On show and on the go: The advertising language of Athenian pottery

In this paper, I discuss the surfaces of a fragmentary kylix at the University of Reading to highlight how the Leafless Group (ca. 510 - 480 BCE) was distinct from the Haimon Group, another large-scale producer of black-figured ceramics. With its distinctiveness, the Leafless Group defined and defended its brand, as well as its place in the vase market. Although the kylix bears figural decoration, a satyr and the eye motif, which may both point to the realm of the wine god Dionysos, here I have not treated these either as components of a pictorial narrative or as semiotic units that served the pot’s symbolism. Instead, I have understood the two images, regardless of whether or not they inter-related, as integral aspects of the pot’s visual impact, and of potters’ and painters’ efforts to brand their product in such a way that it made references both to the workshop (and its business model) and to other earlier and contemporary Athenian figured wares

Recordings as learning and practising resources for performance: exploring attitudes and behaviours of music students and professionals

This article examines how musicians use recordings as learning resources in preparing for performance. While previous research has partially acknowledged the contribution of external factors to self-regulated learning, the specific impact of recordings on performers’ approaches to practising remains largely uncharted. A survey was designed to assess the use and importance of recordings on musicians’ listening and practising behaviours, their preferences when choosing recordings, and the type of influence exerted by recordings over self-regulatory processes. Respondents (N = 204) completed an online survey, and the data were analysed according to level of expertise: advanced music students (n = 147) and professional musicians (n = 57). The results show clear differences between students and professionals in the frequency of use and level of reliance on recordings, with students consistently exhibiting a greater preference for these resources. Students were more likely to listen to recordings and, consequently, change aspects of their interpretations in the early stages of practising. Additionally, students were influenced by other people’s recommendations, especially their teachers’, and by other performers’ reputations when choosing recordings. The need to develop a distinct style had a positive influence on students’ practising and performing habits. The study shows that listening to recordings forms an integral part of self-regulated learning activities and contributes to musicians’ development by increasing musical knowledge and stylistic awareness

Re-imagining Operatic "Objects": Commentary on Neumann's Phenomena, Poiesis, and Performance Profiling: Temporal-Textual Emphasis and Creative Process Analysis in Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera

Objects come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and forms. The notion of musical works as objects, represented by their written scores, has proved to be effete and limiting to the study of music as diverse social-cultural practice and performed craft. The past two decades have witnessed considerable efforts to renew conceptual and methodological tools, and Neumann's study makes a valuable contribution to this effect. This commentary responds to some issues raised by Neumann's article in relation to the notion of musical "object". Specifically, I retrace the shift from a score-based to a process-oriented musicology geared towards performances, placing the concerns of contemporary opera studies within this broader disciplinary change. I consider some implications of technology in mediating new operatic objects for discourse. Finally, I reflect on some of the inherent dangers of objectifying performance in empirical analyses

Transformation of Industrial By-Products into Composite Photocatalytic Materials

The transformation of both calcareous and siliceous Greek power station by-products (lignite ashes) into novel composite materials with photocatalytic properties for environmental application was investigated. Particularly, a comparison between the development of coated ceramic substrates and the modification of ash surfaces is attempted. Specifically, a) the sintering process (1000 °C, 2 h) of both fly and bottom ash (either calcareous or siliceous) for their conversion into compacted ceramic substrates coated with TiO2 slurry and then further thermally treated (500 °C, 1 h) to acquire TiO2 film consistency onto the ceramic substrate and b) the process of TiO2 precipitation on lignite ash surfaces in acidic solution after neutralization, and estimation of the TiO2 percentage, are compared. The microstructures obtained were examined by XRD and SEM-EDX analysis. Vickers microhardness was also determined for the ceramic microstructures, with satisfactory results (up to 356HV). The energy gap measurements of the coatings were found to be between 3.02eV and 3.17eV, which is located between the energy gap of anatase (3.23eV) and rutile (3.02eV). The coating mass was about 0.059 g/cm2. The photocatalytic activity under visible and UV irradiation was investigated in aqueous solutions of methylene blue and methyl orange organic dyes, with encouraging results. A main advantage of the processes proposed is the immobilization of TiO2 onto largely available secondary resources, which can lead to production of value-added ‘green’ photocatalysts for the treatment of industrial effluents in the framework of circular economy

Towards the Design of a Natural User Interface for Performing and Learning Musical Gestures

AbstractA large variety of musical instruments, either acoustical or digital, are based on a keyboard scheme. Keyboard instruments can produce sounds through acoustic means but they are increasingly used to control digital sound synthesis processes with nowadays music. Interestingly, with all the different possibilities of sonic outcomes, the input remains a musical gesture. In this paper we present the conceptualization of a Natural User Interface (NUI), named the Intangible Musical Instrument (IMI), aiming to support both learning of expert musical gestures and performing music as a unified user experience. The IMI is designed to recognize metaphors of pianistic gestures, focusing on subtle uses of fingers and upper-body. Based on a typology of musical gestures, a gesture vocabulary has been created, hierarchized from basic to complex. These piano-like gestures are finally recognized and transformed into sounds

Κομμουνισμός/Λενινισμός – Φασισμός – Εθνικοσοσιαλισμός: Συγκλίσεις και αποκλίσεις των ιδεολογιών τους μέσα από τον δημόσιο πολιτικό λόγο των κύριων εκπροσώπων τους (βλ. Λένιν, Μπ. Μουσολίνι, Αδ. Χίτλερ)

Ο 20ος αιώνας υπήρξε ο αιώνας του ολοκληρωτισμού, που αναδείχθηκε ως σύστημα συγκεντρωτικής διακυβέρνησης στην Ευρώπη του Μεσοπολέμου. Τα πρώτα σύγχρονα ολοκληρωτικά κράτη ήταν η Ιταλία του Μουσολίνι, η Σοβιετική Ένωση του Λένιν και ακολούθως του Στάλιν, καθώς και η Ναζιστική Γερμανία του Αδόλφου Χίτλερ. Πρώτος χρησιμοποίησε τον όρο totalitario ο Μπενίτο Μουσολίνι, ένας ιδιαίτερα χαρισματικός και δημοφιλής ηγέτης της Ιταλίας των αρχών του 20ου αιώνα. Το νέο φασιστικό κράτος της Ιταλίας περιγράφονταν από τον ίδιο ως ολοκληρωτικό, γιατί όλα ήταν μέσα στο κράτος, κανένας έξω από το κράτος, κανένας ενάντια στο κράτος. Η ολοκληρωτική διακυβέρνηση ήταν μονοκομματική και καταπιεστική, ωστόσο σύντομα αναδείχθηκαν και άλλες μορφές ολοκληρωτισμού. Για να αντιληφθεί κανείς τους τρόπους που προκρίθηκε και κυρίαρχε στις αρχές του 20ου αιώνα ως ένας ισχυρός κανόνας που επιχείρησε να ελέγξει και κατευθύνει όλες τις πτυχές της ατομικής ζωής μέσω του καταναγκασμού και της καταστολής, πρέπει να μελετήσει στην ιστορική συγκυρία και τα πρόσωπα που πρωτοστάτησαν στην άνοδό του. Η μελέτη θα εξετάσει τις τρεις βασικές εκφάνσεις του ολοκληρωτισμού μέσα από τους κύριους εκφραστές του, αναλύοντας τον τρόπο που αναδείχθηκαν, όμως κυρίως τον τρόπο που δημιούργησαν τις ιδεολογίες τους, ερευνώντας ταυτόχρονα και κυρίως τον πολιτικό τους λόγο, όπως αυτός προσαρμόστηκε σταδιακά και οικοδόμησε μία νέα τάξη πραγμάτων. Οι τρεις χώρες, Φασιστική Ιταλία, Ναζιστική Γερμανία και Κομμουνιστική Σοβιετική Ένωση, αναδείχθηκαν ως πρότυπα του ολοκληρωτισμού, μέσα από τις τρεις διαφορετικές, όμως με πολλά κοινά, ιδεολογίες, στο διάστημα του Μεσοπολέμου και κατέληξαν γρήγορα στο μεγαλύτερο πολεμικό ολοκαύτωμα της ανθρώπινης ιστορίας, το Δεύτερο Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο. Τα ολοκληρωτικά καθεστώτα παρουσιάζονται παράλληλα με τους κύριους εκφραστές τους, με σκοπό να αποδειχθεί η σχέση που έχουν οι ιδεολογίες, αλλά και οι διαφορές, καθώς και οι λόγοι που οι ηγέτες τους κατάφεραν να συμπαρασύρουν στις επιδιώξεις τους, εκατομμύρια οπαδούς τους, οδηγώντας τους στη μεγαλύτερη πολεμική σύρραξη. Παράλληλα, αναλύονται με τη μέθοδο ανάλυσης περιεχομένου συνολικά εξήντα πολιτικοί λόγοι, είκοσι λόγοι από τον κάθε εκπρόσωπο, προσαρμοσμένοι σε κλείδες παρατήρησης. Εντοπίζεται και η συχνότητα αναφορών κάθε θεματικής κατηγορίας σε κάθε πολιτικό λόγο και συνολικά ανά εκπρόσωπο.The 20th century was the century of totalitarianism, emerging as a system of centralized government in interwar Europe. The first modern totalitarian states were Mussolini's Italy, Lenin's and then Stalin's Soviet Union, and Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany. The term "totalitario" was first used by Benito Mussolini, a highly charismatic and popular Italian leader of the early 20th century. The new fascist state of Italy was described by him as totalitarian, because everything established into the state, no one outside the state, no one against the state. Totalitarian rule was one-party and repressive, but other forms of totalitarianism soon emerged. To understand the ways in which it emerged and prevailed in the early 20th century as a powerful rule that attempted to control and direct all aspects of individual life through coercion and repression, must study the historical juncture and the persons who spearheaded its rise. The study will examine the three main manifestations of totalitarianism through its main exponents, analyzing the way they emerged, but mainly the way they created their ideologies, while researching and mainly their political discourse, as it gradually adapted and built a new world order. The three countries, Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany and the Communist Soviet Union, emerged as models of totalitarianism through the three different, but with much in common, ideologies during the interwar period and quickly culminated in the greatest war holocaust in human history, the Second World War. Totalitarian regimes are presented alongside their main exponents, in order to demonstrate the relationship between ideologies, but also the differences, as well as the reasons why their leaders managed to lure millions of their followers into their pursuits, leading them to the greatest war. At the same time, a total of sixty political speeches, twenty speeches from each representative, adapted to observation keys, are analyzed using the content analysis method. The frequency of references of each thematic category in each political discourse and in total per representative is also identified

