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Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnetic metals FexGeTe2 with x = 3-5 have raised significant interest in the scientific community. Fe5GeTe2 shows prospects for spintronic applications since the Curie temperature Tc has been reported near or higher than 300 K. In the present work, epitaxial Fe5-dGeTe2 (FGT) heterostructures were grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) on insulating crystalline substrates. The FGT films were combined with Bi2Te3 topological insulator (TI) aiming to investigate the possible beneficial effect of the TI on the magnetic properties of FGT. FGT/Bi2Te3 films were compared to FGT capped only with AlOx to prevent oxidation. SQUID and MOKE measurements revealed that the growth of Bi2Te3 TI on FGT films significantly enhances the saturation magnetization of FGT as well as the Tc well above room temperature (RT) reaching record values of 570 K. First-principles calculations predict a shift of the Fermi level and an associated enhancement of the majority spin ( primarily) as well as the total density of states at the Fermi level suggesting that effective doping of FGT from Bi2Te3 could explain the enhancement of ferromagnetism in FGT. It is also predicted that strain induced stabilization of a high magnetic moment phase in FGT/Bi2Te3 could be an alternative explanation of magnetization and Tc enhancement. Ferromagnetic resonance measurements evidence an enhanced broadening in the FGT/ Bi2Te3 heterostructure when compared to FGT. We obtain a large spin mixing conductance of g"# eff = 4.4 x 1020 m-2, which demonstrates the great potential of FGT/Bi2Te3 systems for spin-charge conversion applications at room temperature.

Glycogen synthase kinase/SHAGGY-like kinases (SKs) are a highly conserved family of signaling proteins that participate in many developmental, cell-differentiation, and metabolic signaling pathways in plants and animals. Here, we investigate the involvement of SKs in legume nodulation, a process requiring the integration of multiple signaling pathways. We describe a group of SKs in the model legume Lotus japonicus (LSKs), two of which respond to inoculation with the symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacterium Mesorhizobium loti. RNAi knock-down plants and an insertion mutant for one of these genes, LSK1, display increased nodulation. Ηairy-root lines overexpressing LSK1 form only marginally fewer mature nodules compared with controls. The expression levels of genes involved in the autoregulation of nodulation (AON) mechanism are affected in LSK1 knock-down plants at low nitrate levels, both at early and late stages of nodulation. At higher levels of nitrate, these same plants show the opposite expression pattern of AON-related genes and lose the hypernodulation phenotype. Our findings reveal an additional role for the versatile SK gene family in integrating the signaling pathways governing legume nodulation, and pave the way for further study of their functions in legumes.

The impacts of climate change are of primary importance for economic sectors whose proper operation greatly depends on climatic conditions; this is particularly true for beach tourism. Knowledge on climate preferences of tourists is essential for estimating the effects of changes in future climate to the climatic comfort of tourists, and consequently on their willingness to travel to specific destinations. In Southern Europe, changes of future temperature and precipitation are expected to be prominent but empirical studies on tourists’ climate preferences are still limited. The paper presents the results of a recent survey carried out on 13 Greek islands among beach tourists during high season (summer), conducted through questionnaires completed mainly at the beach but also at airports and hotels. Findings reveal that precipitation is a crucial climatic parameter for beach tourism, while climate preferences of tourists differ to some extent according to demographic and other characteristics. Based on the statistical analysis of responses, a utility function was built for ambient temperature, rain, cloudiness, and wind, and the weights of these parameters were estimated. Finally, a Beach Utility Index (BUI) incorporating the estimated climatic utility functions is proposed.

