approaches. To promote and contend the outcomes of this research, we created two MATLAB repositories for the interested user, that are publicly accessible on GitHub.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Aetiology and significance of exercise-induced troponin release remains a contentious issue. We investigated the effect of a 28 km mountain run on cardiac troponin I (cTnI), in relation to training, performance, nutritional, biochemical and echocardiography variables, in a group of 25 recreational male master athletes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A comprehensive list of variables related with nutrition, training, performance and echocardiography, was collected pre- and post-race. Twenty-four months later, outcomes regarding cardiovascular events were obtained. RESULTS: Serum cTnI values were increased after the race, with mean values rising from 7.2 +/- 2.2 (before) to 80.0 +/- 33.2 ng/L (post race), (p < 0.001) and 23/25(92%) exceeding Upper Reference limit (50 ng/L). Echocardiography did not reveal significant alterations, or correlations with cTnI values. The percentage difference in hs-cTnI concentrations pre- and post-race correlated positively with age, race-induced changes of selected muscle damage indices, resistance training volume and negatively with endurance capacity and training volume (r: -0.727 to 0.725, p < 0.05). All athletes reported no cardiovascular event during the 24-month period post-race. CONCLUSION: cTnI elevation induced by a 28 km mountain running race was not correlated with echocardiographic, nutritional parameters and was less pronounced in athletes with larger endurance training history, in contrast with resistance training and age

Background: Research on perceived school safety has been largely limited to studies conducted in Western countries and there has been a lack of large-scale cross-national studies on the topic. Methods: The present study examined the occurrence of adolescents who felt unsafe at school and the associated factors of perceived school safety in 13 Asian and European countries. The data were based on 21,688 adolescents aged 13-15 (11,028 girls, 10,660 boys) who completed self-administered surveys between 2011 and 2017. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Findings: The number of adolescents who felt unsafe at school varied widely across countries, with a mean occurrence of 31.4% for the total sample: 31.3% for girls, and 31.1% for boys. The findings revealed strong independent associations between feeling unsafe and individual and school-related factors, such as being bullied, emotional and behavioral problems and feeling that teachers did not care. The study also found large variations in perceived school safety between schools in many countries. Conclusion: The findings emphasize the need to create safe educational environments for all students, based on positive relationships with teachers and peers. School-based interventions to prevent bullying and promote mental health should be a natural part of school safety promotion.

Various forms of the algebraic Riccati equation (ARE) have been widely used to investigate the stability of nonlinear systems in the control field. In this paper, the time-varying ARE (TV-ARE) and linear time-varying (LTV) systems stabilization problems are investigated by employing the zeroing neural networks (ZNNs). In order to solve the TV-ARE problem, two models are developed, the ZNNTV-ARE model which follows the principles of the original ZNN method, and the FTZNNTV-ARE model which follows the finite-time ZNN (FTZNN) dynamical evolution. In addition, two hybrid ZNN models are proposed for the LTV systems stabilization, which combines the ZNNTV-ARE and FTZNNTV-ARE design rules. Note that instead of the infinite exponential convergence specific to the ZNNTV-ARE design, the structure of the proposed FTZNNTV-ARE dynamic is based on a new evolution formula which is able to converge to a theoretical solution in finite time. Furthermore, we are only interested in real symmetric solutions of TV-ARE, so the ZNNTV-ARE and FTZNNTV-ARE models are designed to produce such solutions. Numerical findings, one of which includes an application to LTV systems stabilization, confirm the effectiveness of the introduced dynamical evolutions.

In this paper, we present a fraud detection framework for publicly traded firms using an optimization approach integrated with a meta-heuristic algorithm known as Beetle Antennae Search (BAS). Existing techniques include human resources, like financial experts and audit teams, to determine the ambiguities or financial frauds in the companies based on financial and non-financial ratios. It is a laborious task, time-consuming, and prone to errors. We designed an optimization problem to minimize the loss function based on a non-linear decision function combined with the maximization of recall (Sensitivity and Specificity). We solved the optimization problem iteratively using the BAS. It is a nature-inspired algorithm and mimics the beetle’s food-searching nature. It includes a single searching particle to find an optimal solution to the optimization problem in n-dimensional space. We used a benchmark dataset collected from SEC’s Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Releases (AAERs) for the simulation. It includes 28 raw financial variables and the data collected between 1991–2008. For the comparison, we evaluated the performance of BAS with the recently proposed approach using RUSBoost. We also compared it with some additional algorithms, i.e., Logit and SVM-FK. The results showed that BAS is comparable with these algorithms and outperformed them in time consumption.

