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A modified theory of gravity, avoiding singularities in the standard theory of gravitation, has been developed by Hess & Greiner, known as the pseudo-complex theory of gravitation. The pseudo-complex General Relativity (pc-GR) theory shows remarkable observational differences with respect to standard GR. The intensity profiles are significantly different between both theories, which is a rare phenomenon in astrophysics. This will allow robust tests of both theories using Event Horizon Telescope observations of the Galactic Centre. We also predict the time evolution of orbiting matter. In this paper we summarize the observational tests we have developed to date. The theory is described in the second paper of this series (referred to as paper II hereafter). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Smoking rates in Greece are the highest recorded among OECD countries, but the historical and life-course evolution of smoking patterns is largely unknown. The present paper addresses this gap. Methods We produce nationally representative life-course trajectories of smoking and related mortality of eight generations of Greek men and women. We estimate the smoking–mortality correlation conditional on several confounders and project the estimates forward. Results We show that smoking prevalence among Greek men has plateaued at >60% for all but the youngest generation. For women, smoking prevalence is relatively lower, lags by several generations and follows a hump-shaped pattern. Smoking-attributable mortality is currently peaking for men (nearing 40% of total deaths) and is rising for women. We estimate that it takes ~20 years of smoking to maximize the smoking–mortality correlation (at 0.48 for men and 0.32 for women). Based on this estimation, we forecast that mortality rates will begin falling within the current decade. Conclusions The breadth of the Greek smoking epidemic has been high by international standards, reflecting the ineffective tobacco control efforts in the country. While smoking popularity fell during the Great Recession, policy vigilance is necessary to prevent a relapse once the economy recovers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the lead-up to the Final Agreement settling the Macedonian name dispute, apparently no or scant mention was made of the Interim Accord (FYROM v. Greece) case that FYROM brought in 2008 and won overwhelmingly in 2011 against Greece at the International Court of Justice ("ICJ" or the "Court"). This paper highlights the structure and main points of the ICJ judgment in the Interim Accord case and analyzes the part of the judgment on the main substantive issue. The paper argues that, even on its own terms, the Court's judgment did not conduct the interpretation exercise to the full and further that the experience with the Court's judgment in this case does flash a warning light to any decision-maker that it must not lose sight of "the one big thing", which may vary from case to case, in a dispute settlement endeavor if it wants to have its decision implemented. This experience also teaches any State party in a dispute that it may have to know and unyieldingly seize upon the one big thing in the dispute settlement effort in order to achieve its goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The traditional Mediterranean diet is defined as the dietary pattern in the countries of the Mediterranean basin between the 1950s and 1960s, and it is now widely accepted that has a beneficial effect on health. A debate exists from empirical and research data if the traditional Mediterranean diet remains the main dietary pattern of the region or if it has changed overtime. Aims: This systematic review addresses whether the people of Cyprus and Greece still follow the traditional Mediterranean diet or whether the diet has become more 'Westernised'. Methods: The MEDLINE database was searched using relevant free terms and independently reviewed by two authors. In addition, all reference lists of identified studies were hand-searched to identify additional, relevant studies. Results: The review resulted in 18 research papers that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and represented 15 independent studies. The main outcome was consistent between studies and indicated moderate adherence of the Greek, and (probably) of the Cypriot, population to the Mediterranean diet. The majority of studies found no statistically significant differences by gender. There was an observed inter-study lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet by the younger population. Few studies addressed intra-study variations by age. Conclusions: This review shows that adherence to the Mediterranean diet is moderate in Greece (and probably also in Cyprus).This suggests a continuing transition from dietary patterns in the 50s-60s towards a more Westernized diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the communicative architecture of reception at the peak of Europe's 2015-2016 'migration crisis.' Drawing on fieldwork at one of Europe's outer borders-the Greek island of Chios-the paper examines the border as a site where refugee and migrant reception takes place and where the parameters of Europe's ethico-political response to the 'crisis' are set. The paper demonstrates that the continent's double requirement of security and care produces a new and highly ambivalent moral order, hospitability. Constituted through techno-symbolic networks of mediation, hospitability reaffirms dominant theorizations of the border as an order of power and exclusion but goes beyond these in highlighting micro-connections of solidarity that simultaneously coexist with and attempt to challenge this order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We document that in semiformal economies, banks lend to tax-evading individuals based on the bank's assessment of the individual's true income. This observation leads to a novel approach to estimate tax evasion. We use micro-data on household credit from a Greek bank and replicate the bank underwriting model to infer the banks estimate of individuals' true income. We estimate that 43-45% of self-employed income goes unreported and thus untaxed. For 2009, this implies €28.2 billion of unreported income, implying forgone tax revenues of over €11 billion or 30% of the deficit. Our method innovation allows for estimating the industry distribution of tax evasion in settings where uncovering the incidence of hidden cash transactions is difficult using other methods. Primary tax-evading industries are professional services--medicine, law, engineering, education, and media. We conclude with evidence that contemplates the importance of institutions, paper trail, and political willpower for the persistence of tax evasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Our paper assesses the relationship between social integration, in terms of social contact and social trust, and one's individual health. While a large body of research already engaged with clarifying this relationship, we know little about the role one's immigration background plays in moderating this relationship. With respect to this, we explicitly focus on how one's immigrant status moderates the relationship between social integration and self-reported health. Previous literature has demonstrably shown that the less socially integrated individuals are, the less likely they are to report good health. Moreover, we know from social capital literature that immigrants have difficulties being socially connected in their host country. Methods With the help of the new MIGHEAL survey, we test this proposed negative relationship. We also compare the results from the MIGHEAL data with findings from the European Social Survey round 7. Our analyses follow a thorough approach testing immigrant background as potential moderating factors. We implement logistic regression models and path analysis to reveal the complex interactive relationship between social integration, immigrant status and self-reported health. Results/Conclusion Our results suggest that immigrant status does play a moderating role in the relationship between social integration and health. This role, however, is limited to the relationship between social activity and self-reported health, which points to a potential endogenous effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between gender, migration status and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rarely examined. In this study, we rely on data from the MIGHEAL Survey on health inequalities in Greece collected in 2016 comprising 1332 respondents of which 59.98% identified themselves as Greek-born, 24.02% as immigrants from Albania and 15.99% as immigrants from another country than Albania, to analyse this often neglected relationship. With the help of average risk ratios, this paper explores and explains gender inequalities in heart or circulation problems, high blood pressure, breathing