Polycrystalline powders of Mn5-xFexSi3 (x ​= ​2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0) compounds (Mn5Si3-type, space group P63/mcm, No. 193) were prepared by solid state reaction of pure Mn, Fe and Si powders under High Vacuum (HV) conditions at T ​= ​1000 ​°C. Samples were sintered at T ​= ​1100 ​°C under HV as well as under Ar-4%H2 conditions. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the compounds crystallize with hexagonal symmetry in accordance with previous reports. The χac susceptibility measurements for the samples sintered under HV conditions show systematic strengthening of the ferromagnetic (FM) state upon increasing x. The electrical resistivity, ρ, remains metallic for all x, with a very weak temperature dependence at T ​> ​300 ​K. At T ​

This study presents an application of the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) for valuing the environmental impacts associated with the operation of landfills for residues following waste treatment and depicts how the results of the analysis can be used for decision making in the field of waste management. The survey was conducted in Ikaria, Greece, a medium-sized island in the northern Aegean Sea, with a view to estimate the amount of compensatory benefits that are socially acceptable to be attributed to the hosting community of a new landfill for residues. The results showed that the mean willingness to pay per household to create a fund for financing social and environmental programs in the community that will host the landfill in question was estimated at €6.5-6.7 per 2-month and household taking into account all households of the sample. This estimate is at the same order of magnitude but at the lower band compared to the results of other relevant studies showing that the public in Ikaria is aware for the relatively limited environmental burdens associated with the operation of landfills for residues following an integrated waste management treatment.

Background: CureCancer is a patient-centered/patient-driven digital tool integrated in the routine oncology practice Patients self-create their medical profile, record their symptoms and communicate them to health care professionals (HCPs) We aimed to assess the tool’s feasibility and patients’ satisfaction Methods: 14 Centers participated, starting from 02 2020 COVID-19 epidemic period was included Patients signed consent to upload their data, report their symptoms and complete 2 questionnaires Results following the completion of the 1st questionnaire are reported Results: 78 patients were enrolled and 68 (87%) uploaded their data to date;60 of 68 (88%), 30 males and 30 females, median age 53 years, completed the 1st questionnaire Thirty-seven (61 6%) were University graduates Cancer types included breast cancer (21 6%), Head/Neck cancer, pancreatic cancer and other cancers Ten patients reported “other”, 4 reported multiple cancers, 28 had metastatic disease and 45 active treatment Registration and use of the platform was reported as “very to very much” easy by 52 (86 6%) and 50 (83 3%) patients, respectively File uploading was “very to very much” easy for 33 (55%) patients;49 (81 6%) preferred the digital way and 50 (83 3%) will introduce it to others Patients highlighted that CureCancer improved communication with HCPs, increased their sense of safety, facilitated treatment adherence and interventions at distance, particularly when outside the Cancer Center and during the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced the number of visits, time and out-of-pocket expenses Benefits liked best were easy data access, improved communication and sense of safety Conclusions: CureCancer use was feasible, increased communication with HCPs, patients’ sense of safety, treatment adherence and medical interventions at distancing, reduced visits and saved time and money Continuing integration of CureCancer to embed PROs in routine cancer care is expected to improve treatment outcomes within or outside the Cancer Center and in pandemics and to reduce costs Legal entity responsible for the study: Hellenic Society of Medical Oncology Funding: Has not received any funding Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest

HERV-K HML-2 (HK2) has been proliferating in the germ line of humans at least as recently as 250,000 years ago, with some integrations that remain polymorphic in the modern human population. One of the solitary HK2 LTR polymorphic integrations lies between exons 17 and 18 of RASGRF2, a gene that affects dopaminergic activity and is thus related to addiction. Here we show that this antisense HK2 integration (namely RASGRF2-int) is found more frequently in persons who inject drugs compared with the general population. In a Greek HIV-1–positive population (n = 202), we found RASGRF2-int 2.5 times (14 versus 6%) more frequently in patients infected through i.v. drug use compared with other transmission route controls (P = 0.03). Independently, in a United Kingdom-based hepatitis C virus-positive population (n = 184), we found RASGRF2-int 3.6 times (34 versus 9.5%) more frequently in patients infected during chronic drug abuse compared with controls (P < 0.001). We then tested whether RASGRF2-int could be mechanistically responsible for this association by modulating transcription of RASGRF2. We show that the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated insertion of HK2 in HEK293 cells in the exact RASGRF2 intronic position found in the population resulted in significant transcriptional and phenotypic changes. We also explored mechanistic features of other intronic HK2 integrations and show that HK2 LTRs can be responsible for generation of cis-natural antisense transcripts, which could interfere with the transcription of nearby genes. Our findings suggest that RASGRF2-int is a strong candidate for dopaminergic manipulation, and emphasize the importance of accurate mapping of neglected HERV polymorphisms in human genomic studies. © 2018 National Academy of Sciences. All Rights Reserved.

