The paper presents the main preliminary findings of GEITONIA research project (Growing and Enabling of Information Technologies for Online Neighborhoods: Implications and Applications). Focusing on the development of a local social network for neighborhoods of Nea Smyrni community in Attica (Greece), the main results of an exploratory mixed methods research study, are discussed. The local social network is a non-commercial social medium that operates as a mobile application. Residents of the local community will have the opportunity to use the application (...) for a pilot period, create their virtual neighborhoods, interact with other neighbors, and expand local social ties in a continuum of physical and virtual spatialities. Moreover, taking into consideration residents’ perceptions, demands and visions, regarding a local social network for their neighborhoods, the research project aims to enhance the rule that sets the focus on the users, as co-creators and co-producers of communication technologies. (shrink)

Pain, suffering and positive emotions in patients in vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/uws) and minimally conscious states (MCS) pose clinical and ethical challenges. Clinically, we evaluate behavioural responses after painful stimulation and also emotionally-contingent behaviours (e.g., smiling). Using stimuli with emotional valence, neuroimaging and electrophysiology technologies can detect subclinical remnants of preserved capacities for pain which might influence decisions about treatment limitation. To date, no data exist as to how healthcare providers think about end-of-life options (e.g., withdrawal of artificial nutrition (...) and hydration) in the presence or absence of pain in non-communicative patients. Here, we aimed to better clarify this issue by re-analyzing previously published data on pain perception (Prog Brain Res 2009 177, 329–38) and end-of-life decisions (J Neurol 2010 258, 1058–65) in patients with disorders of consciousness. In a sample of 2259 European healthcare professionals we found that, for VS/uws more respondents agreed with treatment withdrawal when they considered that VS/uws patients did not feel pain (77%) as compared to those who thought VS/uws did feel pain (59%). This interaction was influenced by religiosity and professional background. For MCS, end-of-life attitudes were not influenced by opinions on pain perception. Within a contemporary ethical context we discuss (1) the evolving scientific understandings of pain perception and their relationship to existing clinical and ethical guidelines; (2) the discrepancies of attitudes within (and between) healthcare providers and their consequences for treatment approaches, and (3) the implicit but complex relationship between pain perception and attitudes toward life-sustaining treatments. (shrink)

This article explores the trend of increasing automation in law enforcement and criminal justice settings through three use cases: predictive policing, machine evidence and recidivism algorithms. The focus lies on artificial-intelligence-driven tools and technologies employed, whether at pre-investigation stages or within criminal proceedings, in order to decode human behaviour and facilitate decision-making as to whom to investigate, arrest, prosecute, and eventually punish. In this context, this article first underlines the existence of a persistent dilemma between the goal of increasing the (...) operational efficiency of police and judicial authorities and that of safeguarding fundamental rights of the affected individuals. Subsequently, it shifts the focus onto key principles of criminal procedure and the presumption of innocence in particular. Using Article 6 ECHR and the Directive (EU) 2016/343 as a starting point, it discusses challenges relating to the protective scope of presumption of innocence, the burden of proof rule and the _in dubio pro reo_ principle as core elements of it. Given the transformations law enforcement and criminal proceedings go through in the era of algorithms, big data and artificial intelligence, this article advocates the adoption of specific procedural safeguards that will uphold rule of law requirements, and particularly transparency, fairness and explainability. In doing so, it also takes into account EU legislative initiatives, including the reform of the EU data protection _acquis_, the E-evidence Proposal, and the Proposal for an EU AI Act. Additionally, it argues in favour of revisiting the protective scope of key fundamental rights, considering, _inter alia_, the new dimensions suspicion has acquired. (shrink)

This article investigates the role of ‘anarchy’ in state securitisation. First, we discuss state hierarchies’ struggle with active and reactive anarchic networks, theorising a state in existential crisis, which exploits anti-anarchist discourses to respond to network threats. In the second part, we illustrate with examples the use of fear of anarchy in hierarchical productive structures of securitisation. As an ‘antiproduction assemblage’, the state treats logics stemming from the ‘social principle’ as a repressed Real, the exclusion of which underpins its own (...) functioning. The scarcity and fear resulting from state terror ensure responses to this structural violence by reactive networks, while paradoxically also exacerbating reactive tendencies within social movements. In the concluding part, we discuss visions of desecuritising society, breaking away from majoritarian logics of control and the coming of other worlds counterposed to the hierarchies producing and reproducing an eternal loop of state and ne... (shrink)

