System In Greece Research Articles

Developing THMs’ Predictive Models in Two Water Supply Systems in Greece

Disinfection is a very significant water treatment process for drinking water safety, as it inactivates pathogens from drinking water. However, disinfection-by-products (DBPs) are formed which are accused of contributing to cancer and reproductive/developmental effects. Research has provided many predictive models for the formation of DBPs based on various water quality parameters and following different methodologies. The present study aims at developing predictive models for the formation of DBPs in two drinking water supply systems in Greece. Data from the water supply systems are used. A statistical analysis took place to identify the predictive models for the formation of Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs). The results showed that some of the developed models are more reliable than others. However, further study is necessary in order to obtain more data on variables that are affecting trihalomethanes (THMs) formation. Such models can be used mainly locally.

A Comparative Analysis of a Detailed and Semi-Detailed Soil Mapping for Sustainable Land Management Using Conventional and Currently Applied Methodologies in Greece

Two soil mapping methodologies at different scales applied in the same area were compared in order to investigate the potential of their combined use to achieve an integrated and more accurate soil description for sustainable land use management. The two methodologies represent the main types of soil mapping systems used and still applied in soil surveys in Greece. Diomedes Botanical Garden (DBG) (Athens, Greece) was used as a study area because past cartographic data of soil survey were available. The older soil survey data were obtained via the conventional methodology extensively used over time since the beginnings of soil mapping in Greece (1977). The second mapping methodology constitutes the current soil mapping system in Greece recently used for compilation of the national soil map. The obtained cartographic and soil data resulting from the application of the two methodologies were analyzed and compared using appropriate geospatial techniques. Even though the two mapping methodologies have been performed at different mapping scales, using partially different mapping symbols and different soil classification systems, the description of the soils based on the cartographic symbols of the two methodologies presented an agreement of 63.7% while the soil classification by the two taxonomic systems namely Soil Taxonomy and World Reference Base for Soil Resources had an average coincidence of 69.5%.

“Investigating the factors affecting brain drain in Greece: looking beyond the obvious”

PurposeThe study explores the reasons why talented people leave Greece and go abroad using a qualitative approach to data collection in order to get a deep understanding on the actual reasons of brain drain in Greece, which affects the sustainability of domestic businesses and the overall economic development of the country.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was adopted consisting of 80 interviews with business and IT professionals, healthcare professionals and academics of various disciplines that live and work in the United Kingdom, Germany, United States and Australia. Data were collected over a three-year period (May 2015–May 2018).FindingsThe results showed that the vast majority of respondents decided to leave their home country due to the prevalent cultural mindset of most Greek citizens, government policymakers and employers in Greece. In particular, 65% of respondents decided to live and work abroad due to the deep crisis of social values in the country and the high political corruption, while just 35% pointed to purely financial and other work-related reasons (e.g. low salaries, poor working conditions, no employment prospects, lack of job security) as the key ones for leaving the country. Essentially, the respondents argued that the individualist cultural values that have been predominant in the Greek society for years now have become evident in political action causing several problems such as social injustice and poverty.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings have important implications both for those who hold governmental posts and the remaining citizens of Greece. Both government officials and citizens should re-examine their roles, values and ideals. The blame for the extensive brain drain in the country cannot be put only on the political parties that ruled the country during the last decades; the people who elected them are also responsible. The country seems to remain trapped in a crisis of social values that parents and the formal education system in Greece have cultivated for years now. In that respect, formal education in the country should be transformed radically in order to act as an important agency inculcating the new generations with a sense of duty in shaping a democratic political culture that emphasizes equality and condemns egalitarian practices.Originality/valueThe scant evidence around this topic is based on quantitative research that fails to explore in much depth the reasons of brain drain in the country. Previous studies revealed that the phenomenon of brain drain in Greece has been predominantly caused by the poor financial performance of the country during the last decade. This has been further supported by the claims of several policymakers who argue that the Greek crisis has been a fiscal one. However, the present study sheds new light and unmasks the root cause of brain drain in Greece stressing that the country essentially faces a crisis of values and a corrupted civic culture.

