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.

Thyroid dysfunction and autoantibodies in early pregnancy are associated with increased risk of gestational diabetes and adverse birth outcomes.

Abstract: Context: Maternal thyroid dysfunction, especially in early pregnancy, may lead to pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes. Few population-based prospective studies have evaluated these effects and results are discrepant. Objective: We examined the association of thyroid function and autoimmunity in early pregnancy with adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. Setting and Participants: The study used data from the prospective mother-child cohort “Rhea” study in Crete, Greece. A total of 1170 women with singleton pregnancies participated in this analysis. Maternal serum samples in the first trimester of pregnancy were tested for thyroid hormones (TSH, free T4, and free T3) and thyroid antibodies (thyroid peroxidase antibody and thyroglobulin antibody). Multivariable log-Poisson regression models were used adjusting for confounders. Main Outcome Measures: Outcomes included gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension/preeclampsia, cesarean section, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and small-for-...

Making silicon hydrophobic: wettability control by two-lengthscale simultaneous patterning with femtosecond laser irradiation

Abstract: We report on the wettability properties of silicon surfaces, simultaneously structured on the micrometre-scale and the nanometre-scale by femtosecond (fs) laser irradiation to render silicon hydrophobic. By varying the laser fluence, it was possible to control the wetting properties of a silicon surface through a systematic and reproducible variation of the surface roughness. In particular, the silicon–water contact angle could be increased from 66° to more than 130°. Such behaviour is described by incomplete liquid penetration within the silicon features, still leaving partially trapped air inside. We also show how controllable design and tailoring of the surface microstructures by wettability gradients can drive the motion of the drop's centre of mass towards a desired direction (even upwards).

Particle Size Distribution of Airborne Microorganisms and Pathogens during an Intense African Dust Event in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract: In the last decade, the increase of desertification has resulted in a concomitant intensification of atmospheric dust loadings (Moulin and Chiapello 2006). Furthermore, El Nino events have coincided with increased flux of Saharan dust across the Atlantic (Prospero and Lamb 2003). Moulin et al. (1997) have estimated that dust flux from the Saharan-Sahel region to the atmosphere is approximately 1 billion tons/year. In addition to the effect of airborne dust on visibility and Earth’s climate through the processes of atmospheric radiation balance, photochemistry, and cloud formation, these dusts can also exert a direct impact on human health (Taylor 2002). The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified drought and dust storm activity in the sub-Saharan region of Africa as causing regional outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis (in 1996 there were ~ 250,000 cases and 25,000 deaths) (Griffin 2007; WHO 2003). Recently, dust events have been shown to introduce a significant pulse of microorganisms (Griffin 2007) and other microbiological materials (i.e., cellular fragments, fungal spores) into the atmosphere (Jaenicke 2005). However, to a large extent, the distribution of microorganisms in different particle sizes has been ignored, although it could have significant implications regarding the dispersion of microorganisms around the world. Study of the particle size distribution of microorganisms will enhance our knowledge a) of the species of microbes able to be transported over long distances and thus affect remote areas, and b) how climate change could increase the health risk from microbial pathogens. Traditionally, the detection and enumeration of airborne microorganisms has been conducted using light microscopy and/or culture-based methods. However, these analyses are time-consuming and laborious, lack sensitivity and specificity (Stetzenbach et al. 2004), and offer just a glimpse of the biological agents present (< 1% of environmental bacteria can be cultivated) (Amann et al. 1995; Hugenholtz et al. 1998; Pace 1997). The development of various techniques based on community molecular analysis has freed researchers from culturing biases and allowed characterization of community structure [e.g., 16S and 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes for bacteria and microeukaryotes, respectively] (Amann et al. 1995). In the present study, we used molecular-based methods to analyze the microbial components of bioaerosol samples collected from the atmosphere of a coastal city (Heraklion, Crete) of the eastern Mediterranean Sea during an intense African dust event. The study area is subject to frequent and severe Saharan dust events (Gerasopoulos et al. 2006). Air sampling was carried out during 24–25 February 2006 when large quantities of dust were exported from northern Africa to southern Europe (NASA 2006). The aim of the study was to investigate the microbial quality of size-distributed aerosol particles during a dust storm by using a high-volume pump equipped with a five-stage cascade impactor for efficient genomic DNA extraction (Radosevich et al. 2002). The composition of the airborne microorganisms was determined by cloning and sequencing the 16S rRNA genes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of size-distributed airborne bacteria during a Saharan storm using molecular-based methods.

Generalized Holographic Quantum Criticality at Finite Density

Abstract: We show that the near-extremal solutions of Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton theories, studied in arXiv:1005.4690, provide IR quantum critical geometries, by embedding classes of them in higher-dimensional AdS and Lifshitz solutions. This explains the scaling of their thermodynamic functions and their IR transport coefficients, the nature of their spectra, the Gubser bound, and regulates their singularities. We propose that these are the most general quantum critical IR asymptotics at finite density of EMD theories.