Energy production from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) has become one of the most prominent strategies in MSW management. In this study a multi-objective mathematical programming model is developed in order to provide the candidate (Pareto optimal) solutions for a MSW management system performing structural, design and operational optimization. Besides the economic criterion the Green House Gas (GHG) emissions are taken into account as a second optimization criterion. Therefore, we do not obtain just an optimal solution (i.e. least cost), but a set of Pareto optimal solutions that spread from minimum cost to minimum GHG emissions. Each Pareto optimal solution provides the corresponding technologies and the capacities that are associated with it. An innovative issue is that we incorporate the external costs/benefits associated with (a) atmospheric pollution impacts (b) impacts on soil and groundwater (c) impacts on quality of life (d) electricity use/displacement (e) fertilizer use reduction from compost. Using the external costs/benefits as an additional term in the cost objective significantly affects the results especially regarding the Waste-to-Energy options. This is clearly illustrated in the case study for the MSW management of the Athens region in Greece.

The paper presents a quantitative assessment of mid-term (2021–2050) climate change impacts on and potential adaptation options for selected crops in Greece that are of importance in terms of their share in national agricultural production and gross value added. Central points in the assessment are the monetary evaluation of impacts and the cost-benefit analysis of adaptation options. To address local variability in current and future climate conditions, analysis is spatially disaggregated into geographical regions using as an input downscaled results from climatic models. For some crops (cereals, vegetables, pulses, grapevines), changes in future agricultural yields are assessed by means of agronomic simulation models, while for the rest crops changes are assessed through regression models. The expected effects on crop yields of a number of potential adaptation options are also investigated through the same models, and the costs and benefits of these options are also quantitatively assessed. The findings indicate that climate change may create winners and losers depending on their agricultural activity and location, while adaptation can mitigate adverse effects of climate change under cost-effective terms.

Although climate change risks have been studied for a number of economic sectors, banking has received relatively little attention. The paper proposes a methodology and an associated decision-support tool for quantifying, in monetary terms, the risks for banks from the exposure of their loan recipients and/or applicants to climate change. The framework and tool are applied to a case study based on input from a Greek bank; results indicate that climate change risks for banks are considerable, and thus decision makers need to estimate their magnitude and possibly consider these within the credit management process, and in environmental planning.

In this study a multi-objective mathematical programming model is developed for taking into account GHG emissions for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management. Mathematical programming models are often used for structure, design and operational optimization of various systems (energy, supply chain, processes, etc.). The last twenty years they are used all the more often in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management in order to provide optimal solutions with the cost objective being the usual driver of the optimization. In our work we consider the GHG emissions as an additional criterion, aiming at a multi-objective approach. The Pareto front (Cost vs. GHG emissions) of the system is generated using an appropriate multi-objective method. This information is essential to the decision maker because he can explore the trade-offs in the Pareto curve and select his most preferred among the Pareto optimal solutions. In the present work a detailed multi-objective, multi-period mathematical programming model is developed in order to describe the waste management problem. Apart from the bi-objective approach, the major innovations of the model are (1) the detailed modeling considering 34 materials and 42 technologies, (2) the detailed calculation of the energy content of the various streams based on the detailed material balances, and (3) the incorporation of the IPCC guidelines for the CH4 generated in the landfills (first order decay model). The equations of the model are described in full detail. Finally, the whole approach is illustrated with a case study referring to the application of the model in a Greek region.

