Institutional Repository of Academic Research University of Macedonia
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2215 research outputs found
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Identifying policy options and responses to water management issues through System Dynamics and fsQCA
No full textPoor quality and scarcity of water are some of the most relevant problems for policy-makers and private sector, especially in the face of climate change. A systemic perspective is key to studying complex issues like water management and understanding how systems change in response to various inputs over time. This study aims to create a generalized, highly synthetic, and abstract model that can reproduce the key dynamics that emerge from the response to policies in water management. The characteristics of this model make it applicable independent of a specific local context. A literature review of modelling and simulation, System Dynamics (SD), and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) approaches to water management was performed, and insights were gained to recognize and understand existing gaps. The results were then assessed using fsQCA to investigate the necessary and sufficient conditions that contribute to shaping sustainable water management. A minimum common structure which highlights the common elements and their key interactions in a generic water management system was proposed. Main findings showed that the most negatively influencing dimensions of water management issues were the absence of costs related to water consumption, infrastructure obsolescence, and population growth. Implications for policy-making on sustainable water management were discussed in the conclusion.19412273
CPU and GPU Parallelism of the A* Algorithm on solving N-Puzzle problems
No full textThis paper discusses the implementation of parallelism on the A* algorithm, using both the central processing unit and the graphics processing unit, in order to increase its efficiency in terms of the necessary time to solve Sliding Puzzle problems. The purpose of this paper, is to investigate the capabilities of the graphics card programming and to examine potential improvements resulting from its integration in the A* algorithm. As part of the work, data is collected from experimental tests, which are used to support hypotheses and ultimately draw conclusions and recommendations that may lead to increased efficiency by reducing the time required to solve N-Puzzle problems.2125PCI '23: Proceedings of the 27th Pan-Hellenic Conference on Progress in Computing and Informatic
TempoGRAPHer: A Tool for Aggregating and Exploring Evolving Graphs
No full textGraphs offer a generic abstraction for modeling entities as nodes and their interactions and relationships as edges. Since most graphs evolve over time, it is important to study their evolution. To this end, we propose demonstrating TempoGRAPHer, a tool that provides an overview of the evolution of an attributed graph offering aggregation at both the time and the attribute dimensions. The tool also supports a novel exploration strategy that helps in identifying time intervals of significant growth, shrinkage, or stability. Finally, we describe a scenario that showcases the usefulness of the TempoGRAPHer tool in understanding the evolution of contacts between primary school students.26843846GraphTempo: An Aggregation Framework for Evolving Graph
Condensed Nearest Neighbour Rules for Multi-Label Datasets
No full textReducing the size of the training set, that is, replacing it with a condensing set, while maintaining the classification accuracy as much as possible is a very common practice to speed up instance-based classifiers. Data reduction techniques, also known as prototype selection or generation algorithms, can be used to accomplish this. There are numerous such algorithms that can be found in the literature that are effective for single-label classification problems, but the majority of them cannot be used for multi-label datawhere an instance may belong to multiple classes. Due to the numerous binary condensing sets it creates, the well-known Binary Relevance transformation method cannot be combined with a Data Reduction algorithm. Condensed Nearest Neighbor is a well-knownparameter-free single-label prototype selection algorithm. This study proposes three variations of that algorithm for training datasets with multiple labels. An experimental study that we conducted over nine distinct datasets shows that our three proposed approaches provide good reduction rates while not tampering with the classification rates.4350International Database Engineered Applications Symposium Conferenc
Investigating the Relationship of User Acceptance to the Characteristics and Performance of an Educational Software in Byzantine Music
No full textThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of educational software characteristics on software performance through the mediating role of user acceptance. Our approach allows for a deeper understanding of the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of educational software by bridging the fields of educational technology, psychology, and human–computer interaction, offering a holistic perspective on software adoption and performance. This study is based on a sample collected from public and private education institutes in Northern Greece and on data obtained from 236 users. The statistical method employed is structural equation models (SEMs), via SPSS—AMOS estimation. The findings of this study suggest that user acceptance and performance appraisal are exceptionally interrelated in regard to educational applications. The study argues that user acceptance is positively related to the performance of educational software and constitutes the nested epicenter mediating construct in the educational software characteristics. Additional findings, such as computer-familiar users and users from the field of choral music, are positively related to the performance of the educational software. Our conclusions help in understanding the psychological and behavioral aspects of technology adoption in the educational setting. Findings are discussed in terms of their practical usefulness in education and further research.141056
