Search

In light of the accumulating evidence for survival benefit coming from the use of macrolides for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), a group of experts from the field of internal medicine and infectious diseases frame a position statement on the use of macrolides for the management of bacterial CAP and for infection by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The statement is framed taking into consideration existing publications and own research experience. The main content of this statement is that the combination of one β-lactam and a macrolide should be the first treatment of choice for patients with severe bacterial CAP. Severity is assessed as scoring 2 or more points on the CURB65 scoring system of severity or as pneumonia severity index III to V or C-reactive protein more than 150 mg/l; the suggested macrolide is either azithromycin or clarithromycin. The experts also suggest that in COVID-19 pneumonia, the combination of one β-lactam and a macrolide should be reserved only when there is strong suspicion of bacterial co-infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Greek National Annex for current Eurocode 8 has adopted the seismic hazard zonation map published in 2003 as part of the modifications to the Greek Seismic Code EAK 2000 (EAK 2003). This map, which followed the catastrophic earthquakes that hit the country between 1978 and 2001, includes three seismic hazard zones with peak ground acceleration (PGA) ranging between 0.16 and 0.36 g. In this paper, following the significant progress that has been made worldwide in the last two decades towards the improvement of the definition of seismic actions and the seismic hazard maps using fully probabilistic models, we make a complete proposal for the Greek National Annex of the ongoing revision of Eurocode 8, which includes a new seismic hazard zonation map for Greece, as well as a novel site categorization scheme and related site amplification factors. To this end, we use the results of the European Seismic Hazard Model, ESHM20, as reported by Danciu et al. (The 2020 update of the European Seismic Hazard Model: Model Overview, 2021) which will be adopted as informative reference for the seismic hazard at European level in the forthcoming revision of Eurocode 8 (CEN/EC8). The herein proposed ground shaking zonation for rock conditions includes five zones with PGA values ranging between 0.13 and 0.37 g. For each zone, two newly proposed ground motion parameters, i.e., Sα,475 and Sβ,475, are provided, which are the two parameters used for anchoring the elastic response spectrum as defined in CEN/EC8, along with all the other necessary parameters for the definition of the elastic response spectrum, including site amplification. The proposal for the new seismic zonation is supported by a preliminary investigation of the impact of its adoption on the seismic design of new structures and on the seismic risk of the current building stock in Greece, to help gain a better insight on how important the differences imposed by the new zonation might be for the end-users and the administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wormholes are considered to be hypothetical tunnels connecting two distant regions of the universe or two different universes. In general relativity (GR), the formation of traversable WH requires the consideration of exotic matter that violates energy conditions (ECs). If the wormhole geometry can be described in modified gravitational theories without introducing exotic matter, it will be significant for studying these theories. In the paper, we analyze some physical properties of static traversable WH within the framework of f(R, T) modified gravitational theory. Firstly, we explore the validity of the null, weak, dominant and strong energy conditions for wormhole matter for the considered f (R , T) = R + α R 2 + λ T model. Research shows that it is possible to obtain traversable WH geometry without bring in exotic matter that violates the null energy condition (NEC) in the f(R, T) theory. The violation of the dominant energy condition (DEC) in this model may be related to quantum fluctuations or indicates the existence of special matter that violates this EC within the wormhole. Moreover, it is found that in the f (R , T) = R + α R 2 + λ T model, relative to the GR, the introduction of the geometric term α R 2 has no remarkable impact on the wormhole matter components and their properties, while the appearance of the matter-geometry coupling term λ T can resolve the question that WH matter violates the null, weak and strong energy condition in GR. Additionally, we investigate dependency of the valid NEC on model parameters and quantify the matter components within the wormhole using the "volume integral quantifier". Lastly, based on the modified Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkov equation, we find that the traversable WH in this theory is stable. On the other hand, we use the classical reconstruction technique to derive wormhole solution in f(R, T) theory and discuss the corresponding ECs of matter. It is found that all four ECs (NEC, WEC, SEC and DEC) of matter in the traversable wormholes are valid in this reconstructed f(R, T) model, i.e we provide a wormhole solution without introducing the exotic matter and special matter in f(R, T) theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil refineries are among industrial installations that are vulnerable to climate extreme events, whose frequency and intensity have been increasing over the last decades. Building resilience in resources to withstand climate-related hazards and to recover fast at low human and material cost, for changing climate conditions, is required. In this paper, we present an action research effort for the design of a viable decentralized climate-resilience-providing virtual organization in an oil refinery in Greece using the Viable System Model. The VIPLAN method was employed for the methodological design of a distributed Climate Resilience Providing Organisation for the case of a refinery facility in Greece. The paper presents the process and the results of this effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire plays an important role in the complex physical interactions between the processes which define our planet's environments, and wildfires are considered to have a negative and unwanted effect, owing to the destruction of ecosystems and property that they often produce. In this paper, fractal and spectral methods are used to analyze the spatial characteristics of four wildfire scars of recent wildfires in the area of Greece. The fractal dimension, spatial noise and Hurst exponent of each of the chosen wildfire scar boundaries are calculated, and the results are discussed in connection to the real features of the wildfires. The results indicate that the fractal dimension can be used to adjust the fire line length by accounting for inherent roughness in the scar boundary, to define one of two types of propagation patterns that a wildfire exhibited, and to estimate the viability of plant recolonization in the wildfire area—furthermore, wildfire boundary spatial noise has been found to manifest similarities with pink noise, which is supported by the Hurst exponent analysis. The objective is to exemplify the effectiveness of such techniques for analyzing various characteristics of wildfire scars and active wildfires such as propagation patterns, fractality and spatial unpredictability, and for the qualitative determination of wildfire-related environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumption of fermented foods has become an important dietary strategy to improve human health, and today, they account for a significant share in the international food market, with special emphasis on traditional or ethnic foods. Among fermented foods, table olives have a key position in the dietary preference of consumers around the Mediterranean basin and beyond. Greece has a long tradition in the production of table olives according to local craft-based processing methods. However, an extensive effort has been undertaken in the last decade to modernize the table olive industry and adopt scientifically based processing methods to produce the final products of high quality and consistency. During processing, the majority of components present in raw olives are transformed to render the product edible. Among these components, phenolic compounds have significant functional properties that may enhance the nutritional value of the final product. This review paper provides an up-to-date overview regarding the transformation of phenolic compounds during processing of the most economically important varieties of Greek table olives, including Halkidiki green olives, Kalamata and Conservolea natural black olives, and Thassos natural black dry-salted olives. The functional and antioxidant potential of Greek table olive varieties as well as their nutritional implications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effectiveness