Pleasure ville- Psychogeographical experiments in the city. A presentation for The Essex University conference: Real and Imagined Cities, November 2011.

This is a brief introduction of the theory of situationists and look at contemporary urban explorers in order to set the scence for the exploration of a series of psychogeographical experiments run by the authors. the presentation is divided in two parts, the first part forms the platform for the second one to develop and unfold. At the end, the audience is asked to participate to the experiments

Adaptive roles of SSY1 and SIR3 during cycles of growth and starvation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations enriched for quiescent or nonquiescent cells

Over its evolutionary history, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has evolved to be well-adapted to fluctuating nutrient availability. In the presence of sufficient nutrients, yeast cells continue to proliferate, but upon starvation haploid yeast cells enter stationary phase and differentiate into nonquiescent (NQ) and quiescent (Q) cells. Q cells survive stress better than NQ cells and show greater viability when nutrient-rich conditions are restored. To investigate the genes that may be involved in the differentiation of Q and NQ cells, we serially propagated yeast populations that were enriched for either only Q or only NQ cell types over many repeated growth–starvation cycles. After 30 cycles (equivalent to 300 generations), each enriched population produced a higher proportion of the enriched cell type compared to the starting population, suggestive of adaptive change. We also observed differences in each population’s fitness suggesting possible tradeoffs: clones from NQ lines were better adapted to logarithmic growth, while clones from Q lines were better adapted to starvation. Whole-genome sequencing of clones from Q- and NQ-enriched lines revealed mutations in genes involved in the stress response and survival in limiting nutrients (ECM21, RSP5, MSN1, SIR4, and IRA2) in both Q and NQ lines, but also differences between the two lines: NQ line clones had recurrent independent mutations affecting the Ssy1p-Ptr3p-Ssy5p (SPS) amino acid sensing pathway, while Q line clones had recurrent, independent mutations in SIR3 and FAS1. Our results suggest that both sets of enriched-cell type lines responded to common, as well as distinct, selective pressures

Μελέτη στερέωσης και αποκατάστασης του παλαιοχριστιανικού λουτρού στον Α.Η.Σ. Αλιβερίου

The Early Christian bath complex in Aliveri is situated chronologically in the 4th century and remained in use until the 7th century. The rooms are arranged along a 30-metre-long axis, with a north-west to south-east orientation. It is a typical balaneion (balneum), composed of a vestibulum, frigidarium, tepidarium and caldarium. The hot areas were heated through the commonly used underground system of ducts, the hypocausts. The complex is built of a composite type of rubble masonry with brick courses, bonded with lime mortar, resembling the Roman opus incertum mixtum. As usual, however, the walls were covered by large slabs of marmor caristium. The same material is used for floor covering, along with large clay tiles in some rooms. A mosaic has been found on the vestibulum floor, with black marble fragments against a white background, depicting a swirling ivy sprout. There is a clear need for conservation to halt the corrosion of the materials and prevent further destruction of the monument’s ruins. The conservation project proposes to: a) repair the vegetation that invades the ruins, b) repair the masonry and conservation of the materials, c) restore the structural elements destroyed by the water supply pipes, d) conserve the floors and fill them in with contemporary materials, e) construct a visitors’ route, with information stands, and f) study the conformation of the context and the surrounding area

The Pivotal Role of Three-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography in Non-Coronary Intervention Procedures

The recent availability of real-time 3-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) can drive forward the diagnostic capability of ultrasound imaging. Real time 3D TEE has evolved into the imaging modality of choice when it comes to percutaneous interventions, as in many cases it serves as the ‘eyes of the operator’ to evaluate, guide, and assess the results of the procedures in the catheterization laboratory. Moreover, it has been shown to provide additional insight into the anatomical, morphological and hemodynamic status. Up to date, real time 3D TEE has been integrated into the following percutaneous non-coronary procedures: closure of atrial or ventricular defects, aortic valve replacement, paravalvular leak occlusion, mitral valve repair with clips, and more recently left atrial appendage occlusion with use of closure devices. Further technological advancements will lead to more accurate and wider use of this imaging technique