“Mother dear, I simply cannot weave my cloth; I'm overpowered by desire for a slender young man—and it's Aphrodite's fault.”“The Greeks required a woman to devote herself to the sedentary tranquillity of woolwork.”Sappho, Xenophon: these two juxtaposed texts, chosen for their dissonant tones, well introduce the Greek representation of weaving as a privileged metaphoric terrain defining the presence and the essence of an imaginary feminine, often expressed in antithetical terms, as a polarized place, with an ever precarious equilibrium. As discourse, (...) weaving is no longer a naturalistic depiction of an edifying occupation of the gynaeceum, an answer to the day-to-day realty of household tasks. As a literary object or ritualized activity, the loom appears as a “gendered” space, a place symbolic of feminine activity. (shrink)

Les objets publiés ici (2 outils, 6 armes et 1 vase), entrés au Musée Bénaki, proviennent de différentes collections privées sans que le lieu de trouvaille soit connu. Les deux outils nos 1-2, les 3 poignards nos 3, 4, 6 et le fer de lance n° 8, sont de types connue, datant de différentes périodes de l'Âge du Bronze. L'épée n° 5 appartient à un type intermédiaire entre les groupes Β et G et a dû être fabriquée en Grèce à (...) l'Helladique Récent II B-III A. Des animaux au galop (un lion et un cerf) ont été gravés à l'époque moderne, à l'imitation d'autres armes mycéniennes, sur la lame du poignard n° 7, qui date du HR III B. Le cratère n° 8, du HR III A 2 1-B, est décoré d'une scène unique, bizarre, avec trois animaux (cervidés ou caprins) ; il est sans doute d'origine chypriote. (shrink)

ZusammenfassungDer ca. 1445 von Nikolaus von Kues verfasste Dialog »De Deo abscondito« widmet sich der erkenntnistheoretischen Frage, ob Gott und was von ihm erkannt werden kann. Damit führt der Kusaner seine Überlegungen insbesondere aus seinem Hauptwerk »De docta ignorantia« fort. Wie dort, so kommt er auch in diesem Dialog zu dem Schluss, Gott als derjenige, der alle Gegensätze in sich vereinige, könne weder via positionis noch via negationis erkannt und beschrieben werden. Vielmehr sei Gott vor aller sagbaren Wahrheit und mehr (...) noch: vor allem Gedanken, der über ihn gedacht werden könne. Darin übertrifft der Kusaner den Anselm'schen Gottesbeweis. Gerade in der Nichterkennbarkeit erweise sich die Existenz Gottes und liege der Grund, ihn anzubeten. Das Wesen Gottes bleibt für den Menschen in der absconditas. Die Frage, ob die Rede vom verborgenen Gott bei Nikolaus von Kues auf Luther gewirkt habe, lässt sich historisch nicht eindeutig klären, dürfte aber eher unwahrscheinlich sein. Theologisch liegt jedenfalls keine Beeinflussung vor, da Luthers Rede vom deus absconditus kein erkenntnistheoretisches Problem lösen will, sondern in den Kontext des Willens Gottes im Gegenüber zum menschlichen Willen gehört und damit eine soteriologische Frage, von der Offenbarung in Christus aus gedacht, beantwortet.SummaryThe dialogue “De Deo abscondito”, composed by Nicolas of Cues in ca. 1445, is dedicated to the epistemological problem whether and to what extent God can be known. Nicolas is continuing here the train of thought of his most important work “De docta ignorantia”. In both works, Nicolas comes to the conclusion that God can neither be known and described via positionis nor via negationis. Rather, God precedes any expressible truth and, what is more, any thought that could be thought about him. Thus, Nicolas goes beyond Anselm's argument for God's existence. The existence of God and the reason for worshipping him is manifested exactly by the impossibility of knowing or proving that existence. For human beings, the essence of God remains absconditas. The question whether the conception of the hidden God in Nicolas of Cues has influenced Luther cannot be definitely solved historically; a direct influence is rather improbable. At any rate, there is no theological parallel between the two, as Luther's concept of the Deus absconditus does not respond to an epistemological problem. It rather concerns the divine will in its opposition to the human will and responds to a soteriological problem in the light of the revelation in Christ. (shrink)

This paper employs an eclectic mix of paradigms in order to discuss constituting characteristics of young children's learning experiences. Drawing upon a phenomenological perspective it examines learning as a form of ‘Being’ and as the result of learners’ engagement with the world in their own, unique, intentional manners. The learners’ intentions towards their world are expressed in everyday activity and participation. A social constructivist perspective is thus employed to present learning as situated in meaningful socio‐cultural contexts of the everyday, lived (...) world and as a form of participation in those settings. These characteristics of learning are brought together into a holistic, synthesised model, a Gestalt of learning. The proposed synthesis has relevance for and is applicable to educational contexts as a means of making sense of children's learning experiences and of promoting and facilitating them. (shrink)