problems, allergies, back or neck pain, muscular pain, stomach or digestion-related problems, skin conditions, severe headaches, and diabetes in Greece among Greek-born individuals, Albanian immigrants and among immigrants of 'other origin'. We found that both among Greek-born and among immigrant groups women report substantially higher rates of NCDs although gender inequalities are more pronounced among 'other-origin' immigrants. Further, our findings show that the observed gender inequalities are fostered by occupational factors both among Greek-born and migrants. Policies targeted at reducing the risk of NCDs need to consider not only gender and migration status but also how their intersection renders certain social groups more vulnerable than others. Moreover, specific attention should be paid to the underlying structural factors associated with NCD reporting, such as working conditions, labour market regulations and employment initiatives that have a differential health influence across diverse population groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This paper provides the socio-economic context of the MIGHEAL study, the results of which are presented in this special issue. The aim of the MIGHEAL study was to compare the physical and mental health of the native and migrant populations of Greece in the wake of the economic crisis that commenced in 2008. Methods The background of the migrant population of Greece is described, drawing on population censuses of Greece and data on residence permits held by foreigners. Then the migrant and native populations are compared with respect to several socio-economic outcomes, using Eurostat data on unemployment and the risk of poverty. Results The settled migrant population of Greece is largely of Central and Eastern European origin, resulting from the massive migrant inflowsthat started at the beginning of the 1990s after the collapse of socialist regimes in the area. Before the economic crisis, migrant unemployment was lower than that of natives, but after its onset, the unemployment of migrants surpassed that of natives. Prior to the crisis, migrants were already subject to greater risk of poverty than natives, but the gap widened considerably subsequent to the crisis. Conclusion The Greek institutional framework has restricted access to citizenship for both first- and second-generation migrants while conditions for permit renewal are onerous, rendering citizenship an important factor differentiating socio-economic outcomes. The different outcomes observed among the native and migrant populations after the onset of the Greek economic crisis create concerns regarding health inequalities between the two populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper—by using the pirated CD/DVD market in a provincial city in Greece as a case study—will attempt to show how alien conspiracy theory has permeated the understanding of ‘organized crime’ and how the concept serves to enforce racism and, in particular, the treatment of diasporic communities. The paper will then proceed to interrogate the concept in the context of the local operation of this market in tandem with various legitimate interests and how, despite the exhortations of powerful commercial forces, it is tolerated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Zero-energy and zero-carbon buildings would be a huge opportunity for contrasting the climatic changes and, more in general, the deterioration of the microclimate inside and around cities. About it, a question appears compulsory: are zero-energy and zero-carbon concepts applicable at urban scale? This paper tries to answer to this question, by discussing the possible effects of the application of appropriate city planning techniques when a new settlement is designed. An integrated approach to urban planning is applied to a case study, for promoting the design of buildings with very low (or zero) energy needs, characterized by high indoor comfort conditions, by taking into consideration whole city areas, with different kinds of services. Passive heating, cooling and daylighting techniques have been combined, as well as the integration of renewable sources, in order to minimize the energy demand and environmental impact, for having a sustainable 'urban balance' and in general, a sustainable urban growth. As real case study, the design of the holiday village 'Olympiad' is presented; it should be built in an unstructured seaside area in Greece. Several indexes are introduced to evaluate the global sustainability of the settlement, through the application of the definition of 'on-grid ZEB' with reference to each building as well as for the entire village. This kind of research could help city planners for a growth inspired to general goals of urban sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 1984 and 1996, the distribution of Albinaria in an area of approximately 6000 km2 in central and eastern Crete has been investigated at a scale of 1 x 1 km. The distribution map presented in this paper covers the area between Réthimno and Sitía. Albinaria has been found in more than 3000 1 x 1 km squares. Areas where Albinaria does not live are also indicated on the map. For 1 km squares in these areas the term empty squares is proposed. As a result of the discovery of hybrid zones in the field, the taxa leonisorum, fulvula, purpurea and moreletiana are classified as A. corrugata, and the taxon sturanyi synonymized with A. teres. The distributional areas of these forms are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background The European Union has used Healthy Life Years (HLY) as an indicator to monitor the health of its aging populations. Scholarly and popular interest in HLY across countries has grown, particularly regarding the ranking of countries. It is important to note that HLY is based on self-assessments of activity limitations, raising the possibility that it might be influenced by differences in health reporting behaviours between populations, a phenomenon known as differential item functioning (DIF). Methods We estimated DIF-adjusted HLY at age 50 for Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden to determine the extent to which differences in HLY might be influenced by reporting heterogeneity across countries. We used anchoring vignettes, taken from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, to estimate DIF-adjusted prevalence rates of activity limitations measured by the Global Activity Limitations Indicator (GALI). The Sullivan method was used to calculate DIF-adjusted HLY. Results Changes in HLY before and after adjustment ranged from a 1.20-year decrease for men in Italy to a 1.61-year increase for women in Spain. Adjustment for DIF produced changes in the rankings of the countries by HLY, with upward and downward movements of up to three positions. Conclusion Our results show that DIF is likely to affect HLY estimates, thereby posing a challenge to the validity of comparisons of HLY across European countries. The findings suggest that HLY should be used to monitor population health status within a country, rather than to make comparisons across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual meeting of the European Association of Echocardiography (Euroecho and other Imaging Modalities) was held in Athens, Greece. In the present paper, we present a summary of the ‘Highlights’ session. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we analyse the location performance of the Hellenic (Greek) Unified Seismological Network (HUSN) by Seismic Network Evaluation through Simulation method (SNES). This method gives, as a function of magnitude, hypocentral depth and confidence level, the spatial distribution of the: number of active stations in the location procedure and their relative azimuthal gaps and confidence intervals in hypocentral parameters regarding both the geometry of the seismic network and the use of an inadequate velocity model. Greece is located on a tectonically active plate boundary at the convergence of the Eurasian and African lithospheric plates and exhibits a high level of seismicity. The HUSN monitors the seismicity in Greek territory from 2007. At present it is composed by 88 seismic stations appropriately distribute in the area of Greece. The application of the SNES method permitted us to evaluate the background noise levels recorded by the network stations and estimate an empirical law that links the variance of P and S traveltime residuals to hypocentral distance. The statistical analysis of the P and S traveltime residuals allowed us to assess the appropriateness of the velocity model used by the HUSN in the location routine process. We constructed SNES maps for magnitudes () of 2, 2.5 and 3, fixing the hypocentral depth to 10 km and the confidence level to 95 per cent. We also investigated, by two different vertical sections, the behaviour of the errors in hypocentral parameters estimates as function of depth. Finally, we also evaluated, fixing the hypocentral