Accessibility of Cypriot University websites in Cyprus

Abstract: Access and equity in higher education is a complicated discipline related to social, economical, technological and political developments in a country. This paper is a work in progress and it aims to discuss issues of accessibility in Higher education regarding equal opportunities in the use of technology for students with disabilities. Accessibility to technology and with technology, especially in the internet era, includes different types of physical and digital design. These not only refer to specialised interface devices often referred to as assistive technology, but also to the accessibility of the web itself (Zaphiris & Zacharia, 2001). Examining access in higher education from the point of view of technology, this paper aims to: 1. briefly present and discuss the provisions of the current Cyprus and European legislation regarding the use of accessible technology and access to technology (and the use of the web) in higher education for students with disabilities. 2. investigate the ways universities respond to the needs of their students with disabilities regarding the use of accessible technology and access to technology 3. analyze the accessibility of the Cyprus universities’ web sites Data collection involves: (a) analysis of Cyprus and European documentation, (b) interviews with officers of the student affairs and welfare departments of each university and (c) expert accessibility evaluation of the websites of all universities in Cyprus. The educational system in Cyprus is highly centralised and policies of funding, administration and pedagogy are centrally developed by the government (Symeonidou, 2002). Education is compulsory until the age of 15, and almost 100% of the students continue their education in the lyceum or technical school, and the majority continue in further and higher education, in Cyprus and abroad. With the establishment of 3 public and 4 private universities in the country the numbers of student continuing in higher education are highly increase in the last 4 years, including an important number of students with disabilities. Provision for the education of students with disabilities is traditionally called by the 1999 Education Act for the Education of Children with Special Needs (MOEC, 1999), which was formally implemented in 2001. Preliminary data and information from previous studies evidenced that among others, the legislation is covering general issues of accessibility (cognitive, physical and communication), which also may imply technology, without though providing any specific guidelines (Mavrou, 2011). In addition, it provides relevant directions for higher education, but mainly poses the responsibility to the higher educational institutions. Hence, issues of accessibility and technology do not seem to be officially directed by legislation or regulations and guidelines by the Cyprus government, at any level of education or other sectors, even if the country have signed relevant EU conventions and documentation. Accessibility for information on the Web has been well regulated in the United States (U.S.) and the European Commission (DRC, 2004; Section508, 2011). The European approach to ensuring the availability of accessible information on public Web sites is encapsulated in the eEurope Action Plan 2002 which emphasises that, “Public sector web sites […] must be designed to be accessible to ensure that citizens with disabilities can access information and take full advantage of the potential for e-government” (EU Commission, 2000). Unfortunately the Cypriot legislature is not yet in line with the European action plan on the issue of web accessibility. There are no specific legislative or regulatory measures regarding eAccessibility for public or private websites in Cyprus (eInclusion). However, Article 16 of the new EU Structural Funds regulations is expected to have an impact on eAccessibility and as Cyprus has signed the Convention, now Article 9 sets forth the obligation of the country to ensure accessibility to the Internet (but it is not a legislation). As per eInclusion in Cyprus, it was planned that within 2010, these sites would be further enhanced based on WCAG 2.0, level AA (EU. 2010). To our knowledge, only one previous study has analyzed Cypriot web sites with respect to accessibility via automated testing on WCAG1.0 (Zaphiris & Zacharia, 2001). The results showed that the Cyprus websites, including academic websites, were ranked very low in terms of accessibility (only 20% of them were Bobby approved). The present study, aims to investigate the accessibility of new technologies, especially the web, of universities, 10 years after the first study, as well as after Cyprus joined the EU where signed relevant conventions and documents

Low back pain, quality of life and function in people with incomplete spinal cord injury in USA, UK and Greece

