University of Crete

About: University of Crete is a education organization based out in Rethymno, Greece. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Galaxy. The organization has 8681 authors who have published 21684 publications receiving 709078 citations. The organization is also known as: Panepistimio Kritis.

Developing fundamental programming concepts and computational thinking with ScratchJr in preschool education: a case study

Abstract: In recent years, the teaching of programming and development of fundamental programming concepts at the preschool age has attracted the interest of the educational and scientific community. International research has highlighted that teaching programming to young children has a crucial influence on the development of their cognitive functions. There are currently plenty of available programming environments suited for preschoolers. Researchers are adapting their views concerning the age threshold at which young children can effectively get involved with programming. A new programming environment, which was designed to help preschoolers familiarise with basic programming concepts, in a developmentally appropriate manner, is ScratchJr. This study performs a brief introduction to the characteristics of ScratchJr as well as a presentation of the results of a small-scale pilot study for the evaluation of ScratchJr as means of teaching basic programming concepts in the preschool classroom.

Anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy improves insulin resistance, beta cell function and insulin signaling in active rheumatoid arthritis patients with high insulin resistance

Abstract: Introduction Prevalence of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome has been reported to be high in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a pro-inflammatory cytokine with a major pathogenetic role in RA, may promote insulin resistance by inducing Ser312 phosphorylation (p-Ser312) of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 and downregulating phosphorylated (p-)AKT. We examined whether anti-TNF therapy improves insulin resistance in RA patients and assessed changes in the insulin signaling cascade.

Fatty acids and postprandial inflammation.

Abstract: Purpose of review Postprandial inflammation is an independent factor in evaluating food quality in addition to the well known parameters of nutritional value, caloric content and amount of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins. Among the latter, the quality and quantity of fatty acids in a meal is a major determinant of the magnitude of postprandial inflammation. Purpose of this review is to describe this exciting new area of research and its repercussions in the way we, the consumers, and the food industry evaluate the type and quantity of fat in food. Recent findings A number of, by now classical, epidemiologic studies have documented a strong association between the type of fatty acids consumed and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. Recently published reports suggest that the adverse effect of dietary fatty acids on cardiovascular health depends on their postprandial modification of innate immunity ending in the so-called 'postprandial metabolic inflammation'. Summary The quantity of fat and its qualitative characteristics such as the percentage of saturated fatty acids and the ratio of n-3 to n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in a meal have emerged as major determinants of the magnitude of postprandial inflammatory response. In this review, we will summarize all experimental evidence suggesting that the two families of PUFA appear to have antagonistic effects on postprandial inflammation, n-3 PUFA being anti-inflammatory while n-6 PUFA proinflammatory.

Long-term measurements of carbonaceous aerosols in the Eastern Mediterranean: evidence of long-range transport of biomass burning

Abstract: Long-term (5-yr) measurements of Black Carbon (BC) and Organic Carbon (OC) in bulk aerosols are presented here for the first time in the Mediterranean Basin (Crete Island). A multi-analytical approach (including thermal, optical, and thermo-optical techniques) was applied for these BC and OC measurements. Light absorbing dust aerosols have shown to poorly contribute (+17% on a yearly average) to light absorption coefficient ( b abs ) measurements performed by an optical method (aethalometer). Long-range transport of agricultural waste burning from European countries surrounding the Black Sea was shown for each year during two periods (March–April and July–September). The contribution of biomass burning to the concentrations of BC and OC has shown to be rather small (20 and 14%, respectively, on a yearly basis), although this contribution could be much higher on a monthly basis and is expected a high intra and inter annual variability. By removing the biomass burning influence, our data revealed an important seasonal variation of OC, with an increase by almost a factor of two for the Spring months of May and June, whereas BC was found to be quite stable throughout the year. Preliminary measurements of Water Soluble Organic Carbon (WSOC) have shown that the monthly mean WSOC/OC ratio remains stable throughout the year (0.45±0.12), suggesting that the partitioning between water soluble and water insoluble organic matter is not significantly affected by biomass burning and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. A chemical mass closure performed in the fine mode (Aerodynamic Diameter, A.D.<1.5 µm) showed that the mass contribution of organic matter (POM) was found to be essentially invariable during the year (monthly average of 26±5%).

Fourier-space generation of abruptly autofocusing beams and optical bottle beams

Abstract: We demonstrate analytically and experimentally that a circular abruptly autofocusing (AAF) Airy beam can be generated by Fourier-transforming an appropriately apodized Bessel beam whose radial oscillations are chirped by a cubic phase term. Depending on the relation between the chirp rate and the focal distance of the Fourier-transforming lens, it is possible to generate AAF beams with one or two foci, the latter case leading to the formation of an elegant paraboloid optical bottle.