The WordPress General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Framework is a comprehensive solution designed to ensure GDPR compliance for WordPress websites. Given the lack of a native compliance system, website owners rely on third-party plugins, many of which have significant limitations. This research proposes a privacy-centric, modular framework that integrates Consent Management, Data Protection, Access Control, Data Portability, and an Audit System. The framework enforces Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256) encryption, role based access control (Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)), automated consent tracking, and tamper-proof audit logs, ensuring regulatory adherence while maintaining seamless WordPress integration. Implemented as a lightweight, event-driven plugin, it optimizes performance while automating key GDPR compliance processes. Validation through security testing, compliance verification, and performance benchmarking confirms its effectiveness in mitigating risks and ensuring data protection. Future enhancements include Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven monitoring and decentralized data sovereignty solutions.

This research explores the optimization of Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) using Unity Job System, a framework enabling task parallelization across multiple CPU threads. EAs, widely applied in optimization and artificial intelligence, often face performance bottlenecks due to their computational intensity, especially in real-time or resource-constrained environments such as game development. By leveraging Unity's parallelization capabilities, the study aims to enhance the performance of EAs while addressing their computational challenges. A custom Unity application was developed to compare the performance of EA components - including fitness functions, selection, crossover, and mutation - under single-threaded and multi-threaded implementations. Tests were conducted on functions with varying computational complexities, including Big-O synthetic functions and benchmark functions such as Rastrigin and Rosenbrock. Additional evaluations included the Traveling Salesman Problem and the efficiency of core EA operations. The results demonstrate the potential for significant performance improvements when using Unity's Parallel Job System, particularly for tasks involving extensive data processing. However, limitations such as platform constraints, data preparation overhead, and restricted debugging capabilities are noted. This study provides practical insights for developers and researchers aiming to integrate parallel computing into real-time applications and highlights the potential of Unity as a versatile platform for advancing artificial intelligence in game development.

The objective of this thesis is to formulate a model that scrutinizes how investors endeavor to broaden the concepts of utilitarian and hedonic value in relation to outcomes such as consumer satisfaction, intentions for word-of-mouth communication, and intention propensity for future repurchase by dissecting the psychological mechanisms and factors influencing their purchasing decisions. The acquisition of a home constitutes a momentous milestone, signifying the advent of a new life phase. Given the multiplicity of elements implicated, it is indispensable to identify all relevant factors; accordingly, this study aspires to bridge the extant research lacunae. It covers various aspects that have not been previously studied in Cyprus or elsewhere. The research framework of this study entails an exhaustive review, synthesis, and analysis of germane literature concerning consumer intentions in real estate acquisitions. The procedure encompasses identifying and summarizing the objectives related to property acquisition as well as the factors impinging upon consumers' purchasing decisions. Based on the amassed materials, this research delineates the key determinants influencing consumer investment in real estate and develops a structured survey questionnaire for data collection from a specific demographic cohort. This quantitative study incorporates 314 buyers worldwide who have invested in properties located in Cyprus. The principal aim is to unearth the motivating factors or triggers influencing Chinese consumers' investment decisions regarding properties in Cyprus. A correlation analysis appraises these factors against property purchase objectives while accentuating their significance for clarity. Structural equation modeling assesses various hypotheses and investigates how variables influencing consumer behavior mediate the environmental influences on satisfaction levels, word-of-mouth intentions, and future repurchase plans. The findings emphasize the critical determinants shaping consumer behavior with an emphasis on both utilitarian and hedonic values while exploring how the functional and emotional aspects within the consumer environment affect satisfaction along with the relative significance of positive emotions within this framework. Furthermore, the employment of the Consumer Value Scale (CSV) within contexts encompassing novel service quality metrics in conjunction with product quality considerations accentuates infrastructure sustainability. This study seeks to establish a conceptual framework for the decision-making process involved in purchasing housing. Initially, it examines the definitions related to housing purchase decisions. Following that, it analyzes existing literature to identify commonalities in housing purchase intentions, preferences, and choices, ultimately leading to the development of a foundational conceptual framework, and the categorized elements that affect a consumer’s house purchase decision. Additionally, this paper explores how consumers behave as homebuyers during the housing purchase decision-making process. To achieve a more comprehensive comprehension, it is imperative to expand these findings across a multiplicity of countries. The study aims to provide useful information that could make Cyprus an appealing place to invest because it has the potential to change the lives of consumers and improve relationships between investors through effective systems designed to strengthen the real estate sector. Understanding the important behavioral factors will help lower risk over time while addressing inflationary pressures in a sustainable way. Understanding the implications of real estate investments not only benefits local economies but also enhances associated industry chains globally by elevating international professional standards.

