GIS as an educational tool: Mapping cultural sites in greek space-time

Το θέμα της παρούσας εργασίας είναι η χαρτογραφική παρουσίαση της πολιτιστικής διαδοχής στον ελληνικό χωρο-χρόνο που σχετίζεται με βασικές έννοιες της γεωγραφικής και ιστορικής εκπαίδευσης. Η παιδαγωγική αξία της μελέτης είναι η ανάπτυξη πέντε διακριτών δεξιότητων: της έννοιας του χρόνου-κλίμακας, της ιστορικής και γεωγραφικής κατανόησης, της χωρικής ανάλυσης και ερμηνείας, της ικανότητας διεξαγωγής γεω-ιστορικής έρευνας, και της γεω-ιστορικής διαδικασίας λήψης αποφάσεων. Η μεθοδολογία βασίζεται στη βαθμονόμηση μιας σειράς κριτηρίων για κάθε πολιτιστική περιοχή που καλύπτει τα θέματα της οικονομίας, της γεωμορφολογίας, της κοινωνίας των πολιτών, της θρησκείας, της τέχνης και της επιστήμης. Η περαιτέρω ανάλυση αυτών των δεδομένων οδηγεί στη δημιουργία μιας γεω-βάσης. Οι παλαιογεωγραφικοί και ιστορικοί χάρτες των πολιτιστικών χώρων που προέρχονται από την γεωβάση παρέχουν πληροφορίες σχετικά με τις χρονικές και χωρικές μεταβολές. Ως αποτέλεσμα, οι μαθητές θα είναι σε θέση να αναπτύξουν μια πολυδιάστατη και διεπιστημονική προσέγγιση, προκειμένου να ανακατασκευάσουν την εξέλιξη του τόπου.This paper deals with the cartographical presentation of cultural succession in Greek space-time associated with core concepts of geographic and historical education. The pedagogic value of this study is to develop five distinct skills: sense of time-scale, historical and geographic comprehension, spatial analysis and interpretation, ability to perform geo-historical research, and procedure of geohistorical decision-making. The methodology is based on the calibration of a set of criteria for each cultural site that covers the topics of economy, geomorphology, society, religion, art and science. Further analysis of these data forms a geodatabase. In addition, palaeogeographic and historical maps of the cultural sites derived by the geodatabase provide information about temporal and spatial changes. As result, students will be able to develop a multidimensional and interdisciplinary approach, in order to reconstruct the evolution of the site

Validation of Electronic Data Capture of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome—Quality of Life Measure, the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and the EuroQol

ABSTRACTObjectivesTo assess the comparability, reliability, and subject acceptability of electronic data capture (EDC) versions of Irritable Bowel Syndrome—Quality of Life (IBS-QOL), EuroQoL (EQ-5D) and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI:IBS) instruments.MethodsComparability of EDC and paper questionnaires was evaluated in 72 subjects with IBS who completed a baseline EDC or paper questionnaire, a crossover questionnaire 24 hours later, and a retest of the crossover version at 1 week. The EDC version was presented on a hand-held device. Comparability was assessed using paired t-test statistics, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and tests for internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha).ResultsNo significant differences were found between scores obtained by paper questionnaire and EDC at the baseline and crossover assessments. ICCs between baseline and crossover assessments ranged from 0.83 to 0.96 for the IBS-QOL scores, 0.82 to 0.96 for the WPAI:IBS scores, and 0.77 to 0.82 for the EQ-5D. Internal consistency was comparable for the two data collection methods for the IBS-QOL overall score (0.96) and subscales and the EQ-5D Index (0.70 vs. 0.74). Retest statistics (ICC) were generally comparable between the EDC and paper versions for all scores. Ease of use was comparable for the two modes of administration, but more patients preferred EDC (47.2%) than the paper questionnaire (23.6%).ConclusionsEDC versions of the IBS-QOL, EQ-5D, and WPAI:IBS are comparable to paper questionnaires in internal consistency and test–retest reliability, and have greater patient acceptability

Antifungal potential of essential oils, aqueous and ethanol extracts of thirteen plants against Fusarium oxysporum f . sp Lycopersici and Phytophtora infestans (Mont.) de Bary as major tomato pathogens

