The effect of task and ego orientation to athletic identity and anti social behavior of students and athletes

The present study examined the affect of task and ego orientation on athletic identity and anti social behavior of students and athletes. A total of 156 students (86 males and 70 females with a mean age of 16,5 years) and 150 athletes (90 males and 60 females with a mean age of 18,5 years) participated at the study. The study was conducted from December 2012 to February 2013 during a basketball school tournament at the premises of Anatolia College for students and during local championships for athletes. TEOSQ (The Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire) by Nicholls (1989) was used for the assessment of goals, the A.I.M.S. (Athletic Identity Measurement Scale) by Brewer et al,(1993 ) for athletic identity and the questionnaire by M.Kavussanu (pro-social and antisocial behavior 2006) was used for antisocial behaviour. All questionnaires have been previously used for similar studies in Greece. Results showed that task and ego orientation as well as identity affect antisocial behavior. Differences among athletes and students were observed only on athletic identity, while regarding the two sexes boys showed higher scores on antisocial behavior and aggression in relation to girls

Decision-making and predictive aids in discrete multi-stage decision tasks

In this thesis an attempt is made to identify the capabilities and limitations of the human decision-maker in multi-stage decision tasks and to investigate and evaluate methods of aiding him, particularly with the use of on-line predictive displays. In multi-stage decision tasks, the decisions already made by the decision-maker affect the decision-situations he will subsequently face. This requires that experimental studies of such decision-making must present equivalent interactive decision situations. Although the necessary methodology for such studies is rather complicated, the results thereby obtained are more relevant to many real-life situations. [Continues.

A comparison of radiological and echocardiographic estimates of cardiac parameters

This thesis attempts to identify the agreement of radiological and echocardiographic techniques in assessing cardiac parameters. In contrast to previous investigations everyday clinical data from the records of patients attending a cardiac clinic were used, instead of performing the examined techniques on a chosen sample of subjects. The radiological techniques, radiography and angiocardiography are more traditional, whereas echocardiography is a new tool, which according to previous research is very accurate for establishing a pre-operative diagnosis; and in some instances it can replace more sophisticated techniques such as angiocardiography. This work is focussed on the relative role of three of the above mentioned techniques as they are applied to everyday clinical practice for estimating cardiac parameters. The first part of the study consists of the examination of cardiac parameters assessed by radiography and echocardiography on a sample of 53 male and female patients aged between 18 and 73 years. The inter-comparisons reveal low order coefficients of correlation. The second part of the study investigates which technique is of significant diagnostic value when compared to angiocardiography on a sample of 58 male and female patients, aged between 17 and 66 years. Angiocardiography is widely recognised as an accurate and objective technique for measuring cardiac parameters. Surprisingly, none of the inter-comparisons showed the high correlations found by previous researchers. It was also observed that the correlation coefficients were consistently higher for the male patients when compared to the females. In the third part of the study the inter-observer agreement between Specialists is examined. Significant differences were found between them when they measured identical cardiac parameters using the same technique for radiography and echocardiography, as well as discrepancies in the resultant diagnosis. At present no single technique is significantly powerful to enable it to be used on its own and for the time being it is recommended that radiographic and echocardiographic techniques should be used in conjunction with one another

Epigenetic regulation of microRNA expression in colorectal cancer

In the last years, microRNAs (miRNA) have emerged as new molecular players involved in carcinogenesis. Deregulation of miRNAs expression has been shown in different human cancer but the molecular mechanism underlying the alteration of miRNA expression is unknown. To identify tumor-supressor miRNAs silenced through aberrant epigenetic events in colorectal cancer (CRC), we used a sequential approach. We first identified 5 miRNAs down-regulated in colorectal cancer patient samples and located around/on a CpG island. Treatment with a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor and a HDAC inhibitor restored expression of 3 of the 5 microRNAs (hsa-miR-9, hsa-miR-129 and hsa-miR-137) in 3 CRC cell lines. Expression of hsa-miR-9 was inversely correlated with methylation of their promoter regions as measure by MSP and bisulphate sequencing. Further, methylation of the hsa-miR-9-1, hsa-miR-129-2 and hsa-miR- 137 CpG islands were frequently observed in CRC cell lines and in primary CRC tumors, but not in normal colonic mucosa. Finally, methylation of hsa-miR-9-1 was associated with the presence of lymph node metastasis. In summary, our results aid in the understanding of miRNA gene regulation showing that aberrant DNA methylation and histone modifications work together to induce silencing of miRNAs in CRC

