It is shown that the use of 5% acetonitrile or propionitrile in dichloromethane functions to increase the beta-selectivity of a number of L-rhamnopyranosylation reactions conducted by the thioglycoside method with activation by the 1-benzenesulfinyl piperidine/trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride couple. The use of more significant quantities of acetonitrile or propionitrile results in the formation of complex reaction mixtures containing little coupled product, but from which Ritter-type products can be isolated.

The discovery and development of the catalysis of stannane-mediated radical chain reactions by benzeneselenol, generated in situ by reduction of diphenyl diselenide with tributyltin hydride, are described. The catalytic sequence is discussed in terms of polarity reversal catalysis of radical chain reactions, and applications to synthesis are presented. These include the prevention of numerous radical rearrangement reactions, the ability to intervene in certain multistep radical rearrangements, especially aryl and vinyl radical cyclizations, at intermediate stages with advantages to the product profile, and the effective trapping of allyl-, benzyl-, and cyclohexadienyl-type radicals, permitting inter alia the isolation of aryl cyclohexadienes and their application in synthesis.

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Background Physicians are in a position of great influence to advocate for health equity. As such, it is important for physicians-in-training to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to fulfil this role. Although various undergraduate medical programs have implemented health advocacy training, they often lack experiential learning and physician involvement. These aspects are foundational to the Advocacy Mentorship Initiative (AMI) which utilizes cascading mentorship as a novel approach to advocacy training. Medical students develop advocacy competency as peer mentors to youth raised in at-risk environments, while also being mentored themselves by physician residents. We aim to determine whether there are specific advantages to utilizing cascading mentorship to facilitate the attainment of advocacy competencies in undergraduate medical education. Methods Medical students participating in AMI between 2017 to 2020 completed pre- and post-exposure questionnaires. Questionnaires assessed confidence in advocacy-related skills and knowledge of youth advocacy concepts, as well as learning goals, skills gained, benefits of AMI and resident mentors, and impact on future career. Sign tests were utilized to analyze quantitative results, and content analysis was used for open-ended responses. A triangulation protocol was also utilized. Results Fifty mentors participated, 24 (48%) of which completed both pre- and post-exposure questionnaires. Participants gained confidence in advocacy-related skills (p < 0.05) such as working with vulnerable populations and advocating for medical and non-medical needs. They also reported significant improvements (p < 0.01) in their understanding of social determinants of health and concepts related to children’s health and development. Content analysis showed that participants built meaningful relationships with mentees in which they learned about social determinants of health, youth advocacy, and developed various advocacy-related skills. Participants greatly valued mentorship by residents, identifying benefits such as support and advice regarding relations with at-risk youth, and career mentorship. AMI impacted participants’ career trajectories in terms of interest in working with youth, psychiatry, and advocacy. Conclusions AMI offers a unique method of advocacy training through cascading mentorship that engages medical students both as mentors to at-risk youth and mentees to resident physicians. Through cascading mentorship, medical students advance in their advocacy-related skills and understanding of social determinants of health.

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We piloted an educational model, the Sustainable Agriculture Scholars Program, linking research in organic agriculture to experiential learning activities for summer undergraduate employees in 2007 and 2008. Our objectives were to: (1) further student understanding of sustainable agriculture research, (2) increase student interest in sustainable agriculture careers, and (3) use community service as a vehicle for learning. The three learning environments were on‐farm and laboratory research settings, weekly meetings and field trips to discuss research and observe farming practices, and a service‐learning project. We collected feedback from participants through a post‐program focus‐group style evaluation in Year 1 and pre/post individual evaluations with participants and a non‐participant comparison group in Year 2. Students learned about linkages between research and practice within all environments. Farm visits were the primary learning site, specifically through observations of sustainable agriculture practices related to lab work and interactions with farmers. Students described how farm visits made lab work relevant; however, there were few instances describing how lab work was relevant to farming communities. Our preliminary findings from this pilot study suggest that participation in the program led to increased interest in sustainable agriculture careers and increased desire to pursue research in some students.

In the presence of catalytic diphenyl diselenide, reduced in situ to benzeneselenol, tributyltin hydride and V-70 promote the addition of aryl iodides to furan and thiophene. The adduct radicals are trapped by the selenol to give the 2-aryl-2,3-dihydro and 2-aryl-2,5-dihydro heterocyclic products. When the iodide is an o-iodophenol, a cyclization follows the radical addition and provides bridged bicyclic acetals. [reaction: see text]