Technological Educational Institute of Western Macedonia

About: Technological Educational Institute of Western Macedonia is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Symplectic geometry. The organization has 291 authors who have published 522 publications receiving 7682 citations. The organization is also known as: TEI of West Macedonia & TEI of Western Macedonia.

Surface Properties of Superhydrophobic Coatings for Stone Protection

Abstract: Superhydrophobic films are produced by a simple and low cost method. Silica (SiO2) nanoparticles are dispersed in solutions of Rhodorsil 224, a commercial poly(alkyl siloxane) which is used for the protection of outdoor cultural heritage objects, and the suspensions are sprayed on glass surfaces. It is shown that the siloxane-nanoparticle composite films prepared from dispersions of high particle concentrations (≥ 0.5% w/v) exhibit superydrophobic properties (high static contact angle and small hysteresis) which can be rationalized by the Cassie-Baxter model, according to quantitative measurements obtained by SEM images. Siloxane-nanoparticle films are then deposited (sprayed) on “Opuka”, a fine-grained argillite which was used for the restoration of the castle of Prague. It is shown that the treated stone surfaces exhibit superydrophobic properties, similar to the treated glass surfaces. The efficacy of the superhydrophobic films to protect Opuka is evaluated by performing water contact angle, water capillary absorption, water vapor permeability and colorimetric measurements. It is shown that the use of nanoparticles in the protective coating has a positive effect on the results of the aforementioned tests, except for the colorimetric measurements.

Comparison of different methods to estimate actual evapotranspiration and hydrologic balance

Abstract: The aim of this study was the assessment of the utilization of two methods, i.e. the Thornthwaite and the Turc equations, for the analysis of the water balance in an environmentally sensitive area. The hydrologic balance of a basin consisting in two lakes (Zazari and Cheimaditida) in northern Greece, and covering an area of 228 km2 has been estimated. The Thornthwaite method was applied in the study area, for the calculation of the evapotranspiration factor and was compared to the results obtained by the application of the Turc method in the same area. For the development of these equations and the calculation of the evapotranspiration rates, monthly temperature and precipitation values collected from meteorological stations over a period of 30 years were used. The utilization of monthly average temperatures in the Thornthwaite equation resulted to an actual evapotranspiration rate of ET = 412.7 mm (80.23%) for p = 514.4 mm and a runoff rate of Q = 101.7 mm (19.77%). However, the Turc equation ga...

Facebook Content Strategies and Citizens’ Online Engagement: The Case of Greek Local Governments

Abstract: This paper analyzes the communication strategies used by Greek local governments through the utilization of Web 2.0 technologies, specifically Facebook, and the effectiveness of these strategies in relation to citizens’ online engagement. More specifically, it examines Facebook communication strategies and levels of citizens’ engagement. For this purpose, we conducted a content analysis on the active and official Facebook pages of local municipalities in Greece from January 2017 until the end of September 2017. Our results suggest a rise in the percentage of active Facebook pages maintained by local governments in comparison to our 2014 study. Our results also show that local governments in Greece are using Facebook in a predominantly top-down manner to promote events organized by the municipality and to push one-way information to citizens about their services and actions. Local authorities have, however, made significant progress in relation to posts that support transparency and accountability and that enhance or mobilize citizens’ participation. Our evaluation of local government Facebook strategies indicates that marketing the municipality to external public, such as tourists, and providing information about services are effective strategies that drive citizens’ online attitude expression (liking), engagement (commenting), and advocacy behavior (sharing). According to our analysis, local governments in Greece prefer the strategies that we found to be the least engaging. In addition, our study provides interesting details of how specific characteristics and modes of Facebook messages (photos, videos, URLs, hashtags, and mentions) impact on citizens’ engagement. Finally, our results provide valuable insights for social media managers in local government who aim to increase the impact of their municipal Facebook pages.