University of Cyprus

About: University of Cyprus is a education organization based out in Nicosia, Cyprus. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Large Hadron Collider & Standard Model. The organization has 3624 authors who have published 15157 publications receiving 412135 citations.

Bullying and Victimization: The Role of Conduct Problems and Psychopathic Traits

Abstract: Bullying and victimization occurring in adolescence can have a long-lasting negative impact into adulthood. This study investigates whether conduct problems (CP) and dimensions of psychopathy predict the developmental course of bullying and victimization from ages 12 to 14 among 1,416 Greek-Cypriot adolescents. Results indicate that initial levels of bullying were highest among adolescents scoring high on narcissism, impulsivity, or CP—particularly for those also showing high callous-unemotional (CU) traits. Bullying behaviors were also more stable among youth scoring high on narcissism. Further, youth high on impulsivity showed more stable victimization by peers across development. Importantly, adolescents high on CP+CU were at greater risk for engaging in bullying across development compared with those scoring lower on CU traits or CP.

Low-temperature H2-SCR of NO on a novel Pt/MgO-CeO2 catalyst

Abstract: The selective catalytic reduction of NO by H 2 under strongly oxidizing conditions (H 2 -SCR) in the low-temperature range of 100–200 °C has been studied over Pt supported on a series of metal oxides (e.g., La 2 O 3 , MgO, Y 2 O 3 , CaO, CeO 2 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 and MgO-CeO 2 ). The Pt/MgO and Pt/CeO 2 solids showed the best catalytic behavior with respect to N 2 yield and the widest temperature window of operation compared with the other single metal oxide-supported Pt solids. An optimum 50 wt% MgO-50wt% CeO 2 support composition and 0.3 wt% Pt loading (in the 0.1–2.0 wt% range) were found in terms of specific reaction rate of N 2 production (mols N 2 /g cat s). High NO conversions (70–95%) and N 2 selectivities (80–85%) were also obtained in the 100–200 °C range at a GHSV of 80,000 h −1 with the lowest 0.1 wt% Pt loading and using a feed stream of 0.25 vol% NO, 1 vol% H 2 , 5 vol% O 2 and He as balance gas. Addition of 5 vol% H 2 O in the latter feed stream had a positive influence on the catalytic performance and practically no effect on the stability of the 0.1 wt% Pt/MgO-CeO 2 during 24 h on reaction stream. Moreover, the latter catalytic system exhibited a high stability in the presence of 25–40 ppm SO 2 in the feed stream following a given support pretreatment. N 2 selectivity values in the 80–85% range were obtained over the 0.1 wt% Pt/MgO-CeO 2 catalyst in the 100–200 °C range in the presence of water and SO 2 in the feed stream. The above-mentioned results led to the obtainment of patents for the commercial exploitation of Pt/MgO-CeO 2 catalyst towards a new NO x control technology in the low-temperature range of 100–200 °C using H 2 as reducing agent. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of NO, and transient titration of the adsorbed surface intermediate NO x species with H 2 experiments, following reaction, have revealed important information towards the understanding of basic mechanistic issues of the present catalytic system (e.g., surface coverage, number and location of active NO x intermediate species, NO x spillover).

Gamma radiation measurements and dose rates in commercially-used natural tiling rocks (granites)

Abstract: The gamma radiation in samples of a variety of natural tiling rocks (granites) imported in Cyprus for use in the building industry was measured, employing high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy. The rock samples were pulverized, sealed in 1 litre plastic Marinelli beakers, and measured in the laboratory with an accumulating time between 10 and 14 hours each. From the measured gamma-ray spectra, activity concentrations were determined for Th-232 (range from 1 to 906 Bq/kg), U-238 (from 1 to 588 Bq/kg) and K-40 (from 50 to 1606 Bq/kg). The total absorbed dose rates in air calculated from the concentrations of the three radionuclides, Th-232 and U-238 series and K-40, ranged from 7 to 1209 nGy/h for full utilization of the materials, from 4 to 605 nGy/h for half utilization and from 2 to 302 nGy/h for one quarter utilization. The total effective dose rates per person indoors were determined to be between 0.02 to 2.97 mSv/y for half utilization of the materials. Applying dose criteria recently recommended by the EU for superficial materials, 25 of the samples meet the exemption dose limit of 0.3 mSv/y, two of them meet the upper dose limit of 1 mSv/y and only one exceeds clearly this limit.

Combining microenvironment normalization strategies to improve cancer immunotherapy

Abstract: Advances in immunotherapy have revolutionized the treatment of multiple cancers. Unfortunately, tumors usually have impaired blood perfusion, which limits the delivery of therapeutics and cytotoxic immune cells to tumors and also results in hypoxia—a hallmark of the abnormal tumor microenvironment (TME)—that causes immunosuppression. We proposed that normalization of TME using antiangiogenic drugs and/or mechanotherapeutics can overcome these challenges. Recently, immunotherapy with checkpoint blockers was shown to effectively induce vascular normalization in some types of cancer. Although these therapeutic approaches have been used in combination in preclinical and clinical studies, their combined effects on TME are not fully understood. To identify strategies for improved immunotherapy, we have developed a mathematical framework that incorporates complex interactions among various types of cancer cells, immune cells, stroma, angiogenic molecules, and the vasculature. Model predictions were compared with the data from five previously reported experimental studies. We found that low doses of antiangiogenic treatment improve immunotherapy when the two treatments are administered sequentially, but that high doses are less efficacious because of excessive vessel pruning and hypoxia. Stroma normalization can further increase the efficacy of immunotherapy, and the benefit is additive when combined with vascular normalization. We conclude that vessel functionality dictates the efficacy of immunotherapy, and thus increased tumor perfusion should be investigated as a predictive biomarker of response to immunotherapy.