Zygosity Determination in Twin Studies: A Validation of Zygosity Questionnaires Using DNA in the German TwinLife Study.

E-print/Working paper (2017)

ÆGIS: Smart Shielding of Smart Contracts

Poster (2019)

In recent years, smart contracts have suffered major exploits, losing millions of dollars. Unlike traditional programs, smart contracts cannot be updated once deployed. Though various tools were pro ... [more ▼]

In recent years, smart contracts have suffered major exploits, losing millions of dollars. Unlike traditional programs, smart contracts cannot be updated once deployed. Though various tools were pro- posed to detect vulnerable smart contracts, they all fail to protect contracts that have already been deployed on the blockchain. More- over, they focus on vulnerabilities, but do not address scams (e.g., honeypots). In this work, we introduce ÆGIS, a tool that shields smart contracts and users on the blockchain from being exploited. To this end, ÆGIS reverts transactions in real-time based on pat- tern matching. These patterns encode the detection of malicious transactions that trigger exploits or scams. New patterns are voted upon and stored via a smart contract, thus leveraging the benefits of tamper-resistance and transparency provided by blockchain. By allowing its protection to be updated, the smart contract acts as a smart shield. [less ▲]

L’œuvre de Jean Portante dans le panorama de la littérature italienne du Luxembourg et de la Grande Région

in Glesener, Jeanne; Raus, Tonia (Eds.) Le travail de l’écriture ou la mémoire dans l’œuvre de Jean Portante (2019)

α-Synuclein in Parkinson's disease: causal or bystander?

in Journal of Neural Transmission (2019)

Parkinson’s disease (PD) comprises a spectrum of disorders with differing subtypes, the vast majority of which share Lewy bodies (LB) as a characteristic pathological hallmark. The process(es) underlying ... [more ▼]

Parkinson’s disease (PD) comprises a spectrum of disorders with differing subtypes, the vast majority of which share Lewy bodies (LB) as a characteristic pathological hallmark. The process(es) underlying LB generation and its causal trigger molecules are not yet fully understood. α-Synuclein (α-syn) is a major component of LB and SNCA gene missense mutations or duplications/triplications are causal for rare hereditary forms of PD. As typical sporadic PD is associated with LB pathology, a factor of major importance is the study of the α-syn protein and its pathology. α-Syn pathology is, however, also evident in multiple system atrophy (MSA) and Lewy body disease (LBD), making it non-specific for PD. In addition, there is an overlap of these α-synucleinopathies with other protein-misfolding diseases. It has been proven that α-syn, phosphorylated tau protein (pτ), amyloid beta (Aβ) and other proteins show synergistic effects in the underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Multiple cell death mechanisms can induce pathological protein-cascades, but this can also be a reverse process. This holds true for the early phases of the disease process and especially for the progression of PD. In conclusion, while rare SNCA gene mutations are causal for a minority of familial PD patients, in sporadic PD (where common SNCA polymorphisms are the most consistent genetic risk factor across populations worldwide, accounting for 95% of PD patients) α-syn pathology is an important feature. Conversely, with regard to the etiopathogenesis of α-synucleinopathies PD, MSA and LBD, α-syn is rather a bystander contributing to multiple neurodegenerative processes, which overlap in their composition and individual strength. Therapeutic developments aiming to impact on α-syn pathology should take this fact into consideration. [less ▲]

ΔNp63α expression induces loss of cell adhesion in triple-negative breast cancer cells

in BMC Cancer (2016), 16(1),

Background: p63, a member of the p53 protein family, plays key roles in epithelial development and carcinogenesis. In breast cancer, p63 expression has been found predominantly in basal-A (epithelial-type ... [more ▼]

