Ethics, power and space: International hospitality beyond Derrida

This article argues for the importance of hospitality in discussions of international ethics, suggesting that, while Jacques Derrida’s thought on the concept ought to be central, we also need to go beyond it. In particular, Derrida’s focus on the threshold moment of sovereign decision has the effect of reinforcing International Relations’ focus on the state as the only ethical actor and space. In contrast, this article suggests that we think of hospitality as a spatial relation with affective dimensions and a practice that continues once the guest crosses the threshold of the home. Conceived as such, hospitality reveals a constitutive relation between ethics, power and space, which directs us to the way hospitality produces international spaces and manages them through various tactics seeking to contain the resistant guest. This argument is illustrated through an examination of perhaps the most urgent of contemporary international ethical spaces: the refugee camp.

The design studio as liminal space

This study focuses on the efficacy of design studio as a form of teaching and learning, where traditional approaches can act to position the tutor as a defender of the knowledge community rather than a discourse guide for the student. The broad curriculum of architectural education with its divergent outcomes resulting from project based learning also makes it difficult to agree on what constitutes the fundamental elements of the curriculum. The research used an approach based on threshold concepts to assist in identifying and overcoming these shortcomings. Such approaches have been described as 'liminal': holding the learner in a supportive 'in-between' state where learning resources can be directed to that which is troublesome and conceptually difficult. The study involved the use of practices to identify troublesome knowledge in design studio and conceptualise blended learning as part of a liminal studio space.

Proposed Improvement of the Iowa State Capitol Grounds, An Address before the Iowa Chapter American Institute of Architects at the State Historical Buiding, Des Moines, Iowa, October 22, 1913.

Concerning improvements to the State Capitol Grounds including placement of the Allison memorial and Soldiers and Sailor's momuments; removal of heating plant and relieving the state of coal, ashes, gas and smoke; provision of office space to the Adjutant General; an eventual executive mansion; provision of office buildings; and for a Supreme Court building where together with its library auxiliaries will have perpetual growth and constant accessbility; and propose restoration of natural scenic value of the capitol site.

Graffiti, memory and contested space : mnemonic initiatives following trauma and/or repression in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Graffiti, Memory and Contested Space: Mnemonic Initiatives Following Periods of Trauma and/or Repression in Buenos Aires, Argentina This thesis concerns the popular articulation ofmemory following periods or incidents of trauma in Argentina. I am interested in how groups lay claim to various public spaces in the city and how they convert these spaces into mnemonic battlegrounds. In considering these spaces of trauma and places of memory, I am primarily interested in how graffiti writing (stencils, spray-paint, signatures, etchings, wall-paintings, murals and installations) is used to make these spaces transmit particular memories that impugn official versions of the past. This thesis draws on literatures focused on popular/public memory. Scholars argue that memory is socially constructed and thus actively contested. Marginal initiatives such as graffiti writing challenge the memory projects of the state as well as state projects that are perceived by citizens to be 'inadequate,' 'inappropriate,' and/or as promoting the erasure of memory. Many of these initiatives are a reaction to the proreconciliation and pro-oblivion strategies of previous governments. I outline that the history of silences and impunity, and a longstanding emphasis on reconciliation at the expense of truth and justice has created an environment of vulnerable memory in Argentina. Popular memory entrepreneurs react by aggressively articulating their memories in time and in space. As a result of this intense memory work, the built landscape in Buenos Aires is dotted with mnemonic initiatives that aim to contradict or subvert officially sanctioned memories. I also suggest that memory workers in Argentina persistently and carefially use the sites of trauma as well as key public spaces to ensure official as well as popular audiences . The data for this project was collected in five spaces in Buenos Aires, the Plaza de Mayo, Plaza Congreso, La Republica Cromanon nightclub, Avellaneda Train Station and El Olimpo, a former detention centre from the military dictatorship.

