Metropolitan Governance in Athens - Does It Already Exist?

No concise legal framework exists in Greece which foresees any kind of Metropolitan Governance. Several organisms exist, mostly owned / controlled by the state, which handle parts of the metropolitan activity (OASA - public transports, EYDAP - drinking water, sewage, ESDKNA - garbage manage, etc), but nobody is controlling - coordinating. The existence of the Super-Prefecture of Athens - Piraeus (which is composed of 2 separate Prefectures - Athens and Piraeus), does not seem to help at all, as it doesn't have practically any competences, but it's compressed between the Municipalities on one side and the Region / Central Government on the other. The last years several models have been proposed - Metropolitan Prefecture, Metropolitan Municipality, Metropolitan Associations, etc, but no decision has been made yet. In the present paper i will show that a hybrid of Metropolitan Governance already exists in the Greater Athens Area and than only minor legal adjustments are needed to achieve the goal. The creation of ASDA in 1988 by the nine municipalities of West Athens, who cover a large part of the metropolitan area, showed firstly that the municipalities had perceived that some problems are common and they have to be dialled commonly and secondly the existing possibilities. In his 18 years of functioning ASDA can be considered as a public organisation with metropolitan competences, although that is not explicit in the legislation about development associations, because he advanced solutions to problems concerning the whole West Athens Area. I will show how the voluntarily cooperation of the 9 municipalities, in the beginning, 10 after, allowed them to face problems, which could have been faced only at a metropolitan level. In conclusion I will show that what is needed is not a new legal entity, but the reinforcement of existing legal forms of municipal cooperation and of the Prefecture and the absorption of the existing metropolitan wide organisations by the Prefecture.

Product Intelligence: Its Conceptualization, Measurement and Impact on Consumer Satisfaction

In the last decade, companies have developed a large number of intelligent products. Due to the use of information technology, these products, for example, are able to work autonomously, cooperate with other products, or adapt to changing circumstances. Although intelligent products appear an attractive category of products, they have received little attention in the literature. The present article provides a conceptualization of the new construct of product intelligence and describes the development procedure of a measure for the construct. In addition, the article sets up and empirically tests a conceptual framework in which product intelligence leads to consumer satisfaction through the innovation attributes of relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity. Managerial implications for new product development and marketing of intelligent products are considered and suggestions for further research provided.Adoption;Innovation;Intelligent products;New product development;Smart products

Dynamic load management and optimum sizing of stand-alone hybrid PV/Wind system.

Simulation algorithms for the sizing of stand-alone hybrid PV/Wind systems are a powerful tool in evaluating the optimum configuration that would cover the energy demand with a predefined reliability level at the lowest cost. Several parameters such as the interval of the simulation (day, day-night, hourly) and the consumption profile may significantly affect the optimum configuration. This paper examines the effect of these parameters within an optimum sizing simulation algorithm developed. The effect of these parameters was particularly evident at low battery capacities, which involve optimum configurations resulting in minimum cost. Furthermore, shift-able loads in the hourly-based weekly profile assumed in this study were identified, and a dynamic load management functionality was developed. In this approach, loads that could be shifted through time were dynamically allocated during periods of excess energy production by the hybrid PV/Wind system. The results showed an increase in system reliability from 95% to 97% when load shifting was introduced. Finally, sizing the system for only the static (non-shift-able loads) proved to withstand the addition of the extra shift-able loads while retaining the 95% reliability level when the load management functionality was introduced. Thus, a smaller installation with lower cost is achieved

REMARKS ON PSELLOS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE PATRISTIC EXEGETICAL TRADITION IN HIS THEOLOGICA

In this paper I explore Psellos’ attitude towards the Church Fathers’ exegesis with the focus on Theol. 1. 1 Gautier. Relative Theologica are also examined. His critical arguments and his enthusiasm for Proclus’ hermeneutics are analyzed systematic comparative and are contextualized through historical-comparative methods in the eleventh century’s conflict between philosophers and mystics

Globalization, social innovation, and co-operative development: A comparative analysis of Québec and Saskatchewan, 1980-2010.

This study examines the development gap that has emerged between the co-operative sectors of the Canadian provinces of Québec and Saskatchewan since 1980. It harnesses historical research, textual analysis, and semi-structured interviews to better understand how some movements are able to regenerate their movements in the face of crisis. The study finds that the regeneration of the Québec movement reflects the concertation (concerted action) of social movement, sector, and state actors. Deeply rooted in a collectivist tradition of cultural nationalism and state corporatism, this democratic partnership supported the renovation and expansion of the co-operative development system in a virtuous spiral of movement agency, innovation, and regeneration. Concertation of social movement and state actors created momentum for escalating orders of joint-action, institution-building, and policy and program development. By contrast, the degeneration of the Saskatchewan movement reflects the decline of the agrarian economy and movement and a failure to effectively coordinate the efforts of emerging social movements and the state for development action. This has yielded a vicious spiral of movement inertia, under-development, and decline. Although green shoots are in evidence, regeneration efforts in Saskatchewan lag Québec’s progress in rebuilding the foundations for effective democratic partnership. The study concludes with a detailed comparison of these diverging movements, offering conclusions and recommendations for the repair of the Saskatchewan development system and the regeneration of its co-operative movement

Ανάλυση φαινομένων συντονισμού σε δρομείς Α/Γ επαγώμενων από τη στροβιλότητα του όμορρου με χρήση μιας στρόβιλης μεθοδολογίας

Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο--Μεταπτυχιακή Εργασία. Διεπιστημονικό-Διατμηματικό Πρόγραμμα Μεταπτυχιακών Σπουδών (Δ.Π.Μ.Σ.) “Υπολογιστική Μηχανική