Christos Batzios

• Professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

It seems the expectations that Information Technology (IT) could be adopted widely and rapidly by farmers and extensionists have slightly cooled recently. There is a wide range of possible explanations for the slow adoption rate. This paper discusses the adoption rate of Information Technology (IT) by extension services in a developing country such...

Sea bream and sea bass cage farming is slowly following salmon’s track, namely the transformation of the product into a commodity. Despite this trend, the credibility of production data is still questionable. In the current work, a simple and handy ex-situ tool to estimate the annual production capacity of a fish cage farm is proposed based on cage...

Marine fish farming is important for Greece, as it annually produces around 117,000 tons and provides approximately 12,000 direct and indirect jobs. In NW Greece, cage farming in Thesprotia Regional Unit represents approximately 8% of the national production for sea bream and sea bass. The current work presents data referring to years 2002, 2007, 2...

The growing significance of fish farming has raised concerns over environmental issues. Particularly, the absence of such data for the packaging stage of farmed sea bream and sea bass is evident in the literature. Within this context, the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method may offer a fresh insight into the relation between the use o...

Aquaculture represents a core solution to satisfy human protein requirements, given that most fishery stocks are overexploited and global population is expected to reach 9 billion in 2050. On the other hand, the expansion and intensification of the aquaculture industry has raised concerns about environmental sustainability issues regarding for exam...

Heat stress is a physical environmental stressor, which can affect performance, health and welfare of poultry. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of cyclic acute heat stress as a predisposing factor for necrotic enteritis in broiler chicks in an experimental challenge model. Two hundred and forty broiler chicks were randomly...

In this study, the non-parametric data envelopment analysis was applied in a sample of 66 mussel aquaculture farms for the estimation of the level of technical efficiency. The differences in this estimated level of efficiency were investigated through the application of a Tobit regression model and a technical and economic descriptive analysis prov...

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights as to the usability of ICT in the process of rural development. Through a theoretical framework embracing territorial development, social innovation and pluriactivity, the paper describes how ICT enables the provision of goods and services from the agricultural sector and their use as development ass...

Mussel farming in Greece constitutes an important economic activity for the areas where it is concentrated. This paper presents the results of a survey of mussel producers in Thermaikos Gulf, Northern Greece, where almost 90% of the total mussel production in the country takes place. Using data from a questionnaire survey of 66 mussel producers in...

Agriculture's multifunctionality constitutes a core dimension in the design of rural development policies of the European Union, recently reformed through the introduction of Reg. EC/1305/2013. Within a generalized rural development context, agriculture plays numerous roles; in Cyprus three sectors other than the production of food and fiber are pa...

Dairy farming in Greece constitutes a particular case of livestock farming, because of its highly entrepreneurial nature. The modern Greek dairy cattle farming is predominantly based in Northern Greece, where more than 80% of Greek cow milk is produced. Since the 2000's the dairy cattle sector is characterized by a rapid increase in the mean size o...

Cold stress is a physical environmental stressor with significant effect on the poultry industry. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of cold stress as a predisposing factor for necrotic enteritis in broiler chicks. The experimental challenge model included an oral inoculation with 10-fold dose of attenuated anticoccidial vac...

Stocking density is a management factor which has critical implications for the poultry industry. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of high stocking density as a predisposing factor in an experimental model of necrotic enteritis in broiler chicks. The experimental challenge model included an oral inoculation with 10-fold do...

In Greece, up until now, monoculture has been the prevailing fish and shellfish farming system. However, in the last few years, the farmers seek to develop alternative production patterns that could improve the economic performance of their farms through the optimal utilisation of the available resources. The concept of integrated aquaculture is ol...

As foreign markets tend to be more diverse and competitive, export performance of fisheries exporting sector has been gaining increasing attention by policy makers, business managers and marketing researchers. Consequently, the aim of this paper is the investigation of export performance and competitiveness in fisheries sector among Balkan and East...

Consulting agricultural services constitute a major key for implementing successfully sustainable development EU goals in rural areas. Today, in the context of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013, there are initiatives for funding crop and livestock farms and entrepreneurship. Presently, there are bureaus offering consulting services and reli...

1 st International Congress of Applied Ichthyology & Aquatic Environment November 13 th -15 th , Volos, Greece

It seems the expectations that Information Technology (IT) could be adopted widely and rapidly by farmers and extensionists have slightly cooled recently. There is a wide range of possible explanations for the slow adoption rate. This paper discusses the adoption rate of Information Technology (IT) by extension services in a developing country such...

