5,139 research outputs found

    Graduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    Cyber Conflict and Just War Theory

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    Financial and Economic Review 22.

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    The Developer's Dilemma

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    This book explores this developerā€™s dilemma or ā€˜Kuznetsian tensionā€™ between structural transformation and income inequality. Developing countries are seeking economic developmentā€”that is, structural transformationā€”which is inclusive in the sense that it is broad-based and raises the income of all, especially the poor. Thus, inclusive economic growth requires steady, or even falling, income inequality if it is to maximize the growth of incomes at the lower end of the distribution. Yet, this is at odds with Simon Kuznets hypothesis that economic development tends to put upward pressure on income inequality, at least initially and in the absence of countervailing policies. The book asks: what are the types or ā€˜varietiesā€™ of structural transformation that have been experienced in developing countries? What inequality dynamics are associated with each variety of structural transformation? And what policies have been utilized to manage trade-offs between structural transformation, income inequality, and inclusive growth? The book answers these questions using a comparative case study approach, contrasting nine developing countries while employing a common analytical framework and a set of common datasets across the case studies. The intended intellectual contribution of the book is to provide a comparative analysis of the relationship between structural transformation, income inequality, and inclusive growth; to do so empirically at a regional and national level; and to draw conclusions from the cases on the varieties of structural transformation, their inequality dynamics, and the policies that have been employed to mediate the developerā€™s dilemma

    Innovation in Energy Security and Long-Term Energy Efficiency ā…”

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    The sustainable development of our planet depends on the use of energy. The increasing world population inevitably causes an increase in the demand for energy, which, on the one hand, threatens us with the potential to encounter a shortage of energy supply, and, on the other hand, causes the deterioration of the environment. Therefore, our task is to reduce this demand through different innovative solutions (i.e., both technological and social). Social marketing and economic policies can also play their role by affecting the behavior of households and companies and by causing behavioral change oriented to energy stewardship, with an overall switch to renewable energy resources. This reprint provides a platform for the exchange of a wide range of ideas, which, ultimately, would facilitate driving societies toward long-term energy efficiency

    Systemic Circular Economy Solutions for Fiber Reinforced Composites

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    This open access book provides an overview of the work undertaken within the FiberEUse project, which developed solutions enhancing the profitability of composite recycling and reuse in value-added products, with a cross-sectorial approach. Glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymers, or composites, are increasingly used as structural materials in many manufacturing sectors like transport, constructions and energy due to their better lightweight and corrosion resistance compared to metals. However, composite recycling is still a challenge since no significant added value in the recycling and reprocessing of composites is demonstrated. FiberEUse developed innovative solutions and business models towards sustainable Circular Economy solutions for post-use composite-made products. Three strategies are presented, namely mechanical recycling of short fibers, thermal recycling of long fibers and modular car parts design for sustainable disassembly and remanufacturing. The validation of the FiberEUse approach within eight industrial demonstrators shows the potentials towards new Circular Economy value-chains for composite materials

    Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management

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    This book is a reprint of the Special Issue 'Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management' that was published in the journal Buildings

    More Than Machines?

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    We know that robots are just machines. Why then do we often talk about them as if they were alive? Laura Voss explores this fascinating phenomenon, providing a rich insight into practices of animacy (and inanimacy) attribution to robot technology: from science-fiction to robotics R&D, from science communication to media discourse, and from the theoretical perspectives of STS to the cognitive sciences. Taking an interdisciplinary perspective, and backed by a wealth of empirical material, Voss shows how scientists, engineers, journalists - and everyone else - can face the challenge of robot technology appearing Ā»a little bit aliveĀ« with a reflexive and yet pragmatic stance

    Life cycle sustainability assessment for selecting construction materials in the preliminary design phase of road construction projects

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    Road construction project activities cause severe harm to the environment as they consume a tremendous volume of materials and release pollutants into the environment. Besides, an increasing number of researchers is participating in work related to sustainability in the construction industry as well as road construction projects. Similar to other life cycles, a strong influence on sustainability is exerted in the early phases of road construction projects, especially in the preliminary design phase. Especially selecting materials is one of the most critical tasks in this phase because it contributes considerably to the achievement of sustainability targets. For enabling a conscious and systematic selection of materials, a significant evaluation of materials with regard to the three dimensions of sustainability is necessary. However, a well-elaborated and mature instrument supporting such an evaluation has not been developed and presented in literature until now. In the contrary, several studies revealed that the material-dependent activities and the life cycle analysis have been neglected so far. Moreover, selecting materials in the preliminary design phase is mainly based on designersā€™ experience and not on the application of analytic methods. Such selection is highly error-prone. In this thesis, current material selection methods for sustainable development in the preliminary design phase were analyzed. Initially, material selection studies conducted in the early design phase were analyzed to determine the relevant issues. The result emphasized that the integration of sustainability into material selection in the preliminary design phase encountered many obstacles, such as unavailable information and databases. Then, the most important sustainability criteria for selecting road construction materials were identified, covering the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability. Next, approaches which suggest the application of LCC, LCA, Social LCA, MCDM, and LCSA in road construction material selection are discussed in order to identify their limitations. Accordingly, this thesis developed an instrument based on the LCC, LCA, Social LCA, MCDM methods, and LCSA for assessing the sustainability performance of road construction materials in the preliminary design phase. The instrument is intended to help designers select the most sustainable materials by addressing the issues that emerge in the preliminary design phase. Firstly, a procedure model for evaluating the sustainability performance of road construction materials is suggested. It is based on two existing procedure models. One is a decision theory-based procedure model for sustainability-oriented evaluations. The model is divided into two levels, with the overall sustainability performance evaluation at the first level and the evaluation of the economic, environmental, and social performances at the second level. Although this procedure model demonstrates some benefits and has been utilized in some cases, the four-step LCA procedure, according to ISO 14044, appears to be more prevalent and well-established. Therefore, it is suggested here to integrate both approaches. This procedure model contributes to integrating the LCC, LCA, and Social LCA). Secondly, this instrument for assessing the sustainable performance of materials is further developed based on the step-by-step models of three pillars of sustainability. This allows for employing numerical methods from the LCC, LCA and Social LCA and thereby reducing the mistakes from the experience-based selection of designers. The proposed instrument also addresses the specific challenges of material selection in the preliminary design phase. The LCC could refine all material-dependent costs incurred during the life cycle and evaluate the material alternatives' total cost. Besides, it defines long-term outcomes by dividing the material life cycle into many consecutive phases and applying the time value of money into the calculation. For the LCA, two scenarios are proposed to solve the problems concerning the lack of available information in the preliminary design phase. Besides, the environmental performance of material-dependent activities, such as the usage of equipment and labor, is also considered in the method. The Social LCA is developed based on the Performance Preference Point (PPR) approach and the Subcategory Assessment Method (SAM) to assess the social performance of road construction materials. The method also shows the potential to support the designers in selecting the most social-friendly material by considering the material-dependent activities and stakeholders. The LCC, LCA, and Social LCA analyses integrated into the LCSA to come up with the general perspective of sustainable level. From the perspective of decision-makers, the importance level of sustainability dimensions might be different. The study suggests applying the AHP method and Likert Scale to evaluate the weightings and then integrating them into the LCSA model to assess the general sustainability performance of road construction materials. After that, a ternary diagram can be drawn to provide a comprehensive picture of the road construction material selection in dependence on these weightings. The assessment of two alternatives, ā€œconcrete bricksā€ and ā€œbaked bricksā€, was conducted as a case study to illustrate and demonstrate the procedure model
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