Let $X^{n}$ be an oriented closed generalized $n$-manifold, $n\ge 5$. In our recent paper (Proc. Edinb. Math. Soc. (2) 63 (2020), no. 2, 597–607), we have constructed a map $t:\mathcal {N}(X^{n}) \to H^{st}_{n} ( X^{n}; \mathbb{L}^{+})$ which extends the normal invariant map for the case when $X^{n}$ is a topological $n$-manifold. Here, $\mathcal {N}(X^{n})$ denotes the set of all normal bordism classes of degree one normal maps $(f,\,b): M^{n} \to X^{n},$ and $H^{st}_{*} ( X^{n}; \mathbb{E})$ denotes the Steenrod homology of the spectrum $\mathbb{E}$. An important non-trivial question arose whether the map $t$ is bijective (note that this holds in the case when $X^{n}$ is a topological $n$-manifold). It is the purpose of this paper to prove that the answer to this question is affirmative.

We consider the Birman–Hilden inclusion $\phi\colon\Br_{2g+1}\to\Gamma_{g,1}$ of the braid group into the mapping class group of an orientable surface with boundary, and prove that $\phi$ is stably trivial in homology with twisted coefficients in the symplectic representation $H_1(\Sigma_{g,1})$ of the mapping class group; this generalises a result of Song and Tillmann regarding homology with constant coefficients. Furthermore we show that the stable homology of the braid group with coefficients in $\phi^*(H_1(\Sigma_{g,1}))$ has only 4-torsion.

The aim of this paper is to show the importance of the Steenrod construction of homology theories for the disassembly process in surgery on a generalized n-manifold Xn, in order to produce an element of generalized homology theory, which is basic for calculations. In particular, we show how to construct an element of the nth Steenrod homology group $H^{st}_{n} (X^{n}, \mathbb {L}^+)$, where 𝕃+ is the connected covering spectrum of the periodic surgery spectrum 𝕃, avoiding the use of the geometric splitting procedure, the use of which is standard in surgery on topological manifolds.

Holmsen, Kynčl and Valculescu recently conjectured that if a finite set $X$ with $\ell n$ points in $\mathbb{R}^{d}$ that is colored by $m$ different colors can be partitioned into $n$ subsets of $\ell$ points each, such that each subset contains points of at least $d$ different colors, then there exists such a partition of $X$ with the additional property that the convex hulls of the $n$ subsets are pairwise disjoint.

We prove a continuous analogue of this conjecture, generalized so that each subset contains points of at least $c$ different colors, where we also allow $c$ to be greater than $d$. Furthermore, we give lower bounds on the fraction of the points each of the subsets contains from $c$ different colors. For example, when $n\geqslant 2$, $d\geqslant 2$, $c\geqslant d$ with $m\geqslant n(c-d)+d$ are integers, and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{1},\ldots ,\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{m}$ are $m$ positive finite absolutely continuous measures on $\mathbb{R}^{d}$, we prove that there exists a partition of $\mathbb{R}^{d}$ into $n$ convex pieces which equiparts the measures $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{1},\ldots ,\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{d-1}$, and in addition every piece of the partition has positive measure with respect to at least $c$ of the measures $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{1},\ldots ,\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{m}$.

For each of the groups G = O(2), SU(2), U(2), we compute the integral and $\mathbb{F}_2$-cohomology rings of BcomG (the classifying space for commutativity of G), the action of the Steenrod algebra on the mod 2 cohomology, the homotopy type of EcomG (the homotopy fiber of the inclusion BcomG → BG), and some low-dimensional homotopy groups of BcomG.

We invoke the classical fact that the algebra of bi-invariant forms on a compact connected Lie group G is naturally isomorphic to the de Rham cohomology H*dR(G) itself. Then, we show that when a flat connection A exists on a principal G-bundle P, we may construct a homomorphism EA: H*dR(G)→H*dR(P), which eventually shows that the bundle satisfies a condition for the Leray–Hirsch theorem. A similar argument is shown to apply to its adjoint bundle. As a corollary, we show that that both the flat principal bundle and its adjoint bundle have the real coefficient cohomology isomorphic to that of the trivial bundle.

We compute the cohomology of the right generalised projective Stiefel manifolds. Following this, we discuss some easy applications of the computations to the ranks of complementary bundles and bounds on the span and immersibility.