182 research outputs found
Development, dielectric response, and functionality of ZnTiO<sub>3</sub>/BaTiO<sub>3</sub>/epoxy resin hybrid nanocomposites
No full textIn the present work, hybrid nanocomposites of an epoxy resin reinforced with ZnTiO3 and BaTiO3 nanoparticles, at various filler contents, were fabricated and studied. The successful integration of ceramic nanofillers and the fine distribution of nanoparticles were confirmed via X-ray Diffraction patterns and Scanning Electron Microscopy images, respectively. Dielectric properties and related relaxation phenomena were investigated via Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy in a wide range of frequencies and temperatures. Data analysis showed that dielectric permittivity increases with filler content, although optimum performance does not correspond to the maximum ZnTiO3 content. Four relaxation processes were observed and attributed to interfacial polarization (IP) (at low frequencies and high temperatures), glass-to-rubber transition (α-relaxation) of the epoxy matrix (at intermediate frequencies and temperatures), and local rearrangements of polar side groups of the macromolecules (β-relaxation) and small flexible groups of the main polymer chain (γ-relaxation) occurring at low temperatures and high frequencies. The ability of hybrid nanocomposites to store and retrieve energy was studied under dc conditions by employing a charging/discharging sequence. The stored and retrieved energy increases with filler content and charging voltage. The optimum ability of energy recovering, shown by the epoxy/7 phr ZnTiO3/7 phr BaTiO3 nanocomposite, ranges between 30 and 50 times more than the matrix, depending on the time instant. The employed nanoparticles induce piezoelectric properties in the nanocomposites, as found by the increase in the piezoelectric coefficient with filler content
Loud and clear: The VR game without visuals
No full textWhile visual impairment is relatively common, most sighted people have no idea of what it is like to live without one of the most heavily utilised senses. We developed the game Loud and Clear in order to have them experience the difficulties of being visually impaired, as well as to put in evidence the abilities blind people have developed, which sighted people mostly lack. In this game without visuals, the player has to rely solely on audio to complete objectives within the game. The game consists of a number of puzzle rooms the player has to solve. These puzzles illustrate the challenges of being blind in a playful setting, and challenge the player to use different auditory skills that are key to achieving objectives without vision, such as sound localisation, sound recognition and spatial orientation. The game uses audio spatialisation techniques to give the player a realistic and immersive auditive experience. Preliminary tests of this game show that players acknowledge the initial high difficulty of ‘living’ as a blind person, to which eventually they were able to somehow adapt. In addition, players reported feeling both immersed and educated by the experience.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Computer Graphics and Visualisatio
A serious game to inform young citizens on canal water maintenance
No full textIn order to support the creation of sustainable and healthy ecosystems, citizens should have knowledge of the necessary maintenance needed. For example, they should be aware of the challenges of maintaining proper urban surface waters, so that they can take on a responsible and proactive role. Ideally, citizens should acquire this knowledge from an early age. We describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of the serious game Hydro Hero, aimed at forming and reinforcing this awareness and reasoning. Hydro Hero is an infinite runner game with extended minigames, which show both what should not be on the canals as well as why they should be removed. We assessed the ability of Hydro Hero to teach young children about canal maintenance by combining a questionnaire with open-ended play-testing sessions at a science museum. On average, players were able to improve their ability to justify why certain items should be removed or left in a canal. It has not been fully confirmed that Hydro Hero conveyed this specific knowledge, due to the absence of quizzing beforehand. However, given the high participants’ engagement, we consider the game to have contributed to their awareness about the importance of canal cleaning for a sustainable urban environment.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Computer Graphics and Visualisatio
Misusing mobile phones to break the ice: The tabletop game Maze Maestro
No full textPerformance of newly-formed project teams is often limited, or at least delayed, when team members refrain from sharing their ideas due to unfamiliarity with their peers. A variety of ice-breaking methods can help overcome this cold start, but mostly they need to be deployed and moderated by experienced facilitators. This setup is rarely an option for most undergrad project courses at university level, typically carried out in small teams. In order to help breaking the ice in this context, we developed Maze Maestro, a collaborative tabletop game in which the board is made up by attaching the displays of the team members' mobile phones to form a large maze. Each member controls a character in the maze, and the whole team has the common goal of leaving the maze together; however, this is only possible with timely communication and much cooperation. While playing, team members are encouraged to confer possible plans and share their ideas, which is the fertile ground for breaking the ice. Play testing has shown that Maze Maestro was perceived as a fun and original collaborative game. So far, results of a preliminary user study are optimistic about the ability of Maze Maestro to break the ice within newly-formed teams, without requiring any facilitator.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Computer Graphics and Visualisatio
The analysis of pharmacotherapy by patients suffering with DM in Greece I
No full textThe analysis of pharmacotherapy by patients suffering with DM in Greece I Author: Georgios Kalaitzidis Tutor: Professor RNDr.Jiri Vlcek,CSc. Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove. Introduction: The diabetes in developed countries concerns 11% of people over 70 years and is the cause of 3% of total deaths in general population. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the Pharmacotherapy of Diabetes mellitus type II in a pharmacy of a small town of Greece, Veria. Methods: It is retrospective cross-sectional study, which was conducted in a pharmacy in a small town of Greece, Veria. The study population consists of 60 patients with known Type II diabetes Melitus. The data collection was performed by a self-reported questionnaire, which was created and developed by the researcher and filled by the respondents. Results: The mean age of the sample was 56.5±17.5 years. Most of them were females (n=40). Most of the patients knew their fasting glucose level (93.3%,n=56).Of the patients who knew their fasting glucose level, 36 (64.3%) patients had high fasting glucose level and 20 (35.7%) had physiological fasting glucose level. From all the patients(n=60), some of them visited their physician every 6 months (n=24), and every 3 months..
