Doing Something about the Future

This paper is concerned with the need for more interdisciplinary, systems oriented, research directed towards major problems encountered by decision makers in industry and government; a need which is more difficult to meet in the face of traditional methods of organising knowledge and research. It emphasises the need to acknowledge the true complexity of the problems and the interactive nature of any effective research procedure. As an illustration, both of the need and the problems involved in meeting it, the development of a new program of research into problems of Management and Technology at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis, which is supported by seventeen nations of all political complexions, is analysed. The implication is that we can do something about the future, but we must be prepared to do.     

Teaching Operational Research Technique

Good technique, i.e. competence in carrying out operational research, is as vital for the practitioner to acquire as competence in the traditional ‘techniques’. It is suggested that universities should teach students how to conduct simple projects prior to alerting them to more sophisticated methodological issues.As an aid to this task, the traditional five or six parts of an operational research project are broken down and extended into 39 steps, and regrouped into three phases. Also, five skills are identified as being conceptually essential to "good" operational research, which students can develop through tackling suitable case studies.     

Dispersion state of CuO on CeO2

XRD and XPS are used to study the dispersion state of CuO on ceria surface. The dispersion capacity values of CuO measured by the two methods are consistent, which are of 1.20 mmol CuO/100 m² CeO₂. In addition, the results reveal that highly dispersed Cu²⁺ ions are formed at low CuO loadings and that increasing the CuO content to a value higher than its dispersion capacity produces crystalline CuO after the surface vacant sites on CeO₂ are filled. The atomic composition of the outermost layer of the CuO/CeO₂ samples has been probed by using static secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SSIMS), and the ratim of Cu/Ce are found to be 0.93 and 0.46 for the 1.22 and 0.61 mmol CuO/CeO₂ samples respectively. Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) profile with two reduction peaks at 156 and 165°C suggests that the reduction of highly dispersed Cu²⁺ ions consists of two steps and is easier than that of CuO crystallites, in which the TPR profile has only one reduction peak at about 249°C. The above experimental results are in good agreement with the prediction of the incorporation model. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Complexing processes in M(II)-dithiomalonamide-diacetyl triple systems (M= Ni,Cu) in ethanol solution and in a metal(II)hexacyanoferrate(II) gelatin-immobilized matrix materials

The complexing processes in the M ^II -dithiomalonamide-diacetyl triple system (M=Ni, Cu) occuring in the nickel(II)- and copper(II)hexacyanoferrate(II) gelatin-immobilized matrix in contact with aqueous alkaline solutions (pH~12) containing dithiomalonamide and diacetyl at room temperature, and between MCl₂, dithiomalonamide and diacetyl in EtOH solutions upon heating to$80°C, have been studied. In the Ni ^II -dithiomalonamide-diacetyl system, template synthesis occurs in EtOH solution but does not occur in the gelatin-immobilized matrix, whereas in the Cu ^II -dithiomalonamide-diacetyl system, template synthesis occurs in the gelatin-immobilized matrix but not in EtOH solution. Dithiomalonamide and diacetyl are the ligand synthons in the processes indicated.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vitro</Emphasis> inhibitory effect of polyoxometalates on human tumor cells

H₇[NiV₁₃O₃₈] was synthesized from K₇[NiV₁₃O₃₈] using an ion exchange method. Then Pr₂H[NiV₁₃O₃₈] was obtained by double decomposition of H₇[NiV₁₃O₃₈] with Pr₂(CO₃)₃. The actual amount of praseodymium measured by elemental analysis coincides with the designed amount of praseodymium in Pr₂H[NiV₁₃O₃₈]. The i.r. spectra suggested that the [NiV₁₃O₃₈]^7– anion did not collapse after the ion exchange and double decomposition. The ⁵¹V n.m.r. spectrum of Pr₂H[NiV₁₃O₃₈] showed four peaks and their ratio of the relative intensity was 4:4:4:1. This result agrees with the chemical environment of V atoms in the [NiV₁₃O₃₈]^7– anion. In vitro antitumor activities of polyoxometalates on several human tumor cells have been investigated using the MTT method. Pr₂H[NiV₁₃O₃₈] is the most effective polyoxometalate tested in this study for inhibiting KB cell. Pr₂H[NiV₁₃O₃₈] also showed remarkable inhibitory effect on some other tumor cells: HCT, Bel, B₁₆, BCAP and ESCL cells. These results indicate that Pr₂H[NiV₁₃O₃₈] is a potent broad spectrum antitumor agent. The structure type of polyoxometalates greatly influences their antitumor activity: the order of structure type for inhibiting KB cell is: [NiV₁₃O₃₈]^7–>[Mo₇O₂₄]^6–>Anderson structure Keggin structure Dawson structure. Moreover, the nature of the polyatom in the polyoxometalates also greatly influences their antitumor activity: the polyatom order for inhibiting KB cell is: V>Mo W. On the other hand, the nature of the counter cation and the heteroatom in the polyoxometalates exerted a relatively small influence on the inhibitory effect against the KB cell, although the praseodymium salt of [NiV₁₃O₃₈]^7– showed a higher antitumor activity than its potassium salt.     

