Cyprus Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 1.4 (1998)

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List of Abstracts

Vsevolod Levtchitch

Fatigue and Seismic Response of Unbonded Reinforced Concrete Beams

The aim of this study is to obtain an information concerning the effect of flexural bond on the response of reinforced concrete beams to cyclic loadings. The investigation addressed the following issues: (i) shear span behaviour depending on the flexural bond. (ii) performance of beams with varying length of unbonded reinforcement. (iii) clues to ductile response. (iv) potentials for a controlled collapse mechanism. (v) regulation of the mode of failure. Variables: (a) location and length of unbonded part of longitudinal reinforcement, (b) shear span, (c) shear reinforcement, (d) indirect reinforcement of compressed zone of concrete, (e) load parameters. The length of unbonded parts and their location is treated as a clue to the control of crack pattern, shear capacity and mode of failure. Experimental results provide the basis for an analysis.

Constantinos Loucaides

A Comparison of the Physical Activity Levels of 10-12 year old- Cypriot children of the inner-city area versus those of the outer-city area

Evidence suggests that children should exercise in order to be able to carry the habit of an active lifestyle in their adult years. Leading an active lifestyle can prevent the onset of a number of diseases, especially the ones related to cardiovascular disease. Health professionals, should study the numerous determinants of children's physical activity and design intervention programmes that will help promote physical activity. The aim of this study is to compare the physical activity levels of children of the inner-city with those of the outer-city and assess whether the physical environment in which they live determines their activity levels. One hundred and sixty seven boys and girls between the ages of 10-12 were chosen from 5 Cyprus elementary schools (3 in the inner-city n=80, and 3 in the outer city n=87). Children were asked to complete self-reports of physical activity for a period of 7 days. The Yesterday activity checklist was used (Sallis et al, 1993). Children in the inner-city reported significantly higher physical activity than children in the outer-city (p<0.001) during the out-of-school hours (p<0.01), and during weekends (p<0.001). No significant differences were observed between the two groups during the in-school-hours (p=0.059). Boys reported significantly higher physical activity than girls (p<0.001). The present study supports the hypothesis that the physical environment (inner versus outer city) is a determinant of physical activity. However, considering metholological limitations, more studies will be needed to establish this relationship, and to which direction the differences occur. Specific recommendations are also made for designing intervention programmes in Cyprus.

Antony T. Popov

On some applications of mathematical morphology to robot motion planning in cluttered environment

In this work we show that some problems in collision - free robot motion planning, namely the problem of generation the free configuration space and the problem of scheduling the coordinated motion of two robot manipulators, can be reformulated in terms of morphological operation.

Elias Mallis

The financial liberalisation hypothesis: the case of Cyprus

It is widely accepted that Cyprus has entered a crucial phase concerning its future entry in the European Union. (E.U.). More developments are expected, especially, after the E.U's decisions taken during the last inter-governmental conference. The main objective of the paper is to theoretically examine the economic consequences on the Cypriot economy regarding Cyprus’ future entry in the E.U. Thus two controversial economic theories are contemplated trying to draw some useful and interesting inferences. The basic argument is that the Cyprus course towards Europe accompanied with a strict monetary policy may have unfavourable effects on the real sector of the Cypriot economy. Strict monetary policy seems to be suggested and directed by the E.U’s economists and followed by the monetary authorities in Cyprus.

Vlachos G.P. and Giziakis K.

Casualties of ferry ro-ro and passenger ships and the rules for safety

There is a general agreement that the resources available for research and development in the maritime world are pitifully low. The researchers are unlikely to come up with radical improvements in safety, because there is not the fundamental knowledge of the hazards or evaluation of alternative solutions which proper R and D would offer. National and international bodies elaborate safety measures mainly by improving the technical and operational parts of the shipping industry. It is a must to picture the situation from time to time and analyse the casualty statistics to examine the effectiveness of the remedies proposed by national and international bodies. The most recent casualty data of total losses have been presented in this paper for ferry ro-ro and passenger ships. Trends have been presented and the situation has been discussed. There was a worsening in safety despite the application of new proposals. An analysis by type of accident has been done to identify the area where emphasis must be given. Human losses are presented and the flags of the totally lost ships are shown in such a way as comparisons can be made. The recent developments of the international maritime and major national maritime bodies have been reviewed.

Andreas Poullikkas

Effects of air/water two phase flow on the performance of centrifugal pumps

Existing designs of centrifugal pumps can only handle very modest amounts of gas before they deprime. A normal centrifugal pump cannot usually handle any liquid having more than 7-9 percent gas content (by volume). Even this small percentage creates drop in head on the order of 20 percent as compared with 100 percent liquid. The physical mechanism of two phase flow remains to a great extent unexplained and in this investigation an attempt has been made to study this phenomenon. Systematic tests were carried out on a centrifugal pump of conventional design in order to establish the causes of two phase head degradation. Also, high speed video observations identified the basic mechanism leading to flow breakdown when pumping two phase mixtures.

George M. Korres

Productivity and technical change on EEC countries

This paper investigates the relationship between productivity and technological change. The question that we shall address in this paper, is whether the recent slow down in productivity can be explained by the slow-down of innovation activities. This paper measures technical change through the application of a translog production function, and the implication on European member states.

A. Pardalis & J.S. Lainos

The efficient pricing policy of a port container terminal (P.C.T.): the case study of the port of Piraeus (P.O.P.)

Due to the rapid technological change, the cost of a container terminal infrastructure has today dramatically increased and it covers a substantial part of the total operational cost. The subject related to that cost and the pricing policy applied by the port authorities, affects not only the microeconomic index of the port's profitability, but also simultaneously the macroeconomic indices. Moreover it affects the cost of container terminal services for the domestic customers (users) and the port's international competitiveness. The question “who will pay?” arises nowadays as a crucial one. The Port of Piraeus (P.O.P.) is a comprehensive port and one of the major ports of the Eastern Mediterranean. Its container terminal (C.T.) traffic covers today 76% of the total container traffic in Greek ports. This traffic gives the port a monopolistic position for its hinterland market. The remaining 24% of its traffic concerns the competitive Mediterranean market of transhipment. The construction of P.O.P.C.T. (Ikonion) started basically in 1981 and its extension is still under construction. The period of our study, therefore, starts in 1981 and terminates in 1994; it is the period for which the Port Authorities provide data. Up to 1994 and according to its published balance sheet, P.O.P. was profitable. Its investments were self financed. However, our research detected an irrational cost structure and a pricing policy which does not correspond to the cost.

The authors contribution is:

  • The investigation whether the implemented pricing policy fulfilled the objectives of the P.O.P.C.T. based on the “economic principles”.
  • The approach with regard to the cost of the P.O.P.C.T., although there is no cost accounting system at P.O.P.
  • The proposals for a P.O.P.C.T. pricing policy oriented towards an efficient fulfilment of the objectives under the existing conditions. Our proposals can be used accordingly by any Container Terminal which faces similar problems as those of the P.O.P.C.T.
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