Socioeconomic Status and Health Care Utilization: A Study of the Effects of Low Income, Unemployment and Hours of Work on the Demand for Health Care in the E.U.

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the individual socio-economic status (SES) and demographic determinants of the demand for health care in a cross-comparison study of nine E.U. countries. It focuses on the effects of the individual employment status on alternative indicators of demand for health care that constitutes a largely unexplored area. The evidence supports the existence of an employment status- demand for health care relationship although it varies with respect to the type of health care examined and the institutional and environmental settings of the countries utilised in the study

Are Recessions Harmful to Health After All? Evidence from the European Union

This paper investigates the effects of national unemployment rates on overall age and cause-specific mortality rates in a panel sample of 13 European Union countries. A fixed-effects model is used to control for unobserved time-invariant characteristics within countries. In addition, controls such as lifestyle risk factors, urbanisation and medical intervention indicators, for potential confounders are used. Contrary to some recent evidence this study shows that there is a strong, positive relationship between adverse economic conditions and the mortality

Past Unemployment Experience and Health Status

This paper explores the relationship between individual past unemployment experience and alternative measures of individual health state after controlling for a number of current characteristics and current socio-economic status. Three alternative indicators of past unemployment status are used namely; the number and the duration of past unemployment spells. The study finds a cumulative effect of prolonged past unemployment experience on current individual health status. It also finds that those who are wealthier are also healthier. Finally the different institutional and cultural frameworks prevailing across different E.U countries appear to affect the health - past unemployment experience relationship.European Commission, Fifth Framework Programme “Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources” (contract number: QLRT-2001-02292)

Passively Mobile Communicating Logarithmic Space Machines

We propose a new theoretical model for passively mobile Wireless Sensor Networks. We call it the PALOMA model, standing for PAssively mobile LOgarithmic space MAchines. The main modification w.r.t. the Population Protocol model is that agents now, instead of being automata, are Turing Machines whose memory is logarithmic in the population size n. Note that the new model is still easily implementable with current technology. We focus on complete communication graphs. We define the complexity class PLM, consisting of all symmetric predicates on input assignments that are stably computable by the PALOMA model. We assume that the agents are initially identical. Surprisingly, it turns out that the PALOMA model can assign unique consecutive ids to the agents and inform them of the population size! This allows us to give a direct simulation of a Deterministic Turing Machine of O(nlogn) space, thus, establishing that any symmetric predicate in SPACE(nlogn) also belongs to PLM. We next prove that the PALOMA model can simulate the Community Protocol model, thus, improving the previous lower bound to all symmetric predicates in NSPACE(nlogn). Going one step further, we generalize the simulation of the deterministic TM to prove that the PALOMA model can simulate a Nondeterministic TM of O(nlogn) space. Although providing the same lower bound, the important remark here is that the bound is now obtained in a direct manner, in the sense that it does not depend on the simulation of a TM by a Pointer Machine. Finally, by showing that a Nondeterministic TM of O(nlogn) space decides any language stably computable by the PALOMA model, we end up with an exact characterization for PLM: it is precisely the class of all symmetric predicates in NSPACE(nlogn).Comment: 22 page

Therapeutic Options for the Management of the Cardiorenal Syndrome

Patients with heart failure often present with impaired renal function, which is a predictor of poor outcome. The cardiorenal syndrome is the worsening of renal function, which is accelerated by worsening of heart failure or acute decompensated heart failure. Although it is a frequent clinical entity due to the improved survival of heart failure patients, still its pathophysiology is not well understood, and thus its therapeutic approach remains controversial and sometimes ineffective. Established therapeutic strategies, such as diuretics and inotropes, are often associated with resistance and limited clinical success. That leads to an increasing concern about novel options, such as the use of vasopressin antagonists, adenosine A1 receptor antagonists, and renal-protective dopamine. Initial clinical trials have shown quite encouraging results in some heart failure subpopulations but have failed to demonstrate a clear beneficial role of these agents. On the other hand, ultrafiltration appears to be a more promising therapeutic procedure that will improve volume regulation, while preserving renal and cardiac function. Further clinical studies are required in order to determine their net effect on renal function and potential cardiovascular outcomes. Until then, management of the cardiorenal syndrome remains quite empirical

Fairness Reactions to the Employment Interview

The current research explores applicants’ reactions to the employment interview and how these are associated with core self-evaluations and proactivity along with perceptions of the interviewer and interview’s justice perceptions of post-interview outcomes (behavioral intentions, job attractiveness, and organizational attractiveness). We also explored the role of perceived organizational support (POS) in these relationships. We employ a cross-sectional approach, with the participation of 238 actual job applicants, using a survey methodology. We demonstrated the important role of core self-evaluations in fairness perceptions of the interview, along with the significant role of some interview characteristics, more importantly informativeness and personableness. Finally, applicants’ perceptions of the employer were also strongly associated with interview’s justice perceptions and post-interview outcomes. This is one of the first and very few studies exploring this topic in a non-English culture (in Greece), with actual job applicants, not students

Εναλλακτικοί μέθοδοι πληρωμών στο Ελληνικό ΄΄fintech΄΄ οικοσύστημα. Οι καινοτομίες της νέας ψηφιακής εποχής και η αντίδραση του Ελληνικού καταναλωτικού κοινού.

