Βελτιώνοντας τη μάθηση στη θαλάσσια βιολογία: εκπαιδευτικές προτάσεις.

Το θαλάσσιο οικοσύστημα συνίσταται από τους ωκεανούς, τις θάλασσες και τις παρακείμενες αυτών παράκτιες περιοχές καταλαμβάνοντας το μεγαλύτερο ποσοστό της επιφάνειας της γης (≈71%). Όπως είναι αναμενόμενο η παρουσία του επηρεάζει σε σημαντικό βαθμό την καθημερινή ζωή των ανθρώπων είτε άμεσα είτε έμμεσα ενώ τα οφέλη που τους προσφέρει σε περιβαλλοντικό, κοινωνικό και οικονομικό επίπεδο θεωρούνται ανεκτίμητης αξίας. Ως εκ τούτου καθίσταται επιτακτική η ανάγκη οι μαθητές ως αυριανοί πολίτες να γίνουν κοινωνοί βασικών γνώσεων αναφορικά με το θαλάσσιο οικοσύστημα ιδιαιτέρως στις μέρες μας όπου απειλείται σε μεγάλο βαθμό. Ένα από τα μέσα που έχει στη διάθεσή της η εκάστοτε πολιτεία για την εκπλήρωση του παραπάνω σκοπού είναι το σύστημα της τυπικής της εκπαίδευσης και συγκεκριμένα η διαμόρφωση ενός Αναλυτικού Προγράμματος Σπουδών (λατινικός όρος curriculum) το οποίο οφείλει να ικανοποιεί τόσο τις απαιτήσεις της κοινωνίας όσο και τις ανάγκες των μαθητών. Στο σημείο αυτό αξίζει να σημειωθεί πως όσον αφορά στην εστίαση σε θέματα θαλάσσιας βιολογίας, το αναλυτικό πρόγραμμα σπουδών τόσο της Ελλάδας όσο και του εξωτερικού παρουσιάζει σημαντικές ελλείψεις. Εάν επικεντρωθούμε μάλιστα στη χώρα μας, προκαλεί εντύπωση το γεγονός πως παρόλο που η θάλασσα συνιστά αναπόσπαστο στοιχείο της ελληνικής γεωγραφίας, αναφορές στη θαλάσσια βιολογία παρουσιάζονται από μηδενικό έως ελάχιστο βαθμό στα σχολικά εγχειρίδια κάτι το οποίο διατηρεί το αντίστοιχο γνωστικό υπόβαθρο των μαθητών χαμηλό. Λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τα παραπάνω, στην παρούσα εργασία επιχειρείται ο σχεδιασμός ενός εργαστηριακού οδηγού ο οποίος απευθύνεται σε εκπαιδευτικούς της ειδικότητας ΠΕ 04 των Α’ και Γ΄ τάξεων του γυμνασίου. Προτείνεται να αξιοποιηθεί στα πλαίσια της τυπικής εκπαίδευσης ενώ απαρτίζεται από οκτώ δραστηριότητες οι οποίες προσεγγίζουν ποικίλλες διαστάσεις του θαλάσσιου οικοσυστήματος και ειδικότερα ορισμένα γεωμορφολογικά, φυσικοχημικά, βιολογικά και οικολογικά του χαρακτηριστικά. Οι διδακτικοί στόχοι του οδηγού προέρχονται στην πλειονότητα τους από επεξεργασία επιλεγμένων στόχων του αναλυτικού προγράμματος σπουδών της βιολογίας γυμνασίου κατά τέτοιον τρόπο ώστε να εξειδικεύονται σε ζητήματα θαλάσσιας βιολογίας. Μέσα από την υλοποίηση του εργαστηριακού οδηγού οι μαθητές αναμένεται να γνωρίσουν κύριες έννοιες του θαλάσσιου οικοσυστήματος. Μια πληθώρα διδακτικών εργαλείων έχει επιστρατευτεί για το σχεδιασμό των δραστηριοτήτων του οδηγού οι οποίες έχουν σχεδιαστεί κατά τέτοιον τρόπο ώστε να εκτελούνται μέσα σε μία ή δυο διδακτικές ώρες. Οι αναλυτικές και σαφείς οδηγίες που πλαισιώνουν τις δραστηριότητες σε συνδυασμό με το πλούσιο φωτογραφικό υλικό που παρατίθενται αναμένεται να διευκολύνουν την εν λόγω διαδικασία. Τα υλικά και τα μέσα που χρησιμοποιούνται δε θέτουν σε κίνδυνο την υγεία και την ασφάλεια των μαθητών ενώ είναι οικονομικά προσιτά. Η πρακτική εφαρμογή του συγκεκριμένου εργαστηριακού οδηγού κρίνεται αναγκαία για την αξιολόγησή του ως μαθησιακό και διδακτικό εργαλείο. Σε περίπτωση που ο αντίκτυπος που έχει στα παραπάνω επίπεδα είναι θετικός θα μπορέσει να αξιοποιηθεί τόσο στη βελτίωση του αναλυτικού προγράμματος σπουδών για μια πιο εστιασμένη και εκτενή προβολή της θαλάσσιας βιολογίας όσο και