To date, the majority of the research literature on the impacts of climate change has addressed the negative aspect, i.e. the risks associated with a future permanent modification of climate. Potential opportunities have received much less attention and are rarely transformed into monetary values. Furthermore, manufacturing is one of the economic sectors where the influence of climate change remains practically unknown, although the economic performance of some industrial activities depends directly on climatic conditions – bottled water and non-alcoholic beverages (i.e. soft drinks and fruit juices) are among these. This paper aims to explore the link between weather and product sales in these sectors, and estimate in quantitative terms the potential impact of future climate change on their revenues. Historic data were explored through statistical analysis and appropriate regression models were developed. Models were applied for the historic (1961–90) and future climate (2021–50) and the difference in sales forms the expected quantified impact of climate change. The results indicate that significant opportunities may arise for some sectors from modifications in climate, provided their production infrastructure can meet the expected demand and their management strategies can successfully adapt to altered climatic conditions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

We investigate the general methodology for an intensive development of coastal aquifers, described in a companion paper, through its application to the management of the Akrotiri aquifer, Cyprus. The Zakaki area of that aquifer, adjacent to Lemessos City, is managed such that it permits a fixed annual agricultural water demand to be met, as well as and a fraction of the water demand of Lemessos, which varies according to available surface water. Effluents of the Lemessos wastewater treatment plant are injected into the aquifer to counteract the seawater intrusion resulting from the increased pumping. The locations of pumping and injection wells are optimized based on least-cost, subject to meeting the demand. This strategy controls sea intrusion so effectively that desalting of only small volumes of slightly brackish groundwater is required over short times, while ∼2.3 m3 of groundwater is produced for each 1 m3 of injected treated wastewater. The cost over the 20-year period 2000–2020 of operati...

Semi-arid coastal zones often suffer water-stress, as water demand is high and markedly seasonal, due to agriculture and tourism. Driven by scarcity of surface water, the communities in semi-arid coastal regions turn to aquifers as prime water source; but intensive exploitation of coastal aquifers causes seawater intrusion, which degrades the quality of groundwater. The cost-efficient and sustainable development of coastal aquifers can be achieved through a holistic management scheme which combines two non-traditional water sources: (a) saltwater, to be treated to the desired quality, and (b) wastewater, to be re-claimed to augment aquifer recharge for control of seawater intrusion, and also to meet certain demands. This management scheme is based on the idea that it is cost-advantageous to: (i) desalt brackish groundwater, instead of seawater, as the former requires far less energy, and (ii) to re‐use wastewater at only the differential cost to any treatment already practiced. In this paper, we ...

The introduction of best available techniques (BAT) with the European Commission's directive 96/61, created a new framework for ‘cleaner’ production in the industrial sector. BATs practically constitute recommended techniques for each of the steps in the manufacturing process. Thus, the industries must decide on which BATs are most appropriate for their processes. In the current study, an integrated approach is applied in order to find the mixture of BATs for the entire industrial sector that satisfies as much as possible the economic and the environmental criteria. The former represent the industry owner's point of view expressed by the Net Present Value of the projects and the latter represent the society's point of view quantified by the emission reduction in some major pollutants. The developed multi-objective optimization model is addressed using two methods: (1) goal programming and (2) generation of the Pareto optimal solutions using an augmented version of the e-constraint method followed by an interactive filtering process in order to select the most preferred Pareto optimal solution. The generation of the Pareto optimal solutions is performed using an improved version of the widely used e-constraint method that overcomes some of its known drawbacks. The COMBAT tool (combinatorial optimization with multiple criteria for BAT selection) that is developed for implementing these methods is also described and the results from its application in the industrial sector of the greater Athens area are presented.

The implementation of Best Available Techniques (BATs) in industry can contribute significantly to the reduction of environmental burdens caused by industrial activities, yet it requires additional expenses, for investment, operation and maintenance, while providing environmental, and in many cases, even economic benefits. When examining BATs for potential application both economic and environmental costs and benefits affect the decision-making process. In view of the large number of BATs available for adoption and the difficulties in computing and comparing costs and benefits, especially environmental with economic ones, a decision-support tool for public and private administrators and managers has been developed, which offers rapid assessment of different BATs and their combinations both in terms of economic costs and environmental benefits that may result. This paper presents its methodological framework, main features and structure, together with some results of its application to the industrial sectors of the metropolitan area of Athens, Greece.

