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This paper surveys and critically evaluates the literature on methods used in assessing the quality of financial services in the field of insurance coverage. The paper presents the methodological assumptions of SERVQUAL and fuzzy SERVQUAL methods. The usefulness of these methods for assessing the quality of services provided by entities from the insurance sector (taking into account the expectations of customers and service providers) was also demonstrated, on the example of insurers from Greece, Malaysia, Iran, Poland and India, using specialized software SPSS (versions 11.5 and 21), SmartPLS and LISREL 8.7 statistical package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper an integrated methodological approach is presented for the evaluation of the implementation of the Best Available Techniques (BAT) in facilities operated under Integrated Prevention Pollution and Control (IPPC) Directive, based on the development and application of a set of sub-indices. An aggregated form of sub-indices that could be used as a composite IPPC facility index is proposed. A sector specific index can be derived from facilities composite indices. This approach uses environmental performance data from European Polluting Emissions Register (EPER) reports, environmental permits and BAT Reference Documents, and gives a coherent and interesting picture of the degree of BAT implementation and an indication of IPPC obligations fulfilment. A specific application is demonstrated concerning the paper manufacturing sector in Greece. It is concluded for this sector that there is a measurable discrepancy from the BAT fulfilment obligations and that the most problematic sub-indices are the “Releases to Water” and “Releases to Air”. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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]

Disruptive events are the ones that have historically transformed our world. COVID-19 has forced governments and companies to seek transformation in particular in the field of digital. Space has been an enabler for a number of sectorial policies e.g. agriculture, defence, maritime. Digital transformation requires connectivity providing "anything", "anytime", "anywhere". Space as an enabler for digital transformation has become a centerpiece for socioeconomic sustainability and growth. Mega constellations provide telecom services globally and will directly compete with the terrestrial telecom operators, in the next years while the telecom operators should concentrate on the investment of 5G infrastructure. The most promising mega constellation is the one planned by Starlink, which will consist of more than 40,000 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), with service coverage of the whole surface of Earth. It is to be highlighted that there is no European project of this scale. The strong point of the Starlink mega constellation is the complete vertical integration: satellite design, manufacturing, launching, control, operation and telecom service provision by a single group of companies. The economies of scale which would be achieved could lower the retail prices of the telecom service to levels which will not be viable for the terrestrial telecom operators. Thus a strong dependency of European telecommunications with the non-European mega constellation like Starlink is expected. The European Union is to develop the next flagship programme in the field of connectivity, following the announcement of Commissioner Breton on 15 July. The Commissioner stated that "... we already need to look beyond 5G. I am talking about starting to prepare for 6G of course, but not only. The next paradigm shift is about linking connectivity with space to provide high-speed connectivity everywhere in Europe". This has been confirmed by the 22 March Action Plan placing it as the next European flagship after Galileo and Copernicus. It will build on Govsatcom, European Quantum Communications Infrastructures. Small countries like Greece have been taking a step by step approach in ensuring the digital transformation of the country. These steps have been at the level of policy, governance, programmatic and financial instruments. The much higher data rates available would change the transmission of data to and from locations. An opportunity arises for new architectures where satellites can provide internet connectivity blend with terrestrial wireless or wired networks. The service to the user will be seamless and unaware of switching between the different infrastructures. This paper will provide an overview how Europe and small member states have been preparing its space related activities in combination with non-space activities for the digital transformation of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Government policy shall address the strategic nature of local resource use decisions. • Local resource users face linked coordination, prisoner's dilemma, and zero-sum/externality situations. • Governments shape the behavior of local resource users via bundles of policy instruments. • Policy instruments contribute to local collective action via a handful of mechanisms. This paper presents a diagnostic approach to the role and capacity of governments to facilitate local collective action and alleviate environmental problems. The paper adds to a nascent scholarship aiming to conciliate theories on "governance by government" and "governance by self-organization". We adopt two premises for that purpose: (1) policy instruments shall be tailored to the strategic nature of local resource management decisions; and (2) such nature is not static and can be modified via governmental policies. We first build on the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to characterize the decision-making situations that local resource users face and the local rules that shape said situations. Then, based on common pool resource (CPR) and policy instrument choice theory, we identify four mechanisms through which different policy instruments can facilitate local collective action (change in payoffs and their perception, reduction of transaction costs, reduction of uncertainty, and normative consonance). This analytical approach is then applied to four illustrative cases of water management in Germany, France, Greece and Spain. As shown, local resource users are embedded in not one but many overlapping decision-making situations. In this context, the promotion of collective action is rarely accomplished via a single policy instrument or mechanism but via bundles of them. Also, the paper illustrates the importance of understanding how governmental policies modify the structure of rules and incentives that affect local resource users, potentially facilitating local collective action and the solution of environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The social impacts of Protected Areas (PAs) are increasingly recognized as a key issue that needs to be explored and combined with existing evaluation frameworks assessing the economic and environmental impacts of PAs. The present paper focuses on the subjective assessment of social impacts of PAs and how these perceptions are formulated. Results of an empirical study, implemented in three PAs in Greece, are presented. According to the study, individuals' perceived quality of life, trust in institutions, social trust and place attachment are the most important indicators influencing perceptions of social impacts. A main conclusion of the paper is that measuring social impacts is not sufficient for the planning and designation of a PA. Additional research is needed exploring the reasons behind these perceptions in order to plan actions minimizing negative impacts for local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper briefly describes the overall concept of "TRAVEL TYCOON GREECE" (TTGR), a novel business simulation game which aims to simulate realistically a complete tourism experience. The latest image processing and computer graphics technologies were utilized to create accurate 3D backgrounds with different levels of detail, which were incorporated in the game engine and serve as a realistic and accurate terrain allowing the user to navigate in selected historical and touristic areas of Greece. A series of real-world scenarios representing multiple components of the tourism section were designed primarily for entertainment and marketing purposes. In order to motivate users to participate in the game or remain active, an incorporated ticketing platform allows users to win offers such as touristic products and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the mechanical properties, mainly wave velocity, strength, deformability and degradation characteristics of carbonate fault rocks in the laboratory. The investigated materials present a complex behavior, mainly controlled by their tectonic disturbance, which has not been thoroughly studied due to practical limitations in sampling preparation and execution of laboratory tests. A novel procedure to prepare samples from the studied rocks was successfully performed. Two (2) intact, parent rock types (i.e., intact limestone, intact limestone-dolomite breccia) and five (5) fault rock types (i.e., two types of limestone fault breccias, two types of fractured marly limestones and one type of tectono-diagenetic dolomite breccia) were retrieved from five locations in Lefkada Island, Greece. The mechanical properties of the intact, parent rocks were determined to define the degree of strength reduction due to the tectonic disturbance of the fault rocks. The mechanical properties of the fault rocks significantly vary, a fact that is attributed to their structural and textural properties. These properties were quantified using a novel image processing technique and two (2) discrete algorithms. The durability characteristics of the studied rocks were also assessed through freeze-thaw and slake durability tests. The specimens with a higher tectonic disturbance yielded increased degradation characteristics, in repeated freeze-thaw and slaking cycles proving that the behavior of the material can drastically change over time due to weathering and erosion processes.. The findings of this paper suggest that the behavior of fault rocks cannot be approximated by the existing rock mechanics principles and therefore, a more focused methodology to derive their mechanical properties is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind power serves as a