Western Macedonia Research Articles

Psihometrijsko proučavanje merne skale za nastavu socijalnih veština učenika sa posebnim obrazovnim potrebama

Introduction. Teaching social skills to students with special educational needs is essential for their personal development and integration into society. Objectives. The purpose of this study was to validate a measurement instrument for the elements involved in teaching and learning social skills in students with special educational needs. Methods. Two studies were conducted to accomplish this objective. We first performed exploratory research on half of the sample consisting of 166 Greek teachers working in primary and secondary special and general education schools in the Western Macedonia region. Then, we conducted a confirmatory study on a sample of 185 Greek teachers who were also working in primary and secondary special and general education schools in the same region. All education professionals work with students with mild special educational needs. The instrument used was an "ad hoc" questionnaire consisting of 17 items of a 5-point Likert scale, to which different analyses were applied to verify its validity and reliability. Results. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) showed a total of 3 factors corresponding to the "Preparedness of Teachers in Teaching Social Skills", the "Elements of Influence on Teachers' Suitability in Teaching Social Skills", and the "Elements that play an important role in Teaching Social Skills". Subsequently, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was carried out, through which the results derived from the AFE were ratified. Conclusion. The findings reveal an instrument that is adequate in validity and reliability, in accordance with the literature, demonstrating that the model is consistent and coherent with the initial theoretical assumptions.

Extraction Study of Lignite Coalbed Methane as a Potential Supplement to Natural Gas for Enhancing Energy Security of Western Macedonia Region in Greece

Greek lignite reserves are mainly located in the northwestern part of the country (Region of Western Macedonia, Greece), reaching a total of 5 billion tons. Considering that Greece is planning to stop burning lignite for electricity production, the recovery of the CH4 trapped in lignite coalbed reservoirs can be a valuable alternative for power generation and may help to reduce the direct emissions of methane during mining activities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the LCBM in the Region of Western Macedonia, Greece (Ptolemaida basin). In order to assess the LCBM that could be extracted, three samples were collected from an active mine and were subjected to desorption experiments at different temperatures (25 °C, 50 °C, 100 °C, and 150 °C) by channeling high purity Ar gas at 1 atm of pressure. According to the results, the highest amount of CH4 was extracted during the desorption process at 50 °C, while the total amount of CH4 from all three samples was 0.82 m3/kg, confirming the presence of CH4 in the lignite deposits. Finally, a SWOT analysis was carried out that shows the strengths and opportunities against the weaknesses and threats of a potential LCBM exploitation in Greece, while also taking into account the social, economic, and environmental nexus.

State and Entrepreneurship on the Road to Green Growth in a Post Lignite Era: Friends or Foes?

Green governance is an emerging field, attracting increasing attention from scholars, and governments have been using a range of policy tools to support the transition to green economy, including regulation; financial incentives; voluntary agreements; fiscal measures; public sector procurement; targeting to the deployment of clean energy technologies. Greece has little experience in developing comprehensive long-term energy and climate strategies; thus, it is imperative that governance and analytical underpinning of long-term energy and climate planning be improved, and investment needs and innovative financing instruments for clean energy technologies analysed. To investigate the critical issue of state and entrepreneurship synergies in the framework of the green economy, the present survey employed a web-based questionnaire distributed to 417 small and medium sized enterprises in Western Macedonia from September to December 2021. Data analysis involved an exploratory factor and logistic regression analysis, creating a statistical model with three independent factors describing basic tools of the green economy. The results showed that, in Greece, state environmental governance is often perceived as inadequate, scarce, or constrained by considerations of economic growth. In addition, the research indicates that government policies with regards to environmental law implementation are mainly restricted to the "command and control" regulatory model, which fails to address green innovation and entrepreneurship and promote synergies between the private sector and the State. The analyses demonstrate that if government revenues are heavily reliant on taxes and fines, their capacity to finance structural adjustment programs can be severely affected, and alternative approaches are necessary to achieve the green growth.

