Systems Engineering and Soft Systems Methodology : a Review

Bu makalede Sistem Mühendisliği konusunda en son gelişmelerden birisi olan ‘Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)’ konusu kısaca incelenmektedir. Öncelikle, SSM’ in oluşumunu hazırlayan koşullar Sistem Mühendisliğinin kısa bir tarihçesi içinde sunulmaktadır. Burada ‘‘Hard’Systems Engineering’’ yaklaşımının kolaylıkla formule edilemeyen sosyo-ekonomik problemlerin çözümündeki yetersizlikleri özetlenmektedir. Daha sonra, sosyo-ekonomik problemlerin çözümünde SSM’ in niye daha başarılı olabileceği tartışılmakta ve SSM Metodolojisi ana hatlanyla anlatılmaktadır.In this paper, Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), quite a recent development in Systems Engineering, is reviewed briefly. First, a historical background on Systems Engineering that led to the emergence of this area is provided. Here, the limitations of 'Hard' Systems Engineering in dealing with ill-structured socio-economic problems are summarised, and the reasons for SSM becoming a relatively more 'successful' approach are given. The paper is concluded by a review of the SSM Methodology

Systems Engineering and Soft Systems Methodology : a Review

Bu makalede Sistem Mühendisliği konusunda en son gelişmelerden birisi olan ‘Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)’ konusu kısaca incelenmektedir. Öncelikle, SSM’ in oluşumunu hazırlayan koşullar Sistem Mühendisliğinin kısa bir tarihçesi içinde sunulmaktadır. Burada ‘‘Hard’Systems Engineering’’ yaklaşımının kolaylıkla formule edilemeyen sosyo-ekonomik problemlerin çözümündeki yetersizlikleri özetlenmektedir. Daha sonra, sosyo-ekonomik problemlerin çözümünde SSM’ in niye daha başarılı olabileceği tartışılmakta ve SSM Metodolojisi ana hatlanyla anlatılmaktadır.In this paper, Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), quite a recent development in Systems Engineering, is reviewed briefly. First, a historical background on Systems Engineering that led to the emergence of this area is provided. Here, the limitations of 'Hard' Systems Engineering in dealing with ill-structured socio-economic problems are summarised, and the reasons for SSM becoming a relatively more 'successful' approach are given. The paper is concluded by a review of the SSM Methodology

A glance at the spatial interaction of inside and outside: from void to place

Bir mimari projenin mimari ve kentsel mekanlarını kayıp mekânlar olarak düşünmek yerine, gerek tasarımı ile gerek ondan sonra kurduğu yaşantı ile kendi boşlukları arasındaki iç ve dış ilişkisini kurması önemlidir. Bu bağlamda, bu tez kent içinde yer alan kentsel boşlukların potansiyelini tartışmayı amaçlar. Bu düşünceyle beraber, boşlukların yere dönüşmesi hem yapının hem de arazinin bir arada tasarlanması için potansiyel yaratmaktadır. Çünkü yapı bulunduğu yeri dönüştürür ve böylece bir boşluk olmanın ötesine geçer ve yer niteliği kazanır. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, yeni bir kentsel yaşama zemin hazırlayacak bir üretici olarak, bir yapının ve çevresinin tasarımıyla beraber, kentsel boşlukların ve ara-mekanların kullanımını keşfetmek ve yerin kimliğini belirlemektir. Bu bakımdan, bu üretken boşlukları bazı bakış açıları üzerinden incelemek mümkündür. Yerin kavramsal ve fiziksel özellikleri içerisinde, yerin boyutları belirlenir ve onun fiziksel, metafiziksel ve şiirsel özelliklerini içeren bu bakış açıları bir yapının arazisiyle olan ilişkisini tanımlar. Bütün bunlar, yerin ruhunu güçlendirir ve kentsel yaşam niteliğini arttırır. Bu bağlamda, boşluk kavramı, farklı mimari örnekler ile teorik ve pratik açıdan detaylı bir biçimde irdelenmiştir. Bu çalışmanın diğer bir amacı, insanların yaşam tarzının tasarım alanları ile bütünleşmesini sağlamaktır. Buna ek olarak, kentsel yaşam standartlarının iyileştirilmesi ve kent içinde kaybedilen boşlukların yeniden kazandırılması, kentsel ve mimari tasarım alanları için çeşitli yaşam biçimleri ve kent için fırsatlar yaratmaktadır. Buna göre, yer, boşlukların dönüşmesi ve bütünleşmesi ile beraber yeni bir anlam kazanır. Kentsel yaşantının tasarlanması ve örgütlenmesi, gelecekteki mimari tasarımlar için yeni bir yaklaşımın göstergesi olacaktır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Boşluk, Ara-mekan, Kentsel boşluk, Yer, İç-Dış etkileşimi.One of the most important aspects of designing an architectural project is to envision its architectural and urban spaces together rather than thinking of them as lost spaces. This paper discusses the potential of urban voids in the city by focusing on the transformation of voids into places, while at the same time creating a sense of place. To this end, this thesis proposes that the transformation of voids has a potential to integrate both site and building, which helps to strengthen the place. Within this consideration, discussions on the interaction of voids have been commonplace in the architectural agenda. A main aim of this study is to find a possible way for place identity by determining the use of urban voids and the in-between spaces as active interfaces within an architectural design, namely as a generator that would trigger new urban life. In this respect, these generative voids can be explained through diverse viewpoints. Within the context of this thesis, these viewpoints describe the relation of a building to a site and landscape, within its cultural context and with its metaphysical-poetic-physical origins. All of these aspects, in turn, create a sense of place and enhance the quality of the urban life. In this regard, the concept of void is scrutinized in detail with an approach through which both diverse theoretical and practical architectural projects are examined. Another key objective emphasizes the importance of the integration of the people's lives and the design fields. In addition to this, it is argued that the rehabilitation of urban living conditions and the reclamation of the lost spaces within the city create new paths and opportunities for the fields of landscape and architectural design. Consequently, the concept of place could gain a new or additional meaning with the transformation of voids and the co-existence of inside and outside. This co-existence would show a new approach to architectural design in the future and offer a new paradigm with regard to urban life. Keywords: Void, In-between space, Urban void, Place, Inside-Outside interaction

