City Of Volos Research Articles

Ethnopharmacological study of medicinal plants used against skin ailments on Mount Pelion, central Greece.

Throughout centuries, traditional herbal medicine and the employment of medicinal plants have constituted an important tool for the treatment and prevention of numerous diseases. The present study focuses on the collection of ethnopharmacological data regarding the uses of medicinal plants for the treatment of dermatological ailments in various villages of Mount Pelion, Greece. More specifically, the study area is represented by the city of Volos and villages located in Central West Pelion and has not been investigated up to now. The information on the medicinal uses of the various species was obtained through extensive semi-structured interviews or the completion of specific questionnaires by the informants. Although the Covid-19 pandemic caused difficulties and obstacles in carrying out this research procedure, 60 informants were recruited and interviewed (36 women and 24 men). Their age range was between 31 and 97 years and their educational level was characterized by great diversity (primary, secondary, and higher education). The elaboration of the gathered information included the calculation of some quantitative indices, such as Fidelity Level (FL), and Informant Consensus Factor (FIC). Moreover, the relative importance of each reported species was identified by calculating the Use Value (UV). The interviews revealed 38 plant taxa belonging to 27 plant families reported to be used in the study area exclusively against skin diseases. The plant family mostly mentioned by the informants was Hypericaceae, followed by Plantaginaceae and Amaryllidaceae, while among the most popular methods of application are cataplasms, compresses, and topical application of decoction or raw plant material. Some of the most cited species are Hypericum perforatum L., Quercus coccifera L., and Plantago sp., traditionally used to treat skin problems such as eczema, wounds, and insect stings. The present ethnopharmacological study is the first documentation of ethnobotanical knowledge of this area that points out the traditional uses of medicinal plants against skin ailments.

News from the European Journal of Therapeutics: A new issue and a new editorial board

News from the European Journal of Therapeutics: A new issue and a new editorial board

Effect of PM2.5 Levels on ED Visits for Respiratory Causes in a Greek Semi-Urban Area.

Fine particulate matter that have a diameter of <2.5 μm (PM2.5) are an important factor of anthropogenic pollution since they are associated with the development of acute respiratory illnesses. The aim of this prospective study is to examine the correlation between PM2.5 levels in the semi-urban city of Volos and Emergency Department (ED) visits for respiratory causes. ED visits from patients with asthma, pneumonia and upper respiratory infection (URI) were recorded during a one-year period. The 24 h PM2.5 pollution data were collected in a prospective manner by using twelve fully automated air quality monitoring stations. PM2.5 levels exceeded the daily limit during 48.6% of the study period, with the mean PM2.5 concentration being 30.03 ± 17.47 μg/m3. PM2.5 levels were significantly higher during winter. When PM2.5 levels were beyond the daily limit, there was a statistically significant increase in respiratory-related ED visits (1.77 vs. 2.22 visits per day; p: 0.018). PM2.5 levels were also statistically significantly related to the number of URI-related ED visits (0.71 vs. 0.99 visits/day; p = 0.01). The temperature was negatively correlated with ED visits (r: −0.21; p < 0.001) and age was found to be positively correlated with ED visits (r: 0.69; p < 0.001), while no statistically significant correlation was found concerning humidity (r: 0.03; p = 0.58). In conclusion, PM2.5 levels had a significant effect on ED visits for respiratory causes in the city of Volos.

Παραγωγή Εκπαιδευτικού Υλικού με Εφαρμογές της Αλληλεπιδραστικής Βιβλιοθεραπείας σε Πολυπολιτισμικές Ομάδες

Bibliotherapy is the personal development or personal problem solving through reading. It is suitable for every individual or group of any age and ability. Bibliotherapy can be divided into clinical-remediate or preventive-developmental and into self-helping or interactive bibliotherapy. During an educational intervention in an immigrants’ voluntary school in the city of Volos, I used pre-designed bibliotherapeutic teaching equipment (e.g. excerpts from appropriate literature, issues for discussion and activities) in order to facilitate female immigrant mature students who are occupied as domestic workers in Greece to externalize their emotions. The material from this educational intervention formed the corpus for a case study – qualitative research. The domestic workers who participated in five bibliotherapeutic sessions seemed to prefer a non-fiction, informational book about problems at work and in social life rather than a fiction book. Nevertheless, we claim that through literature they may gain some emotional benefits, as they tend to identify themselves with the hero and they eventually develop empathy, a realistic view of their problems in life, as well as a more dynamic attitude regarding social demands and decision making.

