Ayad Akhtar’s American Dervish: Analysis and Revaluation

Apparently the best and yet the most famous work by Ayad Akhtar is American Dervish which was published in 2012. It has gained quick attention, but not by many, as a debut novel about the identity issue. Yet, no studies have been devoted to studying the novel from an analytical point of view of Pakistani-American migrants’ issues in America, in general. However, the novel has received some attention, there remain some aspects, in our view, and an essential aspect amongst them is the analytical study of the novel, which is not explored yet. In general migrants to new countries will usually face difficulty and especially if they are followers of a different religion. Also, the difference in their culture with culture of the country they migrate to will be an obstacle in integrating themselves into the new culture as seen in the character of Hayat Shah’s father; whereas to some extent different for Hayat himself. Hayat befriends a Jewish girl and neglects Islam and similarly his father becomes friend with a Jewish teacher, Nathan. It is not easy for the migrant people to integrate into the American culture and tolerate the other religious beliefs such as Judaism as it is quite a novel experience for them. The migrants obligingly ignore their surrender to their own Islamic religion and assimilate into the Judaism and American culture, which is very difficult. These are the two key aspects that the paper focuses on by analyzing and highlighting the challenges that Hayat Shah and his family members face in America. Akhtar demonstrates the difficulty for the migrant characters between either choosing Islam or Judaism or secularism to be able to live like Americans.

Migration Strategies and Experiences of Students – Based on own Research in 2020

In the respect of migration, the movement of people in order to achieve their intended goals (material, emotional, academic, etc.), it remains interesting from a research perspective to study the strategies of migrants as participants in migration to approach their lives as well as shaping life based on travelling abroad. The authors as well base their article on the research experience of other authors who analysed similar or equal aspects of migration of Poles after the enlargement of the European Union structures on 1st May 2004. However, due to the limitations of travelling and the impossibility of carrying out field research, we, as authors, determined to interview the academic youth with reference to their opinions on the mentioned issue. After all, young people assume certain strategies for realizing their own plans for life, which might be related to migration experiences or intentions in this area. In this article, the authors will attempt to explain the matter: what are the preferences and opinions of the respondents (students of Kraków’s universities) concerning travelling abroad? We will as well make an effort to define the term of migration strategy from the analytical point of view and we will also try to show the respondents’ strategies in connection with their possible migration experiences or migration intentions.

Fluid mechanics of free subduction on a sphere. Part 1. The axisymmetric case

To understand how a spherical geometry influences the dynamics of gravity-driven subduction of the oceanic lithosphere on Earth, we study a simple model of a thin and dense axisymmetric shell of thickness $h$ and viscosity $\eta _1$ sinking in a spherical body of fluid with radius $R_0$ and a lower viscosity $\eta _0$ . Using scaling analysis based on thin viscous shell theory, we identify a fundamental length scale, the ‘bending length’ $l_b$ , and two key dimensionless parameters that control the dynamics: the ‘flexural stiffness’ $St = (\eta _1/\eta _0)(h/l_b)^3$ and the ‘sphericity number’ $\varSigma = (l_b/R_0)\cot \theta _t$ , where $\theta _t$ is the angular radius of the subduction trench. To validate the scaling analysis, we obtain a suite of instantaneous numerical solutions using a boundary-element method based on new analytical point-force Green functions that satisfy free-slip boundary conditions on the sphere's surface. To isolate the effect of sphericity, we calculate the radial sinking speed $V$ and the hoop stress resultant $T_2$ at the leading end of the subducted part of the shell, both normalised by their ‘flat-Earth’ values (i.e. for $\varSigma = 0$ ). For reasonable terrestrial values of $\eta _1/\eta _0$ ( $\approx$ several hundred), sphericity has a modest effect on $V$ , which is reduced by $< 7\,\%$ for large plates such as the Pacific plate and by up to 34 % for smaller plates such as the Cocos and Philippine Sea plates. However, sphericity has a much greater effect on $T_2$ , increasing it by up to 64 % for large plates and 240 % for small plates. This result has important implications for the growth of longitudinal buckling instabilities in subducting spherical shells.

