Oil spill models are used worldwide to provide preventive measures in assessing risks of actual and potential damage to natural resources from spills, and also in assisting coastal facilities and ...local authorities in their strategic development of oil spill mitigation planning and response. Numerous oil spill simulation models exist in the bibliography. They vary in complexity, applicability to location and ease of use. A synoptic presentation of the types of oil slick models internationally applied in operational mode is done, focusing on the model developed by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The current study elaborates on that oil slick numerical model which simulates the transport and weathering (due to a number of physicochemical processes evolving with time) of an oil spill that accidentally occurred in a coastal area, coupled with a 3D hydrodynamic model. The model is applied in a semi-confined water body, namely Thermaikos Gulf, in N. Greece, which contains the Port of Thessaloniki, a potential source of accidentally spilled oil. Findings of the present study highlight the existing experience on the subject and denote the applicability of such models in either tracing the source of a spill or in predicting its path and spread, thus proving their value in real-time crisis management.
Greek fir (Abies cephalonica Loudon) grows in montane Mediterranean climates characterized by dry, warm summers. Drought is an important climatic feature of these montane ecosystems as it affects the ...floristic composition, structure and distribution of plant communities. The Oxia-North Vardousia mountain system is one of the few areas in Greece with an extensive, well-preserved Greek fir forest. This study aims at describing the Greek fir forest vegetation of such area and determining the drought-related factors affecting their floristic composition and differentiation. Vegetation relevés were classified and ordinated. The impact of drought-related variables on the vegetation composition was analyzed. A cluster analysis was used to reveal the most important factor for the discrimination of the main plant communities and to determine the drought threshold between them. Two plant communities that reflect the differentiation of the Greek fir forests in central Greece into xerophytic and mesophytic forest communities were described. Each community was divided into two sub-communities. The elevational distribution of Greek fir forests in the mountains of central Greece follows a drought gradient linked to the two main climatic components of drought, precipitation and potential evapotranspiration. The combination of these two drought-related variables into a suitable humidity index was found to adequately differentiate the xerophytic from the mesophytic forest communities and define their drought threshold.
This paper compares case studies and simulations, two popular experiential learning techniques used in capstone strategy courses, to provide insights into how each may contribute to the development ...and demonstration of students' critical thinking skills. We compared critical thinking assessments of a simulation-based assignment with the same assessments of a case study assignment. Our findings suggest that simulations promote recursive learning and may result in higher critical thinking outcomes than the more passive learning typical of case studies. Recursive learning occurs through evaluation of successes and failures, and subsequent adjustments to strategy, characteristic of the competitive business simulation.
Safety refers to freedom from unintentional harms, and security refers to freedom from intentional harms. Cyber risk is when we can no longer rely on the cybersecurity outcomes that we have grown to ...expect. In the healthcare domain, cyber risk is the uncertainty that the interoperating system elements possess confidentiality, integrity, and availability--the identified triad of information security. Here, Samaras and Samaras provide historical analogies that parallel the current-day cyberrisk environment. They also seek to critically analyze systemic factors, particularly those among medical device stakeholders that impede or undermine cybersafety and -security. Further, they describe opportunities for cyber-risk mitigations, including the important tasks of recognizing and acting upon stakeholder consonance, as well as identifying and managing stakeholder dissonance (SD) within the complex and interconnected healthcare environment. SD refers to conflicts among the needs, wants, and desires of various stakeholders, as evidenced by errors, workarounds, and threats to patient safety and organizational profitability.
Purpose - This paper attempts to determine effective push-pull marketing strategies concerning olive oil in Greece, based on the analysis of consumers' and distributors' values and the comparison of ...importance that each group gives to different product characteristics. Design/methodology/approach - In this paper, multicriteria analysis is used in order to identify olive oil market segments and the factors that affect the purchase behaviour of olive oil consumers. Consumers' preferences, attitudes and perceptions with regard to special characteristics of olive oil such as quality, packaging, image, odour, colour, etc. are explored. In addition, description and analysis of the marketing channels of olive oil in Greece is presented. Finally, consumers' preferences are compared to the judgments of distributors in order to identify useful similarities-dissimilarities in their perceptions and attitudes, concerning the attributes of the product. Findings - The study of the olive oil market in Greece shows the importance of the product for the Greek market. Findings also suggest that the olive oil market in Greece is very complex. The qualitative analysis shows that perceived quality is the only attribute of the product that is considered very important for both consumers and distributors. In addition, perceptual maps can be a useful tool for the comparative analysis of preferences between consumers and distributors. Originality/value - The paper identifies key factors that influence the behaviour of Greek consumers and distributors regarding olive oil purchases. These factors and the comparison between the two groups have a great influence on the marketing decisions of agricultural products and food industry in general.
