Statistical analysis of microarrays

Microarray statistical analysis involves thousands of hypothesis tests to consider at the same time. Empirical Bayes methods which are well-suited for large scale inference problems seem to be the most appropriate approach for microarray data. In this thesis we describe and compare Efron's ([3],[1],[4]) nonparametric empirical statistical analysis and Newton's and Kendziorski'ร ([12]) parametric empirical statistical analysis on microarray data. Both methods estimate Efron's ([3],[1],[4]) local false discovery rate, which identifies interesting genes and provides information about the power of the experiment

Reflexionen über das Bildungsverständnis: Von „Learning: The Treasure Within“ (1996) bis zum nachhaltigen Entwicklungsziel 4 (2015). Eine literaturbasierte Bachelorarbeit, die kritische Punkte aus formalen bildungstheoretischen Perspektiven enthält.

This thesis portrays a literature analysis that reflects on the educational notion promoted by two milestone documents: 1) The Report “Learning: The Treasure Within”, submitted to UNESCO in 1996 by the International Commission on Education for the 21st Century and 2) the Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, more specifically Goal 4 to: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”, unanimously adopted by the United Nations in 2015. The thesis interrogates their understanding of education utilising Klafki’s theory of Categorical Bildung, which endorses a balance between material theories of education (materiale Bildungstheorien), focusing on encyclopedic content, and formal educational theories (formale Bildungstheorien), focusing on the students’ behavior and subjective needs. The thesis illuminates the asymmetry between material and formal education found in the two documents and, referring to critical points from formal Bildung-theoretical perspectives, warns against the dangers of the global promotion of an educational notion that mainly anchors on material Bildung

The use of the biomarkers chlorophylls and carotenoids, for the interpretation of the effects in lemna minor after exposure of two herbicides with different mode of action

The impact of herbicides in aquatic vascular plants is often investigated in toxicity laboratory studies. Lemna minor is a fast growing aquatic vascular plant regularly used as a bioindicator in ecotoxicological dose-response studies. Chlorophylls and carotenoids are among the most commonly used biomarkers when monitoring the effects of toxicants. For this study we chose two herbicides, tritosulfuron and metribuzin, with different modes of action. Tritosulfuron is a sulfonylurea herbicide, an amino acid synthesis inhibitor. Metribuzin, on the other hand, is a triazinone herbicide, a photosystem II inhibitor. In the study we investigated changes in content of photosynthetic pigments, in particular chlorophylls a, b and carotenoids, caused by tritosulfuron and metribuzin in Lemna minor. We also evaluated these changes compared to growth rate (based on frond number) endpoint on this species. The toxicity of the two herbicides was assessed by growth inhibition tests in Lemna minor based on standard OECD protocols (7 day test). Growth inhibition, caused by the two herbicides, was measured daily from day 0 until day 7. The four effect concentrations chosen (EC100, EC75, EC50, EC25), were evaluated from pre-tests. The amounts of chlorophyll a and b as well as carotenoids were measured pectrophotometrically on days 1, 3 and 5 after exposure. Obtained results showed that adverse effects on Lemna minor, based on growth inhibition caused by the herbicides, were not clearly connected with a decrease in chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids content. After exposure to various concentrations of tritosulfuron, Lemna minor chlorophyll and carotenoid content showed a decrease which was more intense as the time of exposure increased. For metribuzin, although there was a decrease in pigment content in high concentration treatments on day 3, on day 5 there was no evident effect in pigment concentrations in any treatment. On the other hand, growth rate was reduced with the increase of the concentration of both herbicides on days 3 and 5; growth rate differed statistically between all concentration treatments, except the lowest concentration. We can conclude that for both herbicides growth rate is a more sensitive endpoint to measure the toxicity than pigments. Moreover, tritosulfuron (the amino acid biosynthesis inhibitor) affects pigment concentration more promptly and more intensely than metribuzin (the photosystem II inhibitor) in concentrations causing similar growth inhibition. Further research on the ways that chlorophylls and carotenoid are affected by these two herbicide categories is necessary

Trans-active factors controlling the IL-2 gene in adult human T-cell subsets

IL-2 secretion in total or subsets of PHA/PMA-stimulated PBMC-derived human T-lymphocytes was monitored and found to be largely due to CD4+CD8− cells. The presence and functional state of transcription factors (TF) was assessed by protein-DNA interaction assays and functional transactivation experiments in the Xenopts oocyte system, modulating IL-2 transcription by injection of proteins. The results reveal that CD4+CD8− cells contain both, functional silencer in their resting, and positive TF in their activated states while the CD4+CD8− group contains only non-functional positive TF. This demonstrates that the on/off switch of IL-2 transcription is based on the same mechanism in primary T-lymphocytes of mouse spleen and in peripheral human CD4+CD8− cells