The role of Green Public Procurements in energy transition: the case of Western Macedonia

This paper aims to assess the level of implementation of Green Public Procurements (GPP) in the Region of Western Macedonia—Greece, which is currently under energy transition from lignite to a RES-based energy model. By that assessment, a linkage between the GPP framework and energy transition is created, revealing the distinct GPP criteria that should be adopted by energy-transition regions, which have the potential to strengthen the transition process. Rather than implementing the total number of the GPP criteria, literature and methodology findings indicated that specific GPP criteria are directly connected to energy transition and should be primarily adopted by policymakers in comparison to the rest. These criteria are Electricity, Road Transport, Waste Water Infrastructure and Road Lighting and Traffic Signals. By assessing a sample of 31 procurement officials and scientific experts in the five major municipalities of the region, the implementation level of GPP criteria was measured average-to-low, implying that there is a considerable scope by the region’s main municipal authorities to adopt them to a greater extent. Statistical correlations using Spearman’s rank correlation analysis between specific GPP criteria were also identified, indicating distinct interconnections between the criteria pairs that imply commonalities in the implementation framework of GPP. The paper’s implications for future research led to the identification of specific GPP criteria in the public procurement process, that have the potential to enhance green sustainability and boost energy transition.

Хтоническая космология в эпитафии Георгия Акрополита на смерть императора Иоанна III Дуки Ватаца

Introduction. The article critically examines the epitaph of George Akropolites on the death of Emperor Johannes III Ducas Vatatzes. The Epitaph of George Akropolites is a remarkable example of Byzantine rhetoric. The highly educated Byzantine author, proud of his splendid education and skillful rhetorician, fully expressed in this work his knowledge of ancient topics and biblical aesthetics. Methods and materials. The article is written in the context of hermeneutic methodology. We assume that the epitaph of George Akropolites requires a deeper interpretation, which will help to reveal the implicit meanings hidden in the text of George Akropolites. Analysis. First, in the epitaph of George Akropolites, Charon is synonymous with death. This is not an ancient reminiscence, as it may seem, but a popular character of the Acritic folklore of the 9th – 11th centuries, popular among the military class. Akropolites would soon become acquainted with this class, becoming praetor in 1256, when he would be extremely unsuccessful in commanding an army in western Macedonia. Secondly, it is worthwhile to look closely, following K. Praechter, at the expression of George Akropolites “the emperor became the paranáloma of Charon”. In our opinion, paranáloma is an extremely interesting word that takes us into the archaic and chthonic world and presents George Akropolites as a remarkable connoisseur of a wide variety of philosophical and medical texts, particularly the Neoplatonic writings of John Philoponus (c. 480–570) and Simplicianus of Cilicia (c. 490–560). Results. In summary, we have before us a whole literary tradition revolving around a natural-philosophical reading of the folkloric underworld and Charon, which gives for George Akropolites a large stock of metaphors and an opportunity to show his education.

The potential of polycyclic aromatic compounds as indicators for soil contamination by open-pit mining and utilization of lignite: a case study at Ptolemaida basin, Greece

AbstractThe majority of Greek lignite fields and coal-fired power plants is accumulated in the centre of Western Macedonia in the Ptolemais-Amynteo region of Northern Greece (Ptolemaida basin). The corresponding environmental impact dominantly caused by the mining process itself but also due to the burning process of lignites needs to be considered. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the potential of PAHs to trace the environmental impact of power plant and coal mining emissions on soil pollution in the Ptolemaida basin. Noteworthy, the study area exhibits some special features (e.g. geomorphological and meteorological conditions, well-defined emission sources) that allow to prove the suitability of PAHs as indicators for specific petrogenic contaminations. The different sets of PAH emission sources followed in this study (fly ashes, lignite dust, charred woody material) reflected the pollution as derived from the coal mining activities as well as agricultural measures. Different approaches from simple (total amount) to more complex fingerprinting (ring member classification; profiles of sulphur-/nitrogen- and oxygen-containing PACs) as well as the application of established specific PAH ratios revealed no significant correlation with the detected soil contamination or rather soil PAH profiles. However, the microscopic analyses contradicted this assumption, since relevant particle concentrations were evident for fly ash as well as lignite particles. Hence, a huge superimposition by a further PAH emission source is assumed, probably the exhaust fumes of car traffic. In general, the study demonstrated that the application of PAHs as source indicators in soil systems is very complex and needs a very thorough interpretation. Hence, the need of using additionally complementary parameters for an unambiguous emission source apportionment seems obvious. Graphical abstract