depth to 10 km and the confidence level to 95 per cent, the Magnitude of Completeness. Through the application of the SNES method, we demonstrate that the HUSN provides the best monitoring coverage in western Greece with errors, that for = 2.5, are less than 2 and 5 km for epicentre and hypocentral depth, respectively. At magnitude 2.5, this seismic network is capable of constraining earthquake hypocentres to depths of about 160 km and more, and provides a threshold of completeness down to magnitude 2 for most of Greek territory. We delineate some seismogenic areas of southern Greece that probably are not adequately covered by HUSN. Use of the SNES technique could optimize upgrades of the network in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of metamorphic core complexes (MCC) corresponds to a mode of lithospheric continental stretching that follows collision. In most of the models that explain the formation of the MCC, high thermal gradients are necessary to weaken the lower crust and to induce its ascent. Such models fail to explain the exhumation of high pressure-low temperature metamorphic rocks in metamorphic core complex structures as observed in the Cycladic Blueschists in the Aegean domain. Besides, account for the lithological crustal stratification induced from collision has never been tested. In this paper, we use fully coupled thermomechanical modelling to investigate the impact of structural heritage and initial thermal gradient on the behaviour of the post-orogenic continental lithosphere. The models are designed and validated by petrological, structural and time data from the Cyclades. As a result, high thermal gradients (Moho temperature higher than 800°C) are neither necessary nor always sufficient to induce the development of a metamorphic core complex. At the contrary, the rheological layering of the crust inherited from collision is a first-order parameter controlling the development of extensional structures in post-orogenic settings. 'Cold' MCC can develop if the crust is made of a strong nappe thrust on top of weaker metamorphic cover and basement units, as observed in the Cyclades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The active Hellenic subduction system has long been considered an ideal setting for studying subduction dynamics because it is easily accessible and of limited spatial extent. It has been the focus of numerous seismological studies over the last few decades but, nonetheless, the detailed structure of both the slab and the surrounding mantle remain poorly constrained in an intermediate depth range from 30 to 150 km. The objective of this paper is to fill this gap. The intermediate depth regime is of particular interest because it is pivotal for improving our understanding of the dynamic interaction between subducting lithosphere and the surrounding mantle. An interdisciplinary effort aimed at addressing this challenge is currently undertaken by the ‘Multidisciplinary Experiments for Dynamic Understanding of Subduction under the Aegean Sea’ (MEDUSA) project. As part of the MEDUSA initiative, a temporary array consisting of 40 densely spaced broad-band seismometers from the IRIS-PASSCAL pool has been deployed in southern Greece. We process the teleseismic data recorded by this array with a migration algorithm based on the generalized radon transform to obtain high-resolution images of the subduction zone in 2-D. The images reveal a sharp Mohorovičić discontinuity (Moho) at depths ranging from 30 km beneath the western margin of the Aegean Sea to 40 km beneath the central Peloponnesus, where it outlines the crustal root of the Hellenides. To the west of the Hellenides, the continental Moho is not identified, but we interpret a pronounced discontinuity imaged at ∼20 km depth as the contact between low-velocity sediments and high-velocity crystalline basement. The images also show the subducted oceanic crust as a low-velocity layer that plunges at a constant angle of 21° from west to east. The oceanic crust exhibits low velocities to at least 90 km depth, indicating that the bulk of fluid transfer from the subducted slab into the mantle wedge occurs below this depth. A detailed comparison of images constructed for distinct backazimuthal illuminations reveals deviations in the geometry of the subducted slab. These deviations are attributed to structural and/or compositional changes taking place directly to the north of the MEDUSA array, and are consistent with the existence of a slab tear beneath the Central Hellenic Shear Zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greece currently has no national forest certification standard. This paper explains how a draft forest management standard for Greece was developed to be compatible with both the Forest Stewardship Council and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes requirements. The draft standard was tested in two contrasting forest areas to investigate its ease of operation, to indicate necessary refinements to the standard and to reveal major areas of weakness in current forest management practices. Field testing showed that the standard was operationally efficient and that relatively few changes to the standard were necessary. Major weaknesses in current management practices were identified as breaches of health and safety, poor training of forest workers and inadequate consultation with stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western Greece is one of the seismotectonically most active regions in Europe. The main tectonic structures are the West Hellenic Arc (WHA) and the Kephalonia Fault Zone. In order to monitor and understand the crustal movements in space and time, a continuous GPS network was installed. In this paper we present results of 6 yr (1995–2001) of measurements. To ensure a consistent reference frame, 54 mainly European IGS and EUREF sites were included in the processing. A selected subset was used to estimate an Euler pole for the rotation of Eurasia. In order to obtain coordinate time-series of high precision that are representative for crustal deformation, special emphasis was given to the elimination of non-tectonic effects. Four steps of improvement were pursued, including a reprocessing after exclusion of poor data, the removal of remaining outliers, the correction of unknown phase centre offsets after antenna changes and weighted common-mode filtering. With this procedure, non-tectonic irregularities were reduced significantly, and the precision was improved by an average of 40 per cent. The final time-series are used as a base for depicting trajectories of crustal motion, interpreting the temporal behaviour of the sites and for estimating velocities. For the first time, height changes in the WHA area were detected and quantified by GPS. Sites that are located near the epicentres of the 1997 Strofades and the 1999 Athens earthquakes are particularly considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the activities of the Athens Design Centre (ADC), a largely ignored aspect of Greek design history. The ADC was founded in the early 1960s by a group of industrialists, architects, economists and other professionals, in conjunction with a scientific body, the Greek Society of Industrial Morphology (GSIM). Although the ADC was a purely private initiative, it was modelled on public institutions which were operating abroad as national agencies for the promotion of industrial design, especially the British Council of Industrial Design. The ADC was basically a commercial undertaking, whose aim was to educate producers is well as consumers on what constitutes 'good design'. The people who conceived of this body had hoped that its operation could boost product sales and empower Greek firms in the new environment of the European Common Market. Despite high expectations, the ADC was unsuccessful and short-lived. Its private nature and the commercial stigma it bore prevented it from attracting a wider range of supporters, especially from the public sector and academia. In general, it was an over-ambitious and in a sense heroic venture, which tried to imitate too closely its international counterparts and finally played a marginal role in the Greek design scene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gulf of Corinth (GOC), Greece is a continental rift with high rates of seismicity and extensional strain. How this strain is accommodated in the crust and whether there are variations in the mechanism along strike remain open questions, in part because of a lack of wide-angle reflection/refraction studies that constrain crustal velocity structure. In 2001, an extensive multichannel seismic survey was conducted within the GOC, one component of which included the wide-angle recording of sources from within the gulf at stations on land surrounding the gulf. In this paper we use wide-angle data in two separate, but allied, studies to constrain crustal velocities and depth to the Moho. A 2-D inversion of refraction and reflection traveltimes