Commentary: Better living through chemistry – Jacksonville Journal Courier

On Earth Day, April 22, a hundred thousand people marched all across the world for science. Tens of thousands demonstrated in Los Angeles and London, while 200 people marched 200 miles north of the Arctic circle in Norway. In 600 cities on every continent, citizens and scientists carried signs like Fund science, not walls and Science trumps alternative facts. In Washington, D.C., the biggest crowd protested Donald Trumps proposed budget cuts to scientific research in public health and climate.

Trump is carrying out normal Republican politics. None of the many Republican candidates for president in 2016 thought evolution should be taught in public schools. A majority of Republican voters believe in creationism.

The issue of climate change shows the influence of political ideology on attitudes toward science. A Pew poll found that only 15 percent of conservative Republicans believe the earth is warming mostly due to human activity, 34 percent of moderate Republicans, 63 percent of moderate Democrats and 79 percent of liberal Democrats. A majority of conservative Republicans believes that climate scientists are influenced by a desire to advance their careers and political ideology, not by scientific evidence or public interest.

To put it simply, conservatives dont believe in science or scientists.

Heres how science denial works in real life. Lots of private websites offer their version of science, paid for by private money that they dont disclose, using clever tactics to pretend to search for truth. An example is the Heartland Institute, which has been denying the existence of warming for decades.

On the other side is Understanding Science, a public project of the University of California at Berkeley, funded by the federal National Science Foundation. This step-by-easy-step primer offers a balanced and authentic understanding of how science really works. But those who automatically accuse both government and the nations best universities of politicized scientific fraud would dismiss this site as propaganda. So they wont learn from it how our scientific community does a far better job of policing high standards for honesty and frankness than either politicians or corporations.

And they wont think about who pays for science: Most scientific research is funded by government grants (e.g., from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, etc.), companies doing research and development, and non-profit foundations.

Public and private sources have different priorities for funding scientific research. My nephew works on the development of a drug to stop Alzheimers for a biotechnology company formed by scientists and venture capitalists. Their research is motivated both to find better medicines for our collective health and to make money. As I approach 70, the prospect of preventing brain degeneration before it hits me is exciting. Their profit might extend my useful life.

Some privately funded scientific research is not in the public interest at all, such as the tobacco companies effort to deny the link to cancer, funneled through sciency-sounding propaganda organizations like the Heartland Institute.

The Republicans in Congress are not waging a war on all science; they quote from Heartlands fake science. They attack government-supported science because it might lead to government spending. For example, the discovery of lead in the water in Flint, Michigan, meant that old pipes must be replaced on 17,000 homes at an estimated cost of $7,500 each, totaling $127.5 million. Government-paid scientific research documented how lead affects babies brains, supported the creation of regulations which forced industry to stop using lead, compared the levels of lead in Flints water to experimental evidence on poisoning, and thus demonstrated the need for federal intervention.

Republicans in the Senate voted overwhelmingly to deny funding to deal with Flints crisis, but that effort lost by one vote. Congress authorized $170 million for Flint.

In the words of Understanding Science, Science affects your life every day in all sorts of different ways. Good public science saves lives and serves the public interest through government spending and government regulation. But those are Republican curse words. That is the deep secret behind the anti-science policies of Republicans in Congress and the White House. If they want to shrink government, they have to slow down or even stop science. They use tactics of obfuscation and delay. House Science Committee chair Lamar Smith attacked a 2015 study showing rising global temperatures. He used his old tactics, honed over decades in Congress: he demanded thousands of emails and other documents in search of malfeasance, misspent funds or corruption. He never found any, but he slowed down science he doesnt like.

This is not in our national interest. If we dont prepare for the worlds new climate, if we dont prevent health crises through regulation of pollutants, if we dont spend now on inconvenient science, we will have to spend much more later in economic and social costs. Peter Muennig, professor of public health at Columbia University, estimates that the two fewer healthy years of the 8,000 Flint children exposed to lead might cost American society $400 million.

The astrophysicist and TV explainer of science, Neil deGrasse Tyson, said, The good thing about science is that its true, whether or not you believe it.

The bad thing about Republican science politics is that our children and grandchildren will pay the price. Without science, its just fiction.

Olga Rodriguez | AP

http://myjournalcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_AP17112820985283.jpgOlga Rodriguez | AP

Steve Hochstadt is a writer, a gardener and a retired Illinois College professor of history. His column appears Tuesdays in the Journal-Courier and is available at stevehochstadt.blogspot.com.

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Commentary: Better living through chemistry - Jacksonville Journal Courier

Making chemistry cool – Marshall Independent

SMSU seniors Katie Carter, left, and Megan Bruns watch the student reactions as their elephant toothpaste begins to erupt.

Explosions of light and sound, disappearing water and other cool chemistry reactions despite oftentimes being awe-inspiring and mysterious are not to be mistaken for magic, members of the Southwest Minnesota State University Chem Club said.

People always call our shows magic shows, but we consider them more of reaction shows because we dont want to teach magic, SMSU chemistry major Tori Henry said. Chemistry isnt magic. Its science.

Holy Redeemer School students recently had the opportunity to learn about and experience the power of chemistry during a chemical reaction show presented by Henry, Megan Bruns, Katie Carter, Easton Popma, Austin LaFollette and Rhiannon Sears.

We enjoy doing the reactions on our own we would be fine because its fun doing it but then watching all the kids reactions out of it, its a really fun thing for us, LaFollette said.

LaFollette had the role of heating mixtures of chemicals inside a balloon, stretching out as far as he could with a long-handled torch.

Its a little exciting, he said. You never know whats going to happen. Its an art and a science. The balloons are a little bit of an art. Youre never quite sure what is going to come out.

Along with chemistry professor Noelle Beyer, the SMSU students started off the reaction show by stressing safety. Chemicals can be dangerous, so anyone working with them needs to be very knowledgeable and cautious, they said.

Most of what we do is fairly safe, Beyer said. Our reactions have come a long way. In the labs at school and at shows when were doing experiments, we say that you need to respect the chemicals. Whatever it is, treat it with respect and then youll be fine.

At certain points in the show, the presenters had everyone cup their hands over their ears. Kindergartener Aria Williamson always made sure she followed the directions. Like the other students and staff curiously observing, she knew something exciting was about to happen.

When asked which reaction was her favorite, Williamson said: The balloon one because it was so noisy. It scared me.

One time LaFollette sparked the balloon, a quick burst of light flared in the darkness. The next time he lit the chemicals inside a balloon, there were collective gasps as most audience members felt the incredible sonic blast.

