Secularism in Context: The Relations between the Greek State and the Church of Greece in Crisis

The present article addresses the question of secularism in Greece. It discusses the prevalent modernist and civilisationist explanations of the recent crisis in state-church relations in Greece. Based on the idea that there is neither a single route to, nor a single pattern of, modernity and secularism, the article argues that the entanglement between state and church in modern Greece does not necessarily indicate either incomplete modernity or incomplete secularism. The paper emphasises both the structural weakness of the Orthodox Church in the modern Greek state and the secularisation of the church's ideology as core dimensions of the particular pattern of secularism in this country. The recent crisis is interpreted as a result of the twofold challenge of democratisation and globalisation that this historically grown pattern of secularism is facing over the last decades. Further, the article seeks to demonstrate that the nationalist stance of the Church of Greece should not be seen as persistent blind traditionalism and anti-modernis

Advanced building materials using nanomaterials in building applications with self-cleaning properties

Η νανοτεχνολογία στον κατασκευαστικό τομέα προσφέρει ενδιαφέρουσες νέες ευκαιρίες όσον αφορά την ανάπτυξη σύγχρονων κατασκευαστικών συστημάτων, δομικών υλικών και μεθόδων σχεδιασμού. Επιπλέον, η ενσωμάτωση των ανακυκλωμένων δομικών υλικών και της 3-Δ εκτύπωσης στον κατασκευαστικό τομέα αποτελεί ένα ακόμη βήμα προς την βιωσιμότητα. Τα φωτοκαταλυτικά νανοϋλικά με ιδιότητες αυτοκαθαρισμού μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν ως επιστρώσεις σε δομικά στοιχεία ή πεζοδρόμια αλλά και σε διακοσμητικά αντικείμενα όπως πάνελ οροφής, κουρτίνες και ταπετσαρίες, προκειμένου να αποφευχθεί η αφαίρεση του στρώματος προστασίας των επιφανειών, η αλλαγή χρώματος των βαφών και η ρύπανση από τις χημικές ουσίες των καθαριστικών. Νανοδομές διοξειδίου του τιτανίου (TiO2) αλλά και άλλων οξειδίων, μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν ως φωτοκαταλυτικά προϊόντα με αυτοκαθαριζόμενες ιδιότητες. Το νανοϋλικό TiO2 μελετάται σε αυτήν τη διπλωματική εργασία, λόγω της υψηλής φωτοκαταλυτικής του δραστηριότητας, της υψηλής σταθερότητας και του χαμηλού του κόστους. Το ντόπινγκ με μέταλλα έχει αποδειχθεί επιτυχής προσέγγιση για την ενίσχυση της φωτοκαταλυτικής απόδοσης των φωτοκαταλυτών. Νανοδομές TiO2 χωρίς ντόπινγκ αλλά και με In-Ni-, Mn-In, Mn-Cu-, Mn-Ni- διμεταλλικό ντόπινγκ συντέθηκαν με την υδροθερμική μέθοδο υποβοηθούμενης από μικροκύματα. Μελετήθηκε η φωτοκαταλυτική απόδοση των νανοεπιστρώσεων που εφαρμόστηκαν σε 3-Δ τυπωμένα πλακίδια και υφάσματα, χρησιμοποιώντας ένα τεστ αυτοκαθαρισμού και απορρύπανσης, τον αποχρωματισμό του Methylene Blue (MB). Τα νανοεπιστρωμένα δείγματα έδειξαν υψηλό αποχρωματισμό του MB και μεγάλες δυνατότητες σε εφαρμογές αυτοκαθαρισμού.Nanotechnology in the construction industry offers interesting new opportunities for advancing construction systems, building materials, and design methods. Moreover, the incorporation of recycled construction materials and 3-D printing in construction industry is a further step towards sustainability. Photocatalytic nanomaterials with self-cleaning properties can be used as coatings on building blocks or pavements, but also on interior decorative items such as ceiling panels, curtains and wallpapers, in order to avoid the removal of the protection layer of the surfaces, the color change of pigmented elements, and the chemical contaminants from cleaning. Nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO2) and other oxides, can be used as photocatalytic products with self-cleaning properties. The nanomaterial TiO2 is studied in this Master thesis, because of its high photocatalytic activity, the high stability and the low cost. Metal doping has proved to be a successful approach for enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency of photocatalysts. Undoped and In-Ni-, Mn-In-, Mn-Cu-, Mn-Ni- bimetallic doped TiO2 nanostructures were synthesized using the microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. Photocatalytic efficiency of applied nanocoatings on 3-D printed panels and fabrics was studied, using a self-cleaning and a de-pollution test, Methylene Blue (MB) decolorization. Nanocoated samples showed high MB decolorization and great potential in self-cleaning applications

