Darren Thompson is a sought-after mentor and chemist who inspires students by opening a new world to them. Hes also an inventor, author of 41 published research papers and holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry.

But to get to this point, Thompson battled depression and had to overcome a dark side.

His brain damage and slurred speech serve as a reminder of a tragic time that Thompson overcame by renewing focus on science, embarking on a mission of saving others and embracing his Christian faith.

The only thing I regret in my life is my decision to try to end it, Thompson said.

Part of the reason Thompson is drawn to helping young people is because professors took a chance on him when he wasnt expecting it.

The other part is because Thompson got a second chance at life.

Back in the early 1990s, Thompson was studying at UC Santa Cruz, when Chemistry Professor Pradip Mascharak pulled him aside one day.

Thompson feared the worst.

I thought he was going to accuse me of cheating on the exam, Thompson said. But no, he said, the way you think, you should be a chemist. I took that to heart.

At the same time, Thompson was playing guitar and performing with the band Anomie.

Thompson was battling depression and probing his emotions through music.

He wrote a song called Not Blessed, which he recorded with the band Faded in 1996 after graduating UC Santa Cruz with highest honors.

I actually thought I was not blessed and could therefore not appreciate the intrinsic loveliness of the objects and people around me, Thompson said.

Smiling while I rage inside, goes one section of Not Blessed. No one sees me shed a tear.

By the time he was 24, Thompson had published 21 research papers and hewas performing and writing innovative, original music.

But he was raging inside.

On May 15, 1998, he attempted to end his life by ingesting cyanide.

Doctors were forced to place Thompson in a medically induced coma for three weeks. He woke up in a different hospital a few miles away and stayed for months.

Before he was finally discharged in October 1998, he spent his 25th birthday in the hospital. He weighed 130 pounds. A physical therapist held him upright.

He needed an electric wheelchair until December 2000.

UC Santa Cruz Professor Glenn Millhauser talked Thompson into going to grad school while Thompson was recovering.

Millhausers lab had fascinating equipment that inspired Thompson, like a mid-80s Bruker EPR spectrometer.

Way cool, Thompson said. Warp speed, Mr. Scott type of stuff.

Finding inspiration in his research, Thompson earned his Ph.D. in chemistry and biochemistry from UC Santa Cruz in 2009. He went on to be a post-doctoral research associate at Californias renown Scripps Research Institute.

But the cyanide poisoning left Thompson with brain damage. He alternated between peaks and valleys. But he noticed a decline in his cognitive abilities when he was doing his post-doctoral research. His speech has been slurred for 23 years. His cerebellum does not send nerve information rapidly. But he gained back 20 pounds and mobility.

Thompson moved to Idaho in 2015 and within a year founded his company, Peptidaho, in the Sagle area. Peptidaho does management consulting and synthesizes two chemicals, one of which (TPG-FLAG) Thompson co-invented.

Thompson wanted to do more with aspiring chemists so when he heard there was a lab in Coeur dAlene he worked his way into the office of Ray Von Wandruszka, University of Idahos chemistry department chair.

They formalized the relationship with the University of Idaho for the unpaid position, which allows Thompson to work with students in the lab as an adjunct professor of chemistry. Its a summer gig, four days a week and about eight hours a day. He focuses on intense research projects and internships with a small number of students.

Most of his students are recommended by a teacher or know another student who studied with Thompson.

Darren (Thompson) is a great vehicle, said Charles Buck, associate vice president and executive officer for the University of Idaho Coeur dAlene. In my years of being around labs and lab rats almost 40 years now it is very unusual.

Tyler Siegford, John Sanchez and Kristen Nethercott are three students who brag about the ways Thompson mentored and inspired them.

For Siegford, it was the lab work and the fact Thompson took a chance on someone with so little chemistry experience.

As a freshman, I was doing real science, said Siegford, who graduated from the University of Idaho earlier this year. I was using expensive instruments and dangerous chemicals to complete a project that had the potential to impact the world.

The research he did with Thompson was one of Siegfords proudest accomplishments. He went on to present at research conferences here in Idaho and in Orlando, Fla.

The research students do in (Thompsons) lab is world-class Seigford said.

Sanchez overheard Siegford talking excitedly about their research, and Sanchez made a point to apply to work with Thompson in the summer of 2019.

I found myself lost on so many topics, Sanchez said. But (Thompson) was there for me. He was patient with me and made a lot of my confusion disappear.

Nethercott studied with Thompson in the lab when she was a high school student in Coeur dAlene in 2019. Now shes studying biochemistry on a full-ride scholarship at the University of Florida.

She credits Thompson with inspiring her interest in the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math.

I never really struggled in school, but this internship was definitely a struggle and made me work hard to understand the concepts we were working with, she said.