As the interest in natural, sustainable ecosystems arises in many fields, wild plant diversity is reconsidered. The present study is based on extant literature evidence from the journey of John Sibthorp (Professor of Botany, Oxford University) to Peloponnese (Greece) in pre-industrial time. In the year 1795, Peloponnese was a botanically unknown region, very dangerous for travellers and under civil unrest, in conjuncture with a pre-rebellion period. Our study reveals approximately200 wild plant taxa that were collected from Peloponnese localities in 1795, transported to Oxford University (UK), and quoted in the magnificent edition Flora Graeca Sibthorpiana of the 19th century. Moreover, these plants currently constitute a living collection in Peloponnese, confirmed according to updated data on the vascular Flora of Greece. The presented lists constitute a source of informationfor plant biologists, linking the past to the present, shedding light on the study of adaptive traits of wild Mediterranean plants and revealing the temporal dimension of natural history. Nowadays, increasing and thorough understanding of the considered plants’ functionality to abiotic and biotic environmental stimuli provides a new framework of sustainability and management options.

In order to create a cultural landscape, the number of different types of ecomuseums around the world, covering many sites, has recently increased. Their establishment aims at the protection of natural and cultural resources. The north area of Syros Island offers significant opportunities for the development of a museum model that promotes the sustainable development of the local community. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of developing a museum model that promotes the sustainable development of the local community in Apano Meria, Syros Island, which is a representative site with natural, geological, and archaeological heritage. For this purpose, the engagement and participation of the local inhabitants was evaluated through various activities, the basic principles of which are based on the concepts of New Museology and, more specifically, those of ecomuseums. Qualitative research was carried out through on-site observations, including discussions, participant observation, documentation, and in-depth interviews with local people. This research revealed that, so far, the conservation of the Apano Meria landscape is mainly due to the action of local people, who have repeatedly been called upon to show strong resistance to external factors that threatened to alter it. In their long-term effort to preserve and protect the area, but also to develop it in terms of sustainable development, the idea of its possible future inclusion in the UNESCO Global Network of Geoparks was proposed.

Moscow managed to "diplomatically" contain the Baku-Yerevan-Stepanakert explosion since Russia reemerged in a dominant and decisive way as a peacekeeping military and economic actor in the Armenia-Azerbaijan dipole. In fact, Russia stopped more bloodshed, might drive it away from its "regular" ally, Turkey, and cut all ties with Azerbaijan handing it over to the West. Therefore, this explains Moscow's initiative to propose solutions to the Pashinyan government inclusive of a peaceful return of Azeri refugees from areas of Sushi, before its eventual handover to the Azeris, under the guarantee of Russia's own military presence in order to "ensure cohabitation between Armenian residents and Azeri repatriates". However, these proposals, which would have meant Artsakh's "losing" of a single province (Sushi), were not accepted by Pashinyan, precisely because of his effort to avoid all Russian presence in the region. After all, his Government's members also pushed in this direction. His mistake, however, proved to be huge and the price was paid by the unfortunate Armenians of Artsakh.

Greece, like the rest of the Mediterranean countries, faces wildland fires every year. Besides their short-term socioeconomic impacts, ecological destruction, and loss of human lives, forest fires also increase the burnt areas’ risk of flash flood phenomena, as the vegetation, which acted in a protective way against runoff and soil erosion, is massively removed. Among the most severe wildland fire events in Greece were those of summer 2021, which were synchronous to the very severe heat waves that hit the broader area of the Balkan Peninsula. More than 3600 km2 of land was burnt and a significant amount of natural vegetation removed. Three of the burnt areas are examined in this work, namely, Attica, Northern Euboea, and the Peloponnese, in order to assess their risk of future flash flood events. The burnt areas were mapped, and their geological and geomorphological features studied. Flash flood hazard assessment was accomplished through a Boolean logic-based model applied through Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, which allowed the prioritization of the requirement for protection by identifying which locations were most prone to flooding. The largest part of our study areas is characterized by geomorphological and geological conditions that facilitate flash flood events. According to our findings, in almost all study areas, the regions downstream of the burnt areas present high to very high flash flood hazard, due to their geomorphological and geological features (slope, drainage density, and hydrolithology). The only areas that were found to be less prone to flood events were Vilia and Varimpompi (Attica), due to their gentler slope inclinations and overall geomorphological characteristics. It is known that vegetation cover acts protectively against flash floods. However, in this case, large areas were severely burnt and vegetation is absent, resulting in the appearance of flash floods. Moreover, imminent flooding events are expected to be even more intense in the areas downstream of the burnt regions, possibly bearing even worse impacts on the local population, infrastructure, etc.

