Christos Bezirtzoglou | European Commission (original) (raw)

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Papers by Christos Bezirtzoglou

The ability of regional economies to withstand competition and to manage change is related to the... more The ability of regional economies to withstand competition and to manage change is related to their capacity to innovate. The increasing importance of knowledge in determining economic performance places innovation high on the regional development agenda. The Regional Programmes of Innovative Actions are seen as a catalyst which gives regions an opportunity to try more adventurous actions that are often otherwise postponed or ignored. It is particularly important for the least-developed regions, such as, among others, the thirteen Greek regions, that they have the chance to experiment in fields outside the norm of their structural funds programmes and develop greater co-operation and networking with more developed regions. The second publication of the Greek Regional Programmes of Innovative Actions, entitled Regional Innovation Excellence in Greece, deals thoroughly with the programmes themselves, notably by presenting a comprehensive inventory of each individual action as well as ...

The objective of the present study is to design and develop an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) mo... more The objective of the present study is to design and develop an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for estimations of the ambient ozone concentrations based on meteorological and pollutant parameters. The study focuses on an urban site in the metropolitan area of Athens. The research proves that the optimal ANN is a Modular one that uses the Back Propagation Optimization Algorithm. This ANN includes a Gating Network and it has a single Hidden Layer. Two other Back Propagation ANNs with a simpler architecture reveal a good performance as well. The large amount of data records combined with the good testing results prove the generalization ability of the developed ANN. Statistical analysis techniques, such as combinations of Principal Component and Stepwise Regression Analysis, have been used for the same area in a previous study. Comparing the results of the statistical analysis to the output of the designed optimal ANN reveals that the Neural Network performs more accurately.

Drugs under experimental and clinical research, 1996

Since there are few widely accepted guidelines upon which to base therapeutic decisions and adjus... more Since there are few widely accepted guidelines upon which to base therapeutic decisions and adjust for the many variables which may influence the ultimate therapeutic outcome, and few studies have evaluated what the optimal peak concentration-to-MIC ratio should be, pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated from pre- and post-dose concentrations measured in 30 orthopaedic patients, receiving gentamicin. The fluorescence polarization method was used, and simultaneous determination of the MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) has been made. When Gram(-) microorganisms were incriminated for the infection, the optimal peak concentration exceeded the MIC by more than 3-fold in our serum samples. In Gram(+) bacteria, the peak antibacterial activity usually obtained tended to be lower (between 1.5 and 2). No correlation was found for the nadir bacteriostatic level. Our investigations showed that the peak bacteriostatic activity correlated well with response to therapy. Based on these find...

