The right chemistry – The Bay’s News First – SunLive

Aquinas College has won first place over 11 other Bay of Plenty and Waikato schools at a chemistry competition held at the University of Waikato.

The team of four Year 13 students won prize money and a trophy for their effort.

It involved them spending a day in a university laboratory analysing the makeup of a sample of zinc sulphate and then determining how many water molecules were associated with each zinc sulphate molecule.

It was a process that involved carefully using the equipment and information provided for the task, to get an accurate result.

Attention to details and precise calculations were key, Elise Oxenham, 17, says.

Sponsored by the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry, the competition gives students a peek at the sophisticated resources of tertiary laboratories and the way the professors and technicians run them.

"It's great for students looking at doing the chemistry scholarship exams to understand university doesn't need to be daunting," Aquinas teacher Richard James says.

Student Janelle Dawber-Mair, 18, wants to study biomedical science next year and hopes to enter a career where shes able to help benefit lots of people's lives.

Being able to participate in some practical chemistry was a really fun and rewarding opportunity, she says.

Fellow winner Put Suthisrisinlpa, agrees.

The competition allowed him to apply the knowledge hed gained from school to solve a practical problem and reinforced his passion for chemistry.

Its helped prepare me for the undergraduate degree in chemical engineering that Im pursuing next year, he says.

Elise intends to go on and study engineering, while Daniel Nirmalaraj is planning a career in medicine.

Aquinas College Principal Matt Dalton says the school is very proud of the teams competition achievement.

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The right chemistry - The Bay's News First - SunLive

Armie Hammer and Lily James dont have much chemistry in Ben Wheatleys Rebecca remake of Hitchcock classic – LaineyGossip

Everyone loves a remake of an already perfect film, so get ready to welcome Ben Wheatleys Rebecca with open arms when it premieres in October. No matter how much Wheatley or anyone else insists this is not a remake of Alfred Hitchcocks Best Picture-winning psychological thriller, it will, of course, be ruthlessly compared to Hitchcocks film. Hitchcocks Rebecca is perfect, and no matter how well-intentioned or executed other adaptations arethere is a 1960s Indian version called Khora, a 1970s BBC production, a 1997 mini-series starring Charles Dance and Emilia Fox, and a 2000s Pakistani television adaptationnone have come close to Hitchcocks vision. Everyone should probably stop trying it with Rebecca because Hitch already did it to perfection, but that has never stopped a filmmaker determined to put their own spin on a famous story.

I like Ben Wheatleys films a lot, and Im sure his Rebecca will be stylish and in some way unsettling, as he specializes in disturbing imagery and tense, high-wire dramatics. Adapting Daphne du Mauriers novel, Rebecca tells the story of a young woman driven to the edge of madness by a spiteful housekeeper who taunts the unnamed young woman with the specter of her husbands first wife, the impossibly perfect Rebecca. Wheatley has cast Lily James as the young woman; Armie Hammer as her husband, Maxim de Winter; and Kristin Scott Thomas as the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers. I am SUPER into Kristin Scott Thomas and the way her eye twitches like a velociraptor spotting its prey when she sees the new Mrs. de Winter, but literally everything else about this trailer is blah.

Armie Hammer and Lily James just dont look like they have much chemistry, do they? Maxim and his new wife wed after a whirlwind, Riviera courtship, they should be crazy sexy and totally besotted, but their scenes in the trailer look as cold as anything in the famously unsexy Fifty Shades movies. Maybe their chemistry will spark in the context of the full movie, but Im not inspired by the chilliness of their interactions here. Seems more likely Mrs. Danvers would take one look at their total lack of chemistry and huff quietly and then just wait for their marriage to fizzle on its own. Dont get me wrong, Ill watch this entirely for Kristin Scott Thomas, but Im not expecting much otherwise.

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Armie Hammer and Lily James dont have much chemistry in Ben Wheatleys Rebecca remake of Hitchcock classic - LaineyGossip

Retired science teacher bungles easy chemistry question on Who Wants To Be Millionaire? – The Sun

WHO Wants To Be A Millionaire? viewers were shocked last night when a retired science teacher bungled an "easy" chemistry question.

Pat Lucas was gently mocked by WWTBAM host Jeremy Clarkson after leaving the show early - with just 1,000.

Read ourcelebrity news live blogfor the latest showbiz gossip

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She was asked: "A skull and crossbones is a warning symbol that specifically indicates a material is what?"

The science teacher then surveyed the answers: "A. Toxic. B. Corrosive. C. Hazardous to the environment, or D. Flammable."

Pat mused: "OK, being a science teacher I see a lot of this symbol. You'd think I would have paid more attention to it."

She then used her 50/50 lifeline, whittling the answers down to just: "A. Toxic and C. Hazardous."

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The player told Jeremy: "I wish one of the others was gone, I am sure it means hazardous to the environment.

"So I will go for hazardous to the environment - final answer."

Jeremy, 60, replied: "Well you are a science teacher, so you should have got that right - but I'm afraid you didn't.

"You've just lost a thousand pounds, I'm sorry about that. It's a long way to come from Lincoln for a thousand pounds. I hope you had a nice minute or two in the chair."

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Viewers were shocked, with one writing: "How the hell does a science teacher get that wrong!!"

Another wrote: "I cant believe Im sat here watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and a science teacher for that toxic sign question wrong lmfao."

A third tweeted: "A 'science teacher'....obviously skipped the health and safety training."

Pat left the show without a lot of cash to enjoy - but there is a mega-winner on the way with someone having scooped the 1million prize for the first time in 14 years.

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Jeremy has spoken about the moment the winner - whose identity is staying secret until the show airs - bagged the jackpot.

He said: "It felt like we whizzed through the questions. All of a sudden, confetti was falling from the ceiling and I was saying, Youve just won one million pounds.

I wasnt sure Id ever get to utter those immortal words. It was a little emotional - but, boy, did it feel good.

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Retired science teacher bungles easy chemistry question on Who Wants To Be Millionaire? - The Sun

Chemical Insights Publishes Educational Guide on Managing IAQ During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond – Business Wire

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chemical Insights, an Institute of Underwriters Laboratories, published today an interactive, educational guide on understanding the potential impact of hazardous airborne particles, such as respiratory viruses, and disinfectant chemicals on indoor air quality (IAQ) and human health. The four-part resource, Clearing the Air on COVID-19, highlights how aerosols tiny airborne particles or droplets are produced and provides guidance to business and schools for mitigating spread and improving IAQ.

The science community believes that respiratory viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, may spread when an infected person speaks, coughs, sneezes or simply breathes, said Dr. Marilyn Black, vice president and senior technical advisor for Chemical Insights. With about 40,000 aerosol particles released by single sneeze, good IAQ practices are essential in businesses and schools both during and after the current pandemic. We developed this interactive guide in the hopes that it will help facilities understand how they can improve IAQ.

Chemical Insights is a nonprofit research organization committed to delivering the scientific insight policymakers, healthcare providers, business leaders, educators and consumers depend on to make informed environmental health decisions. The organizations new guide is a culmination of Chemical Insights own research as well as best practices on IAQ improvement and the prevention of viral transmission.

The four parts of the guide are:

To view the interactive guide, visit https://chemicalinsights.org/covid-19/.

About Chemical Insights

As an Institute of Underwriters Laboratories, we deliver the scientific insight policymakers, healthcare providers, business leaders and consumers depend on to make informed environmental health decisions. Combining the best minds, rigorous scientific research and a commitment for thorough and accurate results, Chemical Insights is improving the health of people and the planet.

Our work lets people around the world know what chemicals are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the products we interact with every day. Our research and initiatives gives them the knowledge of exactly what those chemicals are, how they may affect human health, and how to manage their impact. Our leadership role is to provide science or knowledge to implement improved practices, alternative product design, and changes that enable safer products and healthier environments.

To learn more, please visit chemicalinsights.org/.

Follow updates from Chemical Insights here:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chem_Insights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChemicalInsights/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chemicalinsights/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chemicalinsights YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzkBhjTluRUY6S2F56HycrA?view_as=subscriber

About Underwriters Laboratories

Underwriters Laboratories is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the UL public safety mission through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being. To learn more, visit UL.org.

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Chemical Insights Publishes Educational Guide on Managing IAQ During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond - Business Wire

Hair Dye and Cancer – The Chemistry Behind the Scare – American Council on Science and Health

There are so many chemicals accused of causing human cancers that it's a wonder that any of us are still breathing. Yet, we are. In fact, since 1975 rates of most cancers have been either steady or slowly declining (Figure 1). So, these claims must be false; either the chemicals in question are not really carcinogenic or humans are not being exposed to enough of them to make a difference.