I liked the explosions the best, HRS fourth-grader Wyatt Foley said.

Along with other fourth-graders under the direction of teacher Lisa Vandendriessche, Foley was required to provide some feedback about what he witnessed.

We just had to tell three things we learned about it and what experiment you like best, he said.

It was apparent that the show was intriguing for people of all ages.

This was a lot of fun, Vandendriessche said.

One of the tricks was called the Hustle because it involved disappearing liquid. LaFollette started off with three cups, one of which held a water-like fluid. As he switched the cups around, the students were asked to keep their eyes on the one that contained the water. Most were able to get the first round right. Some correctly guessed the second try. But none picked the right cup on the third switcheroo attempt because the liquid dissipated.

Its really cool to be able to see different reactions in the classroom and be able to put them into things that look really cool things that blow peoples minds, Henry said. The Hustle, the first one we did with the water, is really simple, but nobody knows what happens. The water just disappears.

Beyer said the Chem Club typically includes about 10-15 students each year. Roughly six or seven perform chemical reactions at various shows, she said.

It varies from show to show, depending on what students have going on, Beyer said. I thought this show went really well. The audience was super excited, which always gets us excited. All the reactions worked some of them take a little more time and I thought the students who were presenting did a great job explaining and trying to keep the students involved and aware.

Sometimes, Beyer said, the audiences arent as responsive to the presentations.

This was a great audience, so that was really fun, she said. We really enjoyed it.

Bruns and Carter demonstrated how to make toothpaste for an elephant.

Those of us in the Chem Club decided we should adopt an elephant, Bruns said. Thats my favorite animal. So I went to Wal-Mart to get elephant supplies.

Bruns continued, saying she bought giant blankets and wrote him a book they could read together, but there wasnt any toothpaste for elephants.

Katie and I both have recipes for toothpaste, but one of us has a higher concentration, Bruns said. See if you can tell which one of us it is.

Eventually, the toothpaste-like suds began to erupt. One experiment reacted quicker, while the other one produced suds longer.

Bruns and Henry then used a recipe to make a strong rope-like floss for the elephant.

You can see the two layers, Henry said. We resurrected this one. Wed done this demonstration in years prior, but wed stopped doing them for awhile because it didnt work. We just got it working again. Its really cool.

Henry said she couldnt believe how strong the floss was, especially considering it started out as a liquid.

When I was practicing it, I wound that whole thing up and it was about the size of a lollipop, she said. It was huge. It just kept going. And it is a really strong string.

LaFollette used chemicals to produce a glow-in-the-dark liquid like fireflies, he said. That is cool, a student said.

LaFollette then got out another balloon. This time, the reaction caused a loud boom and had enough of a ripple effect to make the overhead stage curtains sway back and forth.

That is so insane, another student in the audience said.

Music teacher Anna Lenz used the reaction show as a teachable moment.

You can smell the sulfur, Lenz said to the kindergarteners. Thats what you are smelling.

Henry demonstrated how to make snow using chemicals.

Well, it looks more like a slushy, she said. But I bet youve never lit snow on fire.

Henry did just that, changing colors as the chemicals began reacting. She also had a little sparkler show.

After Bruns added liquid to half-full glasses and changed the clear colors to red, white and blue, Beyer took the stage.

Im like Megan. Im into colors, Beyer said. I have some solutions here that are clear, and Im going to add some clear-water type chemicals that will turn different colors. Im going to turn them into a rainbow.

Beyer effectively produced the colors of the rainbow, then turned the colors back to a clear color. Wow, a handful of students said.

Beyer said the Chem Club typically does a show for and makes Silly Putty with the West Side Elementary students each year. They also did a show in Lake Benton this year. Wee Care preschool is also scheduled to come to campus for some hands-on activities this year as well.

I think its important to educate people, and especially to get kids excited, to let them know that its fun, she said. Science doesnt have to be boring and uninteresting. We just love it. Science is really cool.

Students also had the opportunity to see a number of other demonstrations, including a fire tornado and ones using large plastic water jugs. All of the experiments were met with much applause.

Since there were younger students in attendance, Beyer said they purposely left out a lot of information. No one wants inexperienced children attempting to replicate the chemistry experiments at home.

Sometimes when we do shows for a little older kids, we explain it more, Beyer said. Sometimes well do shows for high school kids. Then we try to explain more of the chemistry that is going on.

The hope is that students who are interested in science possibly pursue that avenue when they are older. Henry, a junior, didnt start out as a chemistry major, but was drawn to it.

I started out as a food science major, she said. I ended up switching, and now Ive met a lot of great friends here.

LaFollette said he contemplated becoming a veterinarian, so he started out taking biology and chemistry classes.

I found that I just enjoyed the chemistry classes and ended up in the Chem Club, too, he said. Im going to California (this week) to the American Chemicals Society Convention. Theres going to be thousands and thousands of people there.

WASHINGTON (AP) A sobering report to governors about the potential consequences of repealing the Obama-era ...

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Making chemistry cool - Marshall Independent

Harvard researcher creates chemical system that mimics early cell behavior – Harvard Gazette


Harvard Gazette
Harvard researcher creates chemical system that mimics early cell behavior
Harvard Gazette
A Harvard researcher seeking a model for the earliest cells has created a system that self-assembles from a chemical soup into cell-like structures that grow, move in response to light, replicate when destroyed, and exhibit signs of rudimentary ...

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Harvard researcher creates chemical system that mimics early cell behavior - Harvard Gazette

To get back to the World Series, the Dodgers have focused on … – Los Angeles Times

By Andy McCullough

March 31, 2017

The ballpark felt like a prison.

For several hours after the sixth game of the National League Championship Series last October, fans swarmed the streets surrounding Wrigley Field, spilling beer and screaming themselves hoarse to commemorate the Chicago Cubs reaching the World Series. The scene rendered transportation out of the stadium impossible: Waveland Avenue, Sheffield Avenue, Clark Street and Addison Street all teemed with drunken, boisterous humanity.

That left the Dodgers cooped up inside the antediluvian visitors clubhouse. As they waited for the crowd to disperse, with Saturday night stretching into Sunday morning, the players, coaches and executives eulogized the end of the season. Gloom did not pervade the room. The group did not lament how close they had come to snapping the organizations championship drought.

They spoke of how eager they were to come back.

That interlude, the last moment between the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, planted the seeds of roster reconstruction that led the Dodgers into this season. Those emotions stuck with Andrew Friedman, the clubs president of baseball operations, as he charted a course for the winter.

