Conditions In Greece Research Articles

Experiences of Patients Living in a Unique Leprosy Hospice in Greece: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Hansen's disease, or leprosy, has a long-standing presence in human history, and our study uniquely delves into the experiences of individuals who are among the last survivors of this condition in Greece. During the early 1930s, patients with Hansen's disease from Spinalonga, an isolated location in Crete, were moved to a medical facility in Athens. This event represents a significant historical change in the management and treatment of the disease. Following Spinalonga's closure, a Sanatorium emerged, evolving into Greece's sole Hansen's disease center and the present-day refuge for patients, underscoring the enduring stigma and abandonment associated with the disease. Our study, conducted through six interviews with unstructured schedules, provides a unique opportunity for these individuals to share personal insights, offering a profound understanding of their interpretations and experiences. Through interpretative phenomenological analysis, we unearthed four superordinate themes: the pivotal nature of the diagnosis, the visible impact of the disease on the body, the stigma associated with leprosy and its effects on individuals, and the significance of 'home' as a place of solace and acceptance. These themes collectively depict the deep emotional trauma experienced by the participants, shedding light on the enduring impact of historical stressors, confinement practices, and the challenges of living with a devalued identity, shaping their profound sense of self.

Evaluating the effect of individual characteristics and COVID‐19 pandemic on people living under extreme poverty conditions in Greece

AbstractPoverty dimensions and COVID‐19 are risk factors for a low quality of life and anxiety. The aims of this study are to: (a) examine the quality of life and anxiety levels of citizens living under poverty and (b) explore whether this population's characteristics shaped the way the pandemic affected their anxiety and quality of life. Data were collected from two groups, each one consisting of 50 citizens of the Attica region of Greece who live in poverty. The first wave was collected in 2019 and the second in 2021. The same information was collected in both waves, including individual characteristics, quality of life dimensions, and anxiety traits. Both sample groups were receivers of “TEBA,” a social solidarity allowance for people living in poverty in Greece. Specific individual characteristics were more strongly associated with better quality of life and different anxiety levels during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The results offer potential insights into specific sociodemographic characteristics which are strongly associated with quality of life and/or anxiety, factors which are being constantly affected by the poverty phenomenon.

The Role of School Nurses in the School Inclusion of Children with Chronic Health Conditions in Greece

School inclusion enables all students to have equal access to the learning process. The current study aims to examine the contribution of School Nurses (SN) to the inclusion of students with Chronic Health conditions (CHC) in the typical school. A qualitative method of data collection was selected. The results were gathered through semi-structured telephone interviews, which consisted of 27 open-ended questions and lasted 40 minutes. The participants were 50 SN (42 women and 8 men) from Greece. The interviews were analyzed with conventional thematic analysis. One of the most important findings of this study supports that difficulties and obstacles to school inclusion of students with CHC are identified as the lack of collaboration between the principals of the school unit, teachers, parents, students, and the SN. Our research also addresses that the SN has multiple contributions to the creation of a school for all children, and helps students with CHC participate equally in the school process.

Investigating the Sensitivity of Low-Cost Sensors in Measuring Particle Number Concentrations across Diverse Atmospheric Conditions in Greece and Spain.

Low-cost sensors (LCSs) for particulate matter (PM) concentrations have attracted the interest of researchers, supplementing their efforts to quantify PM in higher spatiotemporal resolution. The precision of PM mass concentration measurements from PMS 5003 sensors has been widely documented, though limited information is available regarding their size selectivity and number concentration measurement accuracy. In this work, PMS 5003 sensors, along with a Federal Referral Methods (FRM) sampler (Grimm spectrometer), were deployed across three sites with different atmospheric profiles, an urban (Germanou) and a background (UPat) site in Patras (Greece), and a semi-arid site in Almería (Spain, PSA). The LCSs particle number concentration measurements were investigated for different size bins. Findings for particles with diameter between 0.3 and 10 μm suggest that particle size significantly affected the LCSs' response. The LCSs could accurately detect number concentrations for particles smaller than 1 μm in the urban (R2 = 0.9) and background sites (R2 = 0.92), while a modest correlation was found with the reference instrument in the semi-arid area (R2 = 0.69). However, their performance was rather poor (R2 < 0.31) for coarser aerosol fractions at all sites. Moreover, during periods when coarse particles were dominant, i.e., dust events, PMS 5003 sensors were unable to report accurate number distributions (R2 values < 0.47) and systematically underestimated particle number concentrations. The results indicate that several questions arise concerning the sensors' capabilities to estimate PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, since their size distribution did not agree with the reference instruments.

