THE INFLUENCE OF ENNIUS ON SILIUS ITALICUS

In the twelth book of the Punica, Silius records the fact that one of the combatants in the Sardinian campaign was none other than the poet Ennius. After he made himself conspicuous by killing many of the enemy, he was attacked by Hostius. He was saved by Apollo, who paid him the following tribute

ESTONIA AND THE CLASSICS

Earlier this year I received an official invitation to give lectures during May in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Tartu in Estonia. I was most fortunate to have Mike Truu (an Estonian by birth) as my guide and interpreter during my two-week stay in Estonia

Candlestick Park will go out with a wrecking ball, not a bang

Plans for a pyrotechnic implosion of Candlestick Park have fizzled in favor of the wrecking ball — with health fears and political pressure playing a big part in the decision. The 54-year-old stadium is being demolished to make way for a shopping center, hotel and housing complex. But an attention-grabbing plan to implode the Stick next month ran into stiff opposition from Golden Gate University’s Environmental Law and Justice Clinic and the Bayview Hill Neighborhood Association over fears about noise and the spread of toxic dust

Review of Writing Centres in Higher Education: Working in and across the disciplines

This is a review of Writing Centres in Higher Education: Working in and across the disciplines, edited by Sherran Clarence and Laura Dison

Georg Gruber : his contribution to music education in South Africa and an evaluation of selected vocal compositions and arrangements

In this thesis I have given a factual account of Georg Gruber's contribution to music education in South Africa by giving a short biography and studying a) his philosophy of music education, b) the content of the music courses offered at Rhodes University during his occupancy of the Chair (1955-1972), c) the content of the music courses offered at the University of Fort Hare from 1974-1977, d) his contribution to choral education, e) his publications in the field of music education. I have given an evaluation of selected vocal compositions: a) Two masses, b) Terra Nova , c) Two African cantatas, i) Ukucula Ematola and ii) Izango ZakwaNtu , and seven arrangements of real folksongs from several different countries: a) Coventry Carol and Sweet Nightingale, b) Die Alibama, c) Merck tog hoe sterck, d) Entre Ie Boeuf et l'Ane gris, e) Aba Heidschi-bum-beidschi and f) Cheder Katan. Through the above study I have drawn conclusions regarding his compositional techniques prior to coming to South Africa as shown in the two mass compositions a nd the changes which occurred after being exposed to African music. The attention to detail in his arrangements and their sheer simplicity show his skill and craftsmanship also in this genre. Appendices of the works discussed have been submitted in a separate file and Appendix 8 lists all his available folksong arrangements

Enantioconvergent Alkylations of Amines by Alkyl Electrophiles: Copper-Catalyzed Nucleophilic Substitutions of Racemic α-Halolactams by Indoles

Transition-metal catalysis has the potential to address shortcomings in the classic S_N2 reaction of an amine with an alkyl electrophile, both with respect to reactivity and to enantioselectivity. In this study, we describe the development of a user-friendly method (reaction at room temperature, with commercially available catalyst components) for the enantioconvergent nucleophilic substitution of racemic secondary alkyl halides (α-iodolactams) by indoles. Mechanistic studies are consistent with the formation of a copper(I)–indolyl complex that reacts at different rates with the two enantiomers of the electrophile, which interconvert under the reaction conditions (dynamic kinetic resolution). This investigation complements earlier work on photoinduced enantioconvergent N-alkylation, supporting the premise that this important challenge can be addressed by a range of strategies

Cornell Confronts the End of Mandatory Retirement

[Excerpt] In July 1995, the first author of this paper was appointed vice president of academic programs, planning and budgeting at Cornell and, at his initiative, a joint faculty-administrative committee was subsequently established, with him as chair, to look into how the university should respond to the elimination of mandatory retirement. In this chapter, we discuss the environment in which the university found itself when the committee was established, the recommendations of the committee, faculty reactions to the recommendations, and the actions that the university ultimately decided to pursue

Copper and Nickel Catalysis for the Construction of Novel C−N and C−C Bonds

First-row transition-metals such as nickel and copper have revolutionized cross-coupling chemistry. Their propensity to form radical intermediates from alkyl electrophiles has greatly expanded the scope of traditional cross-coupling reactions. Alkyl radicals can be recaptured by a chiral transition-metal catalyst allowing for enantioselective bond formation. In general, alkyl radicals rapidly epimerize, and thus both enantiomers of a racemic mixture of an alkyl electrophile can be processed into the same enantiomer of product, rendering the overall process enantioconvergent. Herein, the development of basic bond constructions and the development of asymmetric reactions leveraging alkyl radical intermediates for carbon-nitrogen and carbon-carbon bond formations are discussed. Reaction development is the primary focus of this work, though mechanistic insights discovered along the way are also detailed within. Chapter 2 describes the development of an enantioconvergent alkylation of amine nucleophiles with alkyl electrophiles. Carbazole and indole derivatives are employed as nucleophiles to undergo copper-catalyzed cross-coupling with tertiary α-chloroamide electrophiles under visible light irradiation. Reaction optimization, scope of reactivity, inorganic synthesis, and mechanistic insights are described within. Chapter 3 details the development of a non-asymmetric copper-catalyzed alkylation of aliphatic amines with unactivated alkyl electrophiles under visible light irradiation. The development of a novel catalytic system to circumvent the issues with the photophysical properties of aliphatic amine-copper complexes is discussed. Scope of reactivity and mechanistic investigations are detailed within. Additionally, our efforts to develop an asymmetric variant of this reaction are enclosed. Chapter 4 discusses the development of a copper-catalyzed alkylation of N-heterocycles with α-halolactams in the absence of light. The scope of the reactivity is detailed within. Mechanistic studies contained in this section suggest a unique and interesting reaction pathway—one that does not proceed through a radical intermediate. Chapter 5 presents a novel class of organosilane electrophiles employed in an enantioconvergent nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction. Here, the development of the reaction, scope of reactivity, and initial mechanistic insights are discussed.</p

The Penguin: a Low Reynolds Number Powered Glider for Station Keeping Missions

The Penguin is a low Reynolds number (approx. 100,000) remotely piloted vehicle (RPV). It was designed to fly three laps indoors around two pylons in a figure-eight course while maximizing loiter time. The Penguin's low Reynolds number mission is an important one currently being studied for possible future flights in the atmospheres of other planets and for specialized military missions. Although the Penguin's mission seemed quite simple at first, the challenges of such low Reynolds number flight have proven to be quite unique. In addition to the constraint of low Reynolds number flight, the aircraft had to be robust in its control, highly durable, and it had to carry a small instrument package. The Penguin's flight plan, concept, performance, aerodynamic design, weight estimation, structural design, propulsion, stability and control, and cost estimate is detailed