(Electro)catalytic C-C bond formation reaction with a redox-active cobalt complex

Cooperativity between cobalt and non-innocent ligands in electron transfer processes has been utilized for (electro)catalytic C–C bond formation reactions

Global environmental governance: the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

"This discussion paper is about the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) - one of the multilateral agreements that came out of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. UNCCD is based on a conceptualization of international relations that transcends to a large extent the traditional notions of inter-governmental treaties. Such policy concepts are known under the framework of Global Governance as they allocate political action rather to the horizontal level - implying multi-actor-networks and the civil society - than to vertical or top-down processes. The paper first shows that - inspired by the Brundtland Report and the emerging process of globalization - Rio was the peak season for Global Governance concepts that found their way into treaties and triggered structural reform, thus shaping a different reality of multilateral cooperation. In a second step, the paper shows that the Convention to Combat Desertification is the most Global Governance oriented of all of UNCED's outcomes. Its legally binding text contains a number of pertinent elements, ranging from a stringent cross-over of environment and development issues, via the ąbottom-up approach', to a mix of policy tools such as mainstreamed national action programmes and partnership agreements." (author's abstract)Gegenstand der Untersuchung ist die UN-Konvention zur Bekämpfung der Desertifikation (UNCCD). Sie zählt zu den multilateralen Übereinkünften, die im Zuge der 1992 in Rio de Janeiro veranstalteten UN-Konferenz über Umwelt und Entwicklung (UNCED) geschlossen wurden. Die UNCCD basiert auf einem Konzept internationaler Beziehungen, das zu einem großen Teil jenseits traditioneller Vorstellungen von Verträgen zwischen Regierungen angesiedelt ist. Solche auch als Global Governance bezeichneten Politikkonzepte sind eher horizontal als vertikal orientiert und beziehen Akteurnetzwerken und Zivilgesellschaft ein. Ausgehend vom Brundtland-Report und dem sich entwickelnden Prozess der Globalisierung zeigt der Verfasser, dass Rio den Höhepunkt für Global Governance-Konzepte war; diese Konzepte fanden ihren Niederschlag in Verträgen und setzten strukturelle Reformprozesse in Gang, die eine neue Form multilateraler Zusammenarbeit schufen. Von allen Ergebnissen, die die UNCED zeitigte, ist die UNCCD am meisten auf Global Governance orientiert. Ihr rechtlich verbindlicher Vertragstext enthält eine Reihe entsprechender Elemente, so die Verbindung von Umwelt- und Entwicklungsfragen, einen bottom-up-Ansatz und einen Mix von Politikinstrumenten wie nationale Aktionsprogramme und Partnerschaftsvereinbarungen. (ICEÜbers

Is there a crisis in international environmental and development policy? After the Johannesburg Summit

Some two months after the UN Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg discussion is now focused on how to effectively implement the resolutions that were passed on such matters as fighting poverty, protecting natural resources and changing modes of production and consumption. For many observers and decision makers, the least-common-denominator-type consensus that was reached - typical for UN-brokered compromises - does not go far enough. They are asking whether alternative approaches for the implementation of international agreements is possible. The German-European unilateral course on renewable energy suggests a pragmatic and promising development for making progress in environmental and development policy, despite the current paralysis of multilateral mechanisms in international politics. (author's abstract

Probing bistability in FeII and CoII complexes with an unsymmetrically substituted quinonoid ligand

The generation of molecular platforms, the properties of which can be influenced by a variety of external perturbations, is an important goal in the field of functional molecular materials. We present here the synthesis of a new quinonoid ligand platform containing an [O,O,O,N] donor set. The ligand is derived from a chloranilic acid core by using the [NR] (nitrogen atom with a substituent R) for [O] isoelectronic substitution. Mononuclear FeII and CoII complexes have been synthesized with this new ligand. Results obtained from single crystal X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, (spectro)electrochemistry, SQUID magnetometry, multi-frequency EPR spectroscopy and FIR spectroscopy are used to elucidate the electronic and geometric structures of the complexes. Furthermore, we show here that the spin state of the FeII complex can be influenced by temperature, pressure and light and the CoII complex displays redox-induced spin-state switching. Bistability is observed in the solid-state as well as in solution for the FeII complex. The new ligand presented here, owing to the [NR] group present in it, will likely have more adaptability while investigating switching phenomena compared to its [O,O,O,O] analogues. Thus, such classes of ligands as well as the results obtained on the reversible changes in physical properties of the metal complexes are likely to contribute to the generation of multifunctional molecular materials

Aldosterone Stimulates K Secretion across Mammalian Colon Independent of Na Absorption

K transport across guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) distal colon was measured in vitro using isotopically determined unidirectional fluxes. Aldosterone stimulated electrogenic Na absorption, as measured by amiloride-sensitive short-circuit current (Isc), and reduced net K absorption from +2.5 ± 0.2 µEq/cm2 per hr to +0.8 ± 0.3 µEq/cm2 per hr (mean ± SEM). Amiloride addition to the mucosal solution did not enhance net K absorption, as expected if inhibiting active Na absorption would reduce active K secretion as in the distal nephron. The amiloride-insensitive Isc was -1.0 ± 0.2 µEq/cm2 per hr (mean ± SEM) and was inhibited by mucosal addition of Ba, a K channel blocker. Addition of bumetanide to the serosal solution also inhibited this negative Isc, and K transport returned to the control level of net absorption. Thus, the amiloride-insensitive, negative Isc is consistent with active K secretion stimulated by aldosterone. This stimulation of an active K secretory pathway by aldosterone occurred without altering the active K absorption pathway that also is present. These results indicate that the aldosterone-stimulated K secretory pathway operates independently of the amiloride-sensitive Na absorption pathway, which also is stimulated by aldosterone

Global environmental governance: The United Nations convention to combat desertification

This discussion paper is about the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) - one of the multilateral agreements that came out of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. UNCCD is based on a conceptualization of international relations that transcends to a large extent the traditional notions of inter-governmental treaties. Such policy concepts are known under the framework of Global Governance as they allocate political action rather to the horizontal level - implying multi-actor-networks and the civil society - than to vertical or top-down processes. The paper first shows that - inspired by the Brundtland Report and the emerging process of globalization - Rio was the peak season for Global Governance concepts that found their way into treaties and triggered structural reform, thus shaping a different reality of multilateral cooperation. In a second step, the paper shows that the Convention to Combat Desertification is the most Global Governance oriented of all of UNCED’s outcomes. Its legally binding text contains a number of pertinent elements, ranging from a stringent cross-over of environment and development issues, via the ‚bottom-up approach‘, to a mix of policy tools such as mainstreamed national action programmes and partnership agreements

Globale Umwelt- und Entwicklungspolitik in der Krise? Nach dem Gipfel von Johannesburg

Armutsbekämpfung, Ressourcenschutz, Änderung der Produktions- und Verbrauchsmuster: Gut sechs Wochen nach dem UN-Gipfel über Nachhaltige Entwicklung in Johannesburg wird nun diskutiert, wie dessen Beschlüsse effektiv umzusetzen sind. Dabei gehen vielen Beobachtern und Entscheidungsträgern die UNO-typischen Kompromisse auf niedrigem Niveau nicht weit genug. Sie stellen die Frage nach Alternativmodellen zur Implementierung internationaler Abkommen. Der deutsch-europäische Alleingang in Sachen erneuerbarer Energien weist hier eine pragmatische und vielversprechende Richtung, wie ungeachtet der gegenwärtigen Lähmung multilateraler Mechanismen in der internationalen Politik umwelt- und entwicklungspolitische Fortschritte erzielt werden können. (Autorenreferat