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The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, scheduled for launch in the mid-2030s, is a gravitational wave space observatory designed to detect sources emitting in the millihertz band. LISA is an European Space Agency flagship mission, currently entering the Phase-B development phase. It is expected to help us improve our understanding of our Universe by measuring gravitational wave sources of different types, with some of the sources being at very high redshifts (z∼20). On February 23, 2022, we organized the first LISA in Greece Workshop. This Workshop aimed to inform the Greek scientific and tech industry communities about the possibilities of participating in LISA science and the LISA mission, with the support of the Hellenic Space Center. In this White Paper, we summarize the outcomes of the Workshop, the most important aspect of it being the inclusion of 15 Greek researchers to the LISA Consortium, raising our total number to 22. At the same time, we present a road map with the future steps and actions of the Greek Gravitational Wave community with respect to the LISA mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lacustrine environments are considered favorable locations for Neolithic settlements, constituting a reliable year‐round water resource, which contributes to fertile arable land, rich biodiversity, and natural protection. Living by the wetlands, however, is characterized by intensive ecological vulnerabilities, that is, floods and fire events. These recurrent episodes are difficult to trace in the occupation layers since natural processes combined with human activities can form variable mixed microenvironments. Consequently, the direct impact of these events on the biography of the settlement and the decision‐making of its inhabitants is understudied. This paper presents a high‐resolution, microstratigraphic analysis at the Neolithic pile‐dwelling settlement of Dispilio (Kastoria, northern Greece) to trace past ecological threats and unravel the resilience strategies of the lake‐dwellers against the continuously altered microenvironments. By correlating the results with regional environmental and cultural events, this paper questions the role of environmental changes as triggers for cultural modifications and considers a wide range of strategies for coping with wetland hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Open Educational Resources (OER) for training in public administration has yet to see a wide adoption globally, mostly due to challenges related to the discovery and reuse of high-quality OER for training purposes. These challenges, combined with the general lack of openness in the public sector, have greatly impacted the penetration of OER in public administration. This paper presents a case study on the use of OER for expanding and enhancing curricular and resource sharing in public administration in Greece. Within this case study, an OER authoring and sharing platform was introduced to the Greek public sector, employing crowdsourcing methods for supporting trainers and trainees in authoring, sharing, reusing and remixing OER. The paper presents the deployment of this platform and the use of OER in the context of training programmes in the Greek public sector and reports on the lessons learned and the impact on public administration. The results of the case study showed that the use of OER was very positively received by civil servants, with a remarkable response, through active participation and engagement that led to the enhancement of existing OER and the co-creation of new ones for public administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper engages with the devastating consequences that the belated neoliberal reformation of the Greek welfare state – initiated after the 2009 economic crisis – had on income inequality and poverty. • It is argued that these reformations rely on the manner with which Greece has developed its relations within the global – mostly European – capitalist division of labor as a peripheral economy. Greece's economic affairs are approached as intimately conditioned by a multifaceted institutional structure of dependencies that outstrips its ability to exercise economic policy for its own interest. • Essentially built upon premises of a core-periphery dependency paradigm, the paper takes the view that since the onset of the 2008 global crisis, the EU anti-labor agenda is extended to country-members – such as Greece – which were long regarded as being poorly integrated or "lagged behind". The large-scale reformation of the Greek welfare state is exemplified and a novel interpretation of estimating the country's poverty level with attention paid to the ineffectiveness of the implemented reforms, is offered. • New estimation methods show the failure of neoliberal welfare policy in assisting even the most vulnerable members of the population, a process known as "targeting". This last part is further supported by genuine evidence drawn from several waves of microdata surveys (see Section 6) illustrating the uneven relation between Greece and the EU. • Three different measures of poverty and efficiency are presented based on original analyses of the official datasets, showing the extent of the overall income loss and the widening gap between Greece and the EU. The paper holds a critical view on EU austerity policies, with particular emphasis given to Greece. It is maintained that the main causes for the implementation of neoliberal reforms should be examined in the manner with which the Greek economy has developed in relation with the European capitalist division of labor as a peripheral economy. Greece is approached as intimately conditioned by a multifaceted institutional structure of dependencies that outstrips the country's ability to exercise economic policy for its own social interests. Essentially built upon the premises of a core-periphery dependency paradigm, the periodic post-war reconfigurations of the EU architectural design offered enough room to the formation of a stricter policy framework along these lines. By developing a set of differentiated indices on European poverty, the devastating consequences of the belated neoliberal reformation of the country's welfare state are highlighted. All calculations are based on microdata sets of EUSILC surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to add to the debate on the negative externalities of tourism-related megaprojects. It examines the policy adoption and implementation of two contentious airport projects in two tourist-heavy regions, Heraklion (Kastelli), Greece, and Cusco (Chinchero), Peru. In the context of destination competitiveness and commitment to neoliberal economic growth, national and regional governments in both countries became attracted by the idea of regional economic development and further increasing the number of international tourists and tourism investments. Deciding whether building a new airport serves the public interest or not is a complex policy problem with technical uncertainties and conflicting interests, which entails both a technical and political process of expressing and pairing policy actors' goals and means. The aim of the paper is to identify similarities and differences between the tactics adopted and arguments used for and against the two airport development projects by the respective advocacy coalitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an in-depth exploration of the historical factors shaping Greek elementary education and the contemporary pedagogical approaches and curriculum implemented in Greek elementary schools. Beginning with a historical analysis, the paper examines influential factors and developments spanning ancient times to the present day, including the legacy of ancient Greek education, Byzantine educational traditions, and modern educational reforms. By synthesizing historical insights with contemporary educational practices, this paper offers a holistic understanding of Greek elementary education. It underscores the enduring influence of historical legacies on present-day educational philosophies and methodologies while highlighting the innovative approaches adopted to meet the needs of modern learners. Ultimately, this comprehensive overview aims to contribute to scholarly discourse and inform ongoing efforts to enhance elementary education in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to question whether and how instrumentalization of refugees by states impacts their media representations, based on the example of a border spectacle that took place in March 2020, when Turkey unilaterally opened its borders to the West, causing hundreds to flock to the land border with Greece and to the coasts of the Aegean Sea. In many ways, this ended up as a failed border spectacle, especially for international publics: Turkey