Today, Thompson is raising money for newer, higher-tech equipment for the University of Idahos lab in Coeur dAlene.Donations may madeto the University of Idaho online. Under the designator field scroll down to select UI Coeur dAlene gifts. In the next field marked in honor of type out Dr. Thompsons lab.

Reporter Clark Corbin has covered Idaho government and education for more than a decade. Hes followed every legislative session, gavel-to-gavel, since 2011. Clark is a co-host of the Extra Credit podcast with Kevin Richert published on Fridays. You can follow him on Twitter: @clarkcorbin. He can be reached by email at [emailprotected]

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Faith led professor back to chemistry and recovery - Idaho EdNews

Since winning 27 games in 2018, Bob Marlin has rebuilt his team. And rebuilt it some more. The 2020 Ragin' Cajuns have a fresh look once again.

Seven of the team's 14 rostered players are new to the program, and like a medieval alchemist, Bob Marlin believes he made gold.

"I've done this long enough I can tell this group has it," he said Wednesday during the program's virtual media day. "They get a long well. It's just different personalities and egos. We don't have the same players that we had last year. So, the group that we have now are all high character young men."

Devin Butts, Michael Thomas, Jacobi Gordon, Theo Akwuba, Kentrell Garnett, Isiah Richards, and Brayan Au are all new to the team, and will have varying roles. Freshman Thomas, and junior college transfer Au drew rave reviews from Marlin and players alike Wednesday, while Gordon, a Cal transfer, brought the biggest headline when his transfer waiver was approved, making him eligible this season.

"He's a really good shooter, Tim. He's smart. He's got a great body. His body reminds me of Bryce Washington a little bit, and he just knows how to play," said Marlin.

In with the new, means out with the old. Louisiana graduated guard P.J. Hardy, guys like Jalen Johnson and Kristian Lafayette and Calvin Temple transferred. Johnson led Louisiana in scoring averaging 15.5 points-per-game last year. But change can be good, and senior Cedric Russell says the locker room is better for it.

"There's no egos getting in the way of anything," he said. "You know, it's like, there's no one here, they're saying, 'Oh, I have to go get X amount rebounds, I gotta go get X amount of points,' you know? Everyone is really bought into winning. And that's, you know, I'm going to say that's something that we didn't really have last year."

Last season the Cajuns added eight new players, seven in 2019.

Louisiana opens the year Saturday, November 28th against Loyola after Xavier of New Orleans canceled Wednesday's game. The Louisiana women have also canceled their first two games and eye a December 4th tip-off.

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The periodic table may be the most iconic way of ordering the elements, but it is not necessarily the most useful. Elements may sit side by side that have little chemical similarity, and even the columns dont always reflect the closest affinities carbon and lead, for instance. Two scientists in Moscow now propose a new way of arranging the elements in a single linear sequence with the smallest change in properties between each successive pair.1 Using this scheme, they say it will be possible to predict which simple compounds will have similar characteristics, helping to identify new candidate materials with useful properties such as hardness or magnetic behaviour.

An ordering of this sort is not new. In 1984 theoretical chemist David Pettifor of Imperial College in London used empirical data for simple binary compounds to derive a scale for the elements.2 The sequential position in the sequence is now sometimes called an elements Pettifor number or, especially in Russia, its Mendeleev number (MN). In a two-dimensional plot with the MNs on each axis, the chemical space of binary compounds is arranged into regions where the compounds share properties.

Several other schemes have been proposed since, which define MN-type rankings based on, for example, the number of valence electrons3 or crystal structures.4 These approaches rely, however, on empirical definitions and therefore depend on which data are available and under which conditions they were measured. Zahed Allahyari and Artem Oganov of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Moscow say that it would be better to define MN in terms of fundamental properties of the elements, which should then be possible to calculate for all elements at all conditions.

All previous MN schemes were empirical, says Oganov, and so become less reliable for data outside the set used to calculate them. Our MN is non-empirical and should work equally well for any kind of data.

The most important chemical properties of an element, the two researchers say, are the atomic radius, valence, electronegativity and polarisability. The last two factors, however, are strongly correlated, so just one will suffice. And because the valence of a given element can sometimes vary, it is ambiguous. They choose a MN based solely on radius (R) and electronegativity (), as given by the scale introduced by Linus Pauling. An elements atomic radius may also vary in different compounds, but for their R values Allahyari and Oganov use half the interatomic distance in the simple cubic structure of the element. These two quantities are loosely correlated too, giving a linear regression. The researchers define their MN, which they call the universal sequence of elements (Use) index, from the order in which the elements in a plot of against R project onto the regression line.