Projected Changes in Extreme Wet and Dry Conditions in Greece

Earth’s changing climate may have different effects around the planet. Regional changes in temperature and precipitation extremes are associated with damaging natural hazards. Decreases in precipitation are expected to occur in some places at mid-latitudes, for instance the Mediterranean, which has been classified as a climate change hotspot. Droughts are among the most damaging natural hazards with severe consequences in the socio-economic sectors, the environment, and living beings. In contrast, extreme heavy precipitation events may become more frequent. This study aims to project changes in precipitation extremes and assess drought variability and change across Greece. A better knowledge of the potential changes in drought variability under climate change is vital for managing potential risks and impacts associated with dry conditions. The spatiotemporal characteristics of heavy precipitation and drought events in Greece are investigated using extreme precipitation indices such as consecutive wet/dry days, total wet-day precipitation, fraction of total wet-day rainfall, maximum daily precipitation, and heavy precipitation days. The standardized precipitation index and the standardized precipitation and evapotranspiration index are also calculated to assess seasonal dryness variability. The analysis is performed using a sub-set of high-resolution simulations from EURO-CORDEX, under two different representative concentration pathway scenarios. The results show that the region is subject to future dry conditions. Total annual precipitation is found to decrease in most of the country, with western and southern parts tending to be the most vulnerable areas. The annual precipitation is estimated to decrease by 5–20% and 5–25% (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 respectively) toward the period 2041–2070 and by 10–25% and 15–40% (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) toward 2071–2100. Drought-related indices reveal positive trends, particularly under the high greenhouse-gas emission scenario, with the number of consecutive dry days increasing by 20–50% and 40–80% (during 2041–2070 and 2071–2100, respectively). On the contrary, extreme precipitation events tend to decrease in the future.

Refugees’ caring and commoning practices against marginalisation under COVID‐19 in Greece

This article documents and juxtaposes two side effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on refugee health, housing, and living conditions in Greece. First is the intensification of state‐led practices of what is increasingly known as “campisation,” hyper‐isolation, and ultimately the stigmatisation of refugee populations. Second is the intensification of refugee‐led “commoning” practices of self‐ and community care and the creation of “caringscapes” inside and outside the camps, which has produced new sociospatial connections that have challenged isolation. Documenting these interrelated processes side by side, we draw attention to two important insights. First is that the proliferation of caringscapes acts as an important, but ultimately insufficient, antidote against increased exclusion marginalisation and stigmatisation of refugees. Second is that new ethics and new forms of collective care that have emerged alongside repeated mantras about individual responsibility and social distancing can become levers to imagine a less individualistic, less divisive, and less isolated world.

Changing Psychiatry or Changing Society? The Motion for the Rights of the "Mentally Ill" in Greece, 1980-1990.

In 1980, the first formal association of mental patients, their relatives, and mental health professionals was founded in Athens, Greece. The Motion for the Rights of the “Mentally Ill” proposed a total restructuring of mental health care and a novel conceptualization of mental illness. On the one hand, it demanded that the mental health system be based on open services, psychotherapy, and on patients’ active participation in all decisions concerning their treatment and life. On the other hand, it conceptualized mental illness as a political issue that concerned all. Thus, the Motion viewed the promotion of the rights of the mentally ill as part of a broader project of cultivating conscious, active, and collective citizenship. This paper traces the Motion’s history during the 1980s, showing that it was shaped by both the socio-political conditions of Greece in the post-dictatorship period, a time of intense politicization, and by the legacy of mental patient activism in the Western world during the 1970s and 1980s. It argues that, although the Motion had a limited long-term impact, it represented the mental patient movement in Greece as it furthered the latter’s main features, most importantly its twofold endeavor to change not only the mental health system and the attitudes towards mental illness, but also society.

