Browsing by Subject "Environment"

Now showing 1 - 19 of 19

Open Access
Accurate positioning in ultra-wideband systems
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2011) Soganci, H.; Gezici, Sinan
Accurate positioning systems can be realized via ultra-wideband signals due to their high time resolution. In this article, position estimation is studied for UWB systems. After a brief introduction to UWB signals and their positioning applications, two-step positioning systems are investigated from a UWB perspective. It is observed that time-based positioning is well suited for UWB systems. Then time-based UWB ranging is studied in detail, and the main challenges, theoretical limits, and range estimation algorithms are presented. Performance of some practical time-based ranging algorithms is investigated and compared against the maximum likelihood estimator and the theoretical limits. The trade-off between complexity and accuracy is observed.
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Afşin-Elbistan Termik Santralinin insan sağlığına ve doğaya olan etkileri
(Bilkent University, 2020) Baltacı, Berk; Er, Erhan; Eraslan, Nur; Gezay, Mina; Turunç, Furkan
Afşin-Elbistan A Termik Santrali 1984 yılında Çoğulhan mahallesinde kurulmuştur. 2006 yılında ise termik santralin B ünitesinin yapım aşaması tamamlanmıştır. Bugün her iki ünite de çalışmaya devam etmektedir. Araştırmada A santralinin çevre ve insan sağlığı üzerindeki etkileri incelenmiştir. Santral bacalarından NO2 ve SO2 gazlarının salınımının çevreye ve insan sağlığına etkileri mevcuttur. Kurulduğu günden bu yana termik santral Çoğulhan bölgesinde yaşayan insanlarda görülen çeşitli sağlık sorunlarıyla ilişkilendirilmiştir. Araştırmada ise bu sağlık sorunları istatistiklere dayanarak ortaya konulmuştur ve alınan önlemler ele alınmıştır.
Open Access
An architectural and conceptual analysis of Mesopotamian temples from the Ubaid to the old Babylonian period
(2007) Soudipour, Amir H.
This study attempts to explore the architecture of Mesopotamian temples from the Ubaid to the Old Babylonian period. It analyses the ways in which the layout of the temples changed and developed through time. It argues how different factors such as ideology, cosmology, religion and environment were reflected in the architecture and function of temple complexes. The thesis also looks closely at the concept of the temple as the house of god, and by comparing the selected temples of different periods to the domestic architecture of the same period, aims to trace the influence and reflection of the domestic structure on the sacred structure and to determine in which period the structural similarity reaches its zenith and declines. Changes in Mesopotamia’s social organization can be linked to these changes in temple layout
Open Access
An assessment of the contributions and limitations of the Aberystwyth school and the Copenhagen school for the analysis of environmental security
(2016-09) Gürpınar, Nigarhan
The end of the Cold War created a contextual change in security studies along with a proliferation of scientific research revealing the pressing impacts of human activities on the environment since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Since then environmental security has been increasingly studied in different ways: as a new field of analysis, as a referent object or a security threat. Recent initiatives like the 2015 UN Climate Conference COP 21 and more frequent and more powerful environmental disasters such as hurricanes, droughts and famines attracted even more scholarly attention for environmental security studies. This thesis specifically aims to assess the contributions and limitations of the Aberystwyth School and the Copenhagen School for the analysis of environmental security. As a result, the Aberystwyth School broadens the research agenda by allowing room for the analysis of different environmental problems experienced by various referents. The school offers bringing about progress and change in the meaning and making of security through politicization and emancipation. However, the cases fall short demonstrating how to reach emancipation at the global level. The Copenhagen School shows how securitization process works and reveals how this process attracts attention, measure, policies and resources to environmental concerns. G ’ f x d understanding of construction of security through urgency, speech acts and state elites, limits the analytical strength of the Copenhagen School for the environmental security analysis.
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Çevre sorunlarında yeni boyutlar
Akyar, Hasan
Open Access
A framework for a design decision support system model for the wet space renovation of the residences used by elder people
(1997) Sağdıç, Yaprak
Elderly people have many limitations in physical and intellectual capabilities due to aging process and they do many renovations in their houses, especially in wet spaces. It is observed that these renovatiohs are. hot satisfactory from ergonomics point of view. Therefore, a field research is conducted among the Turkish elderly people in order to define the variables influencing the renovation decisions of elderly people. The results are compared with the suggestions of design guide books to determine the differences in renovation decisions. Finally, a framework for a design decision support system model is developed for the wet space renovation of the residences of elderly people.