Anaerobe

Climate change is a current global concern and, despite continuing controversy about the extent a... more Climate change is a current global concern and, despite continuing controversy about the extent and importance of causes and of its effects, it seems likely that it will affect the incidence and prevalence of both residual and imported infections in Europe. Climate affects mainly the range of infectious diseases, whereas weather affects the timing and intensity of outbreaks. Climate change scenarios include a change distribution of infectious diseases with warming and changes in outbreaks associated with weather extremes. The largest health impact from climate change for Europe doesn't come from vector borne infectious diseases. This does not mean that these types of health impacts will not arise in Europe. The ranges of several vector-borne diseases or their vectors are already changing in altitude due to warming. In addition, more intense weather events create conditions conductive to outbreaks of infectious diseases: Heavy rains leave insect breeding sites, drive rodents from burrows, and contaminate clean water systems. The incidence of mosquito-borne parasitic and viral diseases, are among those diseases most sensitive to climate. Climate change affect disease transmission by shifting the vector's geographic range and by shortening the pathogen incubation period. climate-related increases in temperature in sea surface and level would lead to higher incidence of waterborne infectious and toxinrelated illnesses, such as cholera and seafood intoxication. Climate changes all around the world with impact in Europe are demonstrated by the fact that recent cases of cholera have been imported to Europe from Kenya, where spreading epidemic has been linked to the El Niño phenomenon, originated from the Pacific Ocean. Human migration and damage to health infrastructures from aberrant climate changes could indirectly contribute to disease transmission. Human susceptibility to infections might be further compounded by alterations in the human immune system caused by increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation and malnutrition due to alterations in agricultural products. Different kind of incidents in Europe with extreme weather events demonstrated effects on public health. The recent outbreak of the insect-borne Chikungunya virus in Italy in 2007 is an example of the kind of new health threat that the EU must be vigilant to confront. In addition, health effects of flooding, have been related to an excess cases of leptospirosis and campylobacter enteritis. Such examples have been demonstrated reported after flooding in the Czech Republic. Similarly, an increase of cryptosporidiosis in the United Kingdom has been related to flooding. Changing vector distributions associated with tickborne encephalitis and malaria have also been dempostrated in EU. A recently reported case of malaria in Italy in June 2008, suspected to be indigenously acquired, has shown how easily malaria could be reintroduced into several countries in the region. Another case of malaria in Greece in May 2010 affecting a young man living in a forestry region was claimed at KEELPNO-the Greek Center for disease control. Would this latest case be considered closely related to the one from Italy? If yes, then Public Health Services should elaborate plans to affront possible tickborne diseases. Heat waves are important causes of mortality on mortality are important. The deaths seen in France in 2003 from a heat wave are projected to be repeated, as heat waves become more severe. However, heat waves impacts on the transmission and severity of infectious diseases have not been elucidated. Finally scientific challenges include the elucudation of climate changes and extreme weather condition impact on infection transmission and outcome, human immune system changes and infection response, outbreak scenarios, animal and plant health and public health preparedness. European action plans to affront climate changes related health and infection problems are

Most regions differ radically from their respective countries. National and global trends are not... more Most regions differ radically from their respective countries. National and global trends are not felt the same way in all regions. While some regions lead, some others lag behind in these trends, i.e. some regions maintain low unemployment rates despite a global downturn. As a result, the disparities between regions are far greater than the differences between countries are. The ability of regional economies to withstand competition and to manage change is related to their capacity to innovate. The Regional Programmes of Innovative Actions were the EU's, and probably the world's, first ever capacity-building exercise for regions. The regions were given the chance to develop a holistic regional innovation strategy, to directly manage their allocated budget and engage for the first time ever in direct contact with the EU. The Regional Programmes of Innovative Actions are seen as a knowledge laboratory that provides regional actors with the opportunity to try innovative actions that are often deferred. It is particularly important for the least-developed regions, like the majority of Greece's regions, to be offered a chance to experiment in fields outside the norm of their structural funds programmes in addition to developing greater co-operation and networking with other more developed regions. The goals of the Greek Regional Programmes and its Innovative Actions are as varied and interesting as the country: a country that includes extremes from the most remote islands to some of Europe's fastest-developing cities. One of the great strengths of the Regional Programmes of Innovative Actions is that they allow us to see beyond such obvious differences, to the underlying challenges and opportunities that unite Greece. They allow partners to co-operate as equals in the development of the regions and recognise that many of the problems they face can only be addressed effectively through joint action. The Regional Programmes of Innovative Actions provides an effective framework and their actions are a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of this approach and have become an innovative energy boost for regional Greek economies. This chapter is mainly based on the book Showcasing Innovative Greece (Bezirtzoglou, 2006c), and to a lesser extent on the book Regional Innovation Excellence in Greece (Bezirtzoglou, 2005). Their aim was to present the Greek Regional Programmes of Innovative Actions with particular emphasis on their categorisation according to different typologies. To that extent, this chapter hopes to contribute towards the increase of knowledge for all actors involved in the innovation process and to provide a new perspective for the regional economies and serve as an example for further future interventions in other sectors and fields of activity.

Most regions radically differ from their respective countries. National and global trends are not... more Most regions radically differ from their respective countries. National and global trends are not felt the same way in all regions. While some regions lead, some others lag behind these trends, i.e. there are regions maintaining low unemployment rates despite a global downturn. As a result, the disparities between regions are far greater than the differences between countries. The ability of regional economies to withstand competition and to manage change is related to their capacity to innovate.

Drugs under experimental and clinical research, 1996

Anaerobe