"The Milk of Birds": A Proverbial Phrase, Ancient and Modern, and its Link to Nature

A curious phrase from ancient Greek, ὀρνίθων γάλα, finds parallels in Latin as lac gallinaceum and in Modern Greek, as και του πουλιού το γάλα. While the Greek phrases translate as "(and) the milk of (the) bird(s)", the Latin translates as "henʼs milk". This essay discusses the phrase in a select variety of Greek and Latin sources from the 5th century BCE to the 4th century CE, and its Modern Greek equivalent in the 21st century. In addition, it discusses the variety of meanings and uses found in those sources, and connections to the natural world. Information from ancient sources has been gleaned from a search of the Digital Loeb Classical Library online database. Information for modern use comes from informal interviews, Facebook messages, e-mails, and telephone messages of nine native speakers of Modern Greek from different parts of the Greek world, most of whom live in the United States. The essay discusses two points concerning the natural world: first, the phrase as found in the names of certain plants, and second, as a substance called crop-milk produced by members of the pigeon family. The linguistic connection between ancient and modern worlds and the parallels found in nature encourage scholars to look "outside the box" when investigating proverbs, proverbial expressions and proverbial phrases. The Modern Greek version of the phrase both confirms and expands the meanings of the ancient ones, thus suggesting that other connections between these ancient and modern languages may prove to be fruitful avenues of investigation.

Merodon chalybeus Subgroup: An Additional Piece of the M. aureus Group (Diptera, Syrphidae) Puzzle

In this study, we examined the morphology, genetics and distribution of the members of the Merodon chalybeus subgroup (M. aureus species group): M. chalybeus Wiedemann in Meigen, 1822, M. minutus Strobl, 1893 and M. robustus Veselić, Vujić & Radenković, 2017. Two of the species, M. chalybeus and M. minutus, are morphologically very similar and often misidentified in the literature. Here, by employing an integrative taxonomic approach we provide strong evidence for the separation of M. chalybeus and M. minutus. Our results show their clear allopatric distribution: M. minutus on the Balkan Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica, while M. chalybeus is a western Mediterranean species distributed on the Iberian Peninsula and northwest Africa. Data on the distribution of M. robustus were updated, with new records from Cyprus, Israel and Turkey, besides its type locality (Samos in Greece). We provide evidence for M. chalybeus and M. minutus representing a species complex, named the M. chalybeus complex, which together with M. robustus constitute the M. chalybeus subgroup.Peer reviewe

Characteristics of Strong Ground Motions in the 30 October 2020, MW6.9 Aegean Sea Earthquake

The eastern parts of the Aegean Sea were struck by a destructive MW 6.9 earthquake on 30 October 2020 at 11:51:27 UTC. The earthquake ruptured an East-West trending normal fault in the Aegean Sea between the northern coast of Samos Island and the southern coast of İzmir and also triggered a medium level tsunami and thousands of aftershocks across the region. 119 fatalities, 1,051 injuries, and many collapsed buildings were reported due to the earthquake in the affected region. The most catastrophic consequences of the earthquake were registered in the Bayraklı and Bornova districts, which are built on a deep alluvial Basin approximately 60–70 km away from the epicentre of the mainshock. This paper explains the damage with an extensive dataset of ground motion records of the mainshock and aftershocks, which are provided by both Greek and Turkish networks. A set of ground motion parameters such as peak ordinates, spectral quantities, intensity measures and duration parameters are calculated and analysed. The closest softer soil station in Samos Island produces the highest peak ground acceleration and velocity. The ground motion models employed commonly for the region overestimate the observed data beyond 60–70 km of Joyner-Boore distance except for the recently published local ground motion model, which utilises local earthquakes in the derivation of the model. Contrary to expectations, stiff soil recordings exhibit considerable spectral accelerations in the long period region, similar to those in soft soils. The calculated ground motion parameters are correlated with the results of the hybrid reconnaissance mission, organized by the Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT). Although the peak values and regarded intensity measures clearly highlight the variability in soil conditions in the most damaged area (Bayraklı and Bornova), velocity-based ground motion parameters seem to be the more responsive damage indicators. The spectral shapes of the normalised response spectra in the İzmir Basin are not compatible with the 2018 Turkish seismic code spectrum whereas their response spectra are below the 475-years return period design spectra provided in outdated and current Turkish seismic codes

Hope(lessness) : The perceive psychological impact of living a refugee camp

Tese de mestrado, Psicologia (Área de Especialização em Psicologia Clínica e da Saúde - Psicologia Clínica Sistémica), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Psicologia, 2020As the migration flow to Europe increases, thousands of people are forced to live in refugee camps whilst awaiting the conclusion of their asylum request. Considering the inadequate conditions in these camps and that the experience of exile may have harmful consequences for mental health, this investigation aims to understand the perspective of humanitarian workers and volunteers regarding Samos’ refugee camp conditions and the psychological well-being of refugees. This research utilized a qualitative methodological approach. Data was collected from 14 participants using semi-structured interviews, sociodemographic questionnaires, photographic analyses and observations within the natural environmental context. The findings suggest that the living conditions, described as the lack of hygiene, shelters, proper food, access to healthcare as well as the overcrowding and lack of safety in the camp, are perceived as having severe psychological implications, including traumas and mental degradation. It is also suggested that the length and uncertainty of the asylum process is a major source of hopelessness and powerlessness. The presence of a support system, resilience and running a business were indicated as coping strategies adopted to deal with the hardships of living in the camp while waiting for the asylum request to be concluded. Finally, the implications of the present investigation are discussed which emphasize the necessity of further research in this area.À medida que o fluxo migratório para a Europa aumenta, milhares de pessoas são forçadas a viver em campos de refugiados enquanto aguardam a conclusão do pedido de asilo. Tendo em consideração as condições inadequadas nos campos e as possíveis consequências prejudiciais à saúde mental, a presente investigação visa compreender a perspetiva de trabalhadores humanitários e voluntários relativamente às condições do campo de refugiados de Samos e o bemestar psicológico dos refugiados. O presente estudo utilizou uma abordagem metodológica qualitativa. A recolha de dados foi realizada através de entrevistas semiestruturadas e questionários sociodemográficos a 14 participantes, análise fotográfica e observações em contexto natural. Os resultados sugerem que as condições de vida, descritas pela falta de higiene, habitação, alimentação adequada, acesso a cuidados de saúde, bem como a superlotação e falta de segurança no campo, são percebidas como tendo implicações psicológicas graves, incluindo traumas e deterioração da saúde mental. Da mesma forma, é sugerido que a duração e a incerteza do processo de asilo são uma importante fonte de perda de esperança e sensação de controlo sobre a vida. A criação e manutenção de uma rede de apoio, a resiliência e a criação de um negócio foram indicadas como estratégias de coping adotadas para lidar com as dificuldades de viver no campo enquanto se aguarda a conclusão do pedido de asilo. Finalmente, são discutidas as implicações da presente investigação que enfatizam a necessidade de novas pesquisas nesta área

The Politics of Distinction and Exchange in Displacement: How Aesthetics Become Ethical

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College