Height-diameter models for King Boris fir(Abies borisii regis Mattf.) and Scots pine(Pinus sylvestris L.) in Olympus and Pieria Mountains, Greece

In forest science and practice, the total tree height is one of the basic morphometric attributes at the tree level and it has been closely linked with important stand attributes. In the current research, sixteen nonlinear functions for height prediction were tested in terms of their fitting ability against samples of Abies borisii regis and Pinus sylvestris trees from mountainous forests in central Greece. The fitting procedure was based on generalized nonlinear weighted regression. At the final stage, a five-quantile nonlinear height-diameter model was developed for both species through a quantile regression approach, to estimate the entire conditional distribution of tree height, enabling the evaluation of the diameter impact at various quantiles and providing a comprehensive understanding of the proposed relationship across the distribution. The results clearly showed that employing the diameter as the sole independent variable, the 3-parameter Hossfeld function and the 2-parameter N?slund function managed to explain approximately 84.0% and 81.7% of the total height variance in the case of King Boris fir and Scots pine species, respectively. Furthermore, the models exhibited low levels of error in both cases(2.310m for the fir and 3.004m for the pine), yielding unbiased predictions for both fir(-0.002m) and pine(-0.004m). Notably, all the required assumptions for homogeneity and normality of the associated residuals were achieved through the weighting procedure, while the quantile regression approach provided additional insights into the height-diameter allometry of the specific species. The proposed models can turn into valuable tools for operational forest management planning, particularly for wood production and conservation of mountainous forest ecosystems.

Environmental Impact Assessment of Onshore Wind Farms in the Region of Central Greece Using a Modified RIAM Method

Wind energy is one of the most basic forms of renewable energy,which shows an increasing rate of development worldwide and also at the European level.However,this rapid deployment of wind farms makes the need for an impact assessment of this type of projects on the natural and man-made environment imperative.The present paper aims to identify and assess the environmental impacts of wind farm projects in the Region of Central Greece.A modified Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix(RIAM)method is used for this purpose.The methodology includes the identification of the existing onshore wind farm projects in the study area,the appropriate modifications of the RIAM method to respond to the characteristics of the projects and the study area,the qualitative assessment of their potential impacts during construction and operational phases and the computation of the Environmental Performance Grade(EPG)of projects based on the pro-posed modified RIAM method.The results reveal that although there are some slight negative impacts on the natural environment of the study area,the examined wind farms contribute positively both to the atmosphere and to the socio-economic environment of the study.This study extends the potential for using RIAM as a tool in environmental impact assessment studies of renewable energy projects.

Comparison of Spatial Interpolation Methods of Precipitation Data in Central Macedonia, Greece

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the spatial interpolation of rainfall variability with deterministic and geostatic inspections in the Prefecture of Kilkis (Greece). The precipitation data where recorded from 12 meteorological stations in the Prefecture of Kilkis for 36 hydrological years (1973-2008). The cumulative monthly values of rainfall were studied on an annual and seasonal basis as well as during the arid-dry season. In the deterministic tests, the I.D.W. and R.B.F. checks were inspected, while in the geostatic tests, Ordinary Kriging and Universal Kriging respectively. The selection of the optimum method was made based on the least Root Mean Square Error (R.M.S.E.), as well as on the Mean Error (M.E.), as assessed by the cross validation analysis. The geostatical Kriging also considered the impact of isotropy and anisotropy across all time periods of data collection. Moreover, for Universal Kriging, the study explored spherical, exponential and Gaussian models in various combinations. Geostatistical techniques consistently demonstrated greater reliability than deterministic techniques across all time periods of data collection. Specifically, during the annual period, anisotropy was the prevailing characteristic in geostatistical techniques. Moreover, the results for the irrigation and seasonal periods were generally comparable, with few exceptions where isotropic methods yielded lower (R.M.S.E.) in some seasonal observations.

