Browse Our Social Sciences Journals
In the broadest sense, social sciences encompass society, human behavior, and its influence on the world. Social sciences help understand how society works, ranging from the causes of unemployment, economic growth, what makes people happy, and so on. The information it provides is vital for governments and policymakers, non-governmental organizations, and local authorities.
Social Sciences and Law
A hűtési és fűtési időszakot jellemző éghajlati klímaindexek változása Magyarországon
Observed changes in weather-dependent heating and cooling energy demand in Hungary
Összefoglalás.
Az elmúlt évtizedekben a globális felmelegedés hatásai Európában, azon belül a Kárpát-medencében is nyilvánvalóvá váltak, s ez a hatás jelentős mértékű az energiaszektorra is. A kizárólag az időjárás által befolyásolt függő fűtési és hűtési energiaigényt leíró technikai klímaindexek alakulását mutatjuk be Magyarországon, nevezetesen a fűtési foknap (Heating Degree Days) és a hűtési foknap (Cooling Degree Days) paramétereket vizsgáljuk. A jelen klímát leginkább jellemző éves és havi normálértékek mellett a változásokat is elemezzük. A múlt század elejétől a fűtési foknapok egyértelmű csökkenése, míg a hűtési foknapok egyértelmű emelkedése figyelhető meg. Országos átlagban 314,6 foknappal [°C nap] csökkent a fűtési foknapok éves összege a lineáris trendmodell szerint 1901-től, míg ugyanerre az időszakra 79,4 ℃ nappal nőtt a hűtési foknap értéke. A legutóbbi három évtizedben, a legintenzívebb melegedés időszakában igen markánsak a változások, s ez a folyamat minden bizonnyal folytatódik a század végéig és azon túl is.
Summary.
In recent decades, the effects of global warming have become evident in Europe, including the Carpathian Basin, and this impact is significant for the energy sector. The most obvious impact of climate change in Hungary is the increase in extremes associated with high temperatures. Not only summer, but also winter and transition seasons show a warming trend, affecting all productive and service sectors. Rising temperatures could lead to shorter heating seasons and milder cold months, potentially reducing heating energy demand. However the heat waves have become more frequent and intense due to warming, leading to an increase in cooling energy demand. In the first part of this article, we present the evolution of heating degree-days from the beginning of the last century to the present day for the whole area of Hungary. The heating degree day is an indicator of the energy consumption for heating of buildings, which depends only on the weather. That is a temperature value, expressed in °Cday, which is proportional to the amount of energy required to heat the indoor environment to a given temperature on a given day, taking into account the daily minimum, maximum and mean temperature for a specific base temperature (15.5°Cday). Importantly, its value does not depend on the insulation of the buildings, economic indicators or the type of energy sources. Essentially, the colder the weather, the more the air temperature deviates from the base temperature of 15.5 degrees Celsius, the more energy is needed to heat the indoor environment and the higher the heating degree day value will be. In addition, we present the analysis of cooling degree days. The cooling degree day is derived in a similar way, following the logic of the heating degree day derivation. Therefore, the warmer the weather and the higher the air temperature is above the base temperature of 22°C, the more energy is needed to cool the indoor environment.
Based on the results presented in the article, we can conclude that the annual as well as the monthly amounts of heating degree-days have decreased since the beginning of the last century, with the greatest decrease in mountainous areas and in Western Hungary. One of the few benefits of climate change is that less energy is needed to heat interiors, and this is particularly true for the last decades, when annual heating degree-day amounts were usually lower than normal. At the same time, as heating degree-days have decreased, as the heat waves have become more frequent and intense with warming, resulting in an increase in cooling degree-days. In Hungary, on average, the last 30 years have been characterised by the highest cooling degree-day values over the last century’s climate normal periods. On a national average, the annual amount of heating degree-days has decreased by 314.6°Cday according to the linear trend model since 1901, while the cooling degree-day value has increased by 79.4°Cday over the same period. During the period of most intense warming, the August weather-dependent cooling energy demand increased the most. Due to the urban heat island effect in the inner-city environment, cooling of buildings requires additional energy. The recent trends is likely to continue until the end of the century and beyond. Therefore important to monitor changes in climate parameters affecting energy security and to develop an effective strategy and action plans to address the climate risks for the energy sector.
