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Found 6327 publications
Impact of Different Rainfall Intensity and Duration on Flash-Flood Events on a Steep-Sloped Ungauged Watershed
Publication Name: Chemical Engineering Transactions
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Volume: 107
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: 175-180
Description:
Changing climate conditions increase rainfall intensity and cause a growing number of flash flood events. Due to flash floods, problems with water damage prevention (urban area floods, erosion of natural watersheds) are increasing; these events also make the sustainable maintenance of watersheds more challenging. Hungarian watersheds are ungauged; very little historical or real-time data is available, making it difficult to understand the hydrological processes occurring during flash flood events. When only limited data is available, numerical models help predict peak flows and runoff volume. Additionally, a comparison of different models and parametrizations could be a helpful tool to reduce prediction uncertainty. This paper evaluates the impact of different rainfall intensities and durations on flash flood events at the ungauged watershed of the Morgó-creek on the northern side of Hungary. Land use conditions are primarily natural, with urban areas close to the outlet point. Hydrological and hydrodynamical models were used to apply different scenarios to determine the sensitivity of the whole watershed system based on typical precipitation events in time and intensity. The models predicted different peak flows and timing for flash floods. Using both models for comparison is recommended for flash flood prediction to compensate for the lack of measured data.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3303/CET23107030
Product Related Values and Sustainability – Deeper Understanding of the Millennials
Publication Name: Chemical Engineering Transactions
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Volume: 107
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: 151-156
Description:
In addition to increasing productivity, digitisation and automation are an important part of the sustainability issue. Therefore, investments aimed at environmental protection and long-term sustainability appear to be on the rise among companies with strong innovation activities in the industrial environment. This article presents the results of a study that outlines young people's assessment of the automation and digitisation opportunities on offer. In addition to traditional values, the goal is to find out how they perceive the importance of Industry 4.0 solutions in shaping the way a company operates. The survey was conducted in two countries, Hungary and Poland. It sought to answer the question of how groups, which by definition are well-defined by certain demographic characteristics, determine their preferences with regard to the above-mentioned areas and how they differentiate them. Relationships between clusters - based on preference-related differences - with respect to product manufacturing, i.e., variables that are considered important to companies, were examined. It can be concluded that the environmental issues and, due to this, sustainability is not equally important (range: 3.512 to 4.308). The traditional features of the products were important for everyone (4,407 to 4,549), and the smart features were differently evaluated (2,607 to 3,386). Overall, looking at the relationship between sustainability-related values will bring us closer to further typology and a better understanding of the clusters, making them more accessible and easier to understand and thus enabling a more effective strategy to be implemented with a focus on sustainability.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3303/CET23107026
Fuzzy Signature Based Model in Material Handling Management
Publication Name: Studies in Computational Intelligence
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Volume: 1040
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: 169-179
Description:
Scheduling and management of material handling in functional production system are among the biggest challenges of logistics. Among several methods, linear programming gives exact solution to these kinds of problems, however, linear programming is rigid and requires specially trained personnel to operate. Fuzzy logic based systems—besides they work similarly to human thinking—seems to be easily implementable in such problems. In this paper we present a fuzzy signature based approach constructed on expert knowledge. Its results are compared to the results of linear programming in the same situations.
