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The aim of this study was to assess any seasonal and long-term trends on involuntary admissions. Seasonal pattern and long-term variation were examined statistically and analyzed using Poisson models with robust standard errors, including 1-year period Fourier terms and a linear time term. Maximum (+6.5%) and minimum (-6.1%) within-year values were estimated to occur during mid-June and mid-December, respectively. Estimated long-term trend was more pronounced in the mental and behavioral disorders due to the use of drugs and organic mental disorder diagnoses groups and in the 16-29 and 65+ age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this study is to model the Nature-based solution of Green Roofs (GRs) in order to assess their efficiency as a mitigation strategy for UHI effects and extreme summertime temperatures over Attica in Greece. The area of study is a region that encompasses Athens, the largest Metropolitan area of Greece, and the suburbs. The analysis has been performed with the use of an advanced modeling system that consists of the mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) and the advanced multilayer urban canopy scheme building energy parameter and building energy model (BEP/BEM). The two modules are fully coupled, forming WRF urban. For a better description of the urban environment and in order to use the full capabilities of the urban canopy scheme, 11 urban classes corresponding to the WUDAPT Local Climate Zones (LCZ) were used instead of the 3 traditional urban classes that the default version uses. Sensitivity tests for a major heatwave that affected the area of study have been performed in order to evaluate the impact of GRs on the UHI structure. Results indicate that the modification of the roof energy budget decreased the maximum temperature during heatwaves and altered the spatio-temporal pattern of the effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the framework of the European project "FirEUrisk", the present work aimed to spatially assess the climate change signal of fire weather danger in the Attica region at a high resolution of 5 km. For this purpose, a methodology was applied to investigate the projected changes in fire weather conditions under two emission scenarios and two future periods. The fire weather assessment was based on the fire weather index system and other related indices. The calculated indices were derived from high-resolution validated simulations. Large increases in FWI90 were observed during all periods and under both emission scenarios, mainly in the eastern parts. It is estimated that the northeastern parts will encounter more than 70 days of extreme fire weather, which corresponds to a future change of an increase of more than 45 days compared to the historical period. A change of more than 50% in the ISI will be observed in almost the entire region in the near future under RCP4.5, while this change is restricted mostly to the eastern Attica region under RCP8.5 in both periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing of particulate matter (PM) absolute concentration levels can address the need for continuous wide-area monitoring in urban environments, which arises from the adverse effects of air pollution on human health. Raymetrics PMeye is a unique aerosol monitoring system designed around a state-of-the-art polarization scanning UV lidar that offers large-area PM concentration monitoring and high spatial resolution source localization. The PMeye lidar employs a novel inversion scheme for converting raw lidar signals to PM concentrations. This study demonstrates the effectiveness and accuracy of remote monitoring PM concentration measurement results in the region of Attica, Greece. Potential synergistic use with inversion modeling techniques and dispersion models to support an advanced warning system for the population and local authorities of the Athens metropolitan area is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A forward advection scheme is incorporated in an advanced data assimilation model to provide very short-term predictions. The Local Analysis and Prediction System (LAPS) is implemented in the nowcasting mode in a case study of extreme precipitation event over Attica, Greece. The LAPS assimilated remote sensing data from satellite retrievals and XPOL radar precipitation measurements to produce objective analyses alongside their nowcasts in a forecast window up to 3 h. The results indicate that the assimilation of remote sensing data can increase the short-term precipitation predictability, with varying performance depending on the type and the combination of the assimilated remote sensing data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]