Rates of cancers of all sites 1975-2020. Source: CDC

When friendsand relatives ask me whetherChemical A or Chemical B will give them cancer my reply is usually "nonsense." But not with hair dyes. There is a chemical in hair dyes called para-phenylenediamine, a/k/a4-aminoaniline, or PPD,that at least warrants some respect and consideration. At least as seen through the eyes of a chemist. Here's why.

The chemical structure andfour common names of PPD

PPD itself is not carcinogenic (1), but it is rather toxic. Some people develop skin hypersensitivity that can be rather nasty. But other chemicals are used in the dying process; one of them is hydrogen peroxide. Peroxide reacts with PPD to give something calledBandrowski's base (Figure 2, left), which is highly mutagenic and possibly carcinogenic. Bandrowski's base is a trimeric oxidation product of PPD. The three PPD units are shown in red ovals. The blue arrows indicate the chemically reactive (dangerous) portion of the molecule - the carbon-nitrogen double bonds.

Tylenol (Figure 2, right) provides a similar case - a molecule being activated by oxidization(in this case by the liver) to form something more dangerous than the parent compound. Tylenol itself is not harmful, but once oxidized by younow have in your blood aseriously bad liver toxin called N-acetylbenzoquinone imine (NAPQI), which is the bad actor, not Tylenol itself. The red arrow shows the chemically reactive (2) fragment of the molecule, a carbon-oxygen double bond.

Life doesn't always follow the rules of chemistry and biochemistry. It would be difficult for any well-trained medicinal chemist tolook at the structures of the oxidation products of PPD and Tylenol and not raise an eyebrow or two. While the structures of both oxidation products are potentially harmful, NAPQI(from Tylenol)is, while Bandrowski's base (from PPD) is not, at least no as used (3). Just one of the many quirks of organic chemistry. No reason to pull your hair out. Or let it get gray.

WHAT ABOUT HAIR DYE AND CARCINOGENICITY?

My colleague Alex Berezowjust published an article on the results of a very large 36-year study that looks at the hair dye-cancer link (or lack thereof). You can read his analysis here.

NOTES

(1) IARC(International Agency for Research on Cancer), a subsidiary of the WHO, isn't the least bit reluctant to label a chemical a carcinogen, deserved or not. But even they don't claim that PPD is a carcinogen. It is categorized as not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans See my colleague Dr. Alex Berezow's vicious takedown of IARC's corrupt decision to categorize glyphosateas a carcinogen, even though it isn't.

(2) Chemical reactivity is almost always a big no-no in drugs. Reactive molecules modify different amino acids in proteins. Your body doesn't appreciate this.

(3) Why isBandrowski'snot carcinogenic? Hard to say. It could be any number of reasons, likeinsufficient exposure orlack of absorption through the skin. My money says it's the second.

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Hair Dye and Cancer - The Chemistry Behind the Scare - American Council on Science and Health

Sportin Life Review: Abel Ferrara and Willem Dafoes Chemistry Is the Best Part of Rambling Doc – IndieWire

Roger Ebert often paraphrased what his onscreen sparring partner Gene Siskel said about films he didnt enjoy: Wouldnt it have been better to watch a documentary about the same actors having lunch together? Its a thought experiment that might come to mind watching Sportin Life, a rambling, hour-long documentary directed by Abel Ferrara. These days, Ferraras fiction films rarely go far beyond the festival circuit, even those starring his friend and frequent collaborator Willem Dafoe. Its been some time since the likes of Bad Lieutenant and King of New York reached a wider audience. But seeing Ferrara and Dafoe shooting the breeze is so entertaining, you might wish the 69-year-old auteur would concentrate on an Abe and Will podcast instead.

Most of the documentary was shot while Ferrara was promoting his last film with Dafoe, Siberia, at the Berlin Film Festival in February. Not that he bothers to explain that with anything as commonplace as captions or voiceovers. All the film offers is the chance to hang out with Ferrara for a while, seeing what he got up to this year, and hearing what was on his mind; if you dont fancy doing that, well, he obviously couldnt care less.

Sportin Life is essentially a glorified DVD extra, partly funded by SAINT LAURENT, as the massive block capitals at the start declare. Its self-indulgent, but never boring. It was surreal to watch when it debuted at the Venice Film Festival, and to see what a difference a pandemic makes. Sportin Life provides a piquant last glimpse of an era, a few months and a thousand years ago, when film festivals meant packed screenings and press conferences, and people hugging in crowded clubs. At one party, one prescient guest is wearing a face mask: in a zombie film, that might be our first hint of the horror to come.

Back in February, though, Ferrara was having a blast, especially when he and Dafoe were beguiling interviewers with their double act in a hotel room. Ferrara could be Dafoes dissolute older brother, or the portrait he keeps in his attic. The director may have worse teeth and whiter hair, but how could they not become buddies when they both have such magnificent lupine jaws?

Courtesy Venice Film Festival

Theyre certainly good value as interviewees. Dafoe is generous, upbeat, and articulate, unspooling perfectly formed sentences about the pleasure he gets from the technical aspects of acting, such as standing wherever the lighting is best, rather than disappearing into a character. Ferrara mixes highbrow references with indie pragmatism and down-to-earth New York street smarts. When asked about the deeper meaning of his films, he snaps: Were not playin games, were trying to get shots off, you dig? He isnt even sweatin story, he adds. Who cares about story? Everyone knows that Alice goes down the rabbit hole and that Ulysses is coming home. And who among us cant chuckle at the chutzpah of a hepcat in a black suit and sunglasses dismissing Homers Odyssey?

These conversations deserve a whole film, but Ferrara throws in whatever other footage he had lying around. There are snippets of live performances by his bluesy rock n roll band, a group he showcased in his 2017 documentary Alive in France. These snippets are intercut with clips of the original artists who played the songs he covers, a sweet tip of the hat, although the main points of interest at these gigs are Dafoes squawky but tuneful falsetto when he joins in a rendition of Del Shannons Runaway, and the more accomplished guitar and vocals of Paul Hipp, known and worshipped by sitcom fans as the roving Reverend Tim Tom from The Middle.

There are also excerpts from Ferraras earlier films typically these excerpts arent supplemented with titles, dates, or any kind of context and home videos of him with his wife, actress Cristina Chiriac, and their young daughter at home in Rome. But the director hasnt ignored what else has been going on, and he includes news reports of this summers rioting in America, and Donald Trumps promise in February that coronavirus would vanish like a miracle before many people caught it. The hazy suggestion that these crises are linked to the darkness in Ferraras films is the least compelling part of Sportin Life. But, again, its hard to imagine he cares whether anyone is compelled or not. His documentary is a 65-minute scrapbook of snapshots, but once you accept that, you can find a lot to admire in Ferraras energy, street-fighter confidence, love of cinema, and lust for life. Who knows, he might even persuade you want to give his recent fiction films a try.

Sportin Life premiered out of competition at the Venice International Film Festival.

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Partners with Mindray on Clinical Chemistry Analyzers for use with Drugs of Abuse Immunoassays – PRNewswire

FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, today announced a partnership with Mindray, a leading global developer, manufacturer and supplier of medical devices, to make available to customers two clinical chemistry analyzers in the United States (U.S.) and Canada for drug screening in clinical and drug court laboratories.

"Systematically and reliably testing for drugs of abuse is key to helping addicted individuals rehabilitate, ensuring prescribed drugs are not abused and ultimately, helping to combat this crisis," said Stefan Wolf, president of the clinical diagnostics business at Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Through this exclusive partnership with Mindray we are able to address the needs of our customers in commercial labs, hospitals and the criminal justice field. Now we can better cater to the needs of those laboratories seeking to expand or increase their testing volumes, and laboratories working to consolidate and centralize their testing sites with these two medium- to high-throughput instruments."

To provide access to drug testing, Thermo Fisher and Mindray have entered into an agreement to offer the FDA-cleared and Health CanadaapprovedBS-480 (400 tests/hour) and BA-800M (800 tests/hour) analyzers to toxicology labs. Thermo Fisher will also provide an extensive menu of wet labvalidated Thermo Scientific DRI and CEDIA drugs of abuse immunoassay reagents with the instruments to enable the screening of urine samples for the presence of a given drug or a class of drugs.

Taken together, the world-class DRI and CEDIA drugs of abuse immunoassay reagents, validated on Mindray's instruments, bring a combination of performance and reliability from a single source in a cost-effective, plug-and-play solution. The solution streamlines the drug screening workflow and automates it to reduce risk of human error. The instruments also come with onboard software that has many advanced features, including sample/reagent probe collision protection, sample aggregate detection and a five-minute daily push-button self-service maintenance program.

