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This paper examines teachers' understandings of affective indoctrination in a conflict-affected society, focusing on how teachers' political orientations are entangled with these understandings. The exploration is conducted through a qualitative study of Greek-Cypriot primary and secondary school teachers who are identified as either conservative or progressive. The findings highlight that regardless of political orientation, teachers interpret the term indoctrination through a negative lens. However, teachers of progressive orientation view affective indoctrination as a part of everyday educational practices, whereas teachers of conservative orientation understand affective indoctrination as an exceptional case. The paper discusses the implications for teaching and teacher education. The relevance of teachers' political orientation makes it all the more necessary that teachers and teacher educators delve deeper into the political and pedagogical implications of the entanglement between political orientations and understandings of affective indoctrination in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the potential of implementing an action competence teaching model as a framework for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) in higher education. The paper seeks to draw insights from the students on the potential of this teaching model. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a quantitative research design in exploring the potential of an action competence teaching model. This study used self-report measures to obtain insights into the objective of the study. Findings: The action competence teaching model was seen as useful in equipping students with knowledge about a problem, confidence and willingness to act. However, some issues like the design of the projects, teamwork and instructional practices were identified and discussed. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to implement an action competence teaching model to help draw insights from students on its potential. This paper documents certain aspects of action competence that require attention before being implemented in higher education. This information so far lacking in scientific literature contributes to ongoing discussions on SDGs while unveiling strengths and weaknesses to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nea Paphos, the Hellenistic-Roman capital of Cyprus, was established according to a regular Hippodamian street grid in the Hellenistic period. The city has been subjected to continuous archaeological research since the 1960s. Despite this, the possibilities for reconstructing its fabric were severely limited. This paper aims to gain a more in-depth understanding of the ways in which computational methods can be used in the analysis of ancient urban planning and the reconstruction of its elements, using the similarity of urban processes and social behavior in ancient Greek cities as its main premise. Therefore, a study based on Network and Space Syntax analysis was conducted for cities with a well-recognized urban layout of the Late Classical and Hellenistic periods, namely Olynthus and Priene, and other, less archaeologically explored harbor towns of the Hellenistic period, such as Piraeus and Ptolemais. The results of these studies were then extrapolated to hypothetical reconstructions of Nea Paphos in the Hellenistic period, mainly to propose the location of the main public buildings and to model the urban traffic. This methodology is experimental in its nature. The aim of this paper is to try to assess to what extent the adopted workflow can be useful in reconstructing the landscape of ancient cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the alarming rise in intercommunal conflicts worldwide, knowledge regarding post-conflict cultural heritage issues must advance to help formulate effective management systems and policies. Through an Actor-Network Theory-inspired approach, this paper explores the actors’ role in protecting religious heritage sites abandoned by displaced communities. Discourse analysis of relevant literature and empirical data from exhaustive fieldwork documenting and categorising the use-status and preservation state of church sites from Northern Cyprus has revealed multiple networks of human and non-human actors and actants. Through ANT concepts of fact-building and translation, a flat platform has been developed showing the positions and interests of the conflicting parties with a focus on the neglected or underestimated dimensions of heritage protection. This platform allows heritage conservation to be viewed from a broader perspective and, in a sense, helps dilute the conflicting parties’ positions and make their stakes less critical. It also emphasises the importance of compromise solutions, including pragmatically negotiating potential alternative uses and actively integrating the local community with the stakeholder group to protect the heritage of the displaced communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear Fresnel reflectors are a versatile solar concentration technology, suitable for a wide range of industrial processes and thermal conditioning applications. Such collectors entail a certain footprint, generating shading on the surface where they are installed. This effect is rarely quantified but may play an indirect role on the surface below. When installed on a roof, the solar radiation heats the building less. In places where the annual heating demand is higher than the cooling demand, this constitutes an asset. However, this becomes a disadvantage when the cooling demand is higher annually than the heating demand. Essentially, the reduced solar radiation allows for the growth of plants that would not grow without the shade provided by the collector. The present paper is a quantitative analysis of such shading based on the linear Fresnel reflector of the Cyprus Institute. The work was conducted using the Tonatiuh++ ray-tracing software to determine the annual radiation blocking. A total of four years of actual meteorological measurements were applied directly to the ray-tracing model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the transfer, translation and recontextualisation of Laurence Stenhouse's work, as encapsulated in the ‘teacher as researcher’ metaphor, to the Greek language and in the fields of research and policy in Greece and Cyprus. We first briefly frame action research work as emerging through and within a specific space‐time (and in conversation with others in North America, Australia and Europe). We then trace its translation from English to Greek in specific key publications in books and articles (including his 1975 seminal work An introduction to curriculum research and development), which have since been central to curriculum studies as an academic field in both countries. We then construct four vignettes as cases of different uses of the metaphor in different fields. The first two refer to the institutional context of a new type of school called ‘second chance schools’ and a state policy for the professional development of teachers in Greece. The other two refer to an initial teacher education university programme and to the most recent school curriculum change in the Republic of Cyprus. We conclude by discussing certain patterns of constriction across the four vignettes in the recontextualisation of the ‘teacher as researcher’ to particular aspects of the metaphor as it morphed in two rather centralised contexts with a strong historical presence of a formal, state‐mandated curriculum and of teachers as public servants. Despite these patterns