The Gandarela Mountain Range and the “resistance space” against iron ore mining threat: a focus on the contrapositions

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The Steady-State and Transient Characteristic Analysis of Thermal Fixing a Photorefractive Hologram Grating in Lithium Niobate

The transient interaction between a refraction index grating and light beams during simultaneous writing and thermal fixing of a photorefractive hologram is investigated. With a diffusion- and photovoltaic-dominated carrier transport mechanism and carrier thermal activation (temperature dependent) considered in Fe:LiNbO3 crystal, from the standpoint of field-material coupling, the theoretical thermal fixing time and the space-charge field buildup, spatial distribution, and temperature dependence are given numerically by combining the band transport model with mobile ions with the coupled-wave equation

Development of Free Space Method for Material Characterisation and GPR Study & A Case Study on Biological Samples

The thesis mainly focuses on material characterization in different environments: freely available samples taken in planar fonn, biological samples available in small quantities and buried objects.Free space method, finds many applications in the fields of industry, medicine and communication. As it is a non-contact method, it can be employed for monitoring the electrical properties of materials moving through a conveyor belt in real time. Also, measurement on such systems at high temperature is possible. NID theory can be applied to the characterization of thin films. Dielectric properties of thin films deposited on any dielectric substrate can be determined. ln chemical industry, the stages of a chemical reaction can be monitored online. Online monitoring will be more efficient as it saves time and avoids risk of sample collection.Dielectric contrast is one of the main factors, which decides the detectability of a system. lt could be noted that the two dielectric objects of same dielectric constant 3.2 (s, of plastic mine) placed in a medium of dielectric constant 2.56 (er of sand) could even be detected employing the time domain analysis of the reflected signal. This type of detection finds strategic importance as it provides solution to the problem of clearance of non-metallic mines. The demining of these mines using the conventional techniques had been proved futile. The studies on the detection of voids and leakage in pipes find many applications.The determined electrical properties of tissues can be used for numerical modeling of cells, microwave imaging, SAR test etc. All these techniques need the accurate determination of dielectric constant. ln the modem world, the use of cellular and other wireless communication systems is booming up. At the same time people are concemed about the hazardous effects of microwaves on living cells. The effect is usually studied on human phantom models. The construction of the models requires the knowledge of the dielectric parameters of the various body tissues. lt is in this context that the present study gains significance. The case study on biological samples shows that the properties of normal and infected body tissues are different. Even though the change in the dielectric properties of infected samples from that of normal one may not be a clear evidence of an ailment, it is an indication of some disorder.ln medical field, the free space method may be adapted for imaging the biological samples. This method can also be used in wireless technology. Evaluation of electrical properties and attenuation of obstacles in the path of RF waves can be done using free waves. An intelligent system for controlling the power output or frequency depending on the feed back values of the attenuation may be developed.The simulation employed in GPR can be extended for the exploration of the effects due to the factors such as the different proportion of water content in the soil, the level and roughness of the soil etc on the reflected signal. This may find applications in geological explorations. ln the detection of mines, a state-of-the art technique for scanning and imaging an active mine field can be developed using GPR. The probing antenna can be attached to a robotic arm capable of three degrees of rotation and the whole detecting system can be housed in a military vehicle. In industry, a system based on the GPR principle can be developed for monitoring liquid or gas through a pipe, as pipe with and without the sample gives different reflection responses. lt may also be implemented for the online monitoring of different stages of extraction and purification of crude petroleum in a plant.Since biological samples show fluctuation in the dielectric nature with time and other physiological conditions, more investigation in this direction should be done. The infected cells at various stages of advancement and the normal cells should be analysed. The results from these comparative studies can be utilized for the detection of the onset of such diseases. Studying the properties of infected tissues at different stages, the threshold of detectability of infected cells can be determined.

