Socioeconomic Evaluation and Ranking of Infrastructure Projects

For most of the last century, the role of private and public sectors in the infrastructure projects were clear. For instance, public authorities were generally in charge of financing and building new infrastructures. Over the last decade, that position has begun to change. Faced with pressure to reduce public sector debt and, at the same time, expand and improve public facilities, governments and public authorities have looked to private sector finance, and have invited private sector entities to enter into long-term contractual agreements which may take the form of construction or management of public sector infrastructure facilities by the private sector entity, or the provision of services (using infrastructure facilities) by the private sector entity to the community on behalf of a public sector body. This paper deals with the new issues raised by the public-private partnerships system or, more generally, by any system in which the new infrastructure is partially financed by its users. Is there, in this case, a new economic rationality of public authorities? Particularly, is there an optimal way to rank projects? This paper discusses the choice by the public authority of the most efficient investing programme in irrigation water infrastructures. More specifically, it studies the optimal ranking of project implementation when these projects are partially self-financed by their own revenues. In this case, the optimal investment programme must be defined under a constraint of annual subsidies. This paper demonstrates that the optimal ranking is not necessarily the ranking of decreasing socioeconomic internal rate of return. This counter-intuitive result can be demonstrated by a general approach. Analytical calculations are not useful in this discrete problem because each programme is an ordered subset of projects. Therefore, there is no continuous variation linking the various programmes and the usual tools of optimization, such as differential calculus, are useless. Thus, we adopt here a discrete optimization analysis based on standard techniques in the physics area, such as Monte Carlo sampling.

Visualizing genome and systems biology: technologies, tools, implementation techniques and trends, past, present and future.

"Α picture is worth a thousand words." This widely used adage sums up in a few words the notion that a successful visual representation of a concept should enable easy and rapid absorption of large amounts of information. Although, in general, the notion of capturing complex ideas using images is very appealing, would 1000 words be enough to describe the unknown in a research field such as the life sciences? Life sciences is one of the biggest generators of enormous datasets, mainly as a result of recent and rapid technological advances; their complexity can make these datasets incomprehensible without effective visualization methods. Here we discuss the past, present and future of genomic and systems biology visualization. We briefly comment on many visualization and analysis tools and the purposes that they serve. We focus on the latest libraries and programming languages that enable more effective, efficient and faster approaches for visualizing biological concepts, and also comment on the future human-computer interaction trends that would enable for enhancing visualization further

UniProt-Related Documents (UniReD): assisting wet lab biologists in their quest on finding novel counterparts in a protein network.

The in-depth study of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) is of key importance for understanding how cells operate. Therefore, in the past few years, many experimental as well as computational approaches have been developed for the identification and discovery of such interactions. Here, we present UniReD, a user-friendly, computational prediction tool which analyses biomedical literature in order to extract known protein associations and suggest undocumented ones. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate its usefulness by experimentally validating six predicted interactions and by benchmarking it against public databases of experimentally validated PPIs succeeding a high coverage. We believe that UniReD can become an important and intuitive resource for experimental biologists in their quest for finding novel associations within a protein network and a useful tool to complement experimental approaches (e.g. mass spectrometry) by producing sorted lists of candidate proteins for further experimental validation. UniReD is available at http://bioinformatics.med.uoc.gr/unired/

Implementation of Guidelines for the Management of Arterial Hypertension. The Impulsion Study

This study assessed the effects of a pilot best practice implementation enhancement program on the control of hypertension. We enrolled 697 consecutive known hypertensive patients with other vascular risk factors but free from overt vascular disease. There was no “control” group because it was considered unethical to deprive high-risk patients from “best medical treatment”. Following a baseline visit, previously trained physicians aimed to improve adherence to lifestyle measures and drug treatment for hypertension and other vascular risk factors. Both at baseline and at study completion (after 6 months), a 1-page form was completed showing if patients achieved treatment targets. If not, the reasons why were recorded. This program enhanced compliance with lifestyle measures and increased the use of evidence-based medication. There was a substantial increase in the number of patients who achieved treatment targets for blood pressure (p<0.0001) and other vascular risk factors. In non-diabetic patients (n=585), estimated vascular risk (PROCAM risk engine) was significantly reduced by 41% (p<0.0001). There was also a 12% reduction in vascular risk according to the Framingham risk engine but this did not achieve significance (p=0.07). In conclusion, this is the first study to increase adherence to multiple interventions in hypertensive patients on an outpatient basis, both in primary care and teaching hospitals. Simple, relatively low cost measures (e.g. educating physicians and patients, distributing printed guidelines/brochures and completing a 1-page form) motivated both physicians and patients to achieve multiple treatment goals. Further work is needed to establish if the improvement observed is sustained. [ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00416611]

