Low Pay Persistence in European Countries

Using panel data for twelve European countries over the period 1994-2001 we estimate the extent of state dependence in low pay. Controlling for observable and unobservable heterogeneity as well as the endogeneity of initial conditions we find positive, statistically significant state dependence in every single country. The magnitude of this effect varies by country, however this variation is not systematically related to labour market institutions.Low pay, low pay persistence, state dependence, initial conditions, dynamic random effects probit models

Low Pay Persistence in European Countries

Using panel data for twelve European countries over the period 1994-2001 we estimate the extent of state dependence in low pay. Controlling for observable and unobservable heterogeneity as well as the endogeneity of initial conditions we find positive, statistically significant state dependence in every single country. The magnitude of this effect varies by country, however this variation is not systematically related to labour market institutions.initial conditions, state dependence, low pay persistence, low pay, dynamic random effects probit models

Social policy and social cohesion in Greece under conditions of economic crisis, Bank of Greece, Athens 2012

No abstract (available).

IRON-OXIDE MINERALIZATION OF SESI, KOROPI (S. HYMITTOS, GREECE): MINERALIZATION WITHIN A DETACHMENT ZONE

Μικρές εμφανίσεις μεταλλοφορίας οξειδίων του σιδήρου στην περιοχή Σέσι, Κορωπί, Ν. Υμηττός, αναπτύσσονται κατά μήκος μιας κατακλαστικής ζώνης αποκόλλησης ανάμεσα σε ανθρακικούς σχηματισμούς των ενοτήτων "Υμηττού"  αι "Βάρης-Κύρου Πύρα". Ένα 2026 άλλο μικρής κλίσης ρήγμα, φέρνει σε επαφή του σχιστολίθους της υπερκείμενης ενότητας "Λαυρίου" που περιλαμβάνουν τεμάχη από μετα-βασικά πετρώματα και σερπεντινίτες. Η όλη δομή κόβεται από μεγάλης κλίσης κανονικά ρήγματα, που ριζώνουν στην κατακλαστική ζώνη αποκόλλησης, συντελώντας στην τεκτονική εκλέπτυνση της ενότητας "Υμηττού", με αποτέλεσμα σε αρκετές περιπτώσεις να έρχονται σε επαφή οι μετα- οφιολιθικές λιθολογίες με τα ανθρακικά της ενότητας "Βάρης-Κύρου Πύρα". Η εμφάνιση του σιδηρομεταλλεύματος εντοπίστηκε μέσα σε τρείς μικρές διερευνητικές στοές εξόρυξης όπου υπάρχουν ενδείξεις για περιορισμένη εξόρυξη στο πρόσφατο παρελθόν. Η μεταλλοφορία αναπτύσσεται στην κατακλαστική ζώνη του ρήγματος αποκόλλησης, έχει πάχος λίγων μέτρων (3-5μ), και σχηματίζει λεπτούς μαύρους φλοιούς και ζώνες εξαλλοίωσης με χαρακτηριστική καφέ-κόκκινη έως κίτρινη απόχρωση. Η ορυκτολογική μελέτη της μεταλλοφορίας του σιδηρομεταλλεύματος έδειξε ότι αποτελείται από αιματίτη (πρωτογενής μεταλλοφορία) και γκαιτίτη (δευτερογενής μεταλλοφορία από αντικατάσταση). Μελέτη των μικροδομών του γκαιτίτη έδειξε ότι παρουσιάζει τυπική μορφολογία κολλοειδούς μορφής, που είναι χαρακτηριστική πλήρωσης κοιλοτήτων του ανθρακικού πετρώματος (ξενιστής). Σύμφωνα με τις παρατηρήσεις υπαίθρου και την τεκτονική μακροδομή της ευρύτερης περιοχής, η ανάπτυξη της σιδηρούχου μεταλλοφορίας συνδέεται με κυκλοφορία υδροθερμικού ρευστού κατά μήκος της κατακλαστικής ζώνης αποκόλλησης. Η σιδηρούχος εξαλλοίωση των ανθρακικών σχηματισμών είναι έντονη σε συγκεκριμένες ζώνες κατάκλασης κατά μήκος τέτοιου τύπου μικρής κλίσης κατακλαστικών ζωνών αποκόλλησης σε όλη την κεντρική και ΝΑ Αττική, από τον Β. Υμηττό μέχρι το Λαύριο. Αυτό υποδηλώνει ότι αυτού του τύπου η μεταλλοφορία δεν παρατηρείται μόνο τοπικά, αλλά έχει μια ευρύτερη ανάπτυξη και επομένως σημασία για την τεκτονική εξέλιξη της NA Αττικής.Small occurrences of iron-oxide deposits at Sesi-Koropi in S. Hymittos, are hosted by an extensional brittle detachment zone between carbonate rocks of "Vari-Kirou Pira" and "Hymittos" units. Another low-angle fault separates a heterogeneous formation of schists, containing meta-ophiolitic blocks ("Lavrion" Unit), which is cut by high-angle normal faults that root in the detachment zone, reducing the total structural thickness of "Hymittos" marbles and bringing in contact the meta-ophiolitc lithologies with the "Vari-Kirou Pira" dolomites. Three mine caves were found along the detachment zone indicating that these iron deposits were possibly mined on a very small scale in the past. The mineralization is developed in a cataclastic zone a few meters thick (3-5m), forming thin rusty black encrustations and larger zones of alteration with a reddish to yellow brown hue. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) mineralogical study of the iron-ore deposit indicated that hematite is the primary iron-oxide mineral extensively replaced by goethite. Goethite appears with the typical colloidal form within voids showing typical open-space filling type microstructures. According to field evidence and the tectonic macro-structure of the area, the mineralization is associated with hydrothermal fluid circulation along the brittle detachment zone between meta-ophiolitic lithologies and carbonate rocks. Similar type iron-oxides mineralization in cataclastic zones were observed along other detachment zones in northern and southeastern Hymittos Mt. and further south towards Lavrion. This suggests that this type of mineralization is not local but has a broader development and regional implications for the tectonic evolution of the central and SE Attic

