61 research outputs found
Native plants for the remediation of abandoned sulphide mines in Cyprus: A preliminary assessment
No full textMining in Cyprus resulted in a significant number of abandoned sulphide mines without any rehabilitation
measures. The present study aims to describe and compare the environmental parameters in three such mines
with respect to water chemistry, waste dumps geochemistry, slope-topography and plant growth. The mines
under study are that of Kokkinopezoula, North and South Mathiatis located at the northeast of the Troodos
massif. A synopsis of the previous studies conducted for the above-mentioned mines is presented, which includes
water and soil samples analyses. Although, in these areas environmental degradation is reported, there are some
plants which grow naturally. Therefore, a preliminary attempt to report these plants is conducted, while
remediation options presented in the literature including technosols, revegetation, phytoremediation and phy-
tostabilization are proposed. Potential use of native plants such as Phragmites australis, Tamarix smyrnensis,
Poaceae, Pinus brutia and Schoenus nigricans Poaceace could be applied for phytoremediation of the sulphide mines
in Cyprus. These plants seem to have great strength at low pH values and high metal content in contaminated
soils and water. The three mines under study are also compared with three other old mines located in the broader
area of Cyprus; that of Xeros, Limni and Skouriotissa, which operated under similar climatic conditions. By
improving abandoned mines environment with technosols, the action of native plants will be enhanced and thus
work towards a successful phytoremediation treatment, resulting in the minimization of future pollutants
generated by the solid waste dumps
Planning future construction skill requirements: understanding labour resource issues
No full textConstruction is a labour-intensive industry, which places heavy reliance upon the skills of its workforce. These skills need updating continually as many of the trades involved in the industry become increasingly specialized. During the 1980s, there was a rapid rise in construction activity within the UK, followed by a sudden but short-lived boom accompanied by skill shortages. The construction industry is now experiencing a deeper and longer lasting recession than originally predicted, resulting in valuable employees in all sections of the industry being lost - a high proportion of whom will not return to the construction industry. The construction industry is predicted to grow in the period after the recession by an average of 3% per annum until the year 2001. With this growth the industry is expected to experience considerable skill shortages in both traditional and new skill areas. Construction is in a period of rapid cultural change accompanied by the introduction of new technologies and new ways of organizing construction activities. Powerful national and multinational clients will continue to influence the choice of these technologies through their demands for faster construction times. The construction industry will continue to face increased competition in search of eligible recruits to train accordingly. Employment within the construction industry will continue to move away from large and medium sized firms to small firms and working proprietors. In the 1980s, self-employment and the use of specialist labour-only sub-contractors increased as training levels declined. This trend will hamper the industry's ability to train people for future skill needs. This paper aims to assist interested parties in the construction industry understand and realize the importance of labour resource issues and the need for long-term planning of labour resource requirements, so allowing them to train and retrain people to address the predicted skill shortages
Determination of volatile organic compounds evolved from human presence or from the decaying human body
No full textAgapiou Landou, "Neos Paradeisos": the text and the structur
No full textThe purpose of this oeuvre is to achieve a critical edition of the Agapios Landos’ s work “Neos Paradeisos”. Αt the same time the subject of this present thesis goes further since a research takes place not only for the mentioned model of the book but its model as well. This thesis is divided into two sections, the first one includes the introduction, the structural of hagiology and the chapter of the comparison between the text and its models. The second section encompasses the critical restoration of the life of the selected saints (saint Longinus the centurion, saint Theoctisti the Lesbian, Apostle Filip, saint Marcian). At first, the introduction presents the life and the works of Agapios Landos, after that, it focuses on the book "Neos Paradeisos”, cites more details about the structure of this oeuvre, the genre in which it is placed, the language which is used and finally its style. After that, the first chapter, whose purpose is to detect the patterns of tools and motives which the life of saints consists of, is followed. Firstly, the thesis is referred to the narrative theory of G. Genette and the narrative techniques which