Pre- and Post-harvest Melatonin Application Boosted Phenolic Compounds Accumulation and Altered Respiratory Characters in Sweet Cherry Fruit

The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of exogenous melatonin (0. 5 mM) application through pre-harvest foliar spray and postharvest immersion, alone or in combination, on ripening parameters of sweet cherry (cv. Ferrovia) fruit and their relationship with bioactive compounds and gene expression at harvest as well after cold storage (0°C) for 12 days and subsequent room temperature (20°C) exposure for 8 h. Although several ripening traits were not influenced by melatonin, the combining pre- and post-harvest treatments delayed fruit softening at post-cold period. Preharvest spray with melatonin depressed fruit respiration at time of harvest while all applied treatments induced respiratory activity following cold, indicating that this anti-ripening action of melatonin is reversed by cold. Several genes related to the tricarboxylic acid cycle, such as PaFUM, PaOGDH, PaIDH, and PaPDHA1 were upregulated in fruit exposed to melatonin, particularly following combined pre- and post-harvest application. The accumulation of phenolic compounds, such as neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, procyanidin B1, procyanidin B2+B4, cyanidin-3-O-galactoside, and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside along with the expression of several genes involved in phenols biosynthesis, such as PaSK, PaPAL, Pa4CL, PaC4H, and PaFNR were at higher levels in melatonin-treated cherries at harvest and after cold exposure, the highest effects being observed in fruits subjected to both pre- and post-harvest treatments. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of melatonin-responsive ripening framework at different melatonin application conditions and sweet cherry stages, thereby helps to understand the action of this molecule in fruit physiology

Effects of Eprosartan on Serum Metabolic Parameters in Patients with Essential Hypertension

The effect of the anti-hypertensive drug eprosartan on metabolic parameters is currently not extensively documented. We evaluated the effect of eprosartan on parameters involved in atherogenesis, oxidative stress and clotting activity. This open-label unblinded intervention study included 40 adult patients with essential hypertension taking eprosartan. Eprosartan significantly reduced by 8% (p<0.001) the systolic and by 13% (p<.001) the diastolic blood pressure, and in-creased by 24% the time needed to produce oxidative by-products (p=0.001), a marker of oxidative stress. In contrast, ep-rosartan did not alter 8-isoprostane (8-epiPGF2a) levels, another marker of oxidative stress. Additionally, eprosartan re-duced by 14% aspartate aminotransferase and by 21% then alanine aminotransferase activity, while it had a neutral effect on the lipid profile and apolipoprotein levels and did not influence glucose homeostasis, creatinine and uric acid levels. Eprosartan did not affect the clotting/fibrinolytic status (estimated by plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, tissue plasmino-gen activator and a2 antiplasmin levels), or the enzymatic activity of the lipoprotein associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) and paraoxonase 1 (PON1). In conclusion, eprosartan should be mainly considered as an anti-hypertensive agent with neutral effects on most of the metabolic parameters in hypertensive patients

Numerical Simulation of Submarine Slides in Bjørnafjorden Using Rheological Models

The continuous development of the world creates the need for submarine transport and communication. Consequently, seafloor instabilities may create complications in the everyday life of humans. A sustainable design for the lifespan of urban infrastructure is vital for the maintenance of their operation. Statens Vegvesen aims at the completion of the E39 project without having any ferry connections. In the context of E39, a side-anchored floating bridge will be constructed in Bjørnafjorden, and the mooring system will be anchored on the seabed. In the first part, the definition of the problem is given together with the description of the geological situation of Bjørnafjorden’s seafloor. Subsequently, a literature review is provided on landslides. Additionally, a brief description of the mathematical background of DAN3D is included. The stability of the seafloor is a crucial element of the study, and an extensive back-calculation for the determination of the governing geotechnical and rheological parameters is detailed. All the analyses were conducted with the software DAN3D. This study approaches the topic from different aspects. Several empirical approaches are adopted in order to estimate the run-out distance of a given landslide. In the numerical analysis, two rheological models are chosen for the back-calculation of the landslide. Both plastic and frictional rheologies simulate the landslide in a realistic way. Finally, a comparison with NGI’s conclusions is conducted to confirm the correctness of the present study and give a clear overview of the geotechnical conditions in Bjørnafjorden’s seabed. The study concludes with recommendations and suggestions on future work based on the simulation results