of constriction, we also note how other aspects of the metaphor provided conditions for some transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1974, the Cyprus War turned the seaside resort of Varosha into a derelict and decaying town, captured by the Turkish army and held for subsequent decades as a political bargaining chip in the peace negotiations of the unresolved reconflict. In 2020, the city partially opened to public visits, allowing its former residents to tour a landscape of ruination. This paper explores the contested narratives of the city's future revival that have emerged in the wake of this opening. In particular, the paper describes forcibly displaced Varoshians' narratives as discursive practices that reclaim the lost 'homeplace' and insist on the right to return. These narratives, the paper shows, become a mnemonic means of communicative meaning-making, with four main themes: loss, threshold, transformation , and the future. The paper uses these themes to show how such narratives may enable refugees to maintain hope even in the ruins of hoped-for futures. The thematic analysis also shows how place attachment narratives transmitting memories of home may transform with a vibrant present-ness related to people's imaginations of a future Varosha. Speaking to the possibilities of return, this study calls for further explorations towards the narrative of restitution beyond legal property and political territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers new insights into the under-researched rural maritime sites of Cyprus's north-eastern coast of the Early Byzantine period. It focuses on the likewise under-researched coastal site at Aphendrika and its natural harbour bay in the eastern part of the Karpas peninsula, which can probably be identified with the ancient Hellenistic Urania. Its few built and rock-cut harbour facilities and the remains of the rural economy, such as weightstones and press-beds linked to olive oil production, were investigated and documented by non-invasive methods, by a ground- and aerial survey. A considerable amount of surface sherds from the harbour bay, its shallow water and the bay's close surroundings were rescued from further destruction and disappearance, transferred to the archaeological depot, documented and typologically classified. Based on a few limited earlier studies about the historic site at Aphendrika, on the analysis of other ancient Cypriot sites with harbours or anchorages and on our own site analyses the paper argues that the harbour and its largely unknown settlement served as a gateway emporion which connected the coast with its local hinterland and attracted especially coastal maritime traffic. The amphora spectrum is predominantly Eastern Mediterranean, among which the Late Roman Amphora 1 dominates. Abundant traces of lever-and-screw presses attest to a surplus production which certainly was exported through the harbour. The rural economy was probably controlled by a local elite. This elite who has similarly been attested for Early Byzantine sites at the south coast of Cyprus materializes through two 6th-century churches and a single marble pilaster capital which might derive from a wealthy rural estate. Finally, the results from Aphendrika were embedded into data gained from a map-, literature- and physical survey concerning previously known and potentially new ancient harbour or anchorage sites on the nort h-eastern coast of Cyprus, between Kyrenia and Cape Andreas. The identification of potentially new sites is based on specifically developed indicative criteria, leading to the conclusion that the maritime activity on the island's north coast was more intensive than described in previous scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we set out to examine children's voices on inclusion through a systematic review of empirical studies carried out in Cyprus over the past 20 years. Specifically, it focuses on research related to this field and investigates the ways in which these studies illustrate the importance of children's perspectives as a means for promoting inclusion and challenging segregational practices. The aim of such analysis is to bring to the surface the diverse ways and methodological tools in which children may be actively involved and have their voices heard. Moreover, our analysis seeks to point out the major issues raised by children with regards to areas of concern or suggestions for inclusion. In this context, the originality of this study lies in integrating findings and perspectives from the available empirical studies as well as in synthesising research findings to depict evidence on a meta-level and reveal areas in which more research is needed and to sum up suggestions for further policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the role and agency of the architecture exhibition as a mediated space of discursive spatial narratives. The presented curatorial approach draws on the exhibition entitled Past-forward: Stavros Economou Unarchived (2021) to reflect on the development of a multimedia-enabled reading of the architectural archive. Stavros Economou is one of the most important representatives of modern architecture in Cyprus, yet his work is underdiscussed and under-published. The architectural archive, unlike other collections, consists of representations (such as drawings, models, photographs) of artefacts (buildings) that communicate design processes and final un/built proposals. The curatorial practice focused on a twofold challenge: on one hand, it explored the role architectural representation can play in the production of the multiple and complex (hi)stories of modern buildings, and secondly, it considered ways in which an architecture exhibition can connect with the host city and its local population by addressing contemporary urgencies of spatial inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study deals with the results of the 2023 fieldwork at the extramural cemetery of the Late Bronze Age harbour city of Hala Sultan Tekke. One of the three excavated tombs in 2023 was the undisturbed Chamber Tomb XX, which is dated around 1300 BC. It contained a riveted bronze mirror, a rare type in Cyprus at that time, which is part of a mortuary context of four individuals out of a total of 17 individuals and 264 complete objects, many of them imported from a vast area, which includes the Mycenaean, Minoan, Egyptian and Levantine cultures. The current paper presents this mirror and associated contexts. As regards the provenance of the mirror, the Aegean is suggested as the area of manufacture, and more precisely Crete, suggesting potential evidence of direct contact between individuals from Crete and Hala Sultan Tekke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric aerosols affect human health and influence atmospheric and biological processes. Dust can be transported long distances in the atmosphere, and the mechanisms that influence dust transport are not fully understood. To improve the database for numerical models that simulate dust transport, measurements are needed that cover both the vertical distribution of the dust and its size distribution. In addition to measurements with crewed aircraft, uncrewed aircraft systems (UASs) provide a particularly suitable platform for this purpose. In this paper, we present a payload for the small fixed-wing UAS of the type Multiple-Purpose Airborne Sensor Carrier 3 (MASC-3) for aerosol particle measurements that is based on the optical particle counter (OPC) OPC-N3 (Alphasense, United Kingdom), modified by the addition of a dryer and a passive aspiration system (OPC-Pod). Based on field tests with a reference instrument