Chemistry Research Project Receives National Grant | Northern Today – Northern Today

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Northern Michigan University undergraduate students are participating in cutting-edge chemistry research with ProfessorYu "Leo" Liu, who is among 14 faculty members nationwide recently awarded two-year summer research grants from Organic Synthesis Inc. His project advances green chemistry by eliminating the use of metal-based catalysts. Instead of organic solvents, it carriesthe catalytic reactions in a more environmentally-friendly solvent: water.

The $8,000 per year in funding will cover stipends for two student coworkers and project materials and supplies.

The 2021 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded for the discovery of asymmetric organocatalysts: small, organic molecule-based catalysts that are cheaper than enzymes and friendlier to the environment than the traditional metal catalysts. Asymmetric organocatalysts, which can selectively produce the desired geometry of pharmaceutical molecules, has become one of the hot research topics in chemistry, Liu said.

Liu has contributed to the field by developing a unique system for assembling two different organocatalysts together through a special intermolecular force called aromatic donor-acceptor interaction.

The two organocatalysts perform the reaction in a synergetic way, which significantly promotes the reaction rate and the selectivity of one of the mirror images of the targeting molecules, Liu said. More interesting, we found that water as the solvent can give the best results for this dual organocatalyst system. The common organic reactions require volatile and hazardous organic solvents, which create more environmental challenges. This finding is in line with the development of green chemistry.

The undergraduate students who have participated in the research include: Garrett Meso, who initiated the project with Liu three years ago, earned his degree and is now a graduate student in mathematics; Sam Smith and David Gregorich, both scheduled to graduate this spring; Ender Harris; Derek Baluyut; Natalia Correa; and Jacob Cortez.

This research is really valuable because we get access to doing different things that we can't do through our regular classwork, Correa said. This is helping to pave my path for graduate research and what I'm going to do in the future. I might synthesize some medicine. I'm still trying to figure that out, but he's a great instructor and it's an honor to work on this project.

This experience is helping me because it gave me an idea for the medicinal plant chemistry program. I want to develop a project by using the knowledge ofsupramolecular catalysts we are learningin this lab, said Cortez.

The title of Liu's grant-funded project is "Organocatalytic Assembly Based on Aromatic Donor-acceptor Interaction for the Asymmetric Aldol Reaction." He will present his work at the National Organic Symposium in San Diego at the end of June. A peer-reviewed journal article about his research will be published afterward.

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Chemistry Research Project Receives National Grant | Northern Today - Northern Today

What is Chemistry? – Dept of Chemistry – University of Idaho

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Chemistry is a branch of natural science that deals principally with the properties of substances, the changes they undergo, and the natural laws that describe these changes.

The study of chemistry spans the range from qualitative in focus to quantitative. The more qualitative chemist might work on synthesizing a new compound used in medicine, for example, while the more quantitative work can seem much like physics applied to the microscopic level of atoms and molecules.

Chemicals are everywhere and are everything. Anything you can touch or smell or see contains one or more chemicals. Many occur naturally but some are man made.

Chemists discover naturally occurring chemicals and also make new ones never seen before. Chemists study the properties of the natural and man made chemicals. This information is used to understand how some chemicals may be modified to make them more useful and they develop the methods to make the modifications.

Chemists seek to study the natural world but also seek to improve it by modification on a molecular level. Because everything is a chemical, chemistry is one of the foundations of modern industrial economies.

Advancements in the field of chemistry have brought about major improvements in our world. Improvements range from new medicines that cure disease, to new materials that make us safer and stronger, to new sources of energy that enable new activities.

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What is Chemistry? - Dept of Chemistry - University of Idaho

Pioneering Researcher of Reticular Chemistry and UC Berkeley Professor Dr. Omar Yaghi to Present Shipley Distinguished Lecture at Clarkson University…

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Dr. Omar Yaghi

Dr. Omar Yaghi will present two lectures at Clarkson Universitys 26th Shipley Distinguished Lectureship next month. The lectures will be held virtually via Zoom, and are open to the public.

Professor Omar M. Yaghi is a professor of chemistry at UC Berkeley and is widely known for pioneering several extensive classes of new materials: MetalOrganic Frameworks (MOFs), Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs), and Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs). These materials have the highest surface areas known to date, making them useful for hydrogen and methane storage, carbon capture and conversion, water harvesting from desert air, and catalysis, to mention a few. The building block approach he developed has led to an exponential growth in the creation of new materials having diversity and multiplicity previously unknown in chemistry. He termed this field Reticular Chemistry and defines it as stitching molecular building blocks into extended structures by strong bonds. Please visit his webpage to read more about Dr. Yaghi and his research.