appeared neither as a strong state nor as a benefactor of asylum-seekers. Yet, the paper claims, the spectacle nonetheless led to an ordering of the visibility of asylum-seekers that cannot be captured on the victim-threat spectrum across which they are usually represented. Examining Turkish mainstream TV evening news as well as state agencies' Twitter accounts, the paper traces how Greece was made hypervisible through the use of three frames (humanitarian, legalistic and moralistic) and asylum-seekers were reduced to extras (figurants) in the process. Such an ordering of visibility facilitated the re-moralization of instrumentalization of refugees and may have accordingly shaped the response-ability of citizens. The figure of the extra enables us to link refugee visibilities to splintering moral geographies of asylum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parallel support is a Greek type of special education provision aiming at providing additional support to students identified with special educational needs and/or disability in mainstream classrooms. Drawing from quantitative data for the school-year 2018–2019 this paper presents findings on certain characteristics of primary and pre-primary teachers who work in parallel support including gender, educational qualifications, teaching experience and further certifications in braille and/or sign language. In so doing, the paper analyses several shortcomings regarding the staffing of parallel support, especially in relation to teachers' qualifications and teaching experience. Additionally, it reports data on the recruitment procedures of teachers revealing significant delays in the hiring of teachers who work in parallel support. Finally, the paper discusses how the current educational policy creates structural barriers that hinder the educational inclusion of students with special educational needs and/or disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The force driving the implementation of Linked Data (LD) technologies in libraries is the aspiration for widespread interoperability of library data and for advanced information services. Toward these goals, libraries change their data models, update their communication formats, and develop prototype applications that use new models and formats and enable entity-based cataloguing. The National Library of Greece (NLG) has been actively adapting its policies, workflows, and tools to make its data LD-ready. Within this context, NLG has developed -in cooperation with Open Knowledge Greece- an entity management prototype using RDA/RDF in a Wikibase instance. The vision is to build a shared entity management system used by all memory institutions in Greece to describe entities of Greek interest. Data is to be stored as a knowledge graph that can be exported in RDF serializations, and in legacy MARC format. This paper first examines related efforts from other National Libraries, and then outlines the steps involved in the publication of the NLG Authority File as linked data; namely dataset selection, modeling, data curation, mapping, and publication. The development of the NLG entity management prototype is also presented. The paper concludes with challenges, lessons learned, and next steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper was written in the framework of my internship at the National Commission for Bioethics and Technoethics of the Hellenic Republic. It constitutes an attempt at exploring the ethical and legal dilemmas of the medical practice of telepsychiatry. Telepsychiatry, as well as other forms of telemedicine, has become a prevalent way through which patients gain access to healthcare and with many research papers reporting on its effectiveness and advantages, telepsychiatry has gained a lot of proponents in the scientific and healthcare community. However, several questions regarding the ethical and legal nature of the practice remain unanswered and this can put patients and other users of telemental health services under risk for basic rights violations. In this paper, at first the scientific data supporting the use of telepsychiatry will be cited. In addition to that, there will be discussion of several ethical dilemmas that have been reported concerning the use of telemedicine in psychiatry during the past few years and there will be reference to the medical code of ethics. Following that, there will be reference to the existing legislation for telepsychiatry in Greece and the legal issues that can arise will be analyzed. In spite of the fact that the advantages and ethical pitfalls of telepsychiatry are common in many countries, the focus of this paper will be on Greece’s code of medical ethics and legislation due to the lack of relevant bibliography on the matter, even though telepsychiatry is widely used by Greek patients. Finally some suggestions will be made on what ought to be ameliorated in regards to the current conditions, so as to make sure telepsychiatry is in line with the basic principles of bioethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper celebrates the life and legacy of psychiatrist and Jungian author Anthony Stevens, who passed away at age 90 on July 13, 2023. It outlines Stevens's origins as a research fellow in Greece, where his work on infant attachment led to a lifelong dedication to establishing the biological and evolutionary foundation of psychiatry. It details his instrumental role in the debate about the theory of archetypes and describes the current state of the literature including the responses and reactions to Stevens's biological innatist position. The paper concludes with a career retrospective in which Stevens's major works are introduced and briefly described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we formulate a regionalization framework for rainfall intensity–time scale–return period relationships which is applied over the Greek territory. The methodology for single-site estimation is based on a stochastic framework for multi-scale modelling of rainfall intensity which is outlined in the companion paper. Five parameters are first fitted independently for each site and the resulting parameter variability is assessed. Following a systematic investigation of uncertainty and variability patterns, two parameters, i.e. the tail-index and a time scale parameter, are identified as constant in space and estimated using data pooling techniques. The other three parameters are regionalized over Greece by means of spatial interpolation and smoothing techniques that are assessed through cross-validation in a multi-model framework. The regionalization scheme is implemented in a sequential order that allows exploiting rainfall information both from rainfall stations with sub-daily resolution and from the more reliable network of daily raingauges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the relationship between prospective teachers' cultural profiles and service quality expectations in a pedagogical training program in Greece. Design/methodology/approach: Using the EppekQual scale and an alternative Hofstede's cultural scale, 113 prospective teachers in a Greek training program were surveyed. The study uses descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multiple regression, validating measurements through confirmatory factor analysis. Findings: Prospective teachers exhibit a low-power orientation and a preference for feminine values. Rejecting hierarchy correlates with quality expectations, especially in the curriculum dimension, emphasizing student-centric education. A positive correlation with acceptance/avoidance of uncertainty is observed, notably in learning outcomes and administrative services. The cultural aversion to ambiguity shapes individuals' prioritization of all quality dimensions. A realistic long-term perspective correlates positively with expectations in learning outcomes, aligning with Greek culture's emphasis on security. Contrary to expectations, a predilection for feminine values positively impacts service quality expectations, particularly in curriculum, learning outcomes and academic staff dimensions. The hypothesis related to individualism/collectivism is not substantiated, indicating a negative association with the curriculum dimension. Practical implications: Tailoring program designs to embrace student-centric and collaborative learning environments is recommended. Acknowledging cultural aversions to uncertainty, program flexibility and clarity are essential. Integrating career planning and mentorship aligns with realistic long-term perspectives. The need for a balanced approach to personal and intellectual development is also suggested. Originality/value: This study uncovers specific cultural dimensions that shape quality expectations within a Greek teacher training context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an update of forensic accounting of the