This paper employs an eclectic mix of paradigms in order to discuss constituting characteristics of young children's learning experiences. Drawing upon a phenomenological perspective it examines learning as a form of 'Being' and as the result of learners' engagement with the world in their own, unique, intentional manners. The learners' intentions towards their world are expressed in everyday activity and participation. A social constructivist perspective is thus employed to present learning as situated in meaningful socio-cultural contexts of the everyday, lived (...) world and as a form of participation in those settings. These characteristics of learning are brought together into a holistic, synthesised model, a Gestalt of learning. The proposed synthesis has relevance for and is applicable to educational contexts as a means of making sense of children's learning experiences and of promoting and facilitating them. (shrink)

L’usage de la forme catalogique et de la généalogie inscrit les auteurs dans une filiation intellectuelle. Partant de cette hypothèse, l’article réexamine la question de l’influence homérique sur l’œuvre d’Hérodote face à l’influence hésiodique sur la naissance de l’historio­graphie. L’objectif est de montrer que la manipulation de la forme catalogique est un critère d’innovation autant de l’école homérique face à l’école hésiodique que d’Hérodote face au style historiographique dominant. Les options poétiques « originelles » divergentes semblent ainsi avoir exercé une (...) influence durable sur le processus de la formation des genres en Grèce ancienne. Departing from the hypothesis that the use of catalogues and genealogies assigns authors to an intellectual genealogy, this paper re-examines the Homeric influence on Herodotus compared to the Hesiodic influence on the beginnings of historiography. The use of catalogues can be envisaged as a criterion of innovation, when one compares on this point the Homeric and Hesiodic “schools” as well as Herodotus and contemporary historiographers, and shows the lasting influence of the originally divergent poetic options on the process of the formation of genres in ancient Greece. (shrink)

In this review, we discuss a novel on‐site remodeling function that is mediated by the H2A‐ubiquitin binding protein ZRF1. ZRF1 facilitates the remodeling of multiprotein complexes at chromatin and lies at the heart of signaling processes that occur at DNA damage sites and during transcriptional activation. In nucleotide excision repair ZRF1 remodels E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes at the damage site. During embryonic stem cell differentiation, it contributes to retinoic acid‐mediated gene activation by altering the subunit composition of the Mediator complex. (...) We postulate that ZRF1 operates in conjunction with cellular remodeling machines and suggest that on‐site remodeling might be a hallmark of many chromatin‐associated signaling pathways. We discuss yet unexplored functions of ZRF1‐mediated remodeling in replication and double strand break repair. In conclusion, we postulate that on‐site remodeling of multiprotein complexes is essential for the timing of chromatin signaling processes. (shrink)

Activating Transcription Factor-2 is a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein that belongs to the bZIP family of proteins and plays diverse roles in the mammalian cells. In response to stress stimuli, it activates a variety of gene targets including cyclin A, cyclin D and c-jun, which are involved in oncogenesis in various tissue types. ATF-2 expression has been correlated with maintenance of a cancer cell phenotype. However, other studies demonstrate an antiproliferative or apoptotic role for ATF-2. In this review, we summarize the (...) signaling pathways that activate ATF-2, as well as its downstream targets. We examine the role of ATF-2 in carcinogenesis with respect to other bZIP proteins, using data from studies in human cancer cell lines, human tumours and mouse models, and we propose a potential model for its function in carcinogenesis, as well as a theoretical basis for its utility in anticancer drug design. (shrink)

Hypocretin regulates brain reward function and cocaine consumption in rats. The hypocretinergic (Hcrt) system is implicated in energy homeostasis, feeding and sleep regulation. Hypocretinergic cell bodies are located in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and project throughout the brain. The aim of the present studies was to investigate the role of the Hcrt system in regulating brain reward function and the reinforcing properties of cocaine in rats. Intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) thresholds provide an accurate measure of brain reward function in rats. Here (...) we show that a single injection of Hcrt-1 (5 µg icv) induced persistent, long-lasting elevations in ICSS thresholds in drug-naïve rats. Indeed, Hrct-1 elevated ICSS thresholds for 36 h, with peak elevations between 6 and 12 hours after injection. Hrct-1-induced threshold elevations were attenuated by an antibody known to neutralize the binding of hcrt-1 to its receptors. Taken together, these observations suggest that Hrct-1 negatively regulates brain reward function in rats. Because Hrct-1 negatively regulates brain reward function, we hypothesized that it may attenuate the increased brain reward function usually observed after cocaine consumption, and thereby alter cocaine self-administration behavior. A daily injection of Hrct-1 (1 µg icv), for 4 consecutive days, slightly increased cocaine self-administration (0.25 mg/infusion) in rats. Overall, these data demonstrate that Hrct-1 negatively regulates brain reward function, and as such may indirectly alter cocaine self-administration. Given the well-established role of hypocretin neurons in regulating feeding behavior and sleep, we hypothesize that hypocretinergic regulation of brain reward function may provide a mechanism by which appropriate and competing behaviors (e.g. sleep or feeding) may be engaged to maintain energy homeostasis. (shrink)