Η αλματώδης ανάπτυξη της τεχνολογίας έχει οδηγήσει σε πολλές αλλαγές της καθημερινής μας ζωής. Μια από αυτές τις αλλαγές είναι και η παγκόσμια τάση των καταναλωτών να πραγματοποιούν τα τελευταία χρόνια, πληρωμές μέσω των κινητών τους συσκευών (mobile payments). Η συγκεκριμένη αναπτυσσόμενη υπηρεσία αποτελεί επίκεντρο πολλών εταιριών, που προσπαθούν να δώσουν στον χρήστη την αξία που επιζητά μέσα από μια τέτοια διαδικασία. Τα mobile payments ως εναλλακτική λύση στην χρήση μετρητών, επιταγών και καρτών έχουν πολλά οφέλη για τις εταιρίες παρόχους, για τους καταναλωτές αλλά και για τους δέκτες των πληρωμών. Τα μελλοντικά περιθώρια ανάπτυξης της συγκεκριμένης υπηρεσίας είναι μεγάλα και για αυτό το λόγο η συμπεριφορά του καταναλωτή είναι αντικείμενο μελέτης και κλειδί επιτυχίας. Σε ερευνητικό επίπεδο γίνεται εστίαση στον καθορισμό των παραγόντων που επηρεάζουν την πρόθεση των καταναλωτών να αποδεχτούν και να πραγματοποιήσουν πληρωμές μέσω των κινητών τους συσκευών (mobile payments). Η συγκεκριμένη μελέτη αποτελεί μια προσπάθεια καταγραφής και κατανόησης των παραγόντων που επηρεάζουν (αρνητικά ή θετικά) τους Έλληνες καταναλωτές. Για τον λόγο αυτόν λοιπόν μέσα από δευτερογενή έρευνα της βιβλιογραφίας εφαρμόστηκε στην συγκεκριμένη έρευνα μια παραλλαγή του μοντέλου Τ.Α.Μ (technology acceptance model) και έτσι αντλήθηκαν οι βασικοί παράγοντες επιρροής που αποτελούν κύρια στοιχεία του ερευνητικού εργαλείου. Το ερευνητικό εργαλείο της πρωτογενούς έρευνας είναι ένα ερωτηματολόγιο που αποτελείται από είκοσι δύο (22) ερωτήσεις και απαντήθηκε από εκατό τριάντα δύο (132) άτομα. Τα αποτελέσματα που προέκυψαν αναλύθηκαν τόσο μέσω του excel αλλά και του εργαλείου SPSS της IBM. Τα συμπεράσματα που προέκυψαν περιληπτικά είναι ότι η αντιληπτική χρησιμότητα, η αντιληπτική ευκολία χρήσης, η αντιληπτή εμπιστοσύνη, η αντιληπτή ασφάλεια, η αυτό- αποτελεσματικότητα και η αντιληπτή αξιοπιστία είναι παράγοντες θετικής επίδρασης στην πρόθεση χρήσης. Το αντιληπτό κόστος δεν αποτελεί αποτρεπτικό παράγοντα για τους καταναλωτές ενώ ο κίνδυνος είναι παράγοντας που επηρεάζει και προβληματίζει το καταναλωτικό κοινό. Η κοινωνική επιρροή δεν επηρεάζει το κοινό στην πρόθεση για χρήση των mobile payments και τέλος η στάση ως προς την τεχνολογία δίνει ώθηση στα mobile payments και στην εντονότερη πραγματοποίηση τους.The rapid development of technology has led to many changes in our daily lives. One of these changes is the global trend of consumers in recent years to make payments through their mobile devices (mobile payments). This particular service is the focus of many companies in all over the world, trying to give the user the value he seeks through such a process. Mobile payments as an alternative to the use of cash, checks and cards have many benefits for providers, consumers and recipients of payments. The future potential development of this service is large and for this reason consumer behavior is the subject of study and the key to success. At the research level, the focus is on determining the factors that affect consumers' intention to accept and make payments through their mobile devices. This study is an attempt to record and understand the factors that affect (negatively or positively) Greek consumers. For this reason, through secondary research in the literature, a variation of the TAM model (technology acceptance model) was applied to this research and thus the main factors of influence that are the main elements of the research tool were derived. The research tool of the primary research is a questionnaire consisting of twenty-two (22) questions and answered by one hundred and thirty-two (132) people. The results were analyzed using both excel and IBM's SPSS tool. The conclusions drawn briefly are that perceptual utility, perceptual ease of use, perceptible confidence, perceptible security, self - efficacy and perceptible reliability are factors of positive influence on the intention to use. Perceived costs are not a deterrent to consumers, while risk is a factor that affects and concerns the consumer public. The social influence does not affect the public in the intention to use mobile payments and finally the attitude towards technology gives impetus to mobile payments and their intense realization