Evaluating trauma care, outcomes and costs in a system in crisis: the necessity of a Greek National Trauma Database

BackgroundAt present there is no organized trauma system in Greece and no national trauma database. The objective of this study was to record and evaluate trauma management at our university...

Amplification performance outcome: a self-assessment outcome measure for hearing aid users in Greece

Purpose: The aim of this study was the development of a simple instrument, in order to be established as a self-assessment tool, about the benefits from amplification systems in Greece. This instrument is called the Amplification Performance Outcome or APO.Method: The current scale is comprised of 6 subscales addressing different domains with a total of 30 items. A five-point Likert scale was used to capture data. The complete APO typically requires 18 min or less to complete with each subscale requiring less than 3 min. It was evaluated on 100 hearing aid users, ages between 23 and 88 years old, with mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss bilaterally. Data from 62 subjects were used to examine the test–retest properties of the instrument. All the participants were users of amplification with unilateral or bilateral fitting for about 4–12 weeks.Results: The overall mean scores (%) for positive, neutral and negative responses indicated a considerable overall benefit from hearing amplification. The positive responses occupy 73.6%, the negative responses occupy 15.9% and neutral responses occupy 10.5% of total responses. The psychometric properties of APO appear to be acceptable. The scale appears to have high face, content and convergent validity. Results also revealed high test–retest reliability and internal consistency.Conclusion: These results reveal that the APO scale is a potentially valuable clinical instrument, and may help to provide more standardization to the hearing aid evaluation process. Future research will be needed to obtain multiple outcome measures from large numbers of individuals to determine whether this self-assessment scale would suffice.

Healthcare Access, Quality, and Satisfaction Among Albanian Immigrants Using the Emergency Department in Northern Greece.

Greece constitutes a main point of entry for the EU but also a final destination for a large number of immigrants. The present research aims to illuminate the relationship of Albanian immigrants with the public health system in Greece. Cross sectional study of 167 Albanian immigrants who referred to the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary general hospital. The average age of the study population was 38.96years (SD: ± 12.53), with 62.1% being familiar with health services. 54.9% referred to the ED for chronic problems. 41.9% were dissatisfied regarding the level of care provided; Albanian citizenship was thought to be the main reason (40%). Despite the majority of Albanian immigrants being familiar with health services in Northern Greece, there seems to be a misuse of the emergency department for chronic problems. A good proportion of immigrants believe their foreign citizenship prevents them from better healthcare.

Tax behaviour relating to the review of a revised regional tax policy: a study in Greece

The failure over time of the tax system in Greece to harmonize with a sound and efficient fiscal mix raises questions about the possibility of a radical restructuring. The last decade of continuous tax reforms has neither particularly restricted the black economy nor provided the government with fresh fiscal resources, and it has outgrown its arrears. A socially acceptable fiscal policy may lead to a new, sound fiscal policy mix. Tax restructuring that strengthens the tax base at the regional, local or European level—compared to its structuring at the one-sided governmental level to date—may be a key factor in the social acceptance of a new tax system. The degree of tax decentralization of the applied tax policy is likely to improve fiscal order and management on the one hand and, on the other hand, enhance tax revenues by enhancing tax compliance.

Educational Innovation affects Leadership and Interpersonal Relations in an Experimental School in Northern Greece