ως υλικό προετοιμασίας των μαθητών πριν από σχολικές επισκέψεις σε φορείς της μη τυπικής εκπαίδευσης όπως είναι τα θαλάσσια πάρκα και τα ενυδρεία. Σε ένα γενικότερο πλαίσιο ο εργαστηριακός οδηγός ενδεχομένως να δώσει το έναυσμα για το σχεδιασμό περισσότερων εκπαιδευτικών προτάσεων αναφορικά με ζητήματα της θαλάσσιας βιολογίας οι οποίες να απευθύνονται σε μαθητές διαφορετικών ηλικιών.The marine ecosystem, including every part of the oceanic regime (i.e., open oceans, coastal seas, and enclosed sea waters), covers the highest percentage of the earth surface (≈71%). As expected, it significantly influences peoples’ daily life directly or indirectly, while the positive outcomes that offers them on an environmental, social and economic level are of priceless value. As a result, there is a crucial need that students (tomorrow’s citizens), acquire main knowledge of the marine ecosystem especially in our days where it is being threatened heavily. One of the means that each and every society has at its disposal for the achievement of the forenamed goal is the typical education system in particular the configuration of a curriculum which should meet both the demands of the society requirements and the students’ needs. At this point it is worth mentioning that focusing on marine biology issues, not only greek but also international curriculum presents significant deficiencies. Considering Greece, although sea water is an inseparable element of our geography, marine biology is covered from a zero to a minimum scale in school manuals something that is imprinted on the cognitive level of students which is low. This project attempts to construct a lab guide which is addressed to science teachers of the first and last grade of secondary school which can be utilized in terms of the typical education. It consists of eight activities which approach diverse dimensions of the marine ecosystem and more particularly some of its geomorphological, physicochemical, biological and ecological characteristics. Most of the lab guide teaching goals are coming from the editing of selected goals of the biology curriculum in a way that they are specialized in marine biology topics. Through the implementation of the guide students are expected to recognize some principle concepts of the marine ecosystem. Several teaching tools have been developed to run activities which are planned in such a way to be finished in one or two teaching hours. The detailed and accurate guidelines which frame the activities in combination with the enriched photo material which is cited are expected to ease the whole process. The material that is used is safe for students’ health and is economically friendly. The implementation of this lab guide is crucial in order to be evaluated as a learning and teaching tool. In case it has a positive impact it can be utilized not only in the enhancement of the curriculum for a more focused and extensive promotion of marine biology, but also as a students’ preparation material before their school excursions to non-formal education institutes such as marine parks and aquariums. In a general frame, the activities of the lab guide may give the stimulus for producing more educational material covering marine biology issues, which could be addressed to students of different ages