To assess how well their definition works compared with previous MN-type measures, they collected crystal-structure information for 1591 binary compounds and for 80 of the pure elements, as well as information on their enthalpy, atomisation energy, hardness and magnetisation. Materials with comparable characteristics will form clusters or islands in the two-dimensional space of binary compounds for each of these properties. To find new materials that might behave similarly to a known one, it would then be sufficient to explore others within the same island.

These clusters indicate chemistries that are worth exploring, says Oganov. You can devise a computational strategy that first discovers the clusters and then zooms into them to discover the best material. The more efficient a definition of MN is, the fewer the number of islands there are. To assess this, Allahyari and Oganov use an algorithm for detecting clusters. They find that the Use numbers perform well in this respect, compared with the others, for each of these compound properties, and is the best overall.

Santiago Alvarez, an inorganic chemist at the University of Barcelona in Spain, says that approaches like this could be useful for material discovery, because they enormously reduce the portion of the chemical space to be explored. He cautions that the current restriction to binary compounds is a serious limitation. But Oganov says the approach will also work for ternary or more complex systems, although the resulting spaces would be multidimensional and so it would be hard to visualise the results.

There is always a risk that collapsing all relevant chemical features of an element into a single number will lose some information, says Guillermo Restrepo of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, who has explored other schemes for classifying elements. But the periodic table imposes such a ranking too, by atomic number, he says and thats surely not perfect either.

But Restrepo says it remains to be seen which ordering scheme if any is the best to use. It may be that a simple linear sequence that assigns each element only two neighbours will miss some of the interesting relationships. An element may be most similar to more than one element, or several elements could be similar to a single element, says Restrepo.

The approach might also help to resolve longstanding arguments about the structure of the periodic table itself such as where to put hydrogen. From the viewpoint of MNs, hydrogen is closer to the halogens, rather than alkalis, says Oganov.

All these works contribute to a better understanding of the complexities of chemistry, says Restrepo. Chemistry is so complex that we have not been able to reduce its complexity to a single property. Not even the so-called periodic law is general only a handful of properties actually vary periodically with the atomic weight or the atomic number.

But it does not mean that there is no such fundamental chemical property, he adds. Perhaps it has always been there, waiting to be discovered. It would be great if several of these schemes converged on a single key parameter. If this were the case, we would discover a fundamental property of chemistry, Restrepo says. If this property turned out to be electronegativity, great! It would confirm Paulings genius.

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New ordering of elements could help find materials with promising properties - Chemistry World

Surface chemistry and electric potential are the two driving forces of electrocatalysis. Until now, researchers assumed the latter drove water oxidation the bottleneck of water splitting but new work shows otherwise. It has now been discovered that in electrocatalysed water splitting the breaking and forming of bonds at the catalysts surface is what actually controls the reaction, an unexpected finding that could accelerate the development of renewable hydrogen generation.1

We show that electrocatalytic oxygen evolution really behaves like traditional catalysis, explains Travis Jones from the Fritz Haber Institute in Germany, who co-led the study. Surprisingly, electric potential does not play an important role in the reaction coordinate. The secret of electrocatalytic water oxidation rests on fundamental chemistry. We can apply the same concepts we use in classic thermally catalysed reactions, Jones adds.

Taking voltage out of the equation could mean huge energy savings. Usually, electrochemical reactions need additional energy to overcome the activation barrier the overpotential. However, if surface chemistry regulates the limiting step, overpotential could be drastically reduced. Chemists could focus on designing more efficient water splitting catalysts, says Jones.

To show that oxygen evolution is like any other catalytic reaction, the researchers first had to disentangle the effects of potential and surface chemistry, which are intimately connected. They did this by modifying the surface of iridium oxide, one of the best electrocatalysts for water oxidation, by gradually poisoning it with chlorine atoms. When the surface is completely covered in chlorine, any catalytic effects we observe would come from voltage alone, explains Javier Prez-Ramrez at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. The experimental results they observed matched computational predictions electric potential merely oxidises the surface and doesnt influences the reactions progress.

This is a really interesting way to show the importance of surface chemistry, explains Annabella Selloni, an expert in theoretical chemistry and new materials at Princeton University, US. The roles of voltage and surface chemistry are very interconnected, separating [them] is far from trivial.

Further experiments confirmed the initial observations. Using x-ray spectroscopy, we could see iridium going to higher oxidation states, until it reached a point where it could not oxidise further, explains Jones. As oxygen starts accumulating charge, it reaches an unusual oxyl (-1) oxidation state . At this point, the reaction starts going, adds Jones. Oxygen becomes active, water molecules can attack it and start making the new oxygenoxygen bond. Forging that bond is the limiting step.