Regulation of microRNA biosynthesis and expression in 2102Ep embryonal carcinoma stem cells is mirrored in ovarian serous adenocarcinoma patients

Background. Tumours with high proportions of differentiated cells are considered to be of a lower grade to those containing high proportions of undifferentiated cells. This property may be linked to the differentiation properties of stem cell-like populations within malignancies. We aim to identify molecular mechanism associated with the generation of tumours with differing grades from malignant stem cell populations with different differentiation potentials. In this study we assessed microRNA (miRNA) regulation in two populations of malignant Embryonal Carcinoma (EC) stem cell, which differentiate (NTera2) or remain undifferentiated (2102Ep) during tumourigenesis, and compared this to miRNA regulation in ovarian serous carcinoma (OSC) patient samples. Methods. miRNA expression was assessed in NTera2 and 2102Ep cells in the undifferentiated and differentiated states and compared to that of OSC samples using miRNA qPCR. Results. Our analysis reveals a substantial overlap between miRNA regulation in 2102Ep cells and OSC samples in terms of miRNA biosynthesis and expression of mature miRNAs, particularly those of the miR-17/92 family and clustering to chromosomes 14 and 19. In the undifferentiated state 2102Ep cells expressed mature miRNAs at up to 15,000 fold increased levels despite decreased expression of miRNA biosynthesis genes Drosha and Dicer. 2102Ep cells avoid differentiation, which we show is associated with consistent levels of expression of miRNA biosynthesis genes and mature miRNAs while expression of miRNAs clustering to chromosomes 14 and 19 is deemphasised. OSC patient samples displayed decreased expression of miRNA biosynthesis genes, decreased expression of mature miRNAs and prominent clustering to chromosome 14 but not 19. This indicates that miRNA biosynthesis and levels of miRNA expression, particularly from chromosome 14, are tightly regulated both in progenitor cells and in tumour samples. Conclusion. miRNA biosynthesis and expression of mature miRNAs, particularly the miR-17/92 family and those clustering to chromosomes 14 and 19, are highly regulated in both progenitor cells and tumour samples. Strikingly, 2102Ep cells are not simply malfunctioning but respond to differentiation specifically, a mechanism that is highly relevant to OSC samples. Our identification and future manipulation of these miRNAs may facilitate generation of lower grade malignancies from these high-grade cells. © 2009 Gallagher et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Platelet adhesion and degranulation induce pro-survival and pro-angiogenic signalling in ovarian cancer cells

Thrombosis is common in ovarian cancer. However, the interaction of platelets with ovarian cancer cells has not been critically examined. To address this, we investigated platelet interactions in a range of ovarian cancer cell lines with different metastatic potentials [HIO-80, 59M, SK-OV-3, A2780, A2780cis]. Platelets adhered to ovarian cancer cells with the most significant adhesion to the 59M cell line. Ovarian cancer cells induced platelet activation [P-selectin expression] in a dose dependent manner, with the most significant activation seen in response to the 59M cell line. The platelet antagonists [cangrelor, MRS2179, and apyrase] inhibited 59M cell induced activation suggesting a P2Y12 and P2Y1 receptor mediated mechanism of platelet activation dependent on the release of ADP by 59M cells. A2780 and 59M cells potentiated PAR-1, PAR-4, and TxA2 receptor mediated platelet activation, but had no effect on ADP, epinephrine, or collagen induced activation. Analysis of gene expression changes in ovarian cancer cells following treatment with washed platelets or platelet releasate showed a subtle but valid upregulation of anti-apoptotic, anti-autophagy pro-angiogenic, pro-cell cycle and metabolic genes. Thus, ovarian cancer cells with different metastatic potential adhere and activate platelets differentially while both platelets and platelet releasate mediate pro-survival and pro-angiogenic signals in ovarian cancer cells