Background: p63, a member of the p53 protein family, plays key roles in epithelial development and carcinogenesis. In breast cancer, p63 expression has been found predominantly in basal-A (epithelial-type) triple-negative breast carcinomas (TNBC). To investigate the functional role of p63 in basal-A TNBC, we created MDA-MB-468 cell lines with inducible expression of the two major N-terminal p63 isoforms, TAp63α and ΔNp63α. Results: TAp63α did not have significant effect on gene expression profile and cell phenotype, whilst the main effect of ΔNp63α was reduction of cell adhesion. Gene expression profiling revealed genes involved in cell adhesion and migration whose expression relies on overexpression of ΔNp63α. Reduced cell adhesion also led to decreased cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Similar data were obtained in another basal-A cell line, BT-20, but not in BT-549 basal-B (mesenchymal-like) TNBC cells. Conclusions: In basal-A TNBC cells, ΔNp63α has much stronger effects on gene expression than TAp63α. Although p63 is mentioned mostly in connection with breast cell differentiation and stem cell regulation, we showed that a major effect of p63 is regulation of cell adhesion, a process important in metastasis and invasion of tumour cells. That this effect is not seen in mesenchymal-type TNBC cells suggests lineage-dependent functions, mirroring the expression of ΔNp63α in primary human breast cancers. © 2016 The Author(s). [less ▲]

Εργαλειοθήκη κατάρτισης για εκπαιδευτικούς

E-print/Working paper (2020)

Στο πλαίσιο του έργου BMC-EU (Βασικές Κινητικές Δεξιότητες στην Ευρώπη), αναπτύχθηκε μία εργαλειοθήκη κατάρτισης για εκπαιδευτικούς, αποτελούμενη από τη γενική πρακτική ιδέα και ένα συνοδευτικό εγχειρίδιο ... [more ▼]

Στο πλαίσιο του έργου BMC-EU (Βασικές Κινητικές Δεξιότητες στην Ευρώπη), αναπτύχθηκε μία εργαλειοθήκη κατάρτισης για εκπαιδευτικούς, αποτελούμενη από τη γενική πρακτική ιδέα και ένα συνοδευτικό εγχειρίδιο χρήστη (BMC-EU πνευματική παραγωγή 4), για να υποστηρίξει την εφαρμογή της υποστηρικτικής εργαλειοθήκης με βάση την έννοια των βασικών κινητικών δεξιοτήτων (BMC-EU πνευματική παραγωγή 3; Scheuer & Heck, 2020). Ο σκοπός της εργαλειοθήκης αυτής είναι να εφαρμοστεί στα μαθήματα φυσικής αγωγής, ώστε να προσαρμοστούν κατάλληλα τόσο το περιεχόμενο όσο και οι μέθοδοι διδασκαλίας της φυσικής αγωγής. Η εργαλειοθήκη κατάρτισης για εκπαιδευτικούς περιέχει υλικό για τη δημιουργία πρακτικών προγραμμάτων για εκπαιδευτικούς δομημένα τόσο σε θεωρητικό, όσο και πρακτικό επίπεδο. Αρχικά, οι εκπαιδευτικοί εξοικειώνονται με την έννοια του ΜΟΒΑΚ, τις μετρήσεις, τη διαδικασία της εξέτασης, την επεξεργασία των δεδομένων και την αξιολόγηση, καθώς και με την ερμηνεία των αποτελεσμάτων. Στη συνέχεια, μαθαίνουν πώς να μεταβούν από τη διάγνωση των βασικών κινητικών δεξιοτήτων και τον εντοπισμό των αντίστοιχων ικανοτήτων των μαθητών, στον σχεδιασμό και την υλοποίηση συγκεκριμένων παρεμβάσεων με τη χρήση του υποστηρικτικού πλαισίου ΜΟΒΑΚ και των συνοδευτικών υποστηρικτικών φυλλαδίων, που είναι έτοιμα προς εφαρμογή σε συγκεκριμένες εκπαιδευτικές συνθήκες για την υποστήριξη μαθητών με πρόσθετες ανάγκες στις βασικές κινητικές δεξιότητες. Η εργαλειοθήκη κατάρτισης για εκπαιδευτικούς έχει ως σκοπό να υποστηρίξει και να διευκολύνει την εφαρμογή της Υποστηρικτικής εργαλειοθήκης για εκπαιδευτικούς (Scheuer & Heck, 2020), που βασίζεται στην έννοια και τις μετρήσεις ΜΟΒΑΚ (Herrmann, 2018). [less ▲]

Η αναχαίτιση στην ανοιχτή θάλασσα και η διαχείριση των μεταναστευτικών ροών στη Μεσόγειο υπό το πρίσμα της πρόσφατης νομολογίας του Ευρωπαϊκού Δικαστηρίου Δικαιωμάτων του Ανθρώπου: σκέψεις με αφορμή την υπόθεση Hirsi Jamaa και άλλοι κατά Ιταλίας

in Perrakis, Stelios (Ed.) Symposium of the Hellenic Society of International Law and International Relations ‘Applications of International Law and International Politics 20 years after the entry into force of the Convention on the Law of the Sea (2015)