Creating Location-Based Augmented Reality Games and Immersive Experiences for Touristic Destination Marketing and Education

The aim of this paper is to present an approach that utilizes several mixed reality technologies for touristic promotion and education. More specifically, mixed reality applications and games were created to promote the mountainous areas of Western Macedonia, Greece, and to educate visitors on various aspects of these destinations, such as their history and cultural heritage. Location-based augmented reality (AR) games were designed to guide the users to visit and explore the destinations, get informed, gather points and prizes by accomplishing specific tasks, and meet virtual characters that tell stories. Furthermore, an immersive lab was established to inform visitors about the region of interest through mixed reality content designed for entertainment and education. The lab visitors can experience content and games through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) wearable devices. Likewise, 3D content can be viewed through special stereoscopic monitors. An evaluation of the lab experience was performed with a sample of 82 visitors who positively evaluated features of the immersive experience such as the level of satisfaction, immersion, educational usefulness, the intention to visit the mountainous destinations of Western Macedonia, intention to revisit the lab, and intention to recommend the experience to others.

Decarbonization of Former Lignite Regions with Renewable Hydrogen: The Western Macedonia Case

For lignite intense regions such as the case of Western Macedonia (WM), the production and utilization of green hydrogen is one of the most viable ways to achieve near zero emissions in sectors like transport, chemicals, heat and energy production, synthetic fuels, etc. However, the implementation of each technology that is available to a respective sector differs significantly in terms of readiness and the current installation scale of each technology. The goal of this study is the provision of a transition roadmap for a decarbonized future for the WM region through utilizing green hydrogen. The technologies which can take part in this transition are presented, along with the implementation purpose of each technology, and the reasonable extension that each technology could be adopted in the present context. The WM region’s limited capacity for green hydrogen production leads to certain integration scenarios, with regards to the required hydrogen, electrolyzer capacities, and required power, whereas an environmental assessment is also presented for each scenario.

Variability of Air Pollutant Concentrations and Their Relationships with Meteorological Parameters during COVID-19 Lockdown in Western Macedonia

The lockdown implemented to tackle the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on air quality. Globally, studies have shown that air pollutant levels decreased temporally during the restriction measures. In this study, we evaluated the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the air quality of Western Macedonia, Greece, using the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 along with meteorological data from the Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) operated by the Lignite Center of Western Macedonia. In Western Macedonia, previous studies have identified a general reduction in air pollutant levels during the last decade due to the coal phase-out plan for power generation. During the lockdown, the levels of PM2.5 and PM10 decreased further. The reduced emissions from the local mining activities and lignite-fired power plant electricity generation, as well as the weather conditions, seem to contribute to improving air quality.