in the use of texture painting software packages, which are more commonly used in the film and game industries, as a method for detecting and recording carvings on non-planar surfaces. This new approach is demonstrated through a case study of the Piraeus Lion, a sculpture in Venice which has documented engravings that are subtle and have proven difficult to fully recorded and interpret using traditional approaches. Through the creation of a new digital documentation of the Piraeus Lion using Structure from Motion, the model was processed using existing methods and other experimental visualisation techniques. The outputs from these were then compared to the those from two software, Substance Painter and Mari. These software packages helped to visualise the carvings and showed that the method has potential for a wide range of uses, both within epigraphy and other fields of study relating to carvings on stone including rock art and runology. The presented method is intended to be used alongside existing digital and analogue methods as a tool for annotating, evaluating, and discovering new carvings in their original context. In particular, Substance Painter offers a repeatable, easy to use, and intuitive solution to creating easily distributable visualisations and annotated models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum mechanics (QM) is derived based on a universe composed solely of events, for example, outcomes of observables. Such an event universe is represented by a dendrogram (a finite tree) and in the limit of infinitely many events by the p-adic tree. The trees are endowed with an ultrametric expressing hierarchical relationships between events. All events are coupled through the tree structure. Such a holistic picture of event-processes was formalized within the Dendrographic Hologram Theory (DHT). The present paper is devoted to the emergence of QM from DHT. We used the generalization of the QM-emergence scheme developed by Smolin. Following this scheme, we did not quantize events but rather the differences between them and through analytic derivation arrived at Bohmian mechanics. We remark that, although Bohmian mechanics is not the main stream approach to quantum physics, it describes adequately all quantum experiments. Previously, we were able to embed the basic elements of general relativity (GR) into DHT, and now after Smolin-like quantization of DHT, we can take a step toward quantization of GR. Finally, we remark that DHT is nonlocal in the treelike geometry, but this nonlocality refers to relational nonlocality in the space of events and not Einstein's spatial nonlocality. By shifting from spatial nonlocality to relational we make Bohmian mechanics less exotic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study analyses the relations and processes underpinning grand corruption in the health sector in Greece. Viewed from a systemic-structural perspective, corruption is examined as a phenomenon emerging from the interactions and interconnections between the organized structures of venture capital and the state apparatus. Applying an integrated theoretical model of state-corporate crime and drawing on extensive empirical qualitative research, this paper traces the processes of normalization and institutionalization of corruption within the context of social networks and organizations. It is argued that corruption is not a deviant response to a normal system but a normal response to a system fostering illicit practice in accordance with capitalist ethos, profiteering, and the distribution of economic resources. In this wide political economy context, existing power relations and structures within the health sector are being reproduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2015 crisis of refugee policies saw an upgrade in the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) as service providers for the migrant population in Greece. CSOs attempted to substitute for the government's failure to provide a migration policy designed for the social integration of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers (MRAs). As a result, they have been overseeing a majority of services related to the integration of MRAs in the labour market. This paper aims to enrich the underdeveloped so far discussion on the role of CSOs in the integration of refugees and asylum seekers (RAs) into the Greek labour market. This will be attempted by adopting a qualitative approach. The paper is based on 34 interviews done in 2019, involving refugees, asylum seekers and representatives of third-sector organizations, namely non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and grassroots solidarity initiatives (GSIs) provide various activities that seek to improve the employability of refugees and asylum seekers and help them navigate the employment policies. The article concludes that the lack of a follow-up to the various actions, the fragmented funding schemes and the absence of a clear integration policy from public actors and support from the public administration lie behind the relatively limited role played by CSOs for refugees and asylum seekers in labour market integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exceptional chain of events in science, technology, art and planning took place in Latin America in the 1970s. Does this wonder shed light upon our view of the basic roots of cultural, social and political blooming? This paper intends to adduce evidence on second-order cybernetics processes underlying five outstanding cases in real societies and to disclose the links between democracy and unfettering momentum for freedom and creativity. Namely, Oscar Varsavsky, national projects, styles of development, scientific and technological autonomy; Stefano Varese, cultural and political autonomy of indigenous people; Mario Pedrosa, creation of the Museum of Solidarity in Chile; Stafford Beer, Cybersyn project for cybernetics and self-management in Chile; and Humberto Maturana, concepts of autopoiesis, cognition, language and multiverse. The reasoning counts with the author's direct participation in all cases. The paper sets a similarity worthy of being noticed between Allende's Unidad Popular in Chile and Pericles' Golden Age in Greece and outlines why these historic realms albeit far apart have lasting importance and similar historical impetus. Highlights the essential and seminal features of each stream and comes to the conclusion that effective democracy is the necessary condition for participation and creativity. Upsurges in social participation and creativity are neither frequent nor cyclical. Still, such sudden and usually large increase in ingenuity, flair and aim to improve living conditions, although limited in time, remain in our mind as a joy forever. Nowadays, the world witnesses a contrary motion towards sterile art patterns and restrained behaviour. Hence, it becomes even more important to better understand the basic roots of cultural, social and political blooming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greece is a country structured by land, several islands and sea. A regional gravity model of such a country demands the involvement of several types of gravity data in order to cover all its territory. In this paper, we present the development of a regional combined gravity model of Greece and its surrounding area, by integrating terrestrial, marine (shipborne and altimetry-derived gravity data) and satellite data (GOCE and GRACE data). These kinds of data, especially the terrestrial and marine ones, have passed quality and validation control since they were collected from different organizations, which means that they probably have been acquired and processed with different parameters and formulas. Following that, their integration was accomplished with the application of the least-squares collocation (LSC). Therefore, a newly combined regional gravity model of Greece and its surrounding areas has been developed. This gravity model can be valuable for regional geological and geophysical studies of Greece, since it provides homogeneously the distribution of Complete Bouguer anomaly (CBA) all over Greece, with updated gravity data and in good agreement with the initial gravity datasets that have been used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water markets are considered an effective groundwater management instrument. However, the emergence of market power during their operation, i.e., price manipulation, cannot be excluded. In this paper, a simple water market between two groups of farmers is modeled and an attempt is made firstly to quantify the loss of aggregate total benefits during a given planning period from the occurrence of market power in this market using a "structural model" to describe the market conditions and solving an optimal control problem and secondly to determine the initial allocation of water rights that limits the loss of benefits due to market power. The results of simulations based on hydro-economic data of a