The team also performed theoretical studies, which were key to identifying the unusual oxygen species. DFT computational experiments show that oxidised surface species reduce the energy barrier of the oxygenoxygen bond formation, says Selloni.

This combination of theory and experiments gives a really holistic picture, says Ifan Stevens, an electrochemist at Imperial College London, UK. These results provide a lot of precise information on the active catalytic species in the oxygen evolution reaction. This is essential to design better catalysts, and potentially reduce the amount of iridium oxide needed, he adds. Although iridium is a precious metal, it has some advantages over nickel and iron-based electrocatalysts it can withstand the highly acidic and oxidising conditions of proton exchange membrane electrolysers. These devices are particularly useful, because they can operate efficiently at high rates and fluctuating power inputs, which makes them ideal for storing intermittent sources of power such as solar or wind, explains Stephens.

People have been applying a kinetic theory from the 1930s [to electrocatalysis], but we show it doesnt work for this type of reaction, says Jones. Stephens agrees that traditional textbook analyses may be insufficient to explain these phenomena. Previous studies carried out by James Durrant and other colleagues at Imperial2 already showed the rate of water oxidation is often controlled by the population of reactive intermediates, he says. This settles it voltage is important, but does not control the rate determining step.

With this new book of instructions, researchers could create more efficient catalysts for other electrocatalysed processes, such as ammonia fixation or carbon dioxide reduction, Jones says. Their preliminary results indicate their concept is transferrable to other systems, he adds.

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Seven years after a disgraced former state chemist pleaded guilty to mishandling drug samples in the Boston lab where she once worked, the reverberations of the case are still being felt.

Hundreds of people have been released from jail since the revelation of wrongdoing by the chemist, Annie Dookhan. In 2017, more than 20,000 cases affected by Ms. Dookhans misconduct were found to be eligible for dismissal. And this week, the Suffolk County district attorney moved to vacate 108 more convictions, the latest development in the yearslong unraveling.

The district attorney, Rachael Rollins, filed a motion late Monday to vacate 108 cases that involved Ms. Dookhan but that district attorneys did not move to throw out in 2017, when a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling asked prosecutors to certify that they could produce evidence at a retrial independent of Ms. Dookhans signed drug certificate or testimony, according to a statement from Ms. Rollinss office on Tuesday.

Ms. Rollins, who said the move was meant to remove a huge stain on the legal system, called the cases forever tainted by egregious and reprehensible government misconduct.

No defendant impacted by this ignominious chapter of Massachusetts law enforcement history should continue to bear the burden of Dookhans deceit, her sad and desperate need for attention, and the enormous amount of harm she inflicted on so many, Ms. Rollins said in the statement.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, she added, it makes little sense to expend additional resources litigating Dookhan cases, some of which are more than 15 years old.

Ms. Dookhan pleaded guilty in 2013 to 27 counts, including perjury, obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence. She was sentenced to three to five years in prison plus two years probation.

Prosectors said that during her nine-year tenure at a state drug lab in Boston, where she was responsible for processing drug samples seized from suspects, Ms. Dookhan mishandled samples, forged signatures and returned positive results on drugs she had never tested.

The 108 convictions affected by Ms. Rollinss motion had been designated List 3, meaning district attorneys did not try to have the cases vacated in 2017, despite Ms. Dookhans involvement. According to the statement, the nine remaining List 3 cases had already had new trial motions granted, dismissals entered or a plea agreement negotiated.

In these cases, there were mandatory minimums that make it infinitely easier to persuade and leverage defendants to plead guilty, Ms. Rollins said of the List 3 cases.

Ms. Rollinss office said it was the first in the state to take such broad action on List 3 cases, adding that the putrid legacy of Dookhan requires additional fumigation.

Her office is also seeking to vacate the guilty pleas of dozens of individuals who the court found ineligible for relief because they pleaded guilty before receiving test results of drug analysis, and it was concluded that Ms. Dookhans misconduct did not affect their decision to plead guilty.

In addition to those cases, 7,886 cases in Suffolk County were vacated and dismissed in 2017 with prejudice, meaning that prosecutors could not pursue the charges again.

This shameful chapter of our history will take dedication and perseverance to undo, Ms. Rollins said, and I will and we must.

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108 Convictions Tied to Massachusetts Chemists Misconduct May Be Vacated - The New York Times

Scientists have made a heteronuclear complex containing a ruthenium atom that takes part in two different aromatic systems. This exotic molecule is surprisingly stable. In fact, its so stable that it can be bottled and stored.

Aromaticity is a phenomenon where electrons are shared across multiple atoms within a molecule. August Kekul proposed the structure of the earliest and most famous aromatic molecule, benzene, in 1865. Benzene contains -aromaticity, where a series of overlapping p-orbitals can share electron density. Since then, chemists have found and made countless structures to test and explore the boundaries of aromaticity in its various different guises.