AI-based Data Preparation and Data Analytics in Healthcare: The Case of Diabetes

The Associazione Medici Diabetologi (AMD) collects and manages one of the largest worldwide-available collections of diabetic patient records, also known as the AMD database. This paper presents the initial results of an ongoing project whose focus is the application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques for conceptualizing, cleaning, and analyzing such an important and valuable dataset, with the goal of providing predictive insights to better support diabetologists in their diagnostic and therapeutic choices.Comment: The work has been presented at the conference Ital-IA 2022 (https://www.ital-ia2022.it/

Μελέτη και αποτίμηση εγχειρημάτων σιτιστικής, υδατικής και ενεργειακής δημοκρατίας (food, water, energy democracy).

Στο πρώτο μέρος της εργασίας εκτείνεται η θεωρητική της πλαισίωση, όπου γίνεται λόγος για το ποια είναι η προβληματική της εργασίας, πόσο σημαντικό ρόλο έχουν οι ενεργειακοί, οι υδατικοί και οι στιτιστικοί πόροι στην ανθρώπινη διαβίωση, πώς μπορούν οι φυσικοί πόροι να συσχετιστούν με διάφορα εγχειρήματα δημοκρατίας και τις ανανεώσιμες πηγές. Στη συνέχεια, γίνεται αναφορά στους στόχους της χιλιετίας (MDG’s) και τους στόχους αειφόρου ανάπτυξης του ΟΗΕ (UNSDG’s): πότε και γιατί δημιουργήθηκαν, ποια είναι η συνεισφορά τους μέχρι στιγμής, αν και κατά πόσο έχουν επιτευχθεί. Οι στόχοι αυτοί όμως σχετίζονται άμεσα με τη θεωρία του πλέγματος (Food-Water-Energy Nexus). Πιο συγκεκριμένα, πρόκειται για ένα πλέγμα κοινωνικής ασφάλειας, σύμφωνα με τη θεωρία του οποίου οι τρεις αυτοί τομείς είναι αλληλένδετοι και αλληλοεξαρτώμενοι και πρέπει να αντιμετωπίζονται συλλογικά για την επίτευξη της βιώσιμης ανάπτυξης. Στο δεύτερο μέρος ακολουθεί μια επιλογή δέκα συνολικά παραδειγμάτων, τα οποία αποτελούν περιγραφή και αναλύσεις διάφορων περιπτώσεων εφαρμογής τέτοιων εγχειρημάτων σε διάφορες περιοχές στου πλανήτη και αφορούν έναν, δύο ή ακόμη και τους τρεις τομείς του πλέγματος. Κάποιες από αυτές τις δράσεις μπορούν να χαρακηριστούν επιτυχημένες ενώ άλλες είναι εν εξελίξει. Έπειτα, ακολουθεί η διαξαγωγή ενός επιχειρησιακού ελέγχου (PEST, SWOT, CSF) με βάση τα ελληνικά δεδομένα, υποθέτοντας την επιθυμία διοργάνωσης μιας τέτοιας δράσης ή πρωτοβουλίας. Τέλος, ακολουθούν τα συμπεράσματα στα οποία καταλήξαμε με βάση τη μελέτη μας καθώς και ο επίλογος της εργασίας.In the first part of our thesis lies its theoretical framwork, which addresses our main argumentation of how important energy, water and food resources are in human life, how natural resources can be associated with various projects of democracy and renewable sources. Then, reference is made to the MDG's and the UNSDG's goals: when and why they were created, what their contribution so far has been, and whether they have been achieved keeping in mind that these goals are directly related to the Food-Water-Energy Nexus. More specifically, it is a social security grid which supports that these three sectors are interdependent and must be tackled collectively in order to achieve sustainable development. In the second part follows a selection of ten examples, which constitute a selection of various cases of examples of implementation of such ventures in different regions of the planet which affect one, two or even all three nexus sectors. Some of these actions can be characterized as successful while others are still ongoing. Then follows a strategic analysis (PEST, SWOT, CSF) based on Greek data, assuming the desire to organize such an action or initiative. Finally, we gather all the conclusions that we have drawn from our study

Biology and fisheries of the spotted flounder (

Obtaining data to study fish biology can be a challenge if a stock is fished by a variety of gears with different effort units and different selectivity, particularly if these gears only partially overlap in space and time. In this work, we attempted to study the biology of the spotted flounder Citharus linguatula in the Patraikos Gulf and the adjacent central Ionian Sea (eastern Mediterranean) and to evaluate the current fisheries management. We characterized age composition and growth, length-at-maturity, and catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of spotted flounder from the catches of bottom trawls, gillnets and trammel nets for the period autumn 2013–2014. Variation of fish total length, gonadosomatic index, hepatosomatic index and condition factor was analyzed using generalized additive models (GAMs) with regard to sex, date, fishing gear and depth. We also modeled CPUE fluctuations of each gear by date, depth, longitude and latitude using GAMs. Fish age ranged from 1 to 5 years. A slightly allometric growth was documented with females attaining larger sizes than males. Length-at-maturity was 163 mm for females and 169 mm for males. The seasonal change of gonad maturity stages and the gonadosomatic index indicated spawning in late summer-autumn. Changes in length frequencies indicated that recruitment to the fisheries occurred in late spring-early winter in shallow depth (<40 m). The catch composition of trawls and the CPUE model results suggested that the selectivity of this gear should be regulated to reduce catching immature individuals of spotted flounder. The results further indicated that the seasonal trawl closure of the Patraikos Gulf contributes to reduce catching juveniles

Investigation of the Characteristic Properties of Lignin-Modified Bitumen

The main objective of this study was to investigate the characteristic properties of lignin-modified bitumen with different lignin contents. The first step was the characterization of the physicochemical and thermal properties of the kraft lignin powder along with the determination of its microstructure. This was achieved by carrying out an elemental analysis, Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)/Derivative Thermogravimetry (DTG), Fourier Transformation Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Confocal Microscopy. After the latter tests, three (3) blends with different lignin contents (5%, 10% and 15% by weight of bitumen) were produced. Characteristic properties such as penetration, softening point, elastic recovery, force ductility, dynamic viscosity and storage stability were determined for the reference bitumen and the three lignin blends. The main conclusion was that kraft lignin powder hardens the conventional bitumen. Specifically, the addition of 15% lignin to the bitumen hardened the blend to such a degree that the bitumen changed category from 50/70 to 35/50 with respect to EN 12591