Genesis of alpinotype fissure minerals from Thasos Island, Northern Greece - Mineralogy, mineral chemistry and crystallizing environment.

Στην περιοχή της Θάσου, αλπινότυπα ορυκτά φιλοξενούνται εντός διακλάσεων γνευσίων, αμφιβολιτών, Mn-ούχων ασβεστοπυριτικών στρώσεων και σχιστολίθωνκαθώς και μάρμαρων της κατώτερης ενότητας του μεταμορφικού πυρήνα της Ροδόπης. Οι αλπινότυπες διακλάσεις τέμνουν τις μεταμορφικές δομές και συνδέονται στενά με τις διαδικασίες εκταφιασμού του Ροδοπικού συμπλέγματος κατά το Ολιγόκαινο-Μειόκαινο. Οι περισσότερες αλπινότυπες διακλάσεις αναπτύσσονται κατά μήκος μίας μεγάλης ζώνης αποκόλλησης, που διαχωρίζει τους ανώτερους στρωματογραφικά γνεύσιους από τους κατώτερους αμφιβολίτες και μάρμαρα. Το ορυκτολογικό περιεχόμενο των διακλάσεων είναι στενά συνδεδεμένο με την ορυκτολογία των περιβαλλόντων πετρωμάτων. Σε διακλάσεις εντός αμφιβολιτών εμφανίζεται αδουλάριος, αλβίτης, χαλαζίας, τιτανίτης, απατίτης, ακτινόλιθος, χλωρίτης, ασβεστίτης, αιματίτης και ρουτίλιο. Σε διακλάσεις παρα-, ορθογνευσίων και μεταπηγματιτών κρυσταλλώνονται χαλαζίας, αδουλάριος, μοσχοβίτης και αιματίτης, ενώ σε διακλάσεις που αναπτύσσονται εντός σπεσσαρτινικών-πιεμοντιτικών σχιστόλιθων κρυσταλλώνονται χαλαζίας, χλωρίτης, σπεσσαρτίνης, αιματίτης, ρουτήλιο, αλβίτης, επίδοτο και ζιρκόνιο. Τέλος διακλάσεις εντός ασβεστοπυριτικών στρώσεων περιέχουν Mn-ούχο γροσσουλάριο, χαλαζία και Mn-ούχο κλινοζωισίτη. Οι εξαλλοιώσεις που παρατηρούνται στα τοιχώματα των διακλάσεων υποδηλώνουν διαδικασίες u941 .κπλυσης των περιβαλλόντων πετρωμάτων από υδροθερμικά ρευστά. Οι κρύσταλλοι χαλαζία εμφανίζονται με μορφές σκήπτρου, σε πρισματικούς κρυστάλλους διάφορων γενεών να αναπτύσσονται πάνω σε χαλαζίες τύπου Τessin, υποδηλώνοντας πολλαπλά στάδια κρυστάλλωσης και αλλαγή των συνθηκών P-T-t. Η εφαρμογή γεωθερμόμετρου χλωρίτη υποδεικνύει αρχικές θερμοκρασίες σχηματισμού των παραγενέσεων τους 286 έως 366 °C. Οι χαλαζίες τύπου Τessin πιθανότατα δημιουργήθηκαν από ρευστά πλούσια σε CO2 και πιθανόν στη μετάβαση από ένα συμπιεστικό σε εφελκυστικό τεκτονικό καθεστώς. Αντίθετα οι μεταγενέστερες γενεές σκήπτρων υποδεικνύουν συμμετοχή κατερχόμενων μετεωρικών νερών. Η περιοχή μελέτης αντιπροσωπεύει μοναδικό ορυκτολογικό Γεώτοπο. Η γεωλογική-ορυκτολογική αυτή κληρονομιά μπορεί να προστατευθεί μέσω της ίδρυσης ενός Γεωπάρκου που θα συμβάλει επιπλέον και στην προώθηση φιλικής προς το περιβάλλον ανάπτυξης της Θάσου.Alpinotype fissure-minerals in Thasos Island are hosted in gneisses, amphibolites, Mn-rich schists and calc-silicate layers, and marbles of the Carboniferous-Permian Pangeon Unit, which represents the lower tectonostratigraphic unit of the southern Rhodope metamorphic core complex. Alpinotype fissures crosscut metamorphic fabrics and are closely related to the exhumation processes of the core complex during the Oligocene-Miocene. Most mineralized fissures occur close to a major detachment fault, which separates gneisses from marbles and amphibolites. The mineralogy of the alpinotype fissures is closely related to the host rocks: amphibolite-hosted fissures include adularia, albite, quartz, titanite, apatite, actinolite, chlorite, calcite, hematite and rutile. Fissures in para- and orthogneisses- and in