A commentary on the final scene of Euripides’ Phoenician women

Often enough the scholar who deals with ancient Greek poetry, specifically drama, has to answer a difficult question: whether the plays that have reached us today are in the same form as when they were written by their creator. Dramas today suffer from interpolations and corruptions and scholars have to dedicate a lot of effort to remove them. Luckily they have plenty of "tools" they can use: syntax, grammar, metre, style, vocabulary, relevance. One, of course, must always bear in mind that all the above are not always adequate criteria. Repeated phraseology, faulty grammar, undesirable metre can, but do not always indicate whether a passage is an interpolation or not. Strange vocabulary is not enough either, since common words may survive in a limited number of plays by accident. Relevance with a passage's environment can be a very subjective criterion as well. This thesis is concerned with one of the most problematic, in terms of interpolation, tragedies, the "Phoenician Women" of Euripides. After a general introduction about what the tragedy is about and what the main problems in it are, chapter two deals with the final part of it (lines 1307-1767) and the textual problems it presents and at the end the final chapter tries to give us an answer to the most prominent inconsistency of the play, i.e. what does Antigone do at the end of the play: does she follow Oedipous or does she bury Polyneikes

Η ποιότητα της αδελφικής σχέσης στην οικογένεια με παιδί με ψύχωση

Η εργασία μελετά την αδελφική σχέση στις οικογένειες που υπάρχει παιδί με ψύχωση. Κύριο ενδιαφέρον αποτελεί η οπτική του προσωπικού βιώματος των υγιών αδελφών, πώς εκείνοι έζησαν ως παιδιά τον αδελφικό δεσμό και πως ως ενήλικες, μετά την έναρξη της νόσου. Το δείγμα αποτελούνταν από 8 ενήλικες, αδέρφια ασθενών που νοσηλεύονταν σε Ψυχιατρικό Νοσοκομείο, σε τμήμα οξέων περιστατικών. Οι διαγνώσεις των ασθενών ήταν Παρανοειδής σχιζοφρένεια, Σχιζοσυναισθηματική διαταραχή, Παραληρητική διαταραχή και άλλες μη οργανικές ψυχώσεις. Η μέθοδος συλλογής δεδομένων έγινε με τη χρήση ημι- δομημένης συνέντευξης, με 4 θεματικούς άξονες. Χρησιμοποιήθηκε η ποιοτική έρευνα ώστε να αποδοθούν οι υφές του βιώματος. Για την ανάλυση των δεδομένων, έγινε απομαγνητοφώνηση των συνεντεύξεων και εφαρμογή της ανάλυσης περιεχομένου. Κύρια ευρήματα ήταν α.ο ρόλος της σειράς γέννησης, ως καίριος στο βαθμό εμπλοκής των αδερφών στις υποχρεώσεις απέναντι στον αδερφό/ ασθενή, β. η εσωτερίκευση ως μηχανισμός άμυνας/ προσαρμογής, σύμφωνα με τον οποίο, τα υγιή αδέρφια επενδύουν στον εαυτό τους ως το μόνο πρόσωπο που μπορούν να εμπιστευτούν, ικανό να ξεπεράσει κάθε δυσκολία, γ. η ύπαρξη παιδικού ψυχικού τραύματος και δ.η ανάπτυξη ποιοτικών χαρακτηριστικών στη συμπεριφορά τους, όπως η ενσυναίσθηση, η κοινωνική ευαισθησία, η συμπόνοια, η ανοχή και η αφοσίωση.This study investigate the sibling relationship in families with a child with psychosis. Of particular interest is the perspective of the healthy siblings' personal experiences, how they lived as children the relationship between them and their brother, and how as adults, after the onset of the disease. The sample consisted of 8 adult, siblings of patients treated at a Psychiatric Hospital in an acute-care unit. The patients' diagnoses were Paranoid Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Delirium and other inorganic psychoses. The data collection method was conducted using a semi-structured interview with four thematic axes. Qualitative research was used to determine the nature of the experience. For the analysis of the data, the interviews were transcribed and the content analysis approach applied. The main findings were the role of the birth order, as crucial to the degree to which siblings are involved in brother / patient obligations, internalization as a mechanism where healthy siblings invest in themselves as the only person they can trust, capable of overcoming any difficulty, the existence of childhood trauma and the development of qualities in their character, such as empathy, social sensitivity, compassion, tolerance and dedication

gasification of lignin rich residues for the production of biofuels via syngas fermentation comparison of gasification technologies