region in Northern Greece lead to two conclusions. The first conclusion is that the loss of aggregate total benefit is likely to reach even 10 % compared to perfect competition when there is a full monopoly or monopsony in the water market. The second conclusion is that an initial allocation close to the quantities consumed by each group under perfect competition leads to a limitation of the impact of market power on the aggregate total benefit gained by the two groups of farmers during the planning period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of a two-storey RC school building in the town of Argostoli, Cephalonia Island, Greece, during the seismic sequence of January and February 2014, is examined. The structure was built following an older generation of seismic codes dating from the 1950s, which provide limited strength and ductility against lateral loads. Despite the severity of ground shaking and the two successive events, the building suffered relatively minor damage, like most of the RC buildings in the town. Following a short presentation of some basic seismological, structural and geotechnical aspects of the seismic sequence, the paper focuses on the seismic performance of the structure at hand. To this end, a series of detailed non-linear static and time-history dynamic analyses are reported, which highlight the interplay of soil, foundation and superstructure in modifying the seismic demand. It is demonstrated that SSI had an unexpectedly important (detrimental) role in the behaviour of the structure, increasing its natural period by about 25% and aggravating ductility demand in almost all columns, despite the moderately soft soil conditions (average VS = 180 m/s). The results shed light on the seismic performance of the building and help drawing conclusions on the engineering effects of the 2014 Cephalonia earthquake sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrastructures are critical for the functioning of society. Due to globalization, damages between different components of infrastructure systems can cross international boundaries, resulting in broad economic and social impacts. Hence, it is fundamental to develop powerful tools for the assessment of infrastructure risk, considering a wide spectrum of uncertainties. Past studies covering infrastructure risk assessment are limited to a few countries, partly because for assessing the infrastructure risk, issues due to the complexity of the systems, like paucity and heterogeneity of the data and methods, the consideration of dependencies between components and systems, modeling of ground shaking in terms of scenario and probabilistic approach, taking into account site effects, spatial variability and cross correlation of ground motion at the urban scale, as well as consideration of risk metrics tailored to infrastructure, still remain partially or not properly answered. Moreover, the presently available infrastructure risk assessment tools are not sufficiently illustrative, user-friendly, and comprehensive to meet actual needs. To this end, the paper making an overview of these issues proposes a comprehensive approach that leverages the main strength of existing infrastructure risk methodologies, integrating them into a powerful open-source tool and providing common platform from hazard to risk analysis that will serve for global and easy usage. The methodology and its implementation are illustrated through a test-bed study of the water supply network of the city of Thessaloniki in Greece, considering an Mw 6.5 scenario of the 1978 Thessaloniki earthquake and an event based probabilistic approach and, simultaneously evaluating the sensitivity of cross spatial correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge, principles, and practices concerning the management of children with febrile seizures among pediatricians in Greece. A cross-sectional study was performed across Greece. Pediatricians completed an anonymous and voluntary 11-item questionnaire about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices with respect to the management of febrile seizures; the survey also collected demographic data. It was first administered in paper form in October 2017. This was followed by an online survey performed between June and August of 2018 and publicized by medical boards across Greece. Descriptive statistics and comparisons between groups were conducted with the significance level set at p ≤ 0.05. We recorded 457 responses. Pediatricians admitted to modifying their advice to the parents of children with febrile seizures by suggesting more "aggressive" fever management at low temperatures or systematically (63%), referral to a specialist after any episode of febrile seizures (63%), or hospitalization in a subsequent episode (67%), even though 72% admitted these practices were of no efficacy. Almost one in three pediatricians (28%) believed aggressive management of fever could delay the onset of febrile seizures; increasing age was associated with this perception. A minority (28%) would make parents aware of febrile seizures before a first episode regardless of family history; 38% would do so in the event of family history. Conclusions: Several pediatricians in Greece use outdated and ineffective practices for the management of febrile seizures, despite the availability of updated evidence-based guidelines. Further training of practitioners is needed to bridge this gap. What is Known: •Aggressive management of fever at low temperatures with antipyretics, referral to a neurologist, and hospitalization are not supported by evidence or recent guidelines on childhood febrile seizures. •Febrile seizures are especially disturbing to uninformed parents, who may be inclined to pursue aggressive but ineffective treatments as a result. What is New: •Pediatricians in Greece use non-evidence-based practices for the management of febrile seizures, even when they are aware that these practices are not effective. •Older age increases the likelihood that a pediatrician will pursue guideline non-compliant practices in Greece. At the same time, physicians with over 20 years of experience are more likely to inform parents in advance about febrile seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we describe and analyze two datasets entitled "Homogenised monthly and daily temperature and precipitation time series in China during 1960–2021" and "Homogenised monthly and daily temperature and precipitation time series in Greece during 1960–2010". These datasets provide the homogenised monthly and daily mean (TG), minimum (TN), and maximum (TX) temperature and precipitation (RR) records since 1960 at 366 stations in China and 56 stations in Greece. The datasets are available at the Science Data Bank repository and can be downloaded from https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.01731 and https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.01720. For China, the regional mean annual TG, TX, TN, and RR series during 1960–2021 showed significant warming or increasing trends of 0.27°C (10 yr)−1, 0.22°C (10 yr)−1, 0.35°C (10 yr)−1, and 6.81 mm (10 yr)−1, respectively. Most of the seasonal series revealed trends significant at the 0.05 level, except for the spring, summer, and autumn RR series. For Greece, there were increasing trends of 0.09°C (10 yr)−1, 0.08°C (10 yr)−1, and 0.11°C (10 yr)−1 for the annual TG, TX, and TN series, respectively, while a decreasing trend of −23.35 mm (10 yr)−1 was present for RR. The seasonal trends showed a significant warming rate for summer, but no significant changes were noted for spring (except for TN), autumn, and winter. For RR, only the winter time series displayed a statistically significant and robust trend [−15.82 mm (10 yr)−1]. The final homogenised temperature and precipitation time series for both China and Greece provide a better representation of the large-scale pattern of climate change over the past decades and provide a quality information source for climatological analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU has set ambitious commitment to achieve low carbon energy and economy transition up to 2050. This low carbon transition means sustainable energy development path based on renewable energy sources and first of all should address the energy poverty vulnerability and justice issues. The main goal of the paper is to develop indicators framework for assessing low carbon just energy transition and to apply this framework for analysis how climate change mitigation policies in households targeting enhancement of energy renovation of residential buildings and promotion of the use of micro-generation technologies and other policies are affecting household's energy poverty and vulnerability in selected countries: Lithuania and Greece. This framework allows to assess three main dimensions of sustainable energy development: environmental, social and economic. The paper provides policy recommendations how to deal with just low carbon energy transition which means addressing energy poverty issues during moving to 100% renewables in power generation based on performed case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates inequality persistence in a group of 21 OECD countries using linear and non-linear fractionally integrated methods. Using linear models, the results show that the series are strongly persistent which implies lack of average reversal and permanency of shocks. Mean reversion is only found in the case of Finland and partial evidence of mean reversion is detected for Belgium, Greece, Austria and the Netherlands. The results are similar using non-linear methods. Mean reversion is only found in the case of Finland, Belgium, Greece and Spain. Although, most countries show no evidence of non-linear structures except for four countries, namely, Finland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The implications of the empirical findings are reported at the end of the manuscript. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Samos Island (Aegean Sea) Earthquake occurred on 30 October 2020. It produced a tsunami that impacted coastal communities, ground shaking that was locally amplified in some areas and that led to collapse of structures with 118 fatalities in both Greece and Turkey, and wide-ranging geotechnical effects including rockfalls, landsliding, and liquefaction. As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the reconnaissance of this event did not involve the deployment of international teams, as would be typical for an event of this size. Instead, following initial deployments of separate Greek and Turkish teams, the reconnaissance and documentation efforts were managed in a coordinated manner with the assistance of international partners. This coordination ultimately produced a multi-agency joint report published on the 2-month anniversary of the earthquake, and this special issue. This paper provides an overview of the reconnaissance activities undertaken to document the effects of this important event and summarizes key lessons spanning topic areas from seismology to emergency response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Greece, there are many audiovisual resources available on the Internet that interest scientists and the general public. Although freely available, finding such resources often becomes a challenging task, because they are hosted on scattered websites and in different types/formats. These websites usually offer limited search options; at the same time, there is no aggregation service for audiovisual resources, nor a national registry for such content. To meet this need, the Open AudioVisual Archives project was launched and the first step in its development is to create a dataset with open access audiovisual material. The current research creates such a dataset by applying specific selection criteria in terms of copyright and content, form/use and process/technical characteristics. The results reported in this paper show that libraries, archives, museums, universities, mass media organizations, governmental and non-governmental organizations are the main types of providers, but the vast majority of resources are open courses offered by universities under the "Creative Commons" license. Providers have significant differences in terms of their collection management capabilities. Most of them do not own any kind of publishing infrastructure and use commercial streaming services, such as YouTube. In terms of metadata policy, most of the providers use application profiles instead of international metadata schemas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We prospectively evaluated the association between quality of plant-based diets and 10-year first fatal/non-fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence. Methods: ATTICA study was conducted in the greater metropolitan Athens area, Greece, during 2001–2002 studying men and women (aged > 18 years old) free of CVD at baseline. Follow-up CVD assessment (2011–2012) was achieved in n = 2,020 participants (n = 317 cases). Dietary assessment was based on a validated semi-quantitative paper-based food frequency questionnaire. Overall, healthful, and unhealthful plant-based dietary indices (PDI, hPDI and uPDI) were calculated through a standard published procedure. The association between plant-based indices and CVD outcome has been evaluated via Cox regression analysis. Results: The CVD event rate was 15.7% (n = 317) with a median follow-up time of 8.41 years. The highest (3rd PDI tertile) vs. lowest (1st tertile) adherence to plant-based pattern—irrespective to healthfulness of food products consumed—was inversely associated with CVD (hazard ratio (HR) 0.56; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.14, 2.25) yet the CI was wide. Ranking from 1st to 2nd and 3rd hPDI tertile the CVD event rate was 6.4%, 10.5% and 16.2%, respectively (p = 0.003). Multi-variable adjusted analysis revealed that participants assigned in 2nd and 3rd hPDI tertile had 47% (HR 0.53; 95% CI 0.25–1.08) and 68% (HR 0.32; 95% CI 0.16–0.63) lower risk to develop CVD compared with their 1st tertile counterparts. Conversely, a positive association between uPDI and CVD risk was revealed in dose–response analysis (HR(per5unitsincreaseinuPDI) 1.34; 95% CI 0.95–2.37)). Conclusions: Quality of plant-based diets is important and needs to be considered, as not all plant-source foods have beneficial cardiovascular effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two strong earthquakes hit Thessaly region on March 3rd, 2021 (Mw = 6.3) and on March 4th, 2021 (Mw = 6.1). The epicentres of the earthquakes were located at approximately 23 and 29 km respectively NW of Larissa, one of the most populous cities in Greece. Several aftershocks followed thereafter. Although no injuries were recorded, several structures suffered significant damage close to the epicentre, while some others collapsed. Approximately 300 residents of the village of Damasi were transferred to temporary settlements and tents. The event occurred during the COVID19 lockdown and created significant stress and disruption to residents. This paper focuses on the earthquake swarm itself as well as the damages observed in residential buildings, schools, and churches in the earthquake-stricken region. The earthquakes mainly impacted low-rise domestic masonry buildings, while the more modern reinforced concrete structures built following the recent seismic regulations were almost unaffected. The typology of buildings in the region, together with photographs demonstrating the extent of damage are presented herein. Despite the rather satisfactory performance of modern buildings in recent earthquakes in Greece, the preliminary investigations from the Thessaly Earthquakes showed that there is still a significant level of vulnerability in existing masonry building stock constructed using traditional methods and materials. This issue could re-emerge in future earthquakes striking other rural areas of Greece, something that needs to be addressed systematically in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the relative efficiency of the forest sector of 28 EU/EFTA countries during the period 2010–2015 is assessed using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Three non-discretionary inputs (persons employed, forest available for wood supply and initial growing stock) are considered. The outputs are roundwood production, gross value added and final growing stock. The proposed DEA model not only computes efficiency scores but also improvement targets. The countries with the lowest efficiency scores during the period under study are Greece, Bulgaria and Italy. In the second stage, a fractional regression model is fitted and the factors that have an influence on the estimated efficiency are identified. The factors that have an influence are GDP and belonging to the NORTH Europe and CENTRAL-WEST Europe regions. Quantitative estimates of the partial effects of these factors are provided. The results can contribute in providing guidance towards the best practice in roundwood production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age-at-death estimation of adult skeletal remains is a key part of biological profile estimation, yet it remains problematic for several reasons. One of them may be the subjective nature of the evaluation of age-related changes, or the fact that the human eye is unable to detect all the relevant surface changes. We have several aims: (1) to validate already existing computer models for age estimation; (2) to propose our own expert system based on computational approaches to eliminate the factor of subjectivity and to use the full potential of surface changes on an articulation area; and (3) to determine what age range the pubic symphysis is useful for age estimation. A sample of 483 3D representations of the pubic symphyseal surfaces from the ossa coxae of adult individuals coming from four European (two from Portugal, one from Switzerland and Greece) and one Asian (Thailand) identified skeletal collections was