The latest instalment in the storied tale of aromaticity comes from a team led by Alexander Boldyrev of Utah State University in the US. Working with colleagues in Chile and Italy, his team has created the second doubly aromatic molecule that is also considered stable. It takes the form of a heterobimetallic [Pd2Ru]+ cation, whose metal centres are decorated with phosphines, thiols and a para-cymene ligand. Other researchers have made similar trimetallic cores before, but this is the first to contain two different metals that are not adjacent on the periodic table.

Computational studies, and the surprisingly short metalmetal bond lengths, indicate that the all-metal triangular core has two electrons delocalised over the three metal centres in a -aromatic network. The para-cymene ligand is a common -aromatic ligand. Calculations by the researchers revealed that the ruthenium atom of the metal core actually gets involved in the aromaticity, resulting in a -aromatic system with two electrons delocalised over seven different atoms.

The complex is the first example of ruthenium simultaneously taking part in two types of aromaticity a concept called spiroaromaticity. The researchers note, however, that as ruthenium is not in the plane of the all-carbon -aromatic ring, a new term may be necessary.

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Trinuclear complex is a rare example of bottled double aromaticity - Chemistry World

2020 has presented a very unique and difficult set of challenges for everyone, and that includes the USMNT as Gregg Berhalter and Co., prepare for the start of 2022 World Cup qualifying in a few months time.

[ MORE: USMNT 0-0 Wales | Player ratings | Three things we learned ]

Speaking ahead of Mondays friendly against fellow CONCACAF nation Panama, Berhalter described some of the challenges he and his staff have faced to assemble a group of players that they feel can return the USMNT to the World Cup, as well as the difficulty to do so with only this months training camp to include the vast majority of first-team figures between now the start of qualifying.

[ MORE: Berhalter thrilled when Weston McKennie flips a switch ]

Most notably, Berhalter indicated that further building chemistry and on-field relationship is his main priority to complete this camp. In previous situations of back-to-back friendlies, the distribution of minutes would be more freely spread out among the players called into camp, whereas this time around his focus is squarely on the USMNT players most likely to kick off qualifying at a still-to-be-determined time in 2021.

When I first took over, we were switching guys left and right. Now, as were getting toward [qualifying], were starting to feel the urgency. This group wont be in until March again, and then potentially Nations League [in June], and doubtfully for Gold Cup, so were basically going to have four more games together after this game. Thats a small number, so it is crucial that we get guys playing together and comfortable with each other.

Were going to try to build on what we had last game, so it will most likely look similar but with some slightly different personnel.

One thing Ive noticed, especially when youre working with young players or a group thats just forming, is you go through different stages of team development. With this group in particular, it is more of individuals looking for their position within the team. We clearly want to move to more of a team-oriented standpoint as we get into qualifying.

Its completely natural whats happening now a guy wants to come into camp, he wants to make a good impression on the coaching staff, he wants to play really well and focus more on himself. As he gets more comfortable, now hes focused more on his teammates. We certainly want to get to that stage by qualifying, because thats going to be really important.

Story continues

One of the small number of changes that Berhalter revealed is that Reggie Cannon will be inserted into the USMNT starting lineup at right back. Sergio Dest, who started there against Wales, figures to shift to the other side of the field and play left back. While hes certainly competent on the left, Berhalter admits that Dest does face some opponent-specific challenges on his unnatural side.

With Sergio [on the left], sometimes you run into the issue against compact opponents that he has a tendency to come inside, which is completely natural to come onto his strong foot. If theres no space, it may be difficult.

On the right, hes used to arriving more something weve been working with him on, getting really deep into the penalty box that he can create dangerous plays. On the left, hes ball-secure, hes good combining if you have a winger that stays wide, it could be a really good combination.

As for the opponent, Panama, precious few players in the camp have participated in a World Cup qualifier against CONCACAF opposition, and thats an experience they will have to take in stride when the games take on a new meaning next year. Monday will serve as but a small glimpse into a brand new world.

I think [facing Panama] is a great opportunity for some of the guys that arent as familiar with CONCACAF opponents to get that experience, so were really happy with this game.

Check back on PST for full coverage of the USMNT vs. Panama, including recap, player ratings, three things we learned, and comments and quotes from Berhalter and the players after the game.

USMNT: Berhalter focused on chemistry with quick turnaround to WCQ originally appeared on NBCSports.com

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He has had a lot of talented teams, but Nick Sabans championship teams at Alabama had two things in common: a strong chemistry and the ability to fight through adversity.

This years group possesses both qualities and its undefeated through six games.

