Social and Ecological Floods in the Attica Basin

Urbanization without industrialization, which is observed among others in many African countries and causes severe damage in the social system, leads to absolute or disguised dictatorships. This proportionally applies to the Attica basin, which counts up to 40% of the Greek population and 48% of the GDP. Marianne Fay and Charlotte Opal, in their article written for the World Bank entitled “Urbanization without Growth: A not so uncommon phenomenon”, highlight these phenomena in African countries, of course with significant differences between them, but also with similarities. In Greece, many similarities with these countries are also observed

Products and Markets – The Activities of the Imperial Guilds of Constantinople

AbstractIn the present paper the questions that are covered concern specific entrepreneurial aspects of the imperial guilds in Constantinople of the 10th century. The mentioned aspects are dealing first with the products and services offered by the guilds and secondly with the places, streets and areas where the guild members allowed to do their business. All this information is stated in the Book of the Eparch (BE) or Book of the Prefect («Tο Eπαρχικóν Bιβλίον»). Accordingly we are analyzing first the structure and quantity of the products / services mentioned in the Book of Eparch (BE) and next we are mentioning the used locations prescribed by the Prefect himself. Therefore the investigation analyses the products / services as well as the places connected with each of the products and services that are sold there

Inequality and Incentives: The Quasi-Natural Experiment of Hungary, 1914-2008

We construct the first top income share series of a formerly socialist economy before, during, and after socialism in order to exploit the effect of the quasi-natural experiment of the absence of markets on incentives. We investigate top income shares dynamics and the sources of income at the upper tail of the income distribution. Within this setup, we study the effect of capital markets and liberalized wage settings on top income shares. Our estimates show that the introduction of wage-setting decentralization during socialism had a role in increasing the skill premium and income inequality in years prior the transition

Access Control in Industrial Internet of Things

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is an ecosystem that consists of - among others - various networked sensors and actuators, achieving mainly advancements related with lowering production costs and providing workflow flexibility. Introducing access control in such environments is considered to be challenging, mainly due to the variety of technologies and protocols in IIoT devices and networks. Thus, various access control models and mechanisms should be examined, as well as the additional access control requirements posed by these industrial environments. To achieve these aims, we elaborate on existing state-of-the-art access control models and architectures and investigate access control requirements in IIoT, respectively. These steps provide valuable indications on what type of an access control model and architecture may be beneficial for application in the IIoT. We describe an access control architecture capable of achieving access control in IIoT using a layered approach and based on existing virtualization concepts (e.g., the cloud). Furthermore, we provide information on the functionality of the individual access control related components, as well as where these should be placed in the overall architecture. Considering this research area to be challenging, we finally discuss open issues and anticipate these directions to provide interesting multi-disciplinary insights in both industry and academia

Vaspin: a novel adipokine, member of the family of serine protease inhibitors

In 2000, the novel adipokine vaspin, which belongs to the superfamily of serpins, was isolated from visceral adipose tissue. Vaspin is mainly produced in the visceral adipose tissue and is related to insulin resistance, blood glucose levels, sex hormones (women have higher levels compared to men) and nutritional status. Moreover, vaspin levels are modulated by weight loss and several agents, and it possibly constitutes a connecting link between obesity and its associated metabolic disorders. Many patients with polycystic ovary syndrome have insulin resistance, obesity (mostly visceral) and glucose intolerance, conditions associated with abnormalities in the production of vaspin. The role of vaspin in the regulation of human metabolism is unclear at present, but it appears that vaspin might represent a novel marker of obesity and insulin resistance. However, the controversial findings of existing studies on vaspin stress the need for further research in women with obesity and metabolic disorders in order to elucidate the role of this adipokine in these diseases and particularly in the polycystic ovary syndrome

Web Application Programming Interfaces (APIs): general-purpose standards, terms and European Commission initiatives

From their inception, digital technologies have had a huge impact on our everyday life. In both the private and the public sectors, they have contributed to, or at times driven, change in organisational structures, ways of working, and how products and services are shaped and shared. Governments and public administration units, driven by the digital evolution of information and communications technology (ICT), are evolving from traditional workflow-based public service provisions to digital equivalents (e-government), with more innovative forms of government and administration looking for the engagement of citizens and the private sector to co-create final services through user-centric approaches. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), which are one of the most relevant ICT solutions, have contributed to this notable shift in the adoption of technology, especially when used over the web. They have affected the global economy of the private sector and are contributing to the digital transformation of governments. To explore this in more detail, the European Commission recently started the APIs4DGov study. One of the outputs of the study is an analysis of the API technological landscape, including its related standards and technical specifications for general purpose use. The goal of the analysis presented in this brief report is to support the definition of stable APIs for digital government services adopted by governments or single public administration units. Such adoption would avoid the need to develop ad hoc solutions that could have limited scalability or potential for reuse. Instead, the work suggests that we should consider a number of existing standards provided by standardisation bodies or, at least, technical specifications written by well-recognised consortia, vendors or users. The aim of this report is also to support API stakeholders in the identification and selection of such solutions. To do this, it first gives a series of definitions to help the reader understand some basic concepts, as well as related standards and technical specifications. Then, it presents the description and classification (by resource representation, security, usability, test, performance and licence) of the standards and technical specifications collected. A shortlist of these documents (based on their utilisation, maintenance and stability) is also proposed, together with a brief description of each of them. Finally, the report provides a useful glossary with definitions of the relevant terms we have collected so far within the APIs4DGov study.JRC.B.6-Digital Econom