Thermo Fisher began distributing, installing, training and servicing Mindray BS-480 and BA-800M instruments in the U.S. and Canada last month.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $30 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 80,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit http://www.thermofisher.com.

Media Contact Information: Kathy Ruzich 510-979-5157 [emailprotected]

Secondary Contact Information: Romeo Goia 317-908-8978 [emailprotected]

SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific

http://www.thermofisher.com

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Ravens’ Jimmy Smith on Earl Thomas Release: ‘Chemistry Is Everything’ – Bleacher Report

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith alluded to the behind-the-scenes friction with Earl Thomas when explaining why the team moved on from the star safety.

Smith told reporters that "chemistry is everything" and players on the team are expected to maintain "a certain culture."

The Ravensannouncedlast month they released Thomas, citing "personal conduct that adversely affected the Baltimore Ravens."

ESPN'sAdam Schefterreported the three-time All-Pro punched teammate Chuck Clark during a practice, which was the final straw for the team.Jason La Canforaof CBS Sports added that Baltimore's leadership council "made it clear to decision makers they would prefer Thomas not be around."

ESPN'sJamison Hensleywrote the problems with Thomas went beyond his altercation with Clark. He had an argument with Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams last season and "also missed or was late to several meetings."

Thomas had 47 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions in 2019 en route to his seventh trip to the Pro Bowl. His value on the field isn't in doubt, but the timing of his release and circumstances behind his departure are probably hindering his chances of joining a new team ahead of the 2020 season.

Most coaches have already finalized their secondaries, and they might be wary of relying on Thomas given how quickly his Ravens tenure unraveled.

The Dallas Cowboysreleasedsafety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on Thursday, naturally leading to speculation about a move for Thomas. ESPN'sTodd Archerand NFL Network'sJane Slaterboth threw cold water on that rumor for the time being.

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Ravens' Jimmy Smith on Earl Thomas Release: 'Chemistry Is Everything' - Bleacher Report

Cygnal Therapeutics Named to Chemical & Engineering News’ 10 Start-Ups to Watch List – PRNewswire

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Cygnal Therapeutics, the first company to build a platform to develop drugs in the new field ofexoneural biology, today announced that it has been named as one of Chemical & Engineering News' (C&EN) 10 Start-Ups to Watch in 2020. Published by the American Chemical Society (ACS), C&EN is a weekly magazine and daily website that reports on news, trends, and leaders in the industry. The annual list honors 10 of the most exciting new companies using chemistry to innovate and improve the world across industries, including human health.

"I'm excited to share with our readers how the 10 start-ups we selected are working to tackle a range of important global challenges spanning different aspects of sustainability and human health," said Bibiana Campos Seijo,Ph.D., editor-in-chief and vice president of C&EN Media Group. "We're now in our sixth year featuring up-and-coming chemistry-based start-ups. Companies we've highlighted in past years have gone on to do great things, and we're confident this year's group will also be successful."

Cygnal's inclusion as one of C&EN's 10Start-Ups to Watch comes on the heels of a productive year since the company unveiled in late 2019. Cygnal has marked numerous milestones, including: starting two programs using the company's proprietary Exoneural Medicine Platform (EMP); announcing a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) made up of world-class researchers and scientists; expanding the SAB with new members; co-authoring a paper in Cell; bringing onboard the company's first chief business officer and first chief medical officer; and more.

"We're honored to be named to C&EN's Start-Ups to Watch list, and I'm proud of our entire team for their hard work and the scientific progress they've made in the last three years," said Pearl Huang, Ph.D., president and CEO of Cygnal Therapeutics. "It's validating to see exoneural biology recognized as one of the most promising areas of scientific innovation today. This is fundamental biology with implications for cancer, inflammatory diseases, and many other areas of patient need."

To learn more about Cygnal, the company's platform, and exoneural biology, visit http://www.cygnaltx.com.

About Cygnal Therapeutics

Founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2017, Cygnal Therapeutics is the first company to build a platform to develop drugs in the new field of exoneural biology, an unprecedented way of thinking about nerves and peripheral neural pathways outside of traditional neurobiology. Fueled by its proprietary Exoneural Medicine Platform, Cygnal has generated evidence showing exoneurogenesis is a hallmark of cancer, playing a critical role in the invasion, proliferation, and migration of tumors. Cygnal data also suggests that neuroimmune crosstalk plays a role in antitumor immunity, inflammatory diseases, and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, as well as a host of other diseases. Learn more atwww.cygnaltx.com.

SOURCE Cygnal Therapeutics

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Cygnal Therapeutics Named to Chemical & Engineering News' 10 Start-Ups to Watch List - PRNewswire

How Artist Omer Arbel Fuses Molten Metal With Glass to Create Otherworldly Sculptures – Robb Report

Any idea how youd make a recipe for glass? Sculptor Omer Arbel, who, when not busy with his personal projects, is the brains behind design-forward lighting manufacturer Bocci,brought in chemists to reformulate the substance and master glassblowers to shape it. Then he could get to the showstopping part: quickly pouring a molten copper alloy into the newly formed vessel, causing the metal to wash around in its still-hot container. When both harden, the glass cracks, and its altered chemical makeup causes it to fall off the alloy, leaving behind a frozen metal wave, caught mid-spatter within a bottle that no longer exists. I wanted these pieces to, as much as possible, be a pure reflection of a chemical reaction, Arbel says. Materials are the artist here.

And react it does. Because one side of the copper is exposed to the glass in the process and the other to open air, half of the final product oxidizes, while the other does not. The former is smooth and iridescent, while the latter becomes black and coarse, almost like charcoal.

The designer has long used substances in unexpected ways: concrete that resembles a slice of a tree stump, aluminum shaped into the coral-like arms of a chandelier and fabric pleats that replace the seat cushion of a chair. This latest series of copper-alloy vessels, dubbed 113 because, well, its Arbels 113th idea, will be displayed at Carwan Gallery in Athens, Greece, through November 7.

Clifton Li

The pieces will be displayed on a large table in the middle of the gallery, so people can walk around and observe them from all sides. Theyre arranged in a way that I can only describe as being as intuitive as a constellation is, says Arbel. Its not a grid, it doesnt have any other order other than my own idea of which pieces look better than others.

Check out more of Omer Arbels work below:

Clifton Li

Clifton Li

Clifton Li

Clifton Li

Clifton Li

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How Artist Omer Arbel Fuses Molten Metal With Glass to Create Otherworldly Sculptures - Robb Report

Market for Analytical Instruments in Chemical and Petrochemical Industries to Jump to $3.5 Billion by 2026 – PR Newswire India

"Digital analytics in the chemical and petrochemical segments will enable machine-to-machine communication, resulting in automated solutions," said Janani Balasundar, Measurement & Instrumentation Research Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "Vendors can generate demand for analyzers by improving operational efficiency through automated runs to help deduce mistakes early in the analytical process, thus helping companies struggling with pressures on pricing and margins."

Balasundaradded: "From a regional perspective, Asia-Pacific (APAC) has the largest market share for global aliphatic hydrocarbons in the petrochemical industry. Similarly, North America will witness considerable growth in the chemicals and petrochemicals market due to the presence of significant manufacturing industries. Europe, however, will have slow growth in the chemical and petrochemical segments due to strict environmental regulations."

To tap into the growth prospects presented by analytical instruments in the chemical and petrochemical industries, market participants need to focus on:

Market for Analytical Instruments in the Chemical and Petrochemical Industries, Forecast to 2026is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan's Measurement & Instrumentation research and analyses available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organizations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future.

About Frost & Sullivan

For over five decades, Frost & Sullivan has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Market for Analytical Instruments in the Chemical and Petrochemical Industries, Forecast to 2026

K45D

Contact:Jaylon BrinkleyCorporate CommunicationsT: +1.210.247.2481E: [emailprotected]

http://ww2.frost.com

http://www.frost.com

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

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Market for Analytical Instruments in Chemical and Petrochemical Industries to Jump to $3.5 Billion by 2026 - PR Newswire India

European Commission Sets New Chemical Exposure Limits as Part of Cancer Prevention Effort – Occupational Health and Safety

European Commission Sets New Chemical Exposure Limits as Part of Cancer Prevention Effort

The new limits set for these three substances are part of Europes Beating Cancer Plan.

The European Commission made a revision to the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive on September 24, 2020 to set new exposure limit values for the substances acrylonitrile, benzene and nickel compounds.

