The Social Dimension in Selected Candidate Countries in the Balkans: Country Report on Turkey. ENEPRI Research Reports No. 41, 14 December 2007

The European Commission awarded a contract in November 2005 to a consortium composed of the TARKI Social Research Institute (Hungary), CASE, Center for Social and Economic Research (Poland) and CEPS to analyse the socio-economic developments and the process of structural reforms in what were then four candidate countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Turkey. The objective was to identify the major challenges in the current demographic, social and economic context that could be considered relevant in determining the capacity of these countries to function in the European Union. This study presents the findings for Turkey and consists of an analytical section and a statistical annex. The other country reports and synthesis report are published separately in this same serie

A technical analysis framework for prioritizing investments in transportation control measures in the Boston region

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (p. 637-643).by Ayelet Ezran.M.S

A conceptual study of connectivity elements towards successful green network / Nor Hamizah Abdul Hamid, Muhamad Ezran Zainal Abdullah and Nik Hanita Nik Mohamad

Rapid urbanization has resulted in the loss of natural setting of urban spaces. Fusing the gap between nature andthe city development can generate both common cause and conflict. Green network is a significant shift in linking urban green spaces that will lay out over the coming decades. At present, this green network is not successfully applied due to many open spaces that are not well connected. Hence, connectivity elements provided by the green network plays an important role in helping to conserve urban sustainability. Furthermore, green network is recognized as an effective urban conservation strategy to mitigate the effects of urbanization while maintaining healthy living and sustainability for urban area. However, the opportunity for green network to function as a linkage has not been optimized. Therefore, this research investigates on visitors‟ responses to different dimension of their needs for natural connectivity in the context of sustainable living. Data were collected using interviews and surveys on the scope of connectivity elements towards successful green network. This research offers input on green network by addressing visitors strong preferences towards natural connectivity elements compared to man-made landscape elements

Aesthetic Appreciation of Kelantan Heritage Ceramics: An Indicator for Sustainability

Apart from creating clay objects with unlimited variety of shapes, the surface can also be decorated with patterns in many ways to enhance the overall appearance. As a result of this, surface decorations have been one of the major heritage values in ceramic studies. Thus, applying Gestalt theory and Golden section rule, this paper seeks to identify the unique heritage values in Kelantan ceramics that can be sustained as genius loci. Pictorial data (decorative patterns) were collected by visiting six museums in Kelantan and the data were analyzed with the aid of PhiMatrix software. The result shows eleven (11) decorative patterns that conform to the golden section rule and the Gestalt principles of grouping elements. Hence, sustaining this heritage values will not only serve as identity, but also demonstrate the recognition of the beauty of the past. Keywords: Aesthetic, Heritage ceramics, Surface decoration, Decorative motifs, Kelantan

Ergo-aesthetic approach through senses and behavioral assessment

In general, the concept of ergo-aesthetic discloses the equilibrium of human behavioral character with form, shape, and symbolism inside a designed product. In fact, this harmony synthesis can be achieved throughout responses of behavior and senses inside a design process. Through the adaptation of ergo-aesthetic, humans will be able to achieve greater satisfaction with the designed product as they will positively interact and respond proportionally to it. In this context, ergo-aesthetic principles will replace the traditional method of evaluating and adapting ergonomic and aesthetic into the design process to achieve a better output product. Essentially, ergonomic and aesthetic are fundamental components that need to be considered throughout the design process procedures. The synergy between these two aspects may facilitate in optimizing the efficiency of the design process which will contribute to a higher output quality. Additionally, behavior and culture are also significant as they function as bonding agents for ergonomic and aesthetic to merge harmonically. Thus, implementing ergo-aesthetic principles into design process through behavior and cultural perspectives may lead to the enhancement of the output quality of a product

FLUX 2.0: Sustainable Furniture Production with Modular 3D Printed Joinery System

The Malaysian furniture industry confronts a complex landscape defined by conventional wood joinery practices, resulting in rising material wastage, labour-intensive procedures, and intricate logistical challenges. This research explores designers' perceptions regarding sustainable furniture production and the feasibility of integrating modular 3D-printed joinery within an ergo-aesthetic framework. Data was collected through a survey (n = 424) in Malaysia. The analysis revealed significant correlations for senses and external influence (r = 0.325, p < 0.05), strong external influence with design attributes (r = 0.549, p < 0.05), and substantive design attributes with external influence connection (r = 0.580, p < 0.05). Ergonomic components highlight the correlations between physical with cognitive (r = 0.525, p < 0.05), cognitive with organisational (r = 0.547, p < 0.05), and organisational with physical (r = 0.546, p < 0.05). Incorporating physical ergonomics, comfort, usability, and user interaction, alongside cultural considerations, provides opportunities to improve functionality and user satisfaction in prototypes. By understanding designers' perspectives on sustainable furniture production and assessing modular 3D printed joinery, the study explains the relationship between design elements, sensory factors, aesthetics, and sustainable practices

