Flood and groundwater management for the mountain plateau of Omalos based on geoinformatics techniques

Στην παρούσα μελέτη, με βάση τη χρήση γεωπληροφορίας σε περιβάλλον GIS, παρουσιάζεται μια βιώσιμη διαχειριστική προσέγγιση πλημμυρικών φαινομένων και υπογείων υδάτων σε ορεινά οροπέδια. Το προτεινόμενο διαχειριστικό πλάνο αποτελείται από δύο συνιστώσες: (α) τον καθορισμό των πλημμυρικά επικίνδυνων περιοχών, και (β) την εκτίμηση της ροής των υπογείων υδάτων. Για την πρώτη συνιστώσα, μελετήθηκαν έξι παράγοντες που σχετίζονται άμεσα με την χωρική κατανομή των επικίνδυνων σε πλημμυρικά φαινόμενα περιοχών: υψόμετρο, κλίση, χρήσεις γης, ένταση βροχής, γεωλογία, και συσσώρευση επιφανειακής απορροής. Η περιοχή μελέτης χωρίστηκε σε πέντε επιμέρους περιοχές οι οποίες χαρακτηρίζονται από διαφορετικούς βαθμούς πλημμυρικής επικινδυνότητας από πολύ χαμηλή έως πολύ υψηλή. Ο δημιουργούμενος χάρτης πλημμυρικού κινδύνου καθορίζει τις περιοχές εκείνες με αυξημένο κίνδυνο εμφάνισης πλημμυρών. Η δεύτερη συνιστώσα περιλαμβάνει μια διαχειριστική προσέγγιση υπογείων υδάτων για την αξιολόγηση της υπόγειας ροής και τον πιθανό κίνδυνος ρύπανσης. Η προτεινόμενη μεθοδολογία μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί για τη μελέτη διαφορετικών σεναρίων ανθρωπογενών παρεμβάσεων που μπορεί να επηρεάσουν τις πλημμυρικά επιρρεπείς περιοχές ή τη δυναμική της ροής των υπογείων υδάτων. Όλες οι παραπάνω προσεγγίσεις εφαρμόστηκαν στο οροπέδιο του Ομαλού στα Λευκά Όρη της Κρήτης στην Ελλάδα.A viable approach for flood and groundwater management in a mountain Plateau based on geoinformatics techniques is presented in this work. The proposed water management plan has two components: (a) the determination of the flood-hazard areas, and (b) the estimation of groundwater flow. For the first component, six factors were considered in order to estimate the spatial distribution of the flood hazardous areas: elevation, slope, land use, rainfall intensity, geology, and flow accumulation, The study area was divided into five regions characterized by different degrees of flood hazard ranging from very low to very high. The produced map of flood-hazard areas identifies the areas at high risk of flooding. The second component includes a groundwater management approach for estimating groundwater flow and the potential contamination risk. The proposed methodology can be used to objectively compare different scenarios based on anthropogenic interventions that can affect the flood-prone areas or the groundwater flow dynamic. All these approaches were applied at the Omalos Plateau in the White Mountains of Crete in Greece

Relationship of Weather Types on the Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Rainfall, Runoff, and Sediment Yield in the Western Mediterranean Basin

Rainfall is the key factor to understand soil erosion processes, mechanisms, and rates. Most research was conducted to determine rainfall characteristics and their relationship with soil erosion (erosivity) but there is little information about how atmospheric patterns control soil losses, and this is important to enable sustainable environmental planning and risk prevention. We investigated the temporal and spatial variability of the relationships of rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield with atmospheric patterns (weather types, WTs) in the western Mediterranean basin. For this purpose, we analyzed a large database of rainfall events collected between 1985 and 2015 in 46 experimental plots and catchments with the aim to: (i) evaluate seasonal differences in the contribution of rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield produced by the WTs; and (ii) to analyze the seasonal efficiency of the different WTs (relation frequency and magnitude) related to rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield. The results indicate two different temporal patterns: the first weather type exhibits (during the cold period: autumn and winter) westerly flows that produce the highest rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield values throughout the territory; the second weather type exhibits easterly flows that predominate during the warm period (spring and summer) and it is located on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. However, the cyclonic situations present high frequency throughout the whole year with a large influence extended around the western Mediterranean basin. Contrary, the anticyclonic situations, despite of its high frequency, do not contribute significantly to the total rainfall, runoff, and sediment (showing the lowest efficiency) because of atmospheric stability that currently characterize this atmospheric pattern. Our approach helps to better understand the relationship of WTs on the seasonal and spatial variability of rainfall, runoff and sediment yield with a regional scale based on the large dataset and number of soil erosion experimental stations.Spanish Government (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MINECO) and FEDER Projects: CGL2014 52135-C3-3-R, ESP2017-89463-C3-3-R, CGL2014-59946-R, CGL2015-65569-R, CGL2015-64284-C2-2-R, CGL2015-64284-C2-1-R, CGL2016-78075-P, GL2008-02879/BTE, LEDDRA 243857, RECARE-FP7, CGL2017-83866-C3-1-R, and PCIN-2017-061/AEI. Dhais Peña-Angulo received a “Juan de la Cierva” postdoctoral contract (FJCI-2017-33652 Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MEC). Ana Lucia acknowledge the "Brigitte-Schlieben-Lange-Programm". The “Geoenvironmental Processes and Global Change” (E02_17R) was financed by the Aragón Government and the European Social Fund. José Andrés López-Tarazón acknowledges the Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Department of the Economy and Knowledge of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia for supporting the Consolidated Research Group 2014 SGR 645 (RIUS- Fluvial Dynamics Research Group). Artemi Cerdà thank the funding of the OCDE TAD/CRP JA00088807. José Martínez-Fernandez acknowledges the project Unidad de Excelencia CLU-2018-04 co-funded by FEDER and Castilla y León Government. Ane Zabaleta is supported by the Hydro-Environmental Processes consolidated research group (IT1029-16, Basque Government). This paper has the benefit of the Lab and Field Data Pool created within the framework of the COST action CONNECTEUR (ES1306)