Group decisions are of longstanding interest to researchers from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) can play a vital role in situations where multiple persons are ...involved, each having their own private perceptions of the context and the decision problem to be tackled. In such an environment the conflict between the members of the planning group is not an unusual situation. Multiple criteria decision aid (MCDA) methods may be a useful tool in coping with such interpersonal conflicts where the aim is to achieve consensus between the group members. This paper combines two well-known multicriteria methods, based on the notion of aggregation of preferences, in order to construct a consensus seeking methodology for collective decision-making. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
Abstract
Background
Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is a clinical entity with a plethora of causes and pathophysiologic mechanisms. Traditional secondary ...prevention medications may not offer benefit for patients with MINOCA, calling into question the routine use of such therapies in this population.
Material and methods
Literature search was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus by ELSEVIER and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases until 08 March 2022. Random-effects frequentist and hierarchical Bayesian meta-analyses were performed to assess the prognostic impact of secondary prevention medications (β-blockers, RAAS inhibitors, statins, DAPT, ASA and P2Y12 inhibitors) on the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality in MINOCA patients. Sensitivity analyses accounted for the effect of: i. small sample size, ii. limited study follow-up period, and iii. different ethnicity.
Results
Of 2,569 articles initially retrieved, 9 observational studies were deemed eligible for this analysis, encompassing a total of 14,003 patients suffering from MINOCA (mean follow-up range from 6 to 90 months, mean age = 64.9±10.4 years).Administration of ASA, DAPT and P2Y12 inhibitors was not significantly linked with MACE pooled adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) = 0.94, 0.88, and 0.97, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 0.56–1.59, 0.47–1.65, and 0.562–1.53, respectively. RAAS inhibitors and statins were independently associated with lower risk of MACE (pooled aHRs = 0.61 and 0.55 with 95% Cis: 0.46–0.82, and 0.34–0.90, respectively) and all-cause mortality (pooled aHRs = 0.58 and 0.55 with 95% Cis: 0.37–0.91, and 0.43–0.72, respectively). B-blockers were associated with significantly lower risk of all-cause death according to the frequentist analysis (pooled aHR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.67–0.96) and with non-significantly lower risk of MACE (pooled aHR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.65–1.01) Figure 1. The results deriving from the Bayesian analyses were generally consistent with the frequentist analyses, with the exceptions of the Bayesian analyses on statin and β-blocker effects, which were affected by the pre-test probabilities set herein Figure 2. The overall heterogeneity observed in our analyses was relatively small, and there was not substantial publication bias. Furthermore, the performed sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of the observed outcomes.
Conclusion
In this meta-analysis, it appeared that predominantly RAAS inhibitors and statins across secondary prevention medications were consistently associated with lower risk of MACE or all-cause death during the follow-up period of patients that experienced MINOCA.
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None.
The effects of natural factors (temperatures +34°C and +20°C) and anthropogenic xenobiotics (1,2,4-TriH; 1-(CH3SO2)-1H-1,2,4-Tri; 4-(PhSO2)-4H-1,2,4-Tri; 4-(TolSO2)-4H-1,2,4-Tri) on watercress ...Lepidium sativum L. was studied. For this, 4 series of experiments were carried out. In the first two series, the effect of concentrations was studied: 0.001, 0.01, 0.1 mg/ml during germination at different temperatures for three days. It was found that the ability of the triazole compounds to inhibit the germination of watercress seeds increased with increasing concentration of the solutions. The magnitude of lipophilicity was the determining factor in their toxicity. Differences between the influence of the studied temperatures on the energy of seed germination weren’t revealed. The ability of the synthesized triazoles to inhibit the growth of watercress roots and stems increased with increasing their concentration. At the same time, their toxicity was significantly higher at the higher of the studied temperatures. The next two series examined the ability of Lepidium sativum to adapt to the toxicity of triazoles. To do this, the seeds were germinated during the day at contrasting temperatures in solutions with a concentration of 0.001 mg/ml, then they were germinated in solutions of 0.1 mg/ml for two days. It turned out that triazoles had significantly different effects on the development of the adaptive response in plants. Only 4-(PhSO2)-4H-1,2,4-Tri; 4-(TolSO2)-4H-1,2,4-Tri caused a significant development of an adaptive response, the magnitude of which also depended on the cultivation temperature. We found that the value of lipophilicity of the studied triazoles was of significant importance during their direct action, and the values of their molecular weight and molecular volume were important for the development of preadaptation.
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