Today’s businesses increasingly acknowledge that practicing sustainability not only benefits the society and the environment, but also could be a source of competitive advantage. Smart progressive firms are engaging in social sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) applications differentiating themselves from competition and creating higher reputation levels. Specifically, social sustainability could become a key factor influencing the performance of Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Even though several studies have been carried out mainly in the developed world on the role of Social Sustainability Practices (SSP), little has been done for the case of developing nations. Accordingly, this study is the first to investigate the effect of SSP on the overall business performance of SMEs in Lebanon. Departing from the Resource Based View (RBV) theory and strategic choice theory, the hypothesis here is that the implementation of SSP has a positive effect on the overall performance of SMEs in the Lebanese context. The research design employed in this study is mainly quantitative in nature, via a survey study administered to a representative sample of SMEs from the manufacturing sector in Lebanon. To ensure validity of the results, a random sampling procedure was followed to select a sample of 700 out of 4033 SMEs, getting 355 valid responses in total. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized for analyzing the collected data and testing a set of hypothesized relationships. Findings from analyzing the validated structural model indeed showed moderate to strong positive direct effects between SSP and the overall performance of the firm. Moreover, significant indirect effects have been identified through the involvement of barriers, drivers, and the development of competitive advantage. This indicates that the implementation of SSP helps in increasing the level of the overall performance of SMEs including operational and social performance outcomes in addition to productivity improvement, organizational learning competency and an enhanced public image. Moreover, the results highlight the positive significant relationships between drivers and SSP, competitive advantage and SSP, and the resulting competitive advantage and the overall firm performance. However, contrary to expectations, barriers did not exhibit significant effects on SSP, competitive advantage, and performance. This unexpected result challenges the conventional wisdom in the SSP field as it does not align with the current literature findings. One explanation of this result might be the resilient culture of a specific country, such as Lebanon. This finding might imply that encountering barriers should not be always seen as preventive to SSP, however, firms might view barriers as opportunities to strengthen social sustainability initiatives. The overall research findings suggest that SMEs should implement SSP to enhance their performance. The study provides an invaluable contribution to the existing literature by adding more empirical evidence about the positive direct and indirect relationship between SSP and the overall business performance. Moreover, this thesis offers practical recommendations for SMEs leaders, practitioners, and policy makers. Further, the road is paved for future researchers to explore more studies related to social sustainability based on this research findings.

There is currently insufficient evidence of a beneficial effect to recommend vitamin D supplementation for optimizing glycemic status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Taking into consideration the significant extra-skeletal effect of vitamin D on pancreatic β-cell function and insulin secretion and the large number of scientific evidence supporting the inverse association between vitamin D status and hyperglycemia, this review article aims to examine whether vitamin D supplementation therapies are beneficial to patients with T2DM considering specific factors through randomized controlled trials (RCTs). EBSCOhost and Medline databases were searched from the beginning of 2009 until the end of 2014 for RCTs in patients with T2DM. Parameters, such as baseline vitamin D levels, frequency/dosage of supplementation, length of the study and type of supplementation, were independently assessed, based on their effect on glycemic status. Although all different types of supplementation were safe and effective in the achievement of vitamin D sufficiency in a dose-dependent way, the impact on glycemic status was different. 14 RCTs were included with daily supplementations ranging from 400-11.200 IU/daily, 40.000-50.000 IU/weekly and 100.000-300.000 IU/intramuscularly or once given, for a period from 8 to 24 weeks. Daily supplementation of vitamin D (up to 11.200 IU) showed no effect, whereas combined supplementation, with calcium (≥300 mg), and with vitamin D doses similar to the RDA, showed positive effects. Additionally, high weekly doses of vitamin D (40.000-50.000 IU) were effective on glycemic outcomes but available data are limited.