Calculation of the Relaxation Time and the Activation Energy Close to the Lower Phase Transition in Imidazolium Perchlorate

The temperature dependence of the relaxation time of imidazolium perchlorate (Im-ClO4) was calculated from the pseudospin-phonon coupled (PS) and the energy fluctuation (EF) models close to the first-order phase transition temperature of 247 K. This calculation was performed in terms of the proton second moment M2 that was associated with the order parameter which was predicted from the mean-field theory. Our results were in good agreement with the observed data. In addition, values of the activation energy were deduced in terms of the Arrhenius plot using our calculated values of the relaxation time from both PS and EF models

Enhancing local community’s involvement and empowerment through practicing Cittaslow: experiences from Goolwa, South Australia

This study attempted to investigate how and the extent to which Cittaslow philosophy and practice enhanced local community’s involvement and empowerment in relation to tourism development from the sustainability’s perspective. As an empirical study, a series of in-depth interviews with key stakeholders including local government, local business, and local community’s members were conducted in Goolwa, the first Australian accredited Cittaslow town since 2007, located in South Australia. The results indicated that to a greater extent the accreditation and practice of Cittaslow philosophy in Goolwa increased a stronger and more effective collaboration amongst local community, business and residents as an essential element for achieving sustainability in tourism development. Not only did it encourage the local community’s participation in decision making process from the beginning of tourism development, but also revitalised the locality and sense of place of Goolwa through promoting local specialities and produces, in particular food and wine products. The results also suggested that psychological and social aspects of local community’s empowerment have been significantly enhanced after the establishment of Cittaslow. Yet, the economic empowerment of the local community was less experienced

Analysis of the Heat Capacity for Pure CH4 and CH4/CCl4 on Graphite Near the Melting Point and Calculation of the T–X Phase Diagram for (CH3)CCl3+CCl4

We study the temperature dependence of the heat capacity C-p for the pure CH4 and the coadsorbed CH4/CCl4 on graphite near the melting point. The heat capacity peaks are analyzed using the experimental data from the literature by means of the power-law formula. The critical exponents for the heat capacity are deduced below and above the melting point for CH4 (T-m = 104.8 K) and CH4/CCl4 (T-m = 99.2 K). Our exponent values are larger as compared with the predicted values of some theoretical models exhibiting second order transition. Our analyses indicate that the pure methane shows a nearly second order (weak discontinuity in the heat capacity peak), whereas the transition in coadsorbed CH4/CCl4 is of first order (apparent discontinuity in Cp). We also study the T - X phase diagram of a two-component system of CH3CCl3+CCl4 using the Landau phenomenological model. Phase lines of the R+L (rhombohedral+liquid) and FCC+L (face-centred cubic + liquid) are calculated using the observed T - X phase diagram of this binary mixture. Our results show that the Landau mean field theory describes the observed behavior of CH3CCl3+CCl4 adequately. From the calculated T - X phase diagram, critical behavior of some thermodynamic quantities can be predicted at various temperatures and concentrations (CCl4) for a binary mixture of CH3CCl3+CCl4

Critical behaviour of the specific heat and the thermal expansion close to the melting point in ammonia solid III

A linear correlation between the specific heat CP and the thermal expansion αp is established here for constant temperatures close to the melting pressure in ammonia solid III. For this correlation, the experimental data for the isothermal compressibility κT is analysed according to a power-law formula with the critical exponent γ and, the CP and αp are calculated as a function of pressure near the melting point in ammonia solid III. Values of the entropy changes with the temperature, which are extracted from linear plots of CP against αp, decrease as the temperature increases for the ammonia solid III prior to melting

Teachers’ Professional Development: A Content Analysis about the Tendencies in Studies