in Mannheim, Germany, wind tunnel tests, and a comparison measurement with the UAS-mounted aerosol particle measurement Universal Cloud and Aerosol Sounding System (UCASS) during a dust event over Cyprus, we show that the OPC-Pod can measure particle number concentrations in the range of 0.66–31 μm as well as particle size distributions. The agreement of the OPC-Pod with UCASS is good. Both instruments resolve a vertical profile of the Saharan dust event, with a prominent dust layer between 1500 and 2800 m MSL, with particle number concentrations up to 35 cm−3 for particles between 0.66 and 31 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the Dawn Watch commemoration in northern Cyprus that has been organised since 2010 to mark the anniversary of Turkey's military operation/invasion on 20 July 1974. I argue that the Dawn Watch utilises the innovative ritual practice of 'keeping watch' to subjectivise participating Turkish Cypriots as the 'guards/watchmen' who have made Turkey's military presence in Cyprus possible. This novel commemoration seeks to address growing disinterest in Turkish nationalist narratives and commemorations in northern Cyprus, which conventionally reduce Turkish Cypriots to historically unimportant figures who were merely 'liberated' by Turkey. By adopting the innovative ritual practice of 'keeping watch', the Dawn Watch provides participants with a new way of participating in an old nationalist narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the assembly of an updated dataset of detrital zircon geochronology and Lu–Hf isotopes for Turkey, Cyprus and Greek peninsula. This first version of the dataset documented 286 samples with detrital zircon U–Pb data and 70 samples with zircon Lu–Hf isotopes from 42 published articles. These samples are mainly distributed in seven geologic‐tectonic units in the Eastern Mediterranean Tethyan region. The compilation of dataset will be periodically accessed in the Deep‐Time Digital Earth repository, containing more updated raw data of (un)published scientific research. We believe that the construction of such a dataset is fundamental to studies of clastic strata and also to understanding of crustal evolution in the Eastern Mediterranean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The causal relationship between economic growth and defence spending has attracted considerable attention and has been the subject of many empirical studies. Hoping to contribute to the existing pool of literature, this paper examines the relationship between military expenditure and growth in the case of Cyprus, a small island economy, for the period 1964-99. The findings reported suggest the presence of bi-directional instantaneous causality between defence spending and economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies the affects retained, carried, and effected by documents, as they are produced, exchanged, transformed, and transacted among their users. I study the interactions which Turkish-Cypriots (in Britain and on either side of the border in Cyprus) forge with documents, especially those used for identity verification and travel. For those who juggle documents manufactured by several complexes of law and statecraft (including the 'illegal' Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus), documents generate differential and politically charged affectivities. Bringing anthropological literature on law, policy, and bureaucracy, as well as Actor Network Theory, into dialogue with psychoanalytic work on affect, this article charts a new terrain for the study of affect (in the domain of documents as objects) and explores emotive dimensions previously unattended by scholars of bureaucracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational management of water, which is determined by the Framework Directive 2000/60/EC of the EU, is a contractual obligation of the Agricultural Sector of Cyprus, both towards the European Union and the next generations of Cypriot citizens. To make decisions about sustainable water use and improve water use, it is necessary to understand the water use of crops in different water-use areas. Especially in large water projects in Cyprus, there must be a good way to determine the water use of crops so that the correct use of crops can be ensured, thus eliminating problems such as a lack of new information about the crop area and agricultural evaporation, Demand, and water. In most projects, water is managed and supplied based on historical data, and current information is available to determine water demand and availability for large areas. This paper also adds, apart from the clear positive effect of remote sensing and new technologies in crop irrigation, to the emerging need for advisory services for the diffusion of innovation to Cypriot farmers since the estimation of crop water requirements is part of estimating the carbon footprint under the project CARBONICA (EU Funded) for carbon farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the contemporary Greek Cypriot popular music scape, we witness various and varying instances that feature cultural heritage elements: the frontman of a hard rock band performing in a vraka, the traditional male trousers; a trap song making references to lefkaritiko, a traditional lace; a metal band opening their album with an acapella tsiattisto, a traditional oral poetic style. This paper discusses these and other instances by placing them in the wider historical and political framework of the Republic of Cyprus. Distinguishing between tradition and heritage, as well as place and space, it suggests that the creative turn to the cultural past of Cyprus can be interpreted as a redefinition of the modernisation and decolonisation process of the Republic of Cyprus, which is accomplished through an inward look that emphasises the geographical and cultural particularities of the island. This inward look, it is argued, speaks back to the historical process of decolonisation that was defined by external references (attachment to the motherland(s), desire for Westernisation, and opposition to the 'Other'). The decolonisation process, itself the cause and effect of conflict and sentiments of ethno-nationalism, defined the identity of postcolonial Greek Cypriot subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Bronze Age, the inhabitants of regions of Crete, mainland Greece, and Cyprus inscribed their languages using, among other scripts, a writing system called Linear A. These symbols, mainly characterized by combinations of lines, have, since their discovery, remained a mystery. Not only is the corpus very small, but it is challenging to link Minoan, the language behind Linear A, to any known language. Most decipherment attempts involve using the phonetic values of Linear B, a grammatological offspring of Linear A, to 'read' Linear A. However, this yields meaningless words. Recently, novel approaches to deciphering the script have emerged which involve a computational component. In this paper, two such approaches are combined to account for the biases involved in provisionally assigning Linear B phonetic values to Linear A and to shed more light on the possible connections of Linear A with other scripts and languages from the region. Additionally, the limitations inherent in such approaches are discussed. Firstly, a feature-based similarity measure is used to compare Linear A with the Carian Alphabet and the Cypriot Syllabary. A few Linear A symbols are matched with symbols from the Carian Alphabet and the Cypriot Syllabary. Finally, using the derived phonetic values, Linear A is compared with Ancient Egyptian, Luwian, Hittite, Proto-Celtic, and Uralic using a consonantal approach. Some possible word matches are identified from each language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates, through the prism of cultural trauma theories of Jeffrey C. Alexander and other scholars, the case of Cypriot composer Solon Michaelides (1905–1979) and his creative responses to the Turkish military invasion of the northern part of Cyprus in 1974. The resulting trauma from the shock caused by the war is engrained in the composer’s creative oeuvre, since several of his compositions, including the Hymn and Lament for Cyprus and My Kyrenia, became a part of the cultural trauma narration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fossil organic trace of an argonaut shell from the Pakhna Formation (Serravillian, Middle Miocene) of southern Cyprus is described. The new find represents one of only a very few argonaut egg cases reported from the fossil record of the Tethyan region and is the first to be reported from the eastern Mediterranean. It is assigned to a new species of Argonauta as A. absyrtus sp. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on Afro-Cypriots, whose ancestors came to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus during the Ottoman period. The paper contributes to extant literature by exploring the impact of colonialism, racism, and slavery by questioning the ways Afro-Cypriots navigate their identities within the particular context of North Cyprus. By de-emphasizing the ethnic division of Turkish and Greek Cypriot identities, this paper focuses on the shifts from double consciousness to developing Afro-Cypriot consciousness. A rich methodology of oral history interview analyses from 20 Black Cypriots and a life-story narrative of a pioneering Black Cypriot expose the communal and familial microaggressions towards darker skin tones. We explore how colonial construction of ethnicity as a master status creates double consciousness for Black Cypriots. The paper concludes with a call against colour prejudice in Cyprus for a positive shift in Afro-Cypriot people's everyday experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has proposed that the Philistine city of Tell es-Safi/Gath was centrally involved in the copper trade from Faynan and Timna in the Wadi Arabah, and that the end of Arabah copper production in the second half of the 9th century bce should be attributed to the destruction of Tell es-Safi/Gath by Hazael, after which Cyprus replaced the Arabah as the major source for Levantine copper. This paper argues that the assumptions underlying this interpretation are not supported by the evidence. Gaza, not Tell es-Safi/Gath, was the main terminus for the Arabah copper trade; the termination of copper production in the Arabah was not an abrupt end caused by external intervention, but the result of a long process of decrease in administrative control and abandonment of copper production sites from the early 9th century bce; Hazael's motivation in destroying Tell es-Safi/Gath was more likely owing to its size and dominance of the region, and its economic power through olive oil production; Cypriot copper production had already intensified in the late 10th and first half of the 9th centuries bce, while Arabah copper production was still at its peak. An alternative and more complex explanation for the end of copper production in the Arabah emerges from this re-evaluation. The Arabah industry may have lacked the leadership and administrative infrastructure to compete with the renewed Cypriot trade. It continued to produce copper and probably traded it to established markets, but finally petered out by the end of the 9th century bce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea where English has the status of the most popular and important foreign language (Tsiplakou, 2009; Fotiou, 2015) and the majority of its inhabitants are literate in English. While a former British colony, it is generally absent from discussions of places where English has had some special relevance due to historical, political, social and economic reasons. For example, while other small countries with a history of British rule, such as Malta and Seychelles, are part of Crystal's (2003: 62–5) list of English speakers in territories where English has had special relevance, Cyprus is absent from that list. This paper aims to fill this gap in the literature by providing an overview of the use of English in various domains, i.e. workplace, education, linguistic landscape, the media, and communication between Greek Cypriots, along with a brief historical background. The latter aims to illustrate how Cyprus was different from many British colonies and how this has affected the status of this language in this setting both now and during the colonization period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Those who engage in a task of conducting elite interviews in post-conflict societies must prepare for the context-specific challenges of this environment to mitigate the potentially distorting consequences of the process and the substance. This paper discusses the issues and challenges associated with interviewing elites in post-conflict societies. Examples are drawn from the author's own experiences gained through conducting over seventy interviews while collecting data on peace processes in Cyprus and Kosovo. Particularly, the issues of sampling, gaining access, and the process of interviewing are discussed with a focus on the issues of the impact of terminology, the use of recording devices, the researcher's positionality, and the subjective qualities of data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differentiation is a key concept in the Cypriot music curriculum, last revised in 2010. This paper aims to investigate teachers' interpretation and implementation of differentiation in their music classrooms. Interviews with Cypriot classroom music teachers and focus groups with their students took place within the context of a larger research project that investigated how elements of the Cypriot music curriculum were interpreted and applied by teachers and how this pedagogy in turn influenced students' motivation. Interviews were carried out with eight music teachers. Differentiation, as understood and implemented by these Cypriot music teachers, differed in fundamental ways to differentiation as conceptualised in academic literature concerned with this concept. These findings may serve as a point of reflection for future professional development in Cyprus relating to differentiation and its implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the Hellenistic and Early Roman cooking pottery originating from the area of Nea Paphos, Cyprus. Macroscopic examinations conducted on a few thousand local vessels and their fragments provided the detailed characterization of this group of pottery in terms of the appearance of fabric, typology, and chronology. The integration of these data with the results of laboratory analysis of selected samples revealed that the local production of cooking pottery changed through time in terms of clay composition, shapes, surface treatment, and firing techniques. The transformations observed within the local cooking pottery manufacture seem to correlate with political and social changes as well as the development of Nea Paphos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conspiracy theories and their effects have greatly proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. As in various countries, so in Cyprus, a mobilization of anti-vaxxers organized mainly through Facebook, violently attacked the largest media group of the island, "Sigma". Taking into consideration local peculiarities