Investigation of Flood Management and Mitigation Measures in Ungauged NATURA Protected Watersheds

The aim of this study is to investigate the flood management and mitigation measures in ungauged NATURA protected watersheds. The examined watersheds are located in one the most European significant NATURA areas (Prespa Natural Park North Greece). SCS-CN model was applied to perform the hydrological modeling for extreme rainfalls of 50, 100 and 1000 return periods. Extensive field research was conducted to record all the hydrotechnical works of the study area, to evaluate their current condition and measure the respective hydraulic characteristics. The results of the hydrological modeling showed that the flood danger in the study area is generally low. However, almost the half of the hydrotechnical works could not discharge the high and medium probability (50 and 100 years) peak flows. The main causes are the extremely dense riparian vegetation that has been developed on the banks and the thalweg of the riverbeds and in some cases the inappropriate dimensioning of the technical works. The intense development of the riparian vegetation, has increased the roughness coefficient and reduced the dimensions and discharge capability of the technical works, while NATURA restrictions and regulations may be limiting any logging and trimming activities within the streams, especially in priority habitat types. Special Ecological Evaluation studies and educating the public about the necessity of the flood control measures and impact, could provide a framework for a thorough discussion about the flood management in NATURA areas

Eco-design of power generation plants

The basic goals of this study are: (a) the environmental evaluation of power generation plants and of the life cycle of the energy sources used for this purpose and the identification and inventory of their contribution to the problem of environmental pollution and, (b) the development of an energy systems design optimization procedure that will aim at the incorporation of the environmental aspect in the conventional design, along with the other parameters that describe it, contributing in this way to the efforts towards the minimization of the environmental impacts associated with the power generation sector. In order to achieve these goals, a multiobjective optimization model has been developed for the design of energy systems, in which, through the Eco-Design concept and the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology - a methodology that is suitable for the environmental evaluation of energy systems - the environmental aspect is incorporated in the conventional design. The data resulting both from the LCA and from an economic analysis are combined and through the use of the Multicriteria Analysis approach, with simultaneous minimization of both the cost and the environmental impacts objective functions subjected to a number of specific constrains, a set of optimum feasible energy systems design options is obtained.Οι βασικοί στόχοι της εργασίας είναι: (α) η περιβαλλοντική αξιολόγηση των μονάδων παραγωγής ηλεκτρισμού και του κύκλου ζωής των ενεργειακών πόρων που χρησιμοποιούνται για το σκοπό αυτό και η αναγνώριση και καταγραφή της συνεισφοράς τους στο πρόβλημα της ρύπανσης του περιβάλλοντος και, (β) η δημιουργία μιας διαδικασίας βελτιστοποίησης του σχεδιασμού ενεργειακών συστημάτων η οποία θα έχει ως βασικό σκοπό να ενσωμάτωσει την περιβαλλοντική παραμέτρο στο συμβατικό σχεδιασμό, παράλληλα με τα άλλα στοιχεία που τον χαρακτηρίζουν, συνεισφέροντας έτσι στην προσπάθεια για τη μείωση των περιβαλλοντικών επιπτώσεων που προκύπτουν από τον τομέα παραγωγής ηλεκτρισμού. Για την επίτευξη των στόχων αυτών δημιουργήθηκε ένα μοντέλο πολυκριτηριακής βελτιστοποίησης ενεργειακών συστημάτων παραγωγής ηλεκτρισμού ή/και θερμότητας στο οποίο, μέσω της φιλοσοφίας του Οικολογικού Σχεδιασμού και της Ανάλυσης Κύκλου Ζωής (ΑΚΖ), μεθοδολογίας κατάλληλης για την περιβαλλοντική αξιολόγηση ενεργειακών συστημάτων, ενσωματώνεται η περιβαλλοντική πτυχή στο συμβατικό σχεδιασμό. Τα δεδομένα από την ΑΚΖ και τα αντίστοιχα από μια οικονομική ανάλυση συνδυάζονται και με τη χρήση της προσέγγισης της πολυκριτηριακής ανάλυσης, με παράλληλη ελαχιστοποίηση των αντικειμενικών συναρτήσεων κόστους και περιβαλλοντικών επιπτώσεων που υπόκεινται σε συγκεκριμένους περιορισμούς, προκύπτει ένα σύνολο από βέλτιστες εφικτές λύσεις σχεδιασμού ενεργειακών συστημάτων παραγωγής ηλεκτρισμού

