Agronomic performance of high oleic,low linolenic soybean in Tennessee

Soybean oil hydrogenation alters the linolenic acid molecule to prevent the oil from becoming rancid, however, health reports have indicated trans-fat caused by hydrogenation, is not generally regarded as safe. Typical soybeans contain approximately 80 g kg⁻¹ to 120 g kg⁻¹ linolenic acid and 240 g kg⁻¹ of oleic acid. In an effort to accommodate the need for high-quality oil, the United Soybean Board introduced an industry standard for a high oleic acid greater than 750 g kg⁻¹ and linolenic acid less than 30 g kg⁻¹ oil. By combing mutations in the soybean plant at four loci, FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B, oleate desaturase genes and FAD3A and FAD3C, linoleate desaturase genes, and seed oil will not require hydrogenation to prevent oxidation and produce high-quality oil. In 2017 and 2018, a study comparing four near-isogenic lines across multiple Tennessee locations was performed to identify agronomic traits associated with mutations in FAD3A and FAD3C loci, while holding FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B constant in the mutant (high oleic) state. Soybean lines were assessed for yield and oil quality based on mutations at FAD2-1 and FAD3 loci. Variations of wild-type and mutant genotypes were compared at FAD3A and FAD3C loci. Analysis using a generalized linear mixed model in SAS 9.4, indicated no yield drag or other negative agronomic traits associated with the high oleic and low linolenic acid genotype. All four mutations of fad2-1A, fad2-1B, fad3A, and fad3C were determined as necessary to produce a soybean with the new industry standard (>750 g kg⁻¹ oleic and <30 g kg⁻¹ linolenic acid) in a maturity group-IV-Late cultivar for Tennessee growers.     

Nature inspired supply chain solutions: definitions,analogies, and future research directions

ABSTRACT

Supply chains are becoming increasingly complex, and many companies and researchers are looking to nature for finding solutions. In this paper, we provide a narrative synthesis and systematic review to explore state-of-the-art, and identify key areas for exploration of nature inspired solutions in the supply chain area. We consider strategic, tactical, and operational decisions within supply chains and identify analogies between biological systems and supply chains to create a new research agenda. Our findings show that the majority of the research in nature inspired supply chains from the systemic perspective focuses on closed loop supply chains. In contrast, similar systemic solutions such as industrial symbiosis, circular economy, and industrial ecology have not been explored as frequently. Reducing production waste (industrial symbiosis) in addition to end-of-life product waste (closed loop supply chains), optimising raw material use and extending the life of used resources (circular economy), investigating the interactions between biosphere and technosphere (industrial ecology), and seeking solutions to industrial problems from nature (biomimicry) are all possible paths for reaching a zero-waste economy. These systemic solutions have a considerable impact on the supply chains at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels, which need to be explored to identify efficient and effective solutions.     

Synthetic Peroxides Promote Apoptosis of Cancer Cells by Inhibiting P-Glycoprotein ABCB5

This article discloses a new horizon for the application of peroxides in medical chemistry. Stable cyclic peroxides are demonstrated to have cytotoxic activity against cancer cells; in addition a mechanism of cytotoxic action is proposed. Synthetic bridged 1,2,4,5-tetraoxanes and ozonides were effective against HepG2 cancer cells and some ozonides selectively targeted liver cancer cells (the selectivity indexes for compounds 11 b and 12 a are 8 and 5, respectively). In some cases, tetraoxanes and ozonides were more selective than paclitaxel, artemisinin, and artesunic acid. Annexin V flow-cytometry analysis revealed that the active ozonides 22 a and 23 a induced cell death of HepG2 by apoptosis. Further study showed that compounds 22 a and 23 a exhibited a strong inhibitory effect on P-glycoprotein (P-gp/ABCB5)-overexpressing HepG2 cancer cells. ABCB5 is a key player in the multidrug-resistant phenotype of liver cancer. Peroxides failed to demonstrate a direct correlation between oxidative potential and their biological activity. To our knowledge this is the first time that peroxide diastereoisomers have been found to show stereospecific antimalarial action against the chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 strain of Plasmodium falciparum. Stereoisomeric ozonide 12 b is 11 times more active than stereoisomeric ozonide 12 a (IC₅₀=5.81 vs 65.18 μm ). Current findings mean that ozonides merit further investigation as potential therapeutic agents for drug-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma.     

Geopolymer assembly by emulsion templating: Emulsion stability and hardening mechanisms

This work investigates emulsion templating to synthesize hexadecane oil/geopolymer composites. In a system with hexadecane as the internal (dispersed) phase and an alkali activated continuous phase without added surfactant, adding aluminosilicate clay particles does not increase resistance against creaming or coalescence, while adding a surfactant (L35 or CTAB) stabilizes the solid-liquid interface. Infrared studies and rheological studies of the associated geopolymerization determined that the presence of the organic phase or surfactant has no significant effect on the geopolymerization kinetics, as determined by the change in time of the Si-O-T IR stretching frequency and the rheological moduli involved during the process. The stabilization of the organic template is reminiscent of Pickering emulsion even though we employ a much greater amount of inorganic material for geopolymer formation. Although the addition of surfactant has a significant effect on the behavior of the paste, the percolation of the network remains unmodified, highlighting the fact that the phenomenon is not dependent on viscosity. Finally, rheological measurements were used to obtain the mass fractal dimension of the as-made gel network, which is able to differentiate the interfacial effect between surfactant molecules with a slightly denser interphase when a cationic surfactant is used.     

Method to characterize the fire behavior of materials assemblies

The fire behavior of various large samples polymers assemblies is an under‐researched topic. In fire risk assessment, the resultant heat release rate of burning different combustibles has to be known. To highlight interactions between components, 2 types of configurations were tested: juxtaposed and layered materials, using a specific radiant panel setup. For juxtaposed assemblies, results indicated that the more flammable component acted as an accelerator for the global combustion kinetics. For layered assemblies, 2 main phenomena were evidenced: the front material acted as a shield delaying the combustion of the backside material and the presence of a backside material induced a thermal thickening that slowed down the combustion of the front material. The experimental burning behaviors of the assembly were compared with a simulated one calculated from the superposition principle. This method was described by introducing a time offset and/or a slowdown factor in the model, confirmed with the use of different assemblies.