Azide Decomposition as a Pathway to Intramolecularly Upper Rim-Bridged Calix[4]arenes

Proximally single-atom bridged calix[4]arenes possess a rigidified cavity and, thus, unusual complexation properties. Here, we report on the synthesis of the first such heteroatom-bridged compound: amine-bridged calix[4]arene. This compound, prepared by thermal decomposition of 4-azidocalix[4]arene, was obtained alongside very interesting rearranged inherently chiral 10H-azepino[1,2-a]indole derivatives. NMR titration confirmed the suitability of amine cavity for the complexation of methylamonnium cations; moreover, the -NH- bridge function enables its further derivatization.

Data-driven approximations to the bridge function yield improved closures for the Ornstein–Zernike equation

A central challenge for soft matter is determining interaction potentials that give rise to observed condensed phase structures. Here we tackle this problem by combining the power of Deep Learning with the physics of the Ornstein–Zernike equation.

Bridge Aesthetics – Functional and Structural Needs versus Architectural Imagination

<p>Relations between structural form as well as service function of bridges and their aesthetics are analysed. Irrespective of their scale bridges always affect their surroundings or landscape. Therefore, they not only have an engineering and economic meaning but also a social and a cultural one. In some cases, especially older bridges have an additional symbolic or a historic meaning. Contemporary trends concerning bridge aesthetics are discussed. Commonly modern bridge structures ideas are controversial – their forms often seem to be more important than their service function and classical aesthetic principles are rather rarely observed. Presented problems are exemplified by bridge structures in Poland and in other countries. Conclusions concerning the relations between the bridge aesthetics and bridge function are formulated. Some remarks on the future trends in the bridge engineering are also presented.</p>

Consequences of Overeducation among Career Starters in Germany: A Trap for the Vocationally Trained as well as for University Graduates?

Research on the consequences of starting in overeducation often focuses on either secondary or tertiary graduates. We focus on both within one country, Germany. While matching and search models imply the improvement of initial overeducation, human capital theory and stigma associated with overeducation predict entrapment. The strongly skill- and occupation-based labour market for the vocationally trained in Germany mitigates the bridge function of overeducation. As the less standardized tertiary system creates more uncertainties, initial overeducation should be more prevalent and should serve as a bridge to better positions. However, depreciation of human capital and the stigma associated with overeducation oppose the bridge function of overeducation here, too. Using data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), we compare labour market positions of career starters in overeducation with those not in overeducation in subsequent years using propensity score matching. In the fifth year after labour market entrance, the differences in overeducation between initially overeducated and non-overeducated individuals amounts to 38 percentage points for graduates and 28 for vocationally trained persons. In addition, vocationally trained persons starting in overeducation face higher unemployment risks later on. Our findings challenge the assumption of a bridge function in both educational groups.

Nice to meet you, President Tito …

The chapter explores the political backgrounds, strategic interests, and diplomatic consequences of Senator J. William Fulbright’s visit to socialist Yugoslavia in November 1964 to chair the signing of the Yugoslav Fulbright agreement. The mission tackled two issues: as a US senator, Fulbright repaired misunderstandings and low points of previous US-Yugoslav bilateral relations; as a politician who was intellectually committed to liberal internationalism, he confirmed his support for Yugoslav independence from the Soviet Union and, by observing the Yugoslav Communist regime, convinced himself of a different solution for Vietnam’s emerging tangle. By examining Fulbright and Yugoslav papers, the chapter argues that Yugoslav experimentation with national communism and its possible bridge function between East and West framed the senator’s politics of dissent over Vietnam on the assumption that Communist movements were not as monolithic as most US policy makers viewed them. America’s soft approach to Yugoslav communism corroborated Fulbright’s convictions and persuaded him that Yugoslavia could serve as a case study for the impasse in Vietnam.