Professor Yaghi will offer two virtual lectures. The first one, titled Harvesting Water from Desert Air will be held Thursday, April 7, 2022, at 4:30 pm EDT. Click here to register for the Zoom event. https://clarkson.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0qdOyhqDotGNQOVm6CFvdUrTNb-i9uKwFQ

The second virtual lecture, titled RETICULAR CHEMISTRY: The atom, the molecule, and the framework will be held Friday, April 8, 2022, at 3:30 pm EDT. Click here for the Zoom event. https://clarkson.zoom.us/s/91407233738

Yaghi is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and has been honored with many awards for his scientific accomplishments, including the Materials Research Society Medal and the American Chemical Society Award in the Chemistry of Materials. He recently became the inaugural recipient of the VinFuture Special Prize which is dedicated to Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields.

The Shipley Distinguished Lectures are sponsored by the Shipley Family Foundation, with support from Clarksons Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) and the Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science. The lectures were initiated in 1994 by the late Professor Egon Matijevic through a generous gift from the foundation on behalf of the late Lucia and Charles Shipley.

The Universitys relationship with the Shipleys dates to 1970, when Matijevic was invited by the Shipley Company to successfully resolve a patent situation involving their critical catalyst in electroless plating, establishing a professional relationship between the two entrepreneurs that continued for years.

For more than 20 years, distinguished speakers from around the world, including ten Nobel Laureates, have presented talks. The purpose of the lectures is to promote scholarly achievement at Clarkson by providing the opportunity for idea exchange and active learning, as well as allowing undergraduate and graduate students to meet the most prestigious speakers from all over the world.

For more information about the lectures, please contact Elizabeth McCarran at 315-268-6658 or emccarra@clarkson.edu.

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Pioneering Researcher of Reticular Chemistry and UC Berkeley Professor Dr. Omar Yaghi to Present Shipley Distinguished Lecture at Clarkson University...

A spanner in the works | Opinion – Chemistry World

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If you look at the pharmacopeia, the list of drugs we have approved and available, all the way from the early plant-derived compounds like digitalis and morphine and up through aspirin and antibiotics to the very latest therapies, you will see drugs targeted at a huge range of diseases. But there is a common feature to the vast majority of known drugs that may not be obvious at first: they generally work by causing something else to fail.

Consider some of the best-populated classes of drug mechanisms, those working through cellular receptor proteins and on enzymes. The clear majority of receptor-based drugs are antagonists, compounds that block the signaling of the receptor and keep it from responding to its natural ligand (either partially or totally). And the overwhelmingly larger set of enzyme-targeting drugs are inhibitors, compounds that work by blocking the enzymes active site one way or another to reduce its activity.

The true direct enzyme activator stories can be counted on fingers

There are exceptions agonist drugs on receptors cause them to respond more strongly or for longer duration than they might otherwise, for example. And theres a whole class of drugs, with insulin leading the list, that simply try to replace a key biomolecule that some patients lack. But most of the time, in most situations, drugs work on a similar principle to that of a well-aimed wrench being thrown into the gears of a complex machine. We are trying to bring some select part of the system to a halt, and a good part of the search for new medicinal chemistry targets consists of finding things whose stoppage might be beneficial.

Put simply, its just easier to interfere with the many pieces of a living organism than it is to directly make them work better. Enzymes, for example, have all had long evolutionary histories that have optimised their activity to extraordinary degrees. The chances, therefore, of making one more selective or faster-acting through the binding of an outside drug molecule are very small indeed. The true direct enzyme activator stories can be counted on fingers. But clogging up an enzymes active site with an extraneous molecule thats hard to dislodge? There you have better chances.

So the art is to find situations where some disease mechanism can be usefully altered by causing some part of it to break down. A target thats doing too much work in a given disease process is an obvious candidate, and you can try to shut these down directly if they have a druggable site. But what about the situations where some activity needs to be increased? If you really do need a key enzyme to work harder, then look for something in the cell that naturally inhibits it, and gum up the process that produces this inhibitor. Or look for the signals that cause your enzyme to become less active or to be broken down and cleared from the cell: there may well be a phosphorylation step that helps to turn its activity off or down, for example. In that case, an inhibitor of the kinase enzyme that adds that particular phosphate group might be just what you need. These sorts of indirect bounce shot mechanisms are widespread.

If you really do need an enzyme to work harder, then look for something that naturally inhibits it, and gum [that] up

One of the hottest areas of current drug research takes this idea even further. Targeted protein degradation hijacks the cells own protein-recycling machinery. Tagging particular proteins with ubiquitin side chains marks them for destruction in the cells proteasome. To get this to work, you have to look through disease mechanisms with an eye to the ones where yanking one particular part out of the cell completely would benefit the patient. An interesting complexity of doing it this way as opposed to finding a small-molecule inhibitor of that same protein is that many proteins have functions that may have nothing to do with their active site (associating with other proteins and altering their activities in turn, for example). Targeted degradation removes all of these, since it removes the whole protein by dropping into the cellular equivalent of a waste disposal shredder, while a standard inhibitor might leave several of a proteins other activities still functional. Sometimes this is a desirable feature, but sometimes it may not be!

That, then, is a key secret of success in drug discovery (well, its earliest stages), and I am passing it on to you free of charge: look for things that you can inhibit, disturb, slow down, or completely destroy. And choose carefully!

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A spanner in the works | Opinion - Chemistry World

Chemistry Club to host Mike and Sully’s Chemistry Clash – NIU Today

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The Northern Illinois University Chemistry Clubinvites the public toitsannual ChemistryDemo Night at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 8,in the Sandburg Auditorium of the Holmes Student Center.

The theme of the free event is Mike and Sullys Chemistry Clash, featuringexperiments and characters based on Monsters Inc. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

The interactive show is sure to surprise and delight! says Chemistry Club Vice President Chris English. NIU students on the Mean Green Team and the True Blue Team will compete to fit screams inside energy canisters, make monster toothpaste, and more!

Our Chem Demo theme showcases how chemistry, which may seem scary or intimidating to some, can actually be a lot of fun! says Chemistry Club Treasurer Anastasia Klenke.

Faculty and staff members assisting with this years demo include the Chemistry Clubs faculty advisor, Professor Oliver Hofstetter, as well as Len Lennergard and James Barker from NIUs Integrated Media Technologies. Additionally, staff from Adventure Works of DeKalb will assist with hands-on activities after the show.

The Chem Club is very happy to perform in person again this year and all members are excited to share their enthusiasm for chemistry with a live audience, Hofstetter says.

Planned experiments will include bright flashes of light, intermittent periods of low light and/or darkness, and burst of noise. For safety precautions, members of the audience are asked to not sit in the first row of seating.

Free parking will be availablestarting at 5 p.m.in the NIU parking deck along the west side of Normal Road, about one block north of Lincoln Highway (Route 38), or in the nearby visitor lot on Carroll Avenue, just west of the parking garage. Masks are optional and encouraged. Sections of seating will be masks only for those who prefer to stay masked.

More information about NIU Chemistry Club is available on Facebook at Northern Illinois University Chemistry Cluband Instagram @niu_chemclub.

For questions about Chem Demo, please contactChemistry Club President Corey Weinberg (z1860577@students.niu.edu).

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Chemistry Club to host Mike and Sully's Chemistry Clash - NIU Today

Sea sponges own unique chemistry goes beyond that of their bacterial guests – Chemistry World

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Sea sponges, simple animals that fossil evidence shows have been around for about 1.8 billion years, are teeming with unique chemistry. Up until now researchers assumed most of the really interesting chemistry was being carried out by their symbiotic bacteria, but now theyve discovered that the sponges can produce biologically active compounds that could be drug candidates.

The new work was carried out by Bradley Moores marine chemistry and geochemistry lab at the University of California, San Diegos Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the US and presented at the American Chemical Societys spring conference held virtually and in-person in San Diego.

A genetic analysis conducted by Kayla Wilson, a PhD student in Moores lab, found that a range of unusual nitrogen-containing terpenes produced by the sea sponge Axinella are actually made by the sponge and not its microbes. To study the genetic sequences responsible for making these compounds, Wilson sequenced the sponges DNA and that of its microbiome to determine which genes produced the terpenes. To do that she searched for sequences encoding terpene synthase an enzyme responsible for a key step in terpene production. Together with a colleague who had studied the same enzyme in corals, she concluded that the compounds came from the sponge itself.

Moore says that discovering sponges can make these compounds themselves represents a fundamental shift in the field. If this animal is making this funky little terpene, what else are animals making? he asks. I think this opens the door to a new emphasis on animals as vessels for drug discovery.

Paco Cardenas, a sea sponge expert at Uppsala University in Sweden who was not involved in this work, confirms that terpenes are usually produced by plants so it is unusual that these animals are making them. It is surprising, and it is a nice discovery, but we already know that sponges themselves can produce other types of chemistry such as sterols, like cholesterol, and peptides, he adds, noting that sea sponges produce the highest diversity of sterols of any animal on Earth, and they make these themselves.

It would be even