Elevations in brain stimulation reward (BSR) thresholds have been observed in rats undergoing nicotine withdrawal and have been proposed as a sensitive measure of the negative affective state associated with nicotine withdrawal. mGluR are presynaptic autoreceptors that decrease glutamate release when stimulated. The aim of this study was to examine the role of glutamate neurotransmission in nicotine dependence. The mGluR agonist LY314582 (2.5–7.5 mg/kg) precipitated nicotine withdrawal as measured by elevations in BSR thresholds in nicotine-treated rats but not in controls. (...) It was hypothesized that LY314582 precipitated nicotine withdrawal by decreasing glutamatergic tone at postsynaptic glutamate receptors. Therefore, the effects of MPEP (0.5–2 mg/kg), an mGluR antagonist, and MK-801 (0.01–1 mg/kg), an NMDA receptor antagonist, were examined. MPEP elevated BSR thresholds by an equal magnitude in control and nicotine-treated rats. At low doses, MK-801 (0.01–0.2 mg/kg) lowered BSR thresholds to a similar extent in control and nicotine-treated rats. At higher doses, MK-801 (0.25–1 mg/kg) disrupted performance in nicotine-treated and control rats. These data indicate that mGluR and NMDA receptors regulate BSR in opposite directions in non-dependent animals, and chronic nicotine treatment does not alter these effects. Most importantly, the data demonstrate that the mGluR is involved in nicotine dependence, but mGluR and NMDA receptors do not mediate mGluR actions in nicotine dependence. (shrink)

Although much has been written globally about the key issues of corporate governance in REITs, there are not enough studies inspired by the systematic literature review method. This study reviews the literature on corporate governance in real estate investment trusts (REITs) published after 2004 and addresses three interrelated research questions. We examined 77 peer-reviewed journal articles using a systematic literature review approach. We found that there has been a rise in studies since 2010, with a brief decrease in 2015 and (...) 2017 before increasing again in 2016. Moreover, the vast majority of the studies were published in the areas of economics/econometrics/finance and business/management/accounting. In addition, most of the papers are single-country studies, and the minority are multi-country. The majority of the papers are focused on the USA and Asia. Similarly, the majority of these analyses concentrate on developed countries and ignore emerging and frontier markets.Keywordscorporate governance, real estate investment trusts, REITs, systematic literature review, SLR. (shrink)

Human-Computer Interaction and games set a new domain in understanding people’s motivations in gaming, behavioral implications of game play, game adaptation to player preferences and needs for increased engaging experiences in the context of HCI serious games. When the latter relate with people’s health status, they can become a part of their daily life as assistive health status monitoring/enhancement systems. Co-designing HCI-SGs can be seen as a combination of art and science that involves a meticulous collaborative process. The design elements (...) in assistive HCI-SGs for Parkinson’s Disease patients, in particular, are explored in the present work. Within this context, the Game-Based Learning design framework is adopted here and its main game-design parameters are explored for the Exergames, Dietarygames, Emotional games, Handwriting games, and Voice games design, drawn from the PD-related i-PROGNOSIS Personalized Game Suite holistic approach. Two main data sources were involved in the study. In particular, the first one includes qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, involving 10 PD patients and four clinicians in the co-creation process of the game design, whereas the second one relates with data from an online questionnaire addressed by 104 participants spanning the whole related spectrum, i.e., PD patients, physicians, software/game developers. Linear regression analysis was employed to identify an adapted GBL framework with the most significant game-design parameters, which efficiently predict the transferability of the PGS beneficial effect to real-life, addressing functional PD symptoms. The findings of this work can assist HCI-SG designers for designing PD-related HCI-SGs, as the most significant game-design factors were identified, in terms of adding value to the role of HCI-SGs in increasing PD patients’ quality of life, optimizing the interaction with personalized HCI-SGs and, hence, fostering a collaborative human-computer symbiosis. (shrink)