Understanding online political networks: The case of the far-right and far-left in Greece

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.This paper examines the connectivity among political networks on Twitter. We explore dynamics inside and between the far right and the far left, as well as the relation between the structure of the network and sentiment. The 2015 Greek political context offers a unique opportunity to investigate political communication in times of political intensity and crisis. We explore interactions inside and between political networks on Twitter in the run up to the elections of three different ballots: the parliamentary election of 25 January, the bailout referendum of 5 July, the snap election of 20 September; we, then, compare political action during campaigns with that during routinized politics.This work received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 Programme (Horizon2020/2014–2020), under grant agreement 688380

Workers' health and productivity under occupational heat strain:a systematic review and meta-analysis

This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Elsevier under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Background Occupational heat strain (ie, the effect of environmental heat stress on the body) directly threatens workers’ ability to live healthy and productive lives. We estimated the effects of occupational heat strain on workers’ health and productivity outcomes. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines for this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed and Embase from database inception to Feb 5, 2018, for relevant studies in any labour environment and at any level of occupational heat strain. No restrictions on language, workers’ health status, or study design were applied. Occupational heat strain was defined using international health and safety guidelines and standards. We excluded studies that calculated effects using simulations or statistical models instead of actual measurements, and any grey literature. Risk of bias, data extraction, and sensitivity analysis were performed by two independent investigators. Six random-effects meta-analyses estimated the prevalence of occupational heat strain, kidney disease or acute kidney injury, productivity loss, core temperature, change in urine specific gravity, and odds of occupational heat strain occurring during or at the end of a work shift in heat stress conditions. The review protocol is available on PROSPERO, registration number CRD42017083271. Findings Of 958 reports identified through our systematic search, 111 studies done in 30 countries, including 447 million workers from more than 40 different occupations, were eligible for analysis. Our meta-analyses showed that individuals working a single work shift under heat stress (defined as wet-bulb globe temperature beyond 22·0 or 24·8°C depending on work intensity) were 4·01 times (95% CI 2·45–6·58; nine studies with 11 582 workers) more likely to experience occupational heat strain than an individual working in thermoneutral conditions, while their core temperature was increased by 0·7°C (0·4–1·0; 17 studies with 1090 workers) and their urine specific gravity was increased by 14·5% (0·0031, 0·0014–0·0048; 14 studies with 691 workers). During or at the end of a work shift under heat stress, 35% (31–39; 33 studies with 13088 workers) of workers experienced occupational heat strain, while 30% (21–39; 11 studies with 8076 workers) reported productivity losses. Finally, 15% (11–19; ten studies with 21721 workers) of individuals who typically or frequently worked under heat stress (minimum of 6 h per day, 5 days per week, for 2 months of the year) experienced kidney disease or acute kidney injury. Overall, this analysis include a variety of populations, exposures, and occupations to comply with a wider adoption of evidence synthesis, but resulted in large heterogeneity in our meta-analyses. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation analysis revealed moderate confidence for most results and very low confidence in two cases (average core temperature and change in urine specific gravity) due to studies being funded by industry. Interpretation Occupational heat strain has important health and productivity outcomes and should be recognised as a public health problem. Concerted international action is needed to mitigate its effects in light of climate change and the anticipated rise in heat stress

Are Urethral Pressure Profile Measurements Effective in Diagnosing Urodynamic Stress Incontinence in Women Presenting with Stress or Mixed Urinary Incontinence? Results from a Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the relevance of urethral pressure profile (UPP) measurements in the diagnosis of urodynamic stress incontinence (USI) in women with stress and mixed urinary incontinence (SUI and MUI). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional chart review was used. All patients who had urodynamic studies (UDSs) in the urogynecology unit of an academic hospital over the last 6 months and complained of SUI or MUI were analyzed. Clinical examination included prolapse grading with the POP-Q system. The presenting symptoms, initial diagnosis before UDS, and results from flow studies—cystometrography (CMG), which included a 1-3-5 cough test at 300–350 mL bladder filling, and urethral pressure profilometry (UPP)—were recorded. p < 0.05 was considered significant in all statistical comparison tests; receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were also used to determine the best predictor of SUI diagnosis. Results: In total, 57 women were included in this study, with a mean age of 60.7 (±9.3). Upon UDS, 28 women (49.1%) demonstrated USI (Group 1), while 29 women (50.9%) did not demonstrate USI (Group 2). No differences between the two groups were noted during free uroflowmetry and the filling phase of CMG. However, the women in Group 2 had a significantly lower MUCP, FUL, and post-void residual after pressure flow compared to the women in Group 1 (p = 0.038, 0.003, and 0.04, respectively, upon Student’s t test for independent parameters). The ROC analysis indicated that when using MUCP and FUL for the diagnosis of USI, the AUCs are 0.663 (0.525–0.782) and 0.756 (0.623–0.861), respectively. Conclusions: By exhibiting correlations between low MUCP/FUL and USI, UPP appears to be a valid test for USI. The value of UPP in diagnosing USI in those with SUI and MUI appears to be clinically important. Further studies are needed in non-SUI patients, in addition to SUI subgroups and various incontinence treatment groups

Paralelización de un esferizador geométrico

En este artículo se describe la paralelización de un esferizador geométrico utilizado en un detector jerárquico de colisiones. La paralelización se basa en la computación par alela con la utilización de la her r amienta PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine). Se discute la estrategia utilizada junto a la implementación. Finalmente, se muestran resultados experimentales y se discuten los resultados obtenidos