clean and sustainable form of energy. However, its generation is fraught with variability and uncertainty, owing to the stochastic and dynamic characteristics of wind. Accurate forecasting of wind power is indispensable for the efficient planning, operation, and grid integration of wind energy systems. In this paper, we introduce a novel forecasting method termed Temporal Collaborative Attention (TCOAT). This data-driven approach is designed to capture both temporal and spatial dependencies in wind power generation data, as well as discern long-term and short-term patterns. Utilizing attention mechanisms, TCOAT dynamically adjusts the weights of each input variable and time step based on their contextual relevance for forecasting. Furthermore, the method employs collaborative attention units to assimilate directional and global information from the input data. It also explicitly models the interactions and correlations among different variables or time steps through the use of self-attention and cross-attention mechanisms. To integrate long-term and short-term information effectively, TCOAT incorporates a temporal fusion layer that employs concatenation and mapping operations, along with hierarchical feature extraction and aggregation. We validate the efficacy of TCOAT through extensive experiments on a real-world wind power generation dataset from Greece and compare its performance against twenty-two state-of-the-art methods. Experimental results demonstrate that TCOAT outperforms existing methods in terms of both accuracy and robustness in wind power forecasting. Moreover, we conduct a generality study on an additional real-world dataset from a different climate condition and wind power characteristics. The results show that TCOAT can achieve comparable or better performance than the state-of-the-art methods, confirming the generalization ability of TCOAT. • Novel deep learning model for wind power forecasting • Temporal collaborative attention and fusion for wind data • Superior performance on real-world wind power dataset • Attention maps for interpretability and end-to-end training [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides some new insights into the dual function of expressive speech acts discussed in pragmatic theory as either expressions of genuine emotions or conventionalised acts of courtesy. Drawing on the framework of interpersonal pragmatics, it analyses signs displayed on the doors of closed businesses in Athens and London during the first lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic. These closure signs are characterised by a heavy use of relational features, including four expressive speech acts, namely greetings, apologies, thanks and wishes, which form the focus of the analysis. The relational work performed by these speech acts reflects the social changes brought about by the pandemic as well as the business owners' attempts to retain their customers. The expressive speech acts featured on the signs are evaluated against the norms set out by the genre of closure signs. The comparative angle of the study, on the other hand, links the discussion to norms related to the display of emotions and to the use of conventionalised formulae in the two countries under study, thus revealing culture-specific perspectives on the dual function of expressive speech acts. • Covid-19 signage displayed during the first lockdown contains numerous expressive speech acts performing relational work. • The functions of greetings, apologies, thanks and wishes on these signs are compared to their use on standard closure signs. • Expressive speech acts are more frequent and more effusive on signs found in the UK than on signs found in Greece. • The use of expressive speech acts as either expressions of emotions or formulaic acts of courtesy is culture-specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impact of COVID-19 on speed, speeding and harsh braking is evaluated. • SARIMA time-series modelling is used for quantifying the pandemic effect. • Naturalistic driving data captured from a novel smartphone applications are used. • Speeds and harsh brakings were found to have the highest increase. Introduction: COVID-19 has disrupted daily life and societal flow globally since December 2019; it introduced measures such as lockdown and suspension of all non-essential movements. As a result, driving activity was also significantly affected. Still, to-date, a quantitative assessment of the effect of COVID-19 on driving behavior during the lockdown is yet to be provided. This gap forms the motivation for this paper, which aims at comparing observed values concerning three indicators (average speed, speeding, and harsh braking), with forecasts based on their corresponding observations before the lockdown in Greece. Method: Time series of the three indicators were extracted using a specially developed smartphone application and transmitted to a back-end platform between 01/01/2020 and 09/05/2020, a time period containing normal operations, COVID-19 spreading, and the full lockdown period in Greece. Based on the collected data, XGBoost was employed to identify the most influential COVID-19 indicators, and Seasonal AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) models were developed for obtaining forecasts on driving behavior. Results: Results revealed the intensity of the impact of COVID-19 on driving, especially on average speed, speeding, and harsh braking per 100 km. More specifically, speeds were found to increase by 2.27 km/h on average compared to the forecasted evolution, while harsh braking/100 km increased to almost 1.51 on average. On the bright side, road crashes in Greece were reduced by 49% during the months of COVID-19 compared to the non-COVID-19 period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the rationale of the bioclimatic regeneration of part of the commercial triangle of Athens is presented. In this 11 ha area, identified by three streets in the form of a triangle, the most vivid commercial activities have been taking place, from the transformation of Athens into a capital city in the 19 th century, up to late 20 th century, when the upcoming of “malls” displaced consumption habits from small shops to large shopping centres. As it is a place that has been either within the city walls or at the outskirts since antiquity, its geometry is very much affected by ancient and medieval Athenian city planning, which is explored and highlighted in this regeneration project. The commercial triangle area today is characterised by a mixture of neo-classical and modern buildings, as well as simplexes of pedestrian streets. The landscape of the area is being reshaped as the old uses that reflect the former economic backbone of the city, are displaced or replaced by new ones which are more related to the industry of entertainment. In this paper, a brief spatial description and historical review of the area is presented, pinpointing to the political and municipal decisions that have affected the area, highlighting the conflicts that the area faces today. Existing land use is monitored in detail and compared to past ones. The sustainability rationale of the regeneration of the public spaces of this area is presented, taking into consideration environmental issues (pedestrianisation of narrow streets, environmental footprint of used or reused materials, recycling municipal waste, low energy consumption street light, construction site measures), bioclimatic issues (microclimatic considerations, surface materials, placement of vegetation in narrow streets), cultural issues (putting forward the area's historic footprint through the design) as well as social issues (conflicts that might arise from competitive or incompatible land uses), trying to achieve a holistic sustainable regeneration approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spiraling growth of the world's population and unregulated urbanization have resulted in many environmental problems, including poor quality of air, which is associated with a wide range of health issues. Machine learning approaches have been extensively employed to predict air quality, attracting the attention of the scientific community worldwide. Bibliometric studies provide a useful means by which to visualize and analyze published works, helping researchers to make novel scientific contributions by filling existing knowledge gaps in the research. To acquire an in-depth understanding of the topic, this paper presents a bibliometric analysis of all published articles on the use of machine learning networks to predict air quality found in the Web of Science (WoS) search engine from 1992 to 2021. S-curve analysis and social network analysis were used to identify the temporal distribution of articles, productivity by countries/continents, research institutions, and scientific metrics of journal productivity. This study indicated that maximum expansion of the literature witnessed during 2017–2021 (second phase) which represents an expansion or growth stage of machine learning and air quality prediction research. The number of published works increased significantly with 1432 articles accounting for 68.51% of all publications. As a result of the increased interest in machine learning-based prediction tools, the number of articles grew 2.17-fold compared to the 1992–2016 (first phase). In terms of international collaboration impact, Italy emerged as the most successful country (43.44), followed by Greece (31.22) and Spain (23.29). Author keywords analysis was employed to explore and evaluate the emerging research trends on the subject of air quality using machine learning models. Keywords that appear most frequently in this study are 'air pollution', 'air quality', 'machine learning', and 'forecasting'. Citation burst analysis, research productivity analysis, highly influential and highly cited works were also employed to examine various research themes and questions. In this study we also discussed how conventional methods were transformed into machine learning approaches. It is expected that this paper will provide technical guidelines, research priorities, and future opportunities for the precise prediction of air quality and emergency management of air pollution globally. • Interest in air quality prediction through machine learning model is expanding. • China and US were found productive countries in terms of countries collaboration. • Big data, Internet of Things, and Smart city are emerging topic for future research. • Significant