Open Access: Yes
Iconic Arable Weeds: The Significance of Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), and Field Larkspur (Delphinium consolida) in Hungarian Ethnobotanical and Cultural Heritage
Publication Name: Plants
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Volume: 12
Issue: 1
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
There are an increasing number of initiatives that recognize arable weed species as an important component of agricultural biodiversity. Such initiatives often focus on declining species that were once abundant and are still well known, but the ethnographic relevance of such species receives little recognition. We carried out an extensive literature review on the medicinal, ornamental, and cultural applications of three selected species, Papaver rhoeas, Centaurea cyanus, and Delphinium consolida, in the relevant Hungarian literature published between 1578 and 2021. We found a great diversity of medicinal usages. While P. rhoeas stands out with its sedative influence, D. consolida was mainly employed to stop bleeding, and C. cyanus was most frequently used to cure eye inflammation. The buds of P. rhoeas were sporadically eaten and its petals were used as a food dye. All species fulfilled ornamental purposes, either as garden plants or gathered in the wild for bouquets. They were essential elements of harvest festivals and religious festivities, particularly in Corpus Christi processions. P. rhoeas was also a part of several children’s games. These wildflowers were regularly depicted in traditional Hungarian folk art. In poetry, P. rhoeas was used as a symbol of burning love or impermanence; C. cyanus was frequently associated with tenderness and faithfulness; while D. consolida regularly emerged as a nostalgic remembrance of the disappearing rural lifestyle. These plants were also used as patriotic symbols in illustrations for faithfulness, loyalty, or homesickness. Our results highlight the deep and prevalent embeddedness of the three iconic weed species studied in the folk culture of the Carpathian Basin. The ethnobotanical and cultural embeddedness of arable weed species should also be considered when efforts and instruments for the conservation of arable weed communities are designed.
Open Access: Yes
Professionalization, State-building and the Language Question in Forestry: The Case of the 19th Century Kingdom of Hungary
Publication Name: Historica Ostrava
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Volume: 14
Issue: 1
Page Range: 23-40
Description:
Due to its role in transforming landscapes, and because of its knowledge production that took place in a transnational space, forestry is a salient aspect of environmental history globally. Yet, the way forestry management practices evolved in the eastern part of Austria- -Hungary has a meagre presence in the literature of environmental history or in the study of empires. This paper begins with outlining routes of circulation of knowledge of forestry within the Habsburg Empire. It emphasises the role of the Academy (later College) of Forestry and Mining at Banská Štiavnica (Selmecbánya in Hungarian) but does not ignore the role of other actors outside that education institution. Then, the paper turns to how the history of professionalization of forestry and the nascent legal notions related to land contributed to the changes of the landscape in the Kingdom of Hungary in the last decades of the 19th century. The third section discusses the importance of the effort by the community of Hungarian foresters to create a Hungarian professional language.
Open Access: Yes
Financial development and economic growth in Ethiopia: Is there a causal link?
Publication Name: Cogent Economics and Finance
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Volume: 11
Issue: 2
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The relationship between financial development and economic growth has been widely debated in the economics literature, but the results have been inconsistent and vary between the short and long run. In this study, we investigate the causal relationship between financial development and economic growth in Ethiopia using annual data from 1980 to 2021. We employ the Toda-Yamamoto causality test and the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) modeling framework to analyze the data. Our results show that none of the variables are stationary at the level, but after applying first differences, all variables become stationary. Using the Toda-Yamamoto causality test, we find no causality running from financial development to economic growth, but there is evidence of reverse causality from economic growth to financial development. Furthermore, the NARDL model results suggest that economic growth drives financial development, and the relationship between financial development and economic growth in Ethiopia is nonlinear and asymmetric. Specifically, neither positive nor negative shocks to economic growth affect financial development in the short run, but both affect it in the long run and in joint short run and long run effects. We conclude from our study that financial development may not guarantee economic growth without building better institutions and following sound and stable fiscal policies. Consequently, constructing an effective economic growth strategy that maintains financial development is crucial. Our findings have significant implications for policymakers, academics, and investors and underscore the importance of informed decision-making based on a thorough understanding of the relationship between financial development and economic growth.