AGREE-S : AGREE II extension for surgical interventions - United European Gastroenterology and European Association for Endoscopic Surgery methodological guide

The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument has been developed to inform the methodology, reporting and appraisal of clinical practice guidelines. Evidence suggests that the quality of surgical guidelines can be improved, and the structure and content of AGREE II can be modified to help enhance the quality of guidelines of surgical interventions. To develop an extension of AGREE II specifically designed for guidelines of surgical interventions. In the tripartite Guideline Assessment Project (GAP) funded by United European Gastroenterology and the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery, (i) we assessed the quality of surgical guidelines and we identified factors associated with higher quality (GAP I); (ii) we applied correlation analysis, factor analysis and the item response theory to inform an adaption of AGREE II for the purposes of surgical guidelines (GAP II); and (iii) we developed an AGREE II extension for surgical interventions, informed by the results of GAP I, GAP II, and a Delphi process of stakeholders, including representation from interventional and surgical disciplines; the Guideline International Network (GIN); the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group; the Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research (EQUATOR) initiative; and representation of surgical journal editors and patient/public. We developed AGREE-S, an AGREE II extension for surgical interventions, which comprises 24 items organized in 6 domains; Scope and purpose, Stakeholders, Evidence synthesis, Development of recommendations, Editorial independence, and Implementation and update. The panel of stakeholders proposed 3 additional items: development of a guideline protocol, consideration of practice variability and surgical/interventional expertise in different settings, and specification of infrastructures required to implement the recommendations. Three of the existing items were amended, 7 items were rearranged among the domains, and one item was removed. The domain Rigour of Development was divided into domains on Evidence Synthesis and Development of Recommendations. The new domain Development of Recommendations incorporates items from the original AGREE II domain Clarity of Presentation. AGREE-S is an evidence-based and stakeholder-informed extension of the AGREE II instrument, that can be used as a guide for the development and adaption of guidelines on surgical interventions

Exploring the Effectiveness of Self-Management Interventions in Type 2 Diabetes:A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Background: Chronic diseases are a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. In response to this challenge, self-management interventions (SMIs) have emerged as an essential tool in improving patient outcomes. However, the diverse and complex nature of SMIs pose significant challenges in measuring their effectiveness. This work aims to investigate the comparative effectiveness of SMIs on Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) outcomes. Methods: A rigorous analytical framework was employed to assess the relative effectiveness of different SMIs, encompassing both pairwise and network meta-analysis (NMA), as well as component network meta-analysis (CNMA). Various outcomes were considered, including glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) control, body mass index (BMI) reduction and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Visualization tools were also utilized to enhance the interpretation of results. Results: SMIs were found promising in improving clinical outcomes and patient-reported measures. However, considerable heterogeneity and inconsistency across studies challenged the validity of NMA results. CNMA along with various visualization tools offered insights into the contributions of individual SMI components, highlighting the complexity of these interventions. Discussion/Conclusions: SMIs represent a valuable approach to managing chronic conditions, but their effectiveness is context-dependent. Further research is needed to elucidate the contextual factors influencing SMI outcomes. This work contributes to a comprehensive understanding of SMIs’ role in T2DM management, aiming to aid decision-makers, clinicians, and patients in selecting tailored interventions.</p

Exploring the Effectiveness of Self-Management Interventions in Type 2 Diabetes:A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Background: Chronic diseases are a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. In response to this challenge, self-management interventions (SMIs) have emerged as an essential tool in improving patient outcomes. However, the diverse and complex nature of SMIs pose significant challenges in measuring their effectiveness. This work aims to investigate the comparative effectiveness of SMIs on Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) outcomes. Methods: A rigorous analytical framework was employed to assess the relative effectiveness of different SMIs, encompassing both pairwise and network meta-analysis (NMA), as well as component network meta-analysis (CNMA). Various outcomes were considered, including glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) control, body mass index (BMI) reduction and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Visualization tools were also utilized to enhance the interpretation of results. Results: SMIs were found promising in improving clinical outcomes and patient-reported measures. However, considerable heterogeneity and inconsistency across studies challenged the validity of NMA results. CNMA along with various visualization tools offered insights into the contributions of individual SMI components, highlighting the complexity of these interventions. Discussion/Conclusions: SMIs represent a valuable approach to managing chronic conditions, but their effectiveness is context-dependent. Further research is needed to elucidate the contextual factors influencing SMI outcomes. This work contributes to a comprehensive understanding of SMIs’ role in T2DM management, aiming to aid decision-makers, clinicians, and patients in selecting tailored interventions.</p