Exploring Near-Linearities in Price-Rate of Profit Trajectories and the Concept of Effective Rank in Input-Output Matrices,
No full textIn recent years, we are witnessing renewed interest in capital theory controversies, in which the empirically found near-linearities of the price-rate of profit and wage rate of profit curves take center stage. This article argues that these near-linearities are resulting from the low effective rank property characterizing the economy’s system matrices of input-output coefficients. The implication is that it takes only a few eigenvalues and respective eigenvectors for an adequate representation of the movement of prices consequent upon changes in income distribution. Furthermore, a low-dimensional system may compress most of the characteristic features of the input-output structure of the economy regarding the movement of prices.122
An Oracle-Based Framework for Implementing a Quantum Parallel Decoder/Multiplexer
No full textQuantum computers excel at solving complex computational problems more efficiently than conventional supercomputers. However, a significant challenge in quantum computing is implementing key operations of conventional computers, such as arithmetic operations and decoding, using quantum hardware (quantum gates). The absence of quantum gates directly implementing fundamental Boolean operations poses a hurdle. This paper introduces an oracle-based approach for implementing quantum decoding and multiplexing in a joint circuit, where oracles function as pre-programmed black boxes determining data flow. The parallel operation of oracles distinguishes this approach from sequential circuits, improving overall performance. The study validates the design using the Qiskit open-source software development kit through extensive simulations.1114111214112
Design of a Cultural Heritage Gesture-Based Puzzle Game and Evaluation of User Experience
No full textThe Haptic Puzzle was a 3D gesture-based puzzle game developed to be deployed in a museum of ethnology. The Haptic Puzzle was designed according to the conceptual model for puzzle games, which was based on the four-dimensional framework. In this study, we explored the development process of the Haptic Puzzle, providing insight on the manner in which the game was designed and explaining the design choices made. Aiming to measure the experience perceived by the Haptic Puzzle’s users, we evaluated the Haptic Puzzle based on the user experience questionnaire and direct observations, with the involvement of 92 participants who were separated into groups of 9 to 12 or small groups of 2 to 3 according to their ages, which ranged from 10 to 15 years old. We discuss the evaluation results indicating that the Haptic Puzzle accomplished its purpose by engaging users in a creative activity while they experienced pleasant feelings and enjoyment. Moreover, we describe the challenges we faced and the manner in which they were confronted. The presented study provides directions for future work regarding the development and evaluation of cultural heritage gesture-based games for deployment in museums.139549
Gamification design: toward developing image perception scales for generation Z consumers
No full textArticle in pressPurpose: Drawing from the Personal Construct Theory, this study aims to analyze the impact of using gamified apps on user behavior by investigating the service-related images and individual preferences of Generation Z (GenZ) consumers, as these emerge from gamified applications in a tourism context. Design/methodology/approach: The repertory grid analysis (RGA) elicited the top elements that reflect GenZer perceptions in tourism from empirical studies in the UK and Greece. Generalized procrustes analysis was used to investigate the structure of the data for the creation of representative consensus biplots of the most important conceptual constructs to advance consumer decision-making modeling via gamification. Findings: As per different gamified app best-practices considered, the authors extract not only common perceptual elements (e.g. place informative aspects, exploration, lodgings, food/catering) but also different image components (e.g. virtual/interactive, business vs commercial traveling, entertainment, heritage/cultural informative aspects) from comparing UK with Greek GenZers’ responses. These extracted attributes are then presented in two dimensional charts, respectively, toward creating tourist perception scales. Research limitations/implications: Notwithstanding the wide availability of gamified apps, research on gamification design in tourism and hospitality is still in the early phase. This study demonstrates the need to identify and optimize the formation of different images among GenZers. It also highlights the advantageous nature of the proposed combination of procrustes analysis with the RGA. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is among the first empirical ones toward creating scales for measuring tourist perceptions of GenZers coming from different consumer markets. It responds to scholars’ recent calls for better informing gamification design and improving contemporary consumer experience