The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of feed restriction on the intestinal ecosystem and on the pathogenesis of experimental necrotic enteritis in broiler chicks. To induce subclinical necrotic enteritis, an experimental challenge model using a specific diet formulation, Gumboro vaccination, oral inoculation of broilers with a 1...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumers’ attitudes and behaviours towards wild and farmed fish, in order to identify possible distinct consumer groups, and to examine potential linkages between characteristics of the consumers’ demographic and socio-economic status and marketing aspects in wild and farmed fish. Design/metho...

The rising healthcare expenditures as percentage of GDP is a reality that all developed countries have to deal with. Epidemiologic standards have changed dramatically since the past. The rapid development of knowledge in the scientific field of medicine and the new state of the art medical technology has led to new treatments for various health pro...

This study investigates Greek consumers' behaviour towards fisheries products, identifying possible distinct consumer groups, and examines possible linkages between consumer characteristics and marketing aspects of fisheries products. Using data from an in-person field survey, a Two-Step cluster analysis demonstrated different attitudes among consu...

The new technologies invasion combined with the high cost for running a shop force enterprises to search for new sales methods. Network applications and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) can help achieve e-commerce goals. In Greece, many enterprises in the agro-food and drink sector already have an internet presence. This paper studies...

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of an attenuated anticoccidial vaccination on the intestinal ecosystem and on the pathogenesis of experimental necrotic enteritis (NE) in broiler chickens. Two hundred and forty 1-day-old Cobb 500 broiler chickens were randomly allocated to four treatment groups according to the follo...

Lately, Internet constitutes a major tool for transactions in every aspect and supports innovative marketing policies. Broadband Internet has become “the key to success” for businesses, as it offers various advantages and benefits through Internet marketing (e-marketing) policies. In Greece, mountainous areas are usually covered with snow during wi...

The permeation of new technologies combined with the high cost for running a shop force enterprises to search for new sales methods. Network applications and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) can help achieve e-commerce goals. In Greece, many enterprises in the agro-food and drink sector already have an internet presence. This paper st...

Internet is considered today as the major information source worldwide. Various environmental non-government organizations (ENGO) that generally describe environmental or ecological associations, societies, clubs, citizen’s movements, companies, centers, unions try for environmental awareness of the public and information dissemination, in local, n...

The role of the manufacturing sector in the economic activity of a region and in general of a country is discussed widely nowadays, and in contradiction to the increasing role of tertiary sector. Today, even though, manufacturing constitutes an important sector of the economy, the growth and more specifically the sustainability of the manufacturing...

Milk ejection reflex involves an ascending neuronal pathway from the nipples to the hypothalamus and a descending vascular limb. Anatomical data reveal that in sheep, ascending neural information passes through the medial cuneate nucleus (CUm), or the lumbar spinal segments (LSS) and the lateral cervical nucleus (LCN) before reaching the hypothalam...

Hippocampus, a primitive structure of the CNS which is particularly involved in memory and learning related procedures, exhibits plasticity and adaptability throughout species evolution. The anatomical and functional cellular unit of hippocampus is the pyramidal neuron, whose dendritic spines seem to contribute to the well observed hippocampal cyto...

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of clinoptilolite (a natural zeolite) on growth and performance of broilers as well as on the quality of their litter. A total of 5,200 one-day old broiler chickens (Cobb 500) were used in two consecutive rounds lasting 42 days each. The broilers were given free and continuous access to a nutriti...

Hippocampal formation is known as one of the most vulnerable brain regions to ischemic-hypoxic injuries and epilepsy. Significant differences of the vascular network of different hippocampal subfields (CA1, CA3, dentate gyrus) along the septotemporal axis of the rat hippocampus may explain the selective ischemia vulnerability of hippocampus (Grivas...

The present study reveals developmental changes in the number, the phenotype and the distribution pattern of mast cells (MCs) along the cervical, the thoracic and the lumbar parts of the spinal dura mater. Postnatal infiltration of spinal dura by MCs does not appear to follow a sequential developmental pattern and meningeal MCs are unevenly distrib...

The present study examines comparatively the cellular density of disector-counted/Nissl-stained CA1 pyramidal neurons and the morphometric characteristics (dendritic number/length, spine number/density and Sholl-counted dendritic branch points/20 microm) of the basal and apical dendritic systems of Golgi-impregnated CA1 neurons, in the septal and t...

It is known that both the dura and the pia mater attract and support the differentiation of mast cells. The present study shows that unevenly distributed mast cells in the cerebral meninges of the rat can be found in perivascular sites and vessel ramification points, but can also be unrelated to the meningeal vasculature. It also documents changes...

Milk ejection reflex involves an ascending neuronal pathway from the nipples to the hypothalamus and a descending vascular limb. Anatomical data reveal that in sheep, ascending neural information passes through the medial cuneate nucleus (CUm), or the lumbar spinal segments (LSS) and the lateral cervical nucleus (LCN) before reaching the hypothalam...