along an axial profile through the GOC constrains the shallow crustal velocity structure, images the Moho at 29 km depth in the east, dipping to 39 km in the west, and images the eastward subducting African slab beneath the western GOC at a depth of 74 km. The 1-D average of the 2-D velocity model was used in a tomographic inversion of PmP reflection times to solve for depth to the Moho throughout the Corinth region. This model shows generally thick, isostatically compensated crust (≥37 km) beneath the Hellenide Mountains, except immediately south of the GOC, and a singular region of thin crust (<30 km) beneath the Perahora Peninsula at the eastern end of the gulf. A comparison with Moho depths derived from gravity inversion shows a general agreement with crust thickening from east to west, but a number of differences in detail. The 3-D crustal thickness variations are more complex than those predicted by either pure shear or simple shear models of continental extension and suggest significant pre-rift structural variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Free Monks (Eleftheroi) are a Greek Orthodox rock band of black-robed monks. Being the first of its kind in Greece, the group has produced popular musical albums and video clips with modern Greek and some English songs. Behind the attempt to modernize Greek Orthodoxy, revive popular religious life in Greece and enhance its appeal among young people, what is the social and religious significance of this musical group and a new type of Christian-Orthodox rock music? This paper explores the aesthetic aspects of this cultural phenomenon and analyzes the songs as a musical and secular expression of religious themes, looking closely at the music, as well as the accompanying vocals (lyrics in modern Greek) and visual effects (video clips). The group's means of self-promotion and dissemination (web site, publications, concerts, etc.), the appeal and resonance of this musical phenomenon in Greek society and its reception by the institution of the Church of Greece will also be examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although gamete receipt or donation has become an integral part of infertility management, previous research in the field of social attitudes and intention to use medical technologies is limited. The aim of this paper was to investigate people's intentions to receive or donate sperm, oocyte or uterus (surrogacy) and to identify possible motivational patterns explaining this intention.Methods: Personal interviews were conducted with 365 men and women of reproductive age (18-45 years). Stratified random sampling was performed to select the men and women for interview. The content of the instrument used was derived from in-depth qualitative interviews with physicians experienced in assisted reproductive technologies, as well as from people who had recourse to gamete donation and surrogacy.Results: The results obtained highlighted the following major aspects: (i) approximately 50% of the survey's participants would be prepared to receive/donate sperm and oocyte; (ii) the results from multiple regression analysis suggest that the 'traditional gender roles' pattern is positively associated with 'intention to use gamete donation and surrogacy'. On the contrary, 'confidence in emotional relationship' is negatively associated with 'intention to use gamete donation and surrogacy, and (iii) men are more likely than women to report 'intention to use gamete donation and surrogacy'.Conclusion: These data suggest that specific motivational patterns of the population need to be thoroughly analysed and taken into consideration, in order that appropriate counselling be addressed to individuals and couples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Refugees in humanitarian settings commonly experience many health needs and barriers to access healthcare; health data from these settings are infrequently reported, preventing effective healthcare provision. This report describes health needs of refugees in Moria Camp on Lesvos, Greece—Europe's largest refugee camp. Methods A set of routinely collected service data of 18 131 consultations of 11 938 patients, attending a primary care clinic in the camp over 6 months in 2019–20, was analysed retrospectively, focusing on chronic health conditions. Results The most frequent chronic conditions were musculoskeletal pain (25.1%), mental health (15.9%), cardiac (12.7%) and endocrine conditions (8.9%). In all, 70.4% of consultations were for acute health problems, with high rates of injuries and wounds (20.8%), respiratory infections (12.5%), gastroenteritis (10.7%) and skin problems (9.7%), particularly scabies. Conclusions The prevalence of acute and chronic health problems is high in this setting, with some likely attributable to the deplorable living conditions in the camp. Despite its magnitude, the interpretability of routine health data is limited. A research agenda is identified, and a framework for chronic disease management in refugee camps is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the applicable thermometers involving cordierite require additional Fe–Mg phases and knowledge of pressure and fluid phase composition. These conditions are not necessarily met with natural cordierite-bearing metamorphic rocks. A potential pressure-independent geothermometer for cordierite- and plagioclase-bearing rocks is the experimentally determined inverse linear relationship between temperature and Na contents of Mg-cordierite coexisting with NaOH or albite and NaOH. In this paper, the Na-in-cordierite thermometer is empirically tested on cordierite-bearing metapelites from the island of Kos, contact metamorphosed by a quartz monzonite intrusion. The variety of phase assemblages in the metapelites allows for tight constraints to be placed on temperatures (508–762°C) and pressure (0.2 GPa) during contact metamorphism by calculated and experimentally determined phase equilibria and by Al-in-hornblende barometry. Fluid compositions are crudely estimated from the presence and absence of graphite and calcite and from 2Vx in cordierite. Applying the Na-in-cordierite thermometer to 19 rock samples taken at increasing distances from the intrusion yields realistic peak temperatures. The Na-in-cordierite temperatures are consistent with constraints from petrogenetic grids, with experimentally determined phase equilibria and with temperatures based on Fe–Mg exchange equilibria (garnet–cordierite and garnet–biotite), although the latter tend to give lower temperatures. The Na-in-cordierite temperatures show no systematic variations with Mg values and Al contents of cordierites, Na contents of coexisting plagioclase (in the range An10–An40) and biotite, and H2O/CO2 ratios in coexisting fluids, though the last are only poorly known. Cordierites have either high Na and significant Li contents or display low levels of both elements. Li is probably introduced into cordierite by a coupled substitution involving tetrahedral and octahedral sites, whereas Na may not be charge-balanced by lattice oxygen. The results obtained suggest that the experimentally established relationship between Na contents of cordierite and temperature is a useful thermometer for cordierite- and plagioclase-bearing metapelitic rocks. The nature of Na incorporation in cordierite and its relation to fluid composition, however, must be constrained by further experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper examines cultural beliefs about success, reflected in stereotypes about social classes, and their influence upon the degree of correspondence between objective class position and subjective class identification. The formulated hypothesis stating that the greatest degree of discrepancy between objective and subjective class position will tend to be found in the social classes most affected by unfavorable cultural stereotypes was supported by data available in two contrasting cultural milieus: the United States and Greece. The greatest degree of discrepancy is found in the American lower class and the Greek upper class which are most affected by corresponding negative stereotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In September 2022, an international summer course entitled 'The new microbiology' took place in Greece, on the island of Spetses. The organizers aimed to highlight the spectacular advances and the renaissance occurring in Microbiology, driven by developments in genomics, proteomics, imaging techniques, and bioinformatics. Combinations of these advances allow for single cell analyses, rapid and relatively inexpensive metagenomic and transcriptomic data analyses and comparisons, visualization of previously unsuspected mechanisms, and large-scale studies. A 'New Microbiology' is emerging which allows studies that address the critical roles of microbes in health and disease, in humans, animals, and the environment. The concept of one health is now transforming microbiology. The goal of the course was to