The conversation of those outside the program did not believe in Mac Jones as a starter in the preseason, but the team was already brought into Jones before fall camp. His brothers knew what he was capable of and now, the junior is the leader in the Heisman race and NFL Draft experts talking about him. As proud as the team is of Jones, it was saddened by the injury to Jaylen Waddle against Tennessee. Everyone played a role in texting him, calling him, smoking a cigar with him and keeping his spirit up, as he supplies the energy in the locker room.

The same can be said of the incident with running back, Trey Sanders.

He finally put the foot injury from 2019 behind him with a strong outing versus Mississippi State.

Unfortunately, he was involved in a car accident during Alabamas bye week. Sanders did not sustain any life-threatening injuries, but he still had to undergo surgery. Because of this, Saban said he would be out indefinitely and it hurt the freshman and his teammates. Ever resilient, Sanders returned to the team last week and the players had a dance party on video.

Whether it was 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 or 2017, Saban had a group that was selfless and he loved it.

On Monday, he spoke to reporters on why he loves coaching this team.

I think that is what you always strive for, in terms of team togetherness and guys staying together as a group, Saban said on the importance of team chemistry. You can always accomplish more when you have togetherness on your team. Everyone puts the team first. This group has been that way for the most part. I think that has helped them stay focused as well, because they have goals and aspirations for what they want to accomplish. They do it together, they hold each other accountable, and thats really a positive thing for us.

DJ Dale, a sophomore at defensive tackle, said the fun in the locker room is an every day thing.

We have come a long way and we have had a lot of uncertainty, Dale said on Monday. In the summer, we did not know if we were going to have a season or not. We have been around each other and everyone bonded and clicked in, so that just makes it fun. This is a really fun group and I enjoy being around all the guys. Just like the video, its like that all the time.

With the challenges that COVID-19 has brought, the players have physically and mentally stood together.

As it continues to push toward a Southeastern Conference title and a national championship, Alabama will look to laugh and dance its way to its 18th national title in program history.

*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today!SIGN UP HEREto unlock oursubscriberonly content!*

Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and seniorwriter forTouchdown Alabama Magazine. Youcan like him onFacebookor follow him on Twitter, via@CoachingMSmith.

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Nick Saban credits the chemistry of this Alabama team for its focus - Touchdown Alabama Magazine

GREENSBORO, N.C., Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The Medica EasyRA benchtop clinical chemistry analyzer, distributed and serviced by Greensboro-based company, Carolina Liquid Chemistries Corp. (CLC), allows healthcare providers to test routine blood chemistries to include metabolic panels, liver enzymes, kidney function tests, glucose and cardiovascular tests. These tests are especially useful at a time when it is critical to check the overall health of COVID-19 patients.

Medica EasyRA's tests are very useful at a time when it is critical to check the overall health of COVID-19 patients.

The analyzer can also be used to screen for drugs of abuse or pain management medication. Its extensive menu is excellent for a family practice, urgent care, oncology, and other specialty practices with laboratories.

TheEasyRAclinicalchemistryanalyzerfitsintomultiplesettingswherefast,actionableoutcomesare requiredtodiagnose and tracktheprogressionof a varietyof diseasesandinterventions. The EasyRA's small size and ease of operation make it well equipped for space-restricted locations such as mobile test centers, urgent care centers, COVID-19 hospital floors, physician office laboratories, or reference laboratories and hospitals with satellite locations.

The EasyRA clinical chemistry analyzer also offers photometric throughput of up to 240 tests per hour or up to 480 tests per hour with electrolytes. Technicians can analyze STAT samples in less than 8 minutes.

About Carolina Liquid Chemistries Corp.

Headquartered in Greensboro, NC, Carolina Liquid Chemistries Corp. (CLC) is an authorized manufacturer, re-packager, re-labeler and value-added distributor of chemistry systems and reagents, as well as COVID-19 testing supplies. CLC helps clinical laboratories of all sizes reduce chemistry analyzer and reagent costs, while also receiving accurate and timely results. The company has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by bringing several PCR and antibody tests to market under the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization. For more information, visitcarolinachemistries.comor emailcontactsales@carolinachemistries.com.

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MUNCIE, Ind. Sitting on the south endof the court inside Muncie Central's gym, Chandler Thompson looks as the Bearcats runfull-court drills starting from the other end.

This team looks different than any that Thompsona former Central and Ball State star now in his fourth season as the head coach has had since he's been here.There's no "superstar" like Victor Young, Dylan Stafford, Reggie Bass or Christian Wells that have been there the past few seasons.

