LEARNING ABOUT COMPLEX SYSTEMS

Learning about complex systems is a fundamental engineering skill; it is often the first task of an engineer when faced with a complex problem in an unfamiliar context. The nature of learning is discussed. Contributions from cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence, management and sociology are drawn together to show that fundamentally, system learning is a matter of forming well-constructed system or conceptual models. The skills needed for this are discussed.     

Understanding traditional residential architecture in Anatolia

Traditional architecture and associated environments created by residential buildings provide an important focus of interest in contemporary Turkey.1 1. The main thesis of this article is based upon my paper ‘Traditional Residential Architecture in Anatolia’, presented to a seminar on Conservation and Rehabilitation of Half-Timber Structures, Ankara: METU, 1989 and the doctoral thesis submitted to METU, Faculty of Architecture, Program of Restoration in 1994. The concepts have, however, been revised according to more recent surveys. They are generally accepted as physical witnesses of the past to be preserved and studied. Continuity in the traditional characteristics of the social group living in these environments has been observed in many of the extant settlements in Turkey. The reciprocal relationship between the dwelling and its owners, or users, has led to a dual definition of the ‘traditional dwelling unit’: the social unit being the ‘family’, the architectural unit the ‘dwelling’. The existing, modest-scaled, traditional dwellings in Turkey, which constitute the subject of this study, were mostly constructed after the seventeenth century, but more recent buildings exhibiting similar characteristics are also covered by the term ‘traditional’.2 2. The concepts of ‘tradition’, ‘culture’, ‘vernacular’, ‘historical’, ‘regional’, ‘pre-industrial’, ‘popular’ and ‘folk’ fall outside the limits of this study. The term ‘traditional’ has been used throughout the text; the term ‘Ottoman’ has not been adopted due to its attribution to the 1923 constitution of the Turkish Republic — it cannot, consequently, be used as reference to the continuation of tradition, which is one of the main ‘givens’ of this study. A term referring to a geographical distribution of archetype under investigation has been sought. There is an important building stock incorporating similar architectural characteristics within contemporary political boundaries of other countries, such as Iran, Bulgaria, Greece, etc., which had once formed part of the Ottoman Empire. ‘Turkey’ has not been preferred for its reference to the political boundaries of the Republican era for the same reason. Instead, another geographical term ‘Anatolia’ is considered in a widened context throughout the text to refer to a more generic concept than it implies geographically. Anatolia is considered to be the land of origin on which many cultures have emerged, generated and spread to the affected lands throughout history. Furthermore, the concentration of this study focuses specifically on extant dwellings in Anatolia. Within the confines of the term ‘traditional residential architecture in Anatolia’, there are further limitations. The origin of traditional residential architecture in Anatolia, its typological evolution, its social, cultural and/or historical aspects are not the major concerns of this study, which focuses on existing examples. A limitation of the period covered by this study accords with the construction dates of extant buildings from the seventeenth century onwards. This is an open-ended period because of the continuity in ‘traditional’ aspects in many of the settlements. The concept of ‘privacy’ serves as the basis of evaluation in analysing the interrelation of any two units. The interface of two units can be defined as an hierarchy of privacy represented sociologically by the interrelations of person/family/neighbourhood relationships and architecturally through the interrelations of room/dwelling unit/street/neighbourhood.3 3. This dwelling unit was the subject of the studio course ARCH 405 in 1989—1990, Autumn semester. The project was supervised by the author and Res.Asst. Ertu?rul Morçöl; the students were Önder Kaya, Ufuk Serin, Murat Aya?, Deniz Kutay and Gül Vanl?. This approach will include a brief summary of some previous studies of traditional residential architecture (Fig. 1).     

Lead and cadmium in teeth,bone and kidneys of rats with a standard Pb‐Cd supply

Male Wistar rats received a combination of 25 ppm PbCl₂ and 5 ppm CdCl₂ in drinking water at different developmental stages. Pb and Cd levels of incisors, molars, epiphyses, diaphyses and kidney cortex were recorded by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results confirmed that Pb has an affinity for hard tissue and especially to teeth, but it also accumulated in soft tissues under the above conditions. In addition, the results indicated none or only a moderate placental or mammary barrier for Pb, and suggested a high absorption of lead from the intestine of sucklings. The results also confirmed that kidney cortex is a primary target for Cd, and indicated that Cd has crossed the placental and mammary barriers to some degree. The positive significant correlation between Cd levels in molars and kidney cortex suggested that rodent molars indicate a degree of Cd absorption, whereas incisors do not. It is supposed that rodent molars are comparable to human deciduous teeth. It is thus confirmed that human deciduous teeth indicate previous lead exposure. It is further inferred that they also can be used as indicators of previous Cd‐exposures.     

Removal of Lissamine Red From Wastewater Using Waste Materials

Feasibility of a waste material, flyash, as a material for purification of wastewater containing Lissamine Red has been studied. Effects of time and concentration, temperature and pH on the removal of the dye have been studied. Lower concentrations favour the uptake of dye from water and the maximum removal was observed at a dye concentration of 20 mgL m 1 , 30°C, pH of 7 and adsorbent particle size of 53 µm. Dynamics of the uptake was studied using Lagergren's equation. The mass transfer coefficient was found to be 0.05 cmmin m 1 at a concentration of 20 mgL m 1 , 30°C and 53 µm particle size.     

Environmental studies on impacts of dredging

The coastal zone acts as a major interface between the ocean and continents. Harbours located in this zone face grave problems from sedimentation, which is a global issue for most of the harbours of the world. Dredging which counter acts sedimentation, brings about innumerable environmental impacts — both positive and negative. As a case study, this paper reports the impacts of dredging conducted at Cochin harbour which is the second largest port along the west coast of India; this port is a nodal center in trade and commerce connecting south east Asia to European sector. The harbour operation mainly depends on maintenance form of dredging bringing about impacts which have both direct and indirect effects in the long term. The important parameters selected for this study are salinity, current, extinction coefficient, turbidity, nutrients, chlorophyll and bottom fauna. An assessment is made on both positive and negative impacts which indicate rise in turbidity, changes in nutrient content and biota. The current practice on dredging is conducive to harbour operations, regulating the material made available to the near shore areas and highlights the possible venues for utilization of spoil for reclamation of land and wetland development. A flow chart identifies the areas vulnerable to impacts arising out of dredging and its consequential environmental issues.     

Hydrocarbon stress response of four tropical plants in weathered crude oil contaminated soil in microcosms

Responses to hydrocarbon stress of four tropical plants Panicum maximum, Zea mays, Centrosema sp. and Pueraria sp. grown in crude oil contaminated soils (1%, 5% and 10% w/w) were evaluated in a green house. Plants’ percentage survival, shoot heights, biomass development, and phytotoxicity susceptibility were used as indicators of growth, stress response and hydrocarbon tolerance. Relative to control, shoot heights and biomass of plants reduced with increasing hydrocarbon concentration, but 1% w/w oil-in-soil, stimulated shoot heights (5.9% and 6.4%) and weights (21.9% and 2.3%) in P. maximum and Centrosema sp. respectively. P. maximum tolerated the contaminant stress with biomass yields of 113% and 57% of control respectively in 1% and 10% w/w oil-in-soil. All the plants had 100% survival in 1% w/w, but considerably reduced survival in 10% w/w oil-in-soil. These results show that P. maximum has great potential for phytoremediation of petroleum contaminated soil.     

Andalusia,Spain: An Assessment of Coastal Scenery

The 1101 km length of the Andalusian coast (Spain) was assessed for coastal scenery at 45 specific locations. Selected areas covered resort (3), urban (19), village (8), rural (10) and remote (5) bathing areas. Scenery was analyzed for physical and human parameters via 26 selected parameters. These parameters were obtained by interviews of >500 people on European beaches. Each parameter was assessed via a one-to-five-point attribute scale, which essentially ranged from presence/absence or poor quality (1), to excellent/outstanding (5). Results were subsequently weighted by interviewing >600 bathing area users (not all 26 parameters have equal weight) and subjected to fuzzy logic mathematics in order to reduce recorder subjectivity. High weighted averages for attributes 4 and 5 (excellent/outstanding) reflected high scenic quality, vice versa for attributes 1 and 2. Sites were classified into five classes ranging from Class 1 sites having top grade scenery to Class 5, poor scenery. Seven sites each were found in Classes 1 and 2; 10 sites each in Classes 3 and 5; 11 sites in Class 4. The finest coastal scenery was found in remote areas whilst urban areas scored mainly as Class 3 or 4. Three out of the ten rural sites had Class 3 and 4 values assigned them whereas the rest scored as Class 1 and 2; village sites invariably had scores within Class 3 and 4. Of the three resort sites investigated, one scored as a Class 1 site, the others as Class 3.     

Lawyering Landscapes: Lawyers as Constituents of Landscape

Landscape and law cross-influence each other. Legal rules shape landscapes, while landscapes shape the culture from which rules emerge. In describing this interplay, landscape can seem passive, as a canvas on which laws paint visions of society; or active, as a matrix for the creation of law and culture. An alternative view is suggested: landscapes are opportunities for action, fields within which individuals interact with context in a mutually adaptive relationship. Lawyers are specialized constituents of this adaptation. Lawyers' acts and practices help to constitute the adaptations that shape a given landscape. A teaching module in which it was sought to prompt law students to become aware of the adaptive role of lawyering in landscape is described. The results suggest useful theoretical and methodological insights into landscape as a field of human activity, and the need for further study of lawyering as a force in the construction of landscape.     

History,Modernity, and the Making of an African Spatiality: Addis Ababa in Perspective

A body of scholarship in urban theory of global South over the last two decades has begun to present counterhegemonic notions of modernity and urbanism thereby charting new ways to conceptualize and study African cities. While the need for fuller, richer, and more textured accounts of ordinariness of African cities is often emphasized, the usefulness of differentiated accounts of cities to understanding their spatiality is also highlighted. This article attempts to supplement the ongoing discussion by exploring Addis Ababa as an African city with particular cultural and political historical contexts that gave it distinct experiences of modernity. Data is primarily drawn from historical study of modernizations of the city, supplemented with an ethnographic study that documents contemporary changes and lived experiences in the city and its emerging modern residential places. The study shows that the local experience of modernity is primarily situated in the isolated and noncolonial history of the nation, which on the one hand helps preserve indigenous qualities and on the other becomes a source of envy contributing to the consciousness of belatedness compared to other colonized and Western countries. This consciousness coordinates political intentions with people’s everyday practices in the co-making of a new, modern Addis Ababa and the reassertion of its unofficial identity as “the Diplomatic Capital of Africa.” Potentials and challenges of place-based conceptions of urbanism are implicated.