Of hopeful narratives and historical injustices – An analysis of just transition narratives in European coal regions

In recent years, the public discourse on the phase-out of carbon-intensive technologies and practices has come to a near consensus that a “just transition” is required. Yet, this term seems to have as many meanings as there are stakeholders using it. The purpose of this paper is to unpack the different meanings that regional stakeholders assign to it and the underlying dimensions of in(justice) that they invoke in their political communication.To this end, we employ a policy narrative analysis to study and compare the political discourse in four European coal and carbon-intensive mining regions: Ida-Virumaa (Estonia, oil shale), the Rhenish mining region (Germany, lignite), Upper Silesia (Poland, hard coal) and Western Macedonia (Greece, lignite). Specifically, we address the following research questions: Which narratives are characterising the political discourse around just transition? Which (in)justices are being invoked? Which patterns, similarities or differences are recognizable between regions?We found that hopeful narratives describing structural change as an opportunity to reinvent the region are prevalent in all regions. Strong narratives of resistance only prevail in Upper Silesia and Ida-Virumaa where a phase-out decision has not yet been adopted. In terms of injustices, we find surprisingly little evidence that injustices related to the immediate effects of the transformation (e.g. lay-offs and compensation for workers and companies) play an important role. Instead, the aspects related to the historical injustices produced by the legacy industrial system prevail. And perhaps most importantly, questions about access and allocation of the opportunities of the imminent transition are key and should be addressed more explicitly.

Genetic Assessment, Propagation and Chemical Analysis of Flowers of Rosa damascena Mill. Genotypes Cultivated in Greece

Rosa damascena Mill. is commercially the most important rose species used to produce essential oils. The plants of this species, cultivated in the district of Western Macedonia (Greece) for rose oil production, originated from indigenous genotypes but also nurseries abroad, mainly from Bulgaria. The present study investigated the genetic relationship between nine genotypes of R. damascena from Greece, one genotype from Turkey, three genotypes from Bulgaria and three genotypes from France using the molecular markers ISSR and SCoT. Also, the rooting ability of shoot cuttings from these nine genotypes was investigated by applying 2 g/L of the rooting regulator K-IBA. In addition, petals were chemically analyzed using GC-MS and LC-MS to identify the compounds that are the main components of the rose oil. The nine rose genotypes of R. damascena, cultivated in Greece, one from Turkey and one of the three genotypes from Bulgaria were clustered in one clade in the dendrogram. The other two genotypes from Bulgaria were clustered in a separate clade that demonstrated the existence of genetic diversity among the three Bulgarian genotypes, while the French genotypes were clustered in a third clade. The shoot cuttings rooted relatively easily (55–70%) with the application of K-IBA, without any significant differences among the nine genotypes. Large variation was observed among the nine genotypes in the main volatile compounds of the flower petal extracts, which are related to rose oil components. For these compounds, the concentrations in μg/g of the fresh petal weight were 2-phenylethylalcohol (1148.35–2777.19), nerol (27.45–64.93), citronellol (88.45–206.59), geraniol (69.12–170.99) and nonadecane (209.27–533.15). Of the non-volatile compounds, gallic acid was the most abundant phenolic acid in the petal extracts of the nine genotypes (0.28–0.82 μg/g), while for the flavonoids, quercetin and kaempferol variations of 0.35–1.17 μg/g and 0.26–2.13 μg/g were recorded, respectively.

Critical Thinking in Teacher Education: Course Design and Teaching Practicum

Critical Thinking is considered a key component of Higher Education that supports graduates’ preparation for the labor market. However, in the field of teacher education more research is needed to support student-teachers with regard to the complexity of schools. It is considered that a teaching practicum can set the stage for the cultivation of Critical Thinking skills and dispositions, as student-teachers have to face real problems and be led to decision-making. The paper presented here describes the curriculum transformation of courses offering theoretical lectures and teaching practicum in the Department of Primary Education, University of Western Macedonia. After focus group discussion with in-service teachers, the Critical Thinking skills and dispositions considered necessary for teacher education were thoroughly described and utilized for the course design. The courses were modified to include a variety of teaching strategies following the direct infusion approach for training in Critical Thinking with the aim of promoting reflective practices for fostering student-teachers’ critical reflection. In this way, they can be empowered regarding their professional development.