Αναδρομική μελέτη του προσδόκιμου πενταετούς επιβίωσης ασθενών με χολαγγειοκαρκίνωμα που υπεβλήθησαν σε ενδοσκοπική παλίνδρομη χολαγγειογραφία με τοποθέτηση μεταλλικής ενδοπρόθεσης

Εισαγωγή. Τα χολαγγειοκαρκινώματα είναι σπάνιοι και επιθετικοί όγκοι που κατά την στιγμή της διάγνωσης οι περισσότεροι είναι μη εξαιρέσιμοι. Σκοπός αυτής της μελέτης είναι η καταγραφή του προσδόκιμου επιβίωσης ασθενών μετά την τοποθέτηση μεταλλικής ενδοπρόθεσης με ενδοσκοπική παλίνδρομη χολαγγειοπαγκρεατογραφία. Μέθοδος. Αναδρομική μελέτη καταγραφής 45 ασθενών που νοσηλεύθηκαν στο Γ.Ν.Α «Ιπποκράτειο»(2012-2013) και πληρούσαν τα κριτήρια εισαγωγής στην μελέτη. Αποτελέσματα. . Η μέση ηλικία ήταν 70,5 έτη, με τυπική απόκλιση 14,6 ετών. Η μέση επιβίωση ήταν 9,3 μήνες. .Η χημειοθεραπεία έχει στατιστικά σημαντική προσφορά στην επιβίωση (pvalue=0,022) ενώ και η ο δείκτης χρόνιας ηπατικής βλάβης(MELD) ήταν μικρότερος στην ομάδα της χημειοθεραπείας (p-value=0,022). Δεν υπάρχει στατιστικά σημαντική διαφορά στην επιβίωση ανάμεσα στις ομάδες ανάλογα με την κατάταξη κατά Βismuth.(p-value=0,596). .Η χημειοθεραπεία έχει στατιστικά σημαντική συσχέτιση και με την χολερυθρίνη ξεχωριστά (p-value=0,009) Όσο μικρότερη ήταν η χολερυθρίνη τόσο μεγαλύτερη η επιβίωση.(p-value=0,043) Συμπεράσματα. Για την καλύτερη φροντίδα και θεραπεία των ασθενών με χολαγγειοκαρκινώματα απαιτείται διεπιστημονική προσέγγιση και για να επιτευχθεί πρόοδος στη θεραπεία, οι ασθενείς θα πρέπει να συμπεριληφθούν στις προοπτικές κλινικές δοκιμές για να δοκιμαστούν νέες προσεγγίσεις.Intoduction. Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare and aggressive malignancy that is usually inoperable during diagnosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the survival rate of patients after metal stent placement after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Methods. A retrospective study of 45 patients hospitalized in Hippocration Hospital (2012-2013) and meeting the admission criteria for the study. Results. The mean age was 70.5 years, with a standard deviation of 14.6 years. The mean survival was 9.3 months. Chemotherapy has a statistically significant contribution to survival (p-value = 0.022), and the chronic hepatic impairment index (MELD) was lower in the chemotherapy group (p-value = 0.022). There is no statistically significant difference in survival among groups according to the BismuthCorlette classification (p-value = 0.596). . Chemotherapy has statistically significant correlation with bilirubin alone (p-value = 0.009) The lower the bilirubin the higher the survival (p-value = 0.043) Conclusions. For the optimal care and treatment of patients with cholangiocarcinoma, an interdisciplinary approach is required and in order to achieve progress in therapy, patients should be included in prospective clinical trials to test new approaches

Συμμετοχική χρηματοδότηση: η εξισορρόπηση της χρηματοδότησης των επιχειρήσεων με την προστασία των επενδυτών υπό τον Κανονισμό (ΕΕ) 2020/1503