Syntheses of aluminum and zinc alkyl complexes of a highly fluorinated tris(pyrazolyl)borate using [HB(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(THF) as the ligand transfer agent

Dimethylaluminum or ethylzinc complexes of highly fluorinated tris(pyrazolyl)borate ligand [HB(3,5-(CF(3))(2)Pz)(3)](-) can be obtained in excellent yield from the reaction between the silver adduct [HB(3,5-(CF(3))(2)Pz)(3)]Ag(THF) and the metal alkyl reagent Me(3)Al or Et(2)Zn. The X-ray crystal structure of [HB(3,5-(CF(3))(2)Pz)(3)]AlMe(2) shows that the tris(pyrazolyl)borate ligand coordinates to the aluminum center in kappa(2)-fashion. [HB(3,5-(CF(3))(2)Pz)(3)]ZnEt features the typical kappa(3)-bonded ligand.     

Biosorption of americium-241 by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The biosorption of radionuclide ²⁴¹Am from solution by Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae), and the effects of experimental conditions on the adsorption were investigated. The preliminary results showed thatS. cerevisiae is a very efficient biosorbent. An average of more than 99% of the total ²⁴¹Am could be removed by S. cerevisiae of 2.1 g/l (dry weight) from ²⁴¹Am solutions of 17.54–4386.0 mg/l (2.22 MBq/l–555 MBq/l) with adsorption capacities of 7.45–1880.0 mg/g biomass (dry weight) (0.94 MBq/g–237.9 MBq/g). The adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 1 hour and the optimum pH ranged 1–3. No significant differences on ²⁴¹Am adsorption were observed at 10–45 °C, or in solutions containing Au³⁺ or Ag⁺, even 2000 times above ²⁴¹Am concentration. The relationship between concentrations and adsorption capacities of ²⁴¹Am indicated the biosorption process should be described by the Freundlich adsorption isotherm.     

Investigation of the Electrochemical Reduction of Benzophenone in Aprotic Solvents Using the Method of Cyclic Voltammetry

The reduction of benzophenone (Bzph) in 3-pentanone (PEN), acetone (ACE), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), tetrahydrofuran (THF), acetonitrile (ACN) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with n-tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAPF₆) as background electrolyte was studied using the technique of cyclic voltammetry at the temperature of 263.15 K. The half-wave potentials (E _1/2) were extracted. The reduction of Bzph occurs in two successive one-electron steps to produce first the free radical anion Bzph⁻ and then the dianion Bzph²⁻. The results indicated that the radical anion Bzph⁻ is reoxidized to Bzph in all investigated solvent media whereas the dianion Bzph²⁻ is reoxidized to Bzph⁻ only in THF. The heterogeneous electron-transfer rate constants (k _s ) were evaluated by employing the electrochemical rate equation proposed by Nicholson. The rate of electron transfer for the Bzph/Bzph⁻ couple was found to be relatively slow in all investigated solvent media. Consequently, the electron-transfer processes can be recognized as quasi-reversible. The diffusion coefficients (D) of Bzph in the investigated solvent media have been calculated using the modified Randles-Sevcik equation. The effect of the physical and chemical properties of the solvent medium on the electrochemical behavior of Bzph has been examined.     

Nucleophilic addition of bifunctional sulfimidosulfides to platinum(<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">IV</Emphasis>)-coordinated nitriles

Reactions of the platinum(IV) nitrile complexes [PtCl₄(RCN)₂] (R = Me, CH₂Ph, Ph) with 1,2- and 1,4-PhS(=NH)C₆H₄SPh in CH₂Cl₂ afforded addition products of sulfimides and coordinated nitriles, viz., the [PtCl₄{NH=C(R)N=S(Ph)(C₆H₄SPh)}₂] complexes. The latter were isolated in 75—90% yields and characterized by elemental analysis, positive-ion FAB mass spectrometry, IR spectroscopy, and ¹H and ¹³C¹H NMR spectroscopy. The temperature dependence of the ¹H NMR spectra of the model [PtCl₄{NH=C(R)N=SPh₂}₂] complexes (R = Me, Et) in CD₂Cl₂ studied in a temperature range from +40 to -70 °C demonstrated that E—Z isomerization of the ligands is a dynamic process in a range from +40 to -10 °C. The activation free energy of this process was calculated.Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1618–1622, August, 2004.     

Determination of Dopamine in the Presence of Ascorbic Acid Using a Poly(Amidosulfonic Acid) Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified with electropolymerized films of amidosulfonic acid in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution (PBS) by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The modified electrode showed an excellent electrocatalytical effect on the oxidation of dopamine (DA). In pH 7.0 PBS, the anodic peak current increased linearly with the concentration of DA in the range of 5.0×10^–7 1.0×10^–4moldm^–3, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9932, and a detection limit (S/N=3) of 1.0× 10^–7moldm^–3. The relative standard deviation of 10 successive scans was 2.5% for 1.0×10^–6moldm^–3 DA. The interference of ascorbic acid (AA) with the determination of DA could be eliminated because of the very distinct attracting interaction between DA cations and the negatively poly(amidosulfonic acid) film in pH 7.0 PBS. The proposed method exhibited good recovery and reproducibility.