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.     

High-temperature stabilization of polypropylene using hindered phenol–thioester stabilizer combinations,Part 1: Optimization and efficacy via nondust blends

The thermal degradation of unstabilized polypropylene has been investigated under long-term processing (twin extruder) and thermal aging at 150°C, with additive concentration studies on combinations of an established hindered phenolic antioxidant (pentaerythritol tetrakis (3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate) [S1010] and two popular thioesters (distearyl-3,3′-thiodipropionate [DSTDP] and didodecyl-3,3′-thiodipropionate [DLTDP]) using melt flow rate, carbonyl index and powder diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) (oxidation induction time [OIT]) and ultimate embrittlement time (Fracture) on injection-molded test pieces. It was found that 20:80 phenol:thioester ratios provided the best long-term thermal stability (LTTS); however, this was the reverse for processing stabilization (80:20), underlining the antioxidant nature of the two stabilizers (long term vs. melt). Melt preblending of the stabilizers (to form a no-dust blend) gave rise to improved LTTS. DRIFTS FTIR indicated that there was an improvement in preblending the additives, which removed any volatile impurities. Increased additive dispersion and localized potential efficacy in the stabilization cycle is important, as well as possible improved addition of the additives to the extruder rather than fine powder. The data are discussed in relation to the long-term stabilization of polypropylene in high-temperature applications such as under the bonnet of automobiles where minimizing stabilizer losses and maximizing synergy are important.     

Down-link OFDRMA communications

Wireless Networks - Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing with random multiple access (OFDRMA) is discussed for down-link communications, whereby a single base-station transmits information...     

The role of microstructural evolution during spark plasma sintering on the soft magnetic and electronic properties of a CoFe–Al2O3 soft magnetic composite

Journal of Materials Science - For transformers and inductors to meet the world’s growing demand for electrical power, more efficient soft magnetic materials with high saturation magnetic...     

CSRS-MAC: Cluster Based Synchronous Radio Scheduling MAC Protocol Using Carrier Sense Multiple Access for Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless Personal Communications - Wireless sensor network is gaining popularity due to its large-scale deployment in Internet of Things. The constraints of resources influence the protocol design...     

Simultaneous fractionation of multiple classes of polyphenols from honeybush tea using solid-phase extraction

The structural diversity of polyphenols and the inherent limitations of current extraction techniques pose a challenge to extract polyphenols using a simple and green method. Hence, in this study, a method was developed to simultaneously fractionate multiple classes of polyphenols by only varying ethanol-water solutions. Honeybush tea, which is rich in polyphenols, was selected as a model for this study. Solvent extraction followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) was developed to obtain a polyphenol-rich fraction from six honeybush samples. Based on a gradient elution programme (10%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 90% (v/v) ethanol-water solution) of SPE, the Strata X cartridge showed a better recovery of most targeted polyphenols under 0.9 mL of the drying volume and 1 mL min⁻¹ of the dispensing speed. The elution programme for fractionating most polyphenols was as follows: single elution with 50% ethanol, followed by twice elution with 70% ethanol. The antioxidant capacity was used to analyse the differences among the polyphenol-rich fractions from six honeybush samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that unfermented C. genistoides (GG) has the greatest antioxidant capacity among the honeybush species studied. Additionally, mangiferin, isomangiferin and vicenin-2 were the main contributors to the antioxidant capacity in six honeybush fractions according to the correlation study.     

Inorganic Electron Transport Materials in Perovskite Solar Cells

In the past decade, the perovskite solar cell (PSC) has attracted tremendous attention thanks to the substantial efforts in improving the power conversion efficiency from 3.8% to 25.5% for single-junction devices and even perovskite-silicon tandems have reached 29.15%. This is a result of improvement in composition, solvent, interface, and dimensionality engineering. Furthermore, the long-term stability of PSCs has also been significantly improved. Such rapid developments have made PSCs a competitive candidate for next-generation photovoltaics. The electron transport layer (ETL) is one of the most important functional layers in PSCs, due to its crucial role in contributing to the overall performance of devices. This review provides an up-to-date summary of the developments in inorganic electron transport materials (ETMs) for PSCs. The three most prevalent inorganic ETMs (TiO₂, SnO_2, and ZnO) are examined with a focus on the effects of synthesis and preparation methods, as well as an introduction to their application in tandem devices. The emerging trends in inorganic ETMs used for PSC research are also reviewed. Finally, strategies to optimize the performance of ETL in PSCs, effects the ETL has on J–V hysteresis phenomenon and long-term stability with an outlook on current challenges and further development are discussed.     

Autolysis and the endogenous proteinases characterised in beardless barb (Anematichthys apogon) muscle

Beardless barb is a common fish species used in fermentation of fish paste Ka-pi-plaa. Autolytic profile of beardless barb muscle showed the maximum autolysis was at 50 °C, at both acidic and alkaline pH values. With augmentation concentration of NaCl, autolytic activity slightly decreased. Endogenous proteinases isolated from fish muscle in crude extract forms were also characterised. The acidic proteinases had optimum activity at pH 3.0 and 50°C, and they showed higher proteolytic activity than the alkaline proteinases which were optimally active at pH 9.0 and 50 °C. Proteinases in peak at pH 3.0 were inhibited by pepstatin A, but those in peak at pH 9.0 were highly inhibited by PMSF, TLCK and soybean trypsin inhibitor, suggesting that both aspartic and serine proteinases were existed in beardless barb muscle. The proteinases were stable in pH range of 2.0-5.0 but unstable at the temperatures higher than 40 °C. NaCl suppressed the proteolytic activity, ATP activated the proteinase activity, while CaCl₂, MgCl₂ and CoCl₂ exhibited no influence on the activity. The results implied that cathepsin D is the predominant proteinase responsible for autolysis in beardless barb. The findings were useful to improve the processing and qualities of Ka-pi-plaa product using beardless barb as raw material.     

Biofortification with selenium and lithium improves nutraceutical properties of major winery grapes in the Midwestern United States

Enriching the micronutrients, selenium (Se) and lithium (Li), in grapes to improve their nutraceutical properties were implemented by foliar application of organic fertiliser rich in Se and Li onto five grape cultivars. The effects of this biofortification on vine vigour, fruit quality, overall micronutrients and phenolic compounds also were investigated. Agronomic biofortification was found greatly increased the Se and Li content in the whole grape by multiple times, meanwhile it did not significantly affect the vine vigour and fruit quality of grapes. However, the biofortification did impact the Ionome (including all the mineral nutrients and trace elements) and phenolic compounds in grapes and this varied among cultivars. This study demonstrated foliar spray of organic Se/Li fertiliser was a very effective strategy to biofortify these micronutrients in grape berries, particularly in the skin, and therefore might be a promising strategy to increase the consumption and awareness of these grapes.