Architecture and other Architectures: Mapping the Production of Insular Space in the Pearl River Delta (China) and Jakarta (Indonesia)

Globalization is widely regarded as the rise of the borderless world. However in practice, true globalization points rather to a “spatial logic” by which globalization is manifested locally in the shape of insular space. Globalization in this sense is not merely about the creation of physical fragmentation of space but also the creation of social disintegration. This study tries to proof that global processes also create various forms of insular space leading also to specific social implications. In order to examine the problem this study looks at two cases: China’s Pearl River Delta (PRD) and Jakarta in Indonesia. The PRD case reveals three forms of insular space namely the modular, concealed and the hierarchical. The modular points to the form of enclosed factories where workers are vulnerable for human-right violations due to the absent of public control. The concealed refers to the production of insular space by subtle discrimination against certain social groups in urban space. And the hierarchical points to a production of insular space that is formed by an imbalanced population flow. The Jakarta case attempts to show more types of insularity in relation to the complexity of a mega-city which is shaped by a culture of exclusion. Those are dormant and hollow insularity. The dormant refers to the genesis of insular– radical – community from a culture of resistance. The last type, the hollow, points to the process of making a “pseudo community” where sense of community is not really developed as well as weak social relationship with its surrounding. Although global process creates various expressions of territorial insularization, however, this study finds that the “line of flight” is always present, where the border of insularity is crossed. The PRD’s produces vernacular modernization done by peasants which is less likely to be controlled by the politics of insularization. In Jakarta, the culture of insularization causes urban informalities that have no space, neither spatially nor socially; hence their state of ephemerality continues as a tactic of place-making. This study argues that these crossings possess the potential for reconciling venue to defuse the power of insularity.

Pursuing a Developmental State Trade Agenda in a Neo-Liberal Context

This book explains why it was possible for the Worker’s Party (PT) in Brazil and the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa to pursue a developmental state trade policy, in spite of neoliberal constraints. The major theoretical lenses are three-fold. It applies state theory (macrolevel), policy network analysis (meso-level) and theories on political parties with emphasis on factional politics (micro-level). This book highlights the socio-political relevance of comparatively progressive policy frameworks and expands the debate on how to re-gain national policy space for progressive reform policies even under neoliberal constraints.

The incidents of housing policies in the process of nesting the urban space (Buenos Aires, 1870-1999)

This article describes the housing policies displayed historically in B.A. that affected the processes of configuration and of giving hierarchy to the urban space. Since the process of modernization of B.A., at the end of the XIXth century, housing measures, urbanistic projects and political decisions have influenced the building of the city and the space distribution of their inhabitants: in this way, they have integrated some people and excluded others. No wonder, that, historically, popular sectors have established themselves in the South of the city (and in outskirt villages). These zones have been disregarded by the state, which has invested less in these areas. We will see how the connection between state housing policies and the population redistribution in the city, confirms the persistence of a strong process of urban and residential segregation that tends to expel the inhabitants of popular sectors and to attract the ones of the middle-class and high class sectors.

Women, rights and the city: notes for the construction of a state of art from the feminist thought and theory

The modern citieshave been born of the processes of industrialization, urbanization, which have been characterized by violence, resulting in social inequality, spatial segregation, the struggle for survival, the authoritarianism of the government and the establishment of exclusive orders genre, which has  prevented the enjoyment of the rights differential. In order to understand these complexities and  transform power relations that develop and reproduce it, this article analyzes the main theoretical  contributions and methodological approaches that feminist and gender studies have been conducted on the city, urban space and the right to city, which are valuable contributions to the definition of  the right to the city of women as a collective right to universal construction

Assessment of conditions that make habitable the public space of Colombian cities

