Nb-Based Catalysts for the Valorization of Furfural into Valuable Product through in One-Pot Reaction.

Nb-based catalysts supported on porous silica with different textural properties have been synthesized, characterized, and tested in the one-pot reaction of furfural to obtain valuable chemicals. The catalytic results reveal that the presence of fluoride in the synthesis, which limits the growing of the porous silica, limits diffusional problems of the porous silica, obtaining higher conversion values at shorter reaction times. On the other hand, the incorporation of NbO species in the porous silica provides Lewis acid sites and a small proportion of Brönsted acid sites, in such a way that the main products are alkyl furfuryl ethers, which can be used as fuel additives.

The Role of Copper in the Hydrogenation of Furfural and Levulinic Acid.

Currently, there is a great interest in the development of sustainable and green technologies for production of biofuels and chemicals. In this sense, much attention is being paid to lignocellulosic biomass as feedstock, as alternative to fossil-based resources, inasmuch as its fractions can be transformed into value-added chemicals. Two important platform molecules derived from lignocellulosic sugars are furfural and levulinic acid, which can be transformed into a large spectrum of chemicals, by hydrogenation, oxidation, or condensation, with applications as solvents, agrochemicals, fragrances, pharmaceuticals, among others.

Porous SiO Nanospheres Modified with ZrO and Their Use in One-Pot Catalytic Processes to Obtain Value-Added Chemicals from Furfural.

Porous SiO nanospheres were modified with different loadings of ZrO to obtain catalysts with a Si/Zr molar ratio from 2.5 to 30. These materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission and scanning electron microscopies, N adsorption-desorption at -196 °C, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and pyridine and 2-6-dimethylpyridine thermoprogrammed desorption.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Parkinson's Disease: A Cross-Sectional Survey of 568 Spanish Patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to know the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Spanish patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: This is a descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study. An anonymous online survey with 95 questions was distributed among patients.

The impact of freezing of gait on functional dependency in Parkinson's disease with regard to motor phenotype.

Background And Objective: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a disabling symptom more frequent in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with postural instability gait difficulty (PIGD) phenotype. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported FOG in a large group of PD patients as well as assess its relationship with functional dependency with regard to motor phenotype.

Methods: The data correspond to the baseline evaluation of the COPPADIS-2015 study.