There was obvious disappointment, Friedman said. But there was so much determination in everyones eyes, in the condolences, in the hugs that usually follow your season ending. Ive been accustomed to it being a certain way. And this was much more focused, with so many guys talking about how they cant wait for next year.

Friedman recalled that when he took over after the 2014 season, one of our most over-arching goals was to change the culture and create a culture where players who were here wanted to stay and where players from other organizations wanted to stay.

The events of this past off-season fulfilled part of that vision. Excited about the teams future, invigorated by the leadership of Manager Dave Roberts, encouraged by the camaraderie of the group, the band got back together.

The Dodgers led the industry by doling out nearly $200 million in free agency. The overwhelming majority went to their own players, with $192 million spread between closer Kelley Jansen, third baseman Justin Turner and pitcher Rich Hill. Jansen, second baseman Chase Utley and reliever Sergio Romo all turned down more lucrative offers from other teams.

Its probably the thing Im most proud about in my short, short tenure, for players to say I love playing for you, or I want to play for the Dodgers, Roberts said. This winter was evidence.

The team returned 21 members of its 25-man playoff roster against the Cubs. After spending the first two seasons sifting through the rosters personalities, the front office settled upon what it believes is the correct mix for constructive clubhouse chemistry.

When put to players, the phrase clubhouse chemistry draws eye-rolls. Exciting stuff, Turner shrugged. Yeah, we all hate each other in here.

But for years, the Dodgers clubhouse appeared cleaved by division. And the current regime pays attention to culture at every level of the organization. It affects which players they pursue and how the players treat one another. The key, players and team officials said, is simple but challenging: Find guys who care. Or, in the sports saltier parlance, guys who give a . . . .

We want guys who want to be here, Roberts said. Talent withstanding, if theyre not the right player for us, if they dont fit, then we dont want them here.

Clayton Kershaw offered a window to the issues that once affected the team when explaining his affection for this current group.

Everybody is going to have their own individual personalities, the three-time Cy Young Award winner said. And some people are going to have ulterior motives other than just playing the game and winning. But when the majority wants to win a game more than anything else, I think thats the definition of clubhouse chemistry.

When the majority wants to win a game more than anything else, I think thats the definition of clubhouse chemistry.

Clayton Kershaw

The unity occurs at a time of intense polarization across the country, with the nation still divided after the 2016 election. During meetings earlier this spring, team officials counseled players about the merits of speaking out against or in defense of President Trump. Friedman indicated that while the Dodgers never want to muzzle anybody, the players needed to respect the differences that exist among us.

Its interesting, because people who follow the Dodgers are looking for some type of drama in our clubhouse, Roberts said. But everyone in there is focused on winning a championship. So to bring your political views to cause a distraction, I dont think its a concern for these guys.

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Added Turner, Guys have their beliefs. But its almost like a comical debate, that guys get laughs out of, rather than guys getting upset. Its just a comfortable place.

Turner spent part of the spring conducting an epistemological study based on the scientific musings of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving. Brandon Morrow, a veteran reliever who signed a minor league contract, was filling in a crossword puzzle one day when Turner approached. Turner was conducting a poll: Was the Earth round or was it flat? Morrow looked at Turner like the question was bonkers.

Youd be surprised at some of the answers, Turner said.

Spherical, Morrow said, then went back to his puzzle.

Turner posed the question to first baseman Ike Davis.

If it was flat, Davis reasoned, people could fall off.

I dont know man, Turner said. Ive definitely seen people fall off the face of the Earth.

As Turner canvassed the room asking about the planets shape, a speaker system located in the locker of outfielder Scott Van Slyke provided the soundtrack. Turner often handles the music in the Dodger Stadium clubhouse, but Van Slyke inherited the position of Camelback Ranch DJ after the team traded infielder Dee Gordon. Its a lot of pressure, Van Slyke said.

For years, seasoned baseball men considered music a divisive force, as fans of country music or Latin music or rap or metal chafed when their preference wasnt played. Van Slyke seeks to create a more congenial environment. He prefers a restrained version of electronic dance music, mostly because lyrics are so stupid these days, but he uses Spotify, which curates playlists to set the mood. The soundtrack veers from Drake to Sam Hunt to System Of A Down, generally played at a respectful volume.

Each player should be coached, managed differently in regard to their personality. That allows guys to show their individuality underneath the team concept.

Dave Roberts

Each player should be coached, managed differently in regard to their personality. That allows guys to show their individuality underneath the team concept.

Dave Roberts

Roberts sought to create a sense of common purpose after the team hired him to manage the club in 2016. He outlined unity as his No. 1 goal at his first spring training. He described the process as a very rapid progression, to the players credit. He saw the team bond during an injury epidemic that led to a major league record for players on the disabled list.

Roberts does not set many rules and he rarely calls meetings. He did not gather the players after Kershaw injured his back last summer; he figured it would be demeaning to point out to them the importance of the moment. During the teams one
notable meeting, he let about a dozen players into his office to hash out issues after a tough loss in San Francisco. The caucus held up the team bus for about 45 minutes, and then the participants disseminated the message to the rest of the roster.

Its hard to quantify how that translates to winning the games, Utley said. But when you know the guy in front of you and the guy behind you are pulling for you, it gives you a little more confidence. And at the end of the day, confidence is a big part of success at this level.

Roberts identified communication as crucial to his message. Before the team recalled mercurial outfielder Yasiel Puig from the minors last September, Roberts discussed the impending maneuver with veteran leaders such as Turner, Utley and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. He wanted the group to understand the decision, and Puig created little controversy down the stretch.

The Dodgers also adjust their culture to accept individual quirks. Midway through last season, the team called up rookie outfielder Andrew Toles. Cut by Tampa Bay in 2015 after clashes with coaches, Toles had been open about his struggles with anxiety. The organization wanted him to feel welcome.

When Toles hit his first home run, teammates rushed to hug him in the dugout, rather than engaging in the ritual of ignoring a rookie after the milestone.

I just believe that the culture is one piece, and its an umbrella, an overview of how you want things to be done, Roberts said. But within that, its so individualized. Each player should be coached, managed differently in regard to their personality. That allows guys to show their individuality underneath the team concept.

When you know the guy in front of you and the guy behind you are pulling for you, it gives you a little more confidence

Chase Utley

The continuity within the group allows the players to feel comfortable with each other. Kershaw runs a ping-pong tournament each spring. He treats the contest with reverence, which offers an opportunity for Gonzalez to torment him. After years of heckling him during matches, Gonzalez pivoted this spring. A couple weeks before departing to play for Mexico for the World Baseball Classic, he hired a company to replace the ping-pong table with a pool table.