Various anatomic structures including bone, muscle, or fibrous bands may entrap and potentially compress branches of the mandibular nerve (MN). The infratemporal fossa is a common location for MN compression and one of the most difficult regions of the skull to access surgically. Other potential sites for entrapment of the MN and its branches include, a totally or partially ossified pterygospinous or pterygoalar ligament, a large lamina of the lateral plate of the pterygoid process, the medial fibers of the lower belly of the lateral pterygoid muscle and the inner fibers of the medial pterygoid muscle. The clinical consequences of MN entrapment are dependent upon which branches are compressed. Compression of the MN motor branches can lead to paresis or weakness in the innervated muscles, whereas compression of the sensory branches can provoke neuralgia or paresthesia. Compression of one of the major branches of the MN, the lingual nerve (LN), is associated with numbness, hypoesthesia, or even anesthesia of the tongue, loss of taste in the anterior two thirds of the tongue, anesthesia of the lingual gums, pain, and speech articulation disorders. The aim of this article is to review, the anatomy of the MN and its major branches with relation to their vulnerability to entrapment. Because the LN expresses an increased vulnerability to entrapment neuropathies as a result of its anatomical location, frequent variations, as well as from irregular osseous, fibrous, or muscular irregularities in the region of the infratemporal fossa, particular emphasis is placed on the LN.

The education of Roma children presents many challenges throughout the world because of poverty, issues of isolation and discrimination. In many countries where Roma reside, laws exist that prohibit discrimination against this minority group. A variety of conflicting issues exist for Roma children. On one hand, the Roma communities practice cultural norms that are in conflict with a typical schooling environment that requires significant structure and lack of independent support. Conversely, schools fail to provide appropriate bilingual instruction for Roma children who usually do not speak the local language. In most countries discrimination attitudes create segregated schools and insufficient social services. Many efforts and organizations are in place to positively impact these challenges to provide quality education for all Roma children.

Με δεδομένη την έλλειψη καταλογισμού ποινικών ευθυνών στα νομικά πρόσωπα στην ελληνική έννομη τάξη, η συγκεκριμένη μελέτη αναδεικνύει συγκεκριμένα προβλήματα που αφορούν την ατομική ποινική ευθύνη των διευθυνόντων/ διοικητών, αλλά και των εκπροσώπων επιχειρήσεων, σε περιπτώσεις που με τις πράξεις των τελευταίων τελείται άδικη ποινική πράξη. Μετά την παρουσίαση κάποιων βασικών στοιχείων που αφορούν το ποινικό δίκαιο της επιχείρησης, γίνεται μία παρουσίαση κάποιων συγκεκριμένων ζητημάτων που ανακύπτουν κατά την απόδοση ατομικών ποινικών ευθυνών στα φυσικά αυτά πρόσωπα των επιχειρήσεων. Ακολουθεί μία προσπάθεια θεμελίωσης αυτών με τη βοήθεια των παγιωμένων κανόνων του Ποινικού Δικαίου, τόσο αυτών της ελληνικής, όσο και αυτών της γερμανικής θεωρίας και νομολογίας, παραθέτοντας κάθε φορά τις απαιτούμενες προϋποθέσεις για την πλήρωση της νομοτυπικής υπόστασης κάθε μηχανισμού απόδοσης ποινικών ευθυνών. Γενικότερος στόχος στη συγκεκριμένη μελέτη είναι να γίνει όσο το δυνατόν πιο σαφές για το αν και με ποιο τρόπο ευθύνονται τα παραπάνω πρόσωπα σε περιπτώσεις, που η επιχείρηση αναπτύσσει εγκληματική δραστηριότητα.