he proposes. Then, the oeuvre is referred to the Theory of A. J. Greimas "Sémantique Structular" presenting the structure of the plot in the literature in detail. Afterwards, the thesis continues with the implementation of the previous theory into the life of saints Apostle Filip, Marcian and Theoktisti the Lesbian. The second chapter performs a comparison between certain lives of saints and their presentation into their model, the Migne of Symeon Metaphrastes. However, the comparison makes a step further and searches for possible prototype for the Migne. Afterwards, it turns out that our writer has access to much more models than only Symeon Metaphrastes. In the second part of this oeuvre is presented the critical restoration that refers to the life of the selected saints of text of the edition 1664.Η παρούσα μελέτη ασχολείται με το έργο Νέος Παράδεισος του Αγαπίου Λάνδου. Σκοπός της είναι η αναζήτηση του προτύπου εκτός του αναφερομένου στον τίτλο Μηνολογίου του Συμεών του Μεταφραστή και η διερεύνηση της ποιητικής της αγιολογίας. Η εργασία χωρίζεται σε δύο μέρη. Το πρώτο μέρος περιλαμβάνει την εισαγωγή, το κεφάλαιο της ποιητικής των βίων αγίων και το κεφάλαιο της σύγκρισης, ενώ το δεύτερο μέρος περιέχει την κριτική αποκατάσταση των επιλεγμένων βίων του Νέου Παραδείσου της έκδοσης του 1664. Η εισαγωγή πραγματεύεται τη ζωή και το έργο του συγγραφέα, ενώ στη συνέχεια επικεντρώνεται στον Νέο Παράδεισο, αναλύοντας τη διάρθρωση του έργου, το είδος στο οποίο εντάσσεται και τέλος τη γλώσσα και το ύφος που χρησιμοποιεί ο συγγραφέας. Ακολουθεί το πρώτο κεφάλαιο το οποίο στοχεύει στην ανίχνευση των εργαλείων και των μοτίβων που συνθέτουν τους βίους των αγίων. Αρχικά γίνεται αναφορά στη θεωρία της αφήγησης κατά τον G. Genette και τις αφηγηματικές τεχνικές που αναφέρει ο ίδιος, ακολουθεί η αναφορά στη «Δομική Σημαντική» του A. J. Greimas η οποία παρουσιάζει αναλυτικά τη δομή της πλοκής και έπεται η εφαρμογή των παραπάνω θεωριών στους βίους των αποστόλου Φιλίππου, του οσίου Μαρκιανού και της οσίας Θεοκτίστης της Λεσβίας. Το τρίτο κεφάλαιο πραγματεύεται τη σύγκριση επιλεγμένων βίων του Νέου Παραδείσου με τους αντίστοιχους του πρότυπό του, του Μηνολογίου του Συμεών του Μεταφραστή αλλά και άλλων πιθανών προτύπων του Μηνολογίου. Μετά τη σύγκριση αποδεικνύεται ότι ο Αγάπιος Λάνδος είχε στη διάθεσή του κι άλλα πρότυπα εκτός από το Μηνολόγιο. Στο δεύτερο μέρος της εργασίας ακολουθεί η κριτική αποκατάσταση επιλεγμένων βίων του Νέου Παραδείσου επί τη βάσει της έκδοσης του 1664
HS-SPME-GC/MS Analysis for Revealing Carob’s Ripening
No full textCarob’s recognized nutritional and medicinal value next to its unique agriculture importance is associated with an array of social, economic, and cultural activities. The carob fruit is popular for its intense aroma due to the emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The composition of VOCs released from carob fruits changes during ripening, rendering it a non-invasive tool for the determination of the ripening period and freshness of the fruit. Therefore, headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC/MS) was applied to reveal the respective gaseous signal molecules related to fruit maturity. The sampling was implemented during weeks 26–36 from five different locations in Cyprus. Additionally, the gaseous emissions of total VOCs (TVOCs) and carbon dioxide (CO(2)) were recorded next to the moisture content of the fruit. The major chemical classes in the ripening are acids, followed by esters, and ketones. More specifically, the most abundant VOCs during ripening are propanoic acid, 2-methyl-(isobutyric acid), 2-heptanone, propanoic acid, 2-methyl-, 2-methylbutyl ester, acetic acid, methyl isobutyrate, propanoic acid, 2-methyl-, 3-methylbutyl ester, 2-pentanone, butanoic acid and propanoic acid, 2-methyl-ethyl ester. Finally, CO(2) emissions and moisture content showed a rapid decline until the 31st week and then stabilized for all examined areas. The methodology revealed variations in VOCs’ profile during the ripening process
Nutritional characterization of carobs and traditional carob products
No full textTwenty traditional carob products were measured for their nutritional composition, and their results were compared with the pulp of Cypriot carob cultivars. Moisture, ash, fat, proteins, sugars, dietary fibers, minerals, caffeine‐theobromine, carbohydrates, and energy value were determined. Fluctuations of the nutritional composition values based on the ingredients’ chemical synthesis and product manufacturing process were noted. Only 60% of the products had a label indicating their nutritional value, and the majority of them (75%) were consistent with that of labeling. Chemometric analyses distinguished the carob products according to their type and the discriminator components highlighted their particular nutritional value. Carobs can be characterized as functional foods with low‐fat content, high content in dietary fibers, and high content and/or source of minerals; however, carob products partially satisfied those health and nutritional claims as expected. This pilot research contributes to the nutritional estimation of carob and highlights the traditional carob products
- …