This is the first action the Commission has taken as part of their plan to reduce the risk of cancer for workers as part of Europes Beating Cancer Plan. The new chemical limits are intended to benefit a targeted 1.1 million workers, as cancer is the leading cause in work-related deaths in the European Union, according to EU-OSHA.

Reducing the suffering caused by cancer is a priority for us, and to do so, prevention is key,said Stella Kyriakiades, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. We are taking an important step to protect our workers from the exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace and start our work under our upcoming Europes Beating Cancer Plan.

The proposal will benefit companies by reducing costs of absences and insurance payments caused by work-related cancer. The next step for the proposal is negotiation by the European Parliament and the Council.

More information on the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive revision can be found at ec.europa.eu.

About the Author

Nikki Johnson-Bolden is an Associate Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety.

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European Commission Sets New Chemical Exposure Limits as Part of Cancer Prevention Effort - Occupational Health and Safety

Chemistry on the court carries over to the gridiron for Henson and Simpson – Citizentribune

Micah Simpson hadnt played football for two years.

An all-state basketball player for Morristown East, Simpson chose to focus on the court, giving up football as he entered high school. However, when the football coaches came knocking this summer, there was one big thing that made Simpson come back to football.

I wanted to beat West for Coles (Henson) senior year, Simpson said.

Led by Henson and Simpson, the Hurricanes did just that.

Henson threw for 491 yards, a single game record, completed 31 passes, a single game record and had five passing touchdowns, once again a school record. Henson also broke the old career mark for passing yardage as he now has 4,281. He passed current ETSU head football coach Randy Sanders who had 4,220.

Simpson got in on the fun as well, catching four touchdowns, which was also a Morristown East single game record.

Henson, a senior, has been starting since his freshman year at Morristown East but has never gotten over the hump that is Morristown West. On Friday night, he didnt just run the hump over. He bulldozed it.

It feels amazing, Henson said. This is probably one of the best feelings Ive ever had just getting to enjoy this with friends and family. Its one of the best feelings ever. Ill never forget this.

This has not been an uncommon trend for Henson, who has broken records before. Last season, he broke Sanders school record for touchdown passes in a career. Each touchdown pass he threw on Friday night extended that record.

The Hurricanes have gained a lot of traction with their running game this season, but with West containing Ethan Ledford, Henson took the game over.

Twice, Henson lofted perfect passes in the endzone to Simpson who just had to get under the ball and hold his arms out. Henson also found Simpson two more times on short routes as well as Shaffer Harville for a long touchdown to start the third quarter.

The Canes saw something in the Morristown West scouting report and took advantage of a secondary that has struggled to defend the pass this season.

We didnt think that they could cover us, Slover said. If they played off, we were going to take the short stuff and if they walked up, we were going to run right by them. We threw it more tonight than we have in the first three games, but great job by Cole getting the ball out of his hands and throwing it where it needed to go. We had a great gameplan and he executed. He was extremely accurate and didnt put us it a bad spot. I am extremely proud of him.

Coming to the team this season, Simpson has been the spark that East has needed on both sides of the ball. Against Cherokee earlier in the year, Simpson had a receiving touchdown and an interception.

Simpson had 208 receiving yards on eight catches Friday, crediting his growing wingspan for his ability to go up and get the football.

He did it on the defense as well Friday, filling in for Harville after Harville went down with an injury early in the third quarter and did not return.

For Slover, he feels that things can only get better for Simpson.

Micah is just such an athlete, Slover said. Thats why hes an all-state basketball player. Hes just athletic. Once he figures our everything that we ask him to do, its only going to get better for him.

Henson credits the connection the two have as to why they are able to have success. Both are also the starting guards on the Morristown East basketball team.

Hes just an athlete, Henson said. Hes fast and athletic. I trust him and he trusts me so we can just throw touchdowns like we did tonight.

With the game winding down, that connection was on display. Facing fourth and one from the 39-yard line with under two minutes to go in the game and the scored tied at 28, Henson hit Simpson near the sideline. Simpson caught the ball and took off, making Trojans miss left and right for the game-winning touchdown.

Following a fumble from West on the kickoff, the Trojans had one last chance to get the ball back on third and six.

But Henson used his legs this time, running to the first down marker before sliding down the win the game.

And afterwards, the Hurricanes partied like it was 2013.

It was awesome, Henson said. Ive never seen anything like that just all the players and coaches and everyone celebrating together. It was awesome.

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Chemistry on the court carries over to the gridiron for Henson and Simpson - Citizentribune

Q&A: Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Dr. Frances Arnold speaks to The Hustler about her inspiration and advice to students – The Vanderbilt Hustler

On Sept. 15, Dr. Frances Arnold, a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering at California Institute of Technology, gave the fall John R. and Donna S. Hall Engineering Lecture to over 700 participants over Zoom.

The lecture covered the concept of directed evolution, for which Arnold was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Directed evolution uses lab technologies that create mutations in a pre-selected gene. These genes are then used to manufacture the mutated enzymes, which are then tested for function. Enzymes that help facilitate the reaction are selected and the process continues until the scientist is satisfied with the results.

The Hustler spoke with Dr. Frances Arnold on a Sept. 15 Zoom call about how she overcomes roadblocks, what inspires her and her advice to students.

Vanderbilt Hustler: What is a concept that still amazes you to this day?

Dr. Frances Arnold: Evolution, I think its amazing that such a simple engineering process can solve such complex problems. Were just at the beginning of this whole idea that you can reprogram the biological world, and use evolution to do it. Its mind-boggling. Youre lucky youre young. Youre going to see such incredible advances, such amazing things that you can do with biology.

When you face a roadblock in a project, what is the first thing you do?

It depends how big the roadblock is. If its an important problem, and Ive got to get over it, I find other ways to solve the same problems. Just as often I say, its not really worth getting over that roadblock, lets turn right and see whats over there.

Especially for engineers, this is one of the treasures of being an engineer. Were trying to make things that nobody has made before. Were trying to understand where we can go with, say, reprogramming the biological world. So, if you cant do one thing, there are 500,000 other things that you can do, so I think its important to adapt to roadblocks.

Could you talk about what motivated you to go into chemical engineering? You got your undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering at Princeton; what guided you after you had that strong foundation?

When I was a mechanical engineer, I wanted to engineer the most complicated things on the planet, and to me, that was an airplane or rocket ship. I took this job in Brazil and was looking at ethanol fuels and engineering something like biofuels. I realized that human engineering complexity is the tiniest fraction of the complexity of the biological world and not nearly as elegant. I love how a bird flies. There are very different solutions to the same problem, but the biological solutions are so amazing.

So, I decided to go into chemical engineering as a graduate student, mainly to try to do biofuels research, but of course, that was the end of that. Reagan was the new president. Cars were getting long again, and no one cared about energy efficiency. But it was the beginning of the DNA revolution, so I said, there is a whole new world of biological engineering that Im going to be part of. Chemical engineering was a great way to combine chemistry, biology and engineering.

At that time, was chemical engineering fairly separated from the biological sciences?

Chemical engineering has a long history of dealing with biological processes, but they werent doing it using genetic engineering, they were doing it at the process design level ethanol plants and agriculture and food science and things like that. But what happened starting in the later [19]70s and early [19]80s is that these new techniques of recombinant DNA technology started to become available.

I and other people realized that you could solve engineering problems at the level of the catalyst. If you could design a better catalyst, you could solve all sorts of process problems. We took the long history of chemical engineering and grew this new protein engineering out of it.

What do you see as the future of the enzymes you are making?

I dream of the day that all the synthetic chemists will be replaced by bacteria. (laughs) It makes me popular in the chemistry circles. Think about it, if you could just genetically encode all these transformations, you could take renewable resources to anything you want.

You worked at the forefront of the variety of disciplines, chemistry, biology, engineering as well as agriculture. Is there anything you are more interested in learning more about?

Im learning more about everything everyday. I take on new jobs, Im on the board of directors of Alphabet [Google parent company], so Im learning about antitrust suits. The world is a fascinating place. Theres lots of science, but theres lots of other interesting and important things to learn about. Im always listening to seminars and getting ideas, it never stops.

Beyond science, in college, what were some of the things that formulated the perspectives you have today?

That was my problem. I became a mechanical engineer because that had the fewest number of requirements. Then I could take Russian, Italian, French, economics and development. At Princeton, its a very liberal arts school, but also a good engineering school. I was able to learn a lot of different things and explore different ideas.