used. A validation of published algorithms showed very high error in our dataset—the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) ranged from 16.2 and 25.1 years. Two completely new approaches were proposed in this paper: SASS (Simple Automated Symphyseal Surface-based) and AANNESS (Advanced Automated Neural Network-grounded Extended Symphyseal Surface-based), whose MAE values are 11.7 and 10.6 years, respectively. Lastly, it was demonstrated that our models could estimate the age-at-death using the pubic symphysis over the entire adult age range. The proposed models offer objective age estimates with low estimation error (compared to traditional visual methods) and are able to estimate age using the pubic symphysis across the entire adult age range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with landscape management issues, not only of terrestrial landscape but also of coastal and marine landscape. This paper also proposes a methodology to introduce the landscape dimension in marine zoning and underline the need to include marine landscape as a discrete unit in Greek marine spatial planning. More specifically, this work presents key issues and basic axes related to marine zoning implementation by identifying marine landscape typologies that have emerged based on the visibility of the marine space in structures with negative visual impact that are placed in the terrestrial space. For the empirical part of the study, Crete island is chosen where the coastal and marine exploitation is significant and continues to increase. The methodological approach for the quantitative rendering of visibility is based on viewshed analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel combination of deep learning recurrent neural network and Lyapunov time is proposed to forecast the consumption of electricity load, in Greece, in normal/abrupt change value areas. Our method verifies the chaotic behavior of load time series through chaos time series analysis and with the application of deep learning recurrent neural networks produces predictions for 10 and 20 days ahead. Specifically, four different neural network models constructed (a) feed forward neural network, (b) gated recurrent unit (GRU) neural network, (c) long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent and (d) bidirectional LSTM neural network to implement the prediction in a prediction horizon, produced through the extraction of maximum Lyapunov exponent. We constructed sequences of algorithms to feed the neural networks, creating three scenarios (a) 1-step, (b) 10-step and (c) 20-step sequences. For each neural network model, we used its predictions as inputs to predict steps forward, iteratively, to examine the accuracy of the proposed models, for horizons that are both inside and outside to that defined by Lyapunov time. The results show that the deep learning GRU neural network produces iterative predictions of high accuracy and stability, following the trend evolution of actual values, even outside the safe horizon for 1-step and 10-step cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents and assesses various machine learning methods that aim at predicting path loss in rural environment. For this purpose, models such as artificial neural network (ANN), support vector regression (SVR), random forest (RF), and bagging with k-nearest neighbor (B-kNN) learners, are exploited and evaluated. They are trained and tested with path loss data collected from an extensive measurement campaign that have been carried out in diverse rural areas in Greece. The results demonstrate that all the proposed machine learning models outperform the empirical ones, exhibiting, in any case, root-mean-square-error (RMSE) values between 4.0 and 6.5 dB. The poorest prediction of the measured data is encountered for SVR with Polynomial kernel. Furthermore, B-kNN and RF algorithms preserve comparable path loss approximations with remarkably low RMSE on the order of 4.2–4.3 dB. The error metrics also reveal that increasing the number of hidden layers in ANNs, their performance is gradually enhanced. However, deeper layouts with more than three hidden layers do not markedly improve any further the prediction accuracy. Finally, the best prediction is achieved when employing a three-hidden layered ANN with 51 neurons evenly distributed among the layers. The specific layout exhibits the lowest RMSE value (4.0 dB), thus being highly recommended for accurate path loss predictions in rural locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in remote sensing techniques and computer algorithms allow accurate, abundant, and high-resolution geometric information retrieval for rock mass characterization from 3D point clouds. The automatic application of the extracted information for local scale rockfall susceptibility assessment, where discontinuities characteristics play a major role in rocky slope stability, requires step by step logical procedures. This paper presents a novel methodology to use the extracted discontinuity set characteristics for a local scale rockfall susceptibility assessment, tailored for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) data acquisition. The method consists of 4 steps: (i) 3D slope model reconstruction using UAV digital photogrammetry, (ii) automatic characterization of discontinuity sets, (iii) slope stability analysis, and (iv) susceptibility assessment using a new Rockfall Susceptibility Index. The proposed method was applied to a road cut rocky slope in a mountainous area of the Samaria National Park, in Crete Island, Greece. Visual validation indicates that the areas of higher and moderate rockfall susceptibility on the 3D model of the rocky slope are adjacent to rockfall source areas marked by the presence of fallen blocks on the foot of the slope. The proposed methodological workflow presents novelties related to the use of point clouds for the estimation of the Rock Quality Designation (RQD) index, the visualization of discontinuity set spacing, the evaluation of the persistence and the Slope Mass Rating (SMR) index, as well as the incorporation of the persistence of overhangs into the rockfall susceptibility assessment and visualization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable access to raw materials has been growing concern for the EU policy from 2008. Germany, Finland, United Kingdom, Portugal and Greece were the first European countries to introduce and develop own minerals policy (2010–2012). Each of Member State prioritized own targets, but sustainability, waste management and climate were also underlined. In 2015 the 17 Sustainable Development Goals were established and adopted in the EU policy framework to monitor and measure the social, economic and environmental aspects. Next Paris Agreement targets and climate neutral has been introduced. They have significant impact also on mining industry. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationship between mineral policy in chosen countries and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and EU climate policy target. Due to limited data for mining sector the impact of mineral policy on sustainable mineral supply and CO2 emissions have been analyzed to identify the specific challenges, trends and successful factors of transition. It was shown that well developed mineral policy - in case of Finland - allow increase over 20% of production with over 20% decrease of CO2 emission. Moreover productivity in the sector in almost all analyzed country has been increased, what can show some correlation between mineral policy and SDG 12. However more detailed indicators for monitoring and assess the mineral policy on EU level and in individual country is needed, especially in contest of impact on sustainable development. It can help to provide acceptance of local society for new investment. It is a long term process which required not only significant financial capital, new technological solutions, but also trust and transparency in monitoring in implementing environmental and social aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a joint analysis of instrumental and macroseismic data regarding the 19 July 2019, Greece Mw5.1 earthquake occurred west of Athens. This earthquake ruptured a blind, south-dipping normal fault, 23 km WNW of the center of Athens, while its relocated epicentre lies in close vicinity to the one of the 1999 Mw6.0 earthquake. The maximum macroseismic intensity of the 2019 mainshock reached IEMS98 = 7.5. Scarce damage and intensities up to 5–6 were reported in the epicentral area. Higher intensities were observed at larger distances, 12–15 km east and ESE of the epicentre, alongside the banks of Kifissos River, likely related to ground motion amplification due to soft alluvial formations. Similar selectivity of increased ground motions to the east of the epicentre with respect to other azimuths, also observed during the 1981 and 1999 earthquakes, supports eastward rupture directivity of the 2019 mainshock, an effect that is possibly