Geoscience courses, such as geology and geomorphology, require not only classroom lessons and laboratory exercises, but field trips as well. However, the COVID-19 restrictions did not allow the execution of most planned field trips, and an alternative needed to be developed. The use of virtual field trips is one such alternative. Through this research, we evaluate the usefulness of virtual field trips as tools for preparatory activities before an actual field trip takes place in the same area, and their contribution in providing a better understanding of geomorphological processes and landscape evolution. We performed a virtual navigation on the island of Naxos, Cyclades (Aegean Sea, Greece) for a series of virtual field trips, which took place during webinars in the framework of Erasmus+ CIVIS. The virtual field trip was also presented to the third-year students of the Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, in the framework of the obligatory course of Geomorphology. Upon completion, all participating students were asked to fill in a questionnaire in order to evaluate the contribution of virtual field trips to their education regarding geomorphology and state their opinion as to whether they can supplement and/or substitute actual field trips. According to the results, virtual field trips can aid, but not substitute, the actual field trip. Most students mentioned that they would attend another virtual field trip in the future, both as an alternative to classroom lessons and as a means of preparation for an actual field trip, but not in order replace the actual one. Virtual field trips can significantly support the realization of actual ones, by introducing the necessary tectonic, geological and geomorphological background of a particular study area and offering more time for practical activities or field methodologies during the actual field trip.

Synthesis and study of RotA, an inhibitor of glycogen phosphorylase (GP), which when bound at the active site of GP, produces a strong fluorescence signal, allowing utilization of RotA as a probe that brings GP “to light” in the cellular milieu.

Nutrient transporters have been shown to translocate to the plasma membrane (PM) of the filamentous fungus an unconventional trafficking route that bypasses the Golgi. This finding strongly suggests the existence of distinct COPII vesicle subpopulations, one following Golgi-dependent conventional secretion and the other directed towards the PM. Here, we address whether Golgi-bypass concerns cargoes other than nutrient transporters and whether Golgi-bypass is related to cargo structure, size, abundance, physiological function, or polar vs. non-polar distribution in the PM. To address these questions, we followed the dynamic subcellular localization of two selected membrane cargoes differing in several of the aforementioned aspects. These are the proton-pump ATPase PmaA and the PalI pH signaling component. Our results show that neosynthesized PmaA and PalI are translocated to the PM Golgi-bypass, similar to nutrient transporters. In addition, we showed that the COPII-dependent exit of PmaA from the ER requires the alternative COPII coat subunit LstA, rather than Sec24, whereas PalI requires the ER cargo adaptor Erv14. These findings strengthen the evidence of distinct cargo-specific COPII subpopulations and extend the concept of Golgi-independent biogenesis to essential transmembrane proteins, other than nutrient transporters. Overall, our findings point to the idea that Golgi-bypass might not constitute a fungal-specific peculiarity, but rather a novel major and cargo-specific sorting route in eukaryotic cells that has been largely ignored.

Adopting an innovative and theoretical approach, Greek Tragedy and the Digital is an original study of the encounter between Greek tragedy and digital media in contemporary performance. It challenges Greek tragedy conventions through the contemporary arsenal of sound masks, avatars, live code poetry, new media art and digital cognitive experimentations. These technological innovations in performances of Greek tragedy shed new light on contemporary transformations and adaptations of classical myths, while raising emerging questions about how augmented reality works within interactive and immersive environments.Drawing on cutting-edge productions and theoretical debates on performance and the digital, this collection considers issues including performativity, liveness, immersion, intermediality, aesthetics, technological fragmentation, conventions of the chorus, theatre as hypermedia and reception theory in relation to Greek tragedy.Case studies include Kzryztof Warlikowski, Jan Fabre, Romeo Castellucci, Katie Mitchell, Georges Lavaudant, The Wooster Group, Labex Arts-H2H, Akram Khan, Urland & Crew, Medea Electronique, Robert Wilson, Klaus Obermaier, Guy Cassiers, Luca di Fusco, Ivo Van Hove, Avra Sidiropoulou and Jay Scheib. This is an incisive, interdisciplinary study that serves as a practice model for conceptualizing the ways in which Greek tragedy encounters digital culture in contemporary performance.

The dynamics of plasmas produced by low current X-pinch devices are explored. This comprehensive computational study is the first step in the preparation of an experimental campaign aiming to understand the formation of plasma jets in table-top pulsed power X-pinch devices. Two state-of-the-art magneto-hydro-dynamic codes, GORGON and PLUTO, are used to simulate the evolution of the plasma and describe its key dynamic features. GORGON and PLUTO are built on different approximation schemes and the simulation results obtained are discussed and analyzed in relation to the physics adopted by each code. Both codes manage to accurately handle the numerical demands of the X-pinch plasma evolution and provide precise details on the mechanisms of the plasma expansion, the jet-formation, and the pinch generation. Furthermore, the influence of electrical resistivity, radiation transport and optically thin losses on the dynamic behaviour of the simulated X-pinch produced plasma is studied in PLUTO. Our findings highlight the capabilities of the GORGON and PLUTO codes in simulating the wide range of plasma conditions found in X-pinch experiments, enabling a direct comparison to the scheduled experiments.