Hydrodynamic Simulation of the Pagasitikos Gulf, Greece

Semi-enclosed sea basins have difficulty in recharging their waters due to limited communication with larger water bodies, with understandable consequences for their environmental status. This paper aims at the computational simulation of the hydrodynamic characteristics of the waters of the Pagasitikos Gulf (Greece), which has limited communication and water exchange with the Aegean Sea and is subject to intense environmental pressures The Estuary, Lake & Coastal Ocean 3d hydrodynamic Model (ELCOM 2.2) combined with its later version Aquatic Ecosystem Model-3d (AEM3D) were used for the simulation. The simulation included the topography of the area, the bay’s bottom geometry, atmospheric loadings, tides, the influence of the Coriolis force and boundary conditions. The hydrodynamic behaviour of the bay, water circulation, velocities at the surface and in depth, water recharge and residence time throughout the bay, density variation and other factors were examined to determine the impact of all these on the aquatic ecosystem.

Changing landscape in living kidney donation in Greece

Patients with end-stage renal disease in Greece are facing long waiting times to receive a kidney transplant from a deceased donor.Living kidney donation offers a valuable alternative that provides optimal outcomes and significantly expands the donor pool but still remains relatively underutilised.Developments around the world in the field of kidney transplantation mandate a change in current practice to include additional options for living donation through paired exchange,antibody-incompatible transplantation and other strategies,following careful consideration of the cultural and ethical factors involved in these complex clinical decisions.An increase in living donation rates may be achieved in several ways,including targeted campaigning to overcome potential barriers.Educating clinicians on transplantation will prove as equally important as informing patients and prospective donors but requires training and resources.Adoption of established practices and implementation of new strategies must be tailored to the needs of the Greek donor and recipient population.Local beliefs about donation,perception of associated risk and other social characteristics must be considered in the design of future strategies.Facilitating living donation in a safe environment with appropriate donor and recipient education will form the solid foundation of a new era of kidney transplantation in Greece.

Homogenised Monthly and Daily Temperature and Precipitation Time Series in China and Greece since 1960

In this paper,we describe and analyze two datasets entitled“Homogenised monthly and daily temperature and precipitation time series in China during 1960–2021”and“Homogenised monthly and daily temperature and precipitation time series in Greece during 1960–2010”.These datasets provide the homogenised monthly and daily mean(TG),minimum(TN),and maximum(TX)temperature and precipitation(RR)records since 1960 at 366 stations in China and 56stations in Greece.The datasets are available at the Science Data Bank repository and can be downloaded from https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.01731 and https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.01720.For China,the regional mean annual TG,TX,TN,and RR series during 1960–2021 showed significant warming or increasing trends of 0.27℃(10 yr)^(-1),0.22℃(10 yr)^(-1),0.35℃(10 yr)^(-1),and 6.81 mm(10 yr)-1,respectively.Most of the seasonal series revealed trends significant at the 0.05level,except for the spring,summer,and autumn RR series.For Greece,there were increasing trends of 0.09℃(10 yr)-1,0.08℃(10 yr)^(-1),and 0.11℃(10 yr)^(-1)for the annual TG,TX,and TN series,respectively,while a decreasing trend of–23.35 mm(10 yr)^(-1)was present for RR.The seasonal trends showed a significant warming rate for summer,but no significant changes were noted for spring(except for TN),autumn,and winter.For RR,only the winter time series displayed a statistically significant and robust trend[–15.82 mm(10 yr)^(-1)].The final homogenised temperature and precipitation time series for both China and Greece provide a better representation of the large-scale pattern of climate change over the past decades and provide a quality information source for climatological analyses.

