Establishment of Regional Phytoremediation Buffer Systems for Ecological Restoration in the Great Lakes Basin, USA. II. New Clones Show Exceptional Promise

Poplar tree improvement strategies are needed to enhance ecosystem services’ provisioning and achieve phytoremediation objectives. We evaluated the establishment potential of new poplar clones developed at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) from sixteen phytoremediation buffer systems (phyto buffers) (buffer groups: 2017 × 6; 2018 × 5; 2019 × 5) throughout the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan watersheds. We divided clones into Experimental (testing stage genotypes) and Common (commercial and/or research genotypes) clone groups and compared them with each other and each NRRI clone (NRRI group) at the phyto buffers. We tested for differences in clone groups, phyto buffers, and their interactions for survival, health, height, diameter, and volume from ages one to four years. First-year survival was 97.1%, with 95.5%, 96.2%, and 99.6% for the 2017, 2018, and 2019 buffer groups, respectively. All trees had optimal health. Fourth-year mean annual increment of 2017 buffer group trees ranged from 2.66 ± 0.18 to 3.65 ± 0.17 Mg ha−1 yr−1. NRRI clones ‘99038022’ and ‘9732-31’ exhibited exceptional survival and growth across eleven and ten phyto buffers, respectively, for all years. These approaches advance poplar tree improvement efforts throughout the region, continent, and world, with methods informing clonal selection for multiple end-uses, including phytotechnologies.

Annelies Allain: Pioneer of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes

Annelies Allain has been at the forefront of global efforts to support and promote breastfeeding for more than 30 years. Her accomplishments continue to affect all of us who work with breastfeeding families. Born in the Netherlands in 1945, Annelies Allain-van Elk received a scholarship and completed a BA from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, USA. Back in Europe, she obtained a BA in French language and literature (University of Geneva, Switzerland) as well as a translator’s diploma. After 4 years working in West Africa and visits to South America, she returned to Geneva to obtain an MA in development studies. She is fluent in English, French, and Dutch and has working knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and German. Ms. Allain was a co-founder of IBFAN (1979) and the coordinator of IBFAN Europe (1980-1984). In 1984, she moved to Penang, Malaysia, and IBFAN work soon took over as a full-time job. She was instrumental in developing the Code Documentation Centre (1985) and by 1991 it became a foundation (ICDC) registered in the Netherlands. Subsequently, the Centre has trained over 2,000 officials from 148 countries about the International Code, making it the world’s top International Code implementation institution. Among her many other education and advocacy activities, Ms. Allain was a co-founder of WABA (1990) and for many years has been a consultant with UNICEF and WHO’s Western Pacific Regional Office on International Code implementation and monitoring. In this interview she provides a firsthand account of how most of the major global breastfeeding protection efforts influencing our current situation came into being. (This is a verbatim interview: MA = Maryse Arendt; AA = Annelies Allain.)

Sources: Sweet Treats around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture

What do Torments of Love, Lady's Upper Arms, Sigh of a Lima Woman, and Little Spiders have in common? They are all sweet treats featured in this encyclopedia authored by the Roufs. Timothy Roufs is a cultural anthropologist who teaches food-related courses at the University of Minnesota, Duluth while Kathleen Roufs is emeritus director of advising and retention at the same university. The preface states that the volume "explores this myriad feast of sweets with an emphasis on an anthropological approach that focuses on foods in a holistic, historical, and comparative manner" (xix). The introduction goes into detail about humans' love for sugar, fat, and salt.

Best Synthetic Methods: Oxidation

Although the enantioselective oxidation of alkyl aryl sulfides is well developed, much less is known about dialkyl sulfides. Tsutomu Katsuki of Kyushu University has designed (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 8940) an Fe(salan) complex that combines with aqueous H2O2 to oxidize alkyl methyl sulfides in high ee. The oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones is one of the most widely practiced of synthetic transformations. Ge Wang of the University of Science and Technology in Beijing has developed (Chem. Lett. 2007, 36, 1236) a Mo catalyst that used aqueous H2O2 to effect this transformation. Secondary alcohols are oxidized more rapidly than primary alcohols. Vinod K. Singh of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, has found (Synth. Comm. 2007, 37, 4099) that the solid, inexpensive 6 can take the place of oxalyl chloride in the Swern oxidation. Viktor V. Zhdankin of the University of Minnesota, Duluth has devised (J. Org. Chem. 2007, 72, 8149) a polymer-bound hypervalent iodine reagent that is easily separated after use, and reoxidized for reuse. Enones such as 11 are versatile intermediates for organic synthesis. Makoto Tokunaga, now at Kyushu University, and Yasushi Tsuji, now at Kyoto University, have found (Tetrahedron Lett. 2007, 48, 6860) a Pd catalyst that, in the presence of O2 , will oxidize a cyclic ketone such as 10 to the enone. The direct oxidation of an alcohol to the acid is not always an efficient process, so the conversion of 12 to 13 would often be carried out over at least three steps. David Milstein of the Weizmann Institute of Science has devised (Science 2007, 317, 790) a Ru catalyst that effected the transformation in a single step, generating H2 as a byproduct as the oxidation proceeded. The oxidation of an aldehyde to the corresponding amide is also a useful transformation. Noritaka Mizuno of the University of Tokyo has designed (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 5202) a Rh catalyst that can combine, in water, the aldehyde 14 and NH2OH to give the primary amide 15 . Johann Chan of Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA has found (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 14106) a different Rh catalyst that mediated the oxidation of a sulfonamide to the nitrene, which under the reaction conditions inserted into the aldehyde H to give the amide 17.