Biocatalytic asymmetric construction of secondary and tertiary fluorides from β-fluoro-α-ketoacids

Fluorine is a critical element for the design of bioactive compounds, but its incorporation with high regio- and stereoselectivity using environmentally friendly reagents and catalysts remains an area of development. Stereogenic tertiary fluorides pose a particular synthetic challenge and are thus present in only a few approved pharmaceuticals such as fluticasone, solithromycin, and sofosbuvir. The aldol reaction of fluorinated donors provides an atom-economical approach to asymmetric C-F motifs via C-C bond formation. Here we report that the type II pyruvate aldolase HpcH and engineered mutants thereof are biocatalysts for carboligation of ß-fluoro-α-ketoacids (including fluoropyruvate, ß-fluoro-α-ketobutyrate, and ß-fluoro-α-ketovalerate) with many diverse aldehydes. The reaction proceeds with kinetic resolution in the case of racemic donors. The reactivity of HpcH towards these new donors, which are non-native in both steric and electronic properties, grants access to enantiopure fragments with secondary or tertiary fluoride stereocenters. In addition to representing the first asymmetric synthesis of tertiary fluorides via biocatalytic carboligation, the afforded products could improve the diversity of fluorinated building blocks and enable the synthesis of fluorinated drug analogs.

The Effect of Functional Motivation on Future Intention to Donate Blood: Moderating Role of the Blood Donor’s Stage

The low retention rate and lack of long-term blood donors are still worldwide problems, and the fostering and retaining of more blood donors has posed an urgent problem that requires a solution. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of functional motivation and blood donor stage in the future intention to donate blood. Three sites in China provided 252 blood donors who filled out a questionnaire including the volunteer function inventory, their future intention to donate blood, number of blood donations and demographic information. Based on a functional motivation approach, we investigated the motivations that influence unpaid blood donors’ future intention through qualitative interview methods. The results showed that blood donor stage moderated the relationship between values motivation and future intention to donate blood. More specifically, the predictive effect of values motivation on future intention decreased gradually from new donors to regular donors. Our study found that the effect of various motivations on blood donors’ intention was conditional; this effect changed with the development of blood donor behavioral stages. The results are significant in practice for establishing effective intervene strategies in maintaining blood donors.

Evaluation of blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) germplasm structure by microsatellite-based fingerprinting for the diversification of the breeding material

BACKGROUND: Blackcurrants are an important berry crop whose further development depends mainly on the diversity of available plant material and its successful inclusion in the breeding. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate selected SSR markers’ applicability for the analysis of germplasm consisting of genotypes developed through complicated multistage crosses among different Ribes species and estimate the genetic structure and level of genetic diversity of the blackcurrant collection. METHODS: The set of 110 blackcurrant accessions from the Latvian genetic resources collection was genotyped using 18 previously described SSR markers. RESULTS: The marker set provided all genotypes with unique fingerprints and proved the need for reference genotypes in international studies for data validation. The accessions clustered according to pedigree and did not group by country of origin or breeding programme. CONCLUSIONS: The tested SSR markers uncovered relationships between blackcurrant accessions of complicated interspecific composition and revealed an extensive mutual exchange of germplasm among breeding programmes, thus pointing to the need for new donors of valuable characteristics. The results also highlighted the necessity to identify each species’ proportion in the hybrid material to assess the impact of species-linked gene expression.

Finding a Digital Solution to Help Improve Donor Lifetime Value and Retention in the Nonprofit Industry

It is commonly understood that attracting a new donor is costlier than investing in an existing relationship. Yet, for the past 12 years the nonprofit industry has relied mostly on new donors while losing more than half of their existing donor base every year. This is an increasingly concerning trend within the nonprofit industry. With the donor base in Canada continuing to age and shrink, nonprofits are facing the need to reach and retain a new group of donors largely unhappy with the way they are being engaged, or not engaged, by nonprofit organizations. Using the Lean Startup methodology, in combination with Customer Discovery research techniques, this project uncovers the common challenges and barriers preventing organizations from improving retention of donors, and arrives at a solution to help address some of these common challenges and barriers.

Finding a Digital Solution to Help Improve Donor Lifetime Value and Retention in the Nonprofit Industry

It is commonly understood that attracting a new donor is costlier than investing in an existing relationship. Yet, for the past 12 years the nonprofit industry has relied mostly on new donors while losing more than half of their existing donor base every year. This is an increasingly concerning trend within the nonprofit industry. With the donor base in Canada continuing to age and shrink, nonprofits are facing the need to reach and retain a new group of donors largely unhappy with the way they are being engaged, or not engaged, by nonprofit organizations. Using the Lean Startup methodology, in combination with Customer Discovery research techniques, this project uncovers the common challenges and barriers preventing organizations from improving retention of donors, and arrives at a solution to help address some of these common challenges and barriers.

Obligatory Publicity Increases Charitable Acts

To entice new donors and spread awareness of the charitable cause, many charity campaigns encourage donors to broadcast their charitable acts with self-promotion devices such as donor pins, logoed apparel, and social media hashtags. However, this voluntary publicity strategy may not be particularly attractive because potential donors may worry that observers will attribute their publicized charitable behavior to “impure” image motives rather than “pure” altruistic motives. We propose and test a counterintuitive campaign strategy—obligatory publicity, which requires prospective donors to use a self-promotion device as a prerequisite for contributing to the campaign. Five studies (N = 10,866) test the application and effectiveness of the proposed strategy. The first three studies, including two field experiments, find that obligatory-publicity campaigns recruit more contributions and campaign promoters than voluntary-publicity campaigns. The last two studies demonstrate that the obligatory-publicity strategy produces a greater effect among people with stronger image motives and that the effect is mitigated when the publicized charitable act signals a low level of altruism. Finally, we discuss limitations and implications of this research.

Evidence of HIV pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP/PEP) among blood donors: a pilot study, England June 2018 to July 2019

ObjectiveDue to increased use of pre-exposure prohylaxis (PrEP) and its potential to affect HIV screening of blood donors, we undertook antiretroviral residual testing among HIV-negative male donors in England.MethodsResidual plasma samples were obtainnd from 46 male donors confirmed positive for syphilis and 96 donors who were repeat reactive for HIV antibodies in screening but confirmed as HIV-negative by reference testing. These were tested for concentrations of tenofovir and emtricitabine by high-performance liquid chromatograhpy coupled with mass spectrometry.ResultsWe found evidence of pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP/PEP) use in three male blood donors confirmed positive for syphilis (3 out of 46 screened, 6.5%). Two were estimated to have taken PrEP/PEP within a day of donating, and the third within 2 days. Two were new donors, whereas one had donated previously but acquired syphilis infection after his last donation.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that a small proportion of blood donors have not been disclosing PrEP/PEP use and therefore donating in non-compliance to donor eligibility criteria.

Understanding the Role of Brand Salience in Brand Choice Decisions in the Charity Sector

Despite the importance of branding in customer acquisition, little is known about the extent to which brand salience influences brand choice intention of new customers. Drawing upon associative network memory theory, we propose that brand salience is composed of brand prominence and brand distinctiveness, which are linked to brand choice intention of new customers. Our theoretical contention was empirically examined in the context of monetary donation to international aid-related charities by new donors. A mixed-method approach was utilized with semi-structured interviews with practitioners and donors, and two cross-sectional surveys. The study offers a holistic view for understanding brand salience and, as such, advances recent work focusing on the breadth and depth of brand associations in the customer’s mind.