Pancreatic islet cell transplantation: An update

Transplantation of pancreatic islets, as a therapeutic modality for type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), at this stage of its development, is reserved for patients with severe glycemic variability, progressive diabetic complications, and life threatening hypoglycemia unawareness, regardless of intensive insulin management. It has not succeeded to become the method of choice for treating T1DM because of limited supply and suboptimal yields of procurement and isolation of islets, graft failure, and relatively high requirements, i.e., at least 10,000 functional Islet Equivalents per kg of patient weight, to achieve prolonged insulin independence and glucose stability. Efforts aimed at making islet transplantation a competitive alternative to exogenous insulin injections for treating T1DM have focused on improving the longevity and functionality of islet cells. In order to succeed, these efforts need to be complemented by others to optimize the rate and efficiency of encapsulation. © 2012 Biomedical Engineering Society

Evaluation of the clinical significance of focal adhesion kinase and src expression in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Objectives: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Src, 2 protein tyrosine kinases, have been suggested to regulate several fundamental cellular activities that promote the malignant phenotype in various human tumors, including pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Even though research has already turned in laboratory investigations and clinical trials on the possible use of agents blocking the 2 enzymes in cancer management, the data on the clinical significance of FAK and Src in pancreatic adenocarcinoma are still scarce. METHODS:: The FAK and Src protein expression was assessed immunohistochemically in tumor specimens of 65 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and was statistically analyzed in relation to various clinicopathological characteristics, tumor proliferative capacity, and patients' survival. Results: The FAK expression correlated significantly with the T stage of the tumor (P = 0.037), whereas FAK staining intensity with patients' age (P = 0.030), tumors' histopathological grade of differentiation (P = 0.041), and M stage (P = 0.029). The Src expression correlated significantly with the stage of the tumor (P = 0.013) and patients' survival (log-rank test, P = 0.027), being also identified as an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis (P = 0.047). Furthermore, trends that did not reach statistical significance were noted between FAK and Src expression and staining intensity and several clinicopathological parameters. Conclusions: The FAK and Src immunohistochemical expression was associated with certain clinicopathological parameters that are crucial for the patients' management. Copyright © 2010 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

The threat of soil salinity : A European scale review

Soil salinisation is one of the major soil degradation threats occurring in Europe. The effects of salinisation can be observed in numerous vital ecological and non-ecological soil functions. Drivers of salinisation can be detected both in the natural and man-made environment, with climate and the foreseen climate change also playing an important role. This review outlines the state of the art concerning drivers and pressures, key indicators as well as monitoring, modeling and mapping methods for soil salinity. Furthermore, an overview of the effect of salinisation on soil functions and the respective mechanism is presented. Finally, the state of salinisation in Europe is presented according to the most recent literature and a synthesis of consistent datasets. We conclude that future research in the field of soil salinisation should be focused on among others carbon dynamics of saline soil, further exploration of remote sensing of soil properties and the harmonization and enrichment of soil salinity maps across Europe within a general context of a soil threat monitoring system to support policies and strategies for the protection of European soils

Tumor size and T stage correlate independently with recurrence and progression in high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients treated with adjuvant BCG