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.BACKGROUND: Pain is a common consequence of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). While research into pain in SCI is vast, examining musculoskeletal pain (MSKP) and low back pain (LBP) are limited. This thesis aims to investigate these categories of pain in incomplete SCI (iSCI). The experience of pain is known to affect quality of life (QoL) and function. The impact of the experience of pain, particularly of LBP, on both the QoL and function are examined in this research. While research in similar fields is predominantly conducted in single nation populations this research is set out to study three different nations. METHOD: The following were part of this study: • A systematic literature review on the prevalence on chronic back pain (BP), LBP and MSKP in SCI. • A translation, and preliminary validation, into Greek of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM version III). • A cross-national survey conducted in the USA, UK and Greece. Questionnaires included the short-form McGill Pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ), EQ-5D and the SCIM III. They were collected either online or via post and 219 questionnaires were analysed. RESULTS: The papers included in the systematic literature review were considerably heterogeneous not allowing meta-analysis to be made. 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the total number of participants in the studies were used. Among people with pain the prevalence of chronic MSKP (CMSKP) was 49% (95%CI 44%, 55%), of chronic BP (CBP) was 47% (95%CI 43%, 50%) and chronic LBP (CLBP) was 49% (95%CI 44%, 55%). GR-SCIM III maintains its unidimensionality and has acceptable internal consistency (α=0.78). Concurrent/criterion validity for the two cross-examined subscales were strong for “self-care” (ρ=-0.78) and moderate for “mobility” (ρ=-0.58). Unidimensionality was also confirmed for the English version of SCIM III, which had accepted internal consistency (α=0.79) and strong concurrent/criterion validity for “self-care” (ρ=-0.75) and moderate for “mobility” (ρ=-0.45). The survey results showed that the prevalence of current LBP is 67.9% (95%CI 61%, 73%) and of MSKP is 38.8% (95%CI 32%, 45%). LBP was of moderate intensity and most commonly described as “aching”. People who report pain, LBP or MSKP reported worse QoL. The impact of LBP on QoL was greater than that of pain in general or MSKP. The increased intensity of LBP correlated with worse function. Among the three participating countries, people from the UK had the worst experience of pain and LBP, classified themselves with the worst health status and reported the worst functional independence. CONCLUSION: This study offers the first systematic review on CLBP, CBP and CMSKP in SCI. It is unique in using SCIM III by self-report and into Greek. The results show that LBP is highly present in iSCI affecting both QoL and function. Both the GR-SCIM III and the SCIM III are reliable for use, however studies are needed to examine further their psychometric properties. The findings of the study fit with features of the currently used patients’ rehabilitation models.This research is funded by the EPSR

Love Poetry, Women’s Bonding and Feminist Consciousness

This article examines Adrienne Rich’s Twenty-One Love Poems in relation to Edna St Vincent Millay’s Fatal Interview. Discussing notions such as lyric voice and innovation within traditional genres, the author analyses how Millay’s attempts to challenge commonplace definitions of female sexuality impacted on Rich’s articulation of sexual desire. The intertextual dialogue between the above works reveals that Millay and Rich produced two remarkably similar erotic narratives, which resist masculinist conceptions of literary history and comment on the self-referentiality of poetic composition. Finally, the author approaches Fatal Interview as a work that foregrounds the significance of women’s bonding, and argues that it was precisely this aspect that caught Rich’s attention and helped the younger poet develop her feminist consciousness

Classifications of high resolution multitemporal remote sensing data for land use/cover mapping

Analysis of the peak-to-peak output current ripple amplitude for multiphase and multilevel inverters is presented in this PhD thesis. The current ripple is calculated on the basis of the alternating voltage component, and peak-to-peak value is defined by the current slopes and application times of the voltage levels in a switching period. Detailed analytical expressions of peak-to-peak current ripple distribution over a fundamental period are given as function of the modulation index. For all the cases, reference is made to centered and symmetrical switching patterns, generated either by carrier-based or space vector PWM. Starting from the definition and the analysis of the output current ripple in three-phase two-level inverters, the theoretical developments have been extended to the case of multiphase inverters, with emphasis on the five- and seven-phase inverters. The instantaneous current ripple is introduced for a generic balanced multiphase loads consisting of series RL impedance and ac back emf (RLE). Simplified and effective expressions to account for the maximum of the output current ripple have been defined. The peak-to-peak current ripple diagrams are presented and discussed. The analysis of the output current ripple has been extended also to multilevel inverters, specifically three-phase three-level inverters. Also in this case, the current ripple analysis is carried out for a balanced three-phase system consisting of series RL impedance and ac back emf (RLE), representing both motor loads and grid-connected applications. The peak-to-peak current ripple diagrams are presented and discussed. In addition, simulation and experimental results are carried out to prove the validity of the analytical developments in all the cases. The cases with different phase numbers and with different number of levels are compared among them, and some useful conclusions have been pointed out. Furthermore, some application examples are given

Implementing collaborative practices in the healthcare supply chain:insights into hospital-vendor operations

The paper discusses the characteristics of healthcare supply chains, and puts particular emphasis on the implementation of VMI/CMI in this sector specific context. By the means of case study research the paper provides empirical data on the benefits of the above collaborative practices for both the hospital and vendors. The paper contributes to the stream of research on VMI/CMI in the healthcare sector, where limited research attempts have been conducted so far. In contrast to other surveys this case study shows that specific and measurable cost reductions exist, in addition to other improvements such as better control over the inventories, and also in reduction of administrative work. Results obtained may be also relevant to other hospitals and vendors and as they can form a basis for comparisons

The Mediatization of Politics. From the National to the Transnational

The mediatization of politics is generally explained in relation to the legitimacy requirements of the modern state and as such, it is typically confined to the national media sphere. Can we speak in any meaningful way of mediatization beyond the national? The European Union (EU), which operates under increasing legitimacy constraints and is exposed to the salience of media debates that contest its public legitimacy, is a case in point. Is the EU becoming mediatized? And what are the effects of EU mediatization? Under what conditions can the mass media become a facilitator of European integration? The issue at stake is whether the media (new and old) can have an integration function beyond the national and facilitate the building of democratic legitimacy of the European Union. We propose that the concept of mediatization offers the theoretical and analytical tools necessary to understand precisely how the interaction between the EU polity and the media unfolds and how it impacts on the process of the EU’s public legitimation. First we deliver a general account of mediatization, highlighting its core definers and main points of critique that the concept has attracted. We then show how mediatization is relevant to the EU pol­ity and propose an analytical model that can capture this process empiricall

The Mediatization of Politics. From the National to the Transnational

The mediatization of politics is generally explained in relation to the legitimacy requirements of the modern state and as such, it is typically confined to the national media sphere. Can we speak in any meaningful way of mediatization beyond the national? The European Union (EU), which operates under increasing legitimacy constraints and is exposed to the salience of media debates that contest its public legitimacy, is a case in point. Is the EU becoming mediatized? And what are the effects of EU mediatization? Under what conditions can the mass media become a facilitator of European integration? The issue at stake is whether the media (new and old) can have an integration function beyond the national and facilitate the building of democratic legitimacy of the European Union. We propose that the concept of mediatization offers the theoretical and analytical tools necessary to understand precisely how the interaction between the EU polity and the media unfolds and how it impacts on the process of the EU’s public legitimation. First we deliver a general account of mediatization, highlighting its core definers and main points of critique that the concept has attracted. We then show how mediatization is relevant to the EU pol­ity and propose an analytical model that can capture this process empiricall

Current Management of Adrenal Incidentalomas

Adrenal “incidentalomas” refer to a group of adrenal masses initially discovered during cross-sectional imaging obtained for other clinical reasons. The majority of incidentalomas are benign nonfunctional adrenal adenomas and can be safely managed expectantly. A subset of adrenal incidentalomas, however, are functional and/or malignant, and these lesions most often require adrenalectomy. The following chapter outlines the differential diagnosis, the different imaging modalities and features, as well as biochemical evaluation of adrenal incidentalomas