difference between citations, funded and non-funded research. • Ensemble modeling is popular in air quality prediction research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the most intensive demonstration of harvesting of olive tree prunings (OTP) ever occurred in Greece. In Agios Konstantinos, an integrated shredder was used to harvest the local olive groves. The harvesting campaign was performed for two consecutive years. In total, for both years, the harvesting campaign lasted for 20 days where around 81 ha of olive groves were harvested, that amounted to 252 dry Mg of harvested prunings. The aim of the paper is to evaluate an agricultural residue mobilization value chain in terms of performance, economics and fuel analyses of the harvested OTP. Via detailed monitoring, the present paper compares the harvesting demonstration results for both years. In brief, the average material capacity increased from 2.2 dry Mg/h (first year) to 2.4 dry Mg/h (second year), whereas the corresponding harvesting and haulage costs of these harvesting campaigns were calculated at 62.3 €/Mg (dry basis) and 63.7 €/Mg (dry basis), with an estimated commercial operation cost at 46.0 €/Mg (dry basis). Finally, from 49 samples of OTP collected, the average moisture content was at 27.5% (as received), ash content at 4.5% (dry basis) and the average LHV at 12.2 MJ/kg (as received). [Display omitted] • Detailed monitoring of a two-year mechanized harvesting and haulage of olive prunings. • Material Capacities at 2.2 dry Mg/h and 2.4 dry Mg/h in two consecutive years. • Estimated commercial cost of harvesting and haulage at 46.0 €/dry Mg olive pruning. • Harvested prunings averaged 12.2 MJ/kg LHV, 27.5% moisture and 4.5% ash content. • Mechanized harvesting of olive prunings (<3 Mg/ha) proved to be economical feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the capability of Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to detect hydrothermal alteration zones within the caldera of the Nisyros volcano in Greece through a multitemporal interferometric coherence analysis. For that purpose, seven ascending pass Sentinel-1B SAR Single Look Complex images were collected spanning October 2017 to January 2018. The local meteorological conditions, precipitation in particular, were taken into consideration as the humidity levels could affect the radar scattering properties. Six coherence images were calculated using as master image the 16th October 2017 acquisition and as slave images the other dates. The coherence products were then used for a multitemporal interferometric coherence analysis through the calculation of the average coherence map. The average coherence map showed that Sentinel-1 data seems to well delimitate the hydrothermal alteration area according to the geologic map of Nisyros. Comparing the hydrothermal alteration with the loose alluvial deposits within the caldera, the hydrothermal altered products showed high coherence values while the loose alluvial products low coherence values. The preliminary results show the potential of Sentinel-1 multitemporal interferometric coherence to differentiate hydrothermal alteration from volatile loose formations such as alluvial deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the impact of the living heritage approach for sustainable tourism & economics in Mount Lebanon. The proposed living heritage model is separated into three fundamental actions: firstly, the identification of important historical places and buildings that are reused to serve conservation and tourism development, as well as the participation of the core community in determining this. Secondly, the development of a tourism strategy and development plans, in which the local community must also participate. Thirdly, the development of maintenance and control programs, which must be supervised by the local community through its partnership with the Ministry and those responsible for conservation operations. Moreover, the hypothesis is to find a way to implement the living heritage in a local rural context. It also tackles different ways of implementing the living heritage approach based on international case studies (Albergo Diffuso, in Italy and the Meteora, in Greece), to inform sustainable economic and tourism development in the local rural context of Mount Lebanon. The methodological study will take into consideration two analyses: a theoretical (literature reviews and main definitions) and a practical (comparative analysis and case studies). In conclusion, several strategies can be taken into account in order to attain a successful living heritage of sustainable economics and tourism in Mount Lebanon. In fact, such a goal will be achieved through the partnership among private, public, and local sectors that can create a strong historical-touristic-economic bond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research investigates the contribution of environmental innovation to firms' competitive advantage through the case of medium and large-sized firms operating in Greece. Due to the growing trend of environmental innovation in Greece and a consequent increase in the research interest, this paper fills the existing gap in the relevant literature as there is not enough evidence concerning Greek firms' environmental innovation practices. To meet the research goal, a questionnaire was distributed to 892 medium and large-sized firms operating in Greece; 225 questionnaires were finally responded. The data is based on firms' self-assessment concerning environmental innovation and competitive advantage and are analyzed using both descriptive and inductive statistics, including principal components analysis and multiple linear regression. The research results show that the examined firms implement environmental innovation practices at a moderate level. The most common practices of environmental innovation are the implementation of ISO 14001 management systems and the toxic substances usage reduction. The percentage of ISO 14001 implementation is increased compared to the previous years. Furthermore, the regression analysis revealed that the components concerning environmental process innovation and environmental product innovation have a positive impact on the examined firms' competitive capability. The relationship between open innovation and environmental innovation and the contribution of open innovation dynamics are discussed as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is motivated by recent concerns, prompted by the recent financial crisis, that regulatory capital guidelines on loan loss reserves can generate dysfunctional outcomes and, moreover, by the fact that the Greek bonds held by the banks have an important impact on the risk level of the bank portfolio. The purpose of this paper is to incorporate risk into bank efficiency and to provide a snapshot of the efficiency profile of the Greek banking industry. Efficiency is measured by means of a satisficing data envelopment analysis (DEA) model in which the financial risk is proxied by credit risk provisions and by the participation of banks in the Private Sector Involvement (PSI), a controllable and an uncontrollable factor by the bank management, respectively. The results of the proposed probabilistic DEA model derived through the Monte-Carlo simulation are compared with the results of the respective deterministic model. As the constructed stochastic frontier screens further some of the ‘best-in-class’ banks, the merit of the proposed metric is evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This work deals with the arched stone bridge of Plaka, built in 1866, over the river Arachtos, in Epirus, Greece. A significant part of the bridge, listed by the Greek state, has collapsed in 2015. • The paper identifies the cause of collapse, based on historical data, thorough study of precollapse surveys of damage, exhaustive post-collapse in-situ and in-lab investigations. • This meticulous documentation leads to understanding the function of the original structural system and it reveals important construction details, testifying the high level of bridge engineering in mid-19th century in the region. • The numerical model reproduces accurately the geometry and the construction typology of the bridge, as well as the properties of materials for each distinct part of the monument. • The analytical work allows for the "reproduction" of the pre-collapse damage, as well as for the reproduction of the kinematics of the collapse and the damage observed on the standing parts of the bridge. • The cause of collapse is identified and interpreted, while measures to avoid collapse in the future are proposed. • This work has served as basis for the restoration of the bridge (completed in 2020), preserving the original structural system, in its geometry, materials and construction details. The arched stone bridge of Plaka, built in 1866, is situated in the mountainous region of Epirus, Greece, and it bridges the river Arachtos. A significant part of the bridge, namely the central part of the arch and the east pier, have collapsed on February 1st, 2015, after heavy rainfalls in the region. The National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) has mobilized its staff and offered the documentation of the bridge, as well as the preliminary design for its restoration. The bridge was accurately modelled, in terms of geometry and properties of materials. Numerical calculations have revealed the cause of pre-existing damage, as well as the cause of collapse of the bridge. The thorough documentation and the assessment have proven that the bridge, at its original state, was able to safely withstand the actions expected to be exerted on it. Thus, the restoration was performed without alteration of the original structural system, and completed five years after the collapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major earthquakes can cause hundreds to thousands of landslides in mountainous areas, but the methods for regional earthquake-induced landslide analyses are currently not well developed. This paper proposes an algorithm for back-analyzing earthquake-induced landslide inventories. The result of the back-analysis (or "inversion") is a modeled three-dimensional (3D) "best-matching" landslide for each mapped landslide in an inventory as well as an estimate of average shear strength along the landslide failure plane. The algorithm leverages seismic displacement models to detect the triggering location (i.e., triggering grid cell) of modeled landslides. The triggering grid cell is then projected to form a 3D cone-shape failure surface for each modeled landslide using geomorphic characteristics, i.e., flow direction and flow accumulation, and a geometric rule, a procedure termed here as pseudo-three-dimensional (pseudo-3D). The inversion algorithm uses the landslide location, area, and volume (if available) of each mapped landslide to find a modeled landslide that minimizes the "mismatch" between the two, expressed as total error, and outputs an associated triggering depth, landslide geometry, and strength. The estimate of strength for each individual landslide can then, if needed, be aggregated using a geospatial methodology (e.g., geologic unit information or a K -means clustering method) to derive regional-scale Mohr-Coulomb shear strength parameters. The potential bias of the proposed pseudo-3D methodology on the strength estimate is assessed against synthetic landslide inventories generated using a 3D limit equilibrium method. The back-calculated friction angles agree well with 3D results, while the cohesions are lower than the estimated cohesions from 3D slope stability analysis. In addition, the effect of different seismic displacement models on the results of the back-calculated strengths is investigated. The proposed methodology is implemented to the 2015 Lefkada earthquake event in Greece, which triggered more than 700 landslides, with the goal to demonstrate the efficiency in the inversion of many landslides and the generation of regional estimates of strength parameters. For this study region, the spatial distribution of the shear strength results indicates that areas with fewer landslides have higher shear strength while areas with more landslides have lower shear strength. • A pseudo-3D methodology is proposed to invert regional co-seismic landslides. • Triggering location of modeled landslide is detected by seismic displacement model. • Modeled landslides match each mapped landslide in area, volume, and location. • Strength estimates of each landslide are aggregated via K -means clustering method. • Back-calculated friction angle agrees with result of 3D limit equilibrium method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge in intelligent cities is to recognize the benefits of using big data. The management of big datasets enables efficient data storage and processing to enhance information for the decision-making process. The key aim of this paper is to highlight how geological, engineering geological and geotechnical knowledge can be managed in a well-organized database, which is able to develop various correlations and to present useful information for both the design and construction stages of important projects of civil protection, municipality and technical companies. The present paper demonstrates the implementation of such work in the city of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, where a large amount of geological and geotechnical data for more than 600 boreholes, mainly based on borehole geological information, laboratory testing, geotechnical characterization and in situ field tests collected from fill, Quaternary and Neogene deposits, is stored in a georeferenced database. The presented database, is targeted to the management and processing of geo-engineering datasets for various geotechnical projects but also for the protection against natural hazards. The purpose of the approach, besides incorporating multisource datasets, is to provide a tool to effortlessly and immediately analyze, correlate and display data on maps, tables and diagrams for stakeholders. For this analysis, the present study proposes a geographic information system approach coupling the use of geostatistical techniques along with the cross validation to establish geotechnical zonation maps in order to highlight hazardous areas prone to liquefaction and settlement and to indicate the site's adaptability for different infrastructure projects. In that context, specific value ranges for several physical and mechanical properties are proposed from the assessment and correlation of the information originating from the database and spatial variability, providing geological and geotechnical knowledge in safe urban extensions suitable for construction in the research area environment. However, the key challenge is not only referring to provide each influencing parameter with a quantitative range of values, but also to establish a set of reliable structural and high-precision informative geotechnical models to comprehensively understand the superficial and subsurface conditions of the research area. • A geo-engineering database of more than 600 boreholes is presented, enhancing decision-making levels in urban planning. • Intelligent cities can be better protected from urban geological hazards using a specialized engineering geological database. • Infrastructure projects can be effectively planned and managed through the efficient analysis of large geotechnical data. • Engineering geological maps can provide specialized knowledge to avoid weak geological zones. • The analysis and processing of numerous thematic key parameters provide geotechnical properties in depth and space. • The analysis and processing of numerous thematic key parameters provide geotechnical properties in depth and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hotels are a diverse building type with high normalized energy end-use because of its focus to provide best facilities for guests. There is scope, and in many countries legislative requirements, to reduce energy consumption without compromising facilities; case-studies from tourism intensive countries could be useful for demonstrating such possibilities. This paper presents a method of deriving energy benchmarks to enable classification of hotels in Greece based on operational energy use in terms of electricity and oil. The method of classification defines clusters of hotels using the k-means algorithm controlled with the silhouette plot after applying normalization factors for the operational energy data to correct for size, operation (seasonal or annual) and climatic conditions. Ninety hotels are analysed in the sample presented in this paper; and well separated clusters are defined for the whole sample and for the sample split in hotels with annual and seasonal operation. Energy consumption varies considerably between and within clusters indicating that a range of energy consumption targets might be more suitable than single value benchmarks for this type of building. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of the present work is to estimate the carbon footprint of the Greek electricity sector and the associated damages. This is being realized by quantifying the external cost related with the climate change airborne emissions (i.e. carbon dioxide) generated during all stages of the power plants life cycle in Greece. For this purpose, the paper applies the EcoSenseLE tool, together with the basic principles of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. The examined external cost has been calculated for seven types of power plants. Results show that hydro and wind power plants have an excellent performance; close to them is the performance of PV and biomass-fired power plants. The performance of natural gas-fired power plants is good, while the performance of oil-fired power plants is, as it is expected poor. Lignite clearly has the worst performance, which affects the average external cost of the sector, since it is the dominant energy source in electricity production in Greece. Regarding the life cycle stages, for thermal systems, the climate change external cost is primarily made of CO2 emitted at the power plant, while in hydro, wind and PV systems, it is totally associated with the plant construction stage. Moreover, the paper includes also issues regarding the evolution of the examined footprint within the next years, considering the various Greek national policies and measures that have been announced and started to be realized; the cost/benefit analysis (CBA) of these policies and measures based on this footprint; and the investigation if this CBA is being affected by the CO2 abatement cost associated with the various external cost estimation approaches. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of this study is to provide new data on relative sea-level changes and neotectonics of the northeastern Aegean Sea region (Eastern Mediterranean) through the analysis of the coastal geomorphology of Lesvos, the third largest Greek island. There is a paucity of presently available data in this sector of the Aegean Sea, which is a tectonically active area strongly controlled by the North Anatolian Fault. In this paper, morphological, biological and sedimentary records of paleo-sea levels have been used to reconstruct relative sea-level changes, to identify variations in the tectonic regimes as well as to assess the paleoseismicity in the studied areas. According to the results, late Quaternary relative sea-level changes at Lesvos were not homogenous and variations in the tectonic setting played a crucial role in the coastal evolution. The NW-SE trending faults on the southern shore of the island control a significant uplift affecting about 30km of coastline. This uplift trend is controlled by the footwall of the Lesvos Fault, a major offshore normal fault that has been subject to relatively little quantitative investigation. Radiocarbon dating indicated that the last co-seismic uplift took place at 3365–3963calyr BP and resulted in about 0.75m of vertical displacement. In contrast, all the paleo-sea-level markers mapped in the northeastern sector were presently underwater and, despite the high seismicity of the area, no evidence of coastal uplift was observed in this part of the island. Thus, the paper provides the first field evidence of a differential late Quaternary evolution of Lesvos Island. In addition, results represent the first quantitative information on the activity of the Lesvos Fault, suggesting a reconsideration of its importance in the neotectonics of the area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Necessity of systems thinking – challenges, concepts and practice. • Core elements of current PSE education. • Curriculum Design: Goals and structures. • Responses to present and future challenges. This position paper is an outcome of discussions that took place at the third FIPSE Symposium in Rhodes, Greece, between