common for the region's fault system. Damping of seismic effects was observed east of Aegaleo Mountain, a structure suggested to impose a stopping phase in the time histories of the 1999 and 2019 earthquakes (Fig. A1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, researchers have conducted long-term statistical studies to prove the correspondence between earthquakes and thermal infrared (TIR) anomalies. Upon obtaining relatively high true positive rates (TPR), it was concluded that TIR anomalies are closely related to earthquakes. However, the temporal-spatial clustering of earthquakes and overly large temporal-spatial windows will also contribute to high TPRs, and it is improper to correlate TIR anomalies with earthquakes without excluding these influences. In this paper, relevant studies will be tested according to the prior probability, random earthquake catalogs and Molchan diagram weighted by the Relative Intensity (RI) index. Our results show that the high TPR in the previous studies were caused by overly large determining windows, and the result was close to random guessing, which means that the extracted TIR anomalies make no contributions to predicting the timing, epicenter and magnitude of earthquakes. By comparing the original Molchan diagram and the Molchan diagram weighted by the RI index, we found that simply taking the fraction of space-time occupied by alarm may give a wrong evaluation for alarm. Moreover, long-term statistical evidence proving the correspondence between earthquakes and TIR anomalies in Greece and Taiwan are still absent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three hundred sixty–degree (360°) immersive video applications for Head Mounted Display (HMD) devices offer great potential in providing engaging forms of experiential media solutions especially in Cultural Heritage education. Design challenges emerge though by this new kind of immersive media due to the 2D form of resources used for their construction, the lack of depth, the limited interaction and the need to address the sense of presence. In addition, the use of Virtual Reality (VR) headsets often causes nausea, or motion sickness effects imposing further implications in moderate motion design tasks. This paper introduces a methodological categorisation of tasks and techniques for the design of 360° immersive video applications. Following the design approach presented, a testbed application has been created as an immersive interactive virtual tour at the historical centre of the city of Rethymno in Crete, Greece, which has undergone user trials. Based on the analysis of the results of this study, a set of design guidelines for the implementation of 360° immersive video virtual tours is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable forest management should be pursued in all public forests of the EU countries, as this constitutes a legal requirement within the frame of the FOREST EUROPE policy. However, the forest management sustainability assessment process is a complex task, mainly because it involves integration of multiple environmental, socio-economic and institutional impacts at different spatial scales of different forest management policies, which are considered for implementation at any forest location. Moreover, the conflicts and interests of the various stakeholders related to the forest resources should be included in the assessment process. Much of the on-going research, therefore, focuses on the development of tools that can facilitate the integration of the different type of forest resource impacts and conflicts towards achievement of forest management sustainability. This paper presents a multi-criteria approach, which combined spatial analysis, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), spatially referenced impact indicator models for pairwise comparisons, the fuzzy extent analysis, fuzzy preference programming and the ideal solution concept in order to assess the performance of forest management sustainability at regional level. The combined multi-criteria approach was successfully implemented to the forests of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Region in northern Greece through the operation of the National Forest Governance Council. Seven forest management policies were subjected to sustainability assessment and an Overall Forest Sustainability Performance Index (OFSPI) was calculated for each one of them. The final ranking of the forest management policies was based on their OFSPI values. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis was conducted to explore robustness of the final solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining hidden knowledge from available datasets is an extremely time-consuming and demanding process, especially in our era with the vast volume of high-complexity data. Additionally, validation of results requires the adoption of appropriate multifactor criteria, exhaustive testing and advanced error measurement techniques. This paper proposes a novel Hybrid Fuzzy Semi-Supervised Forecasting Framework. It combines fuzzy logic, semi-supervised clustering and semi-supervised classification in order to model Big Data sets in a faster, simpler and more essential manner. Its advantages are clearly shown and discussed in the paper. It uses as few pre-classified data as possible while providing a simple method of safe process validation. This innovative approach is applied herein to effectively model the air quality of Athens city. More specifically, it manages to forecast extreme air pollutants’ values and to explore the parameters that affect their concentration. Also it builds a correlation between pollution and general climatic conditions. Overall, it correlates the built model with the malfunctions caused to the city life by this serious environmental problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper examines the impact of the current fiscal crisis in the euro area on the Greek banking system and the institutional, regulatory and supervisory measures adopted to preserve its stability. It is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the differentiated impact of the recent (2007-2009) international financial crisis and the current fiscal crisis in the euro area on the Greek banking system, and the measures adopted to safeguard its stability from 2008 (amidst the recent international financial crisis) until the establishment of the European Banking Union in 2014 (amidst the current fiscal crisis in the euro area). The second part overviews the main elements of the current institutional, regulatory and supervisory framework governing banking stability in Greece in the era of the European Banking Union and its implementation during the last 2 years after the establishment of the Single Supervisory Mechanism, the Single Resolution Mechanism and the Single Resolution Fund. The paper concludes with some remarks on the current challenges of the Greek banking system, the functioning of the Single Supervisory Mechanism and the need for a 'regulatory pause'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classic of Changes is a Chinese cultural classic born more than 3000 years ago. Its profound philosophical thoughts and the use of divination have brought Classic of Changes to a strong oriental mysticism. The view of the heaven and man of yin and yang and the five elements states of Classic of Changes are completely different from the Western elemental theory of ancient Greece. The latter gave birth to classical and modern scientific theories, and the yin and yang and the eight trigrams symbol has become synonymous with oriental mysticism. In fact, the cosmology of the Holism of Classic of Changes is a precious scientific heritage of mankind. The axiomatization of the symbolic formal system of Classic of Changes aims to unveil the veil of oriental mysticism and provide oriental wisdom for the development of modern science. Transforming the symbolic system of Classic of Changes into a formal axiom system is the crystallization of the fusion of wisdom between the East and the West. The axiomatization of the symbolic formal system of Classic of Changes shows that the oriental and the western scientific tradition harmony but not sameness and there is no conflict. Classic of Changes can also be interpreted by the axiomatic system like Euclid's Elements. The main contribution of this paper is that the author skillfully uses mathematical language to formulate the system of Classic of Changes, reconstructs the ideological system of Classic of Changes with the axiomatic method and realizes the scientificalization of Chinese classical natural philosophy. The formal axiom system of Classic of Changes may give us such a revelation: the gap between the oriental and western scientific traditions is mainly in the axiomatization, but the lack of oriental scientific tradition may be the bottleneck of the development of modern science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to determine calibration constants of instrumental