Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Lipids Editor-in-Chief Selects the Paper of the Month—Available for Free Download Until September 15

Eric Murphy’s pick for Lipids this month is "Lipidomic analysis of female mice lacking hepatic lipase and endothelial lipase indicate selective modulation of plasma lipid species" by Yang and others from the Brown Group at the University of Newfoundland in St. John's.

 "This work shows that although these two lipases hydrolyze many plasma lipids similarly," notes Eric Murphy, "each demonstrates specificity for particular lipid pools and for different combinations of fatty acid species in these pools."  In addition, the study shows a previously unobserved potential for phospholipase A2-like activity toward specific ether phospholipids in vivo by endothelial lipase.

The article is available for free download through Sept. 15, 2014.

Lipidomic Analyses of Female Mice Lacking Hepatic Lipase and Endothelial Lipase Indicate Selective Modulation of Plasma Lipid Species
Yanbo Yang,Takashi Kuwano, William R. Lagor, Carolyn J. Albert, Siobhan Brenton, Daniel J. Rader, David A. Ford, Robert J. Brown . Lipids. June 2014, Volume 49, Issue 6, pp 505-515 .

Abstract

Hepatic lipase (HL) and endothelial lipase (EL) share overlapping and complementary roles in lipoprotein metabolism. The deletion of HL and EL alleles in mice raises plasma total cholesterol and phospholipid concentrations. However, the influence of HL and EL in vivo on individual molecular species from each class of lipid is not known. We hypothesized that the loss of HL, EL, or both in vivo may affect select molecular species from each class of lipids. To test this hypothesis, we performed lipidomic analyses on plasma and livers from fasted female wild-type, HL-knockout, EL-knockout, and HL/EL-double knockout mice. Overall, the loss of HL, EL, or both resulted in minimal changes to hepatic lipids; however, select species of CE were surprisingly reduced in the livers of mice only lacking EL. The loss of HL, EL, or both reduced the plasma concentrations for select molecular species of triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, and free fatty acid. On the other hand, the loss of HL, EL, or both raised the plasma concentrations for select molecular species of phosphatidylcholine, cholesteryl ester, diacylglycerol, sphingomyelin, ceramide, plasmanylcholine, and plasmenylcholine. The increased plasma concentration of select ether phospholipids was evident in the absence of EL, thus suggesting that EL might exhibit a phospholipase A2 activity. Using recombinant EL, we showed that it could hydrolyse the artificial phospholipase A2 substrate 4-nitro-3-(octanoyloxy)benzoic acid. In summary, our study shows for the first time the influence of HL and EL on individual molecular species of several classes of lipids in vivo using lipidomic methods.



Friday, July 11, 2014

Biodiesel hits a double with two significant advances in production

The July/August issue of AOCS' member magazine Inform features two articles on advances in biodiesel technology that we have opened up to the public.

First, a new lipase makes it possible to produce biodiesel from oils of widely varying quality regardless of their free fatty acid content. It has already been used in full-scale production at a traditional and a greenfield plant, and the enzymatic biodiesel application is expected to be commercially available later this year.

The second free article looks at how innovative solid catalysts are opening new opportunities in the biodiesel market. Among other advantages, solid catalysts enable the blending of feedstocks to achieve optimal cold-flow properties in the final product at a low raw material cost. The scientists who developed the advances recently shared the details with AOCS’ Inform magazine. We hope you enjoy these two articles, which also include process schematics, testing data, and graphics of catalyst performance.





Women in Agribusiness Summit

Empowering female executives:
New exclusive offerings at the Women in Agribusiness Summit

DANVERS, MASS., July 10, 2014 – Unique executive level offerings, including a pre-conference short course on succeeding in international business, round out a comprehensive agenda designed for those across the ag value chain at the third annual Women in Agribusiness Summit, which will take place this October 6-8 in New Orleans, La., at the Hyatt Regency.
New this year to the event is a half-day course on Monday, October 6, “Succeeding in International Business: Challenges and Solutions for Senior Executives,” designed to provide executive and senior level women with the tools they need to succeed in international business. Directed by Paul Almeida, senior associate dean of executive education and professor of strategy and international business at McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, the seminar will:
  • Analyze the elements of successful business approaches in light of an internationally competitive landscape
  • Offer participants key solutions for dealing with, managing and leading change in cross-cultural contexts
  • Address the challenges in implementing international business strategies
  • Identify and use case studies to illustrate some best practices in global management  
These goals will be presented in two sessions: Key Factors Linked to International Business Success and Formulating and Implementing Successful Strategies Internationally.
The short course, which will be followed by a private networking lunch, will provide examples, tools and frameworks to help executives gain success when dealing with the emerging challenges associated with international competition in agribusiness.  
“Thirty-three percent of attendees at the 2013 Summit were senior vice president executive level or higher,” said Joy O’Shaughnessy, event director from HighQuest Group, the globally recognized strategic consulting, events and media company serving the ag sector that hosts the Summit. “We listened to their requests for more concentrated programming that spoke to their distinct needs and as a result, created these new sessions.”
This year’s Summit also includes a new executive track on day two, which offers sessions that cover Getting the Most Out of Your Team, Landing a Board Position and Preparing for Your Next Position. Additionally, much insight can be gained from the Executive Roundtable discussion, moderated by a panel of outstanding women in ag from Syngenta, Faegre Baker Daniels LLP and CHS Inc.  This closing Summit session includes an intimate conversation about these executives’ unique pathways to leadership, providing concrete and inspiring advice to all Summit delegates.
Registration for the Executive Short Course, which is open only to those in senior or executive level positions, is now open at http://goo.gl/E3UeH7.  The cost is $250 (use code: PR4WIA-14 for a 10% discount) and Summit registration is not required to attend this short course.
More than 500 attendees are expected at this year’s Women in Agribusiness Summit, whose goal is twofold: to make the agriculture and food sectors career destinations for today's talented women, and to provide tools for women to become more informed leaders in the sector. Visit www.womeninag.com for detailed event information.

Follow us @Womeninagri, like us on Facebook, join our Linkedin Group.