DIGITAL STORYTELLING AS A TEACHING METHOD IN ADULT EDUCATION - THE CORRELATION BETWEEN ITS EFFECTIVENESS AND WORKING MEMORY

In recent years, technology has been growing rapidly. The impact that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and associated teaching tools have on the learning process is already significant, and this is expected to grow further in the future. Digital Storytelling (DST) is a combination of interaction and learning at the same time and it could prove to be an excellent teaching method at the disposal of the educator. The present study is an attempt to examine the impact of the method in adult education, providing that the learners are the creators of digital stories. In addition, the current research is an attempt to examine the relationship between learners’ Working Memory and the impact of DST on their learning performance. The research has been conducted in a public vocational training institute. The findings revealed that DST is an effective learning tool in adult education that can improve learners’ performance. In addition, the findings suggest that the method is more effective in learners which have higher working memory rates than others.  Article visualizations

LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMMES FOR SENIORS AT THE OPEN CARE CENTRES FOR THE ELDERLY (KAPI) IN SYROS, GREECE: PREDISPOSITION, EXPECTATIONS, MOTIVATION, LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. THE DECISIVE ROLE OF CULTURE

The main goal of this survey is to explore lifelong learning in the third age in the island community of Syros in the hope that the findings will provide data that may be useful in creating educational programme structures. Lifelong learning taking place with a group of senior citizens at the KAPI  in the Municipality of Syros-Ermoupoli will be explored, along with the potential of implementing comprehensive active learning programmes specific to the third age. The topics examined include the idiosyncrasy of the KAPI members, their needs for active ageing, their expectations and motivations, the objects of knowledge they seek and the limitations they set. The principal findings showed that Syros is a fertile field for creating pilot structures for informal education in the third age. The members of the Syros KAPI hope to see such programmes launch with less reticence than expected, but on condition that the present hierarchy of family and social priorities is not radically upset. The elderly are open to the idea of participating in learning programmes, they select specific objects of knowledge and desire to channel the skills they acquire to the local community, which is open to volunteerism. It is noteworthy that in relation to the open-ended questions regarding learning objects, the KAPI members took the initiative to propose cultural education programmes as part of their training. They also believe that the non-formal learning will improve their social image and health and will allow them to become more functional members of the local community.  Article visualizations

Virtual and Augmented Reality in Medical Education

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are two contemporary simulation models that are currently upgrading medical education. VR provides a 3D and dynamic view of structures and the ability of the user to interact with them. The recent technological advances in haptics, display systems, and motion detection allow the user to have a realistic and interactive experience, enabling VR to be ideal for training in hands-on procedures. Consequently, surgical and other interventional procedures are the main fields of application of VR. AR provides the ability of projecting virtual information and structures over physical objects, thus enhancing or altering the real environment. The integration of AR applications in the understanding of anatomical structures and physiological mechanisms seems to be beneficial. Studies have tried to demonstrate the validity and educational effect of many VR and AR applications, in many different areas, employed via various hardware platforms. Some of them even propose a curriculum that integrates these methods. This chapter provides a brief history of VR and AR in medicine, as well as the principles and standards of their function. Finally, the studies that show the effect of the implementation of these methods in different fields of medical training are summarized and presented

NUCKS overexpression in breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>NUCKS (Nuclear, Casein Kinase and Cyclin-dependent Kinase Substrate) is a nuclear, DNA-binding and highly phosphorylated protein. A number of reports show that <it>NUCKS </it>is highly expressed on the level of mRNA in several human cancers, including breast cancer. In this work, NUCKS expression on both RNA and protein levels was studied in breast tissue biopsies consisted of invasive carcinomas, intraductal proliferative lesions, benign epithelial proliferations and fibroadenomas, as well as in primary cultures derived from the above biopsies. Specifically, in order to evaluate the level of NUCKS protein in correlation with the histopathological features of breast disease, immunohistochemistry was employed on paraffin sections of breast biopsies of the above types. In addition, NUCKS expression was studied by means of Reverse Transcription PCR (RT-PCR), real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western immunoblot analyses in the primary cell cultures developed from the same biopsies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The immunohistochemical Results showed intense NUCKS staining mostly in grade I and II breast carcinomas compared to normal tissues. Furthermore, NUCKS was moderate expressed in benign epithelial proliferations, such as adenosis and sclerosing adenosis, and highly expressed in intraductal lesions, specifically in ductal carcinomas <it>in situ </it>(DCIS). It is worth noting that all the fibroadenoma tissues examined were negative for NUCKS staining. RT-PCR and qRT-PCR showed an increase of <it>NUCKS </it>expression in cells derived from primary cultures of proliferative lesions and cancerous tissues compared to the ones derived from normal breast tissues and fibroadenomas. This increase was also confirmed by Western immunoblot analysis. Although NUCKS is a cell cycle related protein, its expression does not correlate with Ki67 expression, neither in tissue sections nor in primary cell cultures.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results show overexpression of the NUCKS protein in a number of non malignant breast lesions and cancerous tissues. In particular, the NUCKS overexpression in ADH and DCIS indicates a significant role of this protein in neoplastic progression.</p