Greek earthquakes in order to calculate the basic seismic parameters of historical earthquakes (magnitude, epicenter, focal depth) via macroseismic data. Two different approaches are adopted for calibration procedure. The first implements the macroseismic estimation of earthquake parameters (MEEP procedure) and is based on macroseismic data points (MDPs). The second approach calculates macroseismic magnitude based on isoseismal areas, using both linear and multiple regression techniques. The datasets used for analysis comprise of 121 instrumental earthquakes with 7247 MDPs and 123 isoseismal maps. Validation of the results is performed using six instrumental earthquakes in order to verify the calibration parameters. Finally, calibration constants are successfully applied for parameters calculation of eight eighteenth century events. Thus, the application of the results to historical earthquakes contributes to the improvement of the seismic picture of Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viticulture and wine making have been at the heart of discussions concerning the Mycenaean society with elite groups which emerged in the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age. In the south of Greece, in Crete and the Peloponnese, viticulture and wine consumption are mentioned in 2nd millennium bc Linear B texts. Despite the key role of the grapevine, however, little direct archaeobotanical evidence has been available from the Peloponnese until now. This paper reviews all the archaeobotanical Vitis finds from the Peloponnese (pollen, charcoal, grape pips) and adds new data from the site P.O.T.A. Romanou that have been analysed in an integrated study with morphometric analyses of grape pips, charcoal identification and spatial distribution. We are able to show that during the 3rd millennium bc there was an incipient form of grapevine cultivation in the Peloponnese which provided an adequate yield for wine making at P.O.T.A. Romanou. Despite the lack of morphologically domesticated grape pips, there is convincing evidence for the identification of the early steps of viticulture in the region, a process that later led to systematic cultivation under control of the vineyards by elite parts of society during the 2nd millennium bc, as described in the Linear B archives. Our study supports the view that the early stages of viticulture might not be recognisable in the archaeobotanical record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative sensitivity analysis of six of the widely used human thermal comfort indices. The analysis consists of the evaluation of the effect of indices 'input parameters' variation and change rate on the output of human energy balance and simple thermohygrometric indices. For the implementation of the sensitivity analysis, the generalized additive model's methodology is applied on a long period and high temporal resolution dataset from Athens, Greece. The results indicate that the proposed methodology of generalized additive models is adequate for such an analysis. Moreover, this research revealed the differences in index behaviour. The thermohygrometric indices (i.e. Thermohygrometric Index and HUMIDEX) exhibit a clearly deferent sensitivity pattern in comparison to the human energy balance indices (i.e. physiologically equivalent temperature (PET), perceived temperature (PT), modified physiologically equivalent temperature (mPET) and Universal Thermal Comfort Index (UTCI)), and they are incapable to handle the complexity of the atmospheric stimuli on human thermal perception. On the other hand, human energy balance indices can follow the input parameters fluctuations but with different grades of sensitivity. PET and mPET present a moderate and gradual sensitivity both in terms of the input variation and input change rate. PT is the less sensitive index among the human energy balance investigated, but it is able to follow efficiently the input parameters variation during the measurements period. Moreover, UTCI is the most sensitive among all the selected indices for low values (and low change rate) of the input parameters but for high input parameter values (except the wind speed), UTCI exhibits a low sensitivity in comparison to the other human energy balance indices. In terms of sensitivity, the most influential input parameter is global radiation, and the less influential is vapour pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine pathogens transmitted by blood-sucking arthropods are of significant importance for veterinary and, in some cases, human health. However, they are still underestimated and rarely investigated in many parts of the Mediterranean region, mostly due to financial reasons. Therefore, in the present paper, we investigated the occurrence of blood-associated pathogens affecting dogs in Crete, Greece. For this purpose, blood samples from 103 shelter dogs were screened for the pathogens by PCR and serological tests. Overall, samples from 43 dogs scored positive for at least one pathogen (41.8%). In particular, antibodies to Leishmania infantum were detected in 26 dogs (25.2%), and 15 and 11 animals were positive for Hepatozoon canis (14.6%) and Mycoplasma haemocanis (10.7%) by PCR, respectively. Co-infections were recorded in nine animals. Clinical signs indicative of infection (alterations of skin or coat or reduced body condition) were detected in 10 animals, four of which were infected with one pathogen, three with two pathogens. Based on the results obtained, dogs from Crete appear to be frequently exposed to several blood-borne pathogens, including agents of zoonotic concern. Given that some of the pathogens were reported for the first time in this area, results presented in our study should improve the awareness of the local veterinarians and of dog rescue organisations in order to reduce disease burden on stray and owned dogs and to control the spread of canine vector-borne diseases from Greece to non-endemic areas by travelling or exported infected dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapidly growing cities, multiple uses of urban space and the complexity of overlapping property rights require various types of rights to be registered and handled in a uniform and reliable way, considering the third dimension. The adoption of automated and low-cost but reliable procedures for cadastral surveys and for the capture and processing of cadastral data, as well as the use of modern Information Technology (IT) tools and m-services, is the beginning of a new cadastral evolution. 3D-crowdsourced cadastral data capture has huge potential and may soon facilitate the work of National Mapping Agencies (NMAs). In this paper, an innovative fit-for-purpose procedure is designed and initially tested that aims to save time and costs and to provide a modern technical solution for the initial collection, registration and visualization of 3D cadastral data. An open-source, mobile application for the acquisition of 3D crowdsourced cadastral data and 3D modelling and visualization of property units is developed, tested and presented. The proposed technical procedure is adjustable and may be used in both the developed and the developing world. The geometric accuracy of the final product depends on the geometric accuracy of the basemaps used. The developed application is tested on a multi-story building in an urban area of Larisa, in Greece. An initial evaluation of the procedure and the final product, in terms of its usability, affordability, reliability and implementation duration, is conducted. The first results are satisfactory and may lead to a fit-for-purpose procedure for a 3D cadastre for all in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the various interactions among the institutional and cultural environment and the quality of entrepreneurial activity in Greece. The institutional context and the way in which institutions perform in particular, shape the structure of entrepreneurial incentives. As explicitly demonstrated by Baumol (J Political Econ 98:893-921, ) institutions actually channel entrepreneurial talent toward different activities which may be productive, unproductive or destructive. At the same time, informal institutions, i.e. culture and values have proven to be of equal importance for entrepreneurship. Within this context, the paper builds a simple model of rewards' satisfaction accounting for first, the existence of income externalities, in order to test the hypothesis that individuals care about their relative position, i.e. economic status, and second, for the institutional quality, trust and values pertaining in the society, in order to analyze the possible existence of an underlying 'social consensus' that is supportive of rent-seeking behavior in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the effects on the productivity of Greek commercial banks of sector regulatory reforms in the pre-Euro era, using the Global Malmquist Index. In a bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis framework, we propose an alternative