A New Pedestrian Crossing Level of Service (PCLOS) Method for Promoting Safe Pedestrian Crossing in Urban Areas

Crosswalks are critical locations in the urban transport network that need to be designed carefully as pedestrians are directly exposed to vehicular traffic. Although various methods are available to evaluate the level of service (LOS) at pedestrian crossings, pedestrian crossing facilities are frequently ignored in assessing crosswalk conditions. This study attempts to provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating crosswalks based on several essential indicators adopted from different guidelines. A new pedestrian crossing level of service (PCLOS) method is introduced in this research, with an aimto promote safe and sustainable operations at such locations. The new PCLOS employs an analytical point system to compare existing street crossing conditions to the guidelines’ standards, taking into account the scores and coefficients of the indicators. The quantitative scores and coefficients of indicators are assigned based on field observations and respondent opinions. The method was tested to evaluate four pedestrian crosswalks in the city of Putrajaya, Malaysia. A total of 17 indicators were selected for the study after a comprehensive literature review. Survey results show that the provision of a zebra crossing was the most critical indicator at the pedestrian crossings, while drainage near crosswalks was regarded as the least important. Four indicators had a coefficient value above 4, indicating that these are very critical pedestrian crossing facilities and significantly impact the calculation of LOS for pedestrian crossings. Four crosswalks were evaluated using the proposed method in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The crosswalk at the Ministry of Domestic Trade Putrajaya got the “PCLOS A”. In contrast, the midblock crossing in front of the Putrajaya Corporation was graded “PCLOS C”. While the remaining two crosswalks were graded as “PCLOS B” crosswalks. Based on the assigned PCLOS grade, the proposed method could also assist in identifying current design and operation issues in existing pedestrian crossings and providing sound policy recommendations for improvements to ensure pedestrian safety.

Análisis comparativo de la virtud de la sabiduría propuesta por la psicología positiva en relación a la propuesta aristotélica.

In terms of transdisciplinarity, the contrast between Seligman's positive psychology and Aristotle's theory of virtues will be confronted, since both tend to rescue the central nucleus of the formation of the human being, which are the virtues or strengths of human capital. The confluence that this contemporary theory has with the Aristotelian eudemonist vision will be approached via a comparative hermeneutic, since the summation of virtues understood as second nature –built by good habits– is an original contribution of the Greek philosopher. Noticing this confluent meeting or convergent edge from an analytical point of view, as a common denominator in both theories, allows us to make a connection of historicity that is often eluded in contemporary thought due to ignorance.

Fast-food information, information quality and information gap: a temporal exploration of the notion of information in science communication on climate change

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to discuss the concept of information in relation to temporality within the context of climate change communication. Furthermore, the paper aims to highlight the empirical richness of information as a concept by analysing its use in context.Design/methodology/approachThe discussion is based on 14 semi-structured interviews with initiators and collaborators of 6 open letters on climate change published in 2018–2019. By taking three specific notions the interviewees introduced—fast food information, information quality and information gap–as the analytical point of departure, the study aims for a contextual understanding of information grounded in temporal sensitivity.FindingsThe paper finds that information in the context of open letters is informed by different, and at times contradicting, temporalities and timescapes which align with various material, institutional and discursive practices. Based on this finding, the paper argues that notions of information are intrinsically linked to the act of communicating, and they should be viewed as co-constituting each other.Originality/valueThe paper contributes with an empirically informed discussion regarding the concept of information as it is used in a specific context. It illustrates how “information” is far from being understood in a singular fashion, but is made up of multifaceted and at times contradictory understandings. Ultimately, they correspond to why and how one communicates climate change information.