Maintaining Close Contact from a Distance: Digital Aikido Training under Covid-19 Conditions – Reflections and Lessons from an Online Martial Arts Course

This work explores, reports, and reflects on the teaching and learning aspects of online courses in aikido, a peaceful martial art, under COVID-19 lockdown conditions in Greece. The essay is based on research and auto-ethnographic accounts of the digital courses the authors of this text have set up as teachers of aikido during the pandemic. There is little research on pedagogic and didactic issues of designing online courses in martial arts or on outcomes of digital learning. Thus, the present text aims to explicate the theoretical background drawn from different scientific disciplines in designing an online course in a martial art. This course attempted to meet the challenge of teaching online an art that ‘normally’ is taught face to face, entailing physical practice in pairs. The essay explores and reflects also on the outcome of online learning under pandemic conditions. These are mostly social in nature, for the lessons and the contact strengthened the members in many ways. Thus, the ramifications of online teaching and learning are far reaching as they affect the participants and their families helping them to maintain a sense of wellbeing or normality under trying conditions. The social aspect of teaching a martial art online showcases its changing nature as well as its potential and possibilities for contributing to social cohesion, in the face of the grave dangers the current pandemic poses for humanity. It is an aspect of martial arts that could be taken into account when discussing their future in society.

Evaluation of parsley (Petroselinum crispum) germplasm diversity from the Greek Gene Bank using morphological, molecular and metabolic markers

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) aromatic, edible leaves are used fresh or dried as a herb, but also for their pharmaceutical properties. Given the profound concern to high nutritious and pharmaceutical value of superior plant’s germplasm, a survey is presented in this study on the phenotypic, genetic and phytochemical characterization of fifteen Greek parsley landraces in comparison to nine commercial cultivars, all grown under the same conditions in Greece. Our data reported high differences between the Greek landraces and most of the commercial cultivars in a majority of morphological traits investigated according to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants descriptors list. The genetic diversity of all landraces and commercial cultivars were investigated using Inter Simple Sequence Repeat and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism molecular markers. The percentage of polymorphic loci was 63.83 % for the cultivars, and all loci were polymorphic (100 %) for the Greek landraces, while considerably higher values of unbiased haploid gene diversity were revealed in the landraces compared with the commercial cultivars. The essential oil yield of the landraces and cultivars of parsley studied ranged from 0.11−0.26 mL 100 g−1 leaf FW. The major compounds in the parsley essential oils as determined by gas-chromatography were α-pinene (0.6–11.8%), β-pinene (0.2–8.2%), myrcene (1.3–13.5%), β-phellandrene (9.6–39.1 %), terpinolene (1.4–8.9 %), 1, 3, 8-p-menthatriene (0.1–43.4 %), cis-carveol (0.2–8.1 %), iso-dihydro carveol acetate (0.2–6.9 %), myristicin (0.51–44.4%) and apiole (0.01–35.2 %). According to the targeted liquid chromatographic analysis coumarin derivatives, hydrocinnamic acids, flavanones, flavones and flavonols were identified in parsley methanolic extracts. Flavones were represented by apigenin and luteolin derivatives, and flavonols by kaempferol, quercetin, galangin and morin. Apiin was the major flavone in all parsley samples ranging from 1732.57 to 3676.43 mg 100 g -1 dry weight.The wide variation in phenotypic, genetic and phytochemical profiles observed for the landraces, indicate that the Greek germplasm collection could serve as an important source of genetic material for plant breeding and selection towards the development of new cultivars with superior traits regarding their aroma quality and polyphenolic content but also to support ongoing studies on flavonoid biosynthesis in this culinary herb.

Introduction: Eurozone and the Greek economic crisis in 2020: current challenges and prospects

ABSTRACT Ten years after the outbreak of economic crisis in Greece, it is deemed necessary to redefine the economic and political conditions in Greece and to answer the question of whether Greece has succeeded in overcoming the crisis. For this reason, the main objective of this special issue entitled ‘Eurozone and the Greek Economic Crisis in 2020: Current Challenges and Prospects’ is to analyze and re-examine the current economic and political conditions in Greece in various policy areas and to determine whether Greece has succeeded in achieving the last decade objectives both politically and economically. In this special issue we follow rather an interdisciplinary approach with a special focus on political economy which gives us the opportunity to examine the issue of the economic crisis in Greece, through a wider field of understanding.

The parental home as labor market insurance for young Greeks during the Great Recession

AbstractLabor market conditions in Greece have severely deteriorated during the crisis, affecting youths the most. Using the Greek crisis as a case-study, this paper examines the role of the family as a social safety net for its young members. Specifically, we test the relationship between youth labor outcomes and parental co-residence, whether this relationship has become stronger during the crisis, and the degree to which the relationship is causal. Our results confirm that the parental home is a refuge both for jobless youth and for those in poorly paid, insecure jobs, and this role has intensified during the crisis. We find no reverse causality between co-residence and employment status for young men, and significant reverse causality for women. This finding implies that all youths live in the parental home when they are in need themselves, but it is young women not men who live with parents when parents are in need or for cultural reasons.