The ruse did not surprise Kershaw. And it was not difficult to discern the culprit. Gonzalez delighted in his role.

Kaz, Gonzalez said to pitcher Scott Kazmir as Kershaw walked nearby, what happened to the ping-pong table?

I dont know, Kazmir grinned.

When do you leave again? Kershaw asked Gonzalez.

The ping-pong table returned to the room later in the day, and the pool table was moved across the room. The two tables coexisted in an encouraging example of bilateral diplomacy, a small symbol of clubhouse unity.

This is the best environment Ive ever been around, from top to bottom, Roberts said. By far.

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes

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To get back to the World Series, the Dodgers have focused on ... - Los Angeles Times

Watch: Kim Hye Soo And Joo Ji Hoon Portray Fierce Chemistry In New Teaser And Making-Of Video For Hyena – soompi

Hyena is hyping up anticipation with its new teaser video!

The upcoming SBS dramatells the survival story ofcompetitive lawyers who hold the law in their minds but money in their hearts. Kim Hye Soo plays money-hungry Jung Geum Ga while Joo Ji Hoon plays elite lawyer Yoon Hee Jae.

The teaser starts withKim Hye Soo and Joo Ji Hoonstaring each other down with strong eyes. They fight and quarrel non-stop, and the office becomes a messwith their physical bantering. Then Kim Hye Soo knocks Joo Ji Hoon to the table and lifts him up by his tie. At the end, she clutches onto the back of his head and leans down as if shes going to kiss him. The intense tension between the two creates questions about their relationship.

Check out theteaserbelow!

The drama also released a behind-the-scene video of the two actors posing for the posters.

Kim Hye Sooshowcases Jung Geum Jas signature arrogant smirk as she poses in various bold outfits. In the interview portion, she describes the drama, saying, Although it is a story of lawyers, it is more of a character drama than a legal one. I think it will be interesting to see how the characters face and confront each situation. She also added the characters are witty, charming, and strong.

On the other hand, Joo Ji Hoon poses in a sleek suit that fits his crafty character Yoon Hee Jae. The actor says, Like the drama title, my character may seem like a bad hyena that searches for rotten meat, but in a way, hes also like a puppy.

During the photo shoot together, the two actors professionally portrays brutal chemistry, but once the cut sign is given, Kim Hye Soo gently fixes Joo Ji Hoons hair while Joo Ji Hoons expression becomes relaxed. They discuss the concept with the director and monitor their poses with utmost detail.

Watch the full video below!

Hyenawill premiere on February 21 at 10 p.m. KST.

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Watch: Kim Hye Soo And Joo Ji Hoon Portray Fierce Chemistry In New Teaser And Making-Of Video For Hyena - soompi

Inspiring toddlers with chemistry – Royal Society of Chemistry

175 minutes for chemistry

Michael Reynolds spent his Time4Chem at his sons nursery in Jesmond, Newcastle, recruiting them as their own research group and getting them involved with science.

On 12 December I went to my sons nursery to do some chemistry-based activities with his playgroup the Dolphin group, aged 2832 months. For one hour they became the Dolphin Research Group.

First I gave each of the children and staff a sticker with the research group logo that they could put on their shirts. I then had some disposable lab coats, which most of the kids wore at some point the stickers and dressing up was a great way to get them excited.

We then did a few experiments that I led with the help of the nursery staff. The first (and what seemed to work best) was playing with red cabbage-dyed paper and squirting it with pipettes of lemon juice or baking soda. The fun happened when they switched solutions and saw it fizzing on the paper. I used filter paper and standard A4 printer paper and the results went home in the form of a chemis-tree bauble.

Picture: Michael Reynolds

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Inspiring toddlers with chemistry - Royal Society of Chemistry

Scientists Invent Way to See Fastest Motions of Electrons That Drive Chemistry for the First Time – SciTechDaily

A SLAC-led team has invented a method, called XLEAP, that generates powerful low-energy X-ray laser pulses that are only 280 attoseconds, or billionths of a billionth of a second, long and that can reveal for the first time the fastest motions of electrons that drive chemistry. This illustration shows how the scientists use a series of magnets to transform an electron bunch (blue shape at left) at SLACs Linac Coherent Light Source into a narrow current spike (blue shape at right), which then produces a very intense attosecond X-ray flash (yellow). Credit: Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Scientists invent a way to see attosecond electron motions with an X-ray laser. Called XLEAP, the new method developed by SLAC will provide sharp views of electrons in chemical processes that take place in billionths of a billionth of a second and drive crucial aspects of life.

Researchers at the Department of Energys SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have invented a way to observe the movements of electrons with powerful X-ray laser bursts just 280 attoseconds, or billionths of a billionth of a second, long.

The technology, called X-ray laser-enhanced attosecond pulse generation (XLEAP), is a big advance that scientists have been working toward for years, and it paves the way for breakthrough studies of how electrons speeding around molecules initiate crucial processes in biology, chemistry, materials science and more.

The team presented their method December 2, 2019, in an article in Nature Photonics.

Until now, we could precisely observe the motions of atomic nuclei, but the much faster electron motions that actually drive chemical reactions were blurred out, said SLAC scientist James Cryan, one of the papers lead authors and an investigator with the Stanford PULSE Institute, a joint institute of SLAC and Stanford University. With this advance, well be able to use an X-ray laser to see how electrons move around and how that sets the stage for the chemistry that follows. It pushes the frontiers of ultrafast science.

Studies on these timescales could reveal, for example, how the absorption of light during photosynthesis almost instantaneously pushes electrons around and initiates a cascade of much slower events that ultimately generate oxygen.

With XLEAP we can create X-ray pulses with just the right energy that are more than a million times brighter than attosecond pulses of similar energy before, said SLAC scientist Agostino Marinelli, XLEAP project lead and one of the papers lead authors. Itll let us do so many things people have always wanted to do with an X-ray laser and now also on attosecond timescales.

One attosecond is an incredibly short period of time two attoseconds is to a second as one second is to the age of the universe. In recent years, scientists have made a lot of progress in creating attosecond X-ray pulses. However, these pulses were either too weak or they didnt have the right energy to home in on speedy electron motions.

Over the past three years, Marinelli and his colleagues have been figuring out how an X-ray laser method suggested 14 years ago could be used to generate pulses with the right properties an effort that resulted in XLEAP.

In experiments carried out just before crews began work on a major upgrade of SLACs Linac Coherent Lightsource (LCLS) X-ray laser, the XLEAP team demonstrated that they can produce precisely timed pairs of attosecond X-ray pulses that can set electrons in motion and then record those movements. These snapshots can be strung together into stop-action movies.