I think thats very important as a young person because you never know where your inspiration will come from. I also took a lot of time off. I lived in Spain, Italy, Brazil. You never know when something is going to be useful to you later on.

One problem with the educational system is that it is more eye-closing than eye-opening.

How are you able to go beyond calculations and keep an open mind in the sciences and engineering?

All I have to do is remember all the people who told me that what I was doing was a total waste of time. One group said it was impossible; another it wasnt worth doing anyway. These were top scientists, and they really thought they knew. So, I think we all should be humble in thinking what is worth doing and thinking we know the answers because all sorts of crazy surprises come up.

[Students] go and think everything is known. Will there be room for me? Will I be able to make fundamental advances? I felt that same way when I was an undergrad and yet there is so much that is unknown. There is so much gold out there to discover and uncover if you dont close your eyes to it. One problem with the educational system is that it is more eye-closing than eye-opening.

One problem with the educational system is that it is more eye-closing than eye-opening.

What has been your favorite class to teach?

I love teaching my biomolecular engineering class. I have a debate with a rational designer, another faculty member at Caltech, who rationally designs complex molecules and I am the evolutionist. We just throw tomatoes at each other across the room, and students love it. They see the debate in real-time and then they have to make a decision of who is right and who is wrong. Are they both right? When do I use one method versus the other? Thats a fun one.

Do you look more to biology or chemistry when facing a problem?

It really depends. If we are looking for new chemistry to do a chemical reaction that a human has invented, you start with chemistry. What is the mechanism? Is there a protein that looks remotely like this? So, you are inspired by the chemistry. On the other hand, if you want to understand how evolution works, there is no chemistry in that. It is much more in the biology side.

I run a big research group now and almost all the problems are brought in by students and postdocs. My job is to be an editor of ideas rather than the generator of ideas. They are all going to have their own training and way of looking at it and I try not to close their eyes.

At what point did you become interested in preserving the environment?

I was already interested in alternative energy coming out of college. That was part of the environmental pr
oblem, but it was more about stability and sustainability. How can we become independent from the Middle East? So, it was also political. As my career has gone on, I see the tremendous destruction that we are doing to the planet. It just becomes worse and worse, so I have become much more interested in trying to limit environmental degradation.

How are you able to carry out such wide-ranging projects?

They are not my ideas. The insect pheromone (Provivi) was my former students who said, I want to take these methods I learned at Caltech and use them on a really important problem. So, that came out of that. That is the wonderful thing about having a technology that is simple to use. Directed evolution is really simple and fundamentally powerful.

All sorts of people will use it for really interesting things, and then I can take at least some tiny amount of credit. Evolution is everything in the biological world. It is not surprising that it has many applications in biotechnology.

How did you get interested in teaching and what inspires you to continue teaching?

I wanted to have no boss. That was the driving force to get me into academics. I have had lots of jobs over my lifetime, and the one thing I really didnt like was having a boss. I went into academics so that I could do what I was interested in. It is a lot of responsibility because you have to do something interesting, otherwise you get booted out.

I wanted to plot my own course. I probably wouldnt have chosen to teach, but I really like working with grad students. I like working with a team and I learned how to do that over the course of my career, so that teaching became more enjoyable as I got better at it.

Do you have advice for undergrad students pursuing engineering or chemistry?

Id like them to know that the horizon is wide open. The field is wide open. There is so much more to do and discover. It is a great way to use your creativity to solve big problemsto do something good for the planet.

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Q&A: Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Dr. Frances Arnold speaks to The Hustler about her inspiration and advice to students - The Vanderbilt Hustler

The Future of Nonprofit News in Midland Chemical City Paper – Chemical City Paper

First and foremost, the City Paper is deeply appreciative of the support our donors and sponsors have provided, even during this challenging time for the entire community. Thank you. We do not take your support for granted.

Yesterday, I finally signed the City Papers Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Obtaining tax-exempt status is the holy grail for most nonprofit organizations, and, if granted, it will allow us to solicit much-needed grants in order to fulfill our mission, participate in local, nonprofit initiatives, and for our supporters: retroactively transform your donations into tax-deductible contributions.

The application is a behemoth, and the I.R.S. is notorious for being strict with this document. It includes all of our financial information, conflicts of interest, business plan, and more. The average time frame for approval once an application is filed is 8-9 months. We retained the local law firmPoznak Dyer Kanar Schefsky Thompson PLC for the filing, and were very appreciate of their guidance, counsel, and support. Once approved, in the same spirit and manner we treat all of our important documents and financial information, we will make the entire application, which clocks in at over 50 pages, available to the public.

Since our launch, even though the City Paper is a Michigan Domestic Nonprofit Corporation, we have operated at the federal level as a for-profit corporation. Essentially, we have all of the obligations of a corporation and enjoy none of the benefits of a nonprofit. Yesterdays application seeks to change that. We chose to launch and operate before filing because we know that our mission is critical to the health of the community, and we knew of the complexities and long time-frame involved in the application process.

We have made tremendous progress in making our community aware of the differences between a community-owned nonprofit news organization dedicated to fulfilling a mission and for-profit, conglomerate-owned organizations primarily dedicated to shareholders.

Even around the country, as our rare, mission-first model begins to replicate and spread, nonprofit news organizations are beginning to change the media landscape for the better. ProPublica, another nonprofit news organization, won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, journalisms most prestigious honor, along with the Anchorage Daily News, for a riveting series that revealed a third of Alaskas villages had no police protection, took authorities to task for decades of neglect, and spurred an influx of money and legislative changes.

The Salt Lake Tribune, the largest newspaper in Utah, actually transformed from a traditional for-profit media entity into a nonprofit news organization, creating a model (as well as inspiration) for other news organizations to follow. Nonprofit news organizations are the future of news as well as the solution to the decades-long decline and bleeding of traditional, for-profit media entities. Mega-mergers, buyouts, furloughs, position consolidations, new payment schemes, and cutting costs all the way to the bottom can only last so long. The drive to chase the almighty dollar at the expense of a decline in the quality of local journalism takes its toll.

This isnt to say that the reporters and editors at our local, for-profit news sources care more about shareholder value than they do about high-quality journalism. In fact, its probably the opposite, they are our neighbors and community members. However: the higher you climb the ladder, the more those priorities flip, and at the top brass level, its all about shareholder value.

When things are going well, the difference between a for-profit and a nonprofit news organizations is negligible. But when things arent going well thats when citizens and readers begin to see the true difference between those sets of priorities. No well-meaning local editor of a for-profit, conglomerate-owned newspaper will have any say over New York or San Francisco during tough times. Media consolidation leads to a loss of local control, and readers want important decisions about their local news sources made on Main Street, not Wall Street.

Local control and the nonprofit model, however, do come with enormous challenges. And we remain committed to facing those challenges head-on. Even with our limited resources, we continue to control the local news narrative. You are seeing more and more local news stories not just from us on the things we believe readers care about: in-depth local coverage of people and policies in government, education, business and the arts.

Since its launch, the City Paper has built key relationships and has grown into a niche publication favored by engaged citizens as Midlands authoritative source on area public policy issues. Earlier this year, we led the community conversation on the tragic and ongoing opioid epidemic in Midland. In a full print edition Special Report, we interviewed dozens of victim families, and learned and shared their stories; and talked to medical and public policy officials about what needs to happen to make an impact toward a solution. In May, after the historic flood of the Tittabawassee River and the failure of the Edenville and Sanford dams, we published another full print edition (as well as an online feature) Special Report entitled Weve lost everything.

COVID-19, just like with many other organizations, threw a wrench into City Paper operations earlier this year. Starting in March, the City Paper stopped conducting in-person meetings, and the staff started working from home. Our board of directors did not meet from January to July during the pandemic, canceling two meetings. We also briefly paused the production and delivery of our print edition in order to facilitate social distancing and due to the closures of most of our newsstand locations, continuing to deliver our news report on our mobile, Web, and social media platforms.

As far as news coverage, we have striven to cover the pandemic in a responsible manner. For us, that means breaking news on things such as the first confirmed case in Midland, but staying away from horse race and fear-driven daily updates on confirmed cases or deaths. As always, our news report is driven by the people and policies which impact our community most, carefully balanced by our current resources.

In January, we partnered with M.B.A. students from Northwood Universitys DeVos Graduate School of Management on strategy and market analysis. The class, MBA 654 Competitive Strategy & Marketing Practicum, was taught by Dr. Matthew OConnor (who also served on the City Papers board of directors).

Students selected various local companies and organizations to partner with on marketing and strategy and the City Paper was honored to be one of the selected organizations. From the programs flyer: Your business receives valuable research through the project, and student consultants reinforce their understanding of business fundamentals while applying cutting-edge management practices to strategic and marketing issues and opportunities.

