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Gas Separation Methods and Systems
Get PDFThe present invention relates to systems and methods for separating a gas from a mixture of gases. In particular, but not exclusively, the invention relates to systems and methods for separating a gas using pressure swing adsorption systems and methods
A classification of infinite staircases for Hirzebruch surfaces
Get PDFThe ellipsoid embedding function of a symplectic manifold gives the smallest amount by which the symplectic form must be scaled in order for a standard ellipsoid of the given eccentricity to embed symplectically into the manifold. It was first computed for the standard four-ball (or equivalently, the complex projective plane) by McDuff and Schlenk, and found to contain the unexpected structure of an "infinite staircase," that is, an infinite sequence of nonsmooth points arranged in a piecewise linear stair-step pattern. Later work of Usher and Cristofaro-Gardiner--Holm--Mandini--Pires suggested that while four-dimensional symplectic toric manifolds with infinite staircases are plentiful, they are highly non-generic. This paper concludes the systematic study of one-point blowups of the complex projective plane, building on previous work of Bertozzi-Holm-Maw-McDuff-Mwakyoma-Pires-Weiler, Magill-McDuff, Magill-McDuff-Weiler, and Magill on these Hirzebruch surfaces.We prove a conjecture of Cristofaro-Gardiner--Holm--Mandini--Pires for this family: that if the blowup is of rational weight and the embedding function has an infinite staircase then that weight must be 1/3. We show also that the function for this manifold does not have a descending staircase. Furthermore, we give a sufficient and necessary condition for the existence of an infinite staircase in this family which boils down to solving a quadratic equation and computing the function at one specific value. Many of our intermediate results also apply to the case of the polydisk (or equivalently, the symplectic product of two spheres)
Rediscovering Greek Institutions:New Institutionalist Approaches to Greek History
Get PDFThe volume volume sets a new agenda for the study of ancient Greek institutions by promoting a theoretically informed approach based primarily on the available range of New Institutionalisms in political science. The study of institutions, in their constitutional design and legal procedures, has always been one of the most productive branches of Greek history. In recent decades, however, many scholars abandoned institutional analysis in favour of sociological and anthropological approaches which emphasise the salience of cultural factors, wider social dynamics, ideology, conflict, as well as extra-institutional networks and so-called free spaces. This shift has often been met, from institutional historians and epigraphists, with a certain level of entrenchment and refusal to consider these wider dimensions, in favour of minute constitutional analysis only. This volume aims to go beyond this dichotomy between institutionalist and extra-institutionalist approaches, bridging them through a more capacious and theoretically sophisticated understanding of what institutions are. As shown by many variants of New Institutionalism, institutions encompass formal rules and procedures but also social, ideological and behavioural factors. The chapters in the volume thus explore a broad range of themes concerning the political and social experience of the Greek polis and show that institutional analysis – once properly conceptualised and approached – can provide us with a single yet multifaceted analytical tool for understanding the diverse drives of individual and collective behaviour in Greek communities
Climate Assemblies:New Civic Institutions for a Climate-changed World
Get PDFClimate assemblies are capturing the imagination of people interested in how citizens can participate in decision-making to address the climate and ecological crisis. Traditional institutions are struggling to cope with the challenges of a climate-changed world. Climate assemblies are new civic institutions that include a cross-section of the public in deliberation to influence environmental policy, governance, public discourse and collective action. With the rapid spread of this approach to public engagement, practice has developed well in advance of research. This book addresses that gap by analysing the internal and external dimensions of climate assemblies and how they interact. It brings together 25 authors to offer novel perspectives, critical insights and practical reflections based on original research about paradigmatic cases at local, national, transnational and global levels. The book investigates the state of the field, reflects on the hope and hype about this growing phenomenon, and proposes ways to improve climate assemblies so that they can make a difference in a climate-changed world
Foreign aid for peace and civilian victimisation