Schematic of the XLEAP experiment at SLACs Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray laser. LCLS sends bunches of high-energy electrons (green) through an undulator magnet, where electron energy gets converted into extremely bright X-ray pulses (blue) of a few femtoseconds, or millionths of a billionth of a second. In the XLEAP configuration, electron bunches pass two additional sets of magnets (wiggler and chicane) that shape each electron bunch into an intense, narrow spike containing electrons with a broad range of energies. The spikes then produce attosecond X-ray pulses in the undulator. The XLEAP team also developed a customized pulse analyzer (right) to measure the extremely short pulse lengths. Credit: Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Linda Young, an expert in X-ray science at DOEs Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago who was not involved in the study, said, XLEAP is a truly great advance. Its attosecond X-ray pulses of unprecedented intensity and flexibility are a breakthrough tool to observe and control electron motion at individual atomic sites in complex systems.

X-ray lasers like LCLS routinely generate light flashes that last a few millionths of a billionth of a second, or femtoseconds. The process starts with creating a beam of electrons, which are bundled into short bunches and sent through a linear particle accelerator, where they gain energy. Traveling at almost the speed of light, they pass through a magnet known as an undulator, where some of their energy is converted into X-ray bursts.

The shorter and brighter the electron bunches, the shorter the X-ray bursts they create, so one approach for making attosecond X-ray pulses is to compress the electrons into smaller and smaller bunches with high peak brightness. XLEAP is a clever way to do just that.

At LCLS, the team inserted two sets of magnets in front of the undulator that allowed them to mold each electron bunch into the required shape: an intense, narrow spike containing electrons with a broad range of energies.

When we send these spikes, which have pulse lengths of about a femtosecond, through the undulator, they produce X-ray pulses that are much shorter than that, said Joseph Duris, a SLAC staff scientist and paper co-first-author. The pulses are also extremely powerful, he said, with some of them reaching half a terawatt peak power.

To measure these incredibly short X-ray pulses, the scientists designed a special device in which the X-rays shoot through a gas and strip off some of its electrons, creating an electron cloud. Circularly polarized light from an infrared laser interacts with the cloud and gives the electrons a kick. Because of the lights particular polarization, some of the electrons end up moving faster than others.

The technique works similar to another idea implemented at LCLS, which maps time onto angles like the arms of a clock, said Siqi Li, a paper co-first-author and recent Stanford PhD. It allows us to measure the distribution of the electron speeds and directions, and from that we can calculate the X-ray pulse length.

Next, the XLEAP team will further optimize their method, which could lead to even more intense and possibly shorter pulses. They are also preparing for LCLS-II, the upgrade of LCLS that will fire up to a million X-ray pulses per second 8,000 times faster than before. This will allow researchers to do experiments they have long dreamed of, such as studies of individual molecules and their behavior on natures fastest timescales.

Reference: Tunable isolated attosecond X-ray pulses with gigawatt peak power from a free-electron laser by Joseph Duris, Siqi Li, Taran Driver, Elio G. Champenois, James P. MacArthur, Alberto A. Lutman, Zhen Zhang, Philipp Rosenberger, Jeff W. Aldrich, Ryan Coffee, Giacomo Coslovich, Franz-Josef Decker, James M. Glownia, Gregor Hartmann, Wolfram Helml, Andrei Kamalov, Jonas Knurr, Jacek Krzywinski, Ming-Fu Lin, Jon P. Marangos, Megan Nantel, Adi Natan, Jordan T. ONeal, Niranjan Shivaram, Peter Walter, Anna Li Wang, James J. Welch, Thomas J. A. Wolf, Joseph Z. Xu, Matthias F. Kling, Philip H. Bucksbaum, Alexander Zholents, Zhirong Huang, James P. Cryan and Agostino Marinelli, 2 December 2019, Nature Photonics.DOI: 10.1038/s41566-019-0549-5

The XLEAP team included researchers from SLAC; Stanford University; Imperial College, UK; Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, Ludwig-Maximilians Un
iversity Munich, Kassel University, Technical University Dortmund and Technical University Munich in Germany; and DOEs Argonne National Laboratory. Large portions of this project were funded by the DOE Office of Science and through DOEs Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program. LCLS is a DOE Office of Science user facility.

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Scientists Invent Way to See Fastest Motions of Electrons That Drive Chemistry for the First Time - SciTechDaily

Billy Donovan: Comebacks have helped the Thunder build ‘chemistry’ – Oklahoman.com

When the Thunder came back from an 18-point deficit to beat the Clippers Sunday, it became one of just two teams that had pulled off four 15-point comebacks this season. The other was the Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

OKCs 118-112 win over the Clippers extended the Thunders winning streak to four games, and L.A. (22-10) was OKCs staunchest opponent in that stretch. But it wasnt the Thunders largest comeback. The team recorded three of its four 15-point comeback wins in the span of a week. Against Chicago and Memphis, OKC (15-14) trailed by as many as 26 and 24 points, respectively.

Thunder players and coaches have consistently said they dont want to make a habit out of falling behind. But there are benefits to experiencing comebacks.

I think it brings your team closer together, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said after practice Monday. I think it creates a level of belief in one another. It creates a mentality that the group knows that each guy that theyre lined up playing next to is going to give everything theyve got to get back in the game. So, I think theres a chemistry that gets built because of that.

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Billy Donovan: Comebacks have helped the Thunder build 'chemistry' - Oklahoman.com

My Chemical Romance Have Started Using Their Blog Again – ROCKSOUND.TV

It really is nice to have them back, isn't it?

My Chemical Romancehave revived the blog section on their website, and it's all started with a short blog post from frontman Gerard Way.

Before the infamous breakup of MCR in 2013, the members of My Chem used their website blog as a means of communicating with their fans in a more long-form way than Twitter (which at the time was still only limited to 140 characters per tweet - what a time!).

Now that they're back in action, the old My Chem blog feature has roared back to life, with Gerard sharing some thoughts on his preparations to hit Japan later this year, for two scheduled live appearances.

"Gearing up to head to Japan it has always been a magical place for me," Gerard shared. "Every time I am there, I learn something about the culture, and something about myself. I come back home feeling fresh, with a new perspective. The crowds are as spectacular as the beauty of the country."

This is the first time since the announcement of the reunion that Gerard has spoken about My Chem being back, beyond the initial announcement made on his Instagram on Halloween last year.

So far, MCR have five live appearances scheduled for 2020, across Australia, New Zealand and Japan. But it looks like the UK and the US might be up next. Check out the full list of announced tour dates below:

MARCH

20 - MELBOURNE Download Festival21 - SYDNEY Download Festival25 - AUCKLAND Western Springs28 - OSAKA Intex29 - TOKYO Download Festival

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My Chemical Romance Have Started Using Their Blog Again - ROCKSOUND.TV

Venetian physician had a key role in shaping early modern chemistry – Phys.Org

May 26, 2017 Santorio's marginal note to col. 406C-D, in Santorio Santori, Commentaria In Primam Fen Primi Libri Canonis Avicennae (Venice, 1625), British Library, 542.h.11. Credit: Santorio's marginal note to col. 406C-D, in Santorio Santori, Commentaria In Primam Fen Primi Libri Canonis Avicennae (Venice, 1625), British Library, 542.h.11. Courtesy of the British Library.

Newly discovered notes show for the first time the Venetian doctor who invented the thermometer and helped lay the foundations for modern medical treatment also played a key role in shaping our understanding of chemistry.

The physician Santorio Santori, who lived between 1561 and 1636, came up with an accurate explanation for how matter works twenty years before Galileo.

Handwritten notes made by Santorio in a 1625 edition of his own book Commentaria in primam Fen primi libri Canonis Avicennae (A Commentary on the First Fen of the First Book of Avicenna's Canon) show he realised matter was made from invisible 'corpuscles'. Although the Greek philosopher Democritus and others after him had already maintained the existence of such bodies, historians previously believed that nobody had come up with the proof for their existence before Galileo.

The book, kept in the British Library, was found by Dr Fabrizio Bigotti, from the Centre for Medical History at the University of Exeter. The language used and handwriting style strongly suggest the notes were made by Santorio.

Dr Bigotti said: "This discovery makes the case for a deeper study of early modern chemistry in the Medical School of Padua, where Santorio taught, and the work carried out there between the end of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth century. Santorio's true contribution to chemistry has been forgotten but, I hope, this new discovery means that will no longer be the case.

"The notes show he did not see the world not made up of four elemental qualities - hot, cold, dry and moist - as Aristotle had suggested. This helped to start the process of getting rid of the idea that magic and the occult could be found in nature.

"It is truly remarkable that, beyond his undoubted merits in science and early modern technology, Santorio also held very innovative ideas on chemistry and was so fully committed to investigating the structure of matter."

Santorio had correctly identified the minimal structure of matter as a series of corpuscles as early as 1603, and proved his assumptions by means of a series of optical experiments on light, as well as distilling urine. All these experiments were carried out with instruments Santorio made especially for his own research.

It was already known that Santorio laid the foundations for what is understood today as evidence-based medicine and the study of metabolism. The new discovery shows he was he among the first scientists to suggest the body aims at preserving its own balance through discharge of invisible particles.

Dr Bigotti began researching the life and works of Santorio in 2013. His project is now funded by Wellcome Trust. He outlined this new discovery at an international conference organised with Professor Jonathan Barry, Co-director of the Centre for Medical History of the University of Exeter, in Pisa this month.

Explore further: The next scientific breakthrough could come from the history books

More information: Fabrizio Bigotti, A Previously Unknown Path to Corpuscularism in the Seventeenth Century: Santorio's Marginalia to the(1625), Ambix (2017). DOI: 10.1080/00026980.2017.1287550

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Venetian physician had a key role in shaping early modern chemistry - Phys.Org

Chemistry, trust lead Herd defensive line to success – Huntington Herald Dispatch

HUNTINGTON Anyone who has ever been a competitor knows there is no trust like that within yourself to get a job done.

The beauty of team sports is that, just like a player trusts in his or her own abilities, he or she also must build that same trust level within their teammates to see success.

For Marshalls 2019 football season, there is no better example of this than the Thundering Herd defensive line, led by defensive ends coach Cornell Brown and defensive tackles coach J.C. Price.

Marshall rotates as many as 11 or 12 players six defensive ends and five or six defensive linemen to apply constant pressure within a game. The result of that rotation is a Marshall defense that is tied for sixth in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 32 sacks and a team that is finishing games strong in the fourth quarter.

Marshall head coach Doc Holliday said that unselfish nature among those players is one way that he knows he has a special team.

Im sure all of these guys would like to play more, but they also like that feeling in the locker room after theyve won the game, Holliday said. Theyre an unselfish bunch and theyre playing well.

Channing Hames, a senior defensive tackle who has been in the program for five years now, said that building that trust level starts in the offseason when guys are working in the weight room and in individual drills. Hames can see those guys who are working hard beside him and going through every repetition at full speed, giving their all for the team, which helps create that bond between teammates.

One such player whom Hames has worked closely with is sophomore Jamare Edwards, who is Hames backup. Whereas at one time Hames would have wanted every rep, now he can see the benefit of shared time.

I think Jamare has done an outstanding job coming in and executing his job what hes supposed to do and even doing a little more just showing extra effort on plays and showing up when a play comes toward him, Hames said. I feel like when opportunities came, hes definitely (taken) advantage of that.

Things like that help me and the starters out to know that we can trust him to do what hes supposed to do when were not in there.

The defensive end rotation is even more impressive with Marquis Couch and Darius Hodge starting the games, but a six-man wave that includes names such as Koby Cumberlander, Sam Burton, Fermin Silva and Owen Porter, who all get action during a contest.

On average, Marshalls defense is only seeing around 66 plays per game with snaps being divided.

If Hodge played the number of snaps a lot of people in this league play, he may be leading our league in sacks, Holliday said. Gosh, he plays 30 plays a game. Then, you roll Koby Cumberlander and Sam Burton goes in there and plays welland you have Couch and Silva. We have about six defensive ends who are rolling in there to help us, and thats a good thing.

In the shorter picture of one week, Marshalls defensive linemen are at their best when the game is on the line.

I think we do a good job subbing in and out so by the time the fourth quarter comes, either me or one of us is ready to go in and cause havoc, Hames said.

In the longer scope of an entire season, that depth has been pivotal for the Herd in terms of injuries, which have been limited along the defensive line because players arent seeing the field as much. With the Herd in control of its destiny in Conference USAs East Division, it is now preparing for its final stretch run of the regular season a pivotal three-game race to the finish that starts with a Nov. 15 matchup against Louisiana Tech.

If things go as they have to this point in the season, Marshalls defensive line is going to be a key cog in seeing that success continue.

That entire unit is focused on quality not quantity as it moves toward its goals of a Conference USA championship.