Estimating remobilization of potentially toxic elements in soil and road dust of an industrialized urban environment.

The mobility of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) is of paramount concern in urban settings, particularly those affected by industrial activities. Here, contaminated soils and road dusts of the medium-size, industrialized city of Volos, Central Greece, were subjected to single-step extractions (0.43M HNO3 and 0.5M HCl) and the modified BCR sequential extraction procedure. This approach will allow for a better understanding of the geochemical phase partitioning of PTEs and associated risks in urban environmental matrices. Based on single extraction procedures, Pb and Zn exhibited the highest remobilization potential. Of the non-residual phases, the reducible was the most important for Pb, and the oxidizable for Cu and Zn in both media. On the other hand, mobility of Ni, Cr, and Fe was low, as inferred by their dominance into the residual fraction. Interestingly, we found a significant increase of the residual fraction in the road dust samples compared to soils. Carbonate content and organic matter controlled the extractabilities of PTEs in the soil samples. By contrast, for the road dust, magnetic susceptibility exerted the main control on the geochemical partitioning of PTEs. We suggest that anthropogenic particles emitted by heavy industries reside in the residual fraction of the SEP, raising concerns about the assessment of this fraction in terms of origin of PTEs and potential environmental risks. Conclusively, the application of sequential extraction procedures should be complemented with source identification of PTEs with the aim to better estimate the remobilization of PHEs in soil and road dust influenced by industrial emissions.

A LATE HELLADIC IIIC EARLY DEPOSIT FROM KOKOTSIKA PLOT IN KASTRO/PALAIA (VOLOS)

This article presents a Late Helladic IIIC Early deposit of pottery and small finds deriving from rescue excavations at the Kokotsika plot in Kastro/Palaia, within the modern city of Volos. It is the first systematically published deposit from that site, providing data on stratigraphy, small finds, pottery typology, decoration, fabrics and use-wear patterns, supplemented with detailed statistics. A particular feature of the recovered assemblage is the comparatively high frequency of Handmade Burnished Ware, as well as the presence of Grey Ware, both seen as products of people deriving from the Italian peninsula. The presented deposit provides valuable new data both for the site of Kastro/Palaia, as well as for the region of coastal Thessaly. The revealed remains and stratigraphy might be related to the structures exposed in nearby plots by earlier excavation campaigns of D. Theocharis. The deposit documents most likely a slightly later stage of Late Helladic IIIC Early compared to what is present at the abandonment deposits at Dimini and Pefkakia. As such it provides new clues for the reconstruction of regional history, confirming earlier views that Kastro/Palaia attracted people who left other habitation sites in the area.

Driver Distraction of Cyclists in Urban Environment: A Methodological Approach

Undoubtedly, road accidents are a public health problem, the impact and importance of which have increased in recent decades. Road safety data have systematically shown how cyclists are very vulnerable to being involved in a car accident and suffering serious injuries resulting from it. Furthermore, although the data are still very limited, in addition to the other human factors involved in cycling accidents, distraction when using the bicycle seems to contribute significantly to the road risk of riders. It is well known that driving is a complex process that requires the simultaneous existence of physical, mental and sensory abilities. Despite the complexity of driving, it is observed that drivers deal with things that are irrelevant to the driving task. And this is a huge problem in transport safety, the distraction of the driver. With the growing number of portable devices as well as the electronic help and entertainment systems offered to the driver, the sources of distraction are constantly increasing. The purpose of this study is to understand the phenomenon of driver distraction and to export results, important for the progress in dealing with the phenomenon by the various agencies that can be used as a basis for further research. More specifically, a summary of the recent literature on driver distraction is made, focusing specifically on the distraction of drivers, both by technological means and by external factors. Finally, a methodological approach is applied to the phenomenon, and in particular to the distraction of the bicycle driver in the urban environment, which includes the realization of an experiment in real conditions in the city of Volos. The research involved 15 drivers, who were asked to perform a specific route by cycling and following specific instructions through a navigator. The data collected were analyzed and showed that the phenomenon of driver distraction is real and is a high-risk factor.

