UPPER QUATERNARY EVOLUTION OF THE NORTHERN ARGOLIS GULF, NAFPLIO AREA

The recent palaeogeographic history of the Gulf of Argolis was studied by means of marine geophysical surveys and sediment sampling for subsequent laboratory analyses. Data interpretation suggests a relatively smooth seafloor gradient, characterized by an amphitheatrical pattern of the sea bottom. Prominent beetling features comprise the Bourtzi islet near Nafplio coast, small ridges in the southern margin of the studied area, and several conical ridges in the central part of the gulf. Four unconformities were identified, defining four different sedimentary units. Granulometry measurements allowed the mapping of present-day seafloor sediment distribution, where fine sediments prevail; the only exception was observed at the eastern coastal areas, where sand con-tent reaches 70%. Contouring of granulometry statistical parameters highlights a NW towards SE transfer of fine-grain sediments. Finally, taking into account the results of the present study and all available information for the broader area, a model for the Upper Quaternary palaeogeographic evolution of the Argolis Gulf was constructed

Impossible protest: noborders in Calais

Since the closure of the Red Cross refugee reception centre in Sangatte, undocumented migrants in Calais hoping to cross the border to Britain have been forced to take refuge in a number of squatted migrant camps, locally known by all as ‘the jungles.’ Unauthorised shanty-like residences built by the migrants themselves, living conditions in the camps are very poor. In June 2009, European ‘noborder’ activists set up a week-long protest camp in the area with the intention of confronting the authorities over their treatment of undocumented migrants. In this article, we analyse the June 2009 noborder camp as an instance of ‘immigrant protest.’ Drawing on ethnographic materials and Jacques Rancière's work on politics and aesthetics, we construct a typology of forms of border control through which to analyse the different ways in which the politics of the noborder camp were staged, performed and policed. Developing a critique of policing practices which threatened to make immigrant protest ‘impossible’, we highlight moments of protest which, through the affirmation of an ‘axiomatic’ equality, disrupted and disarticulated the borders between citizens and non-citizens, the political and non-political

Marine geology data accessibility in the European Framework: The I.G.M.E. participation in the GEO-SEAS project.

Το Ινστιτούτο Γεωλογικών και Μεταλλευτικών Ερευνών, κατά τη διάρκεια περισσοτέρων από 30 χρόνων συμμετοχής σε διάφορα έργα και ερευνητικά προγράμματα, έχει σημαντική δράση στον τομέα της Υποθαλάσσιας Γεωλογίας, με αποτέλεσμα τη συλλογή ενός τεράστιου αριθμού δεδομένων. Για να καταστούν τα δεδομένα αυτά διαθέσιμα στην διεθνή επιστημονική κοινότητα ήταν επιτακτική η ανάγκη τυποποίησης και εναρμόνισής τους. Για το σκοπό αυτό το ΙΓΜΕ, μαζί με 25 ακόμη κέντρα, από 17 χώρες, που διαθέτουν γεωλογικά και γεωφυσικά δεδομένα από τον θαλάσσιο χώρο, συμμετείχε στο έργο GEO  -SEAS    που αφορούσε στη δημιουργία μιας ηλεκτρονικής υποδομής. Οι δράσεις του έργου στόχευαν στο να έχουν οι τελικοί χρήστες τη δυνατότητα αναζήτησης και πρόσβασης σε πανευρωπαϊκά, εναρμονισμένα και σύμφωνα με τα διεθνή πρότυπα δεδομένα υποθαλάσσιας γεωλογίας, μέσω μίας ενιαίας διαδικτυακής πύλης. Όλα τα διαθέσιμα δεδομένα του ΙΓΜΕ εναρμονίστηκαν με βάση τους κανόνες και τα πρότυπα που ορίστηκαν στα πλαίσια του έργου GEO  -SEAS. Παράχθηκαν λεπτομερή  αρχεία μεταδεδομένων που συνοδεύονται από τα αντίστοιχα αρχεία δεδομένων. Η τυποποίηση, εναρμόνιση και διάθεση των δεδομένων, όπως καθορίστηκε μέσα από το έργο    GEO  -SEAS   , είναι σε πλήρη συμφωνία με τις Οδηγίες της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης καθώς και τα πρότυπα που χρησιμοποιούνται σε άλλα προγράμματα διάθεσης δεδομένων σε Ευρωπαϊκές και διεθνής κλίμακες.During more than 30 years of activity and participation in numerous research projects, the Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration of Greece has carried out extensive work in marine geology and a vast amount of data has been collected. In order for those data to be available and used by the international scientific community, a need for standardization and harmonization was imminent. Towards this scope IGME, along with 25 other marine geological and geophysical data centres, located in 17 European maritime countries, participated in the GEO-SEAS project: the implementation of an e-infrastructure. The aim of the project was to enable users to identify, locate and access pan-European, harmonised and federated marine geological and geophysical datasets and derived data products held by the data centres through a single common data portal. All available data have been harmonized according to the GEO-SEAS guidelines and standards. Detailed metadata files were created, accompanied by the corresponding data and additional information files. The standardization, harmonization and provision of data and metadata, carried out through the GEO-SEAS project, are aligned with European directives and recent large-scale framework programs on global and European scales.