Even though the educational system in Greece is exceedingly centralized, the
 pioneering institution of “Experimental Schools” sheds a ray of light. The
 innovative and researching acts are systematically conducted in experimental
 schools with the aim to acquire, communicate and disperse knowledge. Based
 on previous research findings regarding experimental units’ hypotheses was
 developed towards the argument that innovation is directly correlated with (i)
 leadership (ii) communication, (iii) interpersonal relationships among teaching
 staff, contributing to a more effective transfer of knowledge and educational
 effectiveness. Within this framework, the aim of the present study is to
 investigate the association between the innovation and the leadership style as
 well as the interpersonal staff relations of the educational unit, the motivation,
 the work satisfaction and the communication in an experimental school unit.
 The primary quantitative study was conducted, using a structured
 questionnaire, in an experimental primary school in Northern Greece. Data
 acquired were processed using SPSS v20 and AMOS v17 statistical software. In
 the first stage the process of descriptive statistics and crosstabs analysis was
 implemented, and in following stages, factor analysis and Structural Equation
 Modeling was conducted. Results indicated that innovation is strongly interassociated
 with motivation. Additionally, innovation is positively associated
 with job satisfaction, interpersonal relations, leadership and communication
 inside and outside the educational unit. The way the leadership is imposed is
 changing using innovation procedures and becomes more participative
 involving the whole educational staff in the process. The research outcomes
 indicated that through innovation an educational unit obtains openness to the
 community, resulting in interpersonal relations reinforcement and in transfer of
 knowledge. All in all, innovation affects the relations and the way people work
 in an educational unit to the better and it may be alleged that innovation
 positively alters the profile of the organization.

Crucial Thoughts and Views of the New Tourist Guides Training System in Greece

Crucial Thoughts and Views of the New Tourist Guides Training System in Greece

Trichinella britovi as a risk factor for alternative pig production systems in Greece and Europe.

Trichinellosis is an important zoonosis and the most common source of human infection is meat from pigs and wild boars. The European Union (EU) supports alternative pig production systems (organic and free-ranging) as sustainable farming systems. However, these systems that allow outdoor access for farm animals, may create new or reintroduce old risks to public health. During the last years, alternative pig production systems (free-ranging or organic pig) are growing in popularity in Greece due to the increasing interest of consumers for organic products. The majority of the trichinellosis outbreaks in the EU were associated with pork and meat products including wild boars. In Greece, from 2009 to 2012, 37 Trichinella spp. positive free-ranging pigs were reported in free-ranging pig farms of Northern-Eastern Greece (31 were identified as T. britovi). The recent re-emerging present of the Trichinella spp. infections in free-ranging pigs and wild boars are a high risk for the consumers and should alarm the Public Health Authorities in Greece and the EU. During the last years, the organic or free-ranging pig production systems are growing in popularity in the EU. However, these systems increase the risk of Trichinella spp. infections, since pigs are possible to be infected by feeding on carcasses or the offal of hunted or dead wild animals. For this reason, it is important for Public Health Authorities to be focused on the training of hunters and farmers in order to avoid the transmission among free-ranging pigs and prevent the cases of human infection.

Ο Αντίκτυπος της Οικονομικής Ύφεσης στη Δημόσια Υγεία και στο Σύστημα Υγείας στην Ελλάδα

Objectives: This review aims to investigate the effect of economic recession on healthcare system in Greece and public health of Greek society in general, and to underline the necessity to take increased measures for vulnerable groups of the society. Material and Methods: Relevant studies were searched in PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Chronological limit was set to studies published before 2009. Studies in English or Greek language were selected. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were set. Quality assessment of includ- ed studies was performed by using elements such as reporting bias, selection bias, adequate statistical analysis and funding bias. An overall score was calculated. No bias detected among the studies included. Results: The research strategy investigates 17 studies relevant to research question. From these, 4 were retro- spective studies, 3 Interrupted Time Series (ITS), 3 were Data Enveloped Analysis (DEA), 1 Bootstrapping, 4 cross sectional studies, 1 Time Series Analysis and 1 ecologi- cal study. Outcomes studied were suicide rates, mental health, mortality, access to healthcare services, vaccina- tion and Greek public Hospitals efficiency and produc- tivity. Conclusion: The study showed that economic crisis from its beginning has affected multiple aspects of health and healthcare system in Greece at various levels. It is important to remain vigilant and take increased measures in order to protect the citizens and especially the vulner- able groups of the society.