Blazar flares have been suggested as ideal candidates for enhanced neutrino production. While the neutrino signal of γ-ray flares has been widely discussed, the neutrino yield of X-ray flares has received less attention. Here, we compute the predicted neutrino signal from X-ray flares detected in 66 blazars observed more than 50 times with the X-ray Telescope (XRT) on board the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. We consider a scenario where X-ray flares are powered by synchrotron radiation of relativistic protons, and neutrinos are produced through photomeson interactions between protons with their own synchrotron X-ray photons. Using the 1 keV X-ray light curves for flare identification, the 0.5-10 keV fluence of each flare as a proxy for the all-flavour neutrino fluence, and the IceCube point-source effective area for different detector configurations, we calculate the number of muon and antimuon neutrinos above 100 TeV expected for IceCube from each flaring source. The bulk of the neutrino events from the sample originates from flares with durations ~1-10 d. Accounting for the X-ray flare duty cycle of the sources in the sample, which ranges between ~2 and 24 per cent, we compute an average yearly neutrino rate for each source. The median of the distribution (in logarithm) is ~0.03 yr-1, with Mkn 421 having the highest predicted rate 1.2 ± 0.3 yr-1, followed by 3C 273 (0.33 ± 0.03 yr-1) and PG 1553+113 (0.25 ± 0.02 yr-1). Next-generation neutrino detectors together with regular X-ray monitoring of blazars could constrain the duty cycle of hadronic X-ray flares.

The hyperpower family of iterative methods with arbitrary convergence order is one of the most used methods for estimating matrix inverses and generalized inverses, whereas the zeroing neural network (ZNN) is a type of neural dynamics developed to solve time-varying problems in science and engineering. Since the discretization of ZNN dynamics leads to the Newton iterative method for solving the matrix inversion and generalized inversion, this study proposes and investigates a family of ZNN dynamical models known as higher-order ZNN (HOZNN) models, which are defined on the basis of correlation with hyperpower iterations of arbitrary order. Because the HOZNN dynamical system requires error function powers, it is only applicable to square error functions. In this paper, we extend the original HOZNN dynamic flows to arbitrary time-dependent real matrices, both square and rectangular, and sign-bi-power activation is used to investigate the finite-time convergence of arbitrary order HOZNN dynamics. The proposed models are theoretically and numerically tested under three activation functions, and an application in solving the angle-of-arrival (AoA) localization problem demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed design.

In order to design a geoeducation program in the context of the possibilities given to the Experimental Schools of Greece of Lower Secondary Education, teachers identified the need for diagnostically assess students’ understanding of basic concepts of the geoenvironment and particularly the concepts of geodiversity, geoheritage, geoethics and geotourism. In addition, there was a need to apply the educational technique of creating cognitive conflicts in order to promote the scientific perceptions of these concepts. Thus, research questions were identified which led the research to assess the current latent state of students’ perceptions regarding the thematic areas of the concepts and to identify concepts whose perceptions can be used in the educational process in order to achieve effective cognitive conflicts in order to promote scientific perceptions of them. The students briefly answered a four-question questionnaire, wherein each question examined their perceptions regarding the four concepts of geoenvironment: geodiversity, geoheritage, geoethics and geotourism. All 45 students of the geoeducation program that took part in the survey were aged between 12 and 15 years old. The qualitative research strategy approach was selected and specifically the hybrid technique of semiotics content analysis in combination with thematic analysis. This technique was selected due to the need to identify, code, categorize and count both obvious and latent meanings in the students’ written answers; these meanings were related to the four concepts under examination. The results of the research show that the current latent state of students’ perceptions regarding the thematic fields of the four concepts of the geoenvironment can be considered as particularly confused since the majority of students did not understand the concepts as they are employed in the international literature. The research also highlighted concepts that can be used by teachers in their efforts to develop students’ clear or even scientifically acceptable perceptions for the concepts of geodiversity, geoheritage, geoethics and geotourism in the thematic field of the geoenvironment.

The origin of Petaelectronvolt (PeV) astrophysical neutrinos is fundamental to our understanding of the high-energy Universe. Apart from the technical challenges of operating detectors deep below ice, oceans, and lakes, the phenomenological challenges are even greater than those of gravitational waves; the sources are unknown, hard to predict, and we lack clear signatures. Neutrino astronomy therefore represents the greatest challenge faced by the astronomy and physics communities thus far. The possible neutrino sources range from accretion disks and tidal disruption events, to relativistic jets and galaxy clusters with blazar TXS 0506+056 the most compelling association thus far. Since that association, immense effort has been put into proving or disproving that jets are indeed neutrino emitters, but to no avail. By generating simulated neutrino counterpart samples, we explore the potential of detecting a significant correlation of neutrinos with jets from active galactic nuclei. We find that, given the existing challenges, even our best experiments could not have produced a > 3σ result. Larger programs over the next few years will be able to detect a significant correlation only if the brightest radio sources, rather than all jetted active galactic nuclei, are neutrino emitters. We discuss the necessary strategies required to steer future efforts into successful experiments.