Revisiting the determination of Mount Olympus Height(Greece)

The present study deals with the determination of Mount Olympus summit(Mytikas),exploiting modern observations such as Global Navigation Satellite Systems(GNSS)and existing geodetic information.The last official Olympus height determination goes back 102 years by the Swiss surveyor M.Kurz.Since then,only unofficial measurement campaigns have taken place.There is a variety of released heights,which range from 2917 to 2919 meters.In September and October of 2022,we conducted a GNSS campaign,focusing on the area of highest Olympus peaks.Employing precise GNSS measurements(accuracy of 1-3 cm),in conjunction with height information from Greece’s National Triangulation Network(5-10 cm accuracy)and an appropriate,recent geoid model(5-6 cm accuracy),we estimate through the so-called GNSS-levelling,the height of Olympus to 2917.727 m with respect to Greece’s officially accepted mean sea level and 2918.390 m with respect to the global vertical datum.Our estimation of Olympus highest peak shows remarkable consistency at the level of 12.8 cm to that of M.Kurz in 1921.

Factors affecting breastfeeding duration in Greece:What is important?

AIM:To investigate factors associated with breastfeeding duration(BD) in a sample of mothers living in Greece.METHODS:Four hundred and twenty-eight mothers(438 infants) were initially recruited in a tertiary University Hospital.Monthly telephone interviews(1665in total) using a structured questionnaire(one for each infant) were conducted until the sixth postpartum month.Cox regression analysis was used to assess factors influencing any BD.RESULTS:Any breastfeeding rates in the first,third,and sixth month of the infant's life reached 87.5%,57.0%and 38.75%,respectively.In the multivariate analysis,maternal smoking in the lactation period[hazard-ratio(HR) = 4.20]and psychological status(HR = 1.72),and the introduction of a pacifier(HR =2.08),were inversely associated,while higher maternal education(HR_(university/college vs primary/high school) = 0.53,HR_(master's vs primary/high school) = 0.20),and being an immigrant(HR = 0.35) were positively associated with BD.CONCLUSION:Public health interventions should focus on campaigns against smoking during lactation,target women of lower educational status,and endorse the delayed introduction of pacifiers.

Normal Fault Slips of the March 2021 Greece Earthquake Sequence from InSAR Observations

In March 2021,a seismic sequence including three Mw>5.5 events struck northern Thessaly,Greece.Owing to the high temporal resolution of Sentinel-1 images which were sampled every 6 days and recorded the three events separately,we are able to map individually the coseismic deformation fields of the three events.Based on their respective coseismic displacements,we determined the geometry of the fault plane for each earthquake with the method of multipeak particle swarm optimization and inverted the best-fitting slip distribution by linear least squares inversion.Modelling results show that the three events occurred successively on 3,4 and 12 March 2021 were all dominated by normal-slip motions on previously unknown faults within the top 15 km of the Earth’s crust.The 3 March 2021 Mw 6.3 earthquake ruptured a northeast-dipping fault with a strike angle of 301°(clockwise from the North)and a dip angle of 46°,producing the maximum slip of about 2.2 m.The slip motion of the 4 March 2021 Mw 5.9 aftershock shows a similar fault geometry(striking 297°and dipping 42°)to the 3 March mainshock,but with a considerably smaller dip-slip component(~0.8 m).The 12 March 2021 Mw 5.6 aftershock occurred on a southwest-dipping fault(striking 100°and dipping 40°)with a normal fault slip of up to 0.5 m.Static Coulomb stress changes triggered by the earthquake sequence imply a promotion relationship between the first 3 March event and the two subsequent events.Due to the coseismic stress perturbation,more than 70%of aftershocks were distributed in areas with increased Coulomb stress and the northwest segment of the Larissa fault close to the seismic sequence was exposed to a relatively high seismic risk.

Assessment of porous aquifer hydrogeological parameters using automated groundwater level measurements in Greece

In this paper,the hydrogeological parameters of a confined aquifer,such as transmissivity(T),storativity(S)and radius of influence(R),have been assessed using real groundwater level measurements recorded by a monitoring network,consisting of automated municipal water supply boreholes at Nea Moudania aquifer,Chalkidiki,Greece.Particularly,the paper focused on the correlation between the drawdown and the constant flow rate during pumping time.So the Cooper-Jacob and the recovery test method were applied in order to delineate if turbulent head losses occur,as well as the impact of incorrect measurements of the radial distance(r)in the accuracy of estimating S values.The results show that a)the occurrence of a linear correlation between s and Q indicates a negligible turbulent head loss in the pumping wells and thus a reasonable flow rate usage,b)the validity of storativity values could be compromised if the r value is not accurately measured,and c)recovery test method can be used as an indicator of residual drawdown(s’)caused by previous pumping cycles,when the straight line intersecting the logarithmic t/t’axis has a value greater than 1.