Parti szűrésű vízbázisok vízföldtani vizsgálata a Duna magyarországi szakaszán
Hydrodynamic modeling of riverbank filtrated systems along the Danube River in Hungary
Összefoglalás.
Jelen tanulmányunkban két Duna menti parti szűrésű vízbázis vizsgálatát tűztük ki célul. A Tiszta Ivóvíz: a biztonságos ellátás multidiszciplináris értékelése a forrástól a fogyasztóig című Nemzeti Kiválósági Program keretében két olyan kiemelt fontosságú parti szűrésű vízbázist vizsgáltunk, amelyek meghatározó szerepet játszanak a Fővárosi Vízművek ellátási területén, Budapesten. Választásunk a Szentendrei-szigeten található surányi vízbázisra, valamint a Csepel-szigeten található ráckevei vízbázisra esett. A két vízbázis vizsgálatának célja az volt, hogy a területen végzett terepi mérések és mintavételezések, valamint a modellezési szimulációk segítségével átfogó képet kapjunk ezen két terület hidrogeológiai viszonyairól, hidraulikai viselkedéséről. Ennek érdekében számos terepi mérést végeztünk, amelyek fontos adatokat szolgáltattak a két vízbázis hidrodinamikai modelljének felépítéséhez és kalibrációjához.
Summary.
In this study, we dealt with two significant riverbank filtration systems along the Danube: the Surány water base located on Szentendre Island and the Ráckeve water base located on Csepel Island. These are two important drinking water bases of the Budapest Water Works, which provide a significant proportion of the capital’s water needs and are of great importance from the point of view of water security. At these riverbank filtered water bases, water is produced with horizontal collector wells, which, thanks to their design, are capable of extracting large amounts of raw water. The aim of our work was to get to know the geological and hydrogeological conditions of the area using the tools of field measurements and geophysical measurements. To this end, we measured the following parameters in different temporal resolutions: water level, temperature, specific electrical conductivity, pH. In this study, we present the results that have more significant information. Geophysical tests were also carried out at the two water bases, which provided important information regarding the geological inhomogeneity. Using the field measurements, two hydrodynamic model was also built for each study area. Our field measurements were also a great help for the calibration of our model. In this study the calibration of these models was shown. The hydrodynamic models were performed in the modeling environment of the Groundwater Modeling System, using the MODFLOW code. The characteristic of the model is that the tentacle wells were defined using MODFLOW’s Revised Multi-Node Well package. With the help of these models we would like to determine the arrival times in the future, as well as examine different scenarios that can be linked to extreme weather conditions. Based on the field measurements, we can make the following main conclusions regarding the examined water bases:
-
During the entire period of the year, the hydraulic gradient from the Danube side is greater than from the background direction. Based on this, we can say that the Danube is the dominant supply water source in both cases.
-
The hydraulic gradient changes over time, which is constantly influenced by changes in the water level of the Danube and changes in the produced yields.
-
As the hydraulic gradient changes, the speed of the water flow also changes, so the access time changes from time to time, even from day to day.
-
The specific electrical conductivity measurements showed that the Danube’s flood causes a large decrease in the value of the specific conductivity in the northern area. In addition to the decrease in conductivity, the measurement results also show a time shift, which, does not necessarily show the value of the access time.
-
Based on geophysical measurements, it can be said that the Ráckeve water base has greater inhomogeneity than the Surány water base. As a result, the zonal calibration of the hydrodynamic model of the Ráckeve water base became necessary.
NMR characterization of the permeability and structure of Boda Claystone Formation (BCF)
A Bodai Aleurolit Formáció (BAF) permeabilitásának és szerkezetének NMR jellemzése
Summary.