Workers' health and productivity under occupational heat strain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Occupational heat strain (ie, the effect of environmental heat stress on the body) directly threatens workers’ ability to live healthy and productive lives. We estimated the effects of occupational heat strain on workers’ health and productivity outcomes. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines for this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed and Embase from database inception to Feb 5, 2018, for relevant studies in any labour environment and at any level of occupational heat strain. No restrictions on language, workers’ health status, or study design were applied. Occupational heat strain was defined using international health and safety guidelines and standards. We excluded studies that calculated effects using simulations or statistical models instead of actual measurements, and any grey literature. Risk of bias, data extraction, and sensitivity analysis were performed by two independent investigators. Six random-effects meta-analyses estimated the prevalence of occupational heat strain, kidney disease or acute kidney injury, productivity loss, core temperature, change in urine specific gravity, and odds of occupational heat strain occurring during or at the end of a work shift in heat stress conditions. The review protocol is available on PROSPERO, registration number CRD42017083271. Findings Of 958 reports identified through our systematic search, 111 studies done in 30 countries, including 447 million workers from more than 40 different occupations, were eligible for analysis. Our meta-analyses showed that individuals working a single work shift under heat stress (defined as wet-bulb globe temperature beyond 22·0 or 24·8°C depending on work intensity) were 4·01 times (95% CI 2·45–6·58; nine studies with 11 582 workers) more likely to experience occupational heat strain than an individual working in thermoneutral conditions, while their core temperature was increased by 0·7°C (0·4–1·0; 17 studies with 1090 workers) and their urine specific gravity was increased by 14·5% (0·0031, 0·0014–0·0048; 14 studies with 691 workers). During or at the end of a work shift under heat stress, 35% (31–39; 33 studies with 13088 workers) of workers experienced occupational heat strain, while 30% (21–39; 11 studies with 8076 workers) reported productivity losses. Finally, 15% (11–19; ten studies with 21721 workers) of individuals who typically or frequently worked under heat stress (minimum of 6 h per day, 5 days per week, for 2 months of the year) experienced kidney disease or acute kidney injury. Overall, this analysis include a variety of populations, exposures, and occupations to comply with a wider adoption of evidence synthesis, but resulted in large heterogeneity in our meta-analyses. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation analysis revealed moderate confidence for most results and very low confidence in two cases (average core temperature and change in urine specific gravity) due to studies being funded by industry. Interpretation Occupational heat strain has important health and productivity outcomes and should be recognised as a public health problem. Concerted international action is needed to mitigate its effects in light of climate change and the anticipated rise in heat stress

Farming fit? Dispelling the Australian agrarian myth

Background: Rural Australians face a higher mental health and lifestyle disease burden (obesity, diabetes andcardiovascular disease) than their urban counterparts. Our ongoing research reveals that the Australian farmingcommunity has even poorer physical and mental health outcomes than rural averages. In particular, farm men andwomen have high rates of overweightness, obesity, abdominal adiposity, high blood pressure and psychologicaldistress when compared against Australian averages. Within our farming cohort we observed a significantassociation between psychological distress and obesity, abdominal adiposity and body fat percentage in thefarming population.Presentation of hypothesis: This paper presents a hypothesis based on preliminary data obtained from anongoing study that could potentially explain the complex correlation between obesity, psychological distress andphysical activity among a farming population. We posit that spasmodic physical activity, changing farm practicesand climate variability induce prolonged stress in farmers. This increases systemic cortisol that, in turn, promotesabdominal adiposity and weight gain.Testing the hypothesis: The hypothesis will be tested by anthropometric, biochemical and psychological analysismatched against systemic cortisol levels and the physical activity of the subjects.Implications of the hypothesis tested: Previous studies indicate that farming populations have elevated rates ofpsychological distress and high rates of suicide. Australian farmers have recently experienced challenging climaticconditions including prolonged drought, floods and cyclones. Through our interactions and through the media it isnot uncommon for farmers to describe the effect of this long-term stress with feelings of &lsquo;defeat&rsquo;. By gaining agreater understanding of the role cortisol and physical activity have on mental and physical health we maypositively impact the current rates of psychological distress in farmers.<br /

Browning formation markers of subcutaneous adipose tissue in relation to resting energy expenditure, physical activity and diet in humans

© 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston. Regular exercise and diet may contribute to white adipose tissue (WAT) conversion into a brown adipose-like phenotype that may increase resting energy expenditure (REE), leading to weight loss. We examined the relationship between REE, physical activity (PA) participation and diet with browning formation markers of subcutaneous WAT in healthy men. We assessed REE, diet and body composition of 32 healthy men [age (years): 36.06 ± 7.36, body mass index (BMI): 27.06 ± 4.62 (kg/m 2 )]. Participants also underwent measurements of PA [metabolic equivalent (MET)-min/week] using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), while they undertook a subcutaneous fat biopsy from the abdominal region to assess the mRNA expressions of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). We found no associations between the UCP1, PGC-1α, PPARα and PPARγ mRNAs with REE, PA levels and diet (p > 0.05). However, the PGC-1α, PPARα and PPARγ mRNAs were more expressed in individuals displaying moderate rather than low PA levels (p < 0.05). Furthermore, PGC-1α, PPARα and PPARγ mRNAs were negatively correlated with fat mass percentage (p < 0.05). PGC-1α and PPARα mRNAs were also negatively correlated with BMI, while PGC-1α mRNA was inversely associated with waist-to-hip ratio (p < 0.05). REE, PA levels and diet are not associated with browning formation indices of subcutaneous adipose tissue in healthy adult men.This study was supported by funding from the European Union 7th Framework Program (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IRSES grant 319010; FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IRSES grant 612547). A.V. was supported by funding from the Education and Lifelong Learning Programme of the Greek Ministry of Education, Co-financed by Greece and the European Union (NSRF 2007–2013, IRAKLITOS II, grant 162).Published versio