Study on the use of mobile devices in schools: the case of Greece

This paper presents a reflection on the use of mobile technologies in the classroom in Greece, based on a review of relevant literature, PhD thesis and the case of the 1st Lyceum of Rhodes. Despite several developments, m-learning is far from being part of everyday educational practice. This is in accordance to the level of academic research on m-learning in Greece. Few PhD dissertations focus on mobile learning. However, most Greek universities have postgraduate programs on the use of ICT in education and mobile learning is part of their curriculum, giving hope for the future

Design and Feasibility of Multi-Gb/s Quasi-Serial Vertical Interconnects based on TSVs for 3D ICs

This paper proposes a novel technique to exploit the high bandwidth offered by through silicon vias (TSVs). In the proposed approach, synchronous parallel 3D links are replaced by serialized links to save silicon area and increase yield. Detailed analysis conducted in 90 nm CMOS technology shows that the proposed 2-Gb/s/pin quasi-serial link requires approximately five times less area than its parallel bus equivalent at same data rate for a TSV diameter of 20 um

Design and Testing Strategies for Modular 3-D-Multiprocessor Systems Using Die-Level Through Silicon Via Technology

An innovative modular 3-D stacked multi-processor architecture is presented. The platform is composed of completely identical stacked dies connected together by through-silicon-vias (TSVs). Each die features four 32-bit embedded processors and associated memory modules, interconnected by a 3-D network-on-chip (NoC), which can route packets in the vertical direction. Superimposing identical planar dies minimizes design effort and manufacturing costs, ensuring at the same time high flexibility and reconfigurability. A single die can be used either as a fully testable standalone chip multi-processor (CMP), or integrated in a 3-D stack, increasing the overall core count and consequently the system performance. To demonstrate the feasibility of this architecture, fully functional samples have been fabricated using a conventional UMC 90 nm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor process and stacked using an in-house, via-last Cu-TSV process. Initial results show that the proposed 3-D-CMP is capable of operating at a target frequency of 400 MHz, supporting a vertical data bandwidth of 3.2 Gb/s

Preliminary diagnostic reference levels for endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography in Greece

The main objective of this study was to determine the preliminary Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) in terms of Kerma Area Product (KAP) and fluoroscopy time (Tf) during Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography (ERCP) procedures. Additionally, an investigation was conducted to explore the statistical relation between KAP and Tf. Data from a set of 200 randomly selected patients treated in 4 large hospitals in Greece (50 patients per hospital) were analyzed in order to obtain preliminary DRLs for KAP and Tf during therapeutic ERCP procedures. Non-parametric statistic tests were performed in order to determine a statistically significant relation between KAP and Tf. The resulting third quartiles for KAP and Tf for hospitals (A, B, C and D) were found as followed: KAPA = 10.7 Gy cm^2, TfA = 4.9 min; KAPB = 7.5 Gy cm^2, TfB = 5.0 min; KAPC = 19.0 Gy cm^2, TfC = 7.3 min; KAPD = 52.4 Gy cm^2, TfD = 15.8 min. The third quartiles, calculated for the total 200 cases sample, are: KAP = 18.8 Gy cm^2 and Tf = 8.2 min. For 3 out of 4 hospitals and for the total sample, p-values of statistical indices (correlation of KAP and Tf) are less than 0.001, while for the Hospital A p-values are ranging from 0.07 to 0.08. Using curve fitting, we finally determine that the relation of Tf and KAP is deriving from a power equation (KAP = Tf^1.282) with R^2 = 0.85. The suggested Preliminary DRLs (deriving from the third quartiles of the total sample) for Greece are: KAP = 19 Gy cm^2 and Tf = 8 min, while the relation between KAP and Tf is efficiently described by a power equatio

Concurrent insulinoma and pancreatic adenocarcinoma: report of a rare case and review of the literature

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is the 5th leading cause of cancer-related death in Western countries and insulinomas are rare endocrine neoplasms of the pancreas. The concurrent appearance of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and insulinoma is very rare and to the best of our knowledge has never been reported again. Herein, we present such an occurrence in a 74-year-old man. Resection of a mass in the uncinate process of the pancreas revealed pancreatic adenocarcinoma with severe desmoplastic reaction. Two years later, due to symptomatology persistence the patient was re-examined and a new 2cm mass in the uncinate process was found leading to surgery, which demonstrated a 2cm endocrine islet-cell tumor. Establishing a diagnosis in patients with insulinoma is difficult and the imaging studies still have low sensitivity and specificity except for intra-operative ultrasonography, which is the most accurate method detecting 90% of these lesions

Parathyroid autotransplantation in extensive head and neck resections: case series report

Permanent or temporary hypoparathyroidism may be a debilitating result of radical cervical surgery, as noted most commonly following thyroid or parathyroid surgery. However, it can also be the outcome of any surgical procedure involving bilateral extensive manipulation of the anterior neck triangle, especially in order to ensure oncologically adequate surgical margins

Allosteric Inhibition of Parkinson's-Linked LRRK2 by Constrained Peptides

Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) is a large, multidomain protein with dual kinase and GTPase function that is commonly mutated in both familial and idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (PD). While dimerization of LRRK2 is commonly detected in PD models, it remains unclear whether inhibition of dimerization can regulate catalytic activity and pathogenesis. Here, we show constrained peptides that are cell-penetrant, bind LRRK2, and inhibit LRRK2 activation by downregulating dimerization. We further show that inhibited dimerization decreases kinase activity and inhibits ROS production and PD-linked apoptosis in primary cortical neurons. While many ATP-competitive LRRK2 inhibitors induce toxicity and mislocalization of the protein in cells, these constrained peptides were found to not affect LRRK2 localization. The ability of these peptides to inhibit pathogenic LRRK2 kinase activity suggests that disruption of dimerization may serve as a new allosteric strategy to downregulate PD-related signaling pathways.</p

A rare combination of an endocrine tumour of the common bile duct and a follicular lymphoma of the ampulla of Vater: a case report and review of the literature

Carcinoid tumours of the common bile duct represent an extremely rare entity. Similarly, primary follicular lymphomas of the ampulla of Vater constitute an infrequent neoplasia. Herein, we report the first case of a synchronous development of a carcinoid tumour of the common bile duct and an ampullary follicular lymphoma that was treated surgically with a Whipple's procedure, due to inability to establish definitive preoperative diagnosis despite the extensive diagnostic investigation