Penicillin kills chlamydia following the fusion of bacteria with Lysosomes and prevents genital inflammatory lesions in C. muridarum-infected mice

The obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia exists as two distinct forms. Elementary bodies (EBs) are infectious and extra-cellular, whereas reticulate bodies (RBs) replicate within a specialized intracellular compartment termed an ‘inclusion’. Alternative persistent intra-cellular forms can be induced in culture by diverse stimuli such as IFNγ or adenosine/EHNA. They do not grow or divide but revive upon withdrawal of the stimulus and are implicated in several widespread human diseases through ill-defined in vivo mechanisms. β-lactam antibiotics have also been claimed to induce persistence in vitro. The present report shows that upon penicillin G (pG) treatment, inclusions grow as fast as those in infected control cells. After removal of pG, Chlamydia do not revert to RBs. These effects are independent of host cell type, serovar, biovar and species of Chlamydia. Time-course experiments demonstrated that only RBs were susceptible to pG. pG-treated bacteria lost their control over host cell apoptotic pathways and no longer expressed pre-16S rRNA, in contrast to persistent bacteria induced with adenosine/EHNA. Confocal and live-video microscopy showed that bacteria within the inclusion fused with lysosomal compartments in pG-treated cells. That leads to recruitment of cathepsin D as early as 3 h post pG treatment, an event preceding bacterial death by several hours. These data demonstrate that pG treatment of cultured cells infected with Chlamydia results in the degradation of the bacteria. In addition we show that pG is significantly more efficient than doxycycline at preventing genital inflammatory lesions in C. muridarum-C57Bl/6 infected mice. These in vivo results support the physiological relevance of our findings and their potential therapeutic applications

The relationship between Higher Education and labour market in Greece : the weakest link?

The high level of graduate unemployment, even though it is acknowledged as one of the most distinctive characteristics of the Greek labour market, it has not attracted enough attention in the academic literature. This paper utilizes micro-data from the Labour Force Survey in order to investigate how the employment situation of young (aged 35 and below) graduates varies across fields of study. The findings suggest that graduates of disciplines that have high levels of private sector employment, such as Polytechnics and Computer Science, are in general better off in the Greek labour market. On the other hand, graduates of disciplines that are traditionally related to the needs of the public sector, such as Sociology and Humanities, face poor employment prospects. The findings of this study highlight the need for drastic reforms of the Higher Education system