Young, Stafford, KJ Jackson and Jayden Long, among others, guys that accounted for 89 percentof the scoring from last year'ssectional runner-up team, have graduated. The Bearcats return three players seniors De'Mar Woods-Haskins (4.9 points), Benjamin Watkins (3.8 points, 3 rebounds) and Michael Lowe (1.4 points, 2.2 rebounds) who logged significant varsity minutes last season.

GAMES TO WATCH: 10 ECI boys basketball games to watch in the 2020-21 season

But among the inexperience and "raw" nature of this team, as Watkins puts it, Thompson and his players see strong chemistry and a group of guys willing to put in the work to get better each day.

"They're quick learners, they gel together and they really are a good unit," Thompson said. "I think last year's group was really a good group but this year's group is kind of like they don't have a superstar, so they all go out there to make sure that everyone is held accountable for their mistakes."

Thompson added: "They're helping the coaches coach the kids and that's a good thing because we have a new kid on the team andthey're trying to help out and they all try to make sure he's in the right place every time."

FILE -- Muncie Central's De'Mar Woods-Haskins shoots a ball during a game against Logansport at the Muncie Fieldhouse Friday, Dec. 13, 2019.(Photo: Jordan Kartholl)

To go alongwith thatstrong chemistry, Lowe, Watkins and Woods-Haskins all unprompted pointed out how unselfish this team is.

"As soon as we see somebody open, we're giving it to him," Lowe said. "Like, that's not even a question with us."

Lowe added: "We've all been playing with each other since before middle school, so we all know each other very well on and off the court. I just think we should have a lot of fun going into the season."

That unselfish nature could benefit Central this season, making opposingdefenses focus on the whole team rather than one or two guys. It's not going to be easy replacing the production from last year, but the Bearcats seemup to the challenge. While Thompson said you want "one of those guys" who can take over games, Central will likely rely on a committee approach early in the season. Instead of one guy scoring 20 points a game, maybe it's two players dropping 10.

Standing off to the side at Tuesday's practice, a week before Central opens up its season at home against a Hamilton Southeastern team that went 17-6 last season, Watkins smiled when asked how this team will replace last year's production.

"Well, we have the talent to do that actually," Watkins said. "So we've just been trying to work so we can get those pieces filled. I think our chemistry is going to take us a long way."

When they werefreshmen, Watkins said this group of seniors lost just two games. And thechemistry that ledto that success, well, it hasn't gone anywhere.

Central's Ben Watkins shoots past Delta's defense during their game at Delta High School Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. (Photo: Jordan Kartholl / The Star Press)

But in order for that totranslate to success at the varsity level, Watkins, Lowe and Woods-Haskinsare going to have to leadas other players such as sophomore Malik Hassani, who averaged 5.3 points playing inthree late-season varsity gameslast season stepinto bigger roles this season.

"It's going to be hard filling those shoes because they were all good," Woods-Haskins said of last year's senior class. "Like, I was just ready to come off the bench and play, now I got to be that person that everybody looks up to and I've got to be one of those seniors."

Thompson has already seen that leadership in practice from Lowe and Woods-Haskins. He's excited to see how this Central team will compete inanother tough schedule that includes games againsttalented North Central Conference opponentsalong with anon-conference slatethat features tHSE (Nov. 24), Fishers (Dec. 1), Brownsburg (Dec. 29), Noblesville (Jan. 9), North Central (Jan. 23), Westfield (Jan. 30), and more.

Knowing the challenges that some of those contests will present,Central's players said they were ready to keep improving and bringing some of the moreinexperiencedplayers up to speed. Last season ended in a one-point loss to New Palestine in the sectional championship game.

And while constant improvement is the focus now, don't think that the Bearcats have forgotten about that game or the fact that Central hasn't won a sectional championship since 2014.

"Thats really the only thing on my mind because I really want to get to the sectional and win the championship because its been too long since weve been past sectionals," Woods-Haskins said.

Robby General covers East Central Indiana high school sportsfor The Star Press. Contact him via email atrgeneral@gannett.com,on Twitter @rgeneraljrorphone at 765-283-8864.

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Inexperienced Muncie Central boys basketball team eager to fill roles, improve throughout season - The Star Press

How the business development of Sidley Chemical Co., Ltd in 2020

In 2020, Sidleychem sales increased by 20% over 2019. It mainly due to the increase in orders for pharmaceutical Hydroxypropyl MethylCellulose (HPMC)/HPC and other products. On the condition of factories being at full capacity, we have satisfied the order needs of most pharmaceutical companies. And we have developed a product named HPMC 931. HPMC931 can be used as a thickener for washing-free gels as the replacement of carbomer. The effect is also very good. It has made part of the contribution to global anti-epidemic work.

In 2020, what is the plan for Sidleychems development?