June 20–22, 2016 (http://fi-in-pse.org). The FIPSE objective is to discuss open research challenges in topics of Process Systems Engineering (PSE). Here, we discuss the societal and industrial context in which systems thinking and Process Systems Engineering provide indispensable skills and tools for generating innovative solutions to complex problems. We further highlight the present and future challenges that require systems approaches and tools to address not only 'grand' challenges but any complex socio-technical challenge. The current state of Process Systems Engineering (PSE) education in the area of chemical and biochemical engineering is considered. We discuss approaches and content at both the unit learning level and at the curriculum level that will enhance the graduates' capabilities to meet the future challenges they will be facing. PSE principles are important in their own right, but importantly they provide significant opportunities to aid the integration of learning in the basic and engineering sciences across the whole curriculum. This fact is crucial in curriculum design and implementation, such that our graduates benefit to the maximum extent from their learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Examination of a typical classroom in Greece and its installed power for an artificial lighting profile from 1970 until today (type and number of luminaires, installed power per classroom, consumed annual energy kWh/m2). • Calculation of potential energy savings for customizing installed power LED with AC and DC supply aiming for the illuminance target values from the European Norm 12464–1, 2011. • Measurements of dimming curves of LED luminaires with AC and DC supply (consumed energy versus lighting output) and measurements of power of typical photosensors. • Estimated energy savings, CO 2 reduction and cost optimal analysis due to various scenarios (different luminaire technologies and daylight harvesting techniques). • Calculation of the final energy consumption for potential power supply from renewable energy sources using DC LED luminaires and photosensors. The energy consumption for the artificial lighting in school buildings is one of the main consumers of electricity. In Greece, there is a large number of school buildings with quite old lighting systems using luminaires with T8 and sometimes T12 fluorescent lamps and degradated translucent diffusers. Due to the economic crisis, the public sector failed to invest in LEDs and although daylight is adequate during the year, the adoption of control technology is rather slow. The paper, using a typical classroom of a Greek public school, examines a number of lighting technologies (with AC and DC supply) together with two daylight harvesting systems. The first one uses one stand-alone photosensor per luminaire while the second one sensor per control zone, in an effort to calculate energy savings and light adequacy. The dimming curves of the DC LEDs were measured along with the installed power of the photosensors. The results show that the existing 90.5 kWh p /m2 of annual lighting primary energy consumption can be reduced to 0.55 kWh p /m2. The maximum annual reduction of CO 2 emissions was 32.44 kgr/m2 for classroom areas, which is translated to 201929 tn for the whole country. It is evident that the path to Zero Energy School Buildings goes through the mandatory use of daylight controls. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Natural gas as a primary fossil fuel, will grow faster than both oil and coal for the next decades and distinguishes by its lower environmental impact in comparison to other conventional fuels. Natural gas in its liquid form (Liquified Natural Gas), grows seven times faster than pipeline gas. It is, usually, transferred using liquified natural gas carriers stored in cryogenic tanks. A crucial problem in this field is the selection and the evaluation of liquified natural gas export terminals in different countries (liquified natural gas suppliers). The paper attempts to propose a decision support model specialized for this type of problem, adopting green logistics optimization tools as prescribed in circular economy philosophy. A multicriteria analysis, using Promethee II method, is carried out, evaluating all the potential export terminals and studying the case study of Greece. The approach is based on selected criteria in the fields of economic supply, low environmental impact of transportation, satisfaction of technical specifications and the current and future availability of supply. The evaluation procedure includes the ranking of different preference scenarios. The obtained results showed that there are advantageous liquified natural gas supply options for Greece, like Egypt, Algeria, Libya and Norway, with good performances in almost all the criteria. By adopting the proposed methodology, national and commercial decision makers could take advantage to assess future consortiums. Highlights • A methodology is presented to evaluate potential future LNG supply alternatives and the case study concerned Greece. • A methodology is presented to evaluate potential future LNG supply alternatives and the case study concerned Greece. • A multicriteria analysis has been adopted covering the economic, technical and environmental fields. • The selected criteria fall into the most crucial axes for the selection of LNG supplier. • The proposed model could be used by decision makers in order to assess future consortiums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The present paper aims to investigate the environmental and economic impacts of co-processing petroleum fractions with bio-based feedstocks for direct refinery integration versus the conventional drop-in integration of biofuels with compatible transportation fuels. Three different pathways of market diesel (commercial diesel fuel from a typical fuel station in Greece) production with 10% v/v biocontent (biomass feed) were explored by variant biomass utilization with fossil counter parts (diesel fuel). The first case study depicts the current market diesel production process via blending petroleum fractions with FAME (Fatty Acids Methyl Esters) biodiesel. The second case study involves the production of market diesel from blending petroleum fractions with hydrotreated residual lipids (Waste Cooking Oil, WCO), while the third case study explores the alternative approach of co-processing petroleum fractions with WCO. In all cases, the market diesel production chain was based on the hydrotreating process simulated using Aspen Plus. The results have shown that the most beneficial case, by environmental and economic viewpoint, for market diesel production with 10% v/v biocontent in the Greek market is co-processing of petroleum fractions with WCO. This approach accounts for a reduced production cost (751 €/m3) and environmentally friendly profile (243 kgCO 2 -eq/m3) compared with the other two case studies. Additionally co-processing of residual biomass with petroleum fractions utilizes existing infrastructure towards the production of sustainable fuels, rendering this pathway more attractive form a CAPEX point of view. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Three production technologies of 10% bio-content diesel are evaluated. • Hybrid diesel reduces GHG emissions by ∼24% compared to current market diesel. • Renewable fuels are economically attractive for waste oil prices below 725 €/m3. • Co-processing reduces the production cost of current market diesel by 6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Given the international efforts in tackling climate change as well as the potential dependence on conventional energy imports and the adverse economic environment, countries in the European Union face significant challenges in the critical task of enhancing energy efficiency. Approaches exclusively oriented on detailed quantitative modelling tools like energy system and climate-economy models, however, tend to exclude certain policy instruments and risks, and be too formalised or complex for policymakers to participate, understand and trust. Several decision support frameworks have been proposed for bridging the policy-model gap and helping policymakers confidently select among a number of alternative strategies. This paper employs the expert-driven method of fuzzy cognitive mapping, a semi-quantitative modelling technique in which system dynamics are captured and simulated against different scenarios. To this end, an innovative decision support tool for building and simulating complex fuzzy cognitive maps for assessing policy strategies with the help of experts, ESQAPE, is introduced and presented. An application in Greece shows that long-term energy efficiency measures focusing mainly on behavioural change in the residential sector – as opposed to services in the private and public sectors – are perceived to be more sustainable in a socio-economically optimistic future; this is not the case when challenges across the mitigation and adaptation axes are expected to be higher. Highlights • Supporting decisions in energy efficiency policy design is a challenging task. • An expert-driven semi-quantitative modelling system is developed and presented. • The proposed tool is based on fuzzy cognitive maps and introduces the time dimension. • The framework is implemented in Greece in consideration of key implementation risks. • Experts seem to favour different policy strategies depending on future expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The weighted average values of thermal energy consumption (oil and natural gas) for space heating, as of 2011, of the complete stock of buildings in Greece used as primary residences (insulated or not, single-dwellings or apartments), is estimated to 60.9 up to 130.1 KWh·m−2·year−1. • The mean actual thermal energy consumption for space heating of residential buildings is much lower than that evaluated based on HDHs or the method of Hellenic Building Energy Performance Regulation (REPB), according to European Directive 31/2010. • The implementation of the Hellenic regulation for building energy performance (REPB) imposed the improvement of thermal protection of the building envelope and the performance of the electrical and mechanical systems. • Applying the REPB minimum requirements on thermal protection reduce the space heating loads of residential buildings in all climate zones by 63% to 70%. The compliance of existing residential buildings to the minimum requirements