Αποτύπωση των φυσιογραφικών χαρακτηριστικών και διερεύνηση της πρόσφατης εξέλιξης της παραλίας Καμάρι (Νήσος Σαντορίνη)

Η παρούσα μελέτη εστιάζει στην αποτύπωση της παράκτιας και υποθαλάσσιας μορφολογίας του Καμαρίου στην νοτιοανατολική Σαντορίνη και την ανάδειξη της τρωτότητας των ακτογραμμών στην διάβρωση. Σκοπός ήταν τόσο η απεικόνιση των φυσικογραφικών χαρακτηριστικών όσο και η αποτύπωση της διάβρωσης του παράκτιου χώρου τα τελευταία εβδομήντα έτη. Η περιοχή μελέτης βρίσκεται στο νοτιοανατολικό τμήμα της νήσου Θήρας και αποτελεί τουριστικό πόλο έλξης. Το Καμάρο, όμως, διατρέχει κίνδυνο διάβρωσης της παράκτιας ζώνης λόγω του έντονου κυματισμού, της εκτεταμένης οικιστικής ανάπτυξης καθώς και των ακραίων καιρικών φαινομένων. Προκειμένου να προστατευθεί ο παράκτιος χώρος από την διάβρωση το 1991 κατασκευάστηκαν τέσσερις βραχίονες κάθετοι και δύο κυματοθραύστες παράλληλοι στην ακτογραμμή. Η κύρια σημασία των έργων αυτών είναι η προστασία, η σταθεροποίηση και η αποκατάσταση του παράκτιου χώρου. Επιπλέον, η μελέτη των μετακινήσεων των ακτογραμμών των τελευταίων 70 ετών αποτελεί πρωταρχικό στάδιο στην διεξαγωγή αποτελεσμάτων προκειμένου να επιλεχθεί η καταλληλότερη λύση στο πρόβλημα της διάβρωσης. Με την ολοκλήρωση της παρούσας μελέτης διαπιστώθηκε η έντονη διάβρωση που υφίσταται η παραλιακή ζώνη του Καμαρίου τα τελευταία 70 χρόνια, η οποία έχει σαν αποτέλεσμα την υποχώρηση της ακτογραμμής κατά 18,50 μέτρα. Αν και η ύπαρξη των κυματοθραυστών έχει μειώσει τον ρυθμό διάβρωσης, παράγοντες όπως τα ακραία καιρικά φαινόμενα, το ανεμολογικό και κυματικό καθεστώς και η αδυναμία της παραλίας να συγκρατήσει ίζημα επηρεάζουν σημαντικά και οξύνουν το πρόβλημα της διάβρωσης.Kamari is located at the southeastern part of Thira and is an area of high touristic activity, adding up to the local and national economy. However, the area is at risk of coastal erosion due to extensive residential development, as well as extreme wind and weather regime. Four groins and two detached parallel breakwaters were constructed in 1991, for the protection, stabillization and exploitation of the coastal area. The aim of the present study is to illustrate the physiographic features and the displacement of the shoreline during the last seventy years, contributing additionally in a better understanding of current and future coastal evolution of the Kamari beach, southeastern Santorini Island. The study focuses on seabed morphology the subaqueous coastal area and the evolution of beach zone with respect to its vulnerability to erosional processes. Sea bed texture was achieved by processing the Side-Scan Sonar and bathymetric data. Coastline displacement during the past 70 years, was examined on the basis of coastlines extracted from aerial photographs of the years: 1945, 1960, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988 and 2003 and satellite images of 2010, 2015 and 2016; aerial photographs were georeferenced, digitized and compared. Also, seabed sediment samples were collected and granulometric analysis was carried out, to understand the sedimentary processes that take place in the area. Kamari beach was found to have generally retreated by an average of 18.5 m during the last 7 decades. Specifically, during the period 1945-1960, an enormous rate of erosion has been observed, which at some areas exceeds the 52 m. Over the next thirteen years (19601973), sediment is deposited and in some coastal sectors the coastline was advanced by >38 m. Then, from 1978 to 2003, the Kamari beach has been subjected to a continuous coastline retreat. In the year 1991, the groins and breakwaters were constructed within the nearshore zone, aiming to control erosion. In the years 2010-2015 the beach has stabilized against erosion, although in 2012 the area was hit by a catastrophic storm. In 2015-2016 the beach presents an average retreat of approximately 4 m when maximum retreat accounts as much as 26.8 m and a maximum accretion of 15.4 m. The coastal zone of Kamari has been heavily influenced by human activities, as the island is a global tourist attraction. The construction of the breakwaters was undoubtedly a catalyst and contributed to the reduction of erosion rate. However, recently, an increased rate of erosion has been observed, whilst the ability of each to hold back seems to be restricted (if not non-existent)