Hepatitis B markers and vaccination-induced protection rate among Albanian pregnant women in Greece

Hepatitis B has long been a serious public health problem both in Greece and in Albania.In the February 2009 issue of World Journal of Gastroenterology,Resuli et al presented the interesting epidemiological data concerning hepatitis B virus infection in Albania.The results of this study were discussed and several data from our similar research were provided.

Hybrid Conflict and Encirclement： Reconfiguration of Eastern Europe by NATO, Trade Barriers, and a Chinese Solution for Greece

The Russian Federation unilaterally invaded the Republic of Ukraine＇s Crimean Peninsula, then commenced to occupy more of Eastern Ukraine on the transparent pretext of protecting Russian speakers in 2014, using masked ＂zombie＂ fighters but denied that they were uniformed Russian soldiers, violating several agreements from 1954 to 1994 and legitimate international expectations before and afterwards. Elections were held, seriatim, one alter another, contrived supposedly to reflect the wishes of ethnic Russians in cities along Ukraine＇s eastern border, results of which triggered declarations by separatists of ＂independence＂ followed by formation of ＂people＇s republics＂ as city states. What this signifies is a clash of cultural expectations： of core values, both in the hearts and minds of all parties involved, and in the methods chosen by Russian Federation and Ukrainian independence movement leaders compared with Western governments. If Russia is revoking its transfer of the Crimea to Ukraine on an assertion that such transfer 60 years back was improvident then the Western Alliance should respond by revoking the Potsdam Declaration and other agreements investing Russia with control of Krnigsberg （renamed Kaliningrad） including the Treaty of Paris, and possibly revoking commitments made improvidently at the Teheran and Yalta summit conferences, transferring what was Eastern Poland west of the Curzon Line to the Soviet Union and eventually to Ukraine. If the West will tolerate a Russian siege of Crimea, it should forthwith impose an Allied siege of Kaliningrad and occupy that oblast immediately, retuming Krnigsberg to sovereignty under Lithuanian or Polish and EU control with annexation as a NATO base. What the West with NATO must do is to fight encirclement with encirclement including military, information, economic, trade encirclement as part of what is termed ＂hybrid warfare＂. Stopping military advancement eastward into Europe is only one prong of the problem. Another is Greece, a country that has formed the foundation of the defense of Europe to its own economic detriment. Ukraine as a hot spot is the consequence of China＇s ambition to partner with Ukraine in construction of a post-Panamax deep water cargo port on the Crimean peninsula, prompting Russian Federation opposition （Chinese Billionaire, 2013）. This paper proposes that China transfer its deep water port to Greece fund it through a new East Europe Infrastructure Investment Bank （EEIIB）, achieve the same USD Trillion annual trade influx into the European Union, relieve Greece＇s agony without austerity by inaugurating a Chinese ＂Marshall Plan＂ to become the ＂Chen Yi Plan＂, relieve Greece＇s economic agony without imposing austerity by relocating China＇s planned deep water post-Panamax mega-port from Yevpatoria in Crimean Peninsula to a suitable Greek port, thereby making Greece sustainably rich much as the Marshall Plan did for post-war Germany.