Get PDFThis article examines the effect of foreign aid for peace on civilian victimisation. The existing literature on the effects of post-conflict foreign aid suggests that aid can have both positive and negative outcomes. For instance, it can promote economic growth and equality, but under certain circumstances, it can also fuel corruption, create dependence and even perpetuate violence. This mixed record indicates the need for a better understanding of how intended and desirable outcomes of foreign aid for peace can be achieved. Therefore, this article examines the impact of EU aid for peace in Colombia from 2002 to 2018 on civilian victimisation. By employing a difference-in-differences model and semi-structured interviews, this study aims to clarify the causal mechanisms linking EU aid for peace to reductions in civilian victimisation. The main finding is that EU aid for peace reduces civilian victimisation by strengthening civilian agency and enhancing the visibility of violence in the municipalities where interventions occurred
The "Wilderness of Inhabitation":Notions of oikos in Ulysses
Get PDFThe article considers the resonances between the notion of oikos and the idea of home in Ulysses by following the trails left by two advertisements: the Agendath Netaim pamphlet that Bloom finds at the butcher and the Plumtree’s potted meat jingle. As Bloom thinks and comments on these adverts, he questions key notions of the classical conceptualization of home. The paper claims that Bloom’s descriptions of romanticized environments, reflections on land appropriation, and representations of environmental desolation give an insight into potential ways to create a livable abode. Oscillating between idealization and violence, possession and care, his musings touch on two concepts that are etymologically linked to the term oikos: economy — from oikos + nómos (management of the household), and ecology — from oikos + terminal element -logy (discourse on a dwelling place). Stretching across domestic spaces, imaginary residences, and foreign enterprises, they provide fertile ground to explore ways of conceptualizing, managing, and inhabiting a dwelling place to be called home
Deep-water limit of the intermediate long wave equation in L<sup>2</sup>
Get PDFWe study the well-posedness issue of the intermediate long wave equation (ILW) on both the real line and the circle. By applying the gauge transform for the Benjamin-Ono equation (BO) and adapting the L2 well-posedness argument for BO by Molinet and the fourth author (2012), we prove global well-posedness of ILW in L2 on both the real line and the circle. In the periodic setting, this provides the first low regularity well-posedness of ILW. We then establish convergence of the ILW dynamics to the BO dynamics in the deep-water limit at the L2-level.<br/
Digital Language Immersion (DLI) and virtual exchanges
Get PDFTranslation into English of: Soler Montes, C., & Juan Lázaro, O. (2024). Inmersión lingüística digital (ILD) e intercambios virtuales. In J. Muñoz-Basols, M. Fuertes Gutiérrez, & L. Cerezo (Eds.), La enseñanza del español mediada por tecnología: De la justicia social a la Inteligencia Artificial (IA) (1 ed., pp. 267-293). (Routledge Advances in Spanish Language Teaching). Routledge
Islamic religiosity:The influence of different forms of hijab on Saudi women's experience of employment
Get PDFPurposeThis study aims to examine the interplay between Islamic religiosity, represented by the hijab and women’s employment experiences in Saudi Arabia, focusing on how different forms of hijab (e.g. headscarf and face veil) shape perceptions, career trajectories and organisational practices amidst recent socio-institutional reforms.Design/methodology/approachAn interpretive qualitative approach was adopted, utilising semi-structured interviews with 50 employees (25 men and 25 women) from diverse sectors in Riyadh. Hybrid thematic analysis, combining deductive and inductive coding, was employed to identify themes. NVivo software was used to ensure analytical rigour, supplemented by respondent validation and team discussions.FindingsThe study identifies three key themes: (1) Women’s hijab choices reflect negotiations between familial expectations of modesty and career ambitions, with face veils often serving as a tool to maintain socio-religious approval in gender-mixed workplaces. (2) Variations in hijab practices impact hiring, career advancement, and workplace communication. Women wearing the niqab face stereotypes that restrict opportunities despite its socio-religious endorsement, while ambiguous organisational dress codes exacerbate biases and inconsistencies. (3) Women adopt diverse strategies to navigate discrimination, including leveraging Islamic feminism, strategic dress modifications, humour and educational initiatives. These approaches highlight resilience but reveal enduring structural barriers to inclusion.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is geographically confined to Riyadh, potentially limiting the generalisability of the findings to other regions or Muslim-majority contexts where employment practices and religious perceptions might differ.Practical implicationsThe insights provided by this study advocate for the development of clear, written dress code policies in workplaces to prevent subjective interpretations that may lead to discrimination. It suggests that organisations consider more inclusive policies that accommodate religious practices to enhance diversity and inclusion.Originality/valueThis study contributes to human resource management literature by reframing the hijab as a spectrum of religious expression and examining its impact on employment experiences. It extends Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) discussions in Muslim-majority contexts, offering insights into religiosity-based discrimination in modernised labour markets
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