High-level radioactive waste can be safely disposed of in deep geological repositories, for which a possible geological environment in Hungary is the Boda Claystone Formation. In the repository site selection, the geochemical investigation of the host rock is necessary including the structural characterization. In this study, the porosity (p%~1.5% and 5.84%) and the T2cutoff value (0.12 ms and 0.10 ms) of two siliciclastic rocks was determined by desktop low-field NMR, the value of which differed from the 3 ms accepted for clay-bound water and the 33 ms for movable water in clastic reservoirs. Based on the T2cutoff, the producible porosity was found to be high, however, based on the T2 distributions, the bound-water types dominate the composition of the water phase of the rock.
Összefoglalás.
Magyarországon a nagy aktivitású radioaktív hulladékok végső elhelyezése még nem megoldott probléma. Az IAEA ajánlásai alapján az ilyen hulladékok hosszútávú és biztonságos elhelyezése mély geológiai tárolókban valósítható meg, melynek kiválasztása folyamatban van. Az országos felmérés (screening) alapján a Bodai Aleurolit Formáció (BAF) bizonyult a legígéretesebb kőzetnek, melynek széleskörű jellemzése elengedhetetlen a tároló kialakításához. A tároló kőzet pórusszerkezetének, kötött és mobilis víztartalmának, permeábilitásának vizsgálata fontos a kőzet radionuklid visszatartó képességének szempontjából, valamint szükséges bemenő adatokat szolgáltat a radioaktív hulladéktároló létesítmények biztonsági elemzéséhez szorosan kapcsolódó modellszámításokhoz. Munkánk során kisterű mágneses magrezonanciás módszerekkel (NMR) jellemeztünk két különböző mélységből származó furatmintát (BCF1 és BCF2). A mintákban található víz T2 relaxációs ideje alapján meghatároztuk a különböző víztípusokat és az általuk kitöltött pórusok méretét és arányát. Jellemzően három víztípust tudtunk elkülöníteni: az agyagos fázishoz kötött vizet (51-77%, d ~ 0.6 nm), a kapillárisokban kötött vizet (20-43%, d ~ 2-40 nm) és a nagyobb pórusokat kitöltő eltávolítható vizet (3-6%, d ~ 200-400 nm). A modell oldattal telített kőzetminták T2 relaxációs idő eloszlásai alapján meghatároztuk azok porozitását (P% ~1,5% és 5,84%), melyek jó egyezést adtak a korábban He- piknométerrel és Hg porozimetriásan meghatározott értékekkel. A kőzet permeábilitására utaló és a kötött-mobilis vizek arányát jellemző T2cutoff értékeket (0,12 ms és 0,10 ms) a mintákat oldattal telítve, majd 105°C-on történő szárításukat követően ezek jellemzéséből határoztuk meg. Az így kapott értékek eltérnek az irodalomban törmelékes kőzetekre elfogadott 33 ms-tól, illetve a kőzetek agyagos fázisához tartozó 3 ms-tól. A T2cutoff alapján meghatároztuk a mobilis–kötött víz arányát (FFI/ BVI), mely alapján a minták nagy mennyiségben tartalmaznak eltávolítható vizet, azonban a T2 eloszlások alapján a kötött víztípusok a dominásnak. A T2cutoff értékét és az FFI / BVI arányát jelentősen befolyásolhatja a kőzet szárításának módja, mivel a magas hőmérsékleten való szárítás az agyagos fázis vízvesztéséhez vezethet, mely így befolyásolhatja a minta száraz állapotú porozitását. Ezentúl, NMR MoUSE segítségével, egy még vákuumcsomagolt kőzetminta esetén elvégeztük annak felületi térképezését, mellyel el tudtuk különíteni az eltérő víztartalmú, ásványi összetételű részeit a furatmintának.
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the switch to online training exposed the digital divide between higher education institutions, with some significantly superior to others in terms of equipment and experience, as well as among students enrolled in the same institution. The purpose of this study was to investigate online training and educational inequality in TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) delivery in Kenya, during the COVID-19. A total of 16 unstructured discussions were conducted in four TVET institutions in the Western Kenya Region. Each college organized four conversations (two males only and two females only groups). The study took into account various reports and literature to provide the background and analyze the data to respond to the research questions. Additionally, the study collected data through desk reviews, unstructured conversations, reports, emails, WhatsApp messages, and phone calls that aid in situation analysis, utilizing a qualitative research methodology of situational analysis. Lack of experience with online training by trainers and trainees, along with inadequate training assistance, resulted in feelings of anxiety and unease. Trainees were frequently incapable of self-regulation and remained motivated to learn at home and they were unsure about the quality of the materials accessible to them. Recommendations on four major issues are given: providing complete support to trainees, trainers, and other institution personnel; improving remote and online training; ensuring policy certainty, implementation, and monitoring; and discovering and implementing effective interventions and innovations.