Protection of Maternity in Greece and the E.U.——A Comparison Analysis

Pregnancy and motherhood are two situations which impose on the special regulation of the working conditions in order to secure the protection of the physical and psychological health of woman. Furthermore, the disproportion between woman＇s and man＇s work and the mentality that labour and the raising of child is a burden that only woman has to bear, needs to be eliminated. This burden is softened by the protection provided to pregnant women by the state. This way, a great effort is made to promote the equality in working relations between men and women. This kind of protection is realized through the National Health and Social Care by giving economical provisions and through legislative regulations in order to harmonize work and parental role. In this study, regulations and services along with their health care personnel, referring to motherhood＇s protection in Greece, are presented and related data concerning other EU countries are given. Until now, the existing system of maternity of the ＂Social State＂ has not reached yet the desired goal.

Ore Microscopy and Microanalysis of the Nickeliferous Iron Ores from Komnina Vermion Area (N.W. Greece)

Nickel laterites are considerable sources of nickel. To be successfully exploited it is important to know the mineralogical and microstructural characteristics of the ore. Besides, the identification of the mineralogical components as well as the fabric description, can lead to the interpretation of the mechanism of deposit genesis. The aim of the present study is the microscopic and microanalytical investigation of the Fe-Ni ores from Komnina Vermion area (N.W. Greece). The mineralogical composition of the ore is mainly hematite, quartz, chromite and chlorite, while in minor quantities goethite, nickeliferous chlorite, serpentine, talc and calcite are also present. The ore structure is allotriomorphic inequigranular and the texture is oolitic-pisolitic. According to microscopic examination the deposit can be registered as a secondary pseudo-autochthonous.

Forests of Greece, Their Multiple Functions and Uses, Sustainable Management and Biodiversity Conservation in the Face of Climate Change

This is a review paper based on national and international literature, national inventories and empirical approach. A general overview of the forests, forest management and forest biodiversity of Greece are briefly summarized. The distribution of the main forest species and their ecosystems in the Geographic regions of Greece is presented in a tabular form. Their multiple functions and uses, their management type/regime, their risks and threats, protection and conservation measures are also synoptically described. Furthermore, adaptive forest management and silviculture as well as management of genetic diversity in order to face climate change are also analysed. Research priority areas on biodiversity and challenges for biodiversity research and related policy in Greece have been summarized. The new Rural Development Program (2014-2020), which is currently in the final phase of implementation, will take into consideration the forest itself and forest-related European and National legal obligations. Finally, major conclusions and research priority areas on future management and conservation of forests are highlighted.

Mixing Characteristics under Tide, Meteorological and Oceanographic Conditions in the Euboean Gulf Greece

The mixing characteristics in the marine environment of the Euboean Gulf are studied. The Estuarine and Lake CΟmputer Model three-dimensional hydrodynamic model has been used, to simulate numerically the effects of the strong tide conditions, the atmospheric forcing, and the oceanographic conditions. Water age was calculated in all computational cells and its renewal was examined with the “pure” water of the open sea both on the surface layers, where the effect of tide and wind was pronounced, as well as on the deeper layers and bottom. It was investigated if in surface layers the tide and the wind restore the water of the study area, thus preventing its renewal. In the remote area, the mixing and dilution of the pollutants contained in the treated municipal waste of five installed diffusers in this complex hydrodynamic field, generated by the aforementioned loads, is simulated. It was found that even a slight stratification density has the effect of restricting the vertical mixing and entrapment of dirt in the deeper layers. The combined impact of municipal waste effluents on selected areas of high economic, tourist and environmental value in the Euboean Gulf was assessed. It was found out, that the Diffuser 2 has a great effect in all the five selected areas, because it has greater waste water discharge and because of the tide, who produce a velocity field and transfer the pollutants in longer distances. It was also investigated indicatively in an important area, whether the presence of tide contributes to better mixing and dispersing of pollutants and to better water quality or, on the contrary, as it restores remote pollutants that were released earlier.