The four talented graduate students who worked with us Christian Barry, Mark Thomas, Marissa Dudek, and Brenden Campbell submitted their final report and recommendations for the City Paper earlier this year. The document is a detailed examination of the City Papers current practices, proposed processes, market research survey results, detailed recommendations, and more. The City Paper remains deeply appreciative of the partnership with Northwood and for the students steadfast dedication and hard work.

The market research that our Northwood University partners conducted revealed some interesting thoughts from our readers. The City Paper is fiercely nonpartisan. But Ive often said, the folks usually most concerned about how partisan we are tend to be the most partisan themselves. Some of our reader comments did not disappoint.

High quality slightly leaning Democratic, said one reader, fo
llowed by another comment: Alternative to Midland Daily News, but with a bend to the right.

I suppose if the left thinks youre right and the right thinks youre left, youre doing just fine.

Along with filing our application for tax-exemption, the City Paper also adopted a new Conflict of Interest Policy to ensure we adhere to the highest ethical standards when it comes to nonprofit organizations. To that end, each Director will sign an annual Disclosure of Financial Interests, which the City Paper will make public. We are committed to remaining the most transparent, ethical, and accountable media organization in the area. Weve also reduced the number of our Directors to seven to increase our nimbleness and better reflect our current size. At our annual meeting this year, we welcomed A.J. Hoffman to our Board of Directors. Mr. Hoffman is the co-host of the Small Market Podcast, a local podcast on sports. He graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism.

Our staff also used some of the added down-time during the peak months of the pandemic to work on new strategies for the City Paper which will guide us in our work toward improving the community. We focused on four major areas: increasing and diversifying our readership, focusing on how to best serve and recognize our donors, placing an emphasis on technology, and growing our operating revenue ambitiously. Part of that plan, on the editorial side, is to place more emphasis on what we believe to be the long-term future of news in general: mobile and audio platforms.

We have also redesigned our print edition, which is a monthly digest of the news found on our other media platforms. We tailored the new print edition toward the reader base and audience which, over the last year or so, weve developed with our journalism. That audience is engaged in our community, influential, well-educated and affluent. While its tempting to think of the City Paper solely through our print newspaper, we have to do a better job of emphasizing that our print edition is just one way we deliver our journalism and fulfill our mission.

Most of the world is still stuck in a print-centric line-of-thinking when it comes to news organizations. Introductions to the City Paper are often met with questions such as So are you a weekly? or Whats your circulation? Those are print-centric ways of thinking of our organization, which instead should be thought of as a public charity first, and a news organization which uses all forms of media audio, mobile and Web, and yes, print in order to fulfill our mission.

We will soon be releasing our 2019 financials and tax filings. As Im sure you know, the City Paper is deeply committed to transparency. We believe our readers deserve to know who gives us money. We fulfill this obligation with our Donor Wall in print and on the Web which also allows our donors to take pride in helping to make our community a better place. I am very proud to announce that, in 2019, 100 percent of dollars from donors and sponsors were used on mission-fulfilling activities. CharityWatch, a noted charity watchdog, rates nonprofits that spend at least 75 percent of their income on mission work as efficient. Our unique model includes a diversified revenue stream so that our administrative and overhead costs are covered by our advertising revenue.

Finally, one of the most important aspects of our editorial strategy is to embrace and adapt the technologies which enable us to tell our stories more effectively. We must reject that Luddite apprehensions and juvenoia that doomed the Old Media dinosaurs when it comes to new media platforms and opportunities. We are extremely excited to announce that the City Paper will have a mobile app for both Apple and Android devices which we aim to have available for our readers in the coming days. The apps will allow our users and readers to read the City Paper, but most importantly, they will give our readers the chance to receive news alerts on the areas of coverage most important to them: local government, education, business, or the arts.

Triton Legal PLC, a criminal defense law firm based in Bay City, stepped up to help sponsor our new mobile app. Their support helped significantly to defray the cost of developing, testing, building, and submitting our apps. We are very grateful for their support and were proud that they are a Community Partner with the City Paper.

The City Paper should produce journalism so compelling and valuable to readers that theyre inspired to support us financially. Only 30 people do today. We believe this is the ultimate measure of an engaged audience, so we must focus our efforts on moving more readers from their initial experience with our organization and our journalism into experiences that bring them closer to a Modern Explorers membership.

Please know that even a small donation of $10 helps us tremendously. You can make a difference and help to improve your community today. Please consider donating to the City Paper if you can afford it.

Donate $10/mo.

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We look to other successful nonprofit news organizations, such as The Texas Tribune, Voice of OC and Voice of San Diego, and even N.P.R. We dont seek to replicate their models, mostly because that would be inappropriate considering the size of the news market here in Midland, however we do seek to use their ideas and even their language in a scaled-down, tailored fashion designed to serve our community.

As we get used to a more socially distant world, we are also implementing a plan to consistently publish more content. During the peak of the pandemic, we decided to use our limited resources on developing the tools which will allow us to fulfill our mission more effectively. Now that were at the end stages of those plans, its time to devote more of our resources toward our journalism. We aim to do that by making smarter choices about what we cover and when we cover it, establishing more writing opportunities for community members, and trying to establish sponsor-led explanatory and investigative reporting that draws in readers and serves our community. And we will seek deeper connections with our donors and readers, pursuing the market penetration already seen by the Daily News, and by way of enhanced editorial coverage, new media partnerships and live events, once the world returns back to normal.

Michael Westendorf is Executive Editor & CEO of Chemical City Paper.

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The Future of Nonprofit News in Midland Chemical City Paper - Chemical City Paper

Larry C. Thompson – The Daily World

Dr. Larry Clark Thompson, 85, passed away peacefully with family at his side in Scarborough, Maine, on Sept. 15, 2020.

Larry (not Lawrence) was born June 13, 1935, in Hoquiam, Washington. The eldest of three brothers, he was raised in this hardworking mill town during the Great Depression and World War II, fostering in him a spirit of self-reliance and improvement. He stood out as a young man for his curiosity and tremendous intellect, as well as his athletic ability most notably as a champion pole vaulter in the days of the steel pole and sawdust landing pit. In hospice, he shared an image of himself vaulting through the air as a collegiate competitor with very good form.

Larry was salutatorian of his high school class and continued his exceptional academic achievement at Willamette University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he trained as an inorganic chemist. After completing his Ph.D program in unprecedented record time, he joined the chemistry faculty at the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD). For the next 43 years, Professor Thompson was an outstanding friend, colleague, mentor, leader and teacher. He was a key part of the chemistry Master of Science degree program, established in 1964, and taught general chemistry and physical chemistry, as well as inorganic chemistry courses.

During his career, Professor Thompson became known internationally as an expert in the coordination chemistry and spectroscopy of rare Earth elements and spent significant time collaborating with lanthanide researchers around the world, most notably his Brazilian colleagues, and published numerous research papers. Besides his students and colleagues, he was also proud of his state-of-the-art high-resolution McPherson RS-10 fluorescence spectrophotometer. He made significant leadership contributions to both UMD and the Chemistry Department during a time of tremendous growth, including service in the capacity of department head for 13 years.

He was revered by his students and colleagues for the rigor of his courses, his enrapturing chemistry stories and his generous mentorship. Larry was especially committed to supporting those from modest circumstances and helped many students realize their potential to become scientists, doctors, and engineers. For his hard work and brilliance as a scholar and teacher, he received the Sabra S. & Dennis L. Anderson Scholar/Teacher Award. After his retirement from the University of Minnesota, Larry surprised his family with his appointment as Chair of the Physical and Chemistry Department at the University of New England (UNE).

Larry met Frances Dressel at an early age and, after marrying in 1955, they had two daughters who were the apples of his eye. The collaboration with his Brazilian colleagues brought his young family to live in South America for extended periods and is something his daughters fondly remember as the experience of a lifetime. The Brazilian chemists he collaborated with and taught in So Paulo and Recife considered him to be a true education ambassador, and many of these colleagues became lifelong friends. Incidentally (as he would famously say), the Ford Foundation helped sponsor his first visiting professorship and indicated that he would be able to teach in English. When he arrived and discovered that students did not have the expected English skills, he drew on past Latin experience to learn Portuguese in short order so he could successfully deliver his lectures.

