European Union and the developing nations' external debt : EU-15's debt policy, 1960–2008

This Master's Thesis defines the debt policy of the current European Union Member States towards the developing nations. Since no official policy for debt exists in the EU, it is defined to include debt practices (loans and debt relief in development cooperation) and debt within the EU development policy framework. This study (1) describes how the issue of external debt appears in the development policy framework, (2) compares EU Member States' given loans and debt relief to grants for the developing nations (1960s to the 2000s), and (3) measures the current orientation in ODA of each EU Member State between grant aid and loan aid using the Grant-Loan Index (GLI). Theoretical aspects include reasons for selecting between loans (Bouchet 1987) and grants (Odedokun 2004, O'Brien and Williams 2007), policy context of the EU (Van Reisen 2007) and the meaning of external debt in the set-up between the North and the South. In terms of history, the events and impact of the colonial period (where loans have originated) are overviewed and compared in light of today's policies. Development assistance statistics are derived from the OECD DAC statistics portal and EU development policy framework documents from the EU portal. Methodologically, the structure of this study is from policy analysis (Barrien 1999, Hill 2008, Berndtson 2008), but it has been modified to fit the needs of studying a non-official policy. EU Member States are divided into three groups by Carbone (2007a), the Big-3, Northern and Southern donors, based on common development assistance characteristics. The Grant-Loan Index is used to compare Carbone's model, which measures quality of aid, to the GLI measuring the structure of aid. Results indicate that EU- 15 countries (active in debt practices) differ in terms of timing, stability and equality of debt practices in the long-term (1960s to the 2000s). In terms of current practices, (2000-2008), it is noted that there lies a disparity between the actual practices and the way in which external debt is represented in the development policy framework, although debt practices form a relevant portion of total ODA practices for many EU-15 Member States, the issue itself plays a minor role in development policy documents. Carbone’s group division applies well to the Grant – Loan Index’s results, indicating that countries with similar development policy behaviour have similarities in debt policy behaviour, with one exception: Greece. On the basis of this study, it is concluded that EU development policy framework content in terms of external debt and debt practices are not congruent. The understanding of this disparity between the policy outline and differences in long-term practices is relevant in both, reaching the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, and in the actual process of developing development aid.

H-1, C-13, N-15 assignments of the dimeric regulatory subunit (ilvN) of the E. coli AHAS I

Acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) is an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of the branched chain amino acids viz, valine, leucine and isoleucine. The activity of this enzyme is regulated through feedback inhibition by the end products of the pathway. Here we report the backbone and side-chain assignments of ilvN, the 22 kDa dimeric regulatory subunit of E. coli AHAS isoenzyme I, in the valine bound form. Detailed analysis of the structure of ilvN and its interactions with the catalytic subunit of E. coli AHAS I will help in understanding the mechanism of activation and regulation of the branched chain amino acid biosynthesis.

Silva Fennica Vol. 15, 1981.

Julkaistu Silva Fennica Vol. 15(4) -numeron liitteenä.

Annales Societatis zoologicae-botanicae Fennicae Vanamo tom. 15

Kielet saksa ja suomi.

Annales Societatis zoologicae-botanicae Fennicae Vanamo tom. 15 Beiheft

Tiivistelmän kieli suomi.

Solvation and axial ligation properties of (2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octabromo-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato)zinc(II)

he solvation of (2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octabromo-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato)zinc(II)[Zn(obtpp)], in twelve different solvents results in large red shifts of the B and Q bands of the porphyrin accompanied by enhanced absorbance ratios of the Q bands. These observations are ascribed to the destabilisation of the highest occupied molecular orbital a2u of the porphyrin arising from a flow of charge from the axial ligand to the porphyrin ring through the zinc(II) ion. The binding constants of adducts of [Zn(obtpp)] with neutral bases have been found to be an order of magnitude greater than those observed for the corresponding adducts of (5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato)-zinc and vary in the order piperidine > imidazole > pyridine > 3-methylpyridine > pyridine-3-carbaldehyde. The enhanced binding constants and large spectral shifts are interpreted in terms of the electrophilicity of [Zn(obtpp)] induced by the electron-withdrawing bromine substituents in the porphyrin core. The structure of [Zn(obtpp)(PrCN)2] has been determined; it reveals six-co-ordinated zinc(II) with two long Zn–N distance [2.51(4), 2.59(3)Å]. The porphyrin is non-planar and displays a saddle-shaped conformation.

Synthesis of (±)-thaps-7(15)-ene and (±)-thaps-6-enes

The synthesis of (±)-3a,4,4,7a-tetramethylhydrindan-2-one 8, containing three contiguous quaternary carbons as present in thapsanes, and the total synthesis of thaps-7(15)-ene 6 and thaps-6-ene 7, probable biogenetic precursors of thapsanes, have been achieved. Thus, orthoester Claisen rearrangement of cyclogeraniol 14, followed by hydrolysis of the resultant ester 16 furnished the eneacid 13. Copper sulfate-catalysed intramolecular cyclopropanation of the diazo ketone 18, derived from the acid 13, generated the cyclopropyl ketone 12. Regiospecific reductive cleavage of cyclopropyl ketone 12 furnished the hydrindanone 8, whereas the diazo ketone 26 furnished the hydrindanone 28avia the cyclopropyl ketone 27. Wittig methylenation of the hydrindanone 28a furnished thaps-7(15)-ene 6, which on isomerisation gave thaps-6-ene 7. Allylic oxidation of thaps-6-ene furnished the thapsenone 31, a degradation product of the natural thapsane 1b.