The present study focuses on methods for supporting the orientation of blind and visually impaired people within public buildings. Various innovative navigation solutions are reviewed, including principal mapping approaches and systems based on artificial intelligence. Based on the identified challenges and the specific needs of visually impaired users, the authors propose the development of tactile maps incorporating Braille labels in accordance with an established standard. A tactile floor plan of a building was developed using Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), 3D-printing technology featuring marked locations and dimensions that comply with standard requirements. The selected method offers rapid production at relatively low cost, thereby facilitating the mapping of a larger number of public buildings. Future work will include an analysis and evaluation of the map’s tactile usability and suitability for practical application.
In the era of smart technology and real-time data, a new marketing paradigm has emerged, empowering organizations with numerous tools and insights to connect with consumers and optimize the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns. This study seeks to uncover the level and nature of these technologies' adoption, the impact, barriers, and implications of these technologies in the Greek context, using the UTAUT as a conceptual framework. Data was collected from 320 marketing professionals in Greece, using a descriptive research design, which yielded quantitative data. Measurement instrument was psychometrically evaluated using reliability and validity tests. Cronbach's alpha coefficients, Composite Reliability (CR), Average Variance Extracted (AVE), Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and common method bias assessment were done to validate the constructs. Furthermore, the stability and the predictive ability of the proposed model were tested by regression diagnostics and robustness tests. The study's findings suggest a significant impact of smart devices on marketing outcomes through enhanced data collection, leading to increased customer engagement and campaign efficacy. Yet the economic challenges, such as costs, complex integration processes and data protection concerns are recognised as obstacles to large-scale implementation, especially for SMEs. Regulatory requirements, like GDPR, and suitable infrastructure and training are also brought to the fore as significant issues. The study looks at what these technologies might offer at the positive end, as well as at regional disparities and problems of particular technologies. The findings will help to enrich the knowledge on digital marketing and the incorporation of sophisticated technology devices in a variety of financial and legal systems, giving relevant recommendations to managers and policy makers in the use of the smart devices in different settings. The study provides a contribution to the identification of improvements for digital marketing in Greece and in other countries by setting international benchmarks, and Greek market specifics as two pillars of research.
The membranes are very important treatment way for seawater desalination due to low energy and costs. In this study; the effects of increasing retentates fluxes (6.0, 14.0, 19.0 and 23.0 l/m2.h), temperatures (25oC, 35oC and 45oC) and transmembrane pressures (8.0 bar, 14.0 bar, 22.0 bar and 27.0 bar) on the removal efficiencies of the alone and sequential hybrid reverse osmosis (RO) operations was investigated for salt and retentate recoveries from the sequential reactor system. The energy reuse yields were provided by taken into consideration the hybrid reverse osmosis process. In the RO alone and in hybrid RO processes elevated rejection yields (99.80% and 99.99%) was detected, respectively. In both treatment processes, the specific energy utilization was compared. For maximum Br-1, SO4-2, NO3-1, PO4—3 rejections (99.95%) the energy was minimized in the hybrid reverse osmosis proses. This process exhibited lower energy consumption. Retentate recycling from the hybrid sequential reverse osmosis to the inlet/feed of RO alone minimize the specific energy use. The steady-state operational conditions to minimize the energy amount were a water flux of 19.1 l/m2.h, a transmembrane pressure of 7.6 bar and a temperature of 32oC.
Lignite fly ash from the Kosovo B thermal power plant is a major industrial by-product that can be used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). Through a comprehensive two-year monitoring program in 2024 and 2025, this paper presents a study of lignite fly ash from the Kosovo B thermal power plant. The study showcases and monitors its chemical traits, mechanical performance and industrial viability. This study, through the use of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, found that fly ash contains an average of 32.28% SiO 2 , 9.01% Al 2 O 3 , 6.76% Fe 2 O 3 , and 32.93% CaO , with a loss on ignition (LOI) of 2.88%. These characteristics are comparable to Class C fly ash according to the classifications of ASTM C618 and EN 450-1. Regarding average compressive strengths, they reached 14.66 MPa at 7 days and 35.14 MPa at 28 days. Statistical analysis revealed variations over the two years; notably, moisture content negatively impacted early strength ( r = − 0.547 ) , while MgO exhibited a moderate negative correlation with 28-day strength ( r = − 0.411 ) . These results are consistent with high-calcium fly ashes reported in international studies. The benefits of greater use of this material include a reduction in clinker demand, conservation of raw materials, and support for the reuse of industrial by-products in cement production.
Local wisdom is very important for students to be able to know and preserve the culture of their respective regions. In Madura, there is a lot of local wisdom that must be introduced and taught to students through interesting lessons at school. Unfortunately, teaching materials for introducing Madurese local wisdom remain limited. In fact, teaching materials grounded in local Madurese wisdom are urgently needed by students. To make the teaching materials more interesting, they will be created using artificial intelligence. Therefore, this research aims to develop teaching materials based on local wisdom using artificial intelligence to introduce Madurese culture to elementary school students. The research method employed is the Research and Development (R&D) approach based on the Borg and Gall model. The subjects of this study were second-grade elementary school students. Research data collection was carried out by observation and product trial questionnaires. The results of the study indicated that: 1) teaching materials based on Madurese local wisdom have four main themes, namely: Madurese traditional clothing, Madurese traditional house, the Art of Kerrabhân sapè, and traditional Madurese food. 2) The results of the trial showed that the quality of the teaching materials was good enough to be used in the classroom. Based on the product feasibility test involving experts, an average score of 89% was obtained, whereas the trial with students yielded an average score of 85.3%. Creating teaching materials using artificial intelligence is easier and results in more engaging content, thereby boosting students' learning motivation.