Assessing the Impacts of Crowdshipping Using Public Transport: A Case Study in a Middle-Sized Greek City

Crowdsourced deliveries or crowdshipping is identified in recent literature as an emerging urban freight transport solution, aiming at reducing delivery costs, congestion, and environmental impacts. By leveraging the pervasive use of mobile technology, crowdshipping is an emerging solution of the sharing economy in the transport domain, as parcels are delivered by commuters rather than corporations. The objective of this research is to evaluate the impacts of crowdshipping through alternative scenarios that consider various levels of demand and adoption by public transport users who act as crowdshippers, based on a case study example in the city of Volos, Greece. This is achieved through the establishment of a tailored evaluation framework and a city-scale urban freight traffic microsimulation model. Results show that crowdshipping has the potential to mitigate last-mile delivery impacts and effectively contribute to improving the system’s performance.

Musées de la ville et politiques d’intégration locale : le cas du musée de la ville de Volos

City museums tend to be identified with the gradual democratisation of memory against nationalist and essentialist discourses through the pluralisation of histories included in their collections. My paper examines the context in which the Volos City Museum was conceived, constructed and opened in 2015. The EU’s gradual decentralization and its connection to the diversification of European societies through migration, made necessary the integration of immigrants at the local level. These changes had an impact on Volos and were stepping-stones for the foundation of the museum. This paper is based on fieldwork linked to the new museum’s opening, as well as an examination of its activities and agenda.

Small Scale Fisheries, Dolphins and Societal Challenges: A Case Study in the City of Volos, Greece

Existing literature on dolphin-fisheries interaction focused on Greece reveals both an undeveloped area for research, but also a lack of relevant data in this field. Although imperative, relevant research has been slow on innovation and cooperation among universities, official bureaus, and NGOs that are obliged to work together as European and national laws dictate. Most of the research in this new field focuses on the interaction between marine mammals and local fisheries, suggesting that this relationship may be problematic for both parties since the former are being treated (at least occasionally) with brutality, while the latter try to deal with economic loss. Dolphins and fishermen operate within the same ecological niches for their survival, the main area of conflict being nutritious fish. Anthropological research on ethnic identity has long dealt with antagonistic relationships over resources between adjacent groups of people. Marine biologists’ research in Greece focuses on the human factor, and some of its shortcomings may well be seen as the result of limited, or an absence of, training in social sciences. This article attempts to draw from anthropological theory to shed light on a particular symbiosis between humans and dolphins. Multidisciplinary approaches gain ground in a wide range of research interests and seem to be fruitful in terms of theoretical and practical results.

Level of Contamination Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements in the Urban Soils of Volos City (Central Greece)

A three-year study, designed to record the level of potentially toxic elements within the urban complex in the city of Volos, Greece, was carried out between 2018 and 2020. For the needs of the aforementioned study, 62 surface (0–15 cm) soil samples were collected each year (i.e., 186 samples in total) from an urban area of 3.65 km2, and the average value of pseudo-total metal concentration was measured. Soil pollution indices, such as the contamination factor (CF) and the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), were estimated regarding each of the metals of interest. The respective thematic maps were constructed, and the spatial variability of the contamination degree was displayed. Higher values of the CF and Igeo were obtained near the heavy traffic roads and beside the railway station, the bus stations, and the commercial port. The maps based on the pollution indices, along with the database that was constructed using the appropriate mathematical tools of geostatistical analysis, may be a useful tool for monitoring, prediction, and continuous verification of contamination in the urban soils of Volos city.

Tropospheric vertical profiling of the aerosol backscatter coefficient and the particle linear depolarization ratio for different aerosol mixtures during the PANACEA campaign in July 2019 at Volos, Greece

The PANhellenic infrastructure for Atmospheric Composition and climate change (PANACEA) campaign took place in July 2019, to assess the presence of aerosols both in situ and at different heights, in selected cities of Greece suffering from high air pollution levels. One of these sites was the city of Volos (39.21° N., 22.57° E). Vertical profiles of the aerosol backscatter coefficient (baer) and the particle linear depolarization ratio (δp) of maritime polluted, urban, smoke and dust mixtures were measured during using the mobile depolarization Aerosol lIdAr System (AIAS). 42 aerosol layers were characterized, out of which 40% were of urban origin, 26% of smoke origin, 21% maritime polluted aerosol layers and 12% dust mixtures. The maritime polluted and urban aerosols showed a mean δp value at 532 nm of 4 ± 1%, within a range of 2–6% and 2–5%, respectively. The smoke aerosols showed a mean δp value of 6 ± 1%, within a range of 3–9%, while the dust mixtures showed a mean δp of 20 ± 4%, ranging from 13 to 29%. Finally, the majority of these layers were observed above 250 up to 2000 m height asl., although the dust mixtures reached 3000 m height asl.