After retiring from the University of Minnesota, Larry found great happiness in a second chapter with his devoted wife, Dr. Hongming Wang. Their love grew from a deep friendship built over the course of decades and their shared profession; they had chemistry. Larry and Hongming traveled the world together Brazil many times, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Larry charmed strangers across continents with his signature meandering stories. Friends and family will remember him as someone who delighted in lifes many serendipitous coincidences, as an exceptionally intelligent person who cared deeply about the world, and as a man of integrity decent, fair and good to the core. He had a serious Scandinavian exterior that surrounded both a clever wit and a tender heart. Faculty and students from chemistry departments at the University of Minnesota, the University of New England, in Brazil, and beyond remember a thoughtful colleague and professor who made important contributions to his field.

A natural storyteller and teacher both in and outside of the classroom, Larry regularly challenged those around him to expand their minds. Many undergraduate and graduate students were mentored in his research lab and he was a generous and knowledgeable advisor. His faculty colleagues remember the animated discussions with Larry about the state of education. One of his famous annoyances was with modern textbook publishers who claimed that their texts make learning chemistry easy. It was Larrys unyielding assertion that learning is never easy it requires effort and hard work. A bit of a Renaissance man, Larry found something of interest and wonder everywhere. He pursued many activities such as fly fishing, volleyball, reading mystery novels, and an appreciation for classical music listening to Beethovens symphonies in the chemistry lab and during his final days. Larry also did extensive research on his family history and created an archive to pass along to future generations. Surprisingly, later in life he became quite a clothes enthusiast and enjoyed outfitting Hickey Freeman customers in fine business attire.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Elizabeth and Bert Lanphere and Lester Thompson, and the mother of his children, Frances Dressel Thompson. Proudly carrying on are his beloved wife Dr. Hongming Wang; daughters and stepdaughter Martha Thompson (Mike Taylor), Whitney (Rich) Crettol, and Jin (Nick) Valaperta; eight grandchildren; younger brothers Melvin and Dennis Thompson and their families, and a half sister Connie Egstad. He was a devoted husband and father, and an adoring grandfather whose love and patience knew no bounds. His family cherishes many fond memories and misses him dearly.

Memorials to continue his legacy can be directed to the Larry C. Thompson Inorganic Chemistry Award for outstanding undergraduate achievement in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Minnesota-Duluth: University of Minnesota Foundation, P.O. Box 860266, Minneapolis, MN 55486-0266.

Those who choose are welcome to contact Carrie Sutherland at (218) 726-6984, the Development Office Director for the Swenson College of Science and Engineering for additional information.

To share a memory or leave a message of condolence, please visit Larrys Book of Memories Page at http://www.bibberfuneral.com

Arrangements are in care of Bibber Memorial Chapel, 67 Summer Street, Kennebunk, ME 04043. http://www.bibbermemorial.com

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Larry C. Thompson - The Daily World

Livestreamed Chemistry Labs Keep Learning Real Mistakes, Spills and All – Campus Technology

Online Learning

To offer more than pre-recorded lab demonstrations or virtual laboratories to remote students, two chemistry instructors at Missouri S&T have refined their approach, which uses real-time live-streamed demonstrations of experiments.

Klaus Woelk, an associate professor of chemistry, and Philip Whitefield, professor emeritus of chemistry, have published a paper through the American Chemical Society about their experiences with online chemistry labs to provide best practices for other educators in similar circumstances.

To keep students engaged, the synchronous sessions include small-group breakout sessions and on-the-spot activities like having students name compounds; balance chemical equations; predict the outcomes of experiments; and calculate masses, amounts and concentrations for the chemicals used.

The sessions last for three hours and run on Zoom. Breakouts include groups of four, allowing the students to discuss the experiments and make their calculations before they're called back to the main room to give their answers.

The university's current physical distancing guidelines limit the number of people in a lab to three, which is exactly how many it takes to do the livestreaming. Each virtual lab includes an instructor, a teaching assistant and a camera operator. They run two cameras one attached to the board where the instructor writes formulas, and the other a portable webcam that moves around the room and shows close-ups of chemical measures, mixtures and reactions. A university article on the process mentioned that the camera operator "always has the right-of-way."

Since the experiments are live, there's no editing unlike many videos showing online labs. "How helpful is it when the chef says to saut the onions until they're translucent, then the camera cuts to the finished onions?" said Whitefield. "You sit there and think, 'How long do you cook them? I don't know.'"

As a result, in the livestream labs, mistakes and spills can happen, which is part of the learning too. The instructors show how to clean up the spills following safety guidelines. In fact, writing safety rules is part of the students' coursework in the class.

A particular challenge of the virtual labs, the faculty members noted, was the "lack of sensory experience, especially smell."

"Some substances smell fruity, some are minty, some produce a rough smell, and we need to be creative to emulate that online for our students," explained Woelk. "When students are back on campus, I think we'll send them little samples. Once the experiment is done, I can have them open the sample of the product and they can report the scent."

Another drawback is a lack of participation in large groups. As the two instructors pointed out, some students "log in only for the points given and pay no attention to the livestream."

For that reason, future sessions "may require students to add screenshots of the livestreamed sessions to their post-lab reports and provide individual answers to assigned tasks during the livestream," said Woelk. Recordings won't be made available, thereby preventing students from scanning through the session to find the answers they need for their reporting.

Classes for the latest semester at Missouri S&T began in late August. Now about 144 students attend science classes in person, while another 400 are continuing with livestreamed instruction.

"As Close as It Might Get to the Real Lab Experience Live-Streamed Laboratory Activities" is available to subscribers of the Journal of Chemical Education.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [emailprotected] or on Twitter @schaffhauser.

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Livestreamed Chemistry Labs Keep Learning Real Mistakes, Spills and All - Campus Technology

Socially distanced chemistry for kids: Join the U.S. Crystal Growing Competition! – UB News Center

BUFFALO, N.Y. Looking for a hands-on science project to do with your children this fall? The U.S. Crystal Growing Competition is back.

Held annually since 2014, the contest challenges K-12 students and teachers to grow the biggest, most beautiful crystals they can using aluminum potassium sulfate (alum), a nontoxic chemical used in water purification.

This year, the contest takes on new meaning, with many schools across the country operating under a remote or hybrid learning model, says founder Jason Benedict, a University at Buffalo chemist with two school-aged kids.

Now, more than ever, with so many kids being at home, they need fun, hands-on scientific activities, says Benedict, PhD, an associate professor of chemistry in the UB College of Arts and Sciences. Growing crystals means they can take a break from their screens and do an exciting activity thats going to teach them something about crystals and crystal growth. You can do this as a family.

Crystals are really special objects where all of the ions or molecules are lined up in repeating patterns. People are exposed to crystals in a variety of ways in their daily lives. Snowflakes, for example, are all crystals. Salt and sugar are crystals. There are crystals inside of computers. Pharmaceuticals are crystalline. Well-tempered chocolate is an example: The snap of a well-tempered piece of chocolate is because the chocolate has a particular crystal form inside of it.

The contest is open to K-12 students and teachers, whether they are back in the classroom or learning at home. Participants can register for the competition by filling out the 2020 entry form and ordering bottles of crystal-growing material for $8. The deadline to order alum is Oct. 1.

Crystal-growing begins on Oct. 19, coinciding with National Chemistry Week, and goes on for five weeks. In addition to categories judging crystals by size and quality, the contest will again include a coolest crystal category that awards participants for cultivating crystals with a creative flourish, whether that means coloring crystals, trapping an object inside of them or implementing some other innovation.

Winners in various categories will be able to choose between cash prizes or hands-on magnetic science models that kids can manipulate to learn about crystal structures.

During the competition, teachers, students and families can share their excitement with the community of crystal-growers by posting updates on Twitter using the contests hashtag, #2020USCGC, Benedict says.

Submissions will be judged at UB.

The 2019 competition reached about 150 teams representing thousands of K-12 students and teachers, and homeschooling families in 33 states.

The experience of growing a sparkly, single crystal from scratch can be memorable for children.

Each team or participant starts with 100 grams of powdered alum. To grow a crystal, kids dissolve the material into water, then let the water evaporate. This causes the compound to emerge from the solution to form a crystal.

Its work that requires patience and finesse: If the water evaporates too quickly, too much of the alum will crystallize, causing imperfections such as occlusions or jagged edges (think rock candy). Go too slow, and youll get a miniscule crystal.

If the participants have half as much fun growing their crystals as we do receiving them, were going to have a lot of happy kids, parents and teachers, Benedict says.