Altered expression pattern of integrin alphavbeta3 correlates with actin cytoskeleton in primary cultures of human breast cancer

Background: Integrins are transmembrane adhesion receptors that provide the physical link between the actin cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. It has been well established that integrins play a major role in various cancer stages, such as tumor growth, progression, invasion and metastasis. In breast cancer, integrin alphavbeta3 has been associated with high malignant potential in cancer cells, signaling the onset of widespread metastasis. Many preclinical breast cancer studies are based on established cell lines, which may not represent the cell behavior and phenotype of the primary tumor of origin, due to undergone genotypic and phenotypic changes. In the present study, short-term primary breast cancer cell cultures were developed. Integrin alphavbeta3 localization was studied in correlation with F-actin cytoskeleton by means of immunofluorescence and immunogold ultrastructural localization. Integrin fluorescence intensities were semi-quantitatively assessed by means of computerized image analysis, while integrin and actin expression was evaluated by Western immunoblotting. Results: In the primary breast cancer epithelial cells integrin alphavbeta3 immunofluorescence was observed in the marginal cytoplasmic area, whereas in the primary normal breast epithelial cells it was observed in the main cell body, i.e. in the ventrally located perinuclear area. In the former, F-actin cytoskeleton appeared well-formed, consisting of numerous and thicker stress fibers, compared to normal epithelial cells. Furthermore, electron microscopy showed increased integrin alphavbeta3 immunogold localization in epithelial breast cancer cells over the area of stress fibers at the basal cell surface. These findings were verified with Western immunoblotting by the higher expression of integrin beta3 subunit and actin in primary breast cancer cells, revealing their reciprocal relation, in response to the higher motility requirements, determined by the malignant potential of the breast cancer cells. Conclusion: A model system of primary breast cancer cell cultures was developed, in an effort to maintain the closest resembling environment to the tumor of origin. Using the above system model as an experimental tool the study of breast tumor cell behavior is possible concerning the adhesion capacity and the migrating potential of these cells, as defined by the integrin alphavbeta3 distribution in correlation with F-actin cytoskeleton

Forest road network planning for biomass exploitation and fire preventions: a least cost path analysis

The projects related to forest opening up constitute fundamental infrastructure projects for the development of our mountainous and semi-mountainous national economy. In the beginning, timber transportation and connection between forest settlements served as the sole purpose of forest opening up. However, nowadays, the perspective of forest opening up as being an important preventive measure of forest protection, which is a basic pillar of a multipurpose forestry system of the Greek Mediterranean mountains, is gaining ground. The application of modern tools in the opening up is now imperative for choosing the most economical and efficient forestry route. The paper presents a method of opening up roads in the forest, using the least cost path analysis (LCPA) and Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) in a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) environment

Βελτιστοποιημένες ευρετικές εφαρμογές ( αλγορίθμων ) σε πολύ - πρακτορικά συστήματα τεχνητής νοημοσύνης