Creation of Zero CO₂Emissions Residential Buildings due to Operating and Embodied Energy Use on the Island of Crete, Greece

The possibility of creating zero CO2 emissions residential buildings due to life cycle energy use in the island of Crete, Greece has been examined. In a typical residential building located in Crete, Greece, its annual operating energy has been appraised at 170 KWh/m2 and its embodied energy at 30 KWh/m2. Various locally available renewable energies including solar energy, solid biomass and low enthalpy geothermal energy with heat pumps have been considered for generating the required heat and offsetting the grid electricity used. Their technologies are mature, reliable and cost-effective. Offset of the annual grid electricity use in the building with solar-PV electricity is allowed according to the net metering regulation. For zero carbon emissions due to embodied energy of the building, generation of additional solar electricity injected into the grid is required. A mathematical model has been developed for sizing the required solar-PV system installed in the building in order to offset the grid electricity use. For a residential building in Crete, Greece with a covered area of 100 m2, the power of the additional solar-PV system has been estimated at 1.6 KWp and its cost at 2400 €. In the current work, it is indicated that the creation of a zero CO2 emissions residential building due to life cycle energy use in Crete, Greece does not have major difficulties and it could be achieved relatively easily.

Residual tree damage along skidding trails in beech stands in Greece

We studied the damage caused to unfelled trees during skidding operations in four beech stands of northern and central Greece that were managed under differing harvesting systems.After timber was harvested we recorded and analyzed all damage to a width of 2 m along both sides of the skid trails.The percentage of damaged residual trees was 17–28 %.Higher numbers of saplings were uprooted or destroyed in parts of the stands with high natural regeneration.Most damaged trees suffered 1.33–1.90 wounds that were inflicted up to a height of 1 m above ground level.At all sites mean wound sizes were large,89–1190 cm2,and caused elevated risk of future fungal infection.The damage caused by skidding during timber harvesting can be minimized by better planning the harvest operations,and training forest workers in reduced impact logging.

Epidemiology of hepatitis C in Greece

Hepatitis C is a global health issue and constitutes a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. In this article, a comprehensive literature search was conducted for the prevalence of hepatitis C virus(HCV) infection in Greece, since data on the HCV prevalence, viremia and genotypes are important for developing strategies to manage or eliminate HCV infection. In addition, the pattern of HCV infection was analyzed according to the geographic region and the risk factors. These differences reflect not only distinct epidemiological characteristics among populations, but also differences on the strategy of data acquisition and quantification. Although there are not enough data, the estimation of the current prevalence of Hepatitis C in Greece ranges from 0.5% to 2%. The most important risk factors for HCV infection include blood product transfusion, intravenous drug use, chronic hemodialysis, organ transplantation, occupational exposure, sexual transmission, and vertical transmission. Because of lack of vaccine or effective post-exposure prophylaxis for HCV, the main focus of prevention is to recognize and control these risk factors. HCV infection in Greece is closely associated with the development of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and primary hepatocellular carcinoma. As far as the genotype distribution is concerned genotype 1 estimated to be 45%-47% and it constitutes the prevalent genotype in Greece, followed by genotype 3.

Medical transportation and the contribution of air medical evacuation in isolated mountainous areas of Greece-Case study,Municipality of Agrafa

In every emergency medical situation,access to emergency medical services is an inalienable right of any citizen.The average acceptable time to provide first aid assistance is 60 minutes.In this paper,the possibility of using helicopters for air travel in mountainous areas was examined for the first time for all of Greece and especially for a mountainous and isolated area such as the Municipality of Agrafa.Initially,the time distance-virtual distance,from the hospitals was calculated at the national level of Greece,with an acceptable first contact time of 60 minutes(golden hour),i.e.,less than two hours from the nearest hospital to the incident and back to the hospital and the relevant conclusions are drawn.Then,the case study of Municipality of Agrafa,one of the most mountainous areas in Greece,was examined.The time distance of the settlements from the nearest primary health point,namely the Primary Health Centre(PHC)of West Fragkista,was calculated and the transportation by ground means was compared with the corresponding time by flying means,to investigate the contribution of air transportation or not,of the timely arrival of the patients in the appropriate health structure.Finally,possible helicopter landing locations were identified,using a geographic information system to facilitate the process of air medical transportation in the Municipality of Agrafa.