Open Access: Yes
Consumers' Perceptions of Environmental Protection and Exploring Pathways to Sustainable Solutions
Publication Name: Chemical Engineering Transactions
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Volume: 107
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: 205-210
Description:
Sustainability and environmental protection are the most popular issues of our age, and they function as a social purpose as well. However, delineating the dimensions of responsibility in these realms remains a subject of intense debate, as consumer perspectives often diverge from those held by corporate and governmental entities. This study examines primarily consumer surveys, seeking to elucidate the facets of environmentally conscious attitudes and the factors exerting influence from the consumer standpoint. Individual behaviors are undeniably shaped by an individual's acquisition of knowledge, experiences, and orientations, all of which are cultivated through the lens of their environmental perception. This encompasses an understanding of the intricate ecological systems, as well as the recognition of the social, economic, and political dynamics that impact these systems. This study embarks on a comprehensive exploration of the environmental attitudes within the sampled population, placing special emphasis on environmental orientation. Through a synthesis of quantitative and qualitative consumer opinions, it unveils the distinctive aspects of responsibility at the levels of government, corporations, and individual consumers. As the analysis unfolds, a pivotal question emerges: What opportunities can be discerned at these three levels (state, corporate, and consumer), through the lens of environmental protection? In doing so, it seeks to unravel pathways toward a more sustainable and ecologically responsible future. Results show that the influence of both the government and businesses is pivotal in shaping consumers' environmental attitudes. Consequently, it follows that the state and corporate sector must also function effectively in the case of environmental concepts and actions to steer consumers toward sustainable consumption.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3303/CET23107035
The Ecological Footprint of Construction Materials—A Standardized Approach from Hungary
Publication Name: Resources
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Volume: 12
Issue: 1
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Due to the large volume and mass of materials used, the construction industry is one of the sectors with the highest environmental impact. However, to provide good quality, affordable, and low-energy housing, the business case must be maintained. Accordingly, we aimed to develop and test a calculator to measure the ecological footprint of the embodied carbon in materials used in construction projects in a standardized way, without the need for environmental or even civil engineering expertise, and thus in a way that is accessible to SMEs. The novelty of our research is that although there are calculators for measuring the environmental impact (e.g., carbon footprint) of the construction industry, and there is a methodology for calculating the ecological footprint of construction, there is no free, easy-to-use, online calculator for calculating the ecological footprint of embodied carbon in materials available to all enterprises. In other words, this approach extends our previously developed corporate ecological footprint calculator with the environmental impacts of material usage. The study summarises the baseline research for an ecological footprint calculator, tested on two new condominium buildings and the energy renovation of five condominium buildings, built with a prefabricated technology typical in Hungary and other post-socialist countries. Based on our results and in accordance with former literature sources, most of the ecological footprint of new construction projects is determined by materials with high mass and volume, in particular, concrete, steel, and masonry; so it is not necessary to take into account all construction materials in a calculator in a detailed way. We also conclude that renovation and ongoing maintenance, as well as preservation, are recommended for structurally sound buildings, as embodied carbon in materials in the case of an energy upgrade of an existing condominium building has an environmental impact of 0.3–0.8 global hectares per dwelling, depending on the technical content, while in the construction of a new building, this value is between 10.49–14.22 global hectares. Our results can help investors and clients in their decisions, and policymakers in determining urban development directions.
Open Access: Yes
Hungarian Battery Production – Public Opinion on Sustainability, Labor Market and the Environmental Protection
Publication Name: Chemical Engineering Transactions
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Volume: 107
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: 691-696
Description:
Transportation in the 20th century was linked to hydrocarbons. The first steps of the transition to electric propulsion are currently underway. Technical experts are still debating whether this is the ideal solution while producing the batteries required for the method has begun. One of the main areas of high-speed industrialization is Hungary. The government's intention is clear, primarily to increase GDP and create jobs. The population knows that jobs can only be filled by foreign, immigrant workers and is extremely worried about possible accidents during production and destruction. The research aims to explore the opinions in detail and examine the possibilities of approximating different positions. This quantitative study found that the respondents would like to live at an unrealistically large distance from such facilities. Many people want the battery factories to be banned or the investments to be stopped, and the fact that very few people are informed from the literature plays a significant role. The greatest fear is experienced among the middle-aged, and we justify our findings with social facts and negative events. In order to resolve the tensions, it is recommended to educate the masses on the one hand, and on the other hand, stricter control, and more significant sanctions. These methods ensure that negotiations between the population, civil organizations, and companies end with a compromise created by a debate supported by arguments in civilized conditions.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3303/CET23107116