The Impact of Urban Land-Use Regimes on the Stream Vegetation and Quality of a Mediterranean City

Urban streams are ecosystems of great ecological and hydrological importance for human environments. However, they face pressure on biodiversity, hydromorphology, and water quality. In this study, an urban riparian system of a Mediterranean city (Thessaloniki, Greece) which interacts with several land-use classes, namely forests, pastures, cultivations, industrial-commercial infrastructure, and light and dense urban fabric, is assessed. The analyzed data were collected by implementing mainly QBR and ancillary RMP protocols on 37 plots of the Dendropotamos stream. The QBR protocol provided an assessment of total riparian vegetation cover, cover structure and quality, as well as channel alterations. The RMP protocol was used to enhance the quantitative assessment of dominant tree and shrub cover. Parts of Dendropotamos surrounded by agricultural (median QBR score: 27.5), industrial (50), and dense residential areas (27.5) suffer, in general, from low riparian vegetation cover, bad vegetation structure and quality, the continuous presence of alien/introduced species, and channel alterations. A variety of riparian habitat conditions characterize the sparse residential areas (60) where cover structure and quality of vegetation is improved. The reduction in grazing pressure has improved the riparian habitat in the greatest part of Dendropotamos that is surrounded by semi-natural pastures (65). Within forested areas (85), the stream conditions are considered quasi-natural. All previous land uses are differentiated in terms of the dominant trees found in the vegetation of Dendropotamos: Platanus orientalis in forested areas, alien Ailanthus altissima mainly in residential and industrial areas, and native shrubs, e.g., Quercus coccifera and Pyrus spinosa, in pastures. The QBR protocol could be a valuable tool in urban environment planning to help identify areas with potential for restoration, such as those with moderate residential pressure

Insect Outbreak and Long-Term Post-Fire Effects on Soil Erosion in Mediterranean Suburban Forest

Our study was conducted in the suburban forest of Thessaloniki (Seich Sou), which constitutes one of the most significant suburban forests of Greece and is located northeast of Thessaloniki. In 1997, more than the half of the forest area was destroyed by a wildfire, while recently (May 2019), a significant insect outbreak by the bark beetle Tomicus piniperda was detected. The insect action still goes on, while the infestation has destroyed so far more than 300 ha of forest area. Extensive selective logging and removal of infected trees from the forest were carried out in order to mitigate and restrict the outbreak spread. In the current study, silt-fenced erosion plots were installed on representative locations of disturbed (by fire and insect action) and undisturbed areas, in order to quantify the effect of the above-mentioned forest disturbances on soil erosion and correlate the height and intensity of precipitation with the soil erosion rate. The results show that there was no statistically significant increase in soil erosion in the areas of insect outbreak compared with the control plots. However, there was a statistically significant increase in soil erosion in areas where logging works had been applied as an infestation preventive measure. In addition, the study revealed that 25 years after the forest fire, the erosion rate is still at higher level compared with the undisturbed forest areas. This study could be considered as one of the first attempts to evaluate the impact of an insect outbreak infestation on soil erosion, while there is also a great lack of information concerning the assessment of long-term post-fire effects on the soil erosion of a forest ecosystem