Forecasting Reference Evapotranspiration Using Time Lagged Recurrent Neural Network

The aim of this study is to employ a Time Lagged Recurrent Neural Network (TLRNN) model for forecasting near future reference evapotranspiration (ETo) values by using climate data taken from meteorological station located in Velestino, a village near the city of Volos, in Thessaly, centre of Greece. TLRNN is Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network (MLP-NN) with locally recurrent connections and short-term memory structures that can learn temporal variations from the dataset. The network topology is using input layer, hidden layer and a single output with the ETo values. The network model was trained using the back propagation through time algorithm. Performance evaluations of the network model done by comparing the Mean Bias Error (MBE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Coefficient of Determination (R2) and Index of Agreement (IA). The evaluation of the results showed that the developed TLRNN model works properly and the forecasting ETo values approximate the FAO-56 PM values. A good proximity of predictions with the experimental data was noticed, achieving coefficients of determination (R2) greater than 75% and root mean square error (RMSE) values less than 1.0 mm/day. The forecasts range up to three days ahead and can be helpful to farmers for irrigation scheduling.

DEALING WITH THE CRISIS: MOBILITY OF AEGINETAN-TRADITION POTTERS AROUND 1200 BC

This article investigates the final episodes of a long-lasting potting tradition that developed on Aegina during the Bronze Age. Fromc. 1400bc, cooking pottery constituted the only class of that tradition that was still manufactured and exported in quantity. Detailed study of several settlement contexts from sites scattered along the Euboean and up to the Pagasetic Gulf dating toc. 1200bcshows that pottery imported from Aegina became increasingly less available, whereas similar cooking pots produced in various non-Aeginetan fabrics appear at the same time. Macroscopic analysis of traces related to manufacture of such pots reveals that it followed the typicalchaîne opératoireof the Aeginetan tradition, strongly suggesting that their appearance reflects technological transfer and, thus, could not be explained without taking mobility of potters into account. Following a comprehensive presentation of available evidence, we argue that potters trained in the context of the Aeginetan potting tradition produced cooking pottery in several locations along the Euboean Gulf and up to the modern city of Volos. By considering the socio-economic and political context of their activity, as well as the development of Aegina and its pottery production during the later stages of the Late Bronze Age, we are able to shed more light on potters’ motivations to move, as well as on the population and the time scale of this mobility phenomenon. It appears that it had two stages, characterised by itinerant activity followed by permanent relocation, and that it was relatively short-lived, as byc. 1150bcAeginetan-tradition potters become invisible in the archaeological record.

Urban water demand assessment for sustainable water resources management, under climate change and socioeconomic changes

Abstract The relationship between water abstraction and water availability has turned into a major stress factor in the urban exploitation of water resources. The situation is expected to be sharpened in the future due to the intensity of extreme meteorological phenomena, and socio-economic changes affecting water demand. In the city of Volos, Greece, the number of water counters has been tripled during the last four decades. This study attempts to simulate the city's network, supply system and water demand through a forecasting model. The forecast was examined under several situations, based on climate change and socio-economic observations of the city, using meteorological, water pricing, users' income, level of education, family members, floor and residence size variables. The most interesting outputs are: (a) the impact of each variable in the water consumption and (b) water balance under four management scenarios, indicating the future water management conditions of the broader area, including demand and supply management. The results proved that rational water management can lead to remarkable water conservation. The simulation of real scenarios and future situations in the city's water demand and balance, is the innovative element of the study, making it capable of supporting the local water utility.

Flood Inundation Mapping at Ungauged Basins Using Coupled Hydrometeorological–Hydraulic Modelling: The Catastrophic Case of the 2006 Flash Flood in Volos City, Greece

Nowadays, as extreme weather increasingly threatens human health and economy, early warning system approaches are critical for timely preparedness and response. Towards the implementation of a multi-model forecasting system for flood hazards, this study presents a coupled application of three (3) models: The WRF-ARW weather model, the WRF-Hydro hydrological model, and the HEC-RAS 2D hydraulic model. A flash flood event that occurred on 9 October 2006 in Volos city, Greece, is used as a case study to assess the accuracy of the integrated modelling approach to simulate the flood hydrograph and flood extent in Xerias ungauged catchment. The hydrometeorological simulation results indicated a severe persistent storm over Pelion mountain at the northeast of Volos, as the main factor of the major flash flood and extensive impacts. Historical flood records retrieved by several conventional and non-conventional sources are used to validate the flooded area. Compared to the collected data and prior studies, the generated inundation map of Xerias river is found to realistically capture highly impacted areas which experienced infrastructure damage and human rescues from inundated roads and buildings. Results from our analyses show that the proposed physically-based modelling approach can give reliable inputs into flood risk management.