numbers and demographics of migrants found deceased in the Evros region of Greece in the years from 2015–22. Compared to data from 2000–14, this update reflects the mounting number of border‐related deaths in the region, as well as the changing demographic trends associated with the migrants who perish crossing the Greek‐Turkish border. Specifically, the paper documents a broadening of locations from which migrants originate, the increasing diversity of migrant death locations, and a shift in the leading causes of death. It contains important forensic accounting of the unique humanitarian crisis occurring along the Greek‐Turkish land border while also providing an additional context for the global migration crisis. The data presented here offer insights into other forensic stakeholders impacted by the global migration crisis, with respect to what factors contribute to and detract from identification rates, and can help stakeholders make informed policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper puts forward a generic methodological framework to holistically assess WtE technologies based on the PROMETHEE approach. In addition to environmental and economic aspects, the method focuses on large-scale applicability and social preference, thus adopting economic, environmental, social, and technological criteria. Three data sources are selected, namely the scientific literature, a public survey, and an experts' opinion survey, which is a novel combination with the aim to cover public consensus, technological applicability, and to provide alternative data sources for the economic and environmental criteria, thus enriching the methodology with the input of location specific data. The demonstration of the applicability of the proposed methodology is realized at a national level for the case of Greece. Anaerobic Digestion is shown to be the most preferable choice, recognized for its cost-effectiveness and lower environmental burden to other WtE technologies (i.e., gasification, pyrolysis, incineration). When all criteria are evaluated with equal weights, anaerobic digestion greatly outperforms incineration (net flow 0.833 versus 0.1667), while incineration only becomes the most preferred choice if the social criterion is in high focus (i.e., over 63% weight). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore the perceptions of domestic and foreign entrepreneurs (businesspeople and/or managers) operating in Greece towards the spatial diffusion of FDI effects caused by the privatization programme implemented by the Greek government after an economic crisis. In particular, it investigates whether attracting foreign direct investors through the ongoing privatization programme could be a policy tool for the country's recovery from the prolonged 2008 global economic crisis. To that end, it presents the results of a multinomial logistic regression model based on survey data from a significant sample of domestic and foreign investors in Greece. The key finding of this study suggests that the positive effects of FDI on the recovery of Greece from the economic crisis are more likely to benefit the country's economy as a whole than only the local economy in which the FDI is located. This finding is stronger for entrepreneurs who are (moderately) optimistic about the role of the privatization programme in attracting the interest of foreign investors than others. Overall, there is evidence that FDI attraction policies can help all Greek regions to recover from an economic crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prosodic aspects of cross-linguistic contact are under-researched, especially past contact that has subsequently ceased. In this paper, we investigate declarative and polar question tunes of contemporary Cretan Greek, a regional variety of Greek whose speakers were in contact with Venetian speakers during the four and half centuries of Venetian rule on the island, from 1204 to 1669. The F0 contours of the Cretan tunes and alignment of peaks and troughs of interest with the nuclear vowel are compared to the corresponding tunes in Venetian dialect and Venetian Italian and to those in Athenian (Standard) Greek, which are used as control. The data (1610 declarative utterances and 698 polar questions) were drawn from natural speech corpora based on pragmatic criteria: broad focus for declaratives, broad focus, and information-seeking interpretation for polar questions. The pitch contour shapes of the tunes are modeled using polynomial basis functions, and the F0 alignment points are determined analytically. The results show the robustness of contact effects almost three and a half centuries after regular contact ceased and indicate that the shapes of the F0 contours of Cretan and Venetian declarative and polar question tunes are similar. In addition, Cretan alignment patterns are similar to Venetian and significantly different from Athenian. Insights are gained from research into how long prosodic characteristics may persist in a recipient language—decades or even centuries after the cessation of contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Greek National Annex for current Eurocode 8 has adopted the seismic hazard zonation map published in 2003 as part of the modifications to the Greek Seismic Code EAK 2000 (EAK 2003). This map, which followed the catastrophic earthquakes that hit the country between 1978 and 2001, includes three seismic hazard zones with peak ground acceleration (PGA) ranging between 0.16 and 0.36 g. In this paper, following the significant progress that has been made worldwide in the last two decades towards the improvement of the definition of seismic actions and the seismic hazard maps using fully probabilistic models, we make a complete proposal for the Greek National Annex of the ongoing revision of Eurocode 8, which includes a new seismic hazard zonation map for Greece, as well as a novel site categorization scheme and related site amplification factors. To this end, we use the results of the European Seismic Hazard Model, ESHM20, as reported by Danciu et al. (The 2020 update of the European Seismic Hazard Model: Model Overview, 2021) which will be adopted as informative reference for the seismic hazard at European level in the forthcoming revision of Eurocode 8 (CEN/EC8). The herein proposed ground shaking zonation for rock conditions includes five zones with PGA values ranging between 0.13 and 0.37 g. For each zone, two newly proposed ground motion parameters, i.e., Sα,475 and Sβ,475, are provided, which are the two parameters used for anchoring the elastic response spectrum as defined in CEN/EC8, along with all the other necessary parameters for the definition of the elastic response spectrum, including site amplification. The proposal for the new seismic zonation is supported by a preliminary investigation of the impact of its adoption on the seismic design of new structures and on the seismic risk of the current building stock in Greece, to help gain a better insight on how important the differences imposed by the new zonation might be for the end-users and the administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of seismic activity precursors as part of an alarm system will provide opportunities for minimization of the social and economic impact caused by earthquakes. It has long been envisaged, and a growing body of empirical evidence suggests that the Earth's electromagnetic field could contain precursors to seismic events. The ability to capture and monitor electromagnetic field activity has increased in the past years as more sensors and methodologies emerge. Missions such as Swarm have enabled researchers to access near-continuous observations of electromagnetic activity at second intervals, allowing for more detailed studies on weather and earthquakes. In this paper, we present an approach designed to detect anomalies in electromagnetic field data from Swarm satellites. This works towards developing a continuous and effective monitoring system of seismic activities based on SWARM measurements. We develop an enhanced form of a probabilistic model based on the Martingale theories that allow for testing the null hypothesis to indicate abnormal changes in electromagnetic field activity. We evaluate this enhanced approach in two experiments. Firstly, we perform a quantitative comparison on well-understood and popular benchmark datasets alongside the conventional approach. We find that the enhanced version produces more accurate anomaly detection overall. Secondly, we use three case studies of seismic activity (namely, earthquakes in Mexico, Greece, and Croatia) to assess our approach and the results show that our method can detect anomalous phenomena in the electromagnetic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the effect of a (semi-) deposit run during a debt crisis on crime rates. The study focuses on Greece's protracted