Turkish political culture and the European Union.

This thesis examines the impact of improving EU-Turkey relations on Turkish political culture since the 1990s. While republican institutions and a multi-party political system were introduced in Turkey by the 1950s, political liberalism was the missing part of Turkey's substantive democratisation. The subject character of Ottoman political culture, compounded by the leading political role of the military and successive military coups, resulted in the consolidation of a republican political culture, which valued submissiveness toward state authority and did not favour citizen participation. The liberal deficit of Turkish politics became apparent with Turkey's decision to pursue membership of the European Union. Turkey's need to comply with the Copenhagen Criteria to achieve the start of EU accession negotiations meant that political liberalisation reforms were inevitable. This study embarks from an examination of the historical background to the political culture debate in Turkey. It then explores European and Turkish political cultures and draws a comparison between them. The core of this study consists of an exploration of the impact that Turkey's EU-motivated political reform had on civil society, state-society relations, the role of religion in politics and national identity. An assessment whether Turkish political culture has become more participant and citizen-centred is attempted in the concluding chapter. The theoretical framework of this thesis is informed by the work of Almond and Verba on civic culture. Historical institutionalist theories of European integration and path dependence theory are also applied to explain the role of the European Union in the liberalisation process of Turkish political culture. Putnam's work on two-level games helps explain the interplay of Turkish and European actors in the process of EU-Turkey negotiations, while his work on 16 social capital points at a feature, which can serve as the acid test for the emergence of a liberal, participant political culture in Turkey

The Case of Greece

Are the healthier wealthier or the wealthier healthier? Three main questions are the focal points of this book: First, how does individual socio-economic and/or occupational status affect the physical and mental health and sense of well-being of older individuals of working age? Second, how does individual socio-economic and/or occupational status affect the ability of older workers to participate in the labour market? And third, how might policy initiatives be developed to enhance the effectiveness of welfare services for the older workforce? The present study provides a critical assessment of the relevant research that is conducted in Greece, with emphasis on the older workforce, in order to provide policy guidelines for future research. The chapter is organized as follows: Section 2 analyses the indicators and the methodological considerations encountered by researchers, Sections 3, 4 and 5 present and discuss the national institutional schemes that operate in Greece, Section 6 analyses the basic findings of applied research in Greece, and Section 7 concludes

Intensive Care Management of The Critically Ill Elderly Population: The Case of ‘Sotiria’ Regional Chest Diseases Hospital of Athens, Greece

The aim of this study was to assess the characteristics and short-term outcome of elderly patients admitted to the ICU of ‘Sotiria’ Regional Chest Diseases Hospital of Athens. We examined retrospectively the records of 344 patients aged ≥70 years old admitted to the ICU of a tertiary hospital during a five-year period, from 2009-2013. We reported demographic and clinical data, length of ICU stay, need for mechanical ventilation and ICU mortality. Among 1730 admitted to the ICU during this period, the elderly comprised 344 (19.8%). The main causes of ICU admission were Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) exacerbation (n=169), postoperative respiratory failure (n=78), acute respiratory failure of various etiologies (n=76) and cardiogenic pulmonary edema (n=25). Overall mortality rate of elderly patients was 41.5%. According to age groups, 200 patients were 70-74 years old with a mortality rate of 47%, 42 patients were 80-84 years old presenting a mortality rate of 28.5%, while 14 patients aged over 85 years old, presented a mortality of 42.8%. The mean length of ICU stay (LOS) for the elderly patients was 11.2 days, while the corresponding LOS value for younger patients was 8.1 days. Elderly patients present highest mortality than younger population. However, mortality does not correlate exclusively with advancing age over 70 years, but mostly with the underlying disease. Therefore, age should not be the sole determinant of ICU admission