Πόλεμος και διπλωματία την εποχή της Κωνσταντίνειας δυναστείας: η εξωτερική πολιτική της αυτοκρατορίας από τον Κωνσταντίνο Α’ στον Ιουλιανό

Στο πλαίσιο της εργασίας ερευνάται η εξωτερική πολιτική της Βυζαντινής αυτοκρατορίας την περίοδο από τον Κωνσταντίνο Α΄ έως τον Ιουλιανό. Μελετήθηκαν οι ενέργειες, τόσο των πολεμικών όσο και των διπλωματικών, στις σχέσεις με τους γειτονικούς λαούς προκειμένου να ανασυνθεθεί η πολιτική των αυτοκρατόρων της δυναστείας. Η βασιλεία του Κωνσταντίνου συνιστά κομβική στιγμή για τη μετεξέλιξη της ρωμαϊκής αυτοκρατορίας σε βυζαντινή, συνδυάζοντας χαρακτηριστικά και από τις δύο κρατικές οντότητες. Η εξέταση των ζητημάτων της εξωτερικής πολιτικής, μπορεί να αποκαλύψει περαιτέρω πτυχές των ευρύτερων κοινωνικών αλλαγών, οι οποίες συντελούντο τον 4ο αιώνα. Αρχίζοντας από το 313 όταν η το κράτος διαιρέθηκε μεταξύ Κωνσταντίνου και Λικίνιου, μελετάται η στάση του Κωνσταντίνου τόσο προς τα εξωτερικά σύνορα και κυρίως τον Ρήνο, όσο και προς τον Λικίνιο επί του οποίου τελικά επικράτησε. Ως απόλυτος κυρίαρχος μετά το 324, μπορούσε πλέον να ορίζει την εξωτερική πολιτική, με κύρια πεδία δράσης του τον Δούναβη και την Περσία. Σε αμφότερες τις περιπτώσεις φαίνεται πως εισήγαγε καινοτομίες, καθώς αφενός ενέταξε σε νέο πλαίσιο τη σχέση με τους Γότθους και αφετέρου επιστράτευσε τη χριστιανική θρησκεία στο πεδίο της διπλωματίας, εκφράζοντας μια νέα ιμπεριαλιστική ιδεολογία. Ο θάνατός του οδήγησε στον κατακερματισμό της εδαφικής επικράτειας ανάμεσα στους γιους του, με συνέπεια την διάσπαση και της ενιαίας εξωτερικής πολιτικής. Στη Δύση οι γιοι του, Κωνσταντίνος Β΄ και Κώνστας, αν και δεν υφίσταται πληθώρα πηγών, συνέχισαν την τακτική της επιθετικής άμυνας του πατέρα τους, περισσότερο όμως σε αμυντική στόχευση, καθώς δεν είχαν τις δυνατότητες για κατακτήσεις. Στην Ανατολή, ο Κωνστάντιος είχε να αντιμετωπίσει τους Πέρσες, εφαρμόζοντας μια συνεκτική αμυντική πολίτική, αποσκοπώντας παράλληλα και στην εξοικονόμηση των δυνάμεων και των πόρων της αυτοκρατορίας. Ο Κωνστάντιος στηρίχθηκε σε μεγάλο βαθμό στη διπλωματία και ιδιαίτερα για την ανάπτυξη των σχέσεων του με τους λαούς της Ανατολής για τον πόλεμο εναντίον των Περσών, χρησιμοποίησε τον χριστιανισμό, με κορυφαία στιγμή την ιεραποστολή στην Ερυθρά Θάλασσα. Οι διπλωματικές ικανότητές του, αποτυπώνονται ευρύτερα στην εμφύλια σύγκρουση με τον Μαγνέντιο, με τους ελιγμούς του επί του Βετράνιου και στη συνέχεια εκμεταλλευόμενος τους Αλαμανούς κατάφερε να αναδειχθεί κυρίαρχος. Η πολιτική του αν και με σαφή αμυντική προσήλωση δεν συνεπαγόταν και μια παθητική στάση, καθώς όπου κρινόταν απαραίτητο είτε στην Ανατολή, είτε στη Δύση, επιστράτευσε και επιθετικές κινήσεις για τη διασφάλιση των συνόρων. Ο Ιουλιανός, το τελευταίο μέλος της δυναστείας, ξεκίνησε την πορεία του ως καίσαρας στη Γαλατία, δείχνοντας τα πρώτα σημάδια της επιθυμίας του για ανανέωση της επιθετικής και ιμπεριαλιστικής πολιτικής. Η εισβολή του στην Περσία αν και αποτέλεσε την υλοποίηση των κατακτητικών σχεδίων του Κωνσταντίνου, δεν μπορεί να μην θεωρηθεί ότι οφειλόταν ως έναν βαθμό και στην ανάγκη του για επιβεβαίωση των ανατρεπτικών πολιτικών του σε ζητήματα εσωτερικής πολιτικής. Η εξωτερική πολιτική της περιόδου είναι εύλογο ότι εκφραζόταν με διαφορετικό τρόπο από τον εκάστοτε αυτοκράτορα, με στόχο την αντιμετώπιση των κινδύνων της βασιλείας του. Ωστόσο μπορούν να εντοπιστούν ορισμένα διαχρονικά χαρακτηριστικά. Η θρησκευτική διπλωματία αναπτύχθηκε περαιτέρω