We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of idempotents of arbitrarily large norms in the Fourier algebra A(G) and the Fourier-Stieltjes algebra B(G) of a locally compact group G. We prove that the existence of idempotents of arbitrarily large norm in B(G) implies the existence of homomorphisms of arbitrarily large norm from A(H) into B(G) for every locally compact group H. A partial converse is also obtained: the existence of homomorphisms of arbitrarily large norm from A(H) into B(G) for some amenable locally compact group H implies the existence of idempotents of arbitrarily large norm in B(G).

Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a congenital condition characterizing females with absence of the uterus and part of the vagina. Several genetic defects have been correlated with the presence of MRKH; however, the exact etiology is still unknown due to the complexity of the genetic pathways implicated during the embryogenetic development of the Müllerian ducts. A systematic review (SR) of the literature was conducted to investigate the genetic causes associated with MRKH syndrome and Congenital Uterine Anomalies (CUAs). This study aimed to identify the most affected chromosomal areas and genes along with their associated clinical features in order to aid clinicians in distinguishing and identifying the possible genetic cause in each patient offering better genetic counseling. We identified 76 studies describing multiple genetic defects potentially contributing to the pathogenetic mechanism of MRKH syndrome. The most reported chromosomal regions and the possible genes implicated were: 1q21.1 (RBM8A gene), 1p31-1p35 (WNT4 gene), 7p15.3 (HOXA gene), 16p11 (TBX6 gene), 17q12 (LHX1 and HNF1B genes), 22q11.21, and Xp22. Although the etiology of MRKH syndrome is complex, associated clinical features can aid in the identification of a specific genetic defect.

This study presents experimental evidence of field emission in MEMS capacitive switches. Devices with dielectric layers of silicon nitride of different thicknesses between 50 and 200 nm were investigated by current-voltage (I-V) measurements. These measurements were performed at room temperature and under a controlled atmosphere pressure of 3 × 10−2 mbar at bias levels below breakdown and corresponding electric fields encountered in MEMS capacitive switches during pull-in (1-2 × 106 V/cm). Field emission although was not always clearly observed, it occurred in all devices and clearly manifested at electric fields larger than 106 V/cm.

AIMS: To investigate potential laboratory and imaging biomarkers as treatment response predictors to intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO). METHODS: Participants in this prospective study were 53 patients with treatment naive macular edema secondary to RVO, treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF agents and followed-up for 12 months. At baseline, all participants underwent best-corrected visual acuity measurement, dilated fundoscopy, optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography (FFA), while full blood count and biochemical analysis of various parameters was also performed. At month 12, treatment response was examined and classified as "favorable" or "non-response". Potential associations between laboratory/imaging biomarkers and treatment response were assessed. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that "favorable" response at month 12 after initiation of anti-VEGF treatment was correlated with baseline central subfield thickness (CST) < 464 mum (p < 0.001), absence of subretinal fluid (p = 0.004), absence of hyperreflective foci (HF) (p = 0.004), intact ellipsoid zone (EZ) and external limiting membrane (ELM) (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively), absence of epiretinal membrane (ERM) (p = 0.020) and absence of macular ischemia on FFA (p < 0.001), while increased monocytes-to-lymphocytes ratio was also associated with "favorable" treatment response (p = 0.010). All other laboratory parameters did not reach statistical significance. However, at the multivariate analysis, EZ and ELM status, HF, macular ischemia and monocytes-to-lymphocytes ratio were found to be independent predictors of treatment response. CONCLUSIONS: Intact EZ and ELM, absence of HF, absence of macular ischemia and increased monocytes-to-lymphocytes ratio at baseline can predict "favorable" treatment response in patients with treatment naive macular edema secondary to RVO