N-Terminal Pro-B Type Natriuretic Peptide as a Predictive Biomarker of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia or Death Due to Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Preterm Neonates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Emerging evidence suggests the clinical utility of N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in multiple cardiac and pulmonary abnormalities both in adult and pediatric populations. To date, however, there is no consensus regarding its efficacy for the prediction and severity of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature neonates. The objective of the present meta-analysis was to determine differences in NT-proBNP among neonates that develop BPD or die from BPD and to evaluate if there is relative information on the diagnostic accuracy of the method. Methods: We conducted a systematic search according to the PRISMA guidelines and looked into Medline (1966–2023), Scopus (2004–2023), Clinicaltrials.gov (2008–2023), EMBASE (1980–2023), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials CENTRAL (1999–2022) and Google Scholar (2004–2023) together with the reference lists from included studies. The potential risk of bias encountered in our study was evaluated using the QUADAS -2 tool. Finally, a total of 9 studies met the eligibility criteria, comprising 1319 newborns, from which 397 developed BPD and 922 were unaffected controls. Results: The results retrieved from our meta-analysis showed that newborns suffering from BPD had notably elevated NT-proBNP levels after birth when compared with healthy neonates (SMD 2.57, 95% CI 0.41, 4.72). The summary effect of the AUC meta-analysis showed that NT-proBNP was very accurate in detecting neonates at risk of developing severe BPD or dying from the disease (AUC −0.16, 95% CI −0.23, −0.08). No studies reported data relevant to the sensitivity and/or specificity of the method in diagnosing BPD. Conclusion: Serum NT-proBNP levels represent a potential future biomarker with great diagnostic validity for the prediction of BPD complicating preterm deliveries. The limited amount of studies included and the significant variations in cutoff values and timing of measurement still restrict the application of NT-proBNP as an established clinical biomarker for BPD. The design of larger prospective studies will provide a more representative number of participants and will address the discrepancies in existing literature

The emerging role of convalescent plasma in the treatment of COVID-19

Various agents are currently under evaluation as potential treatments in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Plasma from patients that have overcome COVID-19 infection, referred to as convalescent plasma, is a treatment option with considerable background in viral diseases such as Spanish influenza, H1N1, Ebola, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Although convalescent plasma has historically proven beneficial in the treatment of some viral diseases, its use is still explorative in the context of COVID-19. To date, preliminary evidence from case series is favorable as significant clinical, biochemical improvement and hospital discharge have been reported. A detailed overview of randomized as well non-randomized trials of treatment with convalescent plasma, which have been registered worldwide, is provided in this review. Based on these studies, data from thousands of patients is anticipated in the near future. Convalescent plasma seems to be a safe option, but potential risks such as transfusion-related acute lung injury and antibody-dependent enhancement are discussed. Authorities including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and scientific associations such as the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) and the European Blood Alliance (EBA), have provided guidance into the selection criteria for donors and recipients. A debatable, pivotal issue pertains to the optimal timing of convalescent plasma transfusion. This treatment should be administered as early as possible to maximize efficacy, but at the same time be reserved for severe cases. Emerging risk stratification algorithms integrating clinical and biochemical markers to trace the cases at risk of significant deterioration can prove valuable in this direction. © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health. All rights reserved

The Emerging Role of Convalescent Plasma in the Treatment of COVID-19

Abstract. Various agents are currently under evaluation as potential treatments in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Plasma from patients that have overcome COVID-19 infection, referred to as convalescent plasma, is a treatment option with considerable background in viral diseases such as Spanish influenza, H1N1, Ebola, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Although convalescent plasma has historically proven beneficial in the treatment of some viral diseases, its use is still explorative in the context of COVID-19. To date, preliminary evidence from case series is favorable as significant clinical, biochemical improvement and hospital discharge have been reported. A detailed overview of randomized as well non-randomized trials of treatment with convalescent plasma, which have been registered worldwide, is provided in this review. Based on these studies, data from thousands of patients is anticipated in the near future. Convalescent plasma seems to be a safe option, but potential risks such as transfusion-related acute lung injury and antibody-dependent enhancement are discussed. Authorities including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and scientific associations such as the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) and the European Blood Alliance (EBA), have provided guidance into the selection criteria for donors and recipients. A debatable, pivotal issue pertains to the optimal timing of convalescent plasma transfusion. This treatment should be administered as early as possible to maximize efficacy, but at the same time be reserved for severe cases. Emerging risk stratification algorithms integrating clinical and biochemical markers to trace the cases at risk of significant deterioration can prove valuable in this direction