We conducted a retrospective study to determine the prognostic significance of age, gender, associated carcinoma in situ, stage, number of tumors, and tumor size for patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder tumors treated with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Data were evaluated on 144 high-risk patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with BCG immunotherapy after the initial treatment with transurethral resection. According to their response to BCG, patients were divided into groups, and the differences in factors, associated with recurrence and progression, were evaluated. Patients were categorized into two groups: group A, complete responders without recurrence and without progression, and group B, patients with recurrence and with progression. Furthermore, group B was divided into two subgroups: group B1, patients with recurrence, and group B2, patients with progression. Univariate analysis of group B showed that only tumor size of >3 cm diameter (hazard ratio (HR) 11.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) range 5.69-25.3; p<0.001) is associated with recurrence. After multivariate analysis, the same factor appeared to be prognostic for recurrence as well. In addition, group B2 was statistically correlated with group B1. Univariate analysis proved that tumor stage (Ta or T1) is the unique factor associated with progression (HR 6.4; 95% CI 1.29-31.9; p=0.02). Tumor stage seems to be associated with disease's progression after the multivariate analysis too. Tumor size and stage may serve as prognostic factors, because of its independent correlation with recurrence and progression for patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder tumors treated with BCG. © International Society of Oncology and BioMarkers (ISOBM) 2013

Previous bladder cancer history in patients with high-risk, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer correlates with recurrence and progression: Implications of natural history

The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation of previous bladder cancer history with the recurrence and progression of patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with adjuvant Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and to evaluate their natural history. Materials and Methods Patients were divided into two groups based on the existence of previous bladder cancer (primary, non-primary). A logistic regression analysis was used to identify the possible differences in the probabilities of recurrence and progression with respect to tumor history, while potential differences due to gender, tumor size (> 3 cm, < 3 cm), stage (pTa, T1), concomitant carcinoma in situ (pTis) and number of tumors (single, multiple) were also assessed. Univariate and multivariate models were employed. In addition, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare recurrence- and progression-free survival between the groups. Results A total of 192 patients were included (144 with primary and 48 with non-primary tumors). The rates of recurrence and progression for patients with primary tumors were 27.8% and 12.5%, respectively. The corresponding percentages for patients with non-primary tumors were 77.1% and 33.3%, respectively. The latter group of patients displayed significantly higher probabilities of recurrence (p=0.000; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.067 to 18.804) and progression (p=0.002; 95% CI, 1.609 to 7.614) in a univariate logistic regression analysis. Previous bladder cancer history remained significant in the multivariate model accounting for history, age, gender, tumor size, number of tumors, stage and concomitant pTis (p=0.000; 95% CI, 4.367 to 21.924 and p=0.002; 95% CI, 1.611 to 8.182 for recurrence and progression respectively). Kaplan-Meier curves revealed that the non-primary group hadreduced progression- and recurrence-free survival. Conclusion Previous non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer history correlates significantly with recurrence and progression in patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive disease treated with adjuvant BCG. © 2015 by the Korean Cancer Association

The Effects of Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention on Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients: A Non-randomized Controlled Trial

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder that affects a considerable percentage of the global population, mainly middle-aged women. IBS causes a constellation of symptoms with repercussions on patients’ physical, psychological, and social well-being. Stress seems to play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease as well as in its management. This study evaluated the effects of a novel non-pharmacological 8-week stress management intervention, the Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention (PSAI), in patients with IBS. In this non-randomized controlled trial, 60 IBS patients were assigned to an intervention and a control group. Self-reported questionnaires were used for the evaluation of IBS symptoms and a variety of biopsychological characteristics, pre- and post-intervention. All IBS-related symptoms were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group with 50% of the patients in the intervention group reporting less abdominal pain. The most potent effects of the intervention were observed in anger externalization, anger control, visuospatial memory, information processing speed, verbal memory, sense of coherence, stress, anxiety, and anger internalization. No side effects in the PSAI group were noted. In conclusion, PSAI was beneficial for patients suffering from IBS. Future research should expand and validate the results of this study. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Geochemical evidences of geogenic chromium in Oropos Plain Attica

Summarization: Oropos plain exhibits significant concentrations of Cr(VI) in groundwater. Chemical analysis of soil samples show high concentrations of Cr in soils of Oropos plain. Soil fractionation with liquids of high specific gravity that separate soils into heavy and light fractions and subsequent chemical analysis of the fractions showed that the heavy fraction has extremely high concentrations of Cr (11,965 to 15,583 mg/kg). The mineralogical and chemical analysis of those fractions shows strong evidence of ultramafic rock erosion products. The results support the evidence of geogenic origin of hexavalent chromium in soils and groundwater of Oropos Plain. Management of groundwater in the area would require studies that would delineate the anthopogenic from geogenic contamination.Παρουσιάστηκε στο: 2nd International Conference on Hazardous and Industrial Waste Managemen