On September 27, 2021, an Mw=6.0 earthquake struck the central part of Crete Island (southern Greece) and in particular the Heraklion Region. This event was preceded by an extended foreshock sequence started on early July 2021 and it was followed by an Mw=5.3 aftershock on the following day. Taking into account the spatial distribution of foreshocks and aftershocks and the focal mechanism of mainshock as well as the active faults of the earthquake-affected area, it is evident that the seismic activity is strongly related to the NNE-SSW striking W-dipping faults of the Kasteli fault zone located along the eastern margin of the Neogene to Quaternary Heraklion Basin. The latter has been filled with Miocene to Holocene post-alpine deposits. A field reconnaissance conducted by the authors in the earthquake-affected area shortly after the mainshock revealed that the earthquake-triggered effects comprised mainly rockfalls and slides, as well as ground cracks within or close to landslide zones. These effects were located within the hanging-wall of the KFZ. The affected sites are mainly composed of Miocene deposits and they are characterized by pre-existing instability conditions and high susceptibility to landslides. Far field effects were also observed south of the earthquake-affected area and in particular in the southern coastal part of Heraklion Region. In regards to the spatial distribution of the earthquake-induced building damage, the vast majority was caused in villages and towns founded on Miocene and Holocene deposits of the hanging-wall. Damage was not reported in settlements located in the footwall, which is composed of alpine formations. The dominant building types of the earthquake-affected area comprise: (i) buildings with load-bearing masonry walls made of stones and bricks with clay or lime mortar, mainly constructed without any anti-seismic provisions and (ii) buildings with reinforced-concrete frame and infill walls constructed according to the applicable seismic codes. The former suffered the most severe structural damage including partial or total collapse in many villages founded on post-alpine deposits of the hanging-wall of KFZ. The latter responded satisfactory during the mainshock and were less affected with only non-structural damage including cracking, detachment of infill walls from the surrounding reinforced concrete frame, peeling of concrete and short-column failures. From the abovementioned, it is concluded that the impact of the 2021 Arkalochori earthquake was limited to the hanging-wall of the causative fault zone and in particular to residential areas founded on post-alpine deposits and to slopes highly susceptible to failure within the Heraklion Basin.

Imperatorin, a naturally derived furanocoumarin, exerts promising neuropharmacological properties. Therefore, it might be applicable in the treatment of brain diseases such as depression. In the present project, we aimed to investigate the sex-dependent effects of imperatorin (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg) on behavior and neurochemistry associated with antidepressant effects. The depressive-like behaviors of male and female Swiss mice were investigated in a forced swim test (FST). Subsequently, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to evaluate the level of serotonin, its metabolite, 5-HIAA, and noradrenaline, in mouse brains. The study revealed that only males responded to imperatorin (1 and 5 mg/kg) treatment and caused an antidepressant effect, such as with respect to depressive-like behaviors, lowering immobility time and increasing immobility latency. The HPLC analysis demonstrated that serotonin levels in the prefrontal cortex of females decreased with the middle dose of imperatorin (5 mg/kg), while in the male prefrontal cortex, the lower dose (1 mg/kg) boosted serotonin levels. There were no evident changes observed with respect to noradrenaline and serotonin metabolite levels in the male hippocampus. To conclude, we propose that imperatorin has antidepressant potential, seemingly only in males, influencing brain serotonin level, but the direct mechanism of action requires further investigation.

This work reports on light scattering by a homogeneous dielectric sphere with a periodically time-varying radius. The off-shell inelastic scattering T matrix, which describes the dynamically changing particle, is evaluated using the Floquet method, and some remarkable phenomena, emerging in the strong- and weak-coupling regimes, are discussed. In particular, the limits of validity of the approximate quasistatic solution are established through comparison with the results of fully dynamic calculations, and the scattering in the strong-coupling regime is analyzed in terms of the general behavior of parametrically driven oscillators. Additionally, the influence of damping of the sphere vibrations on the optical spectra is also investigated.

Mediterranean tectonically-active coastal areas are a highly-dynamic environment balancing internal tectonic dynamics with external geomorphic processes, as well as manmade influences. Especially in touristic areas characterized by high built-up pressure and land value, where these dynamics are even more concentrated, the evolution of coastal environments needs careful and high-resolution study to identify localized risk and the processes they derive from.Recently, new advanced remote sensing techniques such as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)- and Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLS)-aided monitoring have improved our capabilities in understanding the natural processes and the geomorphic risks (i.e. mass movement phenomena).An integrated study comprising Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) sensors was conducted in coastal areas of the southern Ionian Islands (Western Greece) aiming to the mitigation of earthquake-triggered landslide risk and to responsible coastal development. Located at the northwesternmost part of the Hellenic Arc, this area is characterized by high seismicity and has been affected by destructive earthquakes mainly due to the Cephalonia Transform Fault Zone (CTFZ), which constitutes one of the most seismic active structures in the Eastern Mediterranean region. One of the most common environmental effect triggered by these earthquakes are landslides distributed along fault scarps in developed and highly visited coastal areas. Furthermore, this area is highly susceptible to hydrometeorological hazards inducing intense geomorphic processes, including Medicanes among others.These technologies allow a highly-detailed view of landslide processes, providing insights on the structures and factors controlling and triggering failures along coastal scarps as well as highlighting susceptible zones and high-risk areas with accuracy and mitigating adverse effects with precision and clarity. Overall, by providing a better understanding of the risks the approach used allows a more sustainable development of these coastal segments enhanced by risk mitigation.The study was conducted in the framework of the project “Telemachus - Innovative Operational Seismic Risk Management System of the Ionian Islands”, co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) in Priority Axis “Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development” of the Operational Programme “Ionian Islands 2014–2020”.