This paper presents the assessment that inhabitants of some Colombian cities did on the conditions that contribute to the livability of public space. Seven hundred and forty people, inhabitants of Yopal, Villavicencio, Valledupar, Popayán, Pereira, Pasto, Neiva, Montería, Medellín, Fusagasugá, Cúcuta, Cartagena, Cali and Bogotá participated in the study. The assessment of the conditions that contribute to the livability of public space was carried out using an instrument composed of 48 items that inquired about the level of contribution that can have different conditions on the quality of public space, from a scale five points ranging from: Does not contribute at all (-2) to: Contribute significantly (+2). The results show the conditions that most affect the habitability of public space in Colombia, as well as the differences between cities according to the assessment made by participants about the general state of public space in cities. Multidimensional analysis (SSA) evidence a structure that reflects the function that public space plays in people’s assessment on Colombian cities. It is discussed the implications of the findings for urban planning and management and the designed instrument is proposed as a tool to assess the quality of urban public space.

A potential energy surface for the ground state of formaldehyde, H2CO(1A1)

A model potential energy function for the ground state of H2CO has been derived which covers the whole space of the six internal coordinates. This potential reproduces the experimental energy, geometry and quadratic force field of formaldehyde, and dissociates correctly to all possible atom, diatom and triatom fragments. Thus there are good reasons for believing it to be close to the true potential energy surface except in regions where both hydrogen atoms are close to the oxygen. It leads to the prediction that there should be a metastable singlet hydroxycarbene HCOH which has a planar trans structure and an energy of 2•31 eV above that of equilibrium formaldehyde. The reaction path for dissociation into H2 + CO is predicted to pass through a low symmetry transition state with an activation energy of 4•8 eV. Both of these predictions are in good agreement with recently published ab initio calculations.

Vibrational energy levels for the electronic ground state of the diazocarbene (CNN) molecule

The vibrational energy levels of diazocarbene (diazomethylene) in its electronic ground state, (X) over tilde (3) Sigma(-) CNN, have been predicted using the variational method. The potential energy surfaces of (X) over tilde (3) A" CNN were determined by employing ab initio single reference coupled cluster with single and double excitations (CCSD), CCSD with perturbative triple excitations [CCSD(T)], multi-reference complete active space self-consistent-field (CASSCF), and internally contracted multi-reference configuration interaction (ICMRCI) methods. The correlation-consistent polarised valence quadruple zeta (cc-pVQZ) basis set was used. Four sets of vibrational energy levels determined from the four distinct analytical potential functions have been compared with the experimental values from the laser-induced fluorescence measurements of Wurfel et al. obtained in 1992. The CCSD, CCSD(T), and CASSCF potentials have not provided satisfactory agreement with the experimental observations. In this light, the importance of both non-dynamic (static) and dynamic correlation effects in describing the ground state of CNN is emphasised. Our best theoretical fundamental frequencies at the cc-pVQZ ICMRCI level of theory, v(1) = 1230, v(2) = 394, and v(3) = 1420 cm(-1) are in excellent agreement with the experimental values of v(1) = 1235, v(2) = 396, and v(3) = 1419cm(-1) and the mean absolute deviation between the 23 calculated and experimental vibrational energy levels is only 7.4 cm(-1). It is shown that the previously suggested observation of the v(3) frequency at about 2847cm(-1) was in fact the first overtone 2v(3).

Solid state annular tautomerism in a molecule containing two imidazole moieties

The X-ray crystal structure of the 1:2 condensate (1) of hydrazine hydrate and 4-methyl-imidazole-5-carboxaldehyde has been determined. The molecule is centrosymmetric crystallising in the space group Fddd with cell dimensions: a = 10.557(14), b = 17.062(22), c = 24.759(27) angstrom. Fourier map shows that the NH hydrogen atom of each imidazole moiety has equal possibility of occupying any of its two ring N atoms. This poses the possibility of finding three tautomers in 1 in the solid state. Consideration of the H-bonding pattern observed in 1 and related B3LYP/6-311+G(2d, p) calculations show that only two tautomers are present in the solid state. The situation is compared with that in the structure of 4(5)-nitro-5(4)-methoxy-imidazole reported previously by Kubicki.