Abstract
International student satisfaction has become a widely studied topic with the emergence of English-language study programs in higher education institutions (HEIs). Numerous studies arose in connection with understanding what factors influence international student satisfaction, determining service elements as crucial indicators of student satisfaction. There is limited research on understanding international student satisfaction in Hungary, explicitly focusing on degree-seeking mobility. Therefore, the current study analyses international students' satisfaction through the example of a Hungarian university to uncover the factors affecting satisfaction and to determine points for improvement of unsatisfied needs. Based on the questionnaire findings, an importance–satisfaction analysis (ISA) was conducted to depict international students' pain points visually. The focus group discussion and the affinity diagrams revealed that international students need more free-time activities and opportunities to connect outside the university. In addition, usability testing highlighted crucial missing information from the university mentor organisation webpage, while the results of the online questionnaire showed that there is an urgent need to develop university services. Besides determining points for improvement, this study provides insights into utilising a comprehensive, novel methodology in researching degree-seeking mobile students in Hungary.
Abstract
The main concern of this article is to introduce the concept of the authentic gesture as a vital, largely self-determined expression of the child and to make it fruitful for art education. Because of the assumed educational importance of the concept, some hints to other learning areas will also be given. This should be done from a historical and systematic perspective against the background of relevant literature, above all the German-language literature and some other important voices, in which a number of further leading ideas can be found and discussed. Explicated in this way, the concept at issue leads to the question of the unknown per se, to which art education and education in general should open itself. This means that education opens up to something that, in its material and/or social form, evades a final assessment. Something enigmatic thus comes into view, because the unknown, by definition, is beyond exact description and extern evaluation. However, in and for the modern world, it can be paraphrased with a secular approach of transcendence as an inner-psychic space which is withdrawn from instrumental intervention including educational intervention and which must be protected at all costs as a central condition of freedom and human dignity.
Abstract
This paper argues that the mitigation of the normative pedagogy in the value heterogenous world has elicited the need to rephrase the teacher's role. While this study cannot reflect on all issues that have recently arisen, some core questions are addressed to examine the teacher-student relationship and highlight a few principles that teachers need to be aware of. This study links to previous works on responsive pedagogy, accepting the ambition to respond to individual needs but also discussing collective terms such as human freedom and cultural differences, which impact children's perspectives.
Accordingly, this paper is an attempt to provide an interdisciplinary framework based on educational philosophy, psychological evidence, and ethnographic studies to discuss the conflict between individual and community interests, basic human needs, individual differences, and ethical issues arising from diverse cultural backgrounds, and some contemporary phenomena that have affected the operations of schools. As a result, following a critical review of the introduced concepts, this paper suggests considering some educational responsibilities that may improve teachers' practice in the 21st century.
Solidarity – An aim of education?
Reflections on a vital topic of education for sustainable development (ESD) from the perspective of a responsive pedagogy
Abstract
The demand for solidarity is made today by different social actors, e.g., from politics, religion or philosophy. Especially in the context of climate change and its social and ecological consequences, the demand for solidarity plays a major role. It is often referred to as the climate justice crisis. Therefore, solidarity can also be understood as a goal of education for sustainable development (ESD). In this context, ESD, which also sees itself as a concept of transformational education, prefers above all elements of a disruptive pedagogy through which students are to be led to new perspectives - for example, to solidarity with the victims of the consequences of climate change. The article takes up this concern of ESD, but would like to look at the educational goal of solidarity from the perspective of a responsive pedagogy. The starting point for this would not be the goals of ESD in the first place, but the needs of children and young people, as Ehrenhard Skiera has highlighted them in the context of his responsive pedagogy. Against this background, the article asks about the possibilities and preconditions for learning processes based on solidarity.