to smoothing that utilises the Pearson system random number generator, offering greater flexibility in the choice of the fitting distribution. In the context of a step-by-step approach, we demonstrate the contribution of deregulatory commercial freedoms to greater productivity and the negative effect of prudential controls. Our findings offer insights into the current state of the Greek banking sector, suggesting that the imposition of additional prudential controls may have a detrimental impact on the productivity of Greek banks, given the adverse business conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) is the official generic assessment instrument of WHO for disability and health. It is considered to be applicable across cultures in adult populations. The paper describes the development, cultural adaptation and validation of the Greek version of the official WHODAS 2.0, 36-item assessment schedule. The research tested the psychometric properties of this version in order to identify if it can be considered a valid and reliable instrument for measuring health and disability in the Greek population and culture. Field test studies were conducted in two hundred participants of the general population, aged over 61 years old, in a Greek Open Care Centre for the elderly. The study was carried out between July 2015 and September 2016. The linguistic adaptation of the original instrument was performed according to the most recent guidelines. Ratings of the different items were statistically analyzed to investigate the construct, criterion and concurrent validity and reliability of the instrument. Construct validity is confirmed in the Greek version of WHODAS 2.0. Concurrent validity is well established between the scores of WHODAS 2.0 and SF-36 v2. Cronbach’s α (0.673–0.901) and ICC (0.793–0.885) values indicate satisfactory reliability. The study supports the validity and reliability of the official Greek version of WHODAS 2.0, which can be used to assess effectively the quality of life and disability levels of the intended population and inform policy-making. Findings will be further tested in larger and diversified samples in subsequent parts of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Model-based reconstruction is an approach to infer network structures where they cannot be observed. For archaeological networks, several models based on assumptions concerning distance among sites, site size, or costs and benefits have been proposed to infer missing ties. Since these assumptions are formulated at a dyadic level, they do not provide means to express dependencies among ties and therefore include less plausible network scenarios. In this paper we investigate the use of network models that explicitly incorporate tie dependence. In particular, we consider exponential random graph models, and show how they can be applied to reconstruct networks coherent with Burt's arguments on closure and structural holes (Burt 2001). The approach is illustrated on data from the Middle Bronze Age in the Aegean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the surface and lower tropospheric temperature trends in Greece and their relationship to the atmospheric circulation for the period 1955-2013 were examined, updating the study of Feidas et al. (Theor Appl Climatol 79:185-208, 2004) for data observed during the 12-year period 2002-2013. The trend analysis is based on a combination of three statistical tests. The trends are now examined for all the seasonal time series, new atmospheric circulation indices were added in the analysis, and maps with the spatial distribution of correlation between air temperature and atmospheric circulation were constructed and analysed. The series updated to 2013 for 18 stations reveal a clearer positive trend than that found for the period 1955-2001 on both the annual and the seasonal timescales. The warming signal detected only in summer in the study of Feidas et al. (Theor Appl Climatol 79:185-208, 2004) has now intensified and spread in other seasons. This warming appears to be mainly caused by the very high temperatures in the last decade (after 2004) of the record. At the national scale, there is now a match between surface temperature trends in Greece and Northern Hemisphere (NH) but only for summer, spring and annual time series, which are the only time series presenting a statistically significant warming trend in Greece. Satellite-induced lower tropospheric temperatures now show a statistically significant tropospheric temperature warming trend for the period 1979-2013, for both areas (Greece and NH). Lower tropospheric and surface air temperatures for the same period (1979-2013) show a very good agreement, with differences only in winter and summer for Greece. The influence of atmospheric circulation on the temperature variability in Greece was also examined using two more circulation indices: the Eastern Mediterranean Pattern Index (EMPI) and the North-Sea Caspian Pattern Index (NCPI). EMPI and especially NCPI explain better now the temperature variance in Greece, principally in winter. This connection, however, is not only developed during winter, as expected, but is also present for annual and other seasonal temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims at presenting the state of the art regarding systemic/family therapy in Greece, in relation to practice, professional and accreditation issues and training. It is argued that systemic/family therapy in Greece constitutes a lively and diverse terrain with roots in the 1960s and a rapid dissemination of the approach following the mid 1980s. The field's development in Greece is out-sketched by means of 'data' collected from a variety of sources, like web sites of associations and training centers, published articles and informal and semi-structured interviews conducted with seminal figures. First, a concise historical overview of the birth of systemic/family therapy is presented in relation to the wider socio-political context and the attempt for the reform of the psychiatric system in Greece during the 1980s. Second, a brief sketch of the existing associations as well as of the contexts where systemic/family therapy is practiced is outlined in relation to issues regarding accreditation and statutory regulations. Third, a non-exhaustive list of currently existing training programs is reviewed in respect of axis, like their content and structure, accreditation issues, entry requirements, etc. The paper concludes with inferences regarding the existing state of the art including future potential directions, whilst hinting to research ventures, which could enrich our understanding of both the history and the potential of the field in the Greek context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the stress management skills of Christian Orthodox monks and nuns, as measured by Antonovsky's scale sense of coherence (SOC). A case-control study was designed to test the hypotheses whether monks and nuns have higher SOC than secular people. The study population consisted of 193 individuals, 96 monks and nuns (study group) and 97 secular men and women (control group). SOC score was higher in monks and nuns as compared to the secular population ( p = 0.002), men as compared to women ( p = 0.012) and persons of older age ( p = 0.004) as compared to younger individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging adulthood, the transitional period from adolescence to adulthood, differs demographically and is associated with the cultural and socioeconomical environment one lives in. Its key dimensions have been explored in many countries including the USA through the IDEA instrument (Reifman et al. in J Youth Dev 2(1):1-12, 2007). Five dimensions have been identified and associated with specific items. In this paper, we aim to measure the psychometric properties of the IDEA used to measure key developmental features associated with emerging adulthood in Greece. A total of 592 University Humanity and Science students, both male (29.3 %) and female (70.7 %), aged 18-30 years were asked to complete a questionnaire battery including the IDEA and a set of demographic questions. We used structural equation modeling to identify factors underlying the IDEA. We identified three factors, which we named 'Identity exploration/Feeling in-between,' 'Experimentation/Possibilities/Self-focused' and 'Negativity/Instability.' The first two factors appeared to be more prominent in our sample, while evidence of negativity and instability was limited among the study participants. Further analyses assessed the impact of demographic characteristics of participants on the above three factors. Age, gender and type of studies appeared to exert some influence on the perception of main features of emerging adulthood. Further research linking the criteria to the developmental features characterizing this distinct age group is required in order to unveil the intricacies of the phenomena of emerging adulthood in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]