metapegmatites are characterized by smoky and clear quartz, adularia, muscovite and hematite. Fissures within spessartite-piemontite schists contain quartz, chlorite, spessartite, hematite, rutile, albite, epidote and traces of zircon. Finally fissures in calc-silicate layers include Mn-grossular, quartz and Mn-clinozoisite. Hydrothermal alteration halos surrounding the fissures may suggest leaching of the wall rocks as a potential mechanism for mineral deposition. Scepter quartz crystals consist of a lower Tessinhabit crystal and several generations of upper prismatic quartz crystals, suggesting several stages of crystallization and changing P-T-x conditions with time. Chlorite geothermometry indicates temperatures of formation in the range between 286 and 366 °C. Tessin habit quartz was deposited from CO2-bearing fluids, probably at the transition from a compressional to an extensional tectonic regime and was later dissolved by meteoric water dominated fluids resulting in the formation of quartz scepters. Oxidizing conditions are indicated by the widespread occurrence of hematite in the mineralization. The studied area represents a unique mineralogical geotope. Its geological-mineralogical heritage should be protected through establishment of a mineralogical-petrological geopark that will also promote sustainable development of the area

Performers’ discourses on listening to recordings

How we listen to music and respond to its media and contexts have changed significantly since the invention of sound recording. Today’s musicians have countless opportunities to listen to others’ interpretations given the vast availability of past and contemporary repertories through the global reach of recordings. This study investigated the extent to which the growing archive of recordings provides a valuable resource for performers’ creativity. Although musical performance is a particularly porous domain for influence through either deliberate or spontaneous assimilation of expressive variation from other aural sources, little empirical research exists on influence in performance and specifically on the influence of recordings. Qualitative data were obtained via an online questionnaire to identify how and in what ways the use and influence of recordings has changed over the course of classical performers’ training or professional careers. Respondents’ (N = 130) comments were analysed using a thematic inductive approach. The emerging themes reveal an overall increased level of use of recordings now relative to the past, a largely positive contribution of recordings in shaping musical development, including the role of recordings in self-regulated learning, a largely positive attitude to the influence of others’ interpretations, a means of developing expressions of self-identity in relation to others, and a route to acquiring a more critical and discerning mode of listening to recordings. Implications for music education are discussed in terms of how listening to recordings, in both formal and informal learning contexts, could support advanced musicians’ learning through trial and error, enhance creative insight, strengthen self-efficacy, foster metacognitive skills, and nurture individuality