The company expects to add a Redispersible Polymer Powder(RDP) production line to produce high-quality redispersible polymer powder and to meet the order needs of foreign customers. Emulsion materials are from suppliers such as Celanese and Dalian Chemical. Our RDP product performance can completely replace the RDP product of Wack. After we optimized the production line, the production cost of redispersible polymer powder will be greatly reduced, then the market competitiveness will be improved also.

What marketing plan does Sidleychem have in 2020?

Due to the impact of the epidemic, the exhibitions in the first half of 2020 were postponed to 2021. But we will attend the 2020 China Paint Show in Guangzhou, Exhibition Number: Hall No.3.2; Zone No.8; Booth No.3.2H27. At the same time, we have been actively participating in the network exhibition to improve the companys brand awareness.

What new product Sidelychem will launch in 2020

The company has an advanced mortar application laboratory for providing technical support to dry mortar customers. After a year of research and development, we have pushed out our new Cellulose ether product coded MR15101, and new redispersible polymer powder coded RDP8012, especially used for tile adhesive. In tile adhesive, it has very good performance of water retention, anti-sagging, and workability. In gypsum products, we have new products like HPMC MR24163/MR 22110 and etc. No matter in machine spray gypsum or manual plastering gypsum, their performance are all excellent and well-received by customers.

What is Sidelychemsplan for 2021?

We believe that the global economy will fully recover in 2021. In particular, there will be a significant increase in demand for construction chemicals. We will increase the promotion of our mortar and paint additives. Cellulose ether, redipersible polymer powder, Hydrophobic agent and Calcium formate are our dominant products, their sales are expected to increase by 40% over 2020. Sidley will attend the European Paint Exhibition 2021, Exhibition Name: European Paint Exhibition (ECS 2021); Exhibition time: March 23-25, 2021.

SIDLEYCHEM was founded in 2005. The company is mainly engaged in the production and sale of cellulose ether and construction chemicals. Products include: HPMC; HEC; CMC; RDP; Calcium formate; Hydrophobic agent; Starch ether; Water reducer and other products. Mainly used in food, medicine, dry mortar, concrete, water paint, and other industries.

Mr. Rony was the founder of SIDLEYCHEM. He is engaged in the cellulose ether industry for 20 years and having a very rich industry experience.

Website: sidleychem.com.

Read more here:
Interview With Sidley Chemical on the Market Situation of Mortar Additives and Cellulose Ethers - The Ritz Herald

Nov. 18, 2020 07:40 UTC

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Tokyo, President, Yasuhiko Saito) has now developed a new low-density type of molding silicone rubber that realizes lighter-weight rubber molded products. Shin-Etsu is the first company in the industry to have developed this type of molding silicone rubber using LIMS (Liquid Injection Molding System) materials.

Demand for lighter-weight rubber molded products is growing in many industrial fields such as automobiles and transportation vehicles like airplanes, as well as in other diverse fields such as wearable devices, and with the development of lighter weight products, further expansion of silicone rubber applications are expected.So far, in order to make lighter-weight silicone rubber, a foaming agent was added to millable-type silicone rubber and molded into a sponge-like form. However, our new product does not require the adding of a foaming agent. Furthermore, because it can be molded using our advanced LIMS, it can meet the demand from molding-makers for superior quality and improvements in productivity.

This new product is available in two types: a low-density/high strength type *1 and a very low-density type *2. Both can make continuous automatic molding possible through the use of an injection molding machine, and therefore can efficiently produce high-quality rubber molded products, resulting in realizing not only improvements in productivity but also energy saving as well.

Shin-Etsu Chemical has a silicone rubber molding technical center. This Shin-Etsu Molding Technical Laboratory, which is located in Higashimatsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, is carrying out demonstrations of molding using our new products, and at the same time, we are working on molding technology improvements as well as enhancing technical services to our customers.

Silicone rubber combines many superior characteristics such as excellent heat resistance, cold resistance, weatherability and stable electrical insulation properties, all of which are not found in ordinary organic rubber. For this reason, it is used in a wide range of applications such as in automobiles, electric-electronics equipment, OA equipment, home appliances and products for daily use.

Taking advantage of Shin-Etsu Chemicals superior product quality and technological strengths as well as our system for detailed response to our customers requests, going forward Shin-Etsu will continue to strive to meet the needs of the diversifying market.

*1 Low-density/high strength type: Compared to conventional silicone rubber molding products, this new type of product realizes about a 20-30% reduction in weight.

*2 Very low-density type: Compared to conventional silicone rubber molding products, this new type of product realizes about a 50-60% reduction in weight.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201117006371/en/

Continued here:
Shin-Etsu Chemical Has Developed a Molding Silicone Rubber That Realizes Lighter Weight for Rubber-Molded Products - BioSpace