discuss all these topics with members of the new generation of microbiologists all of whom were highly motivated and fully receptive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are known to depredate fishing gear, resulting in damage to the catch and/or the gear itself. The extent of this damage and estimated financial loss varies between areas, métiers, and survey methods. We quantified losses due to bottlenose dolphin depredation in a coastal gillnet fishery in the Thermaikos Gulf, Greece, in terms of CPUE reduction, catch damage, and gear damage. Experimental fishing effort was carried out over two seasons (2020 and 2021), along with concurrent questionnaire surveys over the second season (2021). Depredation frequency (∼35%) and CPUE changes due to depredation (a significant decrease of 45–50%) were similar for both sampling schemes. The number of damaged fish in experimental hauls increased significantly with dolphin depredation, but did not fully account for the sizeable loss in marketable catch, indicating that large numbers of fish were removed from the nets entirely. Damage to experimental nets increased with dolphin presence and group size, with an average of 0.59% of net surface area damaged per depredation event. Both datasets point to annual economic losses of over €5000 per vessel in this fishery, while the similarity between direct observations and self-reported losses highlights the usefulness of frequent questionnaire surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasting the spatio-temporal occurrence of events is at the core of Operational Earthquake Forecasting, which is of great interest for risk management, particularly during ongoing seismic sequences. Epidemic type aftershock sequence (ETAS) models are powerful tools to estimate the occurrence of events during earthquake sequences. In this context, a robust seismicity forecasting framework based on Bayesian-inference has been adapted to the Patras and Aegio region in western Greece (one of the most seismically active parts of Mediterranean), and an incremental adaptive algorithm is introduced to train the priors for ETAS model parameters. The seismicity forecasting is capable of accounting for uncertainty in the model parameters as well as variations in the sequence of events that may happen during the forecasting interval. Six seismic sequences between 1995 and 2018 were selected with main shock moment magnitudes M w ≥ 6.0. The ETAS model was adapted for each seismic sequence. The number of forecasted events with M w ≥ 4.5 and their spatial distribution was retrospectively compared with the as-recorded earthquake catalogue, confirming a good agreement between the forecasts and observations. The results show that the adapted model can be used immediately after a severe main shock to statistically predict potentially damaging earthquakes during the ongoing seismic sequence. The seismicity forecasts were translated to short-term daily exceedance rates for different thresholds of peak ground acceleration. The results reveal that the seismic hazard increased by up to 33 times in the case of the damaging 1995 M w 6.5 earthquake in the city of Aegio. However, the results confirmed that in all six studied sequences, the increased seismic hazard decayed rapidly during the 2 d after the main shock, and remained relatively high in the following days (roughly ten times the long-term time-independent hazard). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliability of the ground motion simulation is highly dependent on the quality of the site response (or site effects) evaluation. There are several methods to estimate the Site Amplification Factor (SAF) corresponding to Fourier Amplitude Spectra (FAS), either by using numerical simulation tools or empirical approaches. A widely used empirical method is the 'Standard Spectral Ratio' (SSR) technique based on the FAS ratio of the seismic record at a target site to the corresponding one at a nearby amplification-free 'rock' site (reference site). The main limitation of this method lies in the availability of a reference site relatively close to the target one. In this study a SAF estimation technique at a target site in relation to a distant reference site is presented and evaluated. This technique is based on the retrieval of the minimum phase Source Time Function (mpSTF) at a pair of examined sites (target-reference), with the Spectral Factorization analysis of Coda waves (SFC) proposed by Sèbe et al. The so derived mpSTF are considered as a convolution of the actual source function, and of the SAF, so that the FAS ratio of the mpSTF, derived at one site (target) and at a distant reference site, should be an estimate of the target SAF. The latter is confirmed in this study. Under the conditions of a common STF at the examined sites and of similar coda waves excitation factor, the ratio of the FAS of the mpSTFs (target over reference site) can safely approach the actual SAF, at least when target-reference distance is up to ∼60 km and provides encouraging results at longer distances. This technique was applied at 24 sites in western Greece in relation to 4 reference sites located at varying distances from the target ones (from 0.4 to 110 km). More than 700 STFs were calculated for 89 moderate magnitude earthquakes (3.9 ≤    M  ≤ 5.1) located in this high seismicity area and SAFs were determined from each pair of target-reference stations using common seismic sources. Finally, the average SAFs were computed and compared to the ones computed by other methods (e.g. SSR, GIT and HVSR) demonstrating the reliability and robustness of the proposed technique in site effect estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eurozone debt crisis has stimulated lively debate on mechanisms for sovereign debt restructuring. The immediate threat of exit and the break-up of the currency union may have abated; but the problem of dealing with significant debt overhang remains. After considering two broad approaches—institutional versus contractual—we look at a hybrid solution that combines the best of both. In addition to debt contracts with collective action clauses, this includes a key amendment to the Treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism, together with innovative state-contingent contracts and a special purpose vehicle to market them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 5 years, advanced assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), such as mitochondrial replacement therapies (MRTs) and heritable human genome editing (HHGE), have raised global policy concerns and fears of 'unregulated' proliferation. Yet, few innovations are ever truly unregulated and more often fall within the scope of one or more pre-existing regulatory regimes, a process referred to as 'inherited regulation'. While the United Kingdom has enacted new legislation to specifically authorize and closely regulate MRTs, many jurisdictions will likely default to current oversight systems to manage advanced ARTs. This article evaluates and compares how several jurisdictions have already used four types of inherited regulatory regimes to manage MRTs and HHGE. Cases are drawn from jurisdictions where inherited regulatory interventions on advanced ARTs have taken place (USA, Greece, Ukraine, China, and Russia) and include jurisdictions closely connected with those cases (Mexico and Spain). When accounting for political, cultural, and religious contexts, many of these inherited regimes offer promise as starting points for governance of advanced ARTs, yet each will require further adjustments and tailoring to adequately manage the benefits and risks of these powerful innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Over the past decade, the financial crisis has affected harshly the household income of Greek people. This study aimed to investigate whether the effect of the financial crisis on food spending has affected the dietary habits in the family environment. Methods Under a cross-sectional study conducted during 2014–2016, 1145 children and their parents completed questionnaires examining socio-economic and dietary characteristics. The MedDietScore and the KIDMED Score were used to assess parental and childhood adherence to the Mediterranean diet, respectively. Results The parents who reported that the financial crisis has affected food spending used to consume weekly fewer fruits (3.26 ± 0.94 vs. 3.41 ± 0.90, P  = 0.016), carbohydrate foods (3.16 ± 0.57 vs. 2.99 ± 0.55, P  < 0.001) and legumes (3.28 ± 0.76 vs. 3.14 ± 0.67, P  = 0.001) and more nutrient-poor/energy-dense foods (2.55 ± 0.98 vs. 2.20 ± 0.82, P  < 0.001) compared with non-affected parents. Their children showed a decreased weekly consumption of vegetables (2.82 ± 0.90 vs. 2.97 ± 0.98, P  = 0.019) and increased weekly consumption of nutrient-poor/energy-dense foods (2.38 ± 0.97 vs. 2.19 ± 0.80, P  < 0.001). The affected parents had a lower MedDietScore than non-affected parents (25.76 ± 8.10 vs. 27.03 ± 