Στο περιβάλλον της συμμετοχικής χρηματοδότησης ο πιστωτικός κίνδυνος παρουσιάζεται ιδιαίτερα αυξημένος, λόγω της ιδιαίτερης φύσης των συμβαλλόμενων μερών και του πρώιμου σταδίου των χρηματοδοτούμενων επιχειρηματικών εγχειρημάτων. Οι χρηματοδοτούμενες επιχειρήσεις είναι νεοφυείς, με μεγάλη πιθανότητα αποτυχίας, στα αρχικά στάδια του χρηματοδοτικού τους κύκλου, ενώ οι επενδυτές είναι κατά βάση ιδιώτες και μη επαγγελματίες, στερούμενοι τεχνογνωσίας. Οι κίνδυνοι της πληροφοριακής ασυμμετρίας, της αβεβαιότητας ως προς την επιτυχία των χρηματοδοτούμενων εγχειρημάτων και του κόστους αντιπροσώπευσης οξύνονται. Η κατακερματισμένη νομοθετική ρύθμιση της συμμετοχικής χρηματοδότησης στις διάφορες εθνικές έννομες τάξεις δεν έδωσε αποτελεσματική λύση στα προβλήματα αυτά, αλλά προκάλεσε τη δημιουργία άνισων όρων ανταγωνισμού στην ευρωπαϊκή αγορά, εντείνοντας την ανασφάλεια των συμβαλλόμενων μερών. Στο πλαίσιο της ολοκλήρωσης της Ένωσης Κεφαλαιαγορών και με σκοπό την δημιουργία μίας ενιαίας εσωτερικής αγοράς, που ευνοεί την πρόσβαση των μικρομεσαίων επιχειρήσεων σε εναλλακτικές μορφές χρηματοδότησης, την προώθηση των διασυνοριακών υπηρεσιών συμμετοχικής χρηματοδότησης και την ενίσχυση της προστασίας των επενδυτών, η ΕΕ προχώρησε στην εναρμονισμένη ρύθμιση της συμμετοχικής επένδυσης και δανειοδότησης, με την υιοθέτηση του Κανονισμού (ΕΕ) 2020/1503.In the crowdfunding market, credit risk is quite increased due to the particular nature of the contracting parties and the early financing stage of the proposed projects. Project owners are mainly start-ups, with a high probability of failure, and investors are non-sophisticated individuals without technical expertise. The perils of information asymmetry, uncertainty regarding the success of the projects funded and agency cost are alarming. Fragmented national legislative approaches failed to serve as an efficient remedy to the aforementioned dangers; contrarily they created uneven competition terms among member-states, thus increasing the insecurity of all parties involved. To complete the Capital Markets Union (CMU) and to create a single European crowdfunding market, that facilitates access to alternative sources of finance for SMEs, encourages cross-border provision of crowdfunding services and strengthens investor protection, the EU adopted the Regulation (EU) 2020/1503

Prevention of Childhood Obesity: A Position Paper of the Global Federation of International Societies of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (FISPGHAN)

Global childhood obesity increased more than 8-fold over 40 years, inducing a very large personal, societal, and economic burden. Effects of available treatments are less than satisfactory; therefore, effective prevention is of high priority. In this narrative review, we explore preventive opportunities. The available evidence indicates large benefits of improving nutrition and lifestyle during early life, such as promoting breast-feeding and improving the quality of infant and early childhood feeding. Promoting healthy eating patterns and limiting sugar-containing beverage consumption from early childhood onwards are of great benefit. Regular physical activity and limited sedentary lifestyle and screen time alone have limited effects but are valuable elements in effective multicomponent strategies. The home environment is important, particularly for young children, and can be improved by educating and empowering families. School- and community-based interventions can be effective, such as installing water fountains, improving cafeteria menus, and facilitating regular physical activity. Reducing obesogenic risk factors through societal standards is essential for effective prevention and limiting socioeconomic disparity; these may comprise food, drink, and physical activity standards for day cares and schools, general food quality standards, front-of-pack food labeling, taxation of unhealthy foods, restriction of food advertisements to children, and others. Effective prevention of childhood obesity is not achieved by single interventions but by integrated multicomponent approaches involving multiple stakeholders that address children, families, and societal standards. Pediatricians and their organizations should be proactive in supporting and empowering families to support their children's health, and in promoting societal measures that protect children

Digital Storytelling, comics and new technologies in education: review, research and perspectives

This work reviews the current application of one of the most widely used techniques in education around the world: Digital Storytelling (DS), along with comic and animation tools, and presents a study about the Greek educational system as well as posing questions concerning the form of a new study, design, implementation and assessment of educational project across all educational levels. Nowadays, people and students at all educational levels in the developed world are surrounded by multiple electronic media and are familiar with a variety of pictures, video and information from early childhood. The educational process, as it proceeds in parallel with fast technological and societal evolution, tries to smoothly adjust new educational methods without abandoning traditional teaching and moving away from its main aim: the establishment of knowledge