Higgs bosons near 125 GeV in the NMSSM with constraints at the GUT scale

We study the NMSSM with universal Susy breaking terms (besides the Higgs sector) at the GUT scale. Within this constrained parameter space, it is not difficult to find a Higgs boson with a mass of about 125 GeV and an enhanced cross section in the diphoton channel. An additional lighter Higgs boson with reduced couplings and a mass <123 GeV is potentially observable at the LHC. The NMSSM-specific Yukawa couplings lambda and kappa are relatively large and tan(beta) is small, such that lambda, kappa and the top Yukawa coupling are of order 1 at the GUT scale. The lightest stop can be as light as 105 GeV, and the fine-tuning is modest. WMAP constraints can be satisfied by a dominantly higgsino-like LSP with substantial bino, wino and singlino admixtures and a mass of ~60-90 GeV, which would potentially be detectable by XENON100.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure

A(1)ATVar: A Relational Database of Human SERPINA1 Gene Variants Leading to alpha(1)-Antitrypsin Deficiency and Application of the VariVis Software

We have developed a relational database of human SERPINA1 gene mutations, leading to a,antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency, called A(1)ATVar, which can be accessed over the World Wide Web at www.goldenhelix.org/A1ATVar. Extensive information has been extracted from the literature and converted into a searchable database, including genotype information, clinical phenotype, allelic frequencies for the commonest AAT variant alleles, methods of detection, and references. Mutation summaries are automatically displayed and user-generated queries can be formulated based on fields in the database. A separate module, linked to the FINDbase database for frequencies of inherited disorders allows the user to access allele frequency information for the three most frequent AAT alleles, namely PiM, PiS, and PiZ. The available experimental protocols to detect AAT variant alleles at the protein and DNA levels have been archived in a searchable format. A visualization tool, called VariVis, has been implemented to combine A(1)ATVar variant information with SERPINA1 sequence and annotation data. A direct data submission tool allows registered users to submit data on novel AAT variant alleles as well as experimental protocols to explore SERPINA1 genetic heterogeneity, via a password-protected interface. Database access is free of charge and there are no registration requirements for querying the data. The A(1)ATVar database is the only integrated database on the Internet offering summarized information on AAT allelic variants and could be useful not only for clinical diagnosis and research on AAT deficiency and the SERPINA1 gene, but could also serve as an example for an all-in-one solution for locus-specific database (LSDB) development and curation. Hum Mutat 30, 308-313, 2009

On 3D Reconstruction of Porous Media by Using Spatial Correlation Functions

The challenging process of 3D porous media reconstruction from a single 2D image is investigated in this paper. The reconstruction of the 3D model is based on the statistical information derived from a 2D thin image of the material, by applying a spatial correlation function. For the first time, this paper reviews the commonly used auto-correlation functions for material characterization and discusses their properties making them useful for 3D porous media reconstruction. A set of experiments is conducted in order to analyze the reconstruction capabilities of the studied correlation functions, while some useful conclusions are drawn. Finally, by taking into account the reconstruction performance of the existed correlation functions, some desirable properties that need to be satisfied by an ideal correlation function towards the improvement of the reconstruction accuracy are determined

Identification of cancer predisposition variants in apparently healthy individuals using a next-generation sequencing-based family genomics approach

Cancer, like many common disorders, has a complex etiology, often with a strong genetic component and with multiple environmental factors contributing to susceptibility. A considerable number of genomic variants have been previously reported to be causative of, or associated with, an increased risk for various types of cancer. Here, we adopted a next-generation sequencing approach in 11 members of two families of Greek descent to identify all genomic variants with the potential to predispose family members to cancer. Cross-comparison with data from the Human Gene Mutation Database identified a total of 571 variants, from which 47 % were disease-associated polymorphisms, 26 % disease-associated polymorphisms with additional supporting functional evidence, 19 % functional polymorphisms with in vitro/laboratory or in vivo supporting evidence but no known disease association, 4 % putative disease-causing mutations but with some residual doubt as to their pathological significance, and 3 % disease-causing mutations. Subsequent analysis, focused on the latter variant class most likely to be involved in cancer predisposition, revealed two variants of prime interest, namely MSH2 c.2732T>A (p.L911R) and BRCA1 c.2955delC, the first of which is novel. KMT2D c.13895delC and c.1940C>A variants are additionally reported as incidental findings. The next-generation sequencing-based family genomics approach described herein has the potential to be applied to other types of complex genetic disorder in order to identify variants of potential pathological significance

In the wake of austerity: social impact bonds and the financialisation of the welfare state in Britain

This paper provides an analysis of the financialisation of the British welfare state. In a continuation of neo-liberal privatisation and labour market activation, the financialised welfare state pursues a policy of welfare retrenchment, while engaging in forms of social engineering aimed at producing self-responsibilised individuals and communities who are financially literate, ‘investment-ready’ and economically productive. New financial instruments such as social impact bonds are deployed to these ends, both to ‘solve social problems’ and enable cost saving. Through the use of such financial instruments, the implementation of regulatory infrastructures and tax incentives, the financialised welfare state becomes a vehicle for the transfer of wealth from the public to private investors, while subjecting the domain of social policy to the vicissitudes of global financial markets. This paper offers a critique of these developments, situating the case of Britain within the broader global context and with regard to the implications for understanding the current political economy of the welfare state