A Library Approach to the Development of BenzaPhos, Highly Efficient Chiral Supramolecular Ligands for Asymmetric Hydrogenation

A library of chiral supramolecular ligands named BenzaPhos, of straightforward preparation (two steps from commercial or readily available starting materials) and modular structure, was designed and synthesized. The ligands were screened in the search of new rhodium catalysts for the enantioselective hydrogenation of several benchmark and industrially relevant substrates. Once a series of hits were identified, structural modifications were introduced on three of the best ligands and a small second-generation library was created. Members of the latter showed outstanding levels of activity and enantioselectivity in the hydrogenation of challenging olefins such as enamide S4 and beta-dehydroamino ester S5 (> 99% ee: best value ever reported in both cases). A series of control experiments were undertaken in order to clarify the role of hydrogen bonding in determining the catalytic properties of the new ligands. The results of these experiments, together with those of computational studies carried out on four dihydride complexes involved in the catalytic hydrogenation of substrate S4, strongly suggest that a substrate orientation takes place in the catalytic cycle by formation of a hydrogen bond between the ligand amide oxygen and the substrate amide NH

Integrated forest management to prevent wildfi res under mediterranean environments

This review presents a multidisciplinary framework for integrating the ecological, regulatory, procedural and technical aspects of forest management for fi res prevention under Mediterranean environments. The aims are to: i) provide a foreground of wildfi re scenario; ii) illustrate the theoretical background of forest fuel management; iii) describe the available fuel management techniques and mechanical operations for fi re prevention in forest and wildland-urban interfaces, with exemplifi cation of case-studies; iv) allocate fi re prevention activities under the hierarchy of forest planning. The review is conceived as an outline commentary discussion targeted to professionals, technicians and government personnel involved in forestry and environmental managemen

Contribution to the floristic knowledge of the head of the Po Valley (Piedmont, north Italy)

In 2014, the annual field trip of the working group for Floristics, Systematics, and Evolution of the Italian Botanical Society was held in Piemonte (northern Italy), at the head of the Po Valley. This valley, at whose extremity is located the Monviso (3,841 m a.s.l.), belongs to the Cottian Alps about which very little is known from a floristic point of view. An inventory of the taxa of vascular plants collected during the field trip is reported here. The research led to the identification of 3,546 exsiccata, kept in nine public and nine private collections. A total of 669 taxa belonging to 79 plant families were recorded. Six taxa resulted endemic to Italy and three exclusive to Piemonte, while only nine alien species were detected; six taxa are new and five confirmed for the regional flora

Cancer Appetite and Symptom Questionnaire (CASQ) for Brazilian Patients: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation Study

Background Appetite and symptoms, conditions generally reported by the patients with cancer, are somewhat challenging for professionals to measure directly in clinical routine (latent conditions). Therefore, specific instruments are required for this purpose. This study aimed to perform a cultural adaptation of the Cancer Appetite and Symptom Questionnaire (CASQ), into Portuguese and evaluate its psychometric properties on a sample of Brazilian cancer patients. Methods This is a validation study with Brazilian cancer patients. The face, content, and construct (factorial and convergent) validities of the Cancer Appetite and Symptom Questionnaire, the study tool, were estimated. Further, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted. The ratio of chi-square and degrees of freedom (χ2 /df), comparative fit index (CFI), goodness of fit index (GFI) and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) were used for fit model assessment. In addition, the reliability of the instrument was estimated using the composite reliability (CR) and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α), and the invariance of the model in independent samples was estimated by a multigroup analysis (Δχ2). Results Participants included 1,140 cancer patients with a mean age of 53.95 (SD = 13.25) years; 61.3% were women. After the CFA of the original CASQ structure, 2 items with inadequate factor weights were removed. Four correlations between errors were included to provide adequate fit to the sample (χ2 /df = 8.532, CFI = .94, GFI = .95, and RMSEA = .08). Themodel exhibited a low convergent validity (AVE = .32). The reliability was adequate (CR = .82 α = .82). The refined model showed strong invariance in two independent samples (Δχ2 : λ: p = .855; i: p = .824; Res: p = .390). A weak stability was obtained between patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy (Δχ2 : λ: p = .155; i: p < .001; Res: p < .001), and between patients undergoing chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy and palliative care (Δχ2 : λ: p = .058; i: p < .001; Res: p < .001). Conclusion The Portuguese version of the CASQ had good face and construct validity and reliability. However, the CASQ still presented invariance in independent samples of Brazilian patients with cancer. However, the tool has low convergent validity and weak invariance in samples with different treatment

Nuove liste rosse della flora italiana

Vengono presentate le nuove liste rosse per la Flora Italiana incluse le piante superiori, le briofite ed i fungh

Notulae to the Italian native vascular flora: 9

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes to the Italian administrative regions. Two new combinations are proposed. Nomenclatural and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as Suppl. material