debt crisis (2009–2018) and analyzes the response of crime to deposit outflows. It shows that deposit outflows corresponded to a significant increase in property crimes (thefts and burglaries), but not other types of offenses. The study provides useful policy insights for regulatory authorities tasked with monitoring and decreasing the criminogenic effects of financial destabilization [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Ten years of Mediterranean monk seal stranding data along the Greek coastal areas were analyzed. The spatial distribution of stranding events along with the associated causes of death were modeled and mapped, while the relationship between the possibility of a stranding event and environmental and anthropogenic factors was thoroughly explored. The number of stranding events was found to be higher during the winter period. Moreover, the values of two major teleconnection oscillation indices during the first half of the year as well as the sea surface temperature in the Mediterranean from October to December were positively correlated with the number of stranding events of "unknown" cause. The size of fishing grounds and the number of sightings were associated with a higher probability of "human-related" stranding events. Finally, the central Aegean Sea was found to be a hotspot for "human-related" strandings, while, the eastern Ionian Sea, the southern coasts of the island of Cephalonia, and the gulf between the island of Lefkada and mainland Greece were found to present higher probabilities of monk seal subadult stranding events. This paper presents the results of an analysis of stranding events of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus over a decade. The analysis involved categorization according to the cause of stranding and seasonality, the identification of hotspot stranding areas and an assessment of possible correlations between stranding events and environmental/climatic patterns using time series analysis. Moreover, Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) were applied to explore the effects of the size of small-scale fishing grounds, the number of species sightings, and the occurrence of reproduction sites on "human-related" strandings. Finally, special focus was put on the central part of the eastern Ionian Sea for the assessment of stranding hotspot areas by means of the Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach, based on different kinds of spatial information such as anthropogenic pressures and the location of breeding sites and feeding grounds. Time series analysis results revealed that oscillation indices, during the first half of the year, and sea surface temperature (SST) in the Mediterranean from October to December were positively correlated with monk seal stranding events. GAMs underlined that areas combining extended small-scale fishery grounds and a higher number of sightings were more likely to cause more strandings. Regarding spatial analyses, the central Aegean Sea was highlighted as a hotspot for "human-related strandings", while the MCDA approach emphasized that the southern coasts of Cephalonia and the gulf between Lefkada and mainland Greece were susceptible to subadult strandings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article engages with biometric data gathering technologies as part of migration infrastructures for the monitoring and control of migration. It explores power and agency by paying attention to the complexity of readings, interpretations, and storytelling of illegalised migrants in the Moria and Kara Tepe camps, in the Island of Lesvos in Greece, as they received their bureaucratic legal papers and discussed developments in their 'cases'. Borrowing from feminist and feminist security studies scholarship, the article argues for an understanding of data gathering and sharing infrastructures as material. It suggests that the datafication of migrants' bodies constitutes a manifestation of power that 'enacts' the migrant body as a subject of power but also produces counter self-subjectifications. The article also suggests an understanding of subject agency as the 'capacity to act' within contexts of power. Such a position on the agency of illegalised migrants allows us to examine the emergence of solidarities and alliances and to understand and contextualise not only actions that seem to be questioning and rejecting power, but also those that accept it and internalise it as a strategy of survival and of bettering one's life chances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although leisure constraints that individuals have to cope with can negatively affect their social inclusion and satisfaction with life, little research has addressed the link between these variables. Therefore, the current paper examined the moderator role of leisure constraints on the relationship between satisfaction with life and leisure constraints among adults living in five different European countries. The respondents were 1,382 women and 877 men adults. The findings of analysis revealed that all factors used in the study accounted for 15% of the variance in satisfaction with life and social inclusion had a significant and positive impact on satisfaction with life. As a result, it can be said that leisure constraints had a moderating effect on the relationship between satisfaction with life and social inclusion. The present research study recommends that social inclusion should be encouraged through decreasing to leisure constraints to increase the life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection of the optimal methodology for the 3D geometric documentation of cultural heritage is a subject of high concern in contemporary scientific research. As a matter of fact, it requires a multi-source data acquisition process and the fusion of datasets from different sensors. This paper aims to demonstrate the workflow for the proper implementation and integration of geodetic, photogrammetric and laser scanning techniques so that high-quality photorealistic 3D models and other documentation products can be generated for a complicated, large-dimensional architectural monument and its surroundings. As a case study, we present the monitoring of the Mehmet Bey Mosque, which is a landmark in the city of Serres and a significant remaining sample of the Ottoman architecture in Greece. The surveying campaign was conducted in the context of the 2022–2023 annual workshop of the Interdepartmental Program of Postgraduate Studies "Protection Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Monuments" of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and it served as a geometric background for interdisciplinary cooperation and decision-making on the monument restoration process. The results of our study encourage the fusion of terrestrial laser scanning and photogrammetric datasets for the 3D modeling of the mosque, as they supplement each other as regards geometry and texture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper constitutes the first academic study to be made of Google Discover as applied to online journalism. Design/methodology/approach: This paper constitutes the first academic study to be made of Google Discover as applied to online journalism. The study involved conducting 61 semi-structured interviews with experts that are representative of a range of different professional profiles within the fields of journalism and search engine positioning (SEO) in Brazil, Spain and Greece. Based on the data collected, the authors created five semantic categories and compared the experts' perceptions in order to detect common response patterns. Findings: This study results confirm the existence of different degrees of convergence and divergence in the opinions expressed in these three countries regarding the main dimensions of Google Discover, including specific strategies using the feed, its impact on web traffic, its impact on both quality and sensationalist content and on the degree of responsibility shown by the digital media in its use. The authors are also able to propose a set of best practices that journalists and digital media in-house web visibility teams should take into account to increase their probability of appearing in Google Discover. To this end, the authors consider strategies in the following areas of application: topics, different aspects of publication, elements of user experience, strategic analysis and diffusion and marketing. Originality/value: Although research exists on the application of SEO to different areas, there have not, to date, been any studies examining Google Discover. Peer review: The peer-review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-10-2022-0574 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a new routing and touring service both for outdoor and indoor places of touristic and cultural interest designed to be used in the