Epidemiological study of psychopathology in a sample of homeless people in muniapality of Athens

Most research on the homeless is coming from the U.S. and has studied the prevalence of mental disorders in this population. The surveys on the homeless in European countries focus on the mental state and community care of homeless people since the 1980's. This phenomenon has developed gradually in these countries, unlike the countries of North America, where the phenomenon is older. This research is an epidemiological study of psychopathology of the homeless population in Athens, it was conducted during the period 2009-2010 and it includes 254 homeless people living in this region. The communication with the participants was conducted in homeless hostels, soup kitchens, day care centers, and the streets where the homeless live in this city. Two questionnaires were completed by the investigator, a questionnaire of psychosocial conditions of the homeless and the structured clinical interview MINI.The statistical processing of data with the SPSS statistical system showed that:The majority of the sample were male (74%) with relatively high average age (51 years), they were homeless for over 25 months (50%), most of them had graduated high school and were mostly unemployed.The vast majority were single, living without their families and had no contact with their relatives.A significant proportion were sleeping on the street (18.5%), but most were found in homeless hostels.The main reason the participants gave for becoming homeless were economic, followed by alcohol abuse problems and / or illegal substances and family reasons.The prevalence of mental disorders was very high in this sample with an overall current prevalence of 56.7%. Mood disorders have a rate of 16.1%, anxiety disorders 11.8%, psychotic disorders 13,0%, abuses / addictions 11,8% and comorbidity 11.8%. The prevalence of mental disorders in the homeless population is much higher than in the general population of Greece and has many similarities with the prevalence of mental disorders of the homeless population in other European countries.The use of mental health services was low despite the high prevalence of mental disorders, but it is higher than elsewhere in Europe. This research is the only one in Greece, that included a large sample of homeless people and used clinically reliable tools for the measurement of psychopathology.