Antifungal activity of essential oils (EO), ethanol extracts (ETE) and cold water extracts (CWE) of thirteen plants was evaluated against Fusarium oxysporum and Phytophtora infestans causal agents of tomato Fusarium wilt and late blight diseases respectively. The supplemented media and slide germination techniques were carried out to determine the effect of extracts on the mycelial growth and conidia germination of pathogens. The results showed that essential oils exhibited the highest antifungal activity followed by ETE and CWE. Callistemon citrinus, Cymbopogon citratus and Ocimum gratissimum essential oils were the most active inhibiting completely radial growth and conidia germination of Phytophtora infestans at 312.5 and 625 µg/ml. Essential oils of Ocimum gratissimum and Cymbopogon citratus inhibited totally the radial growth and conidia germination of Fusarium oxysporum at 625 and 312.5 µg/ml respectively. ETE of Ageratum conyzoides and Callistemon citrinus were the most active inhibiting radial growth of Phytophtora infestans. Cymbopogon citratus and Ocimum gratissimum were the most active against radial growth and conidia germination of Fusarium oxysporum at 6250 µg/ml. The fungi toxic potential of some extracts was comparable to synthetic fungicides used as positive controls. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of ETE and CWE revealed that stronger inhibiting effects were recorded with extracts rich in phenols, flavonoids, tannins, and coumarins. These findings may contribute to develop new green fungicides to protect tomato from Fusarium wilt and late blight diseases

Effect of photoperiod and host distribution on the horizontal transmission of Isaria fumosorosea (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) in greenhouse whitefly assessed using a novel model bioassay

A model bioassay was used to evaluate the epizootic potential and determine the horizontal transmission efficiency of Isaria fumosorosea Trinidadian strains against Trialeurodes vaporariorum pharate adults under optimum conditions (25±0.5°C, ~100% RH) at two different photoperiods. Untreated pharate adults were arranged on laminated graph paper at different distributions to simulate varying infestation levels on a leaf surface. Four potential hosts were located 7, 14 and 21 mm away from a central sporulating cadaver simulating high, medium and low infestation levels, respectively. Percent hosts colonized were recorded 7, 12, 14 and 21 days post-treatment during a 16- and 24-h photophase. After 21 days, mean percent hosts colonized at the highest, middle and lowest infestation levels were 93 and 100%, 22 and 58%, 25 and 39% under a 16- and 24-h photophase, respectively. From the results, it was concluded that the longer the photophase, the greater the percentage of hosts colonized, and as host distance increased from the central sporulating cadaver, colonization decreased. The use of this novel model bioassay technique is the first attempt to evaluate the epizootic potential and determine the horizontal transmission efficiency of I. fumosorosea Trinidadian strains under optimal environmental conditions at different photoperiods. This bioassay can be used to assess horizontal transmission efficiency for the selection of fungi being considered for commercial biopesticide development

Association of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with morbidity and mortality in patients with peripheral artery disease: insights from the EUCLID trial

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk of developing lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) and suffering PAD-related morbidity and mortality. However, the effect and burden of COPD on patients with PAD is less well defined. This post hoc analysis from EUCLID aimed to analyze the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and major adverse limb events (MALE) in patients with PAD and concomitant COPD compared with those without COPD, and to describe the adverse events specific to patients with COPD. Methods: EUCLID randomized 13,885 patients with symptomatic PAD to monotherapy with either ticagrelor or clopidogrel for the prevention of MACE. In this analysis, MACE, MALE, mortality, and adverse events were compared between groups with and without COPD using unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Of the 13,883 patients with COPD status available at baseline, 11% (n=1538) had COPD. Patients with COPD had a higher risk of MACE (6.02 vs 4.29 events/100 patient-years; p< 0.001) due to a significantly higher risk of myocardial infarction (MI) (3.55 vs 1.85 events/100 patient-years; p< 0.001) when compared with patients without COPD. These risks persisted after adjustment (MACE: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11– 1.52; p< 0.001; MI: aHR 1.45, 95% CI 1.18– 1.77; p< 0.001). However, patients with COPD did not have an increased risk of MALE or major bleeding. Patients with COPD were more frequently hospitalized for dyspnea and pneumonia (2.66 vs 0.9 events/100 patient-years; aHR 2.77, 95% CI 2.12– 3.63; p< 0.001) and more frequently discontinued study drug prematurely (19.36 vs 12.54 events/100 patient-years; p< 0.001; aHR 1.34, 95% CI 1.22– 1.47; p< 0.001). Conclusion: In patients with comorbid PAD and COPD, the risks of MACE, respiratory-related adverse events, and premature study drug discontinuation were higher when compared with patients without COPD. Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01732822

