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This article introduces a novel middleware that utilizes cost-effective, low-power computing devices like Raspberry Pi to analyze data from wireless sensor networks (WSNs). It is designed for indoor settings like historical buildings and museums, tracking visitors and identifying points of interest. It serves as an evacuation aid by monitoring occupancy and gauging the popularity of specific areas, subjects, or art exhibitions. The middleware employs a basic form of the MapReduce algorithm to gather WSN data and distribute it across available computer nodes. Data collected by RFID sensors on visitor badges is stored on mini-computers placed in exhibition rooms and then transmitted to a remote database after a preset time frame. Utilizing MapReduce for data analysis and a leader election algorithm for fault tolerance, this middleware showcases its viability through metrics, demonstrating applications like swift prototyping and accurate validation of findings. Despite using simpler hardware, its performance matches resource-intensive methods involving audiovisual and AI techniques. This design's innovation lies in its fault-tolerant, distributed setup using budget-friendly, low-power devices rather than resource-heavy hardware or methods. Successfully tested at a historical building in Greece (M. Hatzidakis' residence), it is tailored for indoor spaces. This paper compares its algorithmic application layer with other implementations, highlighting its technical strengths and advantages. Particularly relevant in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and general monitoring middleware for indoor locations, this middleware holds promise in tracking visitor counts and overall building occupancy., Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables

Serious games are defined as applied games that focus on the gamification of an experience (e.g., learning and training activities) and are not strictly for entertainment purposes. In recent years, serious games have become increasingly popular due to their ability to simultaneously educate and entertain users. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the different types of digital games and expand on the serious games genre while focusing on its various applications. Furthermore, we present the most widely used game engines used in the game development industry and extend the Unity game machine advantages. Lastly, we conclude our research with a detailed comparison of the two most popular choices (Unreal and Unity engines) and their respective advantages and disadvantages while providing future suggestions for serious digital game development., Comment: 13 pages, 98 references, This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Wseas Transactions on Computer Research on 2023, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.37394/232018.2023.11.2

One of the most important tasks in scientific publishing is the articles' evaluation via the editorial board and the reviewers' community. Additionally, in scientific publishing great concern exists regarding the peer-review process and how it can be further optimised to decrease the time from submission to the first decision, as well as increase the objectivity of the reviewers' remarks ensuring that no bias or human error exists in the reviewing process. In order to address this issue, our article suggests a novice cloud framework for manuscript submission based on blockchain technology that further enhances the anonymity between authors and reviewers alike. Our method covers the whole spectrum of current submission systems capabilities, but it also provides a decentralised solution using open-source tools such as Java Spring that enhance the anonymity of the reviewing process., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 51 references, This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Wseas Transactions on Business and Economics on 2022, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.37394/23207.2022.19.51

This publication presents a method responsible for counting tracking and monitoring visitors inside a building. The site examined is Manos Hatzidakis' House, situated in Xanthi. Specifically, we have conducted a study, which provides recommendations, regarding the installation of sensors in the building. We also present the communication protocols of the computer network used in order to ensure the efficient communication between the space examined and the sensor network. Finally, we describe the process of creating a website, which is designed to store and view the data., Comment: 6 pages,8 figures, 22 references, Proceedings of 10th Panhellenic Electrical and Computer Engineering Students Conference (ECESCON) 2018 Xanthi

This paper presents the design, implementation, and operation of a novel distributed fault-tolerant middleware. It uses interconnected WSNs that implement the Map-Reduce paradigm, consisting of several low-cost and low-power mini-computers (Raspberry Pi). Specifically, we explain the steps for the development of a novice, fault-tolerant Map-Reduce algorithm which achieves high system availability, focusing on network connectivity. Finally, we showcase the use of the proposed system based on simulated data for crowd monitoring in a real case scenario, i.e., a historical building in Greece (M. Hatzidakis' residence).The technical novelty of this article lies in presenting a viable low-cost and low-power solution for crowd sensing without using complex and resource-intensive AI structures or image and video recognition techniques., Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables, 23 references, This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in the International Journal of Parallel, Emergent & Distributed Systems on 2022, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/17445760.2022.2034163