προκειμένου να μετατραπεί σε βασικό εργαλείο της εξωτερικής πολιτικής, ενώ η επιθυμία για επιθετική στάση φαίνεται πως είχε απήχηση στη κοινωνία, μετά την κρίση του 3ου αιώνα και τη σταθεροποίηση από την Τετραρχία, οδηγώντας όμως εν τέλει σε σημαντική ήττα της αυτοκρατορίας.The research deals with the issue of foreign policy of the Byzantine Empire during the period from Constantine I to Julian. The aim of this work is to study the actions, both military and diplomatic, in relations with neighboring peoples to reconstruct the policies of the emperors of that dynasty. The reign of Constantine represents a crucial moment in the transformation of the Roman Empire into the Byzantine, combining characteristics from both states. The examination of foreign policy matters can reveal further aspects of the broader social changes that occurred during the 4th century. Starting from 313 when the state was divided between Constantine and Licinius, the attitude of Constantine is examined towards the external borders, primarily the Rhine, as well as towards Licinius, whom he eventually defeated. As the absolute ruler after 324, he could now determine foreign policy, with the main areas of action being the Danube and Persia. In both cases, it seems that he introduced innovations, as he integrated the relationship with the Goths into a new framework and enlisted the Christian religion in diplomacy, expressing a new imperial ideology. His death led to the fragmentation of the territorial domain among his sons, resulting in the division of the unified foreign policy. In the West, his sons, Constantine II and Constans, continued their father's strategy of aggressive defense, though more defensively oriented since they lacked the capabilities for conquests. In the East, Constantius had to confront the Persians, implementing a consistent defensive policy, while also aiming to conserve the forces and resources of the empire. Constantius relied heavily on diplomacy, particularly in developing relations with the peoples of the East, employing Christianity as an important mean, with a crucial moment being the mission to the Red Sea. His diplomatic abilities are more broadly reflected in the civil conflict with Magnentius, employing maneuvers against Vetranio, and subsequently utilizing the Alamanni to establish his dominance. Although his policy had a clear defensive commitment, it did not imply a passive stance, as he also launched offensive actions to safeguard the borders, wherever deemed necessary, both in the East and the West. Julian, the last member of the dynasty, commenced his journey as Caesar in Gaul, showing the first signs of his desire for the renewal of aggressive and imperiliastic policies. His invasion of Persia, while indeed realizing Constantine's expansionist plans, cannot be considered without being, to some extent, attributed to his need to reaffirm his radical policies on internal matters. The foreign policy of this period is expressed in different ways by each emperor, with the aim of addressing the dangers to their reign. However, certain enduring characteristics can be identified. Religious diplomacy developed further to become a fundamental instrument of foreign policy, while the desire for an aggressive stance appears to have found support in society after the 3rd-century crisis and the stabilization of the Tetrarchy, though leading eventually to a significant defeat for the empire