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The delimitation and classification of peripheral settlements using multivariate statistical methods is presented in this article, with a case study of Hungary. A combination of four different methods provided the basis for the delimitation of settlements defined as peripheral. As significant overlapping was detected between the results of the different methods, peripheries – more than one-fifth of the Hungarian settlements – were identified in a common set of the results. The independence of the results from the applied methods points to the fact that peripherisation is multi-faceted, and the peripheries of Hungary are stable and well-discernible from other regions. After the identification of peripheral areas, we classified these settlements into groups based on their specific features. Multiple steps specifying the relevant variables resulted in selecting the most appropriate 10 indicators and these served as the basis for a hierarchical cluster analysis, through which 7 clusters (types of peripheries) were identified. Five of them comprised enough cases to detect the most important dimensions and specific features of the backwardness of these groups. These clusters demonstrated a spatial pattern and their socioeconomic and infrastructural features highlighted considerable disparities. These differences should be taken into consideration when development policies are applied at regional levels or below.

We report on efforts to develop a theory to understand director oscillations that are generated when a linearly polarized light-wave falls on a homeotropically aligned nematic at a slightly oblique angle. The results of various approaches are compared with each other and to experimental results.

AbstractWe present a theoretical study of the Light-Induced Fréedricksz transition in two geometries where dynamical phenomena induced by the laser light have been observed. We consider a spatially extended system, i.e. we assume the laser beam to be much wider than the thickness of the cell. We suggest that pattern formation phenomena in the plane of the cell entirely due to the light-director interaction should be possible to observe.