wider area of Attica, Greece. This service is the result of the work performed in OPTORER (OPTORER: OPtimal rouTing and explOration of touRistic and cultural arEas of interest within Attica given personalized adaptive preferences, promoted underlying purpose, and interactive experience), project, and it aspires to offer a range of innovative and thematic routes to several specified points of interest in the selected area of Attica, encouraging the combination of indoor and outdoor routes in a single tour. The aim is to optimize the user experience while promoting specific, user-centric features, with safety and social welfare being a priority for every designed tour, resulting in enhancing the touristic experience in the area. Using a common smartphone device, as well as common wearable devices (i.e., smartwatches), the OPTORER service will provide an end-to-end solution by developing the algorithms and end-user applications, together with an orchestration platform responsible for managing, operating, and executing the service that produces and presents to the end user results derived from solving dynamically complex optimization problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper focuses on the recall of childhood experiences of adults who had at least one parent misusing alcohol and/or drugs. The study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the recall of these experiences in adulthood and their effect on relationships with significant others. Twelve (12) adults, who had experienced as children in their family's drug and alcohol misuse were interviewed and their interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings of the qualitative study suggest that adults recall in their childhood the reversal of family roles and traumas that seem to affect their current relationships. The research findings indicate the necessity of supporting early enough children who grow up in families where alcohol and drug misuse are part of daily life and to create a therapeutic alliance in adult life in order to advance in their relationship with self and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines potential associations of loneliness with laboratory data and specific psychosocial and behavioral attitudes. The sample collection took place in an urban Primary Health Care unit between May and July 2023, consecutively, and once exclusion criteria were implemented. Participants were aged between 40 and 75 years. Routine laboratory test results upon study initiation and six months before were used. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Loneliness Scale (Version 3), blood glucose, serum lipids, Fibrosis-4 index, and Creatinine Clearance (CrCl) were assessed through hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis. Based on full model (3rd) analysis, those who were engaged in an individual sport or activity or had contacts with more friends presented significantly lower odds for increased loneliness levels (odds ratio (OR): 0.28 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.09–0.91], p = 0.034 and OR: 0.76 [95%CI 0.66–0.88], p < 0.001, respectively). The consumption of alcohol was associated with increased loneliness (OR: 5.55 [95%CI 1.42–21.63], p = 0.014). Elevated triglyceride levels were linked with moderate or no loneliness (OR: 0.20 [95%CI 0.05–0.83], p = 0.026), while an increased LDL/HDL atherosclerotic index was related to increased subjective loneliness (OR: 4.50 [95%CI 1.12–18.13], p = 0.035). The need for holistic approaches—involving primary care personnel—in understanding and addressing loneliness, recognizing its multifaceted nature as well as the diverse factors that contribute to this issue, is considered challenging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley, 1898 (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), commonly known as the cotton mealybug or solenopsis mealybug, is a highly polyphagous species. This paper provides the first report of this species in Greece. It was detected in high numbers on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants cultivated in a greenhouse in the region of Mirtos, close to the city of Ierapetra in the Southeast part of the island of Crete. The species identification was carried out using morphological and molecular analyses. The fact that P. solenopsis can be transferred easily via trade of live plant material, in combination with its ability to affect many different hosts causing severe damage, constitutes an increasing threat to Greek cultivation and especially to horticultural and vegetable crops. Additional surveys should be conducted to investigate the species distribution in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In viticulture, downy mildew is one of the most common diseases that, if not adequately treated, can diminish production yield. However, the uncontrolled use of pesticides to alleviate its occurrence can pose significant risks for farmers, consumers, and the environment. This paper presents a new framework for the early detection and estimation of the mildew's appearance in viticulture fields. The framework utilizes a protocol for the real-time acquisition of drones' high-resolution RGB images and a cloud-docker-based video or image inference process using object detection CNN models. The authors implemented their framework proposition using open-source tools and experimented with their proposed implementation on the debina grape variety in Zitsa, Greece, during downy mildew outbursts. The authors present evaluation results of deep learning Faster R-CNN object detection models trained on their downy mildew annotated dataset, using the different object classifiers of VGG16, ViTDet, MobileNetV3, EfficientNet, SqueezeNet, and ResNet. The authors compare Faster R-CNN and YOLO object detectors in terms of accuracy and speed. From their experimentation, the embedded device model ViTDet showed the worst accuracy results compared to the fast inferences of YOLOv8, while MobileNetV3 significantly outperformed YOLOv8 in terms of both accuracy and speed. Regarding cloud inferences, large ResNet models performed well in terms of accuracy, while YOLOv5 faster inferences presented significant object classification losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological features of the Mediterranean Sea basin have recently been precursors to a significant increase in the formation of extreme events, in relation to climate change effects. It happens very frequently that rotating air masses and the formation of mesoscale vortices can evolve into events with characteristics similar to large-scale tropical cyclones. Generally, they are less intense, with smaller size and duration; thus, they are called Medicanes, a short name for Mediterranean hurricanes, or tropical-like cyclones (TLCs). In this paper, we propose a new perspective for the study and analysis of cyclonic events, starting with data and images acquired from satellites and focusing on the diagnostics of the evolution of atmospheric parameters for these events. More precisely, satellite remote sensing techniques are employed to elaborate on different high spatial-resolution satellite images of the events at a given sensing time. Two case studies are examined, taking into account their development into Medicane stages: Ianos, which intensified in the Ionian Sea and reached the coast of Greece between 14 and 21 September 2020, and Apollo, which impacted Mediterranean latitudes with a long tracking from 24 October to 2 November 2021. For these events, 20 images were acquired from two different satellite sensors, onboard two low-Earth orbit (LEO) platforms, by deeply exploiting their thermal infrared (TIR) spectral channels. A useful extraction of significant physical information was carried out from every image, highlighting several atmospheric quantities, including temperature and altitude layers from the top of the cloud, vertical temperature gradient, atmospheric pressure field, and deep convection cloud. The diagnostics of the two events were investigated through the spatial scale capabilities of the instruments and the spatiotemporal evolution of the cyclones, including the comparison between satellite data and recording data from the BOLAM forecasting model. In addition, 384 images were extracted from the geostationary (GEO) satellite platform for the investigation of the events' one-day structure intensification, by implementing time as the third dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper, we extended a previous study on the solar solar influence to the generation of the March 2012 heatwave in the northeastern USA. In the present study we check the possible relationship of solar activity with the early March 2012 bad weather in northeast Thrace, Greece. To this end, we examined data from various remote sensing instrumentation monitoring the Sun (SDO satellite), Interplanetary