Interception at sea and the management of migratory flows in Europe in light of the recent jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights: Hirsi Jamaa and others v. Italy. Three major legal questions ... [more ▼]

Interception at sea and the management of migratory flows in Europe in light of the recent jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights: Hirsi Jamaa and others v. Italy. Three major legal questions arise in light of this case: a) The relationship between Human Rights Law, the Law of the sea and the EU law, regarding people who are intercepted at sea and are in need of international protection. b) Extraterritorial Application of the European Convention of Human Rights for acts that take place on the high seas and whether this was such a case. c) The case of collective expulsion: the removal of aliens to a third state carried out outside national territory of a member state. Why is this decision important? Because the ECHR accepted that the principle of non –refoulement is applicable on the high seas. Furthermore, by accepting a violation of article 13 (effective remedy) the court enforced states obligations vis a vis this principle with two procedural consequences: the duty of the state to advise the individual in question about his entitlement to obtain international protection and the duty to provide for an individual, fair and effective refugee status determination and assessment procedure. [less ▲]

Η έννοια της επίθεσης στο Διεθνές Δίκαιο

Book published by Sakkoulas Publications (2012)

The commission of aggressive wars is now forbidden by both customary and conventional International Law. Additionally, aggression itself constitutes a crime under International Criminal Law. After the ... [more ▼]

The commission of aggressive wars is now forbidden by both customary and conventional International Law. Additionally, aggression itself constitutes a crime under International Criminal Law. After the Second World War, aggression was universally condemned as the most serious international crime, nonetheless, its definition as a crime was only achieved in June 2010 at the Review Conference of the International Criminal Court. In the preamble of UN Charter, the ‘saving of succeeding generations from the scourge of war’ is set as the cornerstone of the UN’s foundation, however, until 2010, the international community had not achieved (nor had it demonstrated the will to agree on) a legally binding definition of aggression. The research for this dissertation was undertaken as a response to this peculiar finding. This thesis presents the evolution of the definition of aggression through the processes undertaken at the international level (both from the standpoint of state responsibility and of individual criminal responsibility) rather than examining the jus ad bellum, i.e. the requirements for the lawful use of armed force by states. In order to follow the distinction of the definition based on the criterion of liability, the thesis is divided into two main parts. The first part discusses the evolution of the concept of aggression in the context of state responsibility, culminating with the adoption of Resolution 3314 (XXIX) / 12.14.1974 of the General Assembly on the Definition of Aggression. The second part deals with aggression as a crime which carries individual criminal responsibility. It begins at Nuremberg and ends with an analysis of the definitional procedures and of the definition of aggression that was adopted in framework of the International Criminal Court. The analysis of these elements was performed with a combined methodology. A qualitative research method was employed in order to examine the content of different sources. Scarce case-studies were examined for the illustration of the historical events that took place mainly during the early attempts of the international community to denounce war. Additionally, a quantitative research method was used to determine the intent of the international community to define aggression (e.g., how many states voted in favor or against in every definitional procedure) and finally, the utilization of a narrative analysis when referring to historical events. Though the prohibition of aggression represents one of the most important rules of International Law, its application has not yet been fully embedded into the practice of states since they continue to commit aggressive acts, often defining their actions under different legal terms such as ‘self defense.’ Therefore, rather than actually deterring war, the legal rule of the prohibition of aggression has simply contributed to the renunciation of the term as demonstrated by the fact that very seldom do states now declare war officially. As stated eloquently by Benjamin Ferencz, ‘(…) it is seemingly easier to evoke aggression than to dispel it, and easier to commit aggression than to define it (…)’. The thesis concludes that the definition of aggression can and should be implemented as long as the different nature of the international organs that respond to aggression (specifically, the Security Council and the International Criminal Court) is understood. By itself, the prosecution of the crime of aggression by the International Criminal Court will not prevent the commission of wars or other serious international crimes. Nonetheless, in this process that began early last century, the application of the definition of aggression and the prosecution of the crime will still represent a significant accomplishment in humanity’s attempts to prevent and outlaw war. [less ▲]