The Pixels and Sounds of Emotion: Dataset
No full textThis dataset was used in:
Makantasis, Konstantinos, Antonios Liapis, and Georgios N. Yannakakis. "The Pixels and Sounds of Emotion: General-Purpose Representations of Arousal in Games." IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing (2021).
If you use this dataset please cite the following papers:
@inproceedings{camilleri2017towards,
title={Towards general models of player affect},
author={Camilleri, Elizabeth and Yannakakis, Georgios N and Liapis, Antonios},
booktitle={2017 Seventh International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ACII)},
pages={333--339},
year={2017},
organization={IEEE}
}
@article{makantasis2021pixels,
title={The Pixels and Sounds of Emotion: General-Purpose Representations of Arousal in Games},
author={Makantasis, Konstantinos and Liapis, Antonios and Yannakakis, Georgios N},
journal={IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing},
year={2021},
publisher={IEEE}
}Part of this dataset was created and processed in the framework of the TAMED project (Grant Agreement 101003397) funded by the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme
Sustainability of underground hydro-technologies: From ancient to modern times and toward the future
No full textAn underground aqueduct is usually a canal built in the subsurface to transfer water from a starting point to a distant location. Systems of underground aqueducts have been applied by ancient civilizations to manage different aspects of water supply. This research reviews underground aqueducts from the prehistoric period to modern times to assess the potential of achieving sustainable development of water distribution in the sectors of agriculture and urban management, and provides valuable insights into various types of ancient underground systems and tunnels. The review illustrates how these old structures are a testament of ancient people’s ability to manage water resources using sustainable tools such as aqueducts, where the functionality works by using, besides gravity, only “natural” engineering tools like inverted siphons. The study sheds new light on human’s capability to collect and use water in the past. In addition, it critically analyzes numerous examples of ancient/historic/pre-industrial underground water supply systems that appear to have remained sustainable up until recent times. The sustainability of several underground structures is examined, correlated to their sound construction and regular maintenance. Moreover, several lessons can be learned from the analysis of ancient hydraulic works, particularly now, as many periodically hydrologic crises have occurred recently, overwhelmingly impacted by climate change and/or over-exploitation and degradation of available water resources.Teachers of Practice /
Exploring a Mixed Method Approach: Simulation Games and Q Methodology
No full textIn this paper we explore the possibilities to combine two research methods we regard as being very useful when interacting with stakeholders in complex systems. We discuss a mixed research methods approach, based on the Q methodology and a simulation game. In a game design process, translating the real or reference system into the game design is an intricate process and rather challenging due to the complexity of today’s societal systems. As shown by various studies, different data techniques are proposed in order to translate reality aspects. One of the proposed data gathering techniques in combination with simulation games is Q methodology. Q methodology is a suitable method to retrieve social perspectives of stakeholders on a particular topic. Yet it is still elusive how the results of a Q methodology can be used in a game design process. In this paper, we explore the possibilities how to combine the two methods and how to translate the results of the Q analysis into a game design concept. In the context of a case within the domain of transport and logistics, we discuss how such mixed research methods approach could look like. We conclude with a future outlook on our research.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Policy Analysi
Learning geothermal energy basics with the serious game hotpipe
No full textBurning fossil fuels is a big part of our heat production. Since this process is both non-renewable and polluting, finding other options is important. A clean and underutilized alternative is geothermal energy. However, it is often not considered due to sheer ignorance or misconceptions. HotPipe is a serious game designed to alleviate these problems, particularly among youth populations. Players control a drill to create geothermal wells solving a variety of puzzles, which introduce relevant cases for geothermal heating and show what geothermal wells are made of. The game focuses primarily on conveying the concepts of water circulation, relation between temperature and depth, androck type proprieties. From our game evaluation, players revealed a solid improvement on their geothermal energy knowledge.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Computer Graphics and Visualisatio
The politics of fiscal effort in Spain and Ireland : Market credibility versus political legitimacy
No full textAusterity measures in response to Eurozone crisis have tended to be conceived,
debated, and implemented as if only the technical parameters of budget
management mattered. But policies that impose budgetary hardships on citizens,
whether in the form of increased taxes or cuts to public spending go right to the
heart of voter expectations about what it is both appropriate and acceptable for
governments to do. Pro-cyclical measures that worsen an already difficult
situation in a recession run counter to deep-seated norms and expectations in
European countries, built up over decades of democratic governance, whereby
governments are expected to provide offsetting protection for their citizens
against the vicissitudes of the market. If austerity measures are held to be
unavoidable in response to market turbulence, and especially if this view is
underwritten by international authorities, new challenges of political
legitimation are likely to arise. These issues are explored through the
experiences of Spain and Ireland.A version of this paper will be published in
Georgios Karyotis and Roman Gerodimos eds.,
The Politics of Extreme Austerity: Greece beyond the Crisis
(Palgrave Macmillan)Author has checked copyrightAM
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