Οι περισσότερες έρευνες για τους άστεγους προέρχονται από τις ΗΠΑ και μελέτησαν την επικράτηση των ψυχικών διαταραχών στον πληθυσμό αυτό. Οι έρευνες για τους αστέγους στις Ευρωπαϊκές χώρες επικεντρώνονται στην ψυχική κατάσταση και την κοινοτική φροντίδα των αστέγων ήδη από τη δεκαετία του 1980. Το φαινόμενο αναπτύσσεται σταδιακά στις χώρες αυτές, σε αντίθεση με τις χώρες της Βόρειας Αμερικής όπου το φαινόμενο είναι πιο παλιό.Η παρούσα έρευνα η οποία αποτελεί μία επιδημιολογική μελέτη της ψυχοπαθολογίας του άστεγου πληθυσμού στην περιοχή των Αθηνών, πραγματοποιήθηκε το χρονικό διάστημα 2009-2010 και περιλαμβάνει 254 άτομα χωρίς στέγη που ζουν στην περιοχή αυτή. Η επικοινωνία με τους συμμετέχοντες και η διενέργεια των συνεντεύξεων πραγματοποιήθηκε σε ξενώνες αστέγων, συσσίτια, κέντρα ημερήσιας φροντίδας, καθώς και στους δρόμους όπου διαβιούν οι άστεγοι της πόλης αυτής. Συμπληρώθηκαν από τον ερευνητή 2 ερωτηματολόγια, ένα ερωτηματολόγιο ψυχοκοινωνικών συνθηκών και η δομημένη κλινική συνέντευξη M.I.N.I.Η στατιστική επεξεργασία των δεδομένων με το στατιστικό σύστημα SPSS έδειξαν ότι:Η πλειοψηφία του δείγματος ήταν άνδρες (74%) με σχετικά υψηλό μέσο όρο ηλικίας (51 έτη), ήταν άστεγοι για πάνω από 25 μήνες (σε ποσοστό 50%), είχαν σε σημαντικό ποσοστό αποφοιτήσει το Λύκειο και ήταν στην πλειοψηφία τους άνεργοι.Στη συντριπτική πλειοψηφία ήταν άγαμοι, ζούσαν χωρίς την οικογένειά τους και δεν είχαν καμία επικοινωνία μαζί της.Ένα σημαντικό ποσοστό βρέθηκε να κοιμάται στο δρόμο (18,5%), αλλά οι περισσότεροι βρέθηκαν σε ξενώνες αστέγων.Η κυριότερη αιτία για την απώλεια της στέγης τους βρέθηκε να είναι οι οικονομικοί λόγοι, ενώ ακολουθούν τα προβλήματα κατάχρησης αλκοόλ ή /και παράνομων ουσιών και οι οικογενειακοί λόγοι. Η επικράτηση των ψυχικών διαταραχών βρέθηκε πολύ υψηλή στο δείγμα αυτό με συνολική τρέχουσα επικράτηση 56,7% και επιμέρους οι διαταραχές διάθεσης κατέχουν ένα ποσοστό 16,1%, οι διαταραχές άγχους 11,8%, οι ψυχωτικές διαταραχές 13,0%, οι καταχρήσεις/εξαρτήσεις από ουσίες 11,8% και η συννόσηση 11,8%. Η επικράτηση αυτή είναι πολύ υψηλότερη από αυτή του γενικού πληθυσμού της Ελλάδας και παρουσιάζει πολλές ομοιότητες με την επικράτηση των ψυχικών διαταραχών του άστεγου πληθυσμού στις χώρες της Ευρώπης.Η χρήση υπηρεσιών ψυχικής υγείας βρέθηκε χαμηλή σε σχέση με τα ποσοστά επικράτησης των ψυχικών διαταραχών αλλά είναι υψηλότερη από άλλες χώρες της Ευρώπης.Αυτή η έρευνα είναι η μοναδική στον Ελλαδικό χώρο που συμπεριέλαβε τόσο μεγάλο δείγμα άστεγου πληθυσμού και χρησιμοποίησε αξιόπιστα κλινικά εργαλεία για τη μέτρηση της ψυχοπαθολογίας

Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among homeless people in Athens area: A cross-sectional study

Purpose: Homelessness is a chronic social phenomenon in European and other Western cities. In the recent years, the number of homeless people in Greece, mainly in Athens, is also increasing. Method: The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among a sample of 254 homeless people, using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.). The sample was drawn from the existing shelters, soup kitchens, and the streets. Results: The sample was predominantly male (74 %) with mean age 51 years, being in their majority homeless for over 25 months, 27 % of them living in the streets. The vast majority of the sample was single or separated with an education level <12 years. Current prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 56.7 % with 20.8 % comorbidity. For psychotic and mood disorders, current prevalence rates were 13 and 16 %, respectively. One year prevalence of alcohol and drug dependence was found to be low. Logistic regression analysis revealed that being older with higher number of months living in the streets and exposed to high frequency of adverse social events, increase the likelihood to become a psychiatric case. Finally, the vast majority of the identified psychiatric cases were lacking any current psychiatric care. Conclusions: The magnitude of the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was more than three times higher than that of the general population in Athens. Implications for psychosocial care and the organization of a support network for the homeless people are discussed. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Influence of Sodium Chloride and Calcium Foliar Spray on Hydroponically Grown Parlsley In Nutrient Film Technique System

The effects of salinity [30 or 90 mM sodium chloride (NaCl)] and calcium (Ca) foliar application on plant growth were investigated in hydroponically-grown parsley (Petroselinum crispum Mill). Increasing salinity reduced fresh weight and leaf number. Calcium alleviated the negative impacts of 30 mM NaCl on plant biomass and leaf fresh weight but not in case of 90 mM. Plant height, leaf and root dry weight and root length did not differ among treatments. Total phenols increased with calcium application, chlorophyll b reduced by salinity, while total carotenoids increased with salinity and/or Ca application. Salinity reduced nutrient uptake [nitrate (NO3), potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and Ca] and elemental content in leaves and roots. Calcium application reduced P but increased Ca content in plant tissues. Increments of Na uptake in nutrient solution resulted in higher Na content in leaves and roots regardless Ca application. These findings suggest that calcium treatment may alleviate the negative impacts of salinity

Influence of Sodium Chloride and Calcium Foliar Spray on Hydroponically Grown Parlsley In Nutrient Film Technique System

The effects of salinity [30 or 90 mM sodium chloride (NaCl)] and calcium (Ca) foliar application on plant growth were investigated in hydroponically-grown parsley (Petroselinum crispum Mill). Increasing salinity reduced fresh weight and leaf number. Calcium alleviated the negative impacts of 30 mM NaCl on plant biomass and leaf fresh weight but not in case of 90 mM. Plant height, leaf and root dry weight and root length did not differ among treatments. Total phenols increased with calcium application, chlorophyll b reduced by salinity, while total carotenoids increased with salinity and/or Ca application. Salinity reduced nutrient uptake [nitrate (NO3), potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and Ca] and elemental content in leaves and roots. Calcium application reduced P but increased Ca content in plant tissues. Increments of Na uptake in nutrient solution resulted in higher Na content in leaves and roots regardless Ca application. These findings suggest that calcium treatment may alleviate the negative impacts of salinity

Crisis intervention for serious mental disorders. The example of the First Department of Psychiatry of Athens University

We describe the crisis management and resolution service for serious mental disorders established by the First Department of Psychiatry of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The service is intended to meet patients' needs for adequate management of acute mental crisis without hospitalization, while implementing modern standards in mental care and considering existing restrictions in mental health resources and public expenditure. Last decade we witness an increase in demand for psychiatric beds in Psychiatric clinics of General Hospitals resulting in a drastic increase of auxiliary beds that becomes a serious problem in mental health provision. The shutdown of big psychiatric hospitals in the process of psychiatric reform, accompanied by a delay in the establishment of all the anticipated beds in general hospitals together with overloaded and insufficient network of mental health services in the community are the major determinants. Additionally, fiscal economic crisis of the last decade intensified even more the problem by diminishing funding for the recruitment of new personnel and drastically reducing allocated funding for new and old services. In 2016 we set up a crisis intervention service for serious mental disorders within the operational framework of the emergency psychiatric services of the Department of Psychiatry in Eginition Hospital in Athens. The crisis resolution team is composed by two psychiatrists, a psychiatric nurse, social workers, a psychologist, mental health volunteers, and mental health trainees/students. The patient enters the service through the emergency service when an indication for hospitalization is given by the emergency psychiatrist, followed by the clinical estimation of a member of our team. The therapeutic team convenes twice a week for the new entrants and for follow-up sessions with the participation of the patient and the family members whenever feasible. The rest of the therapeutic interventions take place during the week. The work 'with' the person and not 'to' the person encapsulates the philosophy of the service, which is characterized by a holistic treatment approach aiming to empower the individual strengths and sense of control of the patient for crisis resolution on the basis of a safe therapeutic milieu. Therapeutic interventions include family and supportive members, as well as community interventions. In summation, interventions consist of a) comprehensive evaluation (psychiatric/ physical) and therapeutic plan, b) psychopharmacological treatment, c) psychotherapeutic support for the patient and the family for management of the crisis, d) training for the management of future crises and e) referral to appropriate community services for follow up management and treatment. Treatment lasts approximately 6-8 weeks. Initial data of the evaluation study indicate clinical effectiveness and high levels of satisfaction for patients and family. Conclusively, crisis management and resolution services are feasible even in a time of heavy restrictions in recourses, and anticipated benefits are multiple for the economy, mental health provision, the public health system, patients and relatives alike