Association of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with Morbidity and Mortality in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease: Insights from the EUCLID Trial

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk of developing lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) and suffering PAD-related morbidity and mortality. However, the effect and burden of COPD on patients with PAD is less well defined. This post hoc analysis from EUCLID aimed to analyze the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and major adverse limb events (MALE) in patients with PAD and concomitant COPD compared with those without COPD, and to describe the adverse events specific to patients with COPD.Methods: EUCLID randomized 13,885 patients with symptomatic PAD to monotherapy with either ticagrelor or clopidogrel for the prevention of MACE. In this analysis, MACE, MALE, mortality, and adverse events were compared between groups with and without COPD using unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazards model.Results: Of the 13,883 patients with COPD status available at baseline, 11% (n=1538) had COPD. Patients with COPD had a higher risk of MACE (6.02 vs 4.29 events/100 patient-years; pConclusion: In patients with comorbid PAD and COPD, the risks of MACE, respiratory-related adverse events, and premature study drug discontinuation were higher when compared with patients without COPD.</div

Self-adjuvanting polymer-peptide conjugates as therapeutic vaccine candidates against cervical cancer

Dendrimers are structurally well-defined, synthetic polymers with sizes and physicochemical properties often resembling those of biomacromolecules (e.g. proteins). As a result they are promising candidates for peptide-based vaccine delivery platforms. Herein, we established a synthetic pathway to conjugate a human papillomavirus (HPV) E7 protein-derived peptide antigen to a star-polymer to create a macromolecular vaccine candidate to treat HPV-related cancers. These conjugates were able to reduce tumor growth and eradicate E7-expressing TC-1 tumors in mice after a single immunization, without the help of any external adjuvant

Interventions to reduce pesticide exposure from the agricultural sector in Africa: a workshop report

Despite the fact that several cases of unsafe pesticide use among farmers in different parts of Africa have been documented, there is limited evidence regarding which specific interventions are effective in reducing pesticide exposure and associated risks to human health and ecology. The overall goal of the African Pesticide Intervention Project (APsent) study is to better understand ongoing research and public health activities related to interventions in Africa through the implementation of suitable target-specific situations or use contexts. A systematic review of the scientific literature on pesticide intervention studies with a focus on Africa was conducted. This was followed by a qualitative survey among stakeholders involved in pesticide research or management in the African region to learn about barriers to and promoters of successful interventions. The project was concluded with an international workshop in November 2021, where a broad range of topics relevant to occupational and environmental health risks were discussed such as acute poisoning, street pesticides, switching to alternatives, or disposal of empty pesticide containers. Key areas of improvement identified were training on pesticide usage techniques, research on the effectiveness of interventions targeted at exposure reduction and/or behavioral changes, awareness raising, implementation of adequate policies, and enforcement of regulations and processes

European Society of Endodontology position statement: Management of deep caries and the exposed pulp

This position statement on the management of deep caries and the exposed pulp represents the consensus of an expert committee, convened by the European Society of Endodontology (ESE). Preserving the pulp in a healthy state with sustained vitality, preventing apical periodontitis and developing minimally invasive biologically based therapies are key themes within contemporary clinical endodontics. The aim of this statement was to summarize current best evidence on the diagnosis and classification of deep caries and caries‐induced pulpal disease, as well as indicating appropriate clinical management strategies for avoiding and treating pulp exposure in permanent teeth with deep or extremely deep caries. In presenting these findings, areas of controversy, low‐quality evidence and uncertainties are highlighted, prior to recommendations for each area of interest. A recently published review article provides more detailed information and was the basis for this position statement (Bjørndal et al. 2019, International Endodontic Journal, doi:10.1111/iej.13128). The intention of this position statement is to provide the practitioner with relevant clinical guidance in this rapidly developing area. An update will be provided within 5 years as further evidence emerges