space (ACE satellite), the Earth's magnetosphere (Earth-based measurements, NOAA-19 satellite), the top of the clouds (Terra and Aqua satellites), and the near ground atmosphere. Our comparative data analysis suggests that: (i) the winter-like weather (rainfall, fast winds, decreased temperature) in Thrace started on 6 March 2012, the same day as the heatwave started in USA, (ii) during the March 2012 winter-like event in Thrace (6–15 March), the ACE satellite recorded enhanced fluxes of solar energetic particles (SEPs), while SOHO and PAMELA recorded solar protons at very high energies (>500 MeV), (iii) Between 3–31 March, the temperature in Alexandoupoli and the ACE/EPAM solar high energy (1.88–4.70 MeV) proton flux were strongly anticorelated (r = −0.75, p = 0.5). (iv) Thrace experienced particularly intense cyclonic circulation, during periods of magnetic storms on 8–10 and 12–13 March, which occurred after the arrival at ACE of two interplanetary shock waves, on March 8 and March 11, respectively, (v) at the beginning of the two above mentioned periods large atmospheric electric fields were recorded, with values ranging between ~−2000 V/m and ~1800 V/m on 8 March, (vi) the winter-like weather on 8–10 March 2012 occurred after the detection of the main SEP event related with a coronal mass ejection released in interplanetary space as a result of intense solar flare activity observed by SDO on 7 March 2012, (vi) the 8–10 March weather was related with a deep drop of ~63 °C in the cloud top temperature measured by MODIS/Terra, which favors strong precipitation. Finally, we analyzed data from the electric power network in Thrace (~41°N) and we found, for the first time sudden voltage changes of ~3.5 kV in the electric grid in Greece, during the decay phase of the March 2012 storm series. We discuss the winter-like March 2012 event in Thrace regarding the influence of solar cosmic rays on the low troposphere mediated by positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Finally, we infer that the novel finding of the geomagnetic effects on the electric power grid in Thrace may open a new window into space weather applications research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the European Energy Efficiency Directive for Buildings, member states are required to develop long-term strategies to adopt more sustainable, secure, and decarbonized energy systems in buildings by 2050. In this line of approach, an optional common regime has been established to define and calculate the smart readiness of buildings and assess their ability to adapt their operation to the needs of the occupants and the network. Thus, the smart readiness indicator (SRI) emerged, which assesses technological readiness by examining the presence and evaluation of the functionality level of various smart services, aiming at energy savings, the ability of the building to respond to users' needs, and energy flexibility. This paper focuses on examining the SRI calculation methodology's application to an office building, which is currently being deeply renovated. Initially, there is an analysis of the SRI, its calculation methodology, and its goals. This is followed by the practical calculation part of the SRI for a typical office building located in Greece and belonging to the climate zone of southern Europe. The results indicate that the SRIs application is not a straightforward issue since parameters that need to be considered are not regulated to the same degree. On the other hand, SRI can provide a stimulus for exploiting the renovation potential of buildings, precisely by integrating the various aspects and linking those to the use of innovative technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depopulation is caused by low fertility rates and out-migration, and it applies to countries, regions and smaller areas. Rural depopulation is defined as a sharp population decline that falls well below an adequate population size and indicates that an area has lost its demographic reproductive capacity. This paper discusses the socioeconomic and territorial aspects of rural depopulation, attempting to do justice to the spatial dimensions of the phenomenon. Greece exhibits all the symptoms of demographic transition, leading to labour shortages, declining economic productivity, and increasing demands on the health and welfare system. The study on rural depopulation in Greece focuses on the changes and dynamics observed at the municipal and regional levels. A typology has been developed to identify rural communities in Greece. The main source of demographic data for our study is the Greek censuses (1991, 2001, 2011, and 2021). Demographic and socioeconomic trends in Greece are interlinked and show different regional and local dynamics. Rural depopulation is closely related to the study of (international and internal) migration, even though the latter does not provide a permanent solution to depopulation. An empirical analysis has shown that there is a need to revitalise rural areas through socioeconomic improvements, infrastructure investments, and policies that directly impact rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the factors for the 'big moment' of the far right, its Big Bang, i.e, when far-right parties transform from marginal 'groupuscules' into considerable political players. It is the moment when political supply and social demand interact, like two elements in a chemical reaction, and are transformed into far-right vote; the far-right redox. What are the conditions and the catalyst that allow the far-right redox to take place? Discussing the importance of the media as a resource for all political actors, and especially the far-right party family and analysing examples from three Balkan countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia), Greece and France, the working hypothesis is that a necessary and sufficient condition is the occurrence of a media-induced event that acts as a catalyst, leading to their rise from the political margins to the political mainstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wormholes are considered to be hypothetical tunnels connecting two distant regions of the universe or two different universes. In general relativity (GR), the formation of traversable WH requires the consideration of exotic matter that violates energy conditions (ECs). If the wormhole geometry can be described in modified gravitational theories without introducing exotic matter, it will be significant for studying these theories. In the paper, we analyze some physical properties of static traversable WH within the framework of f(R, T) modified gravitational theory. Firstly, we explore the validity of the null, weak, dominant and strong energy conditions for wormhole matter for the considered f (R , T) = R + α R 2 + λ T model. Research shows that it is possible to obtain traversable WH geometry without bring in exotic matter that violates the null energy condition (NEC) in the f(R, T) theory. The violation of the dominant energy condition (DEC) in this model may be related to quantum fluctuations or indicates the existence of special matter that violates this EC within the wormhole. Moreover, it is found that in the f (R , T) = R + α R 2 + λ T model, relative to the GR, the introduction of the geometric term α R 2 has no remarkable impact on the wormhole matter components and their properties, while the appearance of the matter-geometry coupling term λ T can resolve the question that WH matter violates the null, weak and strong energy condition in GR. Additionally, we investigate dependency of the valid NEC on model parameters and quantify the matter components within the wormhole using the "volume integral quantifier". Lastly, based on the modified Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkov equation, we find that the traversable WH in this theory is stable. On the other hand, we use the classical reconstruction technique to derive wormhole solution in f(R, T) theory and discuss the corresponding ECs of matter. It is found that all four ECs (NEC, WEC, SEC and DEC) of matter in the traversable wormholes are valid in this reconstructed f(R, T) model, i.e we provide a wormhole solution without introducing the exotic matter and special matter in f(R, T) theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper details the results of an evaluation of the level of consensus amongst clinicians on the use of ataluren in both ambulatory and non-ambulatory patients with nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nmDMD). The consensus was derived using a modified Delphi methodology that involved an exploration phase and then an evaluation phase. Methods: The exploration phase involved 90-minute virtual 1:1 interviews of 12 paediatric neurologists who cared for 30–120 DMD patients each and had patient contact every one or two weeks. The respondents managed one