Plasma membrane (PM) transporters of the major facilitator superfamily (MFS) are essential for cell metabolism, growth and response to stress or drugs. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Jen1 is a monocarboxylate/H+ symporter that provides a model to dissect the molecular details underlying cellular expression, transport mechanism and turnover of MFS transporters. Here, we present evidence revealing novel roles of the cytosolic N- and C-termini of Jen1 in its biogenesis, PM stability and transport activity, using functional analyses of Jen1 truncations and chimeric constructs with UapA, an endocytosis-insensitive transporter of Aspergillus nidulans. Our results show that both N- and C-termini are critical for Jen1 trafficking to the PM, transport activity and endocytosis. Importantly, we provide evidence that Jen1 N- and C-termini undergo transport-dependent dynamic intramolecular interactions, which affect the transport activity and turnover of Jen1. Our results support an emerging concept where the cytoplasmic termini of PM transporters control transporter cell surface stability and function through flexible intramolecular interactions with each other. These findings might be extended to other MFS members to understand conserved and evolving mechanisms underlying transporter structure-function relationships. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first authors of the paper.

Biodesulfurization is a process that selectively removes sulfur from dibenzothiophene and its derivatives. Several natural biocatalysts harboring the highly conserved desulfurization operon dszABC, which is significantly repressed by methionine, cysteine, and inorganic sulfate, have been isolated. However, the available information on the metabolic regulation of gene expression is still limited. In this study, scarless knockouts of the reverse transsulfuration pathway enzyme genes cbs and metB were constructed in the desulfurizing strain Rhodococcus sp. strain IGTS8. We provide sequence analyses and report the enzymes' involvement in the sulfate- and methionine-dependent repression of biodesulfurization activity. Sulfate addition in the bacterial culture did not repress the desulfurization activity of the Deltacbs strain, whereas deletion of metB promoted a significant biodesulfurization activity for sulfate-based growth and an even higher desulfurization activity for methionine-grown cells. In contrast, growth on cysteine completely repressed the desulfurization activity of all strains. Transcript level comparison uncovered a positive effect of cbs and metB gene deletions on dsz gene expression in the presence of sulfate and methionine, but not cysteine, offering insights into a critical role of cystathionine beta-synthase (CbetaS) and MetB in desulfurization activity regulation. IMPORTANCE Precise genome editing of the model biocatalyst Rhodococcus qingshengii IGTS8 was performed for the first time, more than 3 decades after its initial discovery. We thus gained insight into the regulation of dsz gene expression and biocatalyst activity, depending on the presence of two reverse transsulfuration enzymes, CbetaS and MetB. Moreover, we observed an enhancement of biodesulfurization capability in the presence of otherwise repressive sulfur sources, such as sulfate and l-methionine. The interconnection of cellular sulfur assimilation strategies was revealed and validated.

Protein phosphorylation is a major regulatory mechanism of cellular signalling. The c-JUN proto-oncoprotein is phosphorylated at four residues within its transactivation domain (TAD) by the JNK family kinases, but the functional significance of c-JUN multisite phosphorylation has remained elusive. Here we show that c-JUN phosphorylation by JNK exhibits defined temporal kinetics, with serine63 and serine73 being phosphorylated more rapidly than threonine91 and threonine93. We identify the positioning of the phosphorylation sites relative to the kinase docking motif, and their primary sequence, as the main factors controlling phosphorylation kinetics. Functional analysis reveals three c-JUN phosphorylation states: unphosphorylated c-JUN recruits the MBD3 repressor, serine63/73 doubly-phosphorylated c-JUN binds to the TCF4 co-activator, whereas the fully phosphorylated form disfavours TCF4 binding attenuating JNK signalling. Thus, c-JUN phosphorylation encodes multiple functional states that drive a complex signalling response from a single JNK input.

Cephalonia, located in the middle of the central Ionian Islands, has been affected by destructive earthquakes during both the instrumental and the historical period. Despite the fact that it is widely studied from several scientific viewpoints, limited research has been conducted so far regarding the earthquake-triggered landslides (ETL) and the related susceptibility. In the context of the present study, an inventory with 67 ETL from 11 earthquakes that occurred from 1636 to 2014 is presented. Given this record, the study further examines the ETL susceptibility exploiting 10 landslide causal factors in the frame of a GIS-based Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Four factors (i.e., slope, PGA, tectonic structures and lithology) were associated in a higher degree to the locations where ETL occurred on the island. Based on the comparison of the ETL inventory and the landslide susceptibility index (LSI) map, the distribution of ETL in Cephalonia is not random, as their majority (82%) were generated within high to critically high susceptible zones. This fact, along with the AUC values of 80.3%, reveals a fair-to-good accuracy of the landslide susceptibility assessment and indicate that the contribution of the studied variables to the generation of ETL was effectively determined

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The present paper examines lexicon organization and lexical uniqueness through a lexicalavailability task. Previous research has concentrated on exploring via word association testshow learners organize their L1 and L2 lexicons. Additionally, the closeness between the nativeand the L2 lexicons are also object of analysis in research. Lexical uniqueness has also beenused as a measure to determine “nativeness”. In the present study, we had two groups ofGreek B1 and C1 level learners of Spanish FL answer a lexical availability task and comparedtheir results with those of a group of native speakers. We found that proficiency level is crucialin the determination of lexical uniqueness and lexicon organization via lexical associationsobtained with a lexical availability task. Furthermore, our results revealed that thematic fieldis a relevant factor in speakers’ associative behaviour and lexicon organization. Results arediscussed in light of previous research findings and pedagogical implications are proposed.