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Chemistry, trust lead Herd defensive line to success - Huntington Herald Dispatch

Mavs see young core building chemistry during summer of training … – Mavs.com

DALLAS Finishing the 2016-17 season with nine players on the roster 26 years old or younger, the Dallas Mavericks now hope to continue the progression of their emerging youth movement going into next year.

Starting off the season with a 4-17 record while 13-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki missed time due to a right Achilles strain, the Mavericks were forced to turn to their young contributors early and often. The Mavs then saw their young players rally together by the end of the grueling 82-game schedule, despite missing out on the playoffs following a 33-49 campaign. The Mavericks will now attempt to foster their young talent with an extensive offseason training schedule that begins during the month of May. And according to Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, the goal is to help facilitate the growth, chemistry and development of the teams first- and second-year players throughout this summer.

Its going to be busier (this summer) with player development internally than its been, Carlisle admitted. We have a schedule in place. Our first- and second-year guys will be back in mid-May for a couple of weeks, and then mid-June for a couple of weeks. Were going to space out their workouts, so that their bodies can stay fresh, and then prepare them for the Summer League. Weve got to get Yogi (Ferrell) and (Dorian) Finney-Smith and (Nicolas) Brussino and (A.J.) Hammons better. In the first year, theres always going to be an increase in skill level and things like that. Weve just got to be careful not to let these guys plateau. One of the ways we get better is to get better from within.

Weve got to be careful about doing too much too soon, the coach added. So much in this league is really geared towards a group of guys being tied together in the locker room and having a set of definable skills. We want there to be an element of positive predictability within the team, so that everybody knows what everybody can do.

The Mavericks young contributors began to develop definable roles late in the 16-17 schedule while seeing the bulk of the playing time during the final six games of the season. The young Mavs also had their hard work rewarded with a 100-93 win in Memphis during the season finale on April 12, snapping a five-game losing streak to enter the offseason on a high note.

The Mavericks hope to carry the momentum of that victory into the summer, looking to grow the confidence of the young core. That said, each of the young pros will also be asked to grow their own games and come into next season a better player.

A lot of young guys now are just taking it by storm a little bit, and its just more ammo for us to go out there and play even harder for each other, Ferrell explained. We know were young and were going to make mistakes, but thats all a part of the learning process.

I think were excited going forward, 26-year-old combo guard Seth Curry echoed. We showed a lot of things we can build on with young talent. Guys were playing big minutes and playing big moments throughout the season against other great teams and playing well, showing that we can win and not just playing well and just being good. We competed with some of the best teams in the league. And obviously, guys have got to get better going into the offseason. Guys have got to come back and build off the experience they got this year. I think everybody who played and got an opportunity to show what they can do is excited about that.

Much of the teams success next season will come from chemistry on and off the court, according to 25-year-old big man Dwight Powell. That said, the Mavericks hope their budding stars can develop chemistry by spending an extensive amount of time together during the summer.

The Dallas front office also hopes to add another young star capable of stepping in and contributing during the upcoming NBA Draft in June. And with a schedule already in place for the first- and second-year pros to train together in Dallas during the summer, the Mavs see the lessons learned this season serving as motivation for the entire young core.

I mean, chemistry comes down to spending time with one another off the court, playing and having success together, Powell said. We had some trying times this year, but I think it helped us build some strength together and learn a lot about each other during those tough times. That comes with the territory. Guys came in ready to work every day, and I appreciated that. So, at the end of the day, we had a team of guys that wanted to win and wanted to work hard and wanted to be here. You cant ask for more than that. I think the most confidence I have is in guys hunger and guys resolve at the end of the season. They wanted to get better and really are prepared to kind of attack this offseason. I know we all kind of have a bitter taste in our mouths from the whole season and the result at the end of the day, but well try to convert that into motivation for the next few months.

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Mavs see young core building chemistry during summer of training ... - Mavs.com

Brandin Cooks’ chemistry with Tom Brady among Pats’ OTA storylines – ESPN (blog)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots move to the third phase of the voluntary offseason program this week, holding their first organized team activity on Monday. Players can now be at the facility for up to six hours and take part in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

While the first OTA open to the media isnt until Thursday, here are a few things of particular interest in the no-pads setting:

Cooks chemistry. The Patriots are loaded at wide receiver with the addition of speedy Brandin Cooks, who joins an already solid depth chart of Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola. When watching an OTA, it is commonplace to hear quarterback Tom Brady talking to his pass-catchers about how precise he likes routes to be run as the work begins to develop a foundation to take into training camp. Cooks, in particular, will be one to watch.

Gilmore and Butler at corner. After an offseason of uncertainty as to whether Malcolm Butler would be back in New England, the Patriots can now boast that they have arguably one of the NFLs best 1-2 cornerback tandems with Butler and Stephon Gilmore. This will be their first chance to work together in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills -- where coaches often stress the importance of communication -- with reporters also potentially getting a feel for which cornerback the coaching staff currently views as the top option in the slot in a three-corner nickel package.

Any sign of Gronkowski? Tight end Rob Gronkowski is making progress in his return from back surgery that prematurely ended his 2016 season, and this will be a chance for further context on how far along he is. If Gronkowski can get in the ring as part of a WWE show, is it unreasonable to think he could be on the field in a non-contact, no-pads setting?

A new look at running back. While running backs coach Ivan Fears has passionately pointed out that it isnt real football until players are in full pads, this will be a first look at how natural Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead look catching the football. They join James White, Dion Lewis and D.J. Foster atop the depth chart in a new-look backfield. The Patriots no longer have a big, power rusher with LeGarrette Blount now in Philadelphia, as Gillislee has a similar physical makeup as Stevan Ridley at 218 pounds.

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Brandin Cooks' chemistry with Tom Brady among Pats' OTA storylines - ESPN (blog)

Caltech Chemistry Student Receives Fulbright Fellowship – Pasadena Now


Pasadena Now
Caltech Chemistry Student Receives Fulbright Fellowship
Pasadena Now
At Caltech, Roberts has focused her studies on inorganic chemistry and has worked in the lab of Jonas C. Peters, Bren Professor of Chemistry and director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute. Through Caltech's Summer Undergraduate Research ...

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Caltech Chemistry Student Receives Fulbright Fellowship - Pasadena Now

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough ‘nervous’ in preseason debut as Mystics … – Washington Post

With 11 days left until their regular season opener, the Washington Mystics were back in the gym Wednesday afternoon less than 24 hours after defeating the Indiana Fever, 87-67, in their preseason opener in Indianapolis.

Coach Mike Thibault spent the final portion of practice on the main court at Verizon Center working on end-of-game situations. In one drill, prized offseason acquisition Elena Delle Donne stepped into the passing lane for a steal to preserve a lead. Moments later rookie Shatori Walker-Kimbrough did the same.