A machine learning modelling approach to characterize the background pollution in the Western Macedonia region in northwest Greece

The background PM10 concentration in the Western Macedonia region, a complex terrain area with combined urban and industrial emission sources is investigated in this study. PM10 measurements were collected from a remote agricultural monitoring site situated in the southern part of the region and outside the industrial basin over a 12-year period (2010–2021). The ongoing reduction in lignite production during the last decade resulted in considerable changes in particulate emissions in the area. To take into account the changes in the air quality of the region the whole period was divided into two subperiods of common air pollution characteristics. For each period, Hidden Markov Models clustering was applied to the deseasonalized daily PM10 concentrations and the corresponding diurnal amplitudes to extract groups of similar characteristics (clusters) and define the background pollution. The average background concentration was estimated at 15.9 μg/m3 during the period 2010–2015 followed by a decrease of 3.1 μg/m3 to 12.8 μg/m3 during the second study period (2016–2021). The examination of the long-term changes in the background concentration revealed a statistically significant decreasing annual trend of −0.39 μg/m3 that reflected the air quality improvement of the region during the last decade. Additionally, background concentrations co-existed with favorable meteorological conditions such as higher wind speeds during the cold period (October–March) diminishing the contribution of local anthropogenic emissions (biomass burning for heating purposes) and a less developed mixing layer during the warm period (April–September) impeding the impact of the particulate plumes from the nearby power plants.

Agricultural resources and practices in the circular bioeconomy adoption: evidence from a rural region of Greece

PurposeThis study aims to assess the factors influencing the adoption of circular bioeconomy practices by crop farmers.Design/methodology/approachData collected from 303 farmers in the region of Western Macedonia (WM) were used to identify the adoption factors of the circular bioeconomy. Principal component analysis (PCA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) techniques were applied through a custom-designed and specially structured questionnaire.FindingsThe results reveal four main motivations that lead farmers to adopt circular bioeconomy practices in their farming activities: interest in physical-economic resources and factors related to production and consumption; technology and renewable energy and the environment.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is based solely on farmers in WM. Furthermore, this study assumes that there will be a strategy to promote a circular bioeconomy under the auspices of the government.Originality/valueFew studies have focused on the perspectives of crop farmers and what encourages them to adopt circular bioeconomy practices in their crops. Existing barriers are related to economic incentives and constraints. The more circular bioeconomy practices farmers adopt, the greater the positive impact on the environment and rural development, and the factors influencing the adoption of these practices are investigated here.

Effective Leadership in Decision Making and Mediation in the Relationship Between Educators and Parents: A Case Study of Primary Schools in Western Macedonia, Greece

Effective Leadership in Decision Making and Mediation in the Relationship Between Educators and Parents: A Case Study of Primary Schools in Western Macedonia, Greece

Planning the Closure of Surface Coal Mines Based on Circular Economy Principles

The ongoing energy transition is expected to lead to the closure of many coal and lignite mines in the coming years, jeopardizing economic growth and social cohesion. The closure of a mine is a complex process that must be completed in accordance with the legislation and the environmental permit. The scope of this study is to prove that circular economy principles can contribute to the successful completion of a mine closure project, moving things beyond the narrow margins of legislation in two ways: (i) maximizing the recovery of materials with residual value and reducing the volume of discarded waste and (ii) by preparing rehabilitated mine land to be suitable for new uses that will assist in mitigating the economic and social impact and supporting sustainable development at the local and regional level. In this frame, based on the authors’ experience in mine planning and land reclamation projects, a series of new Rs are added to the three basics (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) in order to enhance materials and land management during mine closure. Furthermore, the closure of the lignite mines in the Greek Region of Western Macedonia is investigated. In this case, land reclamation projects and land uses were redesigned based on the principles of the circular economy and sustainable development goals, incorporating interventions such as the construction of photovoltaic parks and pumped storage systems and industrial areas. Based on these facts, the study concludes that the proposed approach for mine closure contributes to the achievement of the objectives of both the mining enterprises and the local governments that are seeking a new development model based on the inherent advantages of their region.