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Gerede’de dericilik tarihi ve dericiliğin Gerede’ye etkileri (1980-2000)
(Bilkent University, 2024) Evirgen, Başak; Çatakoğlu, Deniz; Özongun, Halil Arda; Coşgun, Hilal; Doğan, Zeynep Suude
Bu makale, Bolu’nun Gerede ilçesindeki dericilik sektörünün yirminci yüzyıl sonundakini durumunu incelemektedir. Bu makalede Gerede koşullarının dericiliğe elverişliliği, sektörün Gerede’ye yayılma süreci ve burada sıklıkla üretilen deri ürünlerine değinilmiştir. Ayrıca, Gerede dericiliğinde sanayileşme süreci, sektörün ilçeye ekonomik açıdan katkıları ve çevreye etkileri üzerinde durulmuştur. Bu çalışma, Türkiye Dericiler Derneği Başkan Yardımcısı ve Gerede Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası Başkanı olan Ersin Kaşka ile görüşülerek sözlü tarih kapsamında Gerede dericiliğinin iki binler öncesi dönemdeki durumunu ve geçirdiği dönüşümleri açıklamayı hedeflemektedir.
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Ilısu barajı ve Hasankeyf
(Bilkent University, 2020) Akcan, Bilgehan; Çolak, Mustafa; Görgün, Selen; Kaş, İlke; Yıldız, Oktay
GAP kapsamında Dicle Nehri üzerine yapılması planlanan Ilısu Barajı'nın planı 1954-1982 yılları arasında hazırlanmıştır. Barajın ana amaçları Türkiye'ye enerji sağlamak ve bulunduğu bölgenin sulama imkanlarını artırmaktır. Proje, 1988 yılında finans programına alınmasıyla gündeme gelmiş ve hem yerel halkın hem de aktivistlerin büyük tepkisini çekmiştir. Doğal ve kültürel mirası büyük ölçüde etkilemiş, uluslararası su paylaşımı konusunda sıkıntılar yaratmış ve yerel halkı göç etmeye zorlamış olan Ilısu Barajı'nın inşaatı 2018 yılında tamamlanmıştır.
Open Access
An interdisciplinary heuristic evaluation method for universal building design
(Elsevier, 2009) Afacan, Yasemin; Erbug, C.
This study highlights how heuristic evaluation as a usability evaluation method can feed into Current building design practice to conform to universal design principles. It provides a definition of universal usability that is applicable to an architectural design context. It takes the seven universal design principles as a set of heuristics and applies an iterative sequence of heuristic evaluation in a shopping mall, aiming to achieve a cost-effective evaluation process. The evaluation was composed of three consecutive sessions. First, five evaluators from different professions were interviewed regarding the construction drawings in terms of universal design principles. Then, each evaluator was asked to perform the predefined task scenarios. In subsequent interviews, the evaluators were asked to reanalyze the construction drawings. The results showed that heuristic evaluation could successfully integrate universal usability into Current building design practice in two ways: (i) it promoted an iterative evaluation process combined with multi-sessions rather than relying on one evaluator and on one evaluation session to find the maximum number of usability problems, and (ii) it highlighted the necessity of an interdisciplinary ad hoc committee regarding the heuristic abilities of each profession. A multi-session and interdisciplinary heuristic evaluation method can save both the project budget and the required time, while ensuring a reduced error rate for the universal usage of the built environments. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Open Access
Introduction
(Academic Press, 2018) Acar, S.; Voyvoda, E.; Yeldan, Alp Erinç
This chapter serves as an introduction to the main research questions, background, and objectives of the study. It describes the context (i.e., conceptualization of duality) and the modeling tools for decarbonized sustainable growth pathways as a way of pursuing a regionally-equitable development strategy.
Open Access
A multicriteria facility location model for municipal solid waste management in North Greece
(Elsevier, 2008) Erkut, E.; Karagiannidis, A.; Perkoulidis, G.; Tjandra, S. A.
Up to 2002, Hellenic Solid Waste Management (SWM) policy specified that each of the country's 54 prefectural governments plan its own SWM system. After 2002, this authority was shifted to the country's 13 regions entirely. In this paper, we compare and contrast regional and prefectural SWM planning in Central Macedonia. To design the prefectural plan, we assume that each prefecture must be self-sufficient, and we locate waste facilities in each prefecture. In contrast, in the regional plan, we assume cooperation between prefectures and locate waste facilities to serve the entire region. We present a new multicriteria mixed-integer linear programming model to solve the location-allocation problem for municipal SWM at the regional level. We apply the lexicographic minimax approach to obtain a "fair" nondominated solution, a solution with all normalized objectives as equal to one another as possible. A solution to the model consists of locations and technologies for transfer stations, material recovery facilities, incinerators and sanitary landfills, as well as the waste flow between these locations.