The purpose of this study is to carry out a content analysis about the studies on teachers’ professional development and to determine the tendencies in these studies. Within this scope, 60 studies that were registered to Turkish National Thesis Centre and ProQuest database between the years 2005-2015 were examined. Of the 60 studies, 37 of them were doctoral dissertations while 23 were written as master’s theses. As part of the content analysis, the related studies were coded and categorized on a separate file according to certain variables. These variables were publication type, publication language, the year, field of research, research design, data collection tools, data analysis, the number of analyses, participant type, number of participants, average participant size, areas of study, findings, and recommendations. The data were analyzed through SPSS 20.0 software program. The results were presented as frequencies and percentages in a descriptive way. The findings of the current study indicated that the number of doctoral dissertations was more than the master theses and the 82 % of the studies were written in English. Of the 60 studies on teachers’ professional development, 20 of them were conducted in the years 2013-2014 and the most frequently used research design was qualitative research design. The most commonly used data collection technique was the interview while survey was the most frequently used data collection tool. The most frequently used sample type was teacher and the most frequently encountered sample size was 0-30. On average, 78 participants took part in the studies while the minimum number was one and the maximum number was 1341. Lastly, the most frequently studied area was professional learning communities with a total number of 16 studies

The relationship between service quality and repurchase intention sports service in multi-purpose recreational sports facilities : Çok amaçlı rekreasyonel spor tesislerinde hizmet kalitesi ve spor hizmetlerini tekrar satın alma niyeti ilişkisi

The study aims to investigate the relationship between the service quality in multi-purpose recreational sports facilities and repurchase intention to buy sports services. The sample of the study consists of 538 individuals – 208 female and 330 male – who are the members of 5 sports centers in Istanbul, which are supposed to represent the population of the research.  In this study, a questionnaire consisting of three parts was applied to measure the relationship between service quality and repurchase intention to buy sports services of individuals who are the members of recreational facilities. The questionnaire contains the Sports Facilities Service Quality Assessment Scale, which was developed by Lam et al. (2005), of which the Turkish validity and reliability study was done by Gürbüz et al. (2005) and also contains the Repurchase Intention Questions developed by Bülbül et al. (2012) and demographic information. The data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed using the SPSS 24 program. As a result of the research, a positive relationship was observed between service quality and its sub-dimensions and repurchase intention sports service in multi-purpose recreational sports facilities. ​Extended English summary is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file.   Özet Araştırmanın amacı çok amaçlı rekreasyonel spor tesislerinde hizmet kalitesi ile spor hizmetlerini tekrar satın alma niyeti arasındaki ilişkinin araştırılmasıdır. Araştırmanın örneklemini evreni temsil etiği varsayılan İstanbul ilindeki 5 adet spor merkezine üye olan 208’i kadın, 330’u erkek toplam 538 birey oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada çok amaçlı rekreasyonel spor tesislerine üye olan bireylerin hizmet kalitesi ve spor hizmetlerini tekrar satın alma niyetleri arasındaki ilişkiyi ölçmek için üç bölümden oluşan anket uygulaması yapılmıştır. Anketin içeriğinde Lam ve ark. (2005) tarafından geliştirilip Gürbüz ve ark. (2005) tarafından Türkçe geçerlilik ve güvenirlilik çalışması yapılan, spor tesisleri hizmet kalitesi değerlendirme ölçeği, Bülbül ve ark. (2012) tarafından geliştirilen tekrar satın alma niyeti soruları ve demografik bilgiler yer almaktadır. Anket uygulamasından elde edilmiş olan veriler SPSS 24 programı kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda çok amaçlı rekreasyonel spor tesislerinde hizmet kalitesi ve alt boyutları ile spor hizmetlerini tekrar satın alma niyeti arasında pozitif yönlü bir ilişki olduğu gözlemlenmiştir

Neural network modelling of rainfall interception in four different forest stands

The objective of this study is to reveal whether it is possible to predict rainfall, through fall and stem flow in forest ecosystems with less effort, using several measurements of rainfall interception (hereafter ‘interception’) and an artificial neural network based linear regression model (ANN model). To this end, the Kerpe Research Forest in the province of Kocaeli, which houses stands of mixed deciduous-broadleaf forest (Castanea sativa Mill., Fagusorientalis Lipsky, Quercus spp.), black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold), maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton) and Monterey pine (Pinus radiata D. Don), was selected study site. Four different forest stands were observed for a period of two years, during which rainfall, throughfall and stemflow measurements were conducted. These measurements were separately calculated for each individual stand, based on interception values and the use of stemflow data in strict accordance with the rainfall data, and the measured throughfall interceptionvalues were compared with values estimated by the ANN model.In this comparison, 70% of the total data was used for testing, and 30% was used for estimation and performance evaluation. No significant differences were found between values predicted with the help of the model and the measured values. In other words, interception values predicted by the ANN models were parallel with the measured values. In this study, the most success was achieved with the models of the Monterey pine stand (r2 = 0.9968; Mean Squared Error MSE = 0.16) and the mixed deciduous forest stand (r2 = 0.9964; MSE = 0.08), followed by models of the maritime pine stand (r2 = 0.9405; MSE = 1.27) and the black pine stand (r2 = 0.843, MSE = 17.36)