The Cyprus Institute

About: The Cyprus Institute is a other organization based out in Nicosia, Cyprus. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Aerosol & Environmental science. The organization has 418 authors who have published 1252 publications receiving 32586 citations.

Improved Seed Methods for Symmetric Positive Definite Linear Equations with Multiple Right-hand Sides

Abstract: We consider symmetric positive definite systems of linear equations with multiple right-hand sides. The seed conjugate gradient method solves one right-hand side with the conjugate gradient method and simultaneously projects over the Krylov subspace thus developed for the other right-hand sides. Then the next system is solved and used to seed the remaining ones. Rounding error in the conjugate gradient method limits how much the seeding can improve convergence. We propose three changes to the seed conjugate gradient method: only the first right-hand side is used for seeding, this system is solved past convergence, and the roundoff error is controlled with some reorthogonalization. We will show that results are actually better with only one seeding, even in the case of related right-hand sides. Controlling rounding error gives the potential for rapid convergence for the second and subsequent right-hand sides.

Reframing digital practices in mediated public open spaces associated with cultural heritage

Abstract: This article addresses the relationship between digital media technologies (deliv- ered via smart phones, tablets, wi-fi connections) and their use in public open spaces (parks, gardens, squares, plazas, streets, etc.). In the age of ubiquitous and pervasive computing, digital technology is entering the context of the everyday appropriation of the urban environments. Due to the rapid development and increasing possibilities of ICTs for application in the public realm, digital tools challenge a better understanding of the consequences by social scientists and urban designers. This leads to questions about the many ways ICTs affect the use of public open space, the risks included as well as the degree to which these new, emergent, uses fit into the concept of a virtual society. This article focuses on the capacity of ICTs to transform our cities into more social places and con- tribute to more interesting and engaging ways to navigate and interact with pub- lic spaces. It is based on the European COST network CyberParks, in the frame- work of which several aspects of the relationship of ICTs with public spaces and urban design have been analysed. The results show that ICTs cause and enable innovative outdoor social practices, which provoke spatial and social experts to use them in policies, design and research, in order to produce responsive and inclusive urban spaces. Therefore, aspects such as promoting leisure and recre- ation, integrating social media and enabling association with heritage will be ex- plored and discussed on the basis of examples already studied in three different countries (Serbia, Portugal and Cyprus). Cultural heritage can be used to influ- ence positively the social cohesion, as it can be promoted in such a way that, instead of provoking tensions and division, would offer spaces of inclusion, in- creasing everyday experiences and provide a sense of belonging to socially ex- cluded communities.

Constructing the ‘urban profile’ of an ancient greek city: evidence from the olynthos project

Abstract: This article argues that a holistic approach to documenting and understanding the physical evidence for individual cities would enhance our ability to address major questions about urbanisation, urbanism, cultural identities and economic processes. At the same time we suggest that providing more comprehensive data-sets concerning Greek cities would represent an important contribution to cross-cultural studies of urban development and urbanism, which have often overlooked relevant evidence from Classical Greece. As an example of the approach we are advocating, we offer detailed discussion of data from the Archaic and Classical city of Olynthos, in the Halkidiki. Six seasons of fieldwork here by the Olynthos Project, together with legacy data from earlier projects by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and by the Greek Archaeological Service, combine to make this one of the best-documented urban centres surviving from the Greek world. We suggest that the material from the site offers the potential to build up a detailed ‘urban profile’, consisting of an overview of the early development of the community as well as an in-depth picture of the organisation of the Classical settlement. Some aspects of the urban infrastructure can also be quantified, allowing a new assessment of (for example) its demography. This article offers a sample of the kinds of data available and the sorts of questions that can be addressed in constructing such a profile, based on a brief summary of the interim results of fieldwork and data analysis carried out by the Olynthos Project, with a focus on research undertaken during the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons.