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The present study examines the structural assessment of Pashas bridge, located at the Western Makedonia, in Greece. This stone arched bridge, which is declared cultural heritage monument, was built during the end of 17th century and it was destructed during the 2nd civil war, in 1941 by British and New Zealander soldiers aiming to end the German invasion to the South of Greece. It was considered the largest bridge in Macedonia, with a length of more than 100 meters, 6 arches, the biggest one of which was almost 15 meters high. In its current form it is partially collapsed.

A new Ca2+ two-dimensional framework, namely [Ca(H4L)(DMA)(2)]center dot 2DMA (Ca-MOF) was obtained from the initial use of N,N’-bis(2,4-dicarboxyphenyl)-oxalamide (H6L). We discovered that this Ca-MOF is capable of exchanging the Ca2+ ions by Cu2+ almost quantitatively in a matter of seconds in aqueous solution. The highly efficient Cu2+ sorption properties exhibited by the Ca-MOF were investigated in detail via batch ion-exchange studies. In addition, the Ca-MOF was utilized as a stationary phase in an ion-exchange column for Cu2+ removal from aqueous media. Furthermore, we were able to recycle the most expensive part of the framework, i.e. the H6L, by treating the column with dilute NaOH followed by HCl. The Ca-MOF represents the first example of any MOF capable of exchanging its constituent metal ions that is shown to be a highly effective ion-exchange material, thus opening a new window in the exploitation of MOFs for ion-exchange applications.

In this paper we construct a symmetric monoidal smash product of Γ-spaces modelling the smash product of connective spectra. For the corresponding theory of ring-spectra, we refer the reader to [Sch].

28th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; 4152-4156, A review of the methodologies currently used in the performance ratio testing as part of provisional acceptance certification for large-scale solar photovoltaic plant has been completed. A focus on temperature compensation and monthly correction factor methodologies has been assessed for two different climates. Further analysis on data filtering specifications which can significantly affect the performance ratio has also been conducted with recommendations made. Ultimately the paper aims to assist in discussions for defining an industry accepted standard for provisional acceptance in order to reduce time and costs in the contractual development of a project.

The chapter emphasises on the impact of political leadership on democratic governance and, in particular, on the capability of the government to conceive and implement a transforming programme or conversely to hinder the prospects of reform. It is argued that ‘transactional’ leadership, which rests on a combination of populism, clientelism, and polarisation, has been the prevailing model in Greek politics. However, successive governments relinquished some of these features, but generally succeeded in achieving only limited reforms. At the current juncture of a multidimensional crisis, only a ‘transforming’ leadership can make a difference by restoring trust in the political system and implementing a coherent programme of changes in the state and the economy. Transforming leadership presupposes a sound understanding of the political context, a balanced management of the government and party affairs, and stable political support. In order to make wise and optimum use of the country’s assets and capabilities, three particular aspects of governance are worth emphasizing—sustainability, Europeanisation, and political stability.

27th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; 3975-3978, This paper presents a study of two PV plants (>5MWp) in Greece, which have a significant difference ~8% in PR. The two PV plants have been installed with the same PV module technology and central inverters with an optimum and similar design. During their operation, the plants did not present any severe malfunctions and had an availability of >98%. Both plants are operating under comparable conditions in Greece, in terms of ambient temperature in Central and South Greece and are within the 2nd year of operation. In this respect, it will be presented where this discrepancy in PR comes from, based on real data. The aim is to provide a clear understanding how contractual aspects of an EPC/O&M contract (the way PR values are calculated) and also technical aspects (PV modules, inverters) influence the PR values themselves. These two aspects are capable of significantly influencing the final performance ratio values of the PV plants.

We show that the homotopy limit of a diagram of nerves of categories is again a nerve of a category. We use this to prove a confinality theorem for homotopy limits of nerves of categories.

The electrocaloric effect in a 0.92Pb(Zn₁/₃Nb₂/₃)O₃-00.8PbTiO₃ single crystal was measured by a direct calorimetric technique as a function of sample temperature and electric field. The temperature of the maximum electrocaloric effect was found to coincide with the ferroelectric transition temperature. We present a theoretical description based on mean-field theory that gives a satisfactory description of the temperature and electric field dependence of the experimentally observed electrocaloric effect.

The paper presents the efforts and results of a large consortium of European industries, research centers and Universities involved in a EU research project named OMASES in the field of power system dynamic security assessment (DSA). The overall structure of an on-line DSA tool including TSA transient stability assessment, VSA - voltage stability assessment, TS training simulator and MS - market simulator is reported. Some basic assumptions and methodological aspects of the tool are presented considering its possible use within actual or future energy management systems under the new electric market environment. Scenarios set up for the validation phase and results are reported with reference to the Italian test facility.

Natural zeolitic material composed of natrolite and thomsonite intergrowths (NAT/THO) was treated in solutions of different initial pH values at 25 degrees C under N-2 atmosphere and in 1M KCI as ionic modulator, until pH equilibration. The solid experimental products were studied by means of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive system (SEM-EDS), Fourier-transformed infra-red (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA). The liquid experimental products were analysed using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and atomic emission spectroscopy (AES). The NAT/THO material exhibited an amphoteric character with a tendency to neutralise the reacting solutions. The pH equilibration was faster for the acidic region than for the basic one. The H+ ions are chemisorbed on the bulk material, whereas the OH- ions promote a proton detachment from the exchangable cation-water complexes. No Broensted acidity, possibly responsible for the neutralisation in the basic region, was found by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) measurements. Reaction mechanisms involving hydrolysis and degradation-dissolution are proposed. Zeolite crystals remaining at the end of the experiments showed no loss of crystallinity, phase transformation nor even framework dealumination. The insertion of K+ into the zeolites is suggested here as the reason as to why no collapse of their crystal structure occurred in the most acidic solutions causing zeolites to be more resistant to chemical weathering. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Applied Geochemistry