Ηθικοί πανικοί, καταστάσεις άρνησης και οργανωμένο έγκλημα

in Καρύδης, Βασίλειος; Χουλιάρας, Αθανάσιος (Eds.) Ηθικοί πανικοί, εξουσία και δικαιώματα (2015)

Κριτικά Σημειώματα "Δρ Ελένη Αν. Kαββαδία: ΤΟ ΕΙΔΙΚΟ ΚΑΘΕΣΤΩΣ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΩΝ ΔΡΑΣΤΗΡΙΟΤΗΤΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΥ ΚΡΑΤΟΥΣ ΩΣ ΜΕΛΟΥΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΥΡΩΠΑΪΚΗΣ ΈΝΩΣΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΛΛΗΝΩΝ ΥΠΗΚΟΩΝ ΣΕ ΧΩΡΕΣ ΤΩΝ ΒΑΛΚΑΝΙΩΝ:ΘΕΩΡΗΤΙΚΕΣ ΠΡΟΣΕΓΓΙΣΕΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΜΠΕΙΡΙΚΟΙ ΠΡΟΣΑΝΑΤΟΛΙΣΜΟΙ"

in Review of decentralization, local government and regional development (2018), 90(October-December 2017), 34-39

During the two decades from 1990 to 2010, the Balkans was the only European region to suffer a cruel reversal. On the one hand, it welcomed the transition to a free economy, despite the difficulties it ... [more ▼]

During the two decades from 1990 to 2010, the Balkans was the only European region to suffer a cruel reversal. On the one hand, it welcomed the transition to a free economy, despite the difficulties it had to overcome. On the other hand, it experienced the merciless reality of war, when it was convulsed by successive waves of various armed confrontations extending over most of its territory. These left severe and far-reaching post-conflict symptoms: a shattered economic and social base; unemployment and poverty bordering on humanitarian crisis; morale broken, infrastructure in ruins. Yet at the same time this fragmented, conflict-ridden region became the theatre of international collaboration of unprecedented quality and scale. With more than 22 donor/sponsor countries and investors, as well as international and multilateral organisations, the total flow of official development assistance and foreign direct investment in the region is estimated at more than 150 billion euro during the period in question. The region is therefore a model of reorganisation, restructuring and economic development. As an integral part of this broader geopolitical and economic scene, Greece is participating economically, in common with other ‘players’, in the ‘rebirth’ and integration of the region into the international community, both directly, by providing official development assistance (ODA) under the Hellenic Plan for the Economic Reconstruction of the Balkans (HPERB), and indirectly, by promoting Greece’s foreign direct investment (FDI) in the region in a variety of ways, mainly through subsidies. Thus, Greece evolved from a long-term ‘net importer’ of investments into an ‘exporter’ focused on the Balkans, where it ranked among the top sources of ODA and FDI. This study approaches the subject holistically, examining the dual nature of Greece’s involvement and analysing the broader economic and geopolitical setting. The dual economic involvement of the Greek State in the Balkans is also examined from a dual perspective within the scope of this doctoral thesis, both from a theoretical and from an empirical point of view, using business strategy models such as PEST, SWOT, VRIO, Porter models of ‘competitive forces’, and the ‘value chain’. This thesis examines the reasons why Greece’s involvement was inevitable; investigates the compatibility between Greece’s involvement and the country’s other commitments within the EU; studies the advisability and usefulness of the endeavour; compares Greece with other countries as a provider of ODA and FDI; analyses and evaluates the HPERB; assesses the role of the Greek State and any encouragement and guidance of FDI through Greek subsidies; and scrutinises the characteristics of Greek FDI, in terms of competitiveness and the links with the parent companies in Greece. This subject is novel in an academic context, because a survey of the References shows that this combined dual line of inquiry has not attracted scientific attention, as the existing studies focus on one or other of the two aspects, not both together. Furthermore, this paper is original in terms of method, firstly because it examines the subject from a new viewpoint, that of business strategy, and secondly because it uses the relevant models in new ways, with new applications. The subject, through the study of what has been achieved, remains ‘topical’ and retains its significance, as guidance to future policy makers and/or investors, especially during the current unfavourable economic situation in Greece, because, apart from any conclusions regarding the impact of Greek economic involvement in the Balkans, foreign markets represent a way out of the Greek recession. [less ▲]