Attributing costs to the environmental impacts associated with industrial activities can greatly assist in protecting human health and the natural environment as monetary values are capable of directly influencing technological and policy decisions without changing the rules of the market. This paper attempts to estimate the external cost attributable to the atmospheric pollution from ‘medium and high environmental burden’ industrial activities located in the greater Athens area and the benefits from Best Available Techniques (BAT) introduction. To this end a number of typical installations were defined to be used in conjunction with the Impact Pathway Approach developed in the context of the ExternE project to model all industrial sectors/sub-sectors located in the area of interest. Total environmental externalities due to air pollutants emitted by these industrial activities were found to reach 211 M€ per year, associated mainly with human mortality and morbidity due to PM 10 emissions, as well as with climate change impacts due to CO 2 emissions for which non-metallic minerals and oil processing industries are the main sources. The results obtained can be used as the basis for an integrated evaluation of potential BAT, taking into account not only private costs and benefits but also the environmental externalities, thus leading to policy decisions that maximize social welfare in each industrial sector/sub-sector.

Recognizing that the industrial sector is one of the major sources of environmental impacts, there is a strong effort towards “cleaner” production. In this context, the European Union strongly encourages the adaptation of Best Available Techniques (BATs) which practically constitute recommended techniques for each one of the steps in the manufacturing process (Directive 96/61 EC). In the current case study, we examine the industrial sector of the greater Athens area under the prism of BATs introduction. The aim of the analysis is to find the mixture of BATs for the entire industrial sector that satisfies as much as possible the economic criteria (expressed by the Net Present Value of the projects) and the environmental criteria (quantified by the emission reduction in major pollutants). The obtained multi-objective optimization problem is addressed using two methods: (1) goal programming and (2) generation of the Pareto optimal solutions using the e-constraint method, followed by an interactive filtering procedure in order to select the most preferred Pareto optimal solution (BAT mixture). The computational tool for implementing these methods is also described and the results from the application in the industrial sector of the greater Athens area are presented.

This paper focuses on the potential upcoming impacts of climate change in the 21st century on electricity demand at regional/national levels for regions where topography and location result in large differences in local climate. To address this issue, a regional climate model, PRECIS, has been used to predict future climatic conditions under different emissions scenarios (namely A2 and B2 of the IPCC special report on emissions scenarios (SRES)) as an input to a multiple regression model of the sensitivity of electricity demand in the Greek interconnected power system to climate and socio-economic factors. The economic development input to the multiple regression model follows the same storylines of the SRES scenarios upto 2100 and includes sub-scenarios to cover larger and smaller economic development rates. The results of the analysis indicate an increase of the annual electricity demand attributable solely to climate change of 3.6–5.5% under all scenarios examined, most of which results from increased annual variability with substantial increases during the summer period that outweighs moderate declines estimated for the winter period. This becomes more pronounced if inter-annual variability, especially of summer months, is taken into consideration. It was also found that in the long run, economic development will have a strong effect on future electricity demand, thus increasing substantially the total amount of energy consumed for cooling and heating purposes. This substantial increase in energy demand with strong annual variability will lead to the need for inordinate increases of installed capacity, a large percentage of which will be underutilized. Thus, appropriate adaptation strategies (e.g. new investments, interconnections with other power systems, energy saving programmes, etc.) need to be developed at the state level in order to ensure the security of energy supply.

Comprehensive information and detailed data for the non-residential (NR) building stock is rather limited, although it is the fastest growing energy demand sector. This paper elaborates the approach used to determine the potential energy conservation in the Hellenic NR building stock. A major obstacle that had to be overcome was the need to make suitable assumptions for missing detailed primary data. A qualitative and quantitative assessment of scattered national data resulted in a realistic assessment of the existing NR building stock and energy consumption. Different energy conservation scenarios and their impact on the reduction of CO2 emissions were evaluated. Accordingly, the most effective energy conservation measures are: addition of thermal insulation of exposed external walls, primarily in hotels and hospitals; installation of energy efficient lamps; installation of solar collectors for sanitary hot water production, primarily in hotels and health care; installation of building management systems in office/commercial and hotel buildings; replacement of old inefficient boilers; and regular maintenance of central heating boilers.