Open Access
A priority-based ‘design for all’ approach to guide home designers for independent living
(Taylor & Francis, 2014-04-22) Demirkan, H.; Olgunturk, N.
The aim is to provide a priority-based ‘design for all’ approach list that can be used as a guide in the architectural design process for independent living of the home users. It is important to prioritize ‘design for all’ factors and their items as well as the significant differences among adults, elderly and adults with physical disability and visual impairments for the design of homes. A survey was conducted with 161 participants, including adults, elderly and adults with physical disabilities and visual impairments. The results of a factor analysis test identified six high-loaded (adequate illumination level, ease of use in kitchen, adequate space for approach and use, adequate contrast between essential information and its surroundings, ease of use in accessories and functional vertical circulation) and three low-loaded factors (provision of privacy and safety in bathroom, safety of floors and accessibility to all spaces). Multiple comparison tests were done in order to determine the group differences in each prioritized factor for diverse users. Furthermore, a priority-based list with the characteristic features of the ‘design for all’ approach for independent living is developed as a guide for home designers.
Open Access
Radiochronological methods as tools to study environmental pollution
(Springer, 2011) Erten, Hasan N.
The study of the environmental impact of natural and anthropogenic events forms the essence of environmental pollution considerations. The nature of the polluting species as well as their time distributions are of primary importance with respect to identifying the polluting sources. Sediments are the most frequently used materials in such studies. Sediments act as the ecological memories of the environments of their formation. Besides classical chronological methods, radiochronological methods developed recently gave a big impetus to environmental pollution studies. One of the key radioisotopic technique is to utilize 210Pb, a product of the 235U radioactive series to date the last 200 years of the sediments. A number of supporting indicators are also utilized. One of them being anthropogenic 137Cs which is used as a time-marker. Large amounts of 137Cs radioactivity was released to the environment during 1954-1963, in time of the most intense atmospheric nuclear arms testing and again in 1986 during the Chernobyl nuclear accident. These intense 137s activities form time-markers throughout sediment cores corresponding to their release years. During our studies extending over several years we have used radiochronological methods in dating several sediment cores from Zurich and Constance Lakes in Switzerland from east coast of Spain, Sea of Marmara, from the Black Sea region, Southern coast of Turkey and from North Cyprus. The distribution of several elemental concentrations of importance in pollution considerations along sediment cores were also determined. These studies allowes proposing time frames to pollution events and help inqueries in tracing possible sources of pollution.
Open Access
Re-organization of Sümerbank: A Study of strategic responses to environmental change
(1989) Erkul, Cihan
The new economic environment in Turkey after the 1980 reforms posed strategic challenges to firms. The study of these challenges and of the actual responses of firms to these challenges in the form of new strategies may provide interesting case studies for management theory. In this thesis the strategic responses of a state economic enterprise, Sumerbank, to environmental changes are investigated. Sumerbank's strategy, formulated and implemented after 1982, was successful in many respects. However, it was not possible to procure the funds required for modernization investments because of governmental policies. As a result, the new strategy failed to enhance the profitability and viability of Sumerbank.
Open Access
A signal transduction score flow algorithm for cyclic cellular pathway analysis, which combines transcriptome and ChIP-seq data
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2012) Isik, Z.; Ersahin, T.; Atalay, V.; Aykanat, Cevdet; Cetin Atalay, R.
Determination of cell signalling behaviour is crucial for understanding the physiological response to a specific stimulus or drug treatment. Current approaches for large-scale data analysis do not effectively incorporate critical topological information provided by the signalling network. We herein describe a novel model- and data-driven hybrid approach, or signal transduction score flow algorithm, which allows quantitative visualization of cyclic cell signalling pathways that lead to ultimate cell responses such as survival, migration or death. This score flow algorithm translates signalling pathways as a directed graph and maps experimental data, including negative and positive feedbacks, onto gene nodes as scores, which then computationally traverse the signalling pathway until a pre-defined biological target response is attained. Initially, experimental data-driven enrichment scores of the genes were computed in a pathway, then a heuristic approach was applied using the gene score partition as a solution for protein node stoichiometry during dynamic scoring of the pathway of interest. Incorporation of a score partition during the signal flow and cyclic feedback loops in the signalling pathway significantly improves the usefulness of this model, as compared to other approaches. Evaluation of the score flow algorithm using both transcriptome and ChIP-seq data-generated signalling pathways showed good correlation with expected cellular behaviour on both KEGG and manually generated pathways. Implementation of the algorithm as a Cytoscape plug-in allows interactive visualization and analysis of KEGG pathways as well as user-generated and curated Cytoscape pathways. Moreover, the algorithm accurately predicts gene-level and global impacts of single or multiple in silico gene knockouts. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012.
