Opportunities of learning through the history of mathematics: the example of national textbooks in Cyprus and Greece

In this paper, we examine the ways the history of mathematics is integrated in the national textbooks of Cyprus and Greece. Our data-driven analyses suggest that the references identified can be clustered in four categories: (a) biographical references about mathematicians or historical references regarding the origins of a mathematical concept (b) references to the history of a mathematical method or formula containing a solution or proof, (c) mathematical tasks of purely cognitive elements that require a solution, explanation or proof and (d) tasks that encourage discussion or the production of a project that would connect the history of mathematics with life outside mathematics. Furthermore, we employed a framework around the levels of cognitive demands derived from the literature to analyse the identified mathematical tasks

Online reservation systems in e-Business: Analyzing decision making in e-Tourism

Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide and in general, the Internet continues to gain importance in the tourism sector. The study focuses on exploration of knowledge of online booking systems and on the views of local students-users concerning the booking rate based on these online systems. Another perspective of this project is to investigate the decision-making process (emotion-focused) that they follow in order to choose a tourist destination via online booking systems. For the purposes of this study, three scales were administered E-WOM and Accommodation Scale, Emotion-Based Decision-Making Scale and Trait Emotional Intelligence Scale. Then, survey data were collected, preprocessed and analyzed based on Data Mining techniques evaluating the results. More specifically, classification and association algorithms were utilized to manage to describe hidden patterns. E-Tourism will continue to be oriented towards the consumers and the technology that surrounds them, providing dynamic communication in electronic business

Online reservation systems in e-Business: analyzing decision making in e-Tourism

Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide and in general, the Internet continues to gain importance in the tourism sector. The study focuses on exploration of knowledge of online booking systems and on the views of local students-users concerning the booking rate based on these online systems. Another perspective of this project is to investigate the decision-making process (emotion-focused) that they follow in order to choose a tourist destination via online booking systems. For the purposes of this study, three scales were administered E-WOM and Accommodation Scale, Emotion-Based Decision-Making Scale and Trait Emotional Intelligence Scale. Then, survey data were collected, preprocessed and analyzed based on Data Mining techniques evaluating the results. More specifically, classification and association algorithms were utilized to manage to describe hidden patterns. E-Tourism will continue to be oriented towards the consumers and the technology that surrounds them, providing dynamic communication in electronic business

Photovoltaic Power Plants as a Source of Electromagnetic Interference to Metallic Agricultural Pipelines

AbstractThe electromagnetic interference of power lines to nearby metallic pipelines has been a subject of research for many decades. Usually attention was given to gas or oil pipelines that shared the same rights-off-way with a power line for large distances. However, the recent advancement of renewable energy sources and specifically Photovoltaic (PV) power, due to generous incentives provided in many countries, has resulted in installations of large PV power stations even in agricultural areas. This brought up cases where such power stations in the MWp level, typically connected in medium voltage through buried cables, are located in the vicinity of metallic irrigation pipelines. Under certain conditions, these situations may result in induced voltages and currents on the pipeline that can pose threats to operating personnel. This work presents an analysis of the problems through a quasi-real case study adapted from a real case of a PV power station. The calculation methodology involves a hybrid method that is used in a way to reduced computational time. Results are presented both for normal operating conditions and faults in the power station and may be useful for both agriculture professionals and engineers

Differential Diagnosis of a Left Atrial Mass: Role of 3D Transesophageal Echocardiography

An 81-year-old female patient was admitted to our clinic due to an episode of loss of consciousness... On admission the clinical examination revealed bradyarrhythmia with normal heart sounds, a soft systolic apical murmur consistent with mild mitral regurgitation and no signs of pulmonary congestion... A transthoracic echocardiogram showed a left ventricle of normal dimensions with a preserved systolic function and a mass inside the left atrium... (excerpt

Valosin-containing protein-related myopathy and Meige syndrome : Just a coincidence or not?

Non peer reviewe

A feasibility study for the provision of electronic healthcare tools and services in areas of Greece, Cyprus and Italy

Background: Through this paper, we present the initial steps for the creation of an integrated platform for the provision of a series of eHealth tools and services to both citizens and travelers in isolated areas of thesoutheast Mediterranean, and on board ships travelling across it. The platform was created through an INTERREG IIIB ARCHIMED project called INTERMED. Methods: The support of primary healthcare, home care and the continuous education of physicians are the three major issues that the proposed platform is trying to facilitate. The proposed system is based on state-of-the-art telemedicine systems and is able to provide the following healthcare services: i) Telecollaboration and teleconsultation services between remotely located healthcare providers, ii) telemedicine services in emergencies, iii) home telecare services for "at risk" citizens such as the elderly and patients with chronic diseases, and iv) eLearning services for the continuous training through seminars of both healthcare personnel (physicians, nurses etc) and persons supporting "at risk" citizens. These systems support data transmission over simple phone lines, internet connections, integrated services digital network/digital subscriber lines, satellite links, mobile networks (GPRS/3G), and wireless local area networks. The data corresponds, among others, to voice, vital biosignals, still medical images, video, and data used by eLearning applications. The proposed platform comprises several systems, each supporting different services. These were integrated using a common data storage and exchange scheme in order to achieve system interoperability in terms of software, language and national characteristics. Results: The platform has been installed and evaluated in different rural and urban sites in Greece, Cyprus and Italy. The evaluation was mainly related to technical issues and user satisfaction. The selected sites are, among others, rural health centers, ambulances, homes of "at-risk" citizens, and a ferry. Conclusions: The results proved the functionality and utilization of the platform in various rural places in Greece, Cyprus and Italy. However, further actions are needed to enable the local healthcare systems and the different population groups to be familiarized with, and use in their everyday lives, mature technological solutions for the provision of healthcare services