Refugee Mobilities and Institutional Changes: Local Housing Policies and Segregation Processes in Greek Cities

Many studies have explored the dynamics of immigrant and refugee settlement at the local level, highlighting that it is actually a two-way process: On the one hand, the local socio-political context specifies the conditions for refugee inclusion, and on the other, migrant mobility leads to the transformation of localities in various ways. In Greek cities, the social practices of local actors have played an important role in the implementation of the immigration policy, where refugees were perceived as a threat to personal and community security. Yet, new forms of social mobilisation and solidarity by individual citizens and community initiatives have worked to alter these attitudes, mitigating tensions and obstacles in refugee acceptance. The article draws on the Greek experience to explore the role and importance of the local socio-political texture in refugee inclusion, shedding light on how it gave rise to various local initiatives that inform refugee allocation as well as urban transformation and institutional change. In methodological terms, the article considers three neighbouring Greek cities as case studies to identify the different institutional and policy responses to refugee accommodation, giving rise to different paths and forms of social inclusion. The study reveals the complexity and context of the social-spatial diversity that refugees face but also the transformation dynamics of local states and civil society.The paper draws on the Greek experience to explore the role and importance of social infrastructure in refugee integration, shedding light on how these qualities, materialized in local initiatives for refugee integration to influence urban transformation and institutional change. In methodological terms, the paper employs three small and medium-size Greek cities as case studies to identify the different institutional and policy responses to refugee accommodation followed, giving rise to different paths and forms of social inclusion and urban transformation. The study reveals the complexity and the contextuality of the social spatial diversity that refugees face but also the transformation of local states and civil society

Comparison of Transepidermal Water Loss and Laser Scanning Microscopy Measurements to Assess Their Value in the Characterization of Cutaneous Barrier Defects

The exact qualitative and quantitative analysis of wound healing processes is a decisive prerequisite for optimizing wound care and for therapy control. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) measurements are considered to be the standard procedure for assessing the progress of epidermal wound healing. The damage to the stratum corneum correlates with an increased loss of water through the skin barrier. This method is highly susceptible to failure by environmental factors, in particular by temperature and moisture. This study was aimed at comparing TEWL measurements and in vivo laser scanning microscopy (LSM) for the characterization of the epidermal wound healing process. LSM is a high-resolution in vivo method permitting to analyze the kinetics and dynamics of wound healing at a cellular level. While the TEWL values for the individual volunteers showed a wide scattering, LSM permitted the wound healing process to be clearly characterized at the cellular level. However, a comparison between the two methods was very difficult, because the results provided by LSM were images and not numerical. Therefore, a scoring system was set up which evaluates the stages of wound healing. Thus, the healing process could be numerically described. This method is independent of any environmental factors. Providing morphologically qualitative and numerically quantitative analyses of the wound healing process and being far less vulnerable to failure, LSM is advantageous over TEWL

Caring for your community: A manual for botanic gardens

This manual represents the results of a recent study which is part of BGCI’s Communities in Nature initiative: an ongoing strategic programme that began in 2009 with the overall aim of supporting botanic gardens to grow their social role. Growing a social role involves ‘botanic gardens developing their commitment to working with their local communities on common issues of social and environmental importance, for the enduring benefit of those communities, the gardens themselves, and towards a sustainable future for our planet’ (Vergou and Willison, 2013). Such a role is inherently linked with achieving social justice and social inclusion – and that, as Cameron (2006) explains, is usually understood in relation to social exclusion as defined by Walker and Walker (1997, p.8) as ‘the dynamic process of being shut out, fully or partially, from any of the social, economic, political and cultural systems which determine the social integration of a person in society.’ Over the years through Communities in Nature it became apparent that botanic gardens do already address social issues, but that they are often unable to clearly articulate the importance of the work they do and the wider impact they have on society. This manual aims to address this gap. The nature of social issues, or problems, is an area that sociology, psychology, political sciences and other fields study and attempt to define. For the purposes of this manual we consider social issues to be ‘conditions that are harmful, complex (the solution is unknown) and characterized by a lack of consensus or agreement’

Personality characteristics and profiles of Greek elementary teachers using the sixteen personality factor questionnaire (16PF)