Performance of Six Genotypes of Tritordeum Compare to Bread Wheat under East Mediterranean Condition

Four advanced tritordeum lines were studied and compared to two commercial varieties of tritordeum and wheat cultivars in yield and quality features, in Greece. For this purpose, a two-year experiment was established in the Greek territory. The field experiment was set up in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with blocks, with different lines and varieties. Head emergence was calculated based on Growing Degree Days (GDDs), which was significantly affected by the year. The significance of differences between treatments was estimated by using Fisher’s least significant difference (LSD) test with significance level p = 0.05. The weight of 1000 seeds of the two commercial varieties differed from the equivalent weight of 1000 seeds of tritordeum lines, approximately 1 g. Yield was significantly affected by lines/varieties and year. Compared to tritordeum yield, wheat yield marked the highest values. This difference was almost 2 kg ha−1. Gluten content was significantly affected by lines/varieties. The highest gluten content was firstly noticed at wheat GENESIS (34.2%) variety and secondly at tritordeum Aucan (33.2%) variety. Protein was higher in tritordeum lines HT-1704 (15.5%), HT-1707 (15.1%) and Aucan variety (15.2%) during the first experimental year. Tritordeum seems to have significant adaptability to dry conditions in Greece and significant yields compared to the existing commercial varieties and bread wheat.

Effect of Organic and Inorganic Fertilization on Yield and Quality Traits of Tritordeum, ‘Bulel’ Variety under Dry Conditions in Greece

Response of tritordeum, ‘Bulel’ variety, on organic and inorganic fertilization was observed through a field experiment in Greece. So as to evaluate, a field experiment was set up in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) where blocks were four fertilizations (control, inorganic, manure, compost). Plant height was affected by fertilization. Thus height was ranged from 65 cm (control) to 71.75 cm (NPK). Concerning, kernel weight, control and the two organic fertilized did not differ. Both protein and gluten has a positive response to inorganic fertilization, values were 16.27 % and 33.45 % respectively. The increase in gluten is not a desirable trait as tritordeum is cultivated for lower gluten levels than wheat. Yield rised with fertilizers with the highest value of 4753.5 kg ha-1. In brief, as first results, there was a positive response of tritordeum to fertilization in the dry conditions of Greece. As far as ‘Bulel’ variety recently became commercial, consequently a few years to further investigate are needed.

Yield Performance of Faba Bean Cultivars under Different Environmental Conditions in Greece

Faba bean is an important grain legume, grown for human consumption and animal feed and can be used as an alternative to soybean protein. Drought and heat strongly influence faba bean growth and production, especially in flowering and pod development stages. The aim of this study was to determine the response of six cultivars to different environmental conditions during the 2018-2019 growing season. Four inbred lines and two commercial cultivars were sown in different environments in South, Central and North Greece. At each location, a randomized complete block design with four replications was used. Different characteristics such as plant height, number of pods plant-1, number of seeds pod-1, seed yield and 1000-seed weight, were recorded. The results indicated that all traits were significantly affected by different climatic conditions and cultivars. In most cases, seed yield and 1000-seed weight decreased with increasing drought conditions in the southern site. KK10 produced higher yield and pods plant-1, especially in North and Central Greece. The late maturity cultivars, ‘Polycarpe’ and KK14, showed lower values for the seed traits under all locations. Multi-location trials are useful for the evaluation of new cultivars and lead to an increase in production of feedstuff directly available to farmers.

Brownfield Management in Greece. The Case of Piraeus

The article presents the main findings of a research associated with brownfield redevelopment in Greece. The regional administrative area of Piraeus is used as a pilot case study. Taking into account the international literature, the article presents the contemporary condition in Greece emphasizing on key-obstacles that hinder rehabilitation and reuse of brownfield sites. The research includes field work. Thematic maps depict the current condition of brownfield sites around Piraeus port, using as key-categories the former use, the current use, the system of ownership, the prices of land, the level of soil contamination. This cartographic depiction functions as a necessary tool for policy making on urban regeneration. The conclusions derived from field work provide useful information for further research. The ultimate purpose of the article is to highlight the contemporary problems in Greece, making the appropriate connections with the international experience on the field.&#x0D;

Exploring the ability of the WRF-ARW atmospheric model to simulate different meteorological conditions in Greece