The Evaluation of the Final Stage of the Teaching Practice Program by the Students of the University of Western Macedonia

Teaching practice is an integral part of the teachers’ education program met in every Department of Primary Education. Through this, prospective teachers acquire a wide range of experiences from their contact with school, both by observing and by conducting lessons, while they focus on the practical as well as the theoretical aspect of their studies. In the Department of Primary Education of Florina, teaching practice program is divided into three phases, initially in the form of observation (Phase I) and then with personal hourly teaching in the classroom (Phase II). Phase III is the conclusion of the teaching practice and aims at acquiring direct experience of the daily work and life at school, at developing prospective teachers’ ability to self-evaluate their work as well as at becoming aware of their pedagogical responsibility towards students through teaching a school class for about two weeks. This paper presents students' views on the extent to which the main objectives of Phase III are met, on how significant it is in guiding and supporting their work and on the difficulties, they have encountered in conducting it. This research approach is part of an on-site long-term research which examines the overall teaching practice program, using all prospective teachers (126) throughout their studies as a control group, and questionnaire and semi-structured interview as research tools, providing us with both quantitative and qualitative data. By analyzing the research data, we find that students: a) consider Phase III one of the most important parts of their practical training, b) acquire direct experience of everyday school life, c) develop the ability to reflect on and self-evaluate their work, d) design and prepare teaching under real working conditions, e) develop the ability to deal in a personalized way with children with particular teaching problems, while f) they encounter significant problems with the time-consuming process of preparing the next day's lesson plan.

Theoretical and experimental investigation of ventilation rates and their relation with IAQ and thermal comfort in university classrooms during SARS-COV-2 pandemic

During the pandemic of Covid-19, ventilation rate of buildings and especially in spaces with high occupancy like classrooms, presents high research interest. The ventilation strategies, combined with the use of masks, contribute to the decrease of the infection risk of Covid-19. Also, ventilation improves Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), contributing to the good health of the users and potentially influences their thermal comfort. In the proposed work, the experimental investigation of the ventilation’s adequacy in naturally ventilated classrooms located at the University of Western Macedonia, in Kozani, Greece, took place. Measurements include thermal comfort parameters, as well as IAQ ones, namely carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), aldehydes and ozone (O3). The air exchange rates were determined according to the tracer gas decay and equilibrium analysis methods, using CO2 as tracer gas, while simulations analysis using appropriate computational approaches was applied. The results between tracer gas method and simulation analysis were compared, allowing the validation of the adopted models. Given that for both approaches natural ventilation proved to be inadequate, different simulated scenarios of ventilation, including natural and mechanical configuration, were investigated; the relation of ventilation rates to IAQ and thermal comfort was investigated. Moreover, the infection risk, given the determined or simulated IAQ, was assessed, according to relevant approaches.

(Un)just transitions and working-class environmentalism: a collaborative ethnography on the trade union Labour Solidarity in Western Macedonia

(Un)just transitions and working-class environmentalism: a collaborative ethnography on the trade union Labour Solidarity in Western Macedonia

Music listening as an emotion regulation strategy of students during COVID-19 lockdown

Τhe purpose of the current study was to examine the positive impact of music listening and musical emotion regulation strategies as predictors of students’ affect during COVID-19 lockdown. Two hundred and three students from University of Western Macedonia completed an on-line self-report questionnaire consisting of Positive Music Listening Experience Scale, Music Uses and Gratifications Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Results indicate that students’ positive affect is positively related with positive impact of music listening as well as with negative mood management, whereas negative affect is negatively related with negative mood management. Furthermore, positive impact of music listening was the only predictor of students’ positive affect, while both emotion regulation strategies were predictors of students’ negative affect. Results indicate the importance of music listening as an emotion regulation strategy of students during pandemic. The practical applications and limitations of the research are discussed.