The existing building stock in European countries accounts for over 40% of final energy consumption in the European Union (EU) member states, of which residential use represents 63% of total energy consumption in the buildings sector. Consequently, an increase of building energy performance can constitute an important instrument in the efforts to alleviate the EU energy import dependency (currently at about 48%) and comply with the Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. This is also in accordance to the European Directive (EPBD 2002/91/EC) on the energy performance of buildings, which is currently under consideration in all EU member states. This paper presents an overview of the EU residential building stock and focuses on the Hellenic buildings. It elaborates the methodology used to determine the priorities for energy conservation measures (ECMs) in Hellenic residential buildings to reduce the environmental impact from CO 2 emissions, through the implementation of a realistic and effective national action plan. A major obstacle that had to overcome was the need to make suitable assumptions for missing detailed primary data. Accordingly, a qualitative and quantitative assessment of scattered national data resulted to a realistic assessment of the existing residential building stock and energy consumption. This is the first time that this kind of aggregate data is presented on a national level. Different energy conservation scenarios and their impact on the reduction of CO 2 emissions were evaluated. Accordingly, the most effective ECMs are the insulation of external walls (33–60% energy savings), weather proofing of openings (16–21%), the installation of double-glazed windows (14–20%), the regular maintenance of central heating boilers (10–12%), and the installation of solar collectors for sanitary hot water production (50–80%).

The aim of the present paper is to investigate the prospects for the exploitation of the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in Greece. The paper is addressing 3 questions: in which country, what kind of investment, with which economic and environmental return? The proposed approach is based on a multicriteria analysis for identifying priority countries and interesting investment opportunities in each priority country. These opportunities are then evaluated through a conventional financial analysis in order to assess their economic and environmental attractiveness. To this purpose, the IRR of a typical project in each investment category is calculated by taking into account country-specific parameters, such as baseline emission factors, load factors, costs, energy prices etc. The results reveal substantial differences in the economic and environmental return of different types of projects in different host-countries and show that for the full exploitation of the CDM a multifaceted approach to decision-making is necessary.

The development of National Allocation Plans (NAPs) for the first phase 2005–2007 of the EU emissions trading scheme (EU-ETS) was accompanied by the stated concern of the industrial enterprises with installations that fall under the scope of the relevant Directive 2003/87, since the impacts of the allocation in their financial and technical modes of operation were judged to be severe. Thus, the intensity of the negotiations for the next allocation phase (i.e. 2008–2012), is expected to be heated. With a view to assisting enterprises, especially in the energy sector or for which energy use and its management is a crucial part of their activity, to incorporate in their business plans the impacts of the Directive in an informed manner, an attempt is made here to explore the constraints and the available options that will guide the coming EU-ETS potential allocations. In the analysis, the credits derived from the use of CDM are specifically taken into account. The results show that the next allocations would tend to be significantly more stringent than the current ones because of the combined effect of no inter-period transfer of allowances, the amount of CDM credits expected to be available compared to the amount of effort that would be required and the yield of emission reductions from existing or planned policies and measures. It becomes then crucial, if not imperative, for the enterprises involved as well as national governments to examine carefully means to address their obligations under the Directive.

During the last decade the CO2 emissions from the residential and tertiary sectors have been rising continuously. This is cause for concern but also an area to be targeted for emission reduction measures in national action plans. This paper proposes a methodological framework, using the Greek building sector (characterized by an aging building stock constructed mostly in the period before 1980) as a case study for the examination of the economic attractiveness of possible measures, which incorporates crucial parameters such as local climate, use of buildings, age of building stock, etc. that affect the energy conservation potential and consequently the economic performance of available measures. Utilizing this framework, the approach is able to classify measures into three categories, namely ‘win–win’ cases (i.e. where the implementation of emission reduction measures presents a net economic benefit for end-users), measures that require the implementation of appropriate economic support policies in order to make them economically attractive for end-users, and measures that have excessive cost. The results indicate that the emissions reduction potential of ‘win–win’ cases is significant. They also demonstrate how individual measures can provide significant reductions if carefully targeted economic support policies are applied. Finally, sensitivity analyses performed with respect to the discount rate applied indicate that it has a substantial impact on the economic performance of some measures and consequently on the magnitude of the ‘win–win’ potential associated to emissions reduction.