of the REPB could result to about 24.4 TWh of savings in space heating energy annually. • The benefits of any National Regulation on Building Energy Performance should be examined on the basis of expected lower actual energy consumption. Abstract This paper presents the energy, the technical and the environmental characteristics of residential buildings in Greece, as well as their potential for energy conservation, based on their actual energy consumption data. The technical characteristics of residential buildings related to their energy performance (insulation, type of openings, system for space heating and cooling, etc.), the actual energy use (kWh.m−2.year−1) and the environmental factors (kgCO₂.m−2.year−1) related to energy consumption, are some of the parameters of this survey. The average annual specific energy consumption of residential buildings in Greece was 112 kWh·m−2·year−1 in 2014, the 6th lower consumption among the 28 European member states (EU-28) in which the average residential building energy consumption is of about 158.8 kWh·m−2·year−1. The potential of space heating energy conservation for Greek residential buildings was estimated, based on (i) the 2011 heating energy consumption data and (ii) the percentages of space heating energy conservation, calculated by analysing 144 different types of residential buildings, having various geometric and technical characteristics, such as the A/V ratio (envelope area to volume of building), the heating degree hours (HDHs) and various occupancy profiles. The resulting average actual energy consumption is much lower than that calculated using Heating Degree Hours (HDHs) or the method of Hellenic Building Energy Performance Regulation (REPB). Almost 45% of these buildings were built before 1980, without any thermal insulation or double glazing. The compliance of these buildings to the minimum requirements of the REPB (related to thermal insulation and the efficiency of their electromechanical systems), could result to about 24.4 TWh of savings in space heating energy annually, i.e. to about 32–175 kWh·m−2·year−1, depending on the climate zone that corresponds to 8.5–46.2 kgCO₂·m−2·year−1 reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines the influence of in the context of demographic characteristics of public relations practitioners (PR) in the Greek financial services sector as they adopt and utilize the internet for PR purposes. Data is gathered via an on-line questionnaire administered to PR practitioners that work in companies participating in the Athens Stock Exchange. A quantitative approach was used in order to depict the attitudes and perceptions of these practitioners toward the use of on-line PR. The findings indicate connections between age, trialability, working experience, and adoption. Identifying the factors that affect the adoption of the internet by PR managers may assist organizations and practitioners to improve their relations with stakeholder publics in the digital world. The value of the paper is in conceptualising theoretical approaches of innovation and internet adoption and helping to create a framework for internet adoption by PR managers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper adopts a coevolutionary perspective to criticize the dominant narratives of water resource development. Such narratives of progress portray a sequence of improving water technologies that overcame environmental constraints, supplying more water to satisfy the demands of growing populations for better living. Water supply appears as the response to an insatiable demand, exogenous to the water system. Instead, as the history of water in Athens, Greece illustrates water supply and demand in fact coevolve, new supply generating higher demands, and in turn, higher demands favouring supply expansion over other alternatives. This vicious cycle expands the water footprint of cities degrading environments and communities in the countryside. Far from being predetermined and inevitable, as progressive narratives wants it, water resource development has been contingent on geographical and environmental conditions, institutional struggles, accidents, experiments and external geo-political and technological forces. In the last part of this paper, I discuss the policy implications of this coevolutionary reframing with respect to a the transition to a “soft water path”. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Remote sensing data have become more and more popular for geomorphological investigations because their steadily increasing level of detail and accessibility opens up new potentials. In this context, this paper examines the application and quality of digital elevation models (SRTM and ASTER DEMs), high resolution satellite imagery (Quickbird) and GIS techniques for the detection and mapping of karst landforms (mainly enclosed depressions) at different scales in the Ida Mountains of Central Crete. Besides discussing methodological issues and evaluating suitability potentials, we conducted an exemplary case study based on spatial analysis of the regional karst morphology. Different input datasets and processing methods are applied (GIS-based analysis, land cover classification, raster calculations, etc.) in order to carry out an area-wide surveying and mapping of karst depressions. The findings are supported and validated by auxiliary field studies. Due to the level of detail and occasional data errors, an exclusive use of satellite imagery or digital elevation models for automatic karst landform detection performs insufficiently. Our results demonstrate that mapping karst features through remote sensing is significantly dependent on scale of interest, existing environmental conditions and data quality. A semi-automatic data integration approach on the basis of digital datasets generated by combined satellite image processing and DEM analysis yields the best results, especially when indirect karst-indicating variables like iron oxide-rich sediments are included as detection criteria. The multi-component application presented in this paper provides a time-saving and effective tool for meso- to macro-scale object detection and extensive study areas. However, the potential of fully automated karst feature mapping still needs to be explored in future work. Concerning the spatial dimension of karstification in Central Crete, the GIS-based results allow differentiating further geomorphological characteristics, e.g. by indicating a significant altitudinal change of karst forms within the study area. Size and shape of depressions (dolines, uvalas, and poljes) vary considerably due to the geological setting, climatic impacts, neotectonics and elevation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The dynamics of the dissolved oxygen in water bodies is the result of complex interactions involving physical and biological processes. Understanding how the balance of these influences determines the amount of oxygen available for living organisms is a key factor to interpret the water body conditions, and eventually to use dissolved oxygen as an indicator of the water quality. In this paper we present a Qualitative Reasoning model developed to improve understanding of changes in the amount of dissolved oxygen in different segments of the river Mesta in Bulgaria. Effects on dissolved oxygen result from changes in physical, chemical and biological processes induced both by natural and anthropogenic activities within the watershed. To explore the possibility of establishing a landmark value that may change according to specific conditions, we developed the concept of flexible value mapping, which dynamically captures changes in the dependencies between the landmark value and the values of other quantities as the conditions of the system change during the simulations. The paper also discusses the concept of dominance of a specific process over other competing processes affecting a quantity. With the model described here, we aim to discuss possible solutions to interesting modelling problems and to provide the community of ecological modellers support for educational activities and water resources management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Digital transformation in the banking sector is a continuous process that affects both the external and internal environment by redesigning internal processes and existing methods. There are many reasons that digital transformation takes place, such as servicing remote areas without physical branches, differentiation from competitors or reduction of operating costs. In any case, there are a lot of doubts about the acceptance of digital technologies. Thus, this article examines the acceptance rate of digital transformation in the banking sector in Greece. One hundred and sixty-one employees at Greek banks completed the survey. A Multivariate Regression Analysis was implemented to analyze the items of the Technology Acceptance Model. The findings of this paper indicate the perception of bank employees with regard to new technologies. This paper provides a practical contribution for executives of Greek banking organizations to schedule targeted educational programs to facilitate the transition to the new digital era for their employees. Executives are curious if employees are ready to accept and implement digitalization in their daily job routine. Therefore, the Technology Acceptance Model can provide answers to executives in facing these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Adequate indoor illuminance is accepted as one important determinant of conditions for comfort and productivity in offices. This paper uses the results of field surveys in 26 offices in five European countries (France, Greece, Portugal, Sweden and the UK) to investigate what illuminance levels are actually achieved on office desks, what light level is considered ‘best’ by occupants, and how this is affected by outdoor sky conditions and illuminance. The paper also explores how blinds and lights are used by occupants to modify light levels at their desks. The office workers show a remarkable degree of adaptation to different light intensities. They use controls to modify the light level at their desks to almost the same mean level irrespective of the sky conditions outside. There is a small but significant effect of lighting on self-reported productivity which seems to be higher when offices are daylit. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper deals with the seismic response of the traditional buildings of Lefkas (also called ‘Lefkada’) Island in western Greece. These structures, with two up to four storeys, are met mainly in the old town of Lefkas, the capital of the island. The special structural characteristic of the traditional buildings of Lefkas (that is the issue of this article) is the dual load-carrying system used on ground floor level to handle vertical loads and seismic actions. The first main load-carrying system consists of single-storey stone masonry walls, while the second main load-carrying system consists of multistorey wooden frames at the inner perimeter of the ground-floor masonry walls. Therefore, the load-bearing system of the upper storeys, over the ground floor, consists of a wooden 3D frame with diagonal trusses that are infilled by walls of bricks and lime mortar. There is, also, a tiled wooden roof. During the earthquake of August 14th, 2003 , partial collapse of the masonry walls took place in some cases at the low storey and some cracks around the openings were observed. In the upper floors, the load-bearing wooden frames did not suffer damage, but the brick infill cracked and out-of-plane falls were observed. In this paper, the analytical investigation of the seismic behaviour of such structures is developed, the identification of the main way of vibration of these systems is achieved, and both the explanation of the observed damages and the interpretation of the reasons for the development of these damages are performed. Finally, the results of a representative numerical model of a typical traditional building—from a series of examined models—with dual bearing system are presented and discussed, using as base excitation the two horizontal recorded components of the main earthquake ground motion that took place on August 14th, 2003, at Lefkas town, Greece. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The 6th meeting of the European venous forum (EVF) was held recently in Heraklion, Crete. The EVF was founded in 2000 modelling itself on the American venous forum with the aim of presenting selected papers of high scientific quality on venous disease. These societies emphasise the aspects of discussion of scientific work and equal time is given to presentation and subsequent discussion of papers presented. A local organiser Prof A. Katsamouris with his team, made arrangements for the congress. However, the registration, selection of papers and printing of the scientific program was done centrally from the organising committee of the EVF whose president is Professor A.N. Nicolaides. The meeting opened with sessions on ‘the swollen leg’ and ‘prophylaxis of VTE’. During the three days of the meeting 30 papers on wide range of venous disease were presented. The next meeting of the EVF will be held in London between 29th June and 1st July 2006. Mr Alun Davies is the local organiser for this meeting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents the approach, assumptions, and computational analysis of the preliminary safety assessment, regarding the post-closure period for the disposal of radioactive waste in Greece. The assessment was implemented in the context of the National Program for the disposal of radioactive waste in the country, which is currently in the early stage for the investigation of facility siting. The basis scenario selected for this investigation was the leaching of radionuclides and the exposure in a residence offsite. Moreover, a scenario involving the intrusion in the facility and construction of a dwelling that disturbs the disposal zone is also considered. Due to the significant uncertainties in the current phase, the simulations related to leaching of the waste both in the offsite and intrusion scenarios are based on an uncertainty analysis with 25 site and scenario related parameters. The most important contribution is attributed to Ra-226 with an annual dose equal to about 2 and 3 μSv per MBq disposed, for the offsite and intrusion scenario, respectively. Th-232, Cl-36, C-14, Ag-108m and Pu-239 follow with a dose one order of magnitude less, compared to Ra-226. In the leaching scenarios examined, and for the most dose relevant radionuclides, the exposure related to drinking water from the well and the use of this water to irrigate fruits and vegetables are by far the dominant pathways due to the environmental transfer of the radionuclides and their associated dose coefficients. Th-232 dominates the direct exposure pathways (direct external radiation and plant contamination from the contaminated surface soil) in the intrusion scenario with an annual dose of about 1.4 mSv per Bq/g disposed. Ra-226, Cl-36 and Ag-108m cause exposure levels higher than 0.2 mSv/y per Bq/g disposed in the facility. A wide range was considered for the uncertainty parameters that led to a significant variation in the predicted doses that is expected to envelope the potential exposure for each radionuclide. • A preliminary safety assessment of non-nuclear radioactive waste in an early stage of the disposal program was implemented. • An extensive uncertainty analysis of modelling parameters was performed for offsite and intrusion scenarios. • A large variation of the predicted dose was found depending on the parameter's combination. • The most dose relevant radionuclides include Ra-226, Th-232, Cl-36, C-14, Ag-108m and Pu-239. • Annual effective doses per unit activity used to assess the contribution of each radionuclide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An integrated LCA + DEA methodology is applied to evaluate different end-of-life treatment alternatives for wind turbine decommissioning. • Circular economy-driven policy-making scenarios are suggested to enable improvements towards a more sustainable waste management. • Waste management of wind turbine blade composites is the most significant contributor to GHG emissions and non-renewable energy consumption. • The efficiency of thermal recycling processes is a key element for the transition to a circular economy framework. • Remanufacturing, repurposing or waste prevention of wind turbine blades via design-for-recycling is crucial for sustainable waste management. • Financial incentives could offset the price handicap of chemical recycling relative to cost-efficient landfill disposal practices. The purpose of this paper is to present an integrated joint application of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in order to evaluate the efficiency of different end-of-life treatment options for wind turbine decommissioning, considering, technological, economic, and environmental aspects in a circular economy context. Eleven scenarios have been configurated concerning the material waste management of a representative type of wind turbine operating in Greece. Mechanical recycling, landfill disposal and advanced thermal recycling technologies, such as conventional or microwave pyrolysis are addressed. The proposed approach does not only evaluate the efficiency of each one of the different end-of-life treatment processes relative to one another, but it also suggests circular economy-driven policy-making scenarios towards more sustainable waste management in the country. Real-world data calculations indicate that improving the performance of the energy-intensive thermal recycling process could maximize the environmental benefits. Α circular zero-waste approach based on remanufacturing, repurposing or waste prevention through design-for-recycling of wind turbine blades, could also favor long-term sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent global diffusion of circular economy regulatory policy packages (CERPPs) raises questions over their extent, composition, and potential effectiveness. While research into circular economy (CE) regulation is growing, a dearth of analyses of the optimal design of CE policy packages presents a clear gap in the literature. This paper therefore surveys current waste management policy to identify the degree to which circular economy principles are being translated into public policy globally. Examining resource use and waste management policy in 60 countries, the paper first provides a snapshot of the global spread of CE policy packages. Secondly, the assessment framework is applied to three case studies of recent CE policy packages from Finland, Greece and South Korea. These cases fall some way short of theoretical optimality, suggesting that long-term CERPP effectiveness is questionable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality data on species distribution and knowledge of species ecology are necessary pre-requisites for their effective conservation. In the European Union, a network of protected areas called the "Natura 2000 network" was set up to conserve the most valuable and threatened species. The Natura 2000 network was supposed to improve rare species conservation, but has it? In this paper, an analysis of data collected from 1 × 1 km grids on the distribution of orchids in East Macedonia (NE Greece) in two consecutive periods of time (before and after 2010), revealed the degree to which a larger data set (including both periods instead of only one) improved our knowledge of the distributions of species and whether the Natura 2000 network can be used as a basis for the conservation of the orchid flora in this area. When the data for the first period and cumulative data for both periods were compared, orchid species richness and density were very similar. However, comparison of the two datasets showed that more orchid taxa were recorded per grid in the first than the second period. However, based on the surveys in the second period, the knowledge on orchid distribution increased significantly. In particular, ten orchid taxa were recorded for the first time in East Macedonia during the second period and significantly more (54.79 % of the total number of species) were recorded. This resulted in a better understanding of their altitudinal requirements. It also confirmed that most of the orchid-rich grid cells in East Macedonia overlap with the Natura 2000 network, which highlights importance of Natura 2000 for orchid conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge of reducing Food Waste (FW) is a complex social, economic and environmental problem. Fortunately, the realization of FWs huge negative impact on society has triggered –in the last five years-a positive turn of focus towards the development of a common understanding of the phenomenon, the identification of its root causes