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

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

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

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

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

The interannual variability of the Mediterranean overturning circulation is investigated using a high-resolution (1/36°) ocean model. As the overturning circulation regulates the replenishment and ventilation of the deep layers, we study the spatiotemporal scales of the maximum value of the overturning streamfunction over three main sub-basins of dense water formation (Aegean Sea, Adriatic, and the northwestern Mediterranean). The variability of the zonal overturning is also discussed. The spectrum analysis shows that the overturning variability has its largest signal on annual timescales in all sub-basins, explained by perpetual winter formation. On shorter frequencies (decadal) there are marked differences observed, due to regional processes of the overturning cells, led by buoyancy flux long-term variability in each sub-basin. The decomposition of the total overturning circulation into barotropic, geostrophic shear, and Ekman components revealed weakening and strengthening for the Aegean and Adriatic Sea total overturning, respectively, with opposite trends for the barotropic and geostrophic shear components. The simultaneous contribution of the Ekman and geostrophic component to the total overturning differentiates the variability of zonal overturning circulation from the local meridional overturning circulation of the three sub-basins. The cross spectra between the maximum overturning value and the buoyancy fluxes also revealed that the system keeps the “memory” of this forcing and shows annual variability.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One of the brightest X-ray pulsars in the Small Magellanic Cloud is SMC X-2. During its most recent major outburst in 2015, this transient pulsar displayed significant changes in both its accretion state and magnetosphere, particularly when it entered the low-luminosity regime of subcritical accretion. Polestar is a pulse-profile modeling code that helps in delineating the geometry of the emission as the source evolves past outburst and toward lower-luminosity states. Applying Polestar to XMM-Newton and NuSTAR pulse profiles, we constrained the most likely inclination of the spin axis of the pulsar to be i = 87° ± 4°. As the X-ray luminosity declined, an increase in the pulsed fraction was detected from Swift observations, which suggests a transition from fan- to pencil-beam emission during the later stages of the outburst. Additionally, we also performed analysis of the OGLE IV light curves, which showed strong modulation in the optical profiles during the outburst.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All disc-accreting astrophysical objects produce powerful disc winds. In compact binaries containing neutron stars or black holes, accretion often takes place during violent outbursts. The main disc wind signatures during these eruptions are blue-shifted X-ray absorption lines, which are preferentially seen in disc-dominated `soft states'1,2. By contrast, optical wind-formed lines have recently been detected in `hard states', when a hot corona dominates the luminosity3. The relationship between these signatures is unknown, and no erupting system has as yet revealed wind-formed lines between the X-ray and optical bands, despite the many strong resonance transitions in this ultraviolet (UV) region4. Here we report that the transient neutron star binary Swift J1858.6-0814 exhibits wind-formed, blue-shifted absorption lines associated with C IV, N V and He II in time-resolved UV spectroscopy during a luminous hard state, which we interpret as a warm, moderately ionized outflow component in this state. Simultaneously observed optical lines also display transient blue-shifted absorption. Decomposing the UV data into constant and variable components, the blue-shifted absorption is associated with the former. This implies that the outflow is not associated with the luminous flares in the data. The joint presence of UV and optical wind features reveals a multi-phase and/or spatially stratified evaporative outflow from the outer disc5. This type of persistent mass loss across all accretion states has been predicted by radiation-hydrodynamic simulations6 and helps to explain the shorter-than-expected duration of outbursts7.

Philosophy, Arts, Therapies: PATh! A path toward a human protective life through Philosophy, Arts and Therapies! An innovative, interdisciplinary and humanistic approach for a life with meaning and freedom. Every paper opens a new path for self-awareness, meaningful communication with significant others, solidarity and creativity as the healthiest approach to human growth. Philosophy as well as the arts contains the potential for humans to exceed the limits of physical existence and transcend self so that man rises above mundane needs to reach elevation. It is when emotional and spiritual transcendence occurs through the innate healing qualities of philosophy and arts that man can become a man. Moreover, the fathers of psychoanalysis, humanistic and existential psychotherapies, i.e. Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Jacques Lacan, to mention a few, supported their theories and practice through philosophical currents and some of them, i.e. Carl Jung, Rollo May etc., derived profound inspiration from the arts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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