8.11, P  = 0.034). No difference was revealed on the KIDMED Score (P  = 0.294). Conclusions The constrained food spending due to financial crisis has an independent and inverse impact on parent's diet quality while keeping unaffected preadolescent's diet quality. This finding highlights the role of parents as a protective 'wall' against the deterioration of their children's diet quality. The modification on the prices of healthy food and the provision of food aid particularly in economically disadvantaged households is underlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: R‐CHOP can cure approximately 75% of patients with primary mediastinal large B‐cell lymphoma (PMLBCL), but prognostic factors have not been sufficiently evaluated yet. R‐da‐ EPOCH is potentially more effective but also more toxic than R‐CHOP. Reliable prognostic classification is needed to guide treatment decisions. Materials and Methods: We analyzed the impact of clinical prognostic factors on the outcome of 332 PMLBCL patients ≤65 years treated with R‐CHOP ± radiotherapy in a multicenter setting in Greece and Cyprus. Results: With a median follow‐up of 69 months, 5‐year freedom from progression (FFP) was 78% and 5‐year lymphoma specific survival (LSS) was 89%. On multivariate analysis, extranodal involvement (E/IV) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) ≥2 times upper limit of normal (model A) were significantly associated with FFP; E/IV and bulky disease (model B) were associated with LSS. Both models performed better than the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and the age‐adjusted IPI by Harrel's C rank parameter and Akaike information criterion. Both models A and B defined high‐risk subgroups (13%–27% of patients [pts]) with approximately 19%–23% lymphoma‐related mortality. They also defined subgroups composing approximately one‐fourth or one‐half of the patients, with 11% risk of failure and only 1% or 4% 5‐year lymphoma‐related mortality. Conclusion: The combination of E/IV with either bulky disease or LDH ≥2 times upper limit of normal defined high‐risk but not very‐high‐risk subgroups. More importantly, their absence defined subgroups comprising approximately one‐fourth or one‐half of the pts, with 11% risk of failure and minimal lymphoma‐related mortality, who may not need more intensive treatment such as R‐da‐EPOCH. Implications for Practice: By analyzing the impact of baseline clinical characteristics on outcomes of a large cohort of patients with primary mediastinal large B‐cell lymphoma homogeneously treated with R‐CHOP with or without radiotherapy, we developed novel prognostic indices which can aid in deciding which patients can be adequately treated with R‐CHOP and do not need more intensive regimens such as R‐da‐EPOCH. The new indices consist of objectively determined characteristics (extranodal disease or stage IV, bulky disease, and markedly elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase), which are readily available from standard initial staging procedures and offer better discrimination compared with established risk scores (International Prognostic Index [IPI] and age‐adjusted IPI). This article presents data on a large number of patients with primary mediastinal (thymic) large B‐cell lymphoma and reports a powerful prognostic factor analysis to identify high‐ or low‐risk risk subgroups for risk‐adapted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populations of the same species occupying different microhabitats can either exhibit generalized traits across them or display intraspecific variability, adapting to each microhabitat in order to maximize performance. Intraspecific variability contributes to the generation of diversity, following selection and adaptation, and understanding such variability is important for comprehending how individuals choose their microhabitats. Compared with interspecific variability, however, intraspecific variability in functional morphology and its relationship with microhabitat preference and use have been relatively little studied. Here we examined whether populations of the gecko Mediodactylus kotschyi that differ in the substrates they occupy display habitat-specific behaviors and differing morphologies associated with functional adaptation to their microhabitats. We collected 207 geckos from under or on rocks or on trees from seven populations in Greece. On large islands individuals occupy both substrates; whereas small islets are devoid of trees and the geckos are restricted to rocks, while on the mainland they are only found on trees. We determined gecko substrate preferences in the laboratory, together with their clinging abilities to the different substrates. We measured their limbs, digits, and claws and assessed how these measurements relate to clinging ability. Geckos from all populations preferred the tree made available to them, but this preference was not statistically significant. Geckos from both large and small islands clung better to the tree than to the rock in the laboratory, while those from the mainland clung similarly to both substrates. Geckos collected from trees had longer manual digits and hind limbs. Geckos collected from large and small islands had taller (longer on the dorso-ventral axis; henceforth "deeper") claws. Longer digits and deeper but shorter claws were associated with a better ability to cling to rocks. Our findings suggest that while M. kotschyi is potentially preferentially arboreal, due to the great variation and plasticity it possesses, it can successfully also exploit the habitats available on the smallest, treeless islets in the Aegean Sea. Our study suggests that the dichotomous use of generalist versus specialist in describing species' habitat use is oversimplified, and we suggest the use of a generalist–specialist gradient instead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eastern Mediterranean is the most seismically active region in Europe due to the complex interactions of the Arabian, African, and Eurasian tectonic plates. Deformation is achieved by faulting in the brittle crust, distributed flow in the viscoelastic lower-crust and mantle, and Hellenic subduction, but the long-term partitioning of these mechanisms is still unknown. We exploit an extensive suite of geodetic observations to build a kinematic model connecting strike-slip deformation, extension, subduction, and shear localization across Anatolia and the Aegean Sea by mapping the distribution of slip and strain accumulation on major active geological structures. We find that tectonic escape is facilitated by a plate-boundary-like, trans-lithospheric shear zone extending from the Gulf of Evia to the Turkish-Iranian Plateau that underlies the surface trace of the North Anatolian Fault. Additional deformation in Anatolia is taken up by a series of smaller-scale conjugate shear zones that reach the upper mantle, the largest of which is located beneath the East Anatolian Fault. Rapid north–south extension in the western part of the system, driven primarily by Hellenic Trench retreat, is accommodated by rotation and broadening of the North Anatolian mantle shear zone from the Sea of Marmara across the north Aegean Sea, and by a system of distributed transform faults and rifts including the rapidly extending Gulf of Corinth in central Greece and the active grabens of western Turkey. Africa–Eurasia convergence along the Hellenic Arc occurs at a median rate of 49.8 mm yr–1 in a largely trench-normal direction except near eastern Crete where variably oriented slip on the megathrust coincides with mixed-mode and strike-slip deformation in the overlying accretionary wedge near the Ptolemy–Pliny–Strabo trenches. Our kinematic model illustrates the competing roles the North Anatolian mantle shear zone, Hellenic Trench, overlying mantle wedge, and active crustal faults play in accommodating tectonic indentation, slab rollback and associated Aegean extension. Viscoelastic flow in the lower crust and upper mantle dominate the surface velocity field across much of Anatolia and a clear transition to megathrust-related slab pull occurs in western Turkey, the Aegean Sea and Greece. Crustal scale faults and the Hellenic wedge contribute only a minor amount to the large-scale, regional pattern of Eastern Mediterranean interseismic surface deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Short cognitive screening instruments (CSIs) are widely used to stratify patients presenting with cognitive symptoms. The Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment (Q mci) screen is a new, brief (<5mins) CSI designed to identify mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which can be used across the spectrum of cognitive decline. Here we present the translation of the Q mci into Greek (Q mci -Gr) and its validation against the widely-used Standardised Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE). Methods Consecutive patients aged ≥55 years presenting with cognitive complaints were recruited from two