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Soma Termik Santralinin sosyo-ekonomik ve çevresel faktörlerinin incelemesi
(Bilkent University, 2023) Karaşoğlu, Arda Noyan; Karabey, Atahan; Eker, Ezgi; Pak, Setenay; Sökmen, Simay
Bu makalede, 1957 yılında hizmete açılan ve günümüzde hâlen kullanımda olan Türkiye’nin ilk termik santrallerinden Soma Termik Santrali’nin sosyo-ekonomik ve çevresel faktörlerinin incelemesi yapılmıştır. Termik santrallerin amacı ve genel çalışma prensibi ile termik santrallerin Türkiye'deki tarihçesinden ve ülkedeki rolünden bahsedilmiştir. Türkiye'deki termik santrallerin etkileri ve özellikle Soma Termik Santrali’nin açıldığı dönemde bölgeye sağladığı enerjinin yanı sıra uzun vadede bölgede yarattığı çeşitli olumlu ve olumsuz etkiler ele alınmıştır. Santralin bölgede doğurduğu etkilere birebir şahit olmuş ve 1980’lerde santralde görev almış bir yetkiliyle yapılan röportaj sonucunda Soma Termik Santrali’nin o dönemki konumu ve halkın santrale bakış açısı aktarılan deneyim ve gözlemlerle desteklendirilmiştir. Santralin günümüzdeki işleyişi, santralde gerçekleştirilen kapanmalar ve özelleştirmenin beraberinde santralin geleceği ile ilgili hususlara değinilmiştir.
Open Access
Versatile fullerenes as sensor materials
(Elsevier, 2021-04-02) Shetti, N. P.; Mishra, Amit; Basu, S.; Aminabhavi, T. M.
The last century outstanding discovery of fullerenes (or C60), as they are popularly called ‘buckyball’ structured molecules with icosahedral spherical structure, consists of 60 sp2-hybridized carbon atoms. These fullerenes have created immense applications in various fields, such as catalysts, sensors, photocatalysts, energy production, and storage materials. Fullerenes because of their improved conductivity, charge transfer, and photophysical properties have gained considerable attention, particularly in sensor area. The activity of sensors depends upon the interactions between fullerene and the sensing material. Among all the types of fullerenes, C60 has been extensively used. This review is an attempt to cover different aspects of fullerene-based sensing devices, wherein fullerenes act as important component (s) of the sensor device because of their electron-accepting properties. We will discuss the fullerene-based sensors for diverse applications as strain/gas sensors, electrochemical sensors, and optical sensors as much effort has been recently made to detect different analytes such as gases, volatile organic compounds, metal ions, anions, and biomolecules.
Open Access
What do we know about the interactions between trade and the environment?
(Nova Science Publishers, 2002) Alpay, Savaş; Smith, E. V.
Does trade liberalization increase (global) environmental degradation? Do environmental regulations hinder the competitiveness of domestic industries against their foreign rivals? Can trade policies be used as an enforcement tool for the international environmental agreements to protect the global environment? We present a survey of the trade and the environment literature from these perspectives. Mainstream economic argument- that free trade is beneficial to every participant has been questioned by many authors who formally consider environmental consequences of trade liberalization in their studies. Secondly, the supposedly adverse effects of environmental policies on international competitiveness have not been supported by empirical studies. Finally, it has been shown that free riding on the contribution to global environmental protection of other countries becomes less likely when the countries are trade partners to each other.
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Yazar, yüksek mühendis, gezgin ve aktivist: Prof. Dr. Orhan Kural
(Bilkent University, 2021) Batun, Funda; Güleryüz, Berfin; Çakır, Emel Sare; Doğru, Ceyda; Odabaş, Züleyha
Orhan Kural, maden mühendisi, yazar, gezgin ve aynı zamanda bir çevre aktivistidir. Kural, hayatını ilgi duyduğu alanlar konusunda kendini geliştirerek ve bu alanlarda üretim yaparak sürdürmüştür. Dünyanın birçok ülkesine yaptığı seyahatlerini yazdığı gezi kitaplarında anlatmış, aynı zamanda çeşitli konularda yazdığı kitaplarla öne çıkmıştır. Bir maden mühendisi olarak akademik literatüre birçok eser kazandırırken, üniversitelerde ve özel olarak çeşitli dersler vermiştir. Bunlara ilaveten, çevreye karşı olan hassasiyetini düzenlediği sayısız konferansla ve hazırladığı televizyon programlarıyla kanıtlamaya çalışmıştır. Bu tarih araştırmasında Kural’ın yaşam hikayesi edindiği meslekler üzerinden aktarılmıştır.