to ten nmDMD patients taking ataluren. The Discussion Guide for the interviews can be viewed as Appendix A. Following the exploration phase interviews, the interview transcripts were analysed by an independent party to identify common themes, views and opinions and developed 43 draft statements that the Steering Group (authors) reviewed, refined and endorsed a final list of 42 statements. Details of the recruitment of participants for the exploration and evaluation phases can be found under the Methods section. Results: A consensus was agreed (> 66% of respondents agreeing) for 41 of the 42 statements using results from a consensus survey of healthcare professionals (n = 20) experienced in the treatment of nmDMD. Conclusions: The statements with a high consensus suggest that treatment with ataluren should be initiated as soon as possible to delay disease progression and allow patients to remain ambulatory for as long as possible. Ataluren is indicated for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy that results from a nonsense mutation in the dystrophin gene, in ambulatory patients aged 2 years and older (see Summary of Product Characteristics for each country) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper performs a comprehensive analysis of the wind energy potential of onshore regions in Greece with emphasis on quantifying the volume risk and the spatial covariance structure. Optimization techniques are employed to derive efficient wind capacity allocation plans (also known as generation portfolios) incorporating different yield aspirations. The generation profile of minimum variance and other optimal portfolios along the efficient frontier are subject to rigorous evaluation using a fusion of descriptive and statistical methods. In particular, principal component analysis is employed to estimate factor models and investigate the spatiotemporal properties of wind power generation, providing valuable insights into the persistence of volume risk. The overarching goal of the study is to employ a set of statistical and mathematical programming tools guiding investors, aggregators and policy makers in their selection of wind energy generating assets. The findings of this research challenge the effectiveness of current policies and industry practices, offering a new perspective on wind energy harvesting with a focus on the management of volume risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the energy-intensive cement industry, focusing on a plant in Greece and its mill and kiln unit. The data utilized include manipulated, non-manipulated, and uncontrolled variables. The non-manipulated variables are computed based on the machine learning (ML) models and selected by the minimum value of the normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) across nine (9) methods. In case the distribution of the data displayed in the user interface changes, the user should trigger the retrain of the AI models to ensure their accuracy and robustness. To form the objective function, the expert user should define the desired weight for each manipulated or non-manipulated variable through the user interface (UI), along with its corresponding constraints or target value. The user selects the variables involved in the objective function based on the optimization strategy, and the evaluation is based on the comparison of the optimized and the active value of the objective function. The differential evolution (DE) method optimizes the objective function that is formed by the linear combination of the selected variables. The results indicate that using DE improves the operation of both the cement mill and kiln, yielding a lower objective function value compared to the current values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper places emphasis on an unknown part of the cemetery audience, the 'Other'. It emerged as an audience category, comprising 26 out of 214 survey participants, in a four-month online audience research regarding two Athenian cemeteries. The basic argument for the scope of this research is that in highly contested public spaces such as the Third and the Anastasis cemetery, which reflect some of the most striking abnormalities of Greece's unequal cemetery system, 'others' are systematically constructed and are not co-included in ordered, face-to-face representation. Thus, we emphasise the digital form of this research as more resourceful when exploring silenced voices and invisible presences. We discuss the integral taxonomies of the 'Other' on the basis of the dialectic character of the place. Finally, in order to negotiate otherness as an identity marker, we focus on the opinions of the 'Other' audience regarding spatial practices, attitudes and emotions related to the space of the dead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Bronze Age, the inhabitants of regions of Crete, mainland Greece, and Cyprus inscribed their languages using, among other scripts, a writing system called Linear A. These symbols, mainly characterized by combinations of lines, have, since their discovery, remained a mystery. Not only is the corpus very small, but it is challenging to link Minoan, the language behind Linear A, to any known language. Most decipherment attempts involve using the phonetic values of Linear B, a grammatological offspring of Linear A, to 'read' Linear A. However, this yields meaningless words. Recently, novel approaches to deciphering the script have emerged which involve a computational component. In this paper, two such approaches are combined to account for the biases involved in provisionally assigning Linear B phonetic values to Linear A and to shed more light on the possible connections of Linear A with other scripts and languages from the region. Additionally, the limitations inherent in such approaches are discussed. Firstly, a feature-based similarity measure is used to compare Linear A with the Carian Alphabet and the Cypriot Syllabary. A few Linear A symbols are matched with symbols from the Carian Alphabet and the Cypriot Syllabary. Finally, using the derived phonetic values, Linear A is compared with Ancient Egyptian, Luwian, Hittite, Proto-Celtic, and Uralic using a consonantal approach. Some possible word matches are identified from each language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution argues that policymakers instrumentalise legal ambiguity to provide solutions to crises and achieve their preferences in complex governance systems. It looks at the Eurozone crisis and the introduction of sovereign debt restructuring as part of the policy solution. Despite initial opposition from the European Central Bank (ECB) and European Commission (EC), as well as negative market reactions, Greece's debt was restructured in 2012. The notion of collective action clauses (CACs)—a private contractual term in bond documentation that enables bondholder coordination—was promoted as the credible tool for enabling sovereign debt restructuring. However, this paper argues that the success of CACs is related to how it functions as a boundary object, enabling a shared space of interpretive flexibility that allows policymakers to interpret CACs in terms of their preferences, despite a lack of consensus on the permissibility of future Eurozone sovereign debt restructurings. While enabling cooperation, this interpretive flexibility leads to different iterations of CACs—the Euro-CAC and Greece's retrofit-CAC—which connects EU fiscal policy to monetary policy in a way that induces legal uncertainty as to the viability of future debt restructurings vis-à-vis the ECB's bond-buying programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the latest energy efficiency European directive (EED 2023/1791/EU), the expected energy renovation rate of at least 3% of the buildings' floor area each year towards nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEBs) is extended to include public buildings not only of the central government (as per the first EED 2012/27/EU) but also of regional and local authorities. This poses a great challenge, especially for Municipalities that often manage large building stocks with high energy demands. In response to this challenge, this paper presents the application of the so-called "typology approach" for conducting public buildings' energy renovation plans at the local level. A computational survey is initially introduced to decide the optimal set of building-stock clustering criteria among all possible combinations, involving the minimization of the RMSE index regarding the primary energy consumption of each building. For a representative building from each identified typology, the key performance indicators (KPIs) are computed for alternative energy-upgrading scenarios. Exploiting the IMPULSE Interreg-MED project tools, the KPIs from each representative building are at first extrapolated to all buildings of the examined