Conflict Prevention and Climate Change in the MINUSMA Mandate under Resolution 2423 (2018): Mission Impossible?

In recent years, intercommunal conflicts have grown at an alarming rate in various parts of West Africa and the Sahel. These violent clashes are driven by various economic, political and social causes. Among these factors, climate-related effects (i.e. drought, desertification, land degradation and food insecurity) have been definitly identified as a security concern in several UN documents, including Presidential Statements of the UN Security Council (UNSC). A remarkable development in the UN practice is however represented by the incorporation of climate change as a security issue in a number of UN Security Council resolutions (e.g. Resolution 2349 (2017) on the Lake Chad Basin and Resolution 2423 (2018) on the situation in Mali), all unanimously adopted. But what is the exact content of the UNSC commitment to address tensions and instability exacerbated by climate-related effects in the Sahel region? What are the legal and practical implications of the UNSC recommendations for the UN and its subsidiary bodies in areas characterized by generalized State weaknesses and weak enforcement of the rule of law? This article tries to answer these questions by analyzing some selected provisions of Resolution 2423 (2018) and their implementation

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of the alkaloid (+)-myrtine

A new protocol for the asymmetric synthesis of trans-2,6-disubstituted-4-piperidones has been developed using a catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition reaction in combination with a diastereoselective lithiation–substitution sequence; an efficient synthesis of (+)-myrtine has been achieved via this route.

Recent Progresses in the Catalytic Stereoselective Dearomatization of Pyridines

1,2- and 1,4-dihydropyridines and N-substituted 2-pyridones are very important structural motifs due to their synthetic versatility and vast presence in a variety of alkaloids and bioactive molecules. In this article, we gather and summarize the catalytic and stereoselective synthesis of partially hydrogenated pyridines and pyridones via the dearomative reactions of pyridine derivatives up to mid-2023. The material is fundamentally organized according to the type of reactivity (electrophilic/nucleophilic) of the pyridine nucleus. The material is further sub-divided taking into account the nucleophilic species when dealing with electrophilic pyridines and considering the reactivity manifold of pyridine derivatives behaving as nucleophiles at the nitrogen site. The latter more recent approach allows for an unconventional entry to chiral N-substituted 2- and 4-pyridones in non-racemic form

A revaluation of the cultural dimension of disability policy in the European Union: The impact of digitization and web accessibility

Reflecting the commitments undertaken by the EU through the conclusion of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the European Disability Strategy 2010–2020 not only gives a prominent position to accessibility, broadly interpreted, but also suggests an examination of the obligations for access to cultural goods and services. The European Disability Strategy 2010–2020 expressly acknowledges that EU action will support national activities to make sports, leisure, cultural and recreational organizations and activities accessible, and use the possibilities for copyright exceptions in the Directive 2001/29/EC (Infosoc Directive). This article discusses to what extent the EU has realized the principle of accessibility and the right to access cultural goods and services envisaged in the UNCRPD. Previous research has yet to explore how web accessibility and digitization interact with the cultural dimension of disability policy in the European Union. This examination attempts to fill this gap by discussing to what extent the European Union has put this cultural dimension into effect and how web accessibility policies and the digitization of cultural materials influence these efforts

Variational multiscale LES investigation on the influence of boundary layer thickness on the base drag and on the near wake flow of an axisymmetric blunt-based body

This work is a part of an experimental and numerical research activity aimed at characterizing and reducing the base drag of an axisymmetric blunt body. It was observed that the increase of the boundary layer thickness produces a reduction of the base suctions and that this is probably connected with an increase of the length of the mean recirculation region present behind the body, and with the corresponding reduction of the convex curvature of the streamlines outside the boundary layer in the separation region. The results of Variational MultiScale Large Eddy Simulations (VMS-LES) carried out on the same body as in the experiments are presented and analysed. The simulation have been carried out by using AERO. In the numerical simulation the variation of the boundary layer thickness is obtained by using a free-slip boundary condition over different initial portions of the body surface. Of these three simulations we have chosen a base configuration of which we have performed the analysis of the mean flow and the instantaneous flow. Known the nature and dynamics of flow around the body under consideration we then compared the main results of the three simulations performed by highlighting the differences of the terms that play an important role in the drag of the base of the body

Nickel-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution of Simple Alkenes

This report describes a nickel-catalyzed allylic substitution process of simple alkenes whereby an important structural motif, a 1,4-diene, was prepared. The key to success is the use of an appropriate nickel–phosphine complex and a stoichiometric amount of silyl triflate. Reactions of 1-alkyl-substituted alkenes consistently provided 1,1-disubstituted alkenes with high selectivity. Insight into the reaction mechanism as well as miscellaneous application of the developed catalytic process is also documented.National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U.S.) (GM-63755)Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroa

Regio- and Stereodivergent Allylic Reductions of Bicyclic Piperidine Enecarbamate Derivatives

The particular nature of tetrahydro­pyrido­[4,3-e]-1,4,2-dioxazines of type 1 allows the regio- and stereoselective obtainment of substituted N-carbamoyl tetrahydro­pyridines by common reducing agents. A completely novel, biologically active, bicyclic 1,3-diaza-4-oxa-[3.3.1]-nonene scaffold can be generated by the use of lithium triethylborohydride through unprecedented cascade syn-SN2′ reduction/carbamate reduction/cyclization reactions. The remarkable regioselectivity switches in the allylic reduction process have been rationalized with the aid of computational studies