Stereodivergent Access to Trisubstituted Alkenylboronate Esters through Alkene Isomerization

We report an efficient method for the preparation of synthetically valuable trisubstituted alkenylboronate esters through alkene isomerization of their readily available 1,1-disubstituted regioisomeric counterparts. Either stereoisomer of the target alkenylboronate motif can be obtained at will from the same starting material by employing different isomerization catalysts

Enantioselective Construction of Acyclic Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters: Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Allylic Alkylation of Fully-Substituted Amide Enolates

We report a divergent and modular protocol for the preparation of acyclic molecular frameworks containing newly created quaternary carbon stereocenters. Central to this approach is a sequence composed of a (1) regioselective and -retentive preparation of allyloxycarbonyl-trapped fully substituted stereodefined amide enolates and of a (2) enantioselective palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative allylic alkylation reaction using a novel bisphosphine ligand

Revealed versus concealed criteria for placental insufficiency in an unselected obstetric population in late pregnancy (RATIO37): randomised controlled trial study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) affects 5%-10% of all pregnancies, contributing to 30%-50% of stillbirths. Unfortunately, growth restriction often is not detected antenatally. The last weeks of pregnancy are critical for preventing stillbirth among babies with FGR because there is a pronounced increase in stillbirths among growth-restricted fetuses after 37 weeks of pregnancy. Here we present a protocol (V.1, 23 May 2016) for the RATIO37 trial, which evaluates an integrated strategy for accurately selecting at-risk fetuses for delivery at term. The protocol is based on the combination of fetal biometry and cerebroplacental ratio (CPR). The primary objective is to reduce stillbirth rates. The secondary aims are to detect low birth weights and adverse perinatal outcomes. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study is designed as multicentre (Spain, Chile, Mexico,Czech Republic and Israel), open-label, randomised trial with parallel groups. Singleton pregnancies will be invited to participate after routine second-trimester ultrasound scan (19+0-22+6 weeks of gestation), and participants will be randomly allocated to receive revealed or concealed CPR evaluation. Then, a routine ultrasound and Doppler scan will be performed at 36+0-37+6 weeks. Sociodemographic and clinical data will be collected at enrolment. Ultrasound and Doppler variables will be recorded at 36+0-37+6 weeks of pregnancy. Perinatal outcomes will be recorded after delivery. Univariate (with estimated effect size and its 95% CI) and multivariate (mixed-effects logistic regression) comparisons between groups will be performed. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study will be conducted in accordance with the principles of Good Clinical Practice. This study was accepted by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Hospital Clinic Barcelona on 23May 2016. Subsequent approval by individual ethical committees and competent authorities was granted. The study results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated at international conferences

Assessment Report of the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

The Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) is a public scientific and technological institution under the supervision of the minister in charge of research. Its main missions, defined by decree, are i) to carry out, alone or with its partners, all research of interest to the advancement of science and the economic, social, and cultural progress of the nation; ii) to contribute to the application and use of the results of this research; iii) to develop scientific information and access to research work and data, by promoting the use of the French language; (iv) to contribute to training in and through research. The CNRS covers all fields of science. It is organized into ten scientific Institutes. It had a total budget of €3.7 billion in 2021, €2.8 billion (76%) of which came from public subsidies allocated by the French national government, and €0.9 billion (24%) of which came from own-source revenue. The staff represented 31,876 FTE (full-time equivalent), including 23,873 FTE permanent staff and 8,003 non-permanent staff. The CNRS research activities are organized into more than 1,000 research units (or laboratories), which are almost always shared with other institutions, mainly universities or other national research organizations and “grandes écoles”. They are called “joint research units” (in French “unités mixtes de recherche” or “UMRs”). There are 109,800 persons in CNRS UMRs, i.e. over 40% of the total workforce of the French public research ecosystem; 27% of them are CNRS employees. The CNRS UMRs are spread among more than 80 cities in France. The international assessment committee was tasked by the High Council for evaluation of research and higher education (Hcéres) with conducting an external assessment of the CNRS for the 2017-2021 period. The committee consisted of scientists and leaders from the worlds of universities, research organizations, technology transfer organizations, and business and industry. The review was concerned with the CNRS in its entirety as well as its interplay with the French research and higher education eco system, but not with a detailed review of the constituent Institutes or of particular scientific disciplines. The assessment process entailed a review of a self-assessment report that was prepared by CNRS leadership, and a succession of committee meetings prior to a week-long in-person review that occurred May 8-12, 2023. The agenda for the in-person visit included extensive discussions with CNRS leadership, including for each of the 10 constituent Institutes, visits to university sites and UMRs, on-site meetings with junior and senior scientists and support staff, and meetings with CNRS partners universities, corporations and French and European national research organizations. More details on the agenda of the visit are provided at the end of the report. The committee is very grateful for the support it received from Hcéres and the CNRS teams throughout the review

Oxidation of bis-sulfinyl carbanions as the pivot of ionic/radical tandem reactions

International audience[1,4]-additions of various nucleophiles such as lithiated carbamates, alkoxides or ester enolates onto enantiopure alkylidene bis-sulfoxides proceed with high diastereoselectivity. The oxidation of the resulting carbanions with iron(III) salts induces the radical cyclizations onto alkenes with a high diastereoselectivity leading to enantiopure carbo- or heterocycles. Moreover, allylic radicals have been generated by deprotonation or [1,6]-conjugate addition from alkylidene bis-sulfoxides followed by oxidation

Super-heavy fermion material as metallic refrigerant for adiabatic demagnetization cooling

Low-temperature refrigeration is of crucial importance in fundamental research of condensed matter physics, as the investigations of fascinating quantum phenomena, such as superconductivity, superfluidity and quantum criticality, often require refrigeration down to very low temperatures. Currently, cryogenic refrigerators with $^3$He gas are widely used for cooling below 1 Kelvin. However, usage of the gas is being increasingly difficult due to the current world-wide shortage. Therefore, it is important to consider alternative methods of refrigeration. Here, we show that a new type of refrigerant, super-heavy electron metal, YbCo$_2$Zn$_{20}$, can be used for adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration, which does not require 3He gas. A number of advantages includes much better metallic thermal conductivity compared to the conventional insulating refrigerants. We also demonstrate that the cooling performance is optimized in Yb$_{1-x}$Sc$_x$Co$_2$Zn$_{20}$ by partial Sc substitution with $x\sim$0.19. The substitution induces chemical pressure which drives the materials close to a zero-field quantum critical point. This leads to an additional enhancement of the magnetocaloric effect in low fields and low temperatures enabling final temperatures well below 100 mK. Such performance has up to now been restricted to insulators. Since nearly a century the same principle of using local magnetic moments has been applied for adiabatic demagnetization cooling. This study opens new possibilities of using itinerant magnetic moments for the cryogen-free refrigeration

Multidisciplinary management of acromegaly: A consensus.

The 13th Acromegaly Consensus Conference was held in November 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and comprised acromegaly experts including endocrinologists and neurosurgeons who considered optimal approaches for multidisciplinary acromegaly management. Focused discussions reviewed techniques, results, and side effects of surgery, radiotherapy, and medical therapy, and how advances in technology and novel techniques have changed the way these modalities are used alone or in combination. Effects of treatment on patient outcomes were considered, along with strategies for optimizing and personalizing therapeutic approaches. Expert consensus recommendations emphasize how best to implement available treatment options as part of a multidisciplinary approach at Pituitary Tumor Centers of Excellence