Syriza in power (2015-2019): A Review of Selected Aspects

What are the consequences of Syriza coming to power in Greece in 2015? Did it become a new Weimar Germany for the future Europe? In this article we test the hypothesis that winning two consecutive parliamentary elections in 2015 and forming a government contributed to a farther institutionalisation of this party within the rules of Greek democracy. This article is based on data from the Greek Ministry of Interior and the website of the Greek parliament. This text aims at presenting the process of transformation of Syriza - a radical, left-wing, anti-establishment and anti-austerity party into a governmental entity, pro systemic and accepting the principle of the democratic state of law. All this was due to the establishing of the governmental coalition with ANEL, a nationalist party; social-economic reforms; the reform of the electoral system for parliamentary elections; the proposal of a constitutional reform and the ending of the nearly 30-year dispute with Macedonia. The electoral failure during the parliamentary elections on the 7th of July 2019 finishes a 4-year governance of Syriza and enables us to try to evaluate this experiment for the first time. A key finding of our investigation is the need to highlight the respect for the democratic rules by Syriza during its government and its further institutionalisation as one of the main groupings of the contemporary party system in Greece.

Monitoring the first dockless bike sharing system in Greece: Understanding user perceptions, usage patterns and adoption barriers

The city of Rethymno in Crete is the first Greek city to host a Dockless Bike Sharing System (DBSS). This is a scheme that means to promote sustainable mobility and help mitigating high levels of car traffic induced particularly during summer by a consistently increasing number of tourists. The present paper examines the efficiency of this DBSS aiming at: a) analysing the current usage patterns, b) identifying and discussing the various reasons that encourage or deter its use and c) capturing a few key user perceptions reflecting and affecting scheme acceptance and usage. The study adopts a mix-method approach consisting of secondary data analysis, field observations and a quantitative survey, completed by 534 DBSS users. The findings illustrate that DBSS is used primarily for short-distance trips (up to 1,5 km) and very short rentals (up to 15 min). Traffic safety concerns and limitations in the existing cycling infrastructure are two of the factors adversely affecting the scheme's usage, since many questioned whether the scheme was an effective investment under the present situation with the given constrains of Rethymno's transport system. The majority of both frequent and occasional users thought that the scheme is affordable, easy to use and suitable for both tourist and local populations. These findings constitute the first ever footprint of DBSS usage in Greece and can be used as an input for delivering appropriate policy interventions in future urban transportation strategies looking to promote and reinforce bike sharing usage and increase cycling uptake. The paper also offers valuable guidance to mobility providers about how bike sharing businesses can prosper long-term in an environment where shared mobility schemes constitute novel socio-technical interventions.

Legislation without implementation: a never-ending tragedy of the health system in Greece with sustainability of wasting resources

Legislation without implementation: a never-ending tragedy of the health system in Greece with sustainability of wasting resources

Accounting Systems and Classifications: The Case of Greece

In this study, we are trying to analyze the Greek accounting system and its features like the legal system, the taxation, the creative accounting the role of culture and the banking system. The legal system of Greece belongs to the code law family. Historically, the Greek accounting and commercial law have been heavily influenced by various French events and facts. In the Greek listed companies, the ownership concentration is high and the owners are directly involved in business administration. Therefore, they are able to watch and to motivate the staff without the need for programs of supply incentives. The tax system in Greece is a system of conflicting laws, judgments and ministerial decisions, which they attribute to special interests. Company law and tax law are in conflict and accountants tend to follow the latter. Greece (together with Austria) is classifying as the country (by total of 31) with the highest rank in profit manipulation. We are trying to report and analyze the concept and content of International Accounting Standards and in addition, we refer to the Greek Accounting Standards (GAAP) and fully analyze their content as defined by the relevant legislation of the country.

A Study on the Courses of Establishment Greek Democratic System in Connection with the European Community Accession(1961-1981): Focusing on the Role of Konstantinos Karamanlis

1832년 오스만 제국으로부터 독립한 이후, 그리스의 현대사는 민주제 확립을 위한 투쟁의 역사로 점철되어 왔다. 이후 그리스는 1967년부터 7년 동안 이어진 암울한 군부 독재 시기를 지나, 1974년에 이르러서야 비로소 성공적인 민주제 이행을 진행할 수 있게 되었다. 본고에서는 1974년 이후 그리스에 공고한 민주제가 확립될 수 있었던 장기적·외부적 요인으로써, 그리스와 유럽공동체의 상호관계에 주목하고자 한다. 무엇보다도 그리스는 1961년 유럽경제공동체와의 제휴협정인 ‘아테네 협정’을 시작으로 오랜 시간 동안 유럽통합에 적극적으로 참여해온 국가였고, 이와 같은 과정은 무엇보다도 그리스 내부의 민주제 확립과도 직접적으로 맞물려 있는 것이었다. 특히 이러한 민주제 확립과정에는 그리스의 정치가인 콘스탄티노스 카라만리스의 역할이 결정적인 요소로 작용했다. 그는 1961년의 아테네 협정과 1981년 그리스의 유럽공동체 정식 회원국 가입의 모든 과정을 기획하고 주도한 당사자일 뿐만 아라, 1974년부터 시작된 그리스 민주제 이행기의 총리를 역임한 인물이었기 때문이다. 이에 따라 본고에서는 장기적 관점과 단 계적 접근법을 통해, 카라만리스를 매개로 하여 전후 그리스의 유럽공동체 가입과 민주제 확립이 연동되어가는 과정과 그 의미를 살펴보고자 한다.Since its independence in 1832, modern Greek history can be explained in the process of struggle for the establishment of a democratic system. Greece could transfer to a democratic system successfully in 1974 after the ages of military dictatorship for 7 years. This paper aims to see long-standing and external factors to the establishment of a democratic system in Greece from 1961 to 1981, especially on the relationship between Greece and European Community. Since the Athens Agreement in 1961, Greece had participated in the European integration actively and this process was interlinked with the establishment of the internal democratic system. And also, the Greek politician Konstantinos Karamanlis played a crucial role in this process. Because he was the person who takes lead not only the Athens Agreement in 1961 but also Greece s full EC membership in 1981. Besides, he was prime minister of Greece in the period of a democratic transition 1974-1975. Therefore, with a long-term perspective and phased approach, it will analyze the meaning of establishment Greek democratic system with the courses of Greek participation in European integration from 1961 to 1981.

An agent-based model to simulate technology adoption quantifying behavioural uncertainty of consumers

A good estimation of consumers’ expected response to specific policy measures is of paramount importance in the design of effective schemes for the adoption of new technologies. The decision-making process of consumers is influenced by a multitude of factors. In this context, agent-based modeling techniques provide an appropriate framework to model such private adoption decisions. However, the models currently in use often fail to capture uncertainties related to agency and their ability to replicate reality. In order to address this drawback, we developed an agent-based technology adoption model that is supported by a complete framework for parameter estimation and uncertainty quantification based on historical data and observations. The novelty of our model lies in obtaining realistic uncertainty bounds and splitting the total model output uncertainty in its major contributing uncertainty sources. In this article, we demonstrated its applicability by exploring the evolution of the market share of small-scale PV systems in Greece, under two support schemes of interest. Our results indicated that, over 2018–2025, the net-metering scheme, currently operational, seems more effective than a proposed self-consumption scheme that subsidizes residential storage by 25%; however, the former scheme’s effectiveness is mainly related to the retail price of electricity. They also highlighted that storage investment costs need to follow a steep learning curve of at least a 10% annual reduction until 2025, for self-consumption to become attractive to consumers in Greece. Nevertheless, simulations showed that none of these two schemes can be as efficient as the previous feed-in-tariffs scheme.