The U.S. Crystal Growing Competition is sponsored by the American Crystallographic Association (which is based in Buffalo), the U.S. National Science Foundation, VWR and Wards Science, the UB Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, Georgetown University, the Texas A&M Department of Chemistry, the University of Central Florida Department of Chemistry, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, the Western New York section of the American Chemical Society, Bruker, The Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre, Krackeler Scientific, and Rigaku, along with individuals who have made donations. To make a gift to support the contest, visit the competitions fundraising page.

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Socially distanced chemistry for kids: Join the U.S. Crystal Growing Competition! - UB News Center

When it comes to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving the chemistry already exists – NetsDaily

The Brooklyn Nets are all in. The fans have remained patient, endured a bridge year or two along the way. Now, however, in 2020-21 its championship or bust. The waiting is over. No excuses, just win.

But, of course, its never that simple. Did you think it was going to be simple?

Health concerns aside, naturally, but the Nets face the dreaded c word (chemistry) and questions about fit and how well theyll mesh together until, well, whenever the 2020-21 season starts.

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert, the teams big three have played a combined zero minutes together. Zero.

In fact, Durant told J.J. Redick, as a guest on his podcast, that he too was excited to see how it will all play out, noting that hes only ever played with Kyrie Irving during the Olympics and in All-Star games.

Throw in, of course, a brand new head coach in Steve Nash who is, yeah, a brand new head coach and its certain well hear the team chemistry narrative hard and heavy over the next handful of months.

Will it work? If so, how long will it take to work? Do I need to wait another year?

Great questions. To which, my answers are: shrug emoji.

What we we know, though, is that Durant and Irving, along with DeAndre Jordan, had talked about this ad nauseam and wouldnt have signed up to play together if they truly believed it wouldnt work.

This wasnt a GMs thought-experiment. This was two players (three, with DJ) determining whether or not they believe they can play together.

Look back to Media Day, earlier this season.

It was 4:16am on June 30 when Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan hopped on a three-way FaceTime to discuss their futures in the NBA. The only thing they truly knew, according to the three, is that they wanted to play together. Ultimately, in Brooklyn.

With KD and DJ, it was 4:16 in the morning, us just talking about our futures and how this opportunity ahead of us is something that we havent had in our careers; the ability to make a choice, sitting down, actually talking in detail about the future and the investment we had in each other and the investment we wanted to have in Brooklyn, so it made sense all the way around, and then having the incredible people they have in the organization made it that much easier, said Irving.

And of playing alongside Irving and the relationship they have, Durant said:

Ive been following him since high school. Ive tried to follow him throughout his career...Its very rare that you get to this point and have a decision in front of us where we can control our destinies. We sat down and talked about it and what basketball meant to us as a whole, and I think this is the perfect spot for us to hone our skills and keep going.

This feels different. Different from 2013 when the Nets went all in creating a collage-style NBA team, where you had Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce who absolutely loathed the kind of player that Deron Williams was, and a head coach in Jason Kidd who only ever knew his players as peers and in year one was already thinking about how to gain more power within the organization.

This isnt that. That was the product of a GM, slash owner, putting a fantasy basketball team together.

I wont pretend like I knew it wouldnt work at the time, but I also know enough about that team and this team to know where the reality starts and the anxiety ends.

With Irving and Durant its different. They had been talking about playing together for two years, Durant told Showtimes All the Smoke.

Ive been having conversations with Kyrie for the last two years, he noted. Not even about playing together, as just brothers. We didnt plan on playing together. We played against each other in my second year with the Warriors and we had a mutual friend and we just bonded together and we bonded on life in general ... and basketball in general, that just formed over time.

He didnt like where his situation was at and me either in Golden State. And just to see how this will work. Lets try it out. And DJ wanted to play with us and be that center for us that can hold it down and play for something really, play for a team thats going somewhere and not just bouncing around the league. We knew hed be a vital piece for us going forward, not just as a star, but being a good teammate. So it just worked out.

Two years. Durant wanted to play with Irving, having complete confidence that they would fit perfectly together; as Durant referred to Irving as an artist on the basketball court.

As for Nash, hes seemingly the perfect fit for both Durant and Irving.

James Herbert of CBS Sports writes of the fit:

I think its going to be really good for Kyrie, [Raja] Bell said. And I dont mean to make it sound one-sided, cause obviously Kyries going to play really well and thats going to help Steve, but I think Kyrie is at a point in his career where its time for him to take that next step into real leadership and getting real results on the team that hes leading. Even though hell be co-leading with Kevin Durant.

Irving will like Nash, Bell said, because everybody does. And Nash will work at the relationship to where Kyrie trusts him. Trust is a big deal to Irving, and Nash should earn it the same way he earned trust as a player: By being himself and putting the team first.

Trust.

Nash already has the trust of Kevin Durant, having worked with him as a player-development consultant during Durants final season in Golden State.

This is the head coach that Durant wanted, and the coach that Irving likely had to sign off on.

And thats where we begin and, hopefully, end the conversation about chemistry. The three main cogs in this wheel all want to be playing/coaching alongside each other. Thats a great start!

You dont always get that in the NBA.

Will it work? Again, I have no idea. But are we off to a good start? A start that stinks nothing like 2013? Most definitely.

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When it comes to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving the chemistry already exists - NetsDaily

Why Detroit Lions’ T.J. Hockenson and Matthew Stafford already have great chemistry – Detroit Free Press

A quick look at the Lions' first-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL draft, Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson. Wochit

It had been a while 315 days to be exact since Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had thrown a pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson in a game.

Sure, they had gotten some practice during training camp and offseason workouts that Stafford organized. But no one knew how good their chemistry would be in the season opener, given the major irregularities of the offseason.

It would have been understandable if there was some rust. Maybe a little miscommunication. After all, they hadnt played together in a game since Staffords season ended with a back injury Nov. 3. Hockensons season ended with an ankle injury suffered Nov. 28.

ButStafford and Hockenson looked like they were in midseason form Sunday, and their production was one of the highlights in a 27-23 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Week 1 review: How no crowd noise impacted Lions vs. Bears

Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson (88) celebrates his touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the third quarter at Ford Field, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020.(Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

Theyve done a good job since weve gotten back at camp, really just working together, coach Matt Patricia said Thursday. Theres a lot of periods during practice where, maybe special teams where theyre not involved, and the two of them will take some of that extra time to go work on the nuances of routes or reads, coverage looks and some game plan stuff that we do in those situations. I think all just those extras that add up through the course of practice and being on the same page help during the game.

Did it ever. The two appeared to be in lockstep throughout the game. Hockenson caught five passes on five targets for 56 yards and a touchdown. And two of his catches were among the Lions 10 longest plays.

Certainly in some of the game plan plays that we had, Patricia said, I thought were well-designed to try to get T.J. the ball, and some of those situations were really good. I think those guys spend a lot of time on them in the meeting room, but on the field during the extra stuff, not just during the team periods.

Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson runs against Bears free safety Eddie Jackson during the first half at Ford Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020.(Photo: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

That chemistry was apparent Sunday. The Bears had a hard time containing Hockenson throughout the game and the creative play-calling certainly helped.

But it was one of Hockensons more mundane plays that exemplified his work with Stafford and the trust theyve developed. With the score tied at 3 in the second quarter, the Lions ran a play-action pass on first down from their 39-yard line. The Bears four-man rush penetrated quickly and Stafford was forced to throw off his back foot. Hockenson was behind the line of scrimmage and the only viable option. He caught Staffords quick pass and ran for an 8-yard gain.

Looking to Week 2: Lions' Kenny Golladay in danger of missing Packers game

Hockensons touchdown catch also showed how much trust Stafford had in his second-year tight end. Despite tight coverage, Stafford zipped a hard pass up the middle on second-and-goal from the 4-yard line for a 20-6 lead in the third quarter.

Yeah it was good, Stafford said Wednesday of his chemistry with Hockenson. Coach did a nice job drawing up some play to get him some chances and he capitalized on them. His touchdown, hes probably the most-covered guy on the field. I jammed it in there to him, but it was a nice catch. I was happy for him.

Stafford and the Lions will need as many of their weapons playing well if they want to keep pace with the powerful offenses theyre about to face, starting Sunday with the Green Bay Packers, who have the NFLs top-ranked scoring offense after Week 1.

But Hockenson represents something a little different. As the eighth overall pick last year, he represents a sizable investment from the franchise and a key building block for the future.

Obviously the more guys rolling and playing at a high clip that we can get on offense, the better well be, Stafford said. T.J.s one of those guys thats a weapon for us and weve got to make sure everybody on our offense is getting touches and were going from there.

Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here's how you can gain access to our most exclusive Lionscontent.

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Why Detroit Lions' T.J. Hockenson and Matthew Stafford already have great chemistry - Detroit Free Press