Exploring the impact of environmental factors on soundscape perception for sustainable and resilient urban environments

The impacts of global climate change are becoming increasingly alarming, highlighting the need for sustainable urbanism practices. The soundscape has been identified as crucial for achieving sustainable development goals. Using an ergo-aesthetic framework, this research aims to investigate the impact of weather conditions and sound levels on soundscape perception in urban shopping streets. Data was collected through a soundscape survey (n = 411) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, based on the ISO12913-2 technical specification standards. The result from multivariate analysis of variance revealed that weather and sound level significantly influenced soundscape perception. Based on analysis of variance, a significant difference in perception was found between low and high levels of loudness, with high levels of loudness having a significantly higher perception. It is observed that users tend to have a stronger preference for an "appropriateness" soundscape in urban shopping streets during cloudy weather conditions based on multiple comparison analysis. The participants generally reported feeling acoustically comfortable with lower temperatures in cloudy weather, possibly due to the increased cloud coverage acting as a form of background noise absorber, thereby enhancing the perceived appropriateness of the soundscape. These findings contribute to understanding soundscapes in creating sustainable and resilient urban environments

Topology Optimization of Wireless Networks

L'industrie des télécommunications sans fil fait actuellement face à une croissance considérable pour des débits toujours plus hauts, stimulée par le développement des services mobiles de données. Ce développement rend le spectre disponible de plus en plus rare et nécessite des solutions afin d'optimiser l'usage de ses ressources limitées.Le principal défi auquel les réseaux sans fils font face est de maximiser la disponibilité, la résilience et la qualité de service, tout en minimisant les coûts et en assurant entre les utilisateurs une allocation de ressources équitable. Cette thèse tente de présenter des solutions à ces problèmes et se focalise sur trois thèmes.Sur le premier thème, le but est de trouver la topologie en anneau qui optimise la disponibilité. Il est montré que les algorithmes développés dans le cadre de la théorie des graphes peuvent être utilisés de manière efficace pour définir en temps polynomial la topologie en anneau optimale si les anneaux sont petits (deux nœuds en plus du nœud d'agrégation). Pour les anneaux plus grands, le problème est NP-hard.Le deuxième thème concerne la polarisation. Nous proposons une solution innovante qui peut améliorer efficacité spectrale jusqu'à 50% par comparaison avec l'état de l'art. Le paradigme proposé introduit de nouvelles perspectives au sujet de l'optimisation de la topologie et de l'allocation de canal.Le troisième thème concerne l'allocation de ressources. Nous remettons en question l'approche présente, basée sur l'optimisation de l'efficacité du réseau. Nous montrons que cette approche est similaire au modèle d'utilité espérée de Bernoulli, qui a été réfuté par les paradoxes d'Allais. C'est pourquoi nous introduisons le concept d'aversion au manque d'équité et considérons la question d'allocation de ressources comme un compromis entre efficacité du réseau et équité.The wireless telecommunication sector is presently facing a tremendous growth of demand for higher data rates, driven by the development of mobile data services. This development makes the available spectrum scarcer and scarcer and requires solutions in order to optimize the use of its limited resources.The main challenge wireless networks are facing is to maximize availability, resiliency and Quality of Service, while minimizing costs and ensuring fair resource allocation among users.The present thesis will try to present solutions to these issues and will focus on three topics.On the first topic, the purpose is to find the ring-based topology which optimizes availability. It will be shown that algorithms which have been developed in the field of graph theory can be used efficiently to define in polynomial time the optimal ring network topology if the rings are small (two nodes in addition to the aggregation node). For bigger rings, the problem will be NP-hard. The second topic deals with polarization. We propose an innovative solution which can improve spectral efficiency in wireless ring networks by up to 50% in comparison with the state of the art. The proposed paradigm brings new perspectives regarding topology optimization and channel allocation.The third topic deals with resource allocation. We question the present approach based on optimization of network effciency. We show that this approach is similar to Bernoulli's expected utility model, which has been disproved by Allais' paradoxes. For this reason, we introduce the concept of unfairness aversion and consider the question of resource allocation as a trade-off between network efficiency and fairness