A central vision of the combinatorial optimization is to deliver a number of independent lines of operational research by implementing algorithms and hyper-graph theory on a series of random theoretical computer science problems. A main motivation is that thousands of real-life problems can be formulated as abstract combinatorial optimization problems. Albeit, multi-agent systems can also be used to solve problems that are difficult or impossible for monolithic systems to solve and methodic, functional, procedural, algorithmic and reinforcement forms of approaches are needed. Thus, in practice, extensive research and development efforts are required when applying combinatorial optimization in intelligent multi-agent systems, in order to achieve cooperation, interoperability and sustainability in heterogeneous and complex existing or future industrial, aerospace, robotic systems or/and any other cyber-physical system. Driven by the above mentioned problems, this Doctoral Dissertation presents meta-heuristic approaches in the area of AI algorithms and specifically the particle swarm and ant colony optimization to solve combinatorial optimization problems. More specifically present thesis’ applications/implementations focus on enhancing the:I.Combinational optimization of the intelligent multi-agent systems;II.Capabilities of the modern and intelligent multi-agent systems;III.Sustainability of the global cyber-physical systems.The methodological approach followed in this Dissertation for reaching the first goal may be described within the following achievements: •Reformulate the problem of dartboard game within the spectrum of metaheuristic algorithms•Use/Apply the Ant Colony System and Max-Min Ant System (MMAS) algorithm as a metaheuristic strategy that guide the search process•Reinforces local search in neighborhood of the best solution found in each iteration. In addition, heuristic is an adjective for experience-based techniques that help in problem solving, learning and discovery and heuristic methods are used to rapidly come to an 'optimal solution'. In more precise terms, heuristics stand for strategies using readily accessible information to control problem solving in many practical scenarios, slowing convergence and facilitating exploration.However, the Ant Colony Optimization technique has emerged recently as a new meta-heuristic for hard combinatorial Optimization Problems. Implementing a randomized construction heuristic extension of Ant Colony System algorithm in the Vehicle Scheduling Problem has become the second goal of this dissertation which is met by the following: •Definition the objective function for VSP •Make probabilistic decisions as a function of artificial pheromone trails •Estimate the effect of varying of levels of initial pheromone quantities on the objective function using an extension of Ant Colony System (ACS) algorithmThe final goal of this thesis is to enhance the previously referred goals/contribution regarding the sustainable development of an application paradigm. All parts included in currently presented thesis must meet the needs of the present forms of computing without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This last objective is met at high-level by presenting the application of a ship dispatching real-life problem by: •Proposing a solution for a ship dispatching problem with the usage of Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm•Analyze the operational dimension of the problem by introducing a VPR formulation•Providing the paradigm of a set of 13 ports of the Aegean Sea (including a depot port) that was taken into considerationSummarizing the thesis outline is consisted of six (6) chapters as described below:•Chp.1: Artificial Intelligence and Agents •Chp.2: Multi-Agent Systems, Taxonomy and Architectures•Chp.3: Graph Searching Methods and Swarm Intelligence•Chp.4: PSO Algorithm Application: Solving a Ship Dispatching Problem •Chp.5: Ant Colony Optimization Application: An extension to the VSP•Chp.6: Comparison of the Meta-heuristic ACS and MMAS Algorithms: An Optimized Dartboard Design Application•Chp.7: Conclusions and Future DirectionsΚεντρικός στόχος της συνδυαστικής βελτιστοποίησης είναι να παραδώσει μια σειρά από ανεξάρτητα αποτελέσματα της επιχειρησιακής έρευνας με την εφαρμογή αλγορίθμων και της θεωρίας υπερ-γράφηματων σε μια σειρά τυχαίων θεωρητικά προβλημάτων της επιστήμης των υπολογιστών. Ένα βασικό κίνητρο είναι ότι χιλιάδες προβλήματα της πραγματικής ζωής μπορεί να διατυπωθούν ως αφηρημένα προβλήματα συνδυαστικής βελτιστοποίησης. Αν και, τα συστήματα πολλαπλών πρακτόρων μπορεί επίσης να χρησιμοποιηθεί για την επίλυση προβλημάτων που είναι δύσκολο ή αδύνατο για τυπικά συστήματα. Στην πράξη εκτεταμένη έρευνα απαιτείται για την επίλυση συνδυαστικών προβλημάτων βελτιστοποίησης με τη χρήση πολυπρακτορικών συστημάτων.Η παρούσα διατριβή ασχολείται με μεθευρετικές προσεγγίσεις των αλγορίθμων τεχνητής νοημοσύνης και συγκεκριμένα και ειδικότερα του "Βελτιστοποίηση σμήνους σωματιδίων" και του "Βελτιστοποίηση αποικίας μυρμηγκιών"Συγκεκριμένα η παρούσα διατριβή εστίασε στα παρακάτω θέματα1.συνδυαστική βελτιστοποίηση των ευφυών συστημάτων πολλαπλών πρακτόρων2.Δυνατότητες των σύγχρονων ευφυών πολυπρακτορικών συστημάτων και βιωσιμότητα αυτών Στα παραπάνω πλαίσια για να ερευνήσουμε τη συμπεριφορά αυτών των αλγορίθμων ασχοληθήκαμε με την επίλυση των παρακάτω τριών προβλημάτων βελτιστοποίησεις1. Το πρόβλημα της δρομολόγησης ενός πλοίου με τη χρήση του αλγορίθμου "Βελτιστοποίηση Σμήνους Σωματιδίων"2. Στην αποτίμηση της επίδρασης του ορισμού αρχικής ποσότητας φερορμόνης στον αλγόριθμο "Βελτιστοποίηση αποικίας μυρμηγκιών" για την επίλυση προβλημάτων δρομολόγησης3. Μια συγκριτική μελέτη των μεθευρετικών αλγορίθμων για το σχεδιασμό ενός "Στόχου από Βελάκια (Dartboard)

ReefMedMol: Mollusca from the infralittoral rocky shores - the biocoenosis of photophilic algae - in the Mediterranean Sea

This paper describes two datasets on the molluscan fauna from the Mediterranean infralittoral reef ecosystem - the biocoenosis of photophilic algae. The first dataset is taken from the East Mediterranean node of the NAGISA project. The second one is a compilation based on the available published material in peer - reviewed journals as well as from the accessible grey literature. These datasets cover a time period of 43 years from 1969 to 2012 from several locations spanning the Mediterranean Sea. This dataset is the only one available from this important Mediterranean Habitat, coded as 1170 in the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and can provide valuable information on the needs of ecosystems functions and services assessment, habitat and species conservation as well as marine spatial planning