and historical contexts, a qualitative research was conducted on comments posted on Sigma Live's Facebook page, spanning between August 2020 and June 2021.The article illustrates how cultural, political, and historical peculiarities are instrumental in the formation of anti-vax movements, and how conspiracy theorizing in general is inextricably bound to such peculiarities. We demonstrate how new publics in social media platforms may dispute media outlets' representations through using the official channels of these outlets, highlighting an understudied facet of participatory media. The paper advocates for more context-bound theoretical analyses of conspiracy theorizing, which delve deeper into the meaning-making, interpretative, and discursive practices of conspiracists against media outlets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper argues that Chinese involvement in the Eastern Mediterranean is primarily motivated by increasing the country's economic role within the region through Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The paper uses case study analysis methodology dwelling on the evolution and content of Chinese involvement in Greece and Cyprus. Primarily focusing of the nature of the Chinese investments in strategic sectors of the two cases in question the role that that China plays in Eastern Mediterranean is described as a 'silky involvement'. China's policy choices are also perceived to be an opportunity for Greece and Cyprus to combat the negative effects of 2007–2008 economic crises and to increase their geopolitical stronghold in the post-Cold War geopolitical environment of the Eastern Mediterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to evaluate the state of Greek-Turkish relations in light of recent developments in the reconfiguration of Turkish foreign policy. Following twenty years of détente and relative calm in bilateral relations, the year 2020 witnessed two escalations in Greek-Turkish relations, one in March involving refugees and immigrants on the Greek-Turkish land border and another in August involving military vessels of the two countries. The refugee crisis and potential military conflict regarding energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean have raised tensions at a moment the political and institutional tools for the promotion of conflict resolution between Greece and Turkey linked to Turkey's EU membership perspective appear to be obsolete. This paper seeks an answer to the question of whether structural or ideational factors played the most prominent role in the recent escalation of the Greek-Turkish disputes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper which comes under the theme of macro-historical perspectives and Mediterranean history I shall discuss the exchange of gifts in three sections: first between the Lusignan kings of Cyprus and the sultans of Mamluk Egypt and Syria, between the Lusignan kings and the Turkish emirs of Anatolia, and thirdly between the Venetian rulers of Cyprus, including Queen Catherine Cornaro, and the Mamluk sultans for the period postdating 1473. Many of these exchanges of gifts took place during times of war, sometimes during the prelude to hostilities and sometimes immediately after their end. In addition, exchanges of gifts between Christian and Muslim rulers occasionally took place at times of peace. The reasons why gifts were exchanged, the type of gifts exchanged when these are described, not an invariable occurrence, and the symbolism underlying these exchanges of gifts will also be analyzed where possible. Furthermore, occasions when the recipient refused to accept the gift and why it was rejected shall also be examined. Where possible, comparisons with the exchange of gifts taking place in other societies and countries of the Eastern Mediterranean will be alluded to and discussed. In terms of source materials, the Cypriot chronicles of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries will form the principal source but reference shall also be made to diplomatic correspondence of the period under discussion. The exchanges of gifts normally took place within a diplomatic setting, this being the arrival of embassies, and gifts were sent sometimes to the close advisers of a ruler who could influence his policy and decision-making. On certain occasions, however, the exchanges of gifts could take place outside of this diplomatic context, for example as an expression of gratitude for assistance received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on data from ethnographic fieldwork, this study focuses on an icon known as Panagia Amirou kept at the Amirou Monastery in Cyprus. Instead of analyzing its unusual form, consisting of two icons from different times inserted one into another, this paper uses the concept of "religious heritage complex" to understand the special status of the icon, the complexity of the assemblages it has joined over time, and the relationships between religion and heritage. The Panagia Amirou icon has become the symbol of the monastery and appears to be crucial for the creation of a shared identity by giving the community the feeling of a connection to the past and continuity of monastic tradition, for as they believe, the icon and the monastery are from the same time. Particular attention is paid to the process of authenticating the icon's special status. The legend recounts not only the icon's old age but also its miraculous appearance and the healing power inherent in it from the very beginning, so it authenticates, together with processions, not only the alleged connection of the icon with the beginning of the monastery but also the status of the icon as being miracle-working. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the intellectual and sociological contribution of Sitas as a diasporic public intellectual who bridges and navigates between continents. Sitas's creative, scientific, and critical engagement in postcolonial thinking connects Cyprus to Africa, drawing from both his country of origin, Cyprus, and South Africa, where he excelled as a dramatist, poet, sociologist and public intellectual. This 'in-betweenness' seems to be the basis for the vantage point from which to observe society to inspire him during his remarkable intellectual and artistic journey within and between the continents. Perhaps unknown outside Cyprus, Sitas has had a crucial impact on the development of critical social sciences and civic action in Cyprus: the study of racism, intolerance, and the potential for reconciliation and between Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots and bringing to Cyprus postcolonial perspectives from the Global South, opening new readings in the study of reconciliation, borders, migration, precarity and social space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of the environmental factors affecting the ecology of seaweed (macroalgae) populations in the Levant Basin, attempting to identify both similar and different factors that determine distribution. Using correspondence analysis (CA) the study found a significantly similar pattern in the relations between countries and macroalgae – both for the whole group and within each phylum: Chlorophyta, Ochrophyta, Rhodophyta. The study identified two different macroalgae populations in the Levant Basin: The easternmost group living in open water off the coasts of Syria, Lebanon and Israel, and the shell group found in more sheltered waters in Egypt, Turkey, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and Republic of Cyprus (Greece Cyprus): south Cyprus; and the North Cyprus. The differences between the two communities can be explained by dynamic wave activity. Following a taxonomic and nomenclatural revision according to AlgaeBase, of 693 species to date recorded from the studied area, only 573 species remained. 26 of them appear in all 7 countries and other 68 in 6 countries. 204 species appear in only one country. 3 or 4 species have only been described in the Middle East and could be endemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Louis Palma di Cesnola, who appointed as a consul to Cyprus, started to acknowledge about the Island as soon as arrive there. He started archaeological work after he had knowledge about the Island. He worked more than one archaelogical sites and got positive results under favour of American political representatives in Istanbul and Cyprus. He unearthed numerous historical artifacts. He renewed his firman (imperial order) every year and continued his work without having any difficulties. But he sent these artifacts some museums in The United States Of America and Europe. The most important ones of these museums were The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), The British Museum (London) and Musee du Louvre (Paris). In this Paper, the information was given about the archaeological work of Cesnola in Cyprus by using of first hand documents from Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, Directorate of State Archives and books and papers about this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper engages with the issue of teacher education for inclusion and particularly with the approach of employing disability arts and narratives of people with disabilities in university based courses for inclusion. It draws on three examples of anti-oppressive curricula that were developed as part of a graduate university module in Cyprus that encouraged student teachers to engage with disability arts and narratives in order to understand key ideas developed in disability studies and inclusive education. The three examples presented in this paper are representative of the three approaches all the participating student teachers followed, and indicate the strategies they used and the nature of the materials they chose. The discussion considers how these approaches can further inform teacher education for inclusion and how using disability arts and narratives can inform the discussion on other issues concerning teacher education of inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degree of preservation and the extractability of organic molecules in both archaeological and paleontological skeletal material has been the objective of many studies during the last decades and have shown extremely promising and interesting results (Schweitzer et al., 1997, 2007; Poulakakis et al., 2002; Schmidt-Schultz & Schultz, 2004; Dotsika et al., 2011). Studies on such molecules via various protocols of extraction as well as isotopic and spectroscopic analyses (Stathopoulou et al., 2008; Dotsika et al., 2011; Kontopoulos et al., 2019) have led to important information concerning evolutionary, environmental and diagenetic issues. Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in skeletal material and its preservation in fossil material may indicate the preservation of other extremely important biomolecules such as DNA (Turner-Walker et al., 2008). This paper aims to present results concerning the evaluation of organic preservation as well as the extraction and quantification of collagen in samples from the Quaternary locations of Tilos and Dispilio (Greece) and Aghia Napa (Cyprus). Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR and NIR) was applied to all samples, prior to extraction in means of collagen prescreening and following extraction (where successful), to study the exact composition of the extracts and examine the correlation between collagen preservation and the samples' diagenetic profile (Stathopoulou et al., 2008; Kuczumow et al., 2010; Cleland et al., 2015; Stathopoulou et al., 2019). The extraction of collagen was attempted via modifications of the Longin (1971) method and specifically those of Maspero et al. (2011), Semal and Orban (1995) and Ambrose (1990). According to our results, only the Ambrose method led to successful collagen extraction and specifically only in the Dispilio samples. The collagen yield values for this material varied significantly (0,3–6,1% w/w) and seemed to strongly correlate to the different contexts found within the archaeological site. The IR analysis of the extracted Dispilio collagen indicated the presence of impurities such as carbonates and subsequently raised questions relating to the efficacy of the extraction method. Issues concerning geochemical and diagenetic parameters within the strata of the waterlogged site of Dispilio that could be connected to the different collagen yield as well as the methodological problems that emerged during the attempted extraction in all samples are discussed as well as the applicability of these methods on samples with reduced organic content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the contribution of "The New World of Work" to farming, a career often viewed as unattractive among youth, and, as highlighted by the "young farmer problem" in the literature. This paper draws upon research on the role of "new ways of working" in work engagement and farmer identity among young farmers. A mixed‐method approach is used based on data from two Mediterranean Islands, Crete and Cyprus. Based on the polymedia‐ new theory of digital media, the study focuses both on new media use and new media engagement for work‐related tasks. Our findings highlight that the "The New World of Work" is an important phenomenon for initiating positive change toward cohesive social‐self in a career (subjective perception of a farming career concerning others). However, we identified binary terms used by farmers when explaining conflicts between cohesive self‐concept (expression of a strong sense of self regarding their farming career) and social‐self in a career. The study concludes that the duality between career self‐concepts and social‐self still holds patterns even among young generation farmers, regardless of their integration level to new media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper explores human mobility in Byzantine Cyprus, using the site of the Hill of Agios Georgios in Nicosia as a case study. The analysis of mobility is based on strontium isotopic data, with the aim of identifying non-local individuals and estimating their frequency in different periods of use of the site (Early Christian and Late Byzantine/Frankish). As a complementary line of evidence, dental calculus microdebris analysis was conducted to explore the potential existence of imported plants as well as any differences in the diet and environment between local and non-local individuals. The isotopic results identified one individual who likely originated outside Cyprus and several more, the number of which differs pending on the bioavailable baseline used, who were non-local to the burial site. These non-local individuals temporally span both periods under study but they are more common in the Late Byzantine/Frankish assemblage, which is in agreement with historical data pointing to elevated mobility throughout Byzantine times but more so in the later periods. From the analysis of dental calculus microremains, we only retrieved identifiable starches from individuals of non-local origin; thus, these were difficult to interpret. A small amount of starch from the millet tribe, however, allowed us to make important considerations regarding the interpretation of dental calculus data in periods of time and locations where human mobility was high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable engineering design requires the joint consideration of technical, ecological, economic and social aspects in the provision of societal demands, such as water and energy supply. A growing number of concepts and methods for integrated assessment and sustainable design have been developed in recent decades and pose new challenges to the engineering profession. This paper proposes the use of system design concepts and methods to link engineering design to ecological and social–economic knowledge. This study expands the conventional functional analysis approach from systems engineering with a technical focus towards a more integrated perspective that allows for the joint consideration of technical, ecological and social–economic solutions in engineering design. Participatory systems thinking and system dynamics modelling are used for conceptual and preliminary system design by analysing the hierarchy and flows of functions to meet system requirements. The methodology consists of three steps: requirement analysis (step 1), functional organisation analysis (step 2) and functional flow analysis (step 3). An application of the methodology is provided using sustainable water management in Cyprus as an example. The results demonstrate the synergies and trade-offs between technical, ecological and social solutions in water management that provide important information for the subsequent detailed system design phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lebanon has started with huge efforts to explore its offshore regional areas in the Mediterranean Sea such as Egypt, Cyprus, Greek, and Israel. All exerted efforts are to find oil or natural gas. This is considered as a new place to do these kinds of activities in Lebanon. Furthermore, the need for knowing and evaluating the environmental conditions and terms, and field properties has become inevitable. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to evaluate environmental impacts and do risk assessment for the region of block IV where the first offshore and exploratory well is drilled. Drilling and environmental issue are reviewed and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in renewable energy sources (RESs) in distribution grids is a major driver for achieving green energy goals worldwide. However, RES power inverters affect power quality, increase power losses, and, in certain cases, may cause power interruptions due to harmonics, deterioration of the rate of change of frequency, and inability to rapidly react in grid faults. Today, phasor measurement units (PMUs) are the ultimate tools for real-time monitoring of distribution grids' health, and they enable several data-driven added-value services such as fast and automated fault detection, isolation, and recovery; state estimation; power quality monitoring; dynamic events analysis, etc. The present paper proposes an open hardware and software PMU platform, which is low cost, high performance, expandable, and, in general, suitable for research and innovation activities. The system is based on two processor modules (a digital signal processor from Texas Instruments TMS320c5517, and a microprocessor System-in-Package from Octavo Systems OSD3358), two local databases of 64 Gbytes each, GPS module, 5G modem interface, as well as analog and signal conditioning circuits to interface three-phase power voltage and current signals. The entire hardware design, schematics, and instrumentation components, as well as all firmware and software functions are completely open source. Pilot operation of the prototype design has been installed in three medium-/low-voltage substations in Cyprus, as well as twelve substations in Spain and Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyprus Government Railway (CGR), which operated between 1905-1951 was constructed during the British Colonial period. Railway heritage is important, since it is part of the common cultural heritage of both Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities living on the island. However, division of the island is a challenge to the conservation of the railway heritage. Unfortunately, little effort has been made by the two communities to document, preserve and reuse railway heritage buildings and related structures. The main goal of the paper is to raise the awareness of the railway heritage in Cyprus and to propose strategies to use this common heritage as a tool for reconciliation in a divided island. The method of the study included archive survey conducted to identify original railway buildings and structures. Secondly, field studies were completed in order to record the present day condition of the railway heritage. Lastly, a vision for the future of the shared heritage has been put forward for inter-communal benefit. CGR is a shared heritage of the both the communities. Due to its potential to contribute to the reconciliation of the society, conservation of the railway heritage is crucial in terms of transferring the culture to the next generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extraction and dissemination of historical geospatial data from early maps are major goals of historical geographic information systems (HGISs) in the context of the spatial humanities. This paper illustrates the process of interpreting, georeferencing, organizing, and visualizing the content of a historical map of Cyprus in the context of GISs and highlights the development of a national-scale spatial database of the island in the 19th century. This method was applied to Lord Kitchener's historical map of Cyprus (published in 1885), which is considered the product of the first scientific topographic survey of Cyprus, is rich in geographic information about the area, and covers the entire island at a scale of 1:63,360. Previous attempts to create historical geodatabases have either focused on small areas or, when conducted on a national scale, have been thematically focused. The positional accuracy of the map was found to be 1.08 mm in map units, which was equivalent to 68.76 m on the ground. Accordingly, the main categories of geographic content (land cover, administrative units, settlements, transportation/communication networks, stream networks/water bodies, points of interest, annotations) were digitized from the georeferenced historical map. The Web-based application developed in this study supported the visualization of the historical geographic content of the map and its comparison with modern basemaps. The creation of the geodatabase presented in the study provides a template for similar studies and a basis for further development of the historical geodatabase of Cyprus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pistacia spp. remains are common finds among archaeobotanical assemblages in prehistoric sites in Southwest Asia, both in the form of endocarps and charcoal remains. However, in the absence of a systematic study of the fruit morphology, the archaeobotanical remains of Pistacia cannot be identified to the species level and this deprives us of important information on their past geographical distribution and uses. This paper presents a comprehensive study of morphological and traditional morphometric characteristics of modern endocarps of six Pistacia species indigenous to Southwest Asia: P. atlantica Desf., P. eurycarpa Yalt., P. khinjuk Stocks, P. lentiscus L., P. terebinthus L. and P. vera L. The observation of recurring morphological features that were shown to remain stable during experimental carbonisation allowed us to set up an identification key whose efficiency was tested through a blind test. The application of established identification