Promoting Global Empathy and Engagement through Real-Time Problem-Based Simulations: Outcomes from a Policymaking Simulation set in Post-Earthquake Haiti

We introduce a real-time problem-based simulation in which students are tasked with drafting policy to address the challenge of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in post-earthquake Haiti from a variety of stakeholder perspectives. Students who participated in the simulation completed a quantitative survey as a pretest/posttest on global empathy, political awareness, and civic engagement, and provided qualitative data through post-simulation focus groups. The simulation was run in four courses across three campuses in a variety of instructional settings from 2013 to 2015. An analysis of the data reveals that scores on several survey items measuring global empathy and political/civic engagement increased significantly, while qualitative student comments corroborated the results. This format of a real-time problem-based policymaking simulation is readily adaptable to other ongoing and future global crises using the framework provided in this paper

Enantioselectivity of Cs- and C2-symmetric ansa-metallocene catalysts in the styrene insertion

The correlation between relative reactivity of the two styrene enantiofaces and geometry of ansa-zirconocene systems has been determined by C-13 NMR microstructural analysis of the poly(propylene-co-styrene-ethylene) (P/S-E) obtained in the presence of C-2- and C-s-symmetric zirconocene catalysts. The chemical shifts assignment accomplished by using configurational additivity rules suggests that secondary styrene insertion with C-2-symmetric metallocene occurs with the opposite enantioface with respect to primary propylene insertion. On the contrary the analysis of C-13 enriched copolymer obtained in the presence of C-s-symmetric catalyst seems to indicate that the secondary styrene insertion occurs with same enantioface with respect to propylene. This stereochemistry is what one expects for a simple olefin inserting in secondary fashion despite the peculiar behavior of the aromatic monomer toward zirconocene-based catalysts

North-South preferential trade agreements, trade, and armed conflict

Do North-South preferential trade agreements (PTAs) hold promise for the expectation that increased economic interdependence contributes to more global peace? Contributing to the commercial institutional peace research, this dissertation calls into question the practice of treating North-South PTAs as similar to other agreements in assessing their effect on the relationship between trade and interstate armed conflict. The African Growth and Opportunity Act is used to develop and illustrate the following argument behind the contention that North-South nonreciprocal trade agreements are not expected to have a peaceful effect on their members. This type of trade agreement is unlikely to increase volumes of trade among its members, trade preferences incorporated in the agreement are often underutilized by less developed country members, providing few benefits to producers from less developed country member, these agreements do little to promise future expectations of gains from cooperation, and they have been recently used as political tools by developed country members. Results across two large-N logit models of dyadic data for years 1950-1985 and 1950-1999 suggest there is a significant difference between the effects of North-South PTAs versus other types of agreements on interstate armed conflict. In addition, North-South PTAs are found to have a null effect on interstate armed conflict, contrary to expectations put forth in the mainstream literature. Furthermore, membership in other types of trade agreements is found to have a positive effect on the probability of armed conflict, questioning the premise in the literature that preferential trade agreements pave the way for more peace

Enantioselectivity of Cs- and C2-symmetric ansa-metallocene catalysts in the styrene insertion

The correlation between relative reactivity of the two styrene enantiofaces and geometry of ansa-zirconocene systems has been determined by 13C NMR microstructural analysis of the poly(propylene-co-styrene-ethylene) (P/S-E) obtained in the presence of C2- and Cs-symmetric zirconocene catalysts. The chemical shifts assignment accomplished by using configurational additivity rules suggests that secondary styrene insertion with C2-symmetric metallocene occurs with the opposite enantioface with respect to primary propylene insertion. On the contrary the analysis of 13C enriched copolymer obtained in the presence of Cs-symmetric catalyst seems to indicate that the secondary styrene insertion occurs with same enantioface with respect to propylene. This stereochemistry is what one expects for a simple olefin inserting in secondary fashion despite the peculiar behavior of the aromatic monomer toward zirconocene-based catalysts

Enantioselectivity of CS- and C2-symmetric ansa-metallocene catalysts in the styrene insertion

The correlation between relative reactivity of the two styrene enantiofaces and geometry of ansa-zirconocene systems has been determined by 13C NMR microstructural analysis of the poly- (propylene-co-styrene-ethylene) (P/S-E) obtained in the presence of C2- and Cs-symmetric zirconocene catalysts. The chemical shifts assignment accomplished by using configurational additivity rules suggests that secondary styrene insertion with C2-symmetric metallocene occurs with the opposite enantioface with respect to primary propylene insertion. On the contrary the analysis of 13C enriched copolymer obtained in the presence of Cs-symmetric catalyst seems to indicate that the secondary styrene insertion occurs with same enantioface with respect to propylene. This stereochemistry is what one expects for a simple olefin inserting in secondary fashion despite the peculiar behavior of the aromatic monomer toward zirconocene-based catalysts

Variant-specific introduction and dispersal dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in New York City – from Alpha to Omicron

Since the latter part of 2020, SARS-CoV-2 evolution has been characterised by the emergence of viral variants associated with distinct biological characteristics. While the main research focus has centred on the ability of new variants to increase in frequency and impact the effective reproductive number of the virus, less attention has been placed on their relative ability to establish transmission chains and to spread through a geographic area. Here, we describe a phylogeographic approach to estimate and compare the introduction and dispersal dynamics of the main SARS-CoV-2 variants – Alpha, Iota, Delta, and Omicron – that circulated in the New York City area between 2020 and 2022. Notably, our results indicate that Delta had a lower ability to establish sustained transmission chains in the NYC area and that Omicron (BA.1) was the variant fastest to disseminate across the study area. The analytical approach presented here complements non-spatially-explicit analytical approaches that seek a better understanding of the epidemiological differences that exist among successive SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe