University of Patras

About: University of Patras is a education organization based out in Pátrai, Greece. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Catalysis. The organization has 13372 authors who have published 31263 publications receiving 677159 citations. The organization is also known as: Panepistímio Patrón.

Distribution of the endemic Balkan flora on serpentine I. – obligate serpentine endemics

Abstract: Serpentine (ophiolithic) substrate covers large areas in the Balkans, more so than in any other part of Europe. These areas extend from north to south mainly in the mountainous central regions and represent specialized habitats for basiphilous-calcifugal plants. Biodiversity in the area is high, with a great number of interesting local and regional endemics. The high number of endemics indicates the importance of serpentine habitats as centres for floristic differentiation and speciation. The number of Balkan endemics growing on serpentine is c. 335 taxa (species and subspecies) of which 123 are obligate. Their distribution is presented in 50 × 50 km UTM squares as adopted in the Atlas Florae Europaeae project coordinated at Helsinki. The richest (in number of taxa) squares are situated in NW Greece (Epirus), the island of Evvia, N Albania together with SW Serbia, and N Greece (Vourinos). They indicate important centres of plant diversity in the Balkans, areas to be noted for conservation strategy. Features responsible for the distribution and abundance of these obligate serpentine endemics include: 1) edaphic isolation in relation to type of bedrock (lime, dolomite, marble, schist, etc.), 2) mountain island isolation (Smolikas, Vourinos, Ostrovica, etc.), 3) island isolation (Evvia) and 4) continuous long-term isolation without interruption or disturbance of speciation.

Analysis and design of an inverted-F antenna printed on a PCMCIA card for the 2.4 GHz ISM band

Abstract: The development of small integrated antennas plays a significant role in the progress of rapidly expanding commercial communication applications. This paper addresses the analysis and design of an inverted-F antenna (IFA) printed on a PCMCIA card. The antenna is compact, easy to manufacture, and efficient, with an omni-directional pattern and a bandwidth of 250 MHz. The performance of the integrated IFA/PCMCIA system was simulated using two commercial method of moments codes, and validated with measurements on a fabricated prototype.

Determinants of Working Capital Management

Abstract: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence for the effective management of working capital and for its impact on the performance of Greek listed companies in terms of profitability, performance and market valuation.Design/Methodology/approach -This research approach is based on the examination of 211 listed on the Athens Stock Exchange firms for a period of six years from 2005 to 2010. This research intents to investigate the effects of the working capital management factors for Greek enterprises’ yields through the examination of profitability (gross operating profit), the performance (return on assets) and the market value of the firm (Tobin Q).Findings -The results of our research showed that there are significant negative correlations between the variables of working capital and the business performance. Thus, we must highlight the importance of managing working capital to ensure improved profitability, efficiency and market value of companies, as this aspect should be part of strategic and operational thinking of Greek enterprises, in order to operate effectively and efficiently.Research Limitations/implications -The main limitation of this research is that examining a sample of listed firms does not allow for generalization of conclusions for all listed firms.Originality/value - This paper provides new evidence for the effects of the determinants of working capital on the efficiency, profitability and market value of listed firms.