Twenty percent of the long saphenous vein (LSV) grafts that are employed as coronary bypass conduits occlude during the first year after the operation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphological parameters of the LSV grafts before implantation as predictors for the early occlusion of the grafts. Forty-two samples of LSV grafts were exa...

The present study examines quantitatively the areal and the laminar fluctuations of the vascular network in the visual areas 17, 18 and 18a of the rat cerebral cortex, from postnatal day (P) 1 to P60. For this purpose, the detailed vascular networks of the visual areas, marked after transcardial perfusion of India ink, are analyzed with the use of...

Understanding of place-specific cortical cerebrovascular changes after insult and injury depends on the detailed knowledge of the areal and laminar variations in cortical vascularity. The present study examines comparatively the developmental changes of the total vascular density and the density of capillaries and medium- and large-sized vessels in...

The great expansion of Information Technology (IT) creates many new vital challenges for the future of the enterprises in the agri-food sector. In fact, many members in the agri-food sector have realised the challenges and that adoption of IT is crucial for their survivor. For this reason, different types of Agricultural Information Systems (AISs)...

This paper describes a decision support system that has been designed and developed to ev aluate and rank the financial profile of the main Apicultural Cooperatives and/or Union Cooperatives (A.U.C.) and Apicultural Enterprises (A.P.E.) of the Greek beekeeping industry. This system, called APIDESSYS , applies a multicriteria analysis and utilises t...

This paper discusses the use of linear programming in a decision-making system for broiler enterprises. The general model of linear programming is presented and the specific conditions and constraints of a modern typical broiler enterprise are examined. A scenario of a case study that was applied in a collaborating broiler enterprise is discussed a...

Models for predicting the probability of buying chicken meat when the consumers take into account characteristics as freshness, origin, state (fresh or frozen), price, package, size, color and appearance of chicken meat are developed. These characteristics are influenced by the age, education and residence of consumers, the size of household, the n...

The present study examined quantitatively developmental changes of the vasculature in the dorsal (dLGN) and the ventral (vLGN) lateral geniculate nuclei together with concomitant changes in the number of mast cells (MCs), known for their role in angiogenesis. Vascular network, marked after transcardial perfusion of India ink, and MCs detected with...

This paper proposes a scalable architecture for the BRODESSYS decision support system which is an integrated tool for providing information to support the decision making process in the broiler industry. The successful application of the BRODESSYS on a specific business was the trigger to introduce an additional dimension in its decision capabiliti...

During the last decade fisheries have faced significant problems such as overfishing, low productivity, etc. Also, Greek consumer’s profile is rapidly changing due to socio-economic factors. The investigation of consumer’s preferences concerning marine captured fish consumption could lead to a more rational organization of the distribution roots, r...

The behaviour of Bacillus cereus spores, during whey processing for production of "Mizithra" whey cheese, as well as during the storage of Mizithra at 22 °C for 10 days and at 7 °C for 20 days, was studied. The whey was inoculated with different populations of B. cereus spores when the temperature of whey reached 40 °C. Subsequently the whey was he...

In this paper a hypermedia digital library is presented which has been designed and developed to meet the educational needs of Greek beekeepers. These needs are not fulfilled by the current extension services. This lack has identified as one potential reason for the low productivity of the industry in Greece. Five distributed hyperbases have been p...

A formal questionnaire was designed to provide information on consumer's behaviour in the greek poultry meat market and covered aspects of the frequency ana quantity of consumption, the points of purchase, criteria when buying chicken meat, special choice of chicken cuts, preference in other poultry meat and preferable chicken weight. The majority...

The behaviour of Y. enterocolitica in Mizithra cheese stored under vacuum and non-vacuum conditions at 4°C and/or 10°C for 30 days was studied. Y. enterocolitica populations increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in both storage temperatures. The presence of air or not in the packaged Mizithra did not significantly influence the development of the Y. e...

The viability of Campylobacter jejuni strains FRI-CF 40lS and FRI-CF 25 inoculated in fresh and frozen beef hamburgers was investigated. Hamburgers were stored in the following conditions: 100% air at 4°C for 15 days, 100% CO2 and 100% N2 atmospheres at 4°C for 60 days and −18°C for 90 days. The data showed that 100% air was the most toxic atmosphe...

Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been analysed in human adipose tissue samples, during 1995-96, from residents of Greece (64 males and 43 females) by GC-ECD and capillary column. Residues of HCB (0.976 μg/g), β-HCH (0.319 μg/g), pp'-DDE (2468 μg/g) and PCBs (0.423 μg/g) were detected in all samples. The ratio pp'D...