Facile synthesis of 1,2-aminoalcohols α-C-H aminoalkylation of alcohols by photoinduced hydrogen-atom transfer catalysis.

1,2-Aminoalcohols are common motifs found in a wide range of natural products and pharmaceutical compounds. Here we report a photocatalytic method for the direct conversion of readily available aliphatic alcohols into synthetically valuable 1,2-aminoalcohols. A dual catalytic system consisting of an acridinium photoredox catalyst and a cationic hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) catalyst based on 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.

A fast and inexpensive genotyping system for the simultaneous analysis of human and Aedes albopictus short tandem repeats.

Background: Determination of the interactions between hematophagous mosquitoes and their human hosts is of great importance for better understanding the transmission dynamics of mosquito-borne arboviruses and developing effective strategies to mitigate risk. Genetic analysis of human and mosquito DNA can play a key role in this, but commercial kits for human short tandem repeat (STR) genotyping are expensive and do not allow for the simultaneous STR analysis of host and vector DNA. Here, we present an inexpensive and straightforward STR-loci multiplex system capable of simultaneously amplifying Aedes albopictus and human STRs from blood-fed mosquitoes.

Catalytic direct hydrocarboxylation of styrenes with CO and H.

A three-component hydrocarboxylation of an olefin with CO and H could be regarded as a dream reaction, since it would provide a straightforward approach for the synthesis of aliphatic carboxylic acids in perfect atom economy. However, this transformation has not been realized in a direct manner under mild conditions, because boosting the carboxylation with thermodynamically stable CO while suppressing the rapid hydrogenation of olefin remains a challenging task. Here, we report a rhodium-catalysed reductive hydrocarboxylation of styrene derivatives with CO and H under mild conditions, in which H served as the terminal reductant.

New insights on patterns of genetic admixture and phylogeographic history in Iberian high mountain populations of midwife toads.

Multiple Quaternary glacial refugia in the Iberian Peninsula, commonly known as "refugia within refugia", allowed diverging populations to come into contact and admix, potentially boosting substantial mito-nuclear discordances. In this study, we employ a comprehensive set of mitochondrial and nuclear markers to shed light onto the drivers of geographical differentiation in Iberian high mountain populations of the midwife toads Alytes obstetricans and A. almogavarii from the Pyrenees, Picos de Europa and Guadarrama Mountains.

Multiple invasions, Wolbachia and human-aided transport drive the genetic variability of Aedes albopictus in the Iberian Peninsula.

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is one of the most invasive species in the world. Native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, over the past 30 years it has rapidly spread throughout tropical and temperate regions of the world. Its dramatic expansion has resulted in public health concerns as a consequence of its vector competence for at least 16 viruses.