Internal Investigations

Θέμα της παρούσας εργασίας είναι η – κατά το δυνατόν – σφαιρική επισκόπηση των ενδοεταιρικών ερευνών και των εσωτερικών ανακριτικών πράξεων (Internal Investigations) με έμφαση στην εξέτασή τους υπό το πρίσμα της εσωτερικής έννομης τάξης. Η δομή της εργασίας αναλύεται στην καταρχήν παρουσίαση των πρακτικών πτυχών λειτουργίας του μηχανισμού στις έννομες τάξεις που προβλέπεται η διενέργεια εσωτερικών ανακριτικών πράξεων από ιδιώτες και στην ακολούθως επιχειρούμενη θεωρητική προσέγγιση των ενδοεταιρικών ερευνών, ως νομοθετικής επιλογής, που μάλιστα σε ορισμένα ποινικά συστήματα έχει λάβει θεσμική περιωπή, υπό την έννοια της θέσπισης υποχρέωσης για τα νομικά πρόσωπα να καταφεύγουν σε εσωτερικές ανακριτικές πράξεις και στην αναγνώριση ποινικής ευθύνης για την παράλειψη διενέργειας ενδοεταιρικών ερευνών. Η θεωρητική εξέταση των ενδοεταιρκών ερευνών ως θεσμού επικεντρώθηκε στην φύση τους ως έκφανση της εν γένει ιδιωτικοποίησης του Ποινικού Δικαίου και περαιτέρω έγινε προσπάθεια να αναδειχθούν τα αίτια και οι συνέπειες του «εξωπορισμού» της δίωξης του εγκλήματος στην φυσιογνωμία του εκάστοτε ποινικού συστήματος που την υιοθετεί. Το βάρος της διερεύνησης του θεσμού των εσωτερικών ανακριτικών πράξεων δίδεται στο πεδίο έντασης που δημιουργείται μεταξύ της εισαγωγής διατάξεων περί ενδοεταιρικών ερευνών και ειδικότερα των εσωτερικών ανακριτικών πράξεων από ιδιώτες και του υιοθετούμενου από την ελληνική έννομη τάξη ποινικού δόγματος, ενώ το σύνολο της αναπτυχθείσας στην παρούσα προβληματικής διατρέχει το δίπολο ηπειρωτικού – αγγλοσαξονικού νομικού πολιτισμού. Ειδικότερα εξετάζεται η συμβατότητα του θεσμού των Internal Investigations με βασικά υπερασπιστικά δικαιώματα του κατηγορουμένου, όπως το δικαίωμα σιωπής και το δικαίωμα μη αυτοενοχοποίησης, αλλά και η ικανοποίηση της αρχής της αμεροληψίας της δικαστικής Αρχής. Τέλος, γίνεται προσπάθεια να γίνει παράθεση παραδειγμάτων συστημάτων ενδοεταιρικών ερευνών από δύο τουλάχιστον έννομες τάξεις ( ΗΠΑ, Γερμανία), ενώ η υποβολή του θεσμού των Internal Investigations στη βάσανο του ποινικού δόγματος γίνεται αναφορικά με τέσσερις έννομες τάξεις (Ελλάδα, ΗΠΑ, Γερμανία, ΕΔΔΑ).The subject of this thesis is an – as extensive as possible - comprehensive overview of corporate internal investigations with emphasis given on their examination in light of any given internal Legal Order. The structure followed is analyzed in the presentation of the main practical aspects of the internal investigations mechanism, as it develops in the penal systems that recognize the practice of internal investigations as a method to deter corporate crime. The practical presentation is followed by the necessary theoretical approach of such investigations, as a legislative option in numerous criminal systems, which meets institutional recognition in some of them, as an obligation on corporations to develop compliance programs and the criminal liability that is afflicted by their failure to perform effective internal investigations. The theoretical examination of in-house investigations, as an institution, has been focused on their nature as an essential aspect of the privatization of Criminal Law, and it was further attempted to highlight the causes and consequences that the "outsourcing" of criminal prosecution brings in the physiognomy of the criminal system in question. The main interest of examining the institution of internal investigations is put on the field of tension created between the introduction of provisions for intra-company investigations and in particular internal investigations by private individuals versus the criminal doctrine adopted by the national Legal Order, while the unquestionable cultural and theoretical differences between continental and common law have been taken into consideration as well. In particular, the compatibility of the Internal Investigations with the defendant's fundamental rights of defense, such as the right to silence and the right to non-self-incrimination, as well as the principle of impartiality of the judicial authority, is examined thoroughly and an attempt has been made to give examples of inter-company research systems from at least two national Legal Orders (USA, Germany), while Internal Investigations as an institution has been examined in relevance to four jurisdiction systems (Greece, USA, Germany, ECtHR)

Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae (Chlamydophila pneumoniae) DNA in atherosclerotic plaques and its molecular analysis in northern Greece

Objectives: C. pneumoniae responsible for respiratory tract infections has also been assocciated with chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis.The aim of the present study is the detection of C. pneumoniae DNA in various atherosclerotic arteries by a sensitive and specific PCR. In order to investigate whether there is a relation between a specific type and atherosclerosis, genotyping was performed. Methods: The study group consisted of 122 atherosclerotic plaques from patients (mean age 68.4, range 50-89 years old, 95 males and 25 females) with severe atherosclerosis. C. pneumoniae DNA was detected in atherosclerotic plaques by nested «Touchdown» PCR. A second PCR targeting the ygeD-urk intergenic region was performed and PCR products were sequenced.Results: 12.3% of the specimens were positive for C. pneumoniae. Detection rates in specimens of carotid, abdominal, and femoral arteries were 12%, 15.6%, and 10%, respectively. (p = NS). 14 strains were found to have 100% homology with J138, AR39 and TW-183, while one strain had a 23 bp invertible region and revealed 100% homology with the CWL029.Conclusion: Overall, 15/122 (12.3%) atherosclerotic specimens from patients were positive for C. pneumoniae. The strains detected belong to two different types designated as genotype I and II. Genotype I was the prevalent and only one strain had the reverse orientation of the 23bp region in northern Greece

IgIDivA : immunoglobulin intraclonal diversification analysis

Intraclonal diversification (ID) within the immunoglobulin (IG) genes expressed by B cell clones arises due to ongoing somatic hypermutation (SHM) in a context of continuous interactions with antigen(s). Defining the nature and order of appearance of SHMs in the IG genes can assist in improved understanding of the ID process, shedding light into the ontogeny and evolution of B cell clones in health and disease. Such endeavor is empowered thanks to the introduction of high-throughput sequencing in the study of IG gene repertoires. However, few existing tools allow the identification, quantification and characterization of SHMs related to ID, all of which have limitations in their analysis, highlighting the need for developing a purpose-built tool for the comprehensive analysis of the ID process. In this work, we present the immunoglobulin intraclonal diversification analysis (IgIDivA) tool, a novel methodology for the in-depth qualitative and quantitative analysis of the ID process from high-throughput sequencing data. IgIDivA identifies and characterizes SHMs that occur within the variable domain of the rearranged IG genes and studies in detail the connections between identified SHMs, establishing mutational pathways. Moreover, it combines established and new graph-based metrics for the objective determination of ID level, combined with statistical analysis for the comparison of ID level features for different groups of samples. Of importance, IgIDivA also provides detailed visualizations of ID through the generation of purpose-built graph networks. Beyond the method design, IgIDivA has been also implemented as an R Shiny web application. IgIDivA is freely available at https://bio.tools/igidiv

STUDY : Questionnaire for the State of the Art in educating sustainability and heritage

O2 INTELECTUAL OUTPUT Output type: Studies / analysis – Questionnaire development and survey implementation PARTNERS: The University of Belgrade - Faculty of Architecture // Serbia Universita Iuav di Venezia // Italy The University of Cyprus // Cyprus The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki // Greece The University of Seville // Spain Enhancing of Heritage Awareness and Sustainability of Built Environment in Architectural and Urban Design Higher Education Erasmus+ Hersus Proje

Genetic prediction of ICU hospitalization and mortality in COVID-19 patients using artificial neural networks

There is an unmet need of models for early prediction of morbidity and mortality of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). We aimed to a) identify complement-related genetic variants associated with the clinical outcomes of ICU hospitalization and death, b) develop an artificial neural network (ANN) predicting these outcomes and c) validate whether complement-related variants are associated with an impaired complement phenotype. We prospectively recruited consecutive adult patients of Caucasian origin, hospitalized due to COVID-19. Through targeted next-generation sequencing, we identified variants in complement factor H/CFH, CFB, CFH-related, CFD, CD55, C3, C5, CFI, CD46, thrombomodulin/THBD, and A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS13). Among 381 variants in 133 patients, we identified 5 critical variants associated with severe COVID-19: rs2547438 (C3), rs2250656 (C3), rs1042580 (THBD), rs800292 (CFH) and rs414628 (CFHR1). Using age, gender and presence or absence of each variant, we developed an ANN predicting morbidity and mortality in 89.47% of the examined population. Furthermore, THBD and C3a levels were significantly increased in severe COVID-19 patients and those harbouring relevant variants. Thus, we reveal for the first time an ANN accurately predicting ICU hospitalization and death in COVID-19 patients, based on genetic variants in complement genes, age and gender. Importantly, we confirm that genetic dysregulation is associated with impaired complement phenotype.- Pfizer Pharmaceuticals(undefined

Measure representation and multifractal analysis of complete genomes

This paper introduces the notion of measure representation of DNA sequences. Spectral analysis and multifractal analysis are then performed on the measure representations of a large number of complete genomes. The main aim of this paper is to discuss the multifractal property of the measure representation and the classification of bacteria. From the measure representations and the values of the $D_{q}$ spectra and related $C_{q}$ curves, it is concluded that these complete genomes are not random sequences. In fact, spectral analyses performed indicate that these measure representations considered as time series, exhibit strong long-range correlation. For substrings with length K=8, the $D_{q}$ spectra of all organisms studied are multifractal-like and sufficiently smooth for the $C_{q}$ curves to be meaningful. The $C_{q}$ curves of all bacteria resemble a classical phase transition at a critical point. But the 'analogous' phase transitions of chromosomes of non-bacteria organisms are different. Apart from Chromosome 1 of {\it C. elegans}, they exhibit the shape of double-peaked specific heat function.Comment: 12 pages with 9 figures and 1 tabl

HERSUS Project and Digital sharing platform [1st prize, 31. International Urban Planners' Exhibition]

ХЕРСУС (Јачање свести о наслеђу и одрживости грађене средине у високошколском образовању у домену архитектонског и урбанистичког пројектовања) је Еразмус+ стратешко партнерство за високо образовање које окупља пет универзитета из Србије, Италије, Кипра, Грчке и Шпаније који заједно раде на дизајну и развоју курсева уз дисеминацију знања кроз семинаре, радионице и заједнички изграђену платформу дељења. ХЕРСУС платформа дељења је дигитална платформа за истраживаче и студенте замишљена као образовно средство и архива ресурса о темама одрживости и свести о наслеђу у архитектури и урбанизму. Платформа је дизајнирана и развијена као извор референци и инспирације када се ради о истраживањима у областима које пројекат ХЕРСУС има за циљ да истражи. У платформи се стварају везе између наизглед удаљених тема, показујући основне наративе, везе и преклапања која спајају садржаје на различитим просторним и друштвеним нивоима.HERSUS (Enhancing of Heritage Awareness and SustainaЬility of Built Environment in Architectural and Urban Design Higher Education) is Erasmus + Strategic Partnerships for higher education which brings together five Universities from SerЬia, ltaly, Cyprus, Greece, and Spain working together оп the design and development of the courses while disseminating knowledge through international training courses, workshops, and а jointly built Sharing Platform. The HERSUS Sharing Platform is а digital platform for researchers and students conceived as ап educational tool and archive of resources around the topics of sustainaЬility and heritage awareness in architecture and urban design. The platform has been designed and developed as а source of reference and inspiration to refer to when doi ng research in the fields that the HERSUS project aims to investigate. ln the platform, links аге created between apparently distant subjects, showing underlying narratives, connections and overlappings that bring contents together оп different levels.ПРВА НАГРАДА 31. Међународног Салона Урбанизма у категорији Дигиталне технике, дизајн и продукција у урбанизму и архитектури / 1st prize at the 31st International Urban Planners Exhibition in category Digital techniques, design and production in architecture and urbanis

Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020

We show the distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) genetic clades over time and between countries and outline potential genomic surveillance objectives. We applied three genomic nomenclature systems to all sequence data from the World Health Organization European Region available until 10 July 2020. We highlight the importance of real-time sequencing and data dissemination in a pandemic situation, compare the nomenclatures and lay a foundation for future European genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2

Τα ψηφιακά κόμικς ως μέσο συναισθηματικής έκφρασης και ανάπτυξης της κοινωνικής παρουσίας μαθητών Γυμνασίου σε πλαίσιο εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευσης.

Στην σημερινή εποχή της ψηφιακής κουλτούρας, προβάλλεται ως επιτακτική η ανάγκη αναδιαμόρφωσης των εκπαιδευτικών πρακτικών, πολύ περισσότερο όσον αφορά την εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση. Ταυτόχρονα, οι σημερινοί μαθητές παρουσιάζονται ολοένα και πιο απαιτητικοί με αποτέλεσμα να συνιστά μια πρόκληση για τον εκπαιδευτικό να τους ενθαρρύνει να συμμετέχουν στη μαθησιακή διαδικασία και, τελικά, να αυξήσει τα κίνητρά τους για μάθηση. Η έρευνα που παρουσιάζεται αποτελεί μια πρόταση για το μάθημα της Νεοελληνικής Γλώσσας για την Β’ Γυμνασίου, όπου όλες οι δραστηριότητες λαμβάνουν χώρα εξ αποστάσεως σε ένα διαδικτυακό εκπαιδευτικό περιβάλλον με μαθητές οι οποίοι δεν γνωρίζονται μεταξύ τους. Σκοπός της έρευνας ήταν η ανταλλαγή κοινών βιωμάτων των μαθητών και η δημιουργία κοινών νοημάτων, μέσω της διαδικασίας κατασκευής και διαμοιρασμού ψηφιακών κόμικς. Βασική προϋπόθεση ωστόσο για την επιτυχία ενός τέτοιου διαδικτυακού εκπαιδευτικού περιβάλλοντος, ήταν η διασφάλιση της κοινωνικής παρουσίας από το μοντέλο της Κοινότητας Διερεύνησης (Community of Inquiry). Για την επίτευξη υψηλών δεικτών κοινωνικής παρουσίας αποφασίστηκε οι μαθητές να δημιουργήσουν και να κοινοποιήσουν μια ψηφιακή αφήγηση, η οποία αφορούσε σε ένα προσωπικό τους βίωμα, ώστε να αναπτύξουν συναισθήματα σύνδεσης και συσχέτισης με τους υπόλοιπους μαθητές, με γνώμονα τις κοινές τους εμπειρίες. Τα βασικά ερευνητικά ερωτήματα που τέθηκαν αφορούν το βαθμό της συναισθηματικής έκφρασης των μαθητών μέσω της ψηφιακής αφήγησης, την εγκαθίδρυση της κοινωνικής παρουσίας μέσω των ψηφιακών κόμικς και, τέλος, την συσχέτιση των κατασκευασμάτων των μαθητών και της συζήτησης που αναπτύσσεται στην πορεία. Η μελέτη των δεδομένων διαρθρώθηκε σε δύο φάσεις: στην ανάλυση των ψηφιακών κόμικς των μαθητών διαμέσου της μεθόδου ανάλυσης περιεχομένου και στην αποτίμηση της κοινωνικής παρουσίας βάσει του προτύπου ανάλυσης των εισηγητών του μοντέλου της Κοινότητας Διερεύνησης. Τα ευρήματα της έρευνας ανέδειξαν την επιτυχία της ψηφιακής αφήγησης ως μέσο συναισθηματικής έκφρασης των μαθητών και, ταυτόχρονα, την άμεση συσχέτισή της με την εγκαθίδρυση της κοινωνικής παρουσίας σε ένα διαδικτυακό εκπαιδευτικό περιβάλλον.In today's age of digital culture, there is an urgent need to reshape educational practices, much less in distance education. At the same time, today's students are becoming more and more demanding, making it a challenge for the teacher to encourage them to participate in the learning process and, ultimately, to increase their motivation to learn. The research presented is a proposal for the Modern Greek Language course for the Secondary School, where all the activities take place remotely in an online educational environment with students who do not know each other. The aim of the research was to exchange common experiences of students and create common meanings through the process of constructing and sharing digital comics. However, a key condition for the success of such an online educational environment was to ensure social presence by the Community of Inquiry model. In order to achieve high social presence indicators, the students was decided to create and share a digital narrative, which was about a personal experience, in order to develop feelings of connection and correlation with other students, based on their shared experiences. The main research questions raised are the degree of students' emotional expression through digital storytelling, the establishment of social presence through digital comics and, finally, the correlation between student constructions and the discussion that takes place along the way. The study of the data was structured in two phases: in the analysis of the students' digital comics through the content analysis method and in the evaluation of the social presence based on the analysis model of the Community of Inquiry. The research findings highlighted the success of digital storytelling as a means of students' emotional expression and, at the same time, its direct correlation with the establishment of social presence in an online educational environment