Factors Affecting Sustainable Market Acceptance of Residential Microgeneration Technologies. A Two Time Period Comparative Analysis

On a global scale, the residential sector is responsible for a significant part of consumed energy, of which the major part is dependent upon fossil fuels. A solution for the reduction of fossil fuel use is the application of residential microgeneration technologies. The present study examines the market acceptance factors of such systems in Greece, as well as how these factors change over time, based on real decisions made by consumers. In this context, two surveys applying a common questionnaire were performed in 2012 and 2019 in order to examine the effects of (a) socioeconomic, residence, and spatial characteristics, (b) environmental awareness and behavior, and (c) factors related to consumer behavior, attitudes, and system attribute preferences. Factors affecting the installation of a microgeneration system are gender, age, income, residence type, ownership and size, environmental behavior, use of a subsidy program, as well as views on costs and market-related issues. When evaluating the effect of these factors over time, socioeconomic and residence characteristics, as well as environmental behavior, seem to have a fixed effect to the installation of residential microgeneration systems, with market acceptance fluctuations being related mainly to market conditions, including existing subsidy programs, expectations on fuel prices, and legislation.

Degassing at the Volcanic/Geothermal System of Kos (Greece): Geochemical Characterization of the Released Gases and CO2 Output Estimation

Forty-five gas samples have been collected from natural gas manifestations at the island of Kos—the majority of which are found underwater along the southern coast of the island. On land, two anomalous degassing areas have been recognized. These areas are mainly characterized by the lack of vegetation and after long dry periods by the presence of sulfate salt efflorescence. Carbon dioxide is the prevailing gas species (ranging from 88 to 99%), while minor amounts of N2 (up to 7.5%) and CH4 (up to 2.1%) are also present. Significant contents of H2 (up to 0.2%) and H2S (up to 0.3%) are found in the on-land manifestations. Only one of the underwater manifestations is generally rich in N2 (up to 98.9%) with CH4 concentrations of up to 11.7% and occasionally extremely low CO2 amounts (down to 0.09%). Isotope composition of He ranges from 0.85 to 6.71 R/RA, indicating a sometimes-strong mantle contribution; the highest values measured are found in the two highly degassing areas of Paradise beach and Volcania. C-isotope composition of CO2 ranges from -20.1 to 0.64‰ vs. V-PDB, with the majority of the values being concentrated at around -1‰ and therefore proposing a mixed mantle—limestone origin. Isotope composition of CH4 ranges from -21.5 to +2.8‰ vs. V-PDB for C and from -143 to +36‰ vs. V-SMOW for H, pointing to a geothermal origin with sometimes-evident secondary oxidation processes. The dataset presented in this work consists of sites that were repeatedly sampled in the last few years, with some of which being also sampled just before and immediately after the magnitude 6.6 earthquake that occurred on the 20th of July 2017 about 15 km ENE of the island of Kos. Changes in the degassing areas along with significant variations in the geochemical parameters of the released gases were observed both before and after the seismic event; however, no coherent model explaining those changes was obtained. CO2 flux measurements showed values of up to about 104 g×m−2×d−1 in both the areas of Volcania and Kokkino Nero, 5×104 g×m−2×d−1 at Paradise beach, and 8×105 g×m−2×d−1 at Therma spring. CO2 output estimations gave values of 24.6, 16.8, 12.7, and 20.6 t×d−1, respectively, for the above four areas. The total output of the island is 74.7 t×d−1 and is comparable to those of the other active volcanic/geothermal systems of Greece (Nisyros, Nea Kameni, Milos, Methana, and Sousaki).

The EU territorial cohesion discourse and the spatial planning system in Greece

ABSTRACTThis paper argues the changing nature of spatial planning in the recent decades, under the light of the relevant progressions that have been taking place at the EU level. It is suggested that the EU territorial cohesion discourse and its relevant -although less developed- policy tools are in line with and promote a new orientation of spatial planning that is characterized of an integrated approach which is spatially aware and aims to guide development in order to avoid or minimize spatial imbalances and to increase the effectiveness of policies according to the territorial characteristics. This is an attempt to bring into light the new dimensions of spatial planning through the analysis of the relevant European concepts. In the first part, the developments at the EU level and their contribution to this new approach of planning are analysed. Following that, what is examined is how these developments and the EU territorial cohesion perspective influenced the Greek planning system and, more specifically, how the new traits of planning have been integrated and the degree to which the new approach is reflected.