Multi-Target Strategy to Uncover Unexpected Compounds in Rinse-Off and Leave-On Cosmetics

The wide range and complexity of cosmetic formulations currently available on the market poses a challenge from an analytical point of view. In addition, during cosmetics manufacture, impurities coming from raw materials or formed by reaction of different organic compounds present in the formulation may be present. Their identification is mandatory to assure product quality and consumer health. In this work, micro-matrix solid-phase dispersion (μMSPD) is proposed as a multi-target sample preparation strategy to analyze a wide number of unexpected families of compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, plasticizers, nitrosamines, alkylphenols (APs), and alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs). Analytical determination was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the determination of 51 target compounds in a single run, whereas liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was employed for the analysis of six APs and APEOs. Both methodologies were successfully validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, and precision in leave-on and rinse-off cosmetics. Limits of detection (LODs) were calculated in the low ng g−1, showing their suitability to determine trace levels of impurities and banned compounds with different chemical natures, providing useful tools to cosmetic control laboratories and companies.

Generalized solutions to bounded-confidence models

Bounded-confidence models in social dynamics describe multi-agent systems, where each individual interacts only locally with others. Several models are written as systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with discontinuous right-hand side: this is a direct consequence of restricting interactions to a bounded region with non-vanishing strength at the boundary. Various works in the literature analyzed properties of solutions, such as barycenter invariance and clustering. On the other side, the problem of giving a precise definition of solution, from an analytical point of view, was often overlooked. However, a rich literature proposing different concepts of solution to discontinuous differential equations is available. Using several concepts of solution, we show how existence is granted under general assumptions, while uniqueness may fail even in dimension one, but holds for almost every initial conditions. Consequently, various properties of solutions depend on the useddefinition and initial conditions.

MULTIPLE FACTORS OF POVERTY IN THE 21ST CENTURY. METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS

The article is devoted to the sociological understanding of the poverty analysis methodological aspects as a topical social problem of today. Despite the defining poverty eradication as the number one goal in the Millennium Declaration and the priority task of sustainable world development by 2030, numerous scientific/political discussions and practical recommendations for overcoming poverty, it remains one of the most acute socio-economic and moral-ethical problems of humankind. The manifestation of multiple poverty factors — situational, socio-demographic, socio-economic, socio-political, socio-cultural, institutional — only increases the need for a clear understanding of the root causes of the existence and reproduction of this phenomenon. Within capitalism, they consist of abandoning the principles of Keynesianism and the welfare state and the transition to the principles of neoliberalism, which determine the socio-economic essence of the society in today’s globalized world. It is no coincidence that analysts of all the most influential international organizations directly or indirectly recognize that the ineffectiveness of the fight against poverty is a consequence of the existing rules of modern social life. Poverty is an integral part of capitalism, one of the most acute and widespread forms of inequality and injustice inherent in this social order. The multifaceted nature of poverty phenomenon and the variety of approaches to its assessment led to the emergence of a giant thesaurus on these issues (absolute, relative, social, multidimensional poverty etc.). Identifying and assessing poverty, adequately to the complex realities of life, are essential points not only from a cognitive-analytical point of view but also for the elaboration of effective measures to overcome it.

Processing Effect and Characterization of Olive Oils from Spanish Wild Olive Trees (Olea europaea var. sylvestris)

Wild olive trees have important potential, but, to date, the oil from wild olives has not been studied significantly, especially from an analytical point of view. In Spain, the wild olive tree is called “Acebuche” and its fruit “Acebuchina”. The objective of this work is to optimize the olive oil production process from the Acebuchina cultivar and characterize the oil, which could be marketed as healthy and functional food. A Box–Behnken experimental design with five central points was used, along with the Response Surface Methodology to obtain a mathematical experimental model. The oils from the Acebuchina cultivar meet the requirements for human consumption and have a good balance of fatty acids. In addition, the oils are rich in antioxidants and volatile compounds. The highest extraction yield, 12.0 g oil/100 g paste, was obtained at 90.0 min and the highest yield of phenolic compounds, 870.0 mg/kg, was achieved at 40.0 °C, and 90.0 min; but the maximum content of volatile compounds, 26.9 mg/kg, was obtained at 20 °C and 30.0 min. The oil yield is lower than that of commercial cultivars, but the contents of volatile and phenolic compounds is higher.