outpatient clinics in Greece. All patients completed the Q mci -Gr and SMMSE and underwent an independent detailed neuropsychological assessment to determine a diagnostic classification. Results In total, 140 patients, median age 75 years, were included; 30 with mild dementia (median SMMSE 23/30), 76 with MCI and 34 with subjective memory complaints (SMC) but normal cognition. The Q mci -Gr had similar accuracy in differentiating SMC from cognitive impairment (MCI & mild dementia) compared with SMMSE, area under the curve (AUC) of 0.84 versus 0.79, respectively; while accuracy was higher for the Q mci -Gr, this finding was not significantly different, (p  = .19). Similarly, the Q mci -Gr had similar accuracy in separating SMC from MCI, AUC of 0.79 versus 0.73 (p  = .23). Conclusions The Q mci -Gr compared favorably with the SMMSE. Further research with larger samples and comparison with other instruments such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment is needed to confirm these findings but given its established brevity, it may be a better choice in busy clinical practice in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims The transition from outcrossing to selfing is a frequent evolutionary shift in flowering plants and is predicted to result in reduced allocation to pollinator attraction if plants can self-pollinate autonomously. The evolution of selfing is associated with reduced visual floral signalling in many systems, but effects on floral scent have received less attention. We compared multiple populations of the arctic–alpine herb Arabis alpina (Brassicaceae), and asked whether the transition from self-incompatibility to self-compatibility has been associated with reduced visual and chemical floral signalling. We further examined whether floral signalling differ between self-compatible populations with low and high capacity for autonomous self-pollination, as would be expected if benefits of signalling decrease with reduced dependence on pollinators for pollen transfer. Methods In a common garden we documented flower size and floral scent emission rate and composition in eight self-compatible and nine self-incompatible A. alpina populations. These included self-compatible Scandinavian populations with high capacity for autonomous self-pollination, self-compatible populations with low capacity for autonomous self-pollination from France and Spain, and self-incompatible populations from Italy and Greece. Key Results The self-compatible populations produced smaller and less scented flowers than the self-incompatible populations. However, flower size and scent emission rate did not differ between self-compatible populations with high and low capacity for autonomous self-pollination. Floral scent composition differed between self-compatible and self-incompatible populations, but also varied substantially among populations within the two categories. Conclusions Our study demonstrates extensive variation in floral scent among populations of a geographically widespread species. Contrary to expectation, floral signalling did not differ between self-compatible populations with high and low capacity for autonomous self-pollination, indicating that dependence on pollinator attraction can only partly explain variation in floral signalling. Additional variation may reflect adaptation to other aspects of local environments, genetic drift, or a combination of these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of seismic ground motion induced by surface geology and geometry are known to be associated with the generation of a substantial proportion of surface waves. As a consequence, surface waves significantly contribute to ground-motion variability and site amplification. There is a growing body of literature recognizing that an understanding of physical patterns of the wavefield crossing a site is the key aspect to characterize and quantify them. However, this task remains technically challenging due to the complexity of such effects as well as the limitations of geophysical investigations, especially in case of small sedimentary valleys. The present study attempts to investigate the waves propagating across two 2-D dense seismic arrays from a number of earthquakes and explore the extent to which they are contributing to the multidimensional site effects. The arrays were deployed in the small-size, shallow alluvial valley of Koutavos-Argostoli, located in Cephalonia Island, Greece, and consisted of three-component velocimeters with interstation distances ranging from 5 to 160 m. A set of 46 earthquakes, with magnitudes between 2 and 5 and epicentral distances up to 200 km, was analysed by using an advanced seismic array processing technique, MUSIQUE. The phase velocity, backazimuth and energy of the dominant waves crossing the array were extracted, and their identification as Love or prograde/retrograde Rayleigh waves was obtained. The results clearly indicate a predominance of scattered surface waves (up to 60 per cent of total energy), mainly from the closest valley edges, above the fundamental frequency (∼1.5 Hz) of the valley. Love waves dominate the low-frequency wavefield (<3 Hz) while Rayleigh waves dominate some high-frequency bands. An excellent consistency is observed, in a given frequency range, among the dominance of the type of diffracted surface waves, group velocities estimated from the ground velocity structure and site amplification. The outcomes of this research provide a better understanding of the contribution of edge-diffracted surface waves and the 2-D/3-D site amplification at small and shallow alluvium valleys like Argostoli. The method applied here can be used to calibrate and validate 3-D models for simulating seismic ground motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1990, the net amount of economic aid, or official development assistance, to all recipients from all multilateral and bilateral sources was about US$62 billion, an amount that exceeded the GDPs of Greece and Portugal. Despite the size of this yearly transfer there has been no rigorous modelling and estimation of the criteria by which it occurs. As a result, there is little agreement about the extent to which ODA is allocated according to the needs of the recipient countries. The purpose of this paper is to develop a rigorous theoretical model of ODA allocation that can be used to provide consistent estimates of the importance of recipient needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theories of government grow more luxuriantly, perhaps, than any other species of scientific flora, certainly more prolifically than theories in the more exact physical sciences. Those who specialize in the social sciences seem almost bankrupt of practical ideas about government. That is why there are so many and such conflicting theories as to the cause of cancer and the cure of souls, for instance. But profound philosophers and browfurrowed savants often sit down and elaborate schemes of ideal government for ideal, and non-existent, commonwealths. Of course such rule must be quite distant in the future. The correlation between social and ideological phenomena often seems as low as Adoiphe Cone insisted. Christianity, Buddhism and Mohammedanism all appeared among peoples far from powerful or advanced. Little Greece produced marvels of art and mind yet her social life was but slightly influenced thereby. The Romans were far more ignorant and less cultured than either the Egyptians or the Greeks, but they achieved governmental, military, juridical and social machinery of a remarkable character. There is, it is true, a sort of metaphysical ecstasy particularly prevalent among individuals of much more than average intelligence who have turned their backs upon organized religion and mystical theology to believe piously in the soterial and regenerative efficacy of science and present-day scientists.

This article presents a case history regarding measuring the effectiveness of an overseas information campaign which was designed to permit comparison of the attitudes of a cross- section of adults in Salonica, Greece, who were interviewed after the advertisements ran in the press. To overcome any possible "panel effect," the second wave of interviews was conducted not only with the same people who had been in the original sample, but also with another parallel cross-section of the population, a sample whose members had not been interviewed previously. Changes in opinion between the first and second survey periods might have occurred quite independently of the advertising campaign, through the impact of world events or of political developments in Greece. For example, attitudes toward the United States might have become more favorable between the first and second wave of the study because of a general improvement in opinion throughout the country rather than as a result of the advertisement campaign. Opinion might have remained above the same in Salonica, while it became less favorable elsewhere in Greece.