Empirical evidence indicates that a teacher's personality influences the classroom climate, students' behaviors, and their interpersonal relationships. Although the effect of a teacher's personality on students' psychological well-being has long been stressed in many studies, very little is known about the actual personality characteristics of Greek in-service teachers. The purpose of this study was to allocate the characteristics that best describe the personality of Greek elementary school teachers (according to the 16 Cattellian primary factors). Our study belongs in the broader research field aiming at describing and understanding the possible foundations of teachers' behavior. The sample consisted of 138 elementary teachers, who completed a standardized Greek version of the 16PF. Our statistical analysis of one-sample t-test along with an effect size calculation revealed that certain personality characteristics described the Greek elementary teacher and clearly distinguishes them from the normative group of the Greek population. Elementary teachers appear to be quite submissive, cautious, with a tendency to oppose or postpone change. They also scored a low tolerance level against fear and arousal, and high tension levels. Elementary teachers seem to respond to events, ideas, and experiences more with feeling than with thinking and find it difficult to control their feelings, which results in getting upset easily. They also seem to pay little attention to how they may appear to others and generally do what they feel like doing. Elementary teachers also scored low on aspiration level. Possible implications of the results are discussed with reference to students' psychological well-being. ©Freund Publishing House Ltd

Alterations in hearing function of patients with glucose disorders

Objective: To study the prevalence of hearing impairment in patients with various glucose disorders. Patients and methods: A total of 499 individuals were studied, 51 patients with type 1 (TIDM), 188 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), 39 patients with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), and 221 controls. Measurements were performed, blood was drawn, and a relevant questionnaire was completed. Ηearing function was assessed by pure-tone audiometry (PTA) and distortion product otoacustic emissions (DPOAEs). Results: Patients with impaired glucose metabolism (IGM: T2DM or IFG) compared to controls had a higher percentage of abnormal PTA and DPOAEs for both the right (70.2 vs. 56.9% and 40.4 vs. 24.2%, respectively, p 0.05) and lower levels for the right ear (35.3 vs. 56.9% and 13.7 vs. 24.2%, respectively, p < 0.001 and p = 0.044) percentages of abnormal PTA and DPOAEs compared to controls. Logistic regression analysis indicated that independent parameters for abnormal DPOAEs in one or both ears are age, male gender, exposure to noisy environments, and the presence of IGM. Conclusions: Hearing impairment was more prevalent in patients with IGM compared to healthy controls, as assessed by PTA and DPOAEs. Age, male gender, and exposure to noise are other factors that can independently affect hearing ability. Physicians should bear in mind possible defects in hearing ability when dealing with such patients. © 2019, Hellenic Endocrine Society

Alterations in hearing function of patients with glucose disorders

Objective: To study the prevalence of hearing impairment in patients with various glucose disorders. Patients and methods: A total of 499 individuals were studied, 51 patients with type 1 (TIDM), 188 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), 39 patients with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), and 221 controls. Measurements were performed, blood was drawn, and a relevant questionnaire was completed. Ηearing function was assessed by pure-tone audiometry (PTA) and distortion product otoacustic emissions (DPOAEs). Results: Patients with impaired glucose metabolism (IGM: T2DM or IFG) compared to controls had a higher percentage of abnormal PTA and DPOAEs for both the right (70.2 vs. 56.9% and 40.4 vs. 24.2%, respectively, p &lt; 0.001) and the left (74.1 vs. 59.3% and 47.5 vs. 25.4%, respectively, p &lt; 0.001) ear. Patients with TIDM had similar levels for the left ear (54.9 vs. 59.3% and 27.5 vs. 25.4%, respectively, p &gt; 0.05) and lower levels for the right ear (35.3 vs. 56.9% and 13.7 vs. 24.2%, respectively, p &lt; 0.001 and p = 0.044) percentages of abnormal PTA and DPOAEs compared to controls. Logistic regression analysis indicated that independent parameters for abnormal DPOAEs in one or both ears are age, male gender, exposure to noisy environments, and the presence of IGM. Conclusions: Hearing impairment was more prevalent in patients with IGM compared to healthy controls, as assessed by PTA and DPOAEs. Age, male gender, and exposure to noise are other factors that can independently affect hearing ability. Physicians should bear in mind possible defects in hearing ability when dealing with such patients. © 2019, Hellenic Endocrine Society