stock and, finally, a gradual energy renovation plan is automatically produced based on user-defined decision parameters including the required annual renovation rate. The methodology is applied for the case of the Municipality of Hersonissos in Greece. For the specific 44-buildings' stock it was found that the optimal clustering set included four criteria, building use, construction year, heating, and a cooling system, leading to 15 building typologies. Finally, assuming a 7% renovation rate per year, a 12-year gradual renovation (nZEB transformation) plan is obtained foreseeing an 85% CO2 emissions' reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing self-sufficient renewable energy systems is becoming a key issue in the energy sector due to modern energy goals. Due to the variability of renewable energy sources, very often it is necessary to adopt hybrid configurations of renewable energy systems and advanced energy storage to achieve self-sufficiency. However, the adoption of complex and novel systems, including technologies as photovoltaic, wind turbines, biomass gasifiers, hydrogen energy storage, must to be founded on a comprehensive analysis of the system operation under different conditions and its energy and economic performance in the investigated case study. Therefore, the aim of the present paper is carry out a comprehensive feasibility analysis of a novel hybrid renewable energy system achieving a high self-sufficiency level. The system integrates a wind turbine and photovoltaic panels to match the energy load of a tourist resort in Agkistro, Greece. Energy exceeding the load is directed to the energy storage system based on the battery and hydrogen tank. As backup energy source, a wood gasifier is used. The investigation is performed by means of a numerical model developed in TRNSYS software allowing one to simulate dynamically the system and to assess its energy and economic performance. The goal achieved during the simulation of the system was to ensure at least 97% of energy demand from renewable sources. Moreover, a parametric analysis of the storage system is presented. It is found that payback period of the installation varies in the range between 11 and 15 years, for systems configurations allowing to satisfy 90–98% of the users energy yearly demand from renewables. The achieved results allows one to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed system from both an energy and economic point of view. • Island energy systems in Greece. • Hybrid energy system with both battery and hydrogen energy storage. • 97% reduction of energy produced from fossil fuels with 30% of energy curtailed. • Parametric study concerning sizes of the energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel count time-series model, named integer-valued Split-BREAK process of the first order, abbr. INSB(1) model. This process is examined in terms of its basic stochastic properties, such as stationarity, mean, variance and correlation structure. In addition, the marginal distribution, over-dispersion and zero-inflation properties of the INSB(1) process are also examined. To estimate the unknown parameters of the INSB(1) process, an estimation procedure based on probability generating functions (PGFs) is proposed. For the obtained estimators, their asymptotic properties, as well as the appropriate simulation study, are examined. Finally, the INSB(1) process is applied in the dynamic analysis of some real-world series, namely, the numbers of serious traffic accidents in Serbia and forest fires in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire plays an important role in the complex physical interactions between the processes which define our planet's environments, and wildfires are considered to have a negative and unwanted effect, owing to the destruction of ecosystems and property that they often produce. In this paper, fractal and spectral methods are used to analyze the spatial characteristics of four wildfire scars of recent wildfires in the area of Greece. The fractal dimension, spatial noise and Hurst exponent of each of the chosen wildfire scar boundaries are calculated, and the results are discussed in connection to the real features of the wildfires. The results indicate that the fractal dimension can be used to adjust the fire line length by accounting for inherent roughness in the scar boundary, to define one of two types of propagation patterns that a wildfire exhibited, and to estimate the viability of plant recolonization in the wildfire area—furthermore, wildfire boundary spatial noise has been found to manifest similarities with pink noise, which is supported by the Hurst exponent analysis. The objective is to exemplify the effectiveness of such techniques for analyzing various characteristics of wildfire scars and active wildfires such as propagation patterns, fractality and spatial unpredictability, and for the qualitative determination of wildfire-related environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Greek region of Thrace, the category of Muslim "Minority" citizen has long had social and legal consequences. But is it possible to evade minority status by avoiding recognition as a Muslim? This paper analyzes two representations of "passing" – attempts to access majority status or rights by avoiding classification as Muslim. The first, a Greek TV drama, depicts a young man's social passing as he struggles to conceal his Minority identity. The second – an example of legal passing – depicts a man avoiding legal classification as a Muslim to have his estate administered under Greek civil rather than Islamic inheritance law. Analyzing "passing" across these contexts illuminates anxieties around minority legibility and how legal and social practices intersect to regulate identity and rights. This analysis problematizes how popular culture representations may unsettle or reinforce the idea of Muslims as a discrete, separately administrable, population of citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an initial study of teachers' perspectives and practices on students' assessment methods regarding the subject of Geology-Geography taught in junior secondary education in Greece. While the application of descriptive assessment is recorded in other European countries, the main focus of the research is the current situation in Greece, as well as the willingness of science teachers to adopt an alternative form of evaluation and the definition of the respective circumstances. The methodology that was followed in this research included questionnaires that were sent to science teachers. Their answers were processed with the IBM SPSS 23 statistical software. The results reveal that most teaching staff surveyed positively acknowledge the need for an effective appraisal system. Their views and opinions on how student assessment contributes to the overall educational procedure were also recorded during the survey. Statistical analysis of the raw data shows that the views and opinions of teaching staff were not differentiated due to their level of experience or their level of education but only due to their field of specialization. The analysis also points to a range of additional factors that impact teaching staff's preferences and perceptions of the effectiveness of different student appraisal and evaluation approaches. Such factors create skepticism among teachers towards alternative assessment methods, such as descriptive assessment. While this is preliminary research, it raises important issues regarding effective evaluation methods that would promote students' development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This "white paper" is a concise perspective of the potential of machine learning in the process systems engineering (PSE) domain, based on a session during FIPSE 5, held in Crete, Greece, June 27–29, 2022. The session included two invited talks and three short contributed presentations followed by extensive discussions. This paper does not intend to provide a comprehensive review on the subject or a detailed exposition of the discussions; instead its aim is to distill the main points of the discussions and talks, and in doing so, highlight open problems and directions for future research. The general conclusion from the session was that machine learning can have a transformational impact on the PSE domain enabling new discoveries and innovations, but research is needed to develop domain-specific techniques for problems in molecular/material design, data analytics, optimization, and control. • A concise perspective is provided on the potential of machine learning in the process systems engineering (PSE) domain. • Machine learning was thought to have a transformational potential enabling new discoveries and innovations. • The need to further develop domain-specific techniques was pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]