This article presents an analysis of communication behavior in cultures other than the American culture, through the concept of opinion leader. It studies the extent to which the opinion leader hypothesis fit in a relatively undeveloped area's communication behavior. Greéce, like most countries with agrarian economies, is a nation of distinct social classes. In Greéce, the teacher along with the priest is one of the most respected members of the community. The teacher is not only respected but sought out for his information and his opinions on events of the day and the priest, who is respected both for learning and for his association with the God and the national religion. In this study of a rural Greek village, the author finds that in an area having low literacy and meager access to the mass media, the importance of the opinion leader is enhanced and, to some extent, formalized. He also distinguishes a category of "information controllers" who, because of their ownership of radios, are in a position to control the flow of news.

The first Balkan conference met in Athens, Greece in 1930 as the result of an invitation issued by the International Bureau of Peace in Geneva on May 12, 1930. It led the way to new conferences of a general nature and to reunions concerned with special fields of activity and interest. Journalists pioneered in the effort to promote goodwill. They came together on every possible occasion. The meeting of the Balkan council and the exchange of official visits between two Balkan countries, or special invitations from one Balkan country to the newspapermen of another, created opportunities for close contact. Common professional backgrounds and an unconventional way of facing facts enabled them to understand one another easily and to make friends. Although the trips and receptions were regularly financed by their respective governments, journalists soon stepped out of the official frames. Schemes of cooperation between them were not planned ahead by any agency.

We study the optimal debt and investment decisions of a sovereign with private information. The separating equilibrium is characterised by a cap on the current account. A sovereign repays debt amount due that exceeds default costs in order to signal creditworthiness and smooth consumption. Accepting funding conditional on investment/reforms relaxes borrowing constraints, even when investment does not create collateral, but it depresses current consumption. The model contains the signalling elements emphasised by creditors in the Greek austerity programmes and is consistent with the reduction in the loans issued by Greece and their interest rate following the 2015 election. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Overweight and obesity during childhood consist two of the most important public health issues in the 21st century. Consumption of high-fat processed food has been increased alarmingly.Objective: To examine the association between parental ultra-processed, high-fat products' consumption and childhood overweight/obesity.Methods: A cross-sectional survey, conducted among 422 children, aged 10-12 years, and their parents, during school years 2014-16. Parental and child data were collected through self-administered, anonymous and validated questionnaires. Among others, high-fat ultra-processed food consumption was also recorded. Children's weight status was based on gender- and age-specific tables derived from the International Obesity Task Force body mass index (BMI) cut-offs.Results: The prevalence of obesity in the reference population was 2.9%, whereas the prevalence of overweight was 19.3%. A strong correlation was observed between children's and their parents' BMI status (P < 0.001). Multi-adjusted data analysis revealed no association between parental intake of ultra-processed, high-fat products and children overweight/obesity. Similarly, when the data analysis accounted for family income and physical activity status of the children, the aforementioned results remained insignificant.Conclusion: Despite the fact that parents' specific dietary habits seem not to affect their children's weight status, public health programs should consider parental nutrition education and mobilization as a preventive measure for childhood overweight/obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The purpose of this study was to generate normative data on the Symbol Digits Modalities Test (SDMT) for the written and oral versions in the Greek adult population. We also investigated the test's validity in discriminating the performance of healthy adults from two groups of adults diagnosed with relapsing remitting (RRMS) and secondary progressive (SPMS) multiple sclerosis. Method The sample consisted of 609 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 65. All participants were monolingual native Greek adult speakers. Each healthy participant was administered either the written (n  = 460) or oral (n  = 149) versions of the SDMT. Discriminant validity was examined by comparing 35 healthy participants who had completed the oral version of the SDMT to 35 age - and education-matched RRMS and SPMS patients. Results Linear regression models explained between 36% and 55% of the variance in the SDMT oral and written version scores. Age was the strongest predictor of difference in SDMT written and oral version performance, followed by education that also accounted for a further proportion of the SDMT variance. On the contrary, gender was found not to contribute significantly to the variance in the SDMT for either the written or the oral versions. As a result, age- and education-adjusted norms were generated. Regarding the tests discriminative validity, we found that both MS patient groups scored significantly lower than the healthy group. Conclusions This is the first study to provide comprehensive normative data for the SDMT in the adult population in Greece, impacting the future practice of neuropsychological assessment in this country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research in primary care is necessary to empower its role in health systems and improve population health.Objective: The aim of this evaluation study was to assess the experiences of primary care physicians who participated as researchers in a multi-centre, mixed-methodology study on adult vaccination supported by a newly established practice-based research network.Methods: Twenty-three physicians participated as researchers, operating in their own practices in 10 different prefectures of Greece. After the completion of the study, they were asked to reflect on their experiences in the research by providing written responses to the questions on the evaluation tool of the study. The open-ended questions were analyzed using thematic content analysis.Results: Mean age of the researchers was 42.9 years old (±3.9, min 35, max 49) and 11 (47.8%) were male. Six themes emerged as beneficial for the participating researchers: (i) raised awareness of patients' needs, (ii) enhancement of clinical practice and services offered, (iii) positive impact on the doctor-patient relationship, (iv) personal satisfaction, (v) enrichment of their curriculum vitae and (vi) improvement of research skills. All researchers were interested in participating in future studies.Conclusion: The experience of conducting clinical research on adult vaccination in their own practices within a network was reported to be very rewarding. The benefits gained from their participation could be a valuable tool in promoting research and enhancing the quality of primary health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The extreme social circumstances caused by declared COVID-19 pandemic deeply intervene people's everyday life and should not be neglected but seen through the view of social reality pinpointing the 'ordinary' people. In this article, authors explored basic segments of everyday and their subjective perception to what extent sleeping habits, physical inactivity, physical activity, nutritional habits and smoking have changed. Methods The online survey was conducted in nine European countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo*, Italy, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain) in 4108 participants, aged 15–82 years. The survey took place 30–40 days after World Health Organization declared COVID-19 pandemic state, from 15 April to 3 May 2020. Results The results have shown 30 min longer sleeping time, 50% longer physical inactivity time, 65% longer screen time, 43% shorter walking time, 24% shorter sport time and 37% longer physical work time. Additionally, body mass gains (0.3 kg) could be explained in 20.6% with meals sizes, unhealthy food consumption, screen time and sport time. Further, respondents reported more regular meals (44%) and healthier meals with less alcohol consumption and less smoking, which have been positive outcomes of home confinement. Conclusion The findings draw attention to negative changes in everyday praxis (inactivity, body mass gain) after such a short period. Because of possible risk to population's health (especially of countries such as Italy and Spain with serious threat and more stringent measures), findings enable development of recommendations for maintaining healthy lifestyle habits with minimal negative health consequences in similar pandemic circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we use pollen data from six sites in southern Greece to study long-term vegetation change in this region from 1000 BCE to 600 CE. Based on insights from environmental history, we interpret our estimated trends in the regional presence of cereal, olive and vine pollen as proxies for structural changes in agricultural production. We present evidence that there was a market economy in ancient Greece and a major trade expansion several centuries before the Roman conquest. Our results are consistent with auxiliary data on settlement dynamics, shipwrecks and ancient oil and wine presses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]