and the initiation of coordinated actions to increase citizen awareness and mitigate negative consequences of FW at all levels of the food supply chain. This paper focuses on the last downstream tier of the food supply chain, i.e. the households, which are reported in literature as being responsible for eight times the energy waste of post-harvest losses on average due to the energy consumed along the supply chain and in food preparation. This study attempts to investigate the effects of shopping habits, like promotional intensive shopping and using shopping lists and eating preferences, like cooking, eating out or ordering in, on food waste generation. In doing so, the results of a survey of 500 Greek households are presented, showing that indeed, household behaviours towards shopping and eating are important food waste determinants and should not be underestimated. Furthermore, the results of this study highlight the need for more research targeted in this area, with the objective to increase consumers' awareness and problem comprehension, enhance their commitment and create the necessary environment for triggering meaningful behavioral changes capable of creating long-term and sustainable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic (PV) power system is a technology for producing electricity from renewable resources that is rapidly expanding thanks to its capability to save conventional fossil fuels and to decrease the emissions of greenhouse gases. However, as more attention is being focused globally on the development of building-integrated PV systems, the technical, the economic as well as the environmental assessment of these systems is crucial to ascertain their viability. The purpose of this paper is to present an economic and environmental analysis of relatively small rooftop PV-grid-interconnected energy systems of 2–10 kW p rated power, located in Athens, Greece. The techno-economic feasibility of the PV systems is conducted employing the computerized renewable energy technologies assessment tool ‘RETScreen’. The energy and environmental assessment of the systems is carried out employing SimaPro 7.1 software, which is a standard Life Cycle Assessment tool. The results of the economic analysis indicate that with the current prices, investment in PV-grid-interconnected systems with power capacity higher than 5 kW p is in general viable. However, an increase in energy sale prices and/or cost reductions in the production of PV systems are crucial for the successful development of small-scale residential size PV systems in the country. The environmental analysis reveals that the PV systems with higher rated power perform worse as far as the environmental impact is concerned. The critical phase of the life cycle of PV systems is the module manufacturing process, which is characterized by high electricity consumption, representing most of the environmental impact. Nevertheless, it is further shown that the application of PV technology presents important environmental benefits compared to conventional energy production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research and Development statistics (R&D statistics) provide valuable information on the expenditure spent and personnel engaged in R&D activities in a country, knowledge that facilitates the understanding on how R&D output contributes to economic growth and societal wellbeing. This endeavor requires a sound evidence base which is succeeded through internationally comparable statistics and a common survey methodology and conduct per country as part of its national official statistical program. For this purpose the National Documentation Centre of Greece (NDC or EKT using the Greek abbreviation), the designated organization for the collection and compilation of the Greek R&D statistics, build the R&D Information System to automate and support this specific business activity. This paper aims to provide an overview of the implemented R&D Information System but especially to focus on the adoption of CERIF and SDMX standards and their integration. CERIF was selected as the systems’ data model for its metadata representation capability and its high flexibility in forming semantic relationships while SDMX was adopted as the statistical data and metadata exchange standard. The integration of the two standards and their interoperability enables data and metadata quality maintenance, archiving and access while at the same time ensures valid and automated interchange of statistical information with national and international statistical offices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improvement of living standards and increased demand for consumer goods have as consequence the increase of energy and water consumption. At the same time, increasing awareness of the respective environmental impact has prompted the European Union (E.U.) to issue a list of Directives for the Member States that promote conservation of natural resources. Moreover, this environment-friendly attitude may alleviate the impact of the economic crisis, since energy and water savings result in saving money. In the present paper, some ways toimprove sustainability of swimming pools through reducing energy and water consumption, are analyzed and compared.An open municipal swimming pool in Thessaloniki, Greece, is used as case study. Research is focused on heating energy, where more savings can be achieved. Especially, installation of solar thermal collectors, geothermal heat pumps, or photovoltaic panels and construction of a light roof are analyzed. Moreover, some recommendations are made, concerning the general improvement of a swimming pool and its surroundings. The goal is to reduce the operation expensesof the pool and, if possible, to increase the income, so that it can be economically viable throughout the year. Finally, several suggestions are evaluated by means of the RETScreen software, in order to find out which investments are reasonable. For the evaluation a Cost – Benefit Analysis has been carried out, using the Net Present Value criterion, the Internal Rate of Return criterion and the Benefit – Cost ratio. Finally, a SWOT analysis is performed and a policy is suggested, which should be followed by the administration of the swimming pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the effect of using climatic data of different time resolution on parameters related to building components’ exposure to moisture at 39 locations in Greece is investigated. Moisture indices are calculated for each site using average daily, monthly and annual climatic data (both the drying and the wetting potential are considered), and are used for the ranking of the investigated sites regarding building components’ moisture loading. The results produced for the relative exposure to moisture, the drying and the wetting potential at the examined sites with the use of data of different time resolution are compared and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2011/2012 the Technical Subdivision of the Grevena Hospital produced a 3-year strategic plan that was implemented over the period of 2013-2015. The plan consisted of numerous initiatives trying to meet, among other, Hospital OPEX-saving goals. A number of such initiates have been implemented towards reducing the electrical energy consumption. The main goal of this paper is to present policies and initiatives with regards to electrical energy saving goals and results while presenting challenges and lessons learned over the implementation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of climate change, with global interest focused more and more on renewable energy sources and environmental protection, this paperfocuses on a building type with increased energy use: hotels. Initially, global tourism facts and international case studies are presented, illustrating sustainable strategies employed in hotel design to reduce energy consumption. Several decisions/actions taken are presented, illustrating the benefits of a more sustainable tourist product throughout the world, and the effect that has on the guest and the environment. The paper then focuses on Greece, where tourism is the most important industry of the country's economy. Through the presentation of successful case studies, the research presents a list of strategies that are often used in Greek hotels. By discussing compatible and environmentally conscious alternatives, the need for an increased use of Renewable Energy Technologies (RET) combined with sustainable design is emphasized. This work concludes with tables of available strategies per category for new and existing buildings, which can be used by environmental engineers, designersas well as hotel owners in order to draw a plan of actions towards energy conservation and thus the upgrading of the tourist product.The aim of this research is to illustrate that following an energy audit, every hotel owner can decide upon a series of actions with a short payback period, resulting in financial savings and an attractive and, most importantly, sustainable tourist product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential buildings in Greece account for about 79% of the exclusive-use building stock and consume about a quarter of the total final energy consumption, with space heating and domestic hot water being the main energy end-uses. About 58% of the dwellings were constructed before the 80 s and the adoption of the first thermal insulation regulation. This paper presents the results from the Hellenic pilot action within EPISCOPE. The overall approach and analysis are based on the national TABULA residential building typology for single- and multi-family houses in order to estimate heating energy performance and savings. The work exploits Census and statistical data for defining the Hellenic building stock and empirical adaptation factors to make more realistic estimates from normative calculations. The analysis is supported by a detailed data disaggregation in terms of the number of dwellings and floor areas, based on envelope thermal characteristics, heat production units, energy carriers, use of renewables etc. The calculation results are adapted for the building types and then projected to the building stock. Numerous scenarios for different modernization rates are assessed for identifying the most promising refurbishment strategies in space heating and DHW for reaching the 2020 and 2030 national CO 2 emission targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]