Its a play the No. 6 pick in this years draft made time and again while at Maryland, where she completed her career this past season as the schools fourth all-time scorer.The guard-forward also developed into a responsible defender, leading the Terrapins in steals as a senior.

Walker-Kimbrough finished with 12 points in 20 minutes in Tuesdays exhibition, logging the most playing time among the starters at a venue where she shined in college. As a junior, Walker-Kimbrough was named most outstanding player in helping the Terrapins win the Big Ten tournament title at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

[Elena Delle Donne sharp as Mystics beat Fever in preseason opener]

Im not going to lie. I was a little nervous, Walker-Kimbrough said of her professional debut. Its so crazy just being out there actually going against a different team. Its like so surreal to me, but it went great. I thought we played really good as a team.

Honing team chemistry has been a priority during training camp given the many newcomers to the club. Just two starters against the Fever were with Washington last season, and among the seven reserves who played, only forwards Tianna Hawkins and Ally Malott have experience in a Mystics uniform.

Thibault held out starting guard Tayler Hill because of a sore ankle, and backup point guard Ivory Latta did not play while sherests her surgically repaired knee. Also missing from the lineup were Emma Meesseman and Kristi Toliver, both starters who have yet to come back from playing overseas.

Meesseman and Toliver are expected back next week, but not in time for the final preseason game Monday night against the Minnesota Lynx at Verizon Center.

I thought it was good just to get out there against a different team, said forward Asia Taylor, who came off the bench to lead Washington with 13 points against the Fever. I liked our energy we came out with. I liked that coach put us out there with different lineups and different matchups, and I got to play a bunch of different positions, which was good for me to just kind of get out there and put everything together weve been doing in practice.

[After 10 seasons in the WNBA, Ivory Latta remains Mystics bundle of energy]

The next few days of practice are set to include, among other assignments, installing more offensive sets, Thibault indicated. The Mystics are somewhat limited in what they can do in that regard in part because of the absence of Toliver, the starting point guard.

Still, getting Delle Donne more comfortable within the offense remains an ongoing process, with the next step scripting plays designed especially for the 2015 WNBA MVP. Delle Donne joined the Mystics in a blockbuster offseason trade with the Chicago Sky in which Thibault, also the general manager, dealt the No. 2 overall pick this year, center Stefanie Dolson and guard Kahleah Copper in exchange for the then-restricted free agent.

Delle Donne had 12 points, three assists and two rebounds in 17 minutes against the Fever while frequently matched against forward Candice Dupree, a five-time all-star.

We arent running that many plays right now, and were certainly not running plays designed for individuals at the moment, Thibault said. She had a good flow [against Indiana]. The goal is to play her between 15 and 18 minutes and kind of get her out there particularly when they had Dupree and those guys on the court. I thought it was a good start.

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Shatori Walker-Kimbrough 'nervous' in preseason debut as Mystics ... - Washington Post

A&S Outstanding Instructor Award Presented To Chemistry Lecturer – Yankton Daily Press

VERMILLION Kadarkaraisamy "Kadal" Mariappan, Ph.D., a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of South Dakota, is the 2017 recipient of the Outstanding Instructor Award presented by the College of Arts & Sciences.

After joining the chemistry department as a post-doctoral fellow in 2002, Mariappan began teaching laboratory courses as an instructor in 2005. He became a lecturer and chemistry teaching laboratory coordinator in 2007.

Mariappan teaches large lecture courses for students who are not majoring in chemistry and may have limited background in math and science.

"How do I make chemistry interesting for those students? The very first meeting of class I go over the importance of chemistry concepts," Mariappan said. "For example, I show them how the water molecule exists in liquid form because of one simple chemical interaction."

Mariappan says his approach to teaching the chemistry survey course for non-majors has spurred a greater interest in chemistry for some in his class. "There are usually a few students who change their majors to chemistry after the class," he said. "That means somebody listened."

With large lectures that start at 8 a.m., Mariappan also must encourage students to make it to class at an early hour. Short quizzes on the previous lecture or readings ensure attendance and Mariappan lets students discuss the questions and answers during the quiz. "They can work as a group to find the best answer," Mariappan said. "I tell them that education is not about grades but about training themselves to think."

The Outstanding Instructor Award is given annually to a faculty member in the College of Arts & Sciences who demonstrates outstanding classroom teaching and mentoring of students. The winner receives a cash prize, made possible through an annual gift of the Johnson family. Mary Elizabeth Johnson is a USD graduate in mass communication who served as Chaplain at the Mayo Clinic for over three decades, working closely with women experiencing health issues and loss. Johnson completed graduate work at Seattle University, and served as an adjunct member of the Mayo Medical School.

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A&S Outstanding Instructor Award Presented To Chemistry Lecturer - Yankton Daily Press

First one bit chemical memory unit: The ‘chit’ – Science Daily


Science Daily
First one bit chemical memory unit: The 'chit'
Science Daily
The chemical foundations of the memory constructed by the IPC PAS researchers is the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. The course of the reaction is oscillatory: when one cycle is over, the reagents necessary to start the next cycle are reconstituted ...

and more »

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First one bit chemical memory unit: The 'chit' - Science Daily

Joe Flacco, Breshad Perriman finally have chance to build chemistry … – Baltimore Beatdown

The Ravens front office did not draft a receiver. Inhale, exhale and relax. Not only is there still time in the offseason, but the receivers on the roster, notably Breshad Perriman, still have a lot to prove and have not had the time to prove it.

Barring injury (please God) this will be Perriman's first complete offseason. He now has chance to enter and undergo a full training camp, therefore practicing with the maximum ammount of reps.

The lack of chemistry with Joe Flacco was apparent this past season, especially on stop routes along the sidelines where Flacco's ball placement was often wayward and the ball was being thrown much after Perriman turned around.

If Perriman and Flacco can go through an entire training camp and an entire pre-season together, the resulting chemistry gained could help mitigate the loss of Steve Smith, and perhaps even help Breshad Perriman ascend as a number one wide receiver.

Perriman and Flacco have a lot of things to iron out. Perriman still fights the ball and his transition to a runner after catching the ball is still not as smooth as it could be. The timing on routes that demand to be sharp - like slants, comebacks and back shoulder fades was not present last year. They have the opportunity to make big strides in the coming offseason. It would not be a stretch to say that it is paramount for the two players in question to find their groove.

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Joe Flacco, Breshad Perriman finally have chance to build chemistry ... - Baltimore Beatdown