Electricity demand forecasting is becoming an essential tool for energy management, maintenance scheduling and investment decisions in the future liberalized energy markets and fluctuating fuel prices. To address these needs, appropriate forecasting tools for the electricity demand in Greece have been developed and tested. Electricity demand depends on economic variables and national circumstances as well as on climatic conditions. Following the analysis of the time series of electricity demand in the past decade, two statistical models have been developed, one providing daily and the other monthly demand predictions, to estimate medium term demand up to 12 months ahead, utilizing primitive (relative humidity) and derived (heating and cooling degree-days) meteorological parameters. Autoregressive structures were incorporated in both models, aiming at reducing serial correlation, which appears to bias the estimated effects of meteorological parameters on electricity demand. Both modeling approaches show a high predictive value with adjusted R2 above 96%. Their advantages and disadvantages are discussed in this paper. The effect of the climatic conditions on the electricity demand is then further investigated via predictions under four different scenarios for the weather conditions of the coming year, which include both normal and recently observed extreme behavior.

The introduction of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 represents a very important step in the effort for the limitation of the emissions of greenhouse gases. The energy sector, being responsible for the large majority of emissions, represents the most crucial field for undertaking mitigation actions. A large number of potential emission reduction measures exist in this sector, characterised by different cost, applicability difficulties, environmental and social impacts. These criteria define the degree of acceptance of the various actors involved in the decision-making process. In this paper, the possibilities offered by a multicriteria method – namely ELECTRE Tri – are investigated through its application in the case study of Greece, in order to define national priorities for a National Action Plan for GHG mitigation in the energy sector and to formulate a relevant time-schedule for actions’ implementation.

The exploitation of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) forms an integral part of the effort to reduce the negative impacts from the use of fossil fuels and to confront the risks associated with climate change. The Kyoto Protocol (KP) sets legally binding commitments for developed countries with respect to their greenhouse gases emissions and, in that, represents the first step of a systematic effort for stabilization of greenhouse gases concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Taking into account that CO 2 , originating almost exclusively from energy processes, is the most important greenhouse gas, the further development of RES forms an essential measure for the reduction of emissions. This paper examines whether the current development and planned actions in the field of the RES, even when straightforwardly associated with very ambitious targets for the present decade (e.g., the draft European Directive on the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market), are sufficient in order to achieve the commitments according to the KP or more effort is needed in the direction of RES exploitation, combined with complementary actions such as energy conservation.

This paper outlines a methodological framework for the economic evaluation of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emission abatement policies and measures, formulating a basis for the selection of those options of climate change mitigation interventions that minimize economic cost and maximize social welfare. To this purpose, a cost-benefit analysis has been implemented in order to evaluate a variety of CO 2 emission abatement measures in the Greek energy sector on the basis of their social (i.e. the sum of the private and external) costs and benefits, and it is compared with a cost-effectiveness analysis, which takes into account only the net financial costs of the examined interventions. The analysis clearly reveals that a significant decrease in CO 2 emissions is possible without great cost to the economy. Moreover, the monetization of environmental benefits (e.g. the restriction of impacts on human health, agriculture and biodiversity, etc.) associated with the above-mentioned interventions represents a powerful t...

The large scale exploitation of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) has to be based on a completely different conception of the energy planning procedure. The shift towards small-scale and dispersed units in the energy system brings up significant difficulties in the problem's analysis and in the decision making process. This paper presents the basic structural characteristics of a group DSS designed for assisting decision makers in the promotion of RES. Specific attention is paid to the description of the decision making procedure which basically consists in the multicriteria analysis of alternative RES penetration scenarios by means of the PROMETHEE II outranking method. Scenarios are evaluated by a group of actors directly or indirectly involved in energy decisions which arrive, through a systematic negotiations procedure, at a wide consensus. Results from a real-world application of the DSS in Greece are presented and conclusions about the system's effectiveness are drawn.

In the past, the choice among alternative energy policies at regional level was based only on cost minimization. Lately, it is widely recognized that regional energy planning forms a multi-actor and multicriteria problem. This is particularly true in the case of power generation in regions presenting high rates of increase in electricity demand, together with a significant potential of renewable energy sources, since several and often conflicting points of view must be taken into account. In this paper, the contribution of a Multicriteria Decision Aid method — namely ELECTRE III — addressing in such problems is investigated through the examination of a particular case study in a Greek island. Through the presentation of the procedure followed (identification of actors, selection of criteria, formulation of alternative strategies, application of the specific method and analysis of results and actors' reactions), an effort is made to highlight those aspects that are crucial in reaching a compromise in regional energy planning problems.

Background: Acute pancreatitis is a form of inflammation with clinical features ranging from pancreatic inflammation to fatal systemic manifestations. The aim of this study was to clarify changes in lymphocyte subsets and alterations in the functioning of natural killer (NK) cells. Patients and Methods: Forty-five patients were enrolled into the study; 35 with acute pancreatitis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and 10 healthy subjects. Blood was sampled early from all patients. Blood immune cells were studied on days 1 and 4 by flow cytometry. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interleukin (IL)-6 were estimated from supernatants of NK cells before/after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Results: Apoptosis in patients was significantly different on days 1 and 4 compared with controls. Apoptosis of CD4(+) lymphocytes was significantly correlated with the days to resolution of SIRS (r = +0.586, p = 0.022). Significant differences were observed in TNFα and IL-6 on day 1 with/without LPS stimulation between patients and healthy individuals. Significantly increased levels of TNFα and IL-6 were found after LPS stimulation compared with unstimulated supernatants in day 1. Conclusion: NK cells altered their secretory status when stimulated with LPS. This finding could be explained by the cellular reprogramming of NK cells in the field of acute pancreatitis and SIRS. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel and IAP.

In Greece there are no official recommendations concerning the management of pregnant women for the prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis. A protocol for monitoring pregnant women was designed in order to differentiate between acute and latent toxoplasmosis and was tested successfully for 7 years. The maternofetal transmission rate in Crete was assessed and a map showing seroprevalence of pregnant women in all prefectures of Greece was prepared. The high seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Greece (up to 46% in some areas) may be explained by: (a) the presence of a great number of stray cats; (b) the Greek diet consisting of large amounts of raw, wild vegetables and salads that could easily be contaminated with oocysts; (c) the high consumption of meat, smoked pork and sausages, well-documented sources of T. gondii infection. T. gondii genotypes were characterized, directly from clinical samples, after PCR-RFLP on the SAG2 gene and sequence analysis at the restriction sites. They belonged to all 3 clonal lineages.

Best Available Techniques (BATs) contribute significantly to the reduction of industrial environmental burdens with respect to air pollution, wastewater, and solid wastes. In Europe, the application of BATs is prescribed by Directive 96/61/EC, which, however, leaves the selection of specific BATs to plant operators. In making their choices, installations have to consider not only the environmental benefits of BATs, but also all relevant cost components. In assessing the economic attractiveness of potential BATs and their combinations, as well as incentives and disincentives to be instituted, the cost of environmental externalities, usually not reflected in market prices, should be taken into account. In this paper, a decision-aid framework combining an assessment of environmental externalities and the utilization of multicriteria methods and, more specifically, Multiobjective Mathematical Programming, capable of addressing all these issues in a comprehensive and coherent manner, is presented. This is illustrated by its application for the region of Attica in Greece, where over 50% of the industrial basis and Athens, with its 4 million inhabitants, are located. The implementation of the framework and its associated tools to 800 installations led to the identification of the specific BATs, alone or in combination, that provide the most cost-effective reductions of four air pollutants (PM10, SO(2), NO(x), VOC) and CO(2). The results also clearly demonstrate the increased pollution reductions that would result from the adoption of BATs made economically attractive by the inclusion of externalities. Estimates of investments and net present values with and without incentives/disincentives are also provided.

In order to comply in 2010 with the emission ceilings proposed by European commission under the convention on transboundary air pollution, Greece has to develop and implement a cohesive strategy affecting all the sectors of the economy. The RAINS model was used for the evaluation of the environmental and economic impacts arising from the use of a number of control technologies under alternative energy scenarios. To this purpose a number of modifications regarding the input databases of RAINS were made. The analysis clearly reveals that the reduction of SO2 emissions can be achieved in a lower cost compared to the reduction of NOx emissions. Moreover, the complementarity of CO2 abatement policies and the SO2/NOx abatement policies is also accented.