Studies on climate change reveal as its main consequence the mean global temperature rise, as well as the increase of extreme weather events frequency and intensity. The latter are more frequently occurring worldwide over the last years and are becoming of great concern due to their strong societal and economic impacts. The best possible simulation of such events resembling reality and hence, the improvement of their predictability are very important milestones to the scientific community so as to limit down the impact of the related hazards. The WRF-ARW atmospheric model was employed to simulate different meteorological conditions in the framework of compiling a computational approach to forecast and study extremes for risk assessment at country level and particularly in Greece. Firstly, the extra-tropical cyclone (Cleopatra), in November 2013, was investigated with a number of sensitivity tests: a “chemistry including setup” of the WRF model, then the same configuration with the “chemistry” option deactivated and finally, a 3-nest setup with 1-way and 2-way nesting. The follow up of these studies provided the optimum model setup that was the 1-way nesting, which was used afterwards to simulate an extreme hot weather event that occurred in June 2007. Moreover, we examined the performance of this resolved WRF setup for a usual low-pressure system that affected Greece in September 2015. In these studies, NCEP FNL analyses data were used for model input. The main meteorological variables were analyzed and the evaluation of the results was performed with comparisons against in-situ measurements by the network of the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS) stations. The comparisons showed, in general, very good agreement between the model temperature fields and observations in all test cases. The 3-nest setup with 1-way nesting approach provided high quality prediction of the temperature fields locally at high resolution in the cases of the simulated extreme events. The model behaviour differed between the simulations of the two extreme events and the usual-low pressure system in the calculation of the precipitation variable, particularly over the areas of complex topography. Overall, the model configuration of 1-way nesting proved to be a useful modelling approach for studying and forecasting such events in an attempt to limit down their consequences.

Modifications of the therapeutic setting during the Covid-19 pandemic: thoughts based on the Greek experience with latency children and adolescents

ABSTRACT The paper reflects on the authors’ observations regarding the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic within the context of child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy in Greece. The specific conditions in Greece during the first general lockdown are described, and the necessary modifications to the therapeutic framework with latency children and adolescents are discussed. During the lockdown, the authors continued to meet with their patients online, a framework that had both advantages and limitations. The authors share their thoughts about the ways they tried to keep the connection with their patients alive, in the face of the first wave of the coronavirus crisis.

The effects of tillage on weed suppressive ability, leaf area, seed yield and protein content of Mucuna pruriens var. utilis

In the field of the Agricultural University of Athens, the effects of tillage on weed suppressive ability, leaf area, seed yield and protein content of velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) were evaluated under the climatic conditions of Greece. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The three experimental treatments were: control (untreated), one hoeing for weed seedlings’ elimination at 7 days after sowing, and two hoeings for weed seedlings’ elimination at 7 and 15 days after sowing. Findings revealed that one hoeing reduced annual weeds’ density by 42% as compared to control treatment. Two hoeings resulted in a 47% lower density for annual species as compared to the untreated check. The density of perennial weeds recorded in the plots of one-hoeing treatment was 52% lower than the value recorded in the plots of control treatment. It was also shown that two hoeings can result in a 61% lower density regarding perennial species. Regarding velvet bean’s vegetation growth, one hoeing increased velvet bean leaf area per plant by 26% whereas, in the plots of two-hoeings treatment, the value of leaf area per plant was by 22-36% higher than the corresponding value recorded in untreated control plots. Two hoeings can increase velvet beans seed yield by 44% as well as seeds’ protein content by 17%. Further research is needed to optimize the use of velvet bean as a cover crop and seek for agronomic practices that might enhance its competitiveness against both annual and perennial weed species.

Estimated Cost of Production for Medical Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) in Greece

In recent years, cannabis has raised public awareness in many countries worldwide about its medical uses. The European cannabis market reached its peak during 2018 with investments of 500 million €. Greece introduced Law 4523/2018, which regulates the production and processing of medical cannabis. A start-up business plan was drawn up for a medical cannabis operation owned a 1 ha greenhouse to estimate the start-up costs and the costs of cultivating and processing medical cannabis under greenhouse conditions in Greece. The results of the present study revealed that the investment was estimated at 4,960,044 €. Net profit in the first year amounted to 3,584,621.70 €, while the annual net profits from the second to the tenth year amounted to approximately 7.07 billion. The Net Present Value with a value of 45,425,241.24 € is positive and the internal rate of return (IRR) is 94.14%, which means that the investment can be characterized as profitable.

Anxiety During Pregnancy in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: To assess anxiety symptoms in pregnant women living in the quarantine conditions in Greece, due to the COVID-19 pandemic br br Methods: All pregna