Development of mechanical reliability testing techniques with application to thin films and piezo MEMS components

This work focuses on the development of a method for probing the mechani- cal response of thin film materials based on miniature tensile testing. A number of mechanisms that may compromise the performance and potentially limit the operational lifetime of MEMS devices which incorporate functional ferroelectric ceramics were also identified and investigated. Reliability of piezo MEMS com- ponents was studied at a wafer and at a device level through the development of appropriate techniques based on miniature tensile testing, time- resolved mi- cro RAMAN spectroscopy and laser Doppler vibrometry. Micro tensile testing was further used for the extraction of the elastic properties of various thin film materials. A miniature tensile stage was developed in common with DEBEN UK for the mechanical characterization of functional thin film materials like PZT and ZnO ceramics, which are commonly used in MEMS fabrication. The stage is of- fered with a piezo electric motor which can be fitted with interchangeable heads. These can be combined with di.erent types of mounting jaws, enabling both con- ventional tensile testing and compression testing to be performed. Strains and displacements were measured in- situ using an optical, non destructive method based on CCD imaging. The elastic constants of polymer (LCP), LCP-Au bi- layers and electroplated Ni were defined in good agreement with the literature. However yield of successfully released ceramic samples was rather poor so a col- laboration with IMTEK at Germany was established. Using their facilities batch processing of a large number of wafers was possible. Cont/d

Development of a method to study retention of hydrophobic actives from cosmetic emulsions on optimized skin biomimics

All-in-one products are a popular trend in cosmetics, personal and home care. In particularly, personal care products that serve multiple purposes are especially popular due to their multifunctional action which simultaneously provides cleaning, conditioning and protection of the treated area such as, skin or hair, in a fraction of the time in comparison to when using traditional products. In this research programme, a dedicated method was developed towards the evaluation of the conditioning performance of ‘all-in-one’ cleansing products. Hence, all steps of product usage were replicated in a controlled environment and suitable characterization methods were employed. Optimized skin mimics were fabricated to be used as test substrates and model systems of cosmetic formulations were produced, which demonstrated both cleaning and moisturizing capabilities as well as a repetitive and highly-controlled deposition set-up and a cleaning set-up. The conditioning performance of the emulsions was studied and post-wash retention levels of the hydrophobic active on skin bio-mimics were systematically characterised. Techniques including fluorescent microscopy, gravimetric analysis and tribometry were employed to provide further, into-depth quantitative data of the retention. Properties of the formulation including oil droplet-size, viscosity and volume-fraction and cleaning parameters including rinsing-duration and flow-angle were tested for their impact on retention

BlogForever D2.6: Data Extraction Methodology

This report outlines an inquiry into the area of web data extraction, conducted within the context of blog preservation. The report reviews theoretical advances and practical developments for implementing data extraction. The inquiry is extended through an experiment that demonstrates the effectiveness and feasibility of implementing some of the suggested approaches. More specifically, the report discusses an approach based on unsupervised machine learning that employs the RSS feeds and HTML representations of blogs. It outlines the possibilities of extracting semantics available in blogs and demonstrates the benefits of exploiting available standards such as microformats and microdata. The report proceeds to propose a methodology for extracting and processing blog data to further inform the design and development of the BlogForever platform

Capturing Scientific Knowledge on Medical Risk Factors

In this paper, we describe a model for representing scientific knowledge of risk factors in medicine in an explicit format which enables its use for automated reasoning. The resulting model supports linking the conclusions of up-to-date clinical research with data relating to individual patients. This model, which we have implemented as an ontology-based system using Linked Data, enables the capture of risk factor knowledge and serves as a translational research tool to apply that knowledge to assist with patient treatment, lifestyle, and education. Knowledge captured using this model can be disseminated for other intelligent systems to use for a variety of purposes, for example, to explore the state of the available medical knowledge

Social personalized adaptive e-learning environment : Topolor - implementation and evaluation

This paper presents a quantitative study on the use of Topolor - a prototype that introduces Web 2.0 tools and Facebook-like appearance into an adaptive educational hypermedia system. We present the system design and its evaluation using system usability scale questionnaire and learning behavior data analysis. The results indicate high level of student satisfaction with the learning experience and the diversity of learning activities