CFD Study of Thermal Comfort in Urban Area

The reduction of energy consumption for cooling should be addressed on a city level since the urban environment where the building operates increases its cooling needs and deteriorates the heat pumps operation. In the present work, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is used to study the improvement of microclimate conditions in an urban agglomeration of the city of Volos, through bioclimatic interventions. The Boussinesq approximation is used in order to take into account the thermal buoyancy while the Discrete Ordinate (DO) model is used for the radiation transport. The ground temperature is calculated by solving an energy balance model while the ground is also considered an infrared diffusive radiation emitter. The planted surfaces are considered finite thickness heat sinks and the roofs and building walls are also took as finite thickness isothermal walls and heat sources (the heat pumps and electrical device operation, lighting and, residences presence). Trees are regarded as porous volumes. The surfaces of water elements are considered isothermal heat sink walls. The local microclimate before and after the bioclimatic interventions is presented by comparing the temperature and wind speed distributions as well as the thermal comfort indices for a typical summer day.

Economic crisis and promotion of sustainable transportation: A case survey in the city of Volos, Greece

Abstract The paper presents the results of a survey that examines the effects of the current economic crisis to the promotion of sustainable transportation in the city of Volos (a medium-sized Greek city, 130,000 inhabitants). The survey was based on a questionnaire conducted on a random sample of 605 participants through personal interviews in the year 2013. The questionnaire comprised 24 questions divided into two parts. In the first part, the participants provided their demographic data, purchase power, possession of bicycle, private vehicle and driving licence. In the second part, participants stated their choice to change transport mode for utilitarian or recreational trips comparing the years 2008 (before the crisis) and 2012 (crisis in process). They also answered questions about road safety and personal safety issues when they walk or bike during the day and night time in the city of Volos. The analysis supports that citizens have changed their transportation habits during the years of economic crisis in Greece in favor of sustainable transport modes. Due to the increased unemployment and the decreased personal income, commuters preferred the use of public transportation, bicycle or walk instead of private vehicles. Thus, the crisis has a positive impact towards sustainable mobility by changing the way commuters travel in urban areas favoring more economic, environmental friendly and socially alternative transport modes.

Accessibility assessment of urban mobility: the case of Volos, Greece

Abstract This article studies the spatial point patterns of the infrastructures’ location of selected activities in the city of Volos, Greece, namely hotels, restaurants, banks and gas stations , comparatively with the maps of the urban bus lines and the urban road network of the city. The selected facilities represent a considerable portion of the economic activity in the city of Volos, suggesting a coastal city with a major productivity orientation to the tertiary sector, a substandard industrial profile and a privileged location to a famous mountain in Greece. The analysis is conducted by using geostatistic measures, metrics and methods of spatial analysis, detecting spatial patterns and dependencies among the examined activities. Given the familiar socioeconomic framework of the city of Volos, the purpose of this article is to detect how the geographical and spatial constraints affect the citizens’ accessibility to the examined urban economic activities and to discuss how the location of these activities affect urban mobility and the potential of the city for economic development.

Cycling: Utilitarian and symbolic dimensions

Abstract This study explores the various factors, both of utilitarian and symbolic nature, associated with the use of bicycles in the city of Volos, a medium-sized Greek city. Deviating from relevant studies carried out to date in Greece, it is based on a differentiated view of the parameters linked to the degree of its use, where emotions, habits and social norms (symbolic) are considered as important as the elements of the natural and built environment and the socio-economic reality (utilitarian). A sample of 363 residents participated in the survey by completing a questionnaire, which investigated the importance of each of the aforementioned elements. The key questions posed concern the investigation of a) the correlation of the above factors with the intensity of cycling in the city of Volos, b) the attitude of citizens towards cycling and cyclists and c) the role of cycling in the user’s everyday life. The results revealed that symbolic factors are associated with choices, habits and future changes in users’ behavior and led to the conclusion that both factor groups play a significant role in understanding and redefining the behavior of individuals towards the increase of cycling in cities.