Geomorphological changes in the coastal area of Farasan Al-Kabir Island (Saudi Arabia) since mid Holocene based on a multi-proxy approach

International audienc

EEG-based investigation of brain connectivity changes in psychotic patients undergoing the primitive expression form of dance therapy: a methodological pilot study

Primitive expression (PE) is a form of dance therapy (DT) that involves an interaction of ethologically and socially based forms which are supplied for re-enactment. There exist very few studies of DT applications including in their protocol the measurement of neurophysiological parameters. The present pilot study investigates the use of the correlation coefficient (ρ) and mutual information (MI), and of novel measures extracted from ρ and MI, on electroencephalographic (EEG) data recorded in patients with schizophrenia while they undergo PE DT, in order to expand the set of neurophysiology-based approaches for quantifying possible DT effects, using parameters that might provide insights about any potential brain connectivity changes in these patients during the PE DT process. Indication is provided for an acute potentiation effect, apparent at late-stage PE DT, on the inter-hemispheric connectivity in frontal areas, as well as for attenuation of the inter-hemispheric connectivity of left frontal and right central areas and for potentiation of the intra-hemispheric connectivity of frontal and central areas, bilaterally, in the transition from early to late-stage PE DT. This pilot study indicates that by using EEG connectivity measures based on ρ and MI, the set of useful neurophysiology-based approaches for quantifying possible DT effects is expanded. In the framework of the present study, the causes of the observed connectivity changes cannot be attributed with certainty to PE DT, but indications are provided that these measures may contribute to a detailed assessment of neurophysiological mechanisms possibly being affected by this therapeutic process. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Geomorphological changes in the coastal area of Farasan Al-Kabir Island (Saudi Arabia) since mid Holocene based on a multi-proxy approach

The geomorphological evolution of the southeastern coastal area of Farasan Al-Kabir Island (Saudi Arabia) is revealed by the mapping of modern landforms and a multi-proxy and high spatial resolution study including grain size, particulate organic carbon, mineralogy, element geochemistry, benthic foraminifera analysis and radiocarbon dating of a 3.3-m long sediment core. The modern geomorphological features comprise a variety of arid landforms, such as plateau, cliffs and pediments of Pleistocene coral limestones, playa depressions located on plateau surfaces, alluvial fans, butte and sandy beaches. The mid Holocene evolution of the borehole area is resulted from the detailed analysis of five sedimentary units detected along the core Matar-1, and includes three distinct stages: (a) from 5253 ± 223 y cal BP to 3138 ± 223 y cal BP, carbonate coarse-grained material consisting of coral fragments, molluscs, calcareous algae and benthic foraminifera are deposited on a shallow marine fringing reefal platform, which becomes progressively a nearshore backreef (around 3675 ± 215 y cal BP), and later (around 3138 ± 223 y cal BP) a reef ramp; (b) since 3040 ± 220 y cal BP the borehole area obtains the characteristics of a high-energy beach that receives increasing inputs of terrigenous material; (c) subsequently, a supratidal backshore setting is established influenced mostly by terrestrial processes and occasionally by marine processes, as it is indicated by the decreasing and sometimes sporadic presence of benthic foraminifera, and recently, a sedimentary veneer consisting of terrigenous, carbonate and evaporite material is formed by terrestrial, mainly wadi and aeolian, processes. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and INQU

Geomorphological changes in the coastal area of Farasan Al-Kabir Island (Saudi Arabia) since mid Holocene based on a multi-proxy approach

International audienc