Η φορολογία ακινήτων στην Ελλάδα και τον ευρωπαικό χώρο-Σύγχρονες τάσεις

143 σ.Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο--Μεταπτυχιακή Εργασία. Διεπιστημονικό-Διατμηματικό Πρόγραμμα Μεταπτυχιακών Σπουδών (Δ.Π.Μ.Σ.) “Γεωπληροφορική”Η παρούσα μεταπτυχιακή εργασία έχει ως αντικείμενο τη φορολογία επί των ακινήτων. Σκοπός της ειδικότερα, είναι η εξέταση των θεμάτων σχετικά με τη φορολογία των ακινήτων στον ελληνικό χώρο, καθώς και η συνολική επισκόπηση της εφαρμοζόμενης φορολογίας στην Ευρώπη. Αναλυτικότερα, η ανάπτυξη της εργασίας έχει ως ακολούθως: στο 1ο κεφάλαιο παρέχεται μια γενική παρουσίαση θεμάτων σχετικών με τη φορολογία των ακινήτων. Αναλύονται οι λόγοι επιβολής, η γενική διάκριση των κυρίων φόρων, η επίδραση της φορολογίας στην αγορά ακινήτων, ο ρόλος του Κτηματολογίου ως σύγχρονου εργαλείου άσκησης δημοσιονομικής πολιτικής επί των ακινήτων και οι σύγχρονες τάσεις αναφορικά με την ενσωμάτωση της έννοιας της αειφορίας στην υπόψη φορολογία. στο 2ο κεφάλαιο, δεδομένης της σχέσης της αξίας με τη φορολογία ακινήτων, παρουσιάζονται θέματα σχετικά με την αξία των ακινήτων (έννοιες, ορισμοί, τρόποι εκτίμησης, κ.α.), καθώς και με τις χρησιμοποιούμενες φορολογικές βάσεις στην Ελλάδα και τα ευρωπαϊκά κράτη. στο 3ο κεφάλαιο εκτίθενται αναλυτικά οι διατάξεις φορολογίας ακινήτων (κύριοι και λοιποί φόροι και τέλη) στον ελληνικό χώρο, ενώ γίνεται ανάλυση των προβλημάτων και των δυσχερειών που υφίστανται στην εφαρμογή τους, με ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στις περιπτώσεις αντικοινοτικής εφαρμογής. Επιπλέον, με μελέτη περιπτώσεων (case study), παρουσιάζεται η υπέρμετρη φορολογική επιβάρυνση των ακινήτων που συντελέσθηκε στην Ελλάδα κατά την παρούσα περίοδο της οικονομικής κρίσης (συγκεκριμένα από το 2010 και μετά). στο 4ο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζεται η συνολική εικόνα της φορολογίας επί των ακινήτων στον ευρωπαϊκό χώρο. Συγκεκριμένα, γίνεται η επισκόπηση της ισχύουσας φορολογίας επί των ακινήτων στα ευρωπαϊκά κράτη, βάσει στοιχείων από σχετική συγκριτική μελέτη της U.I.P.I για το έτος 2010. Τέλος, στο 5ο κεφάλαιο, εξάγονται συμπεράσματα σχετικά με τη φορολογία ακινήτων στον ευρωπαϊκό χώρο συνολικά, τη φορολογία ακινήτων στην Ελλάδα και τις Περίληψη VIII σύγχρονες τάσεις-απόψεις στον τομέα της φορολογίας ακινήτων, ενώ διατυπώνονται και σχετικές προτάσεις όσον αφορά την Ελλάδα.The subject of this diploma thesis is the real estate property taxation. More specifically, the aim is to examine the issues concerning real estate property taxation in Greece and provide an overall review of the subject taxation in European countries. The present diploma thesis comprises five chapters: Chapter 1 provides an overall presentation of issues about property taxation, such as the taxation imposing reasons, the taxation categorization, the impact of the taxation in the real estate market, the role of cadastre and the modern trends concerning the sustainability aspect of the property taxation. Chapter 2 refers to the relation between the taxation and the value of the real estate property. A reference to the tax bases used all over Europe is also provided. Chapter 3 describes the situation in Greece. There is a comprehensive presentation of the relative laws and the problems associated with their implementation. Analysis is conducted on cases where implementation contravenes EU directives. Furthermore, the exaggerated tax burden on real estate property during the period of financial crisis and especially after the year 2010 is demonstrated by using case studies. Chapter 4 includes a review of the real estate property taxation in Europe based on data acquired from a U.I.P.I. comparative study entitled ‘’Taxation in Europe 2010’’. Finally, in chapter 5, conclusions are drawn on the real estate property taxation status in Europe and in Greece and the modern trends as well. The chapter also comprises proposals for the improvement of the taxation system applied in Greece.Γεώργιος A. Γκότση

BlogForever D5.1: Design and Specification of Case Studies

This document presents the specification and design of six case studies for testing the BlogForever platform implementation process. The report explains the data collection plan where users of the repository will provide usability feedback through questionnaires as well as details of scalability analysis through the creation of specific log files analytics. The case studies will investigate the sustainability of the platform, that it meets potential users’ needs and that is has an important long term impact

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Representing Metacognition with Question­-based Dialogue

In the following paper, we present Noracle, a tool for creating representational artefacts of metacognitive thinking in a collaborative, social environment. The tool uses only question asking, rather than the typical question/answer paradigm found in threaded discussions, as a mechanism for supporting awareness and reflection on metacognitive activity, and for supporting self- regulated learning. The weblike artefact produced by learner contributions is intended to support learners in mapping a given domain, identifying points of convergence and recognizing gaps in the knowledge representation. In this paper, the authors present the model of the tool, a use case scenario and a discussion of the opportunities and limitations related to this approach

Mining Social Media Data to Study the Consequences of Dementia Diagnosis on Caregivers and Relatives

INTRODUCTION: Caregivers for people with dementia face a number of challenges such as changing family relationships, social isolation, or financial difficulties. Internet usage and social media are increasingly being recognised as resources to increase support and general public health. OBJECTIVE: Using automated analysis, the aim of this study was to explore (i) the age and sex of people who post to the social media forum Reddit about dementia diagnoses, (ii) the affected person and their diagnosis, (iii) which subreddits authors are posting to, (iv) the types of messages posted, and (v) the content of these posts. METHODS: We analysed Reddit posts concerning dementia diagnoses and used a previously developed text analysis pipeline to determine attributes of the posts and their authors. The posts were further examined through manual annotation of the diagnosis provided and the person affected. Lastly, we investigated the communities posters engage with and assessed the contents of the posts with an automated topic gathering/clustering technique. RESULTS: Five hundred and thirty-five Reddit posts were identified as relevant and further processed. The majority of posters in our dataset are females and predominantly close relatives, such as parents and grandparents, are mentioned. The communities frequented and topics gathered reflect not only the person's diagnosis but also potential outcomes, for example hardships experienced by the caregiver or the requirement for legal support. CONCLUSIONS: This work demonstrates the value of social media data as a resource for in-depth examination of caregivers' experience after a dementia diagnosis. It is important to study groups actively posting online, both in topic-specific and general communities, as they are most likely to benefit from novel internet-based support systems or interventions