criteria to archaeobotanical material from the Late Aceramic Neolithic site of Khirokitia-Vounoi in Cyprus, enables an in-depth discussion on the biogeography and use of Pistacia species in prehistoric Cyprus. Finally, the paper identifies directions for future research on a major plant resource of the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the factors that influenced urban development in Cypriot cities and how the Cypriot planning system evolved to address such factors. Limassol is chosen as the case study for an in–depth approach in order to come to general but precise conclusions. The paper offers an interpretive–historical narrative of the urban development of the city from the latter part of the Ottoman period to the present day in order to understand the mechanism through which Cypriot cities have grown and the role of planning in shaping their form and influencing how they function. The objective is to provide a comprehensive description of factors, mechanisms and actors involved in the emergence and transformation of Limassol, and in particular the role of planning in its historical evolution and in more recent regeneration and development projects. The narrative was constructed using a variety of primary and secondary sources, including travellers' reports, historical cartography, press articles and interviews with expert stakeholders. The paper concludes with an assessment of the current state of planning in Cyprus, its potential future directions, and remarks on the effectiveness of the narrative in interpreting causal pathways of development and evaluating the impact of planning actions and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our paper (Nicolaou et al., 2020) we used age-graded mandibles to draw attritional mortality profiles which challenge the hypothesis that the hippo bone accumulation of Aetokremnos resulted from human hunting. Simmons et al. (2022) raised concerns about the methodology we used compared to the methodology used by Wopschall (2014) who drew prime-dominated mortality profiles on the very same material. Here, we compare the two methodologies, and we explain why our use of age-graded mandibles is more reliable than the use of isolated m1 and m2 molars used by Wopschall. We also address some of the commenter's objections to the arguments raised by chronology, stratigraphy and taphonomy studies which were cited in our article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Modern protocols for light sedation in combination with the increased number of COVID-19 infected patients hospitalized in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) have increased the number of patients who are mechanically ventilated and awake. Nurses require specific skills to care for this vulnerable group of patients. At the same time, nurses report feeling inadequate and frustrated when they attempt to establish communication with mechanically ventilated, conscious patients. Study objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies nurses use when taking care of conscious, intubated patients in the intensive care unit and the barriers they encounter in their effort to communicate. Methods: For this study, a qualitative design was employed. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews with 14 intensive care nurses working at ICUs in four different hospitals of Cyprus. The data were analyzed by applying thematic analysis. Results: We identified several strategies of unaided (movements—lips, hands, legs—facial expressions, gestures, touching) and aided forms of communication (pen and paper, boards, tablets, mobiles) used by nurses to communicate with patients. However, barriers to communication were reported by the participating nurses mainly pertaining to patients and nurses' characteristics as well as the ICU environment. The health protocols imposed by the pandemic added more obstacles to the communication between nurses and patients mostly related to the use of protective health equipment. Conclusions: The results of this study point to the difficulties nurses in Cyprus face when trying to communicate with conscious patients during mechanical ventilation. It appears that the lack of nurses' training and of appropriate equipment to facilitate augmentative and alternative communication leave the complex communication needs of critically ill patients unaddressed. However, further research including patients' opinions, after they recover, would bring more clarity on this topic. Our study adds evidence to the communication crisis created by the protective health protocols imposed by the pandemic. As such, it highlights the need to educate nurses in augmentative and alternative ways of communication to address communication with mechanically ventilated, conscious patients during their ICU stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the significant changes in atmospheric aerosol characteristics during the extreme aerosol outbreak event in April 2019 in the atmosphere over Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean. We study the aerosol optical depth (AOD), Ångström exponent (AE), single-scattering albedo, refractive index, size, and vertical distribution of aerosol particles during the event of intense aerosol advection in detail. For this purpose, we used the ground-based observations of the sun-photometer AERONET Nicosia station, lidar measurements, and back trajectories of air movements calculated using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT). To compare with background aerosol load conditions during the year, the available data of AOD and AE were used from the observations at the Nicosia AERONET site in the 2015–2022 period. On 23–25 April 2019, strong aerosol advection over Nicosia was detected according to lidar and sun-photometer observations. On 25 April 2019, the day with the largest aerosol contamination, the AOD value exceeded 0.9 at λ = 500 nm. Analysis of the optical and microphysical characteristics during the extreme event supported that the aerosol advection consists of mainly Saharan dust particles. This assumption was confirmed by the AOD versus AE variations, single-scattering albedo, refractive index, and size distribution retrievals, as well as lidar data and HYSPLIT backward trajectories, where air masses containing dust particles came mostly from North Africa. The analysis shows that the April 2019 event was one of the strongest aerosol surges that regularly take place in springtime in the atmosphere over Cyprus. The noticeable reduction in the effective radiative forcing caused by increasing aerosol amount during the aerosol dust outbreak was revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the long distance propagation characteristics of the HF spectrum, noise and interference are significant and challenging factors that have to be addressed in the context of HF system performance. Both aspects exhibit systematic diurnal, seasonal, and solar cycle variability that result in a number of corresponding measurement campaigns all over the globe, in an effort to characterise HF noise. Noise at HF consists of man-made and naturally occurring HF noise with atmospheric and galactic components. An understanding of HF noise variation in terms of time, azimuth, and filter bandwidth is crucial for a specific location, as it can provide a background knowledge based on which appropriate values of HF system parameters may be selected. This paper deals with the temporal, azimuthal, and bandwidth characteristics of HF noise based on a one-month dataset of electric field strength measurements recorded by a directional antenna in Cyprus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]