This paper reports the use of lignin-rich residues from second generation bioethanol production, to produce syngas that can be applied in the gas fermentation process. Three gasification technologies at a different scale were considered in this study. Fixed bed updraft gasification of about 30 kg/h solid feed, bubbling fluidized bed gasification of about 0.3 kg/h solid feed and indirect gasification of about 3 kg/h solid feed. Two lignin-rich residues with different properties were tested and the results were evaluated in terms of feedstock pretreatment (grinding, drying and pelleting) and syngas quality requirements for the fermentation process. The molar H 2 /CO ratio (ranging from 0.6 to 1.0) and the tar yield (18–108 g/Nm 3 ) obtained from the three gasification technologies was quite different. For the syngas fermentation process, low H 2 to CO ratio is preferred, as most of the organisms grow better on CO than H 2 . Furthermore, different contents of impurities that can reduce the fermentability of the gas (such as hydrocarbons, HCN, HCl, NH 3 , COS and other organic S- compounds) were detected in the product gas. The concentration of these compounds in the syngas is related to the content of the corresponding compounds in the original feedstock. The different characteristics of the lignin-rich feedstocks are related to the specific pre-treatment technologies for the (hemi)cellulose extraction. By tuning the pre-treatment technology, the properties of the feedstock can be improved, making it a suitable for gasification. Tar and unsaturated hydrocarbon compounds need to be removed to very low levels prior to the fermentation process. As a next step, the combination of the gasification and the appropriate product gas cleaning, with the syngas fermentation process for the production of bio-alcohols will be evaluated and the overall efficiency of the gasification-fermentation process will be assessed. © 201

Assessment of wood burning versus fossil fuel contribution to wintertime black carbon and carbon monoxide concentrations in Athens, Greece

The scope of this study was to estimate the contribution of fossil fuel and wood burning combustion to black carbon (BC) and carbon monoxide (CO) during wintertime, in Athens. For that purpose, in situ measurements of equivalent black carbon (eBC) and CO were simultaneously conducted in a suburban and an urban background monitoring site in Athens during the 3 months of winter 2014–2015. For the deconvolution of eBC into eBC emitted from fossil fuel (BCff) and wood burning (BCwb), a method based on the spectral dependency of the absorption of pure black carbon and brown carbon was used. Thereafter, BCwb and BCff estimated fractions were used along with measured CO concentrations in a multiple regression analysis, in order to quantify the contribution of each one of the combustion sources to the ambient CO levels. For a comparative analysis of the results, we additionally estimated the wood burning and fossil fuel contribution to CO, calculated on the basis of their CO&thinsp;∕&thinsp;NOx emission ratios. The results indicate that during wintertime BC and CO are mainly emitted by local sources within the Athens Metropolitan Area (AMA). Fossil fuel combustion, mainly from road traffic, is found to be the major contributor to both eBC in PM2.5 and CO ambient concentrations in AMA. However, wintertime wood burning makes a significant contribution to the observed eBC (of about 30&thinsp;%) and CO concentrations (on average, 11 and 16&thinsp;% of total CO in the suburban and urban background sites respectively). Both BC and CO from biomass burning (BCwb and COwb, respectively) present a clear diurnal pattern, with the highest concentrations during night-time, supporting the theory of local domestic heating being their main source.</p

Spatial and temporal variability of biogenic isoprene emissions from a temperate estuary

[1] Isoprene is important for its atmospheric impacts and the ecophysiological benefits it affords to emitting organisms; however, isoprene emissions from marine systems remain vastly understudied compared to terrestrial systems. This study investigates for the first time drivers of isoprene production in a temperate estuary, and the role this production may play in enabling organisms to tolerate the inherently wide range of environmental conditions. Intertidal sediment cores as well as high and low tide water samples were collected from four sites along the Colne Estuary, UK, every six weeks over a year. Isoprene concentrations in the water were significantly higher at low than high tide, and decreased toward the mouth of the estuary; sediment production showed no spatial variability. Diel isoprene concentration increased with light availability and decreased with tidal height; nighttime production was 79% lower than daytime production. Seasonal isoprene production and water concentrations were highest for the warmest months, with production strongly correlated with light (r2 = 0.800) and temperature (r2 = 0.752). Intertidal microphytobenthic communities were found to be the primary source of isoprene, with tidal action acting as a concentrating factor for isoprene entering the water column. Using these data we estimated an annual production rate for this estuary of 681 μmol m−2 y−1. This value falls at the upper end of other marine estimates and highlights the potentially significant role of estuaries as isoprene sources. The control of estuarine isoprene production by environmental processes identified here further suggests that such emissions may be altered by future environmental change

On-flight intercomparison of three miniature aerosol absorption sensors using unmanned aerial systems (UASs)

The present study investigates and compares the ground and in-flight performance of three miniaturized aerosol absorption sensors integrated on board small-sized Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs). These sensors were evaluated during two contrasted field campaigns performed at an urban site, impacted mainly by local traffic and domestic wood burning sources (Athens, Greece), and at a remote regional background site, impacted by long-range transported sources including dust (Cyprus Atmospheric Observatory, Agia Marina Xyliatou, Cyprus). The miniaturized sensors were first intercompared at the ground-level against two commercially available instruments used as a reference. The measured signal of the miniaturized sensors was converted into the absorption coefficient and equivalent black carbon concentration (eBC). When applicable, signal saturation corrections were applied, following the suggestions of the manufacturers. The aerosol absorption sensors exhibited similar behavior against the reference instruments during the two campaigns, despite the diversity of the aerosol origin, chemical composition, sources, and concentration levels. The deviation from the reference during both campaigns concerning (eBC) mass was less than 8 %, while for the absorption coefficient it was at least 15 %. This indicates that those sensors that report black carbon mass are tuned and corrected to measure eBC more accurately than the absorption coefficient. The overall potential use of miniature aerosol absorption sensors on board small UASs is also illustrated. UAS-based absorption measurements were used to investigate the vertical distribution of eBC over Athens up to 1 km above sea level during January 2016, exceeding the top of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Our results reveal a heterogeneous boundary layer concentration of absorbing aerosol within the PBL intensified in the early morning hours due to the concurrent peak traffic emissions at ground-level and the fast development of the boundary layer. After the full development of the PBL, homogenous concentrations are observed from 100 m a.g.l. to the PBL top

Non-methane hydrocarbon variability in Athens during wintertime: the role of traffic and heating

Non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) play an important role in atmospheric chemistry, contributing to ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation. They can also serve as tracers for various emission sources such as traffic, solvents, heating and vegetation. The current work presents, for the first time to our knowledge, time-resolved data of NMHCs, from two to six carbon atoms, for a period of 5 months (mid-October 2015 to mid-February 2016) in the greater Athens area (GAA), Greece. The measured NMHC levels are among the highest reported in the literature for the Mediterranean area during winter months, and the majority of the compounds demonstrate a remarkable day-to-day variability. Their levels increase by up to factor of 4 from autumn (October–November) to winter (December–February). Microscale meteorological conditions, especially wind speed in combination with the planetary boundary layer (PBL) height, seem to contribute significantly to the variability of NMHC levels, with an increase of up to a factor of 10 under low wind speed ( &lt; 3&thinsp;m&thinsp;s−1) conditions; this reflects the impact of local sources rather than long-range transport. All NMHCs demonstrated a pronounced bimodal, diurnal pattern with a morning peak followed by a second peak before midnight. The amplitude of both peaks gradually increased towards winter, in comparison to autumn, by a factor of 3 to 6 and closely followed that of carbon monoxide (CO), which indicates a contribution from sources other than traffic, e.g., domestic heating (fuel or wood burning). By comparing the NMHC diurnal variability with that of black carbon (BC), its fractions associated with wood burning (BCwb) and fossil fuel combustion (BCff), and with source profiles we conclude that the morning peak is attributed to traffic while the night peak is mainly attributed to heating. With respect to the night peak, the selected tracers and source profiles clearly indicate a contribution from both traffic and domestic heating (fossil fuel and wood burning). NMHCs slopes versus BCwb are similar when compared with those versus BCff (slight difference for ethylene), which indicates that NMHCs are most likely equally produced by wood and oil fossil fuel burning.</p

Multi-year chemical composition of the fine-aerosol fraction in Athens, Greece, with emphasis on the contribution of residential heating in wintertime

In an attempt to take effective action towards mitigating pollution episodes in Athens, precise knowledge of PM2.5 composition and its sources is a prerequisite. Thus, a 2-year chemical composition dataset from aerosol samples collected in an urban background site in central Athens from December 2013 to March 2016 has been obtained and a positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied in order to identify and apportion fine aerosols to their sources. A total of 850 aerosol samples were collected on a 12 to 24&thinsp;h basis and analyzed for major ions, trace elements, and organic and elemental carbon, allowing us to further assess the impact of residential heating as a source of air pollution over Athens.The ionic and carbonaceous components were found to constitute the major fraction of the PM2.5 aerosol mass. The annual contribution of the ion mass (IM), particulate organic mass (POM), dust, elemental carbon (EC), and sea salt (SS) was calculated at 31&thinsp;%, 38&thinsp;%, 18&thinsp;%, 8&thinsp;%, and 3&thinsp;%, respectively, and exhibited considerable seasonal variation. In winter, the share of IM was estimated down to 23&thinsp;%, with POM&thinsp;+ EC being the dominant component accounting for 52&thinsp;% of the PM2.5 mass, while in summer, IM (42&thinsp;%) and carbonaceous aerosols (41&thinsp;%) contributed almost equally.Results from samples collected on a 12&thinsp;h basis (day and night) during the three intensive winter campaigns indicated the impact of heating on the levels of a series of compounds. Indeed, PM2.5, EC, POM, NO3−, C2O42−, non sea salt (nss) K+ and selected trace metals including Cd and Pb were increased by up to a factor of 4 in the night compared to the day, highlighting the importance of heating on air quality in Athens. Furthermore, in order to better characterize wintertime aerosol sources and quantify the impact of biomass burning on PM2.5 levels, source apportionment was performed. The data can be interpreted on the basis of six sources, namely biomass burning (31&thinsp;%), vehicular emissions (19&thinsp;%), heavy oil combustion (7&thinsp;%), regional secondary (21&thinsp;%), marine aerosols (9&thinsp;%), and dust particles (8&thinsp;%). Regarding night-to-day patterns their contributions shifted from 19&thinsp;%, 19&thinsp;%, 8&thinsp;%, 31&thinsp;%, 12&thinsp;%, and 10&thinsp;% of the PM2.5 mass during day to 39&thinsp;%, 19&thinsp;%, 6&thinsp;%, 14&thinsp;%, 7&thinsp;%, and 7&thinsp;% during the night, underlining the significance of biomass burning as the main contributor to fine particle levels during nighttime in winter.</p

Sources and processes that control the submicron organic aerosol composition in an urban Mediterranean environment (Athens): a high temporal-resolution chemical composition measurement study

Submicron aerosol chemical composition was studied during a year-long period (26 July 2016–31 July 2017) and two wintertime intensive campaigns (18 December 2013–21 February 2014 and 23 December 2015–17 February 2016), at a central site in Athens, Greece, using an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM). Concurrent measurements included a particle-into-liquid sampler (PILS-IC), a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), an AE-33 Aethalometer, and ion chromatography analysis on 24 or 12&thinsp;h filter samples. The aim of the study was to characterize the seasonal variability of the main submicron aerosol constituents and decipher the sources of organic aerosol (OA). Organics were found to contribute almost half of the submicron mass, with 30&thinsp;min resolution concentrations during wintertime reaching up to 200&thinsp;µg&thinsp;m−3. During winter (all three campaigns combined), primary sources contributed about 33&thinsp;% of the organic fraction, and comprised biomass burning (10&thinsp;%), fossil fuel combustion (13&thinsp;%), and cooking (10&thinsp;%), while the remaining 67&thinsp;% was attributed to secondary aerosol. The semi-volatile component of the oxidized organic aerosol (SV-OOA; 22&thinsp;%) was found to be clearly linked to combustion sources, in particular biomass burning; part of the very oxidized, low-volatility component (LV-OOA; 44&thinsp;%) could also be attributed to the oxidation of emissions from these primary combustion sources. These results, based on the combined contribution of biomass burning organic aerosol (BBOA) and SV-OOA, indicate the importance of increased biomass burning in the urban environment of Athens as a result of the economic recession. During summer, when concentrations of fine aerosols are considerably lower, more than 80&thinsp;% of the organic fraction is attributed to secondary aerosol (SV-OOA 31&thinsp;% and LV-OOA 53&thinsp;%). In contrast to winter, SV-OOA appears to result from a well-mixed type of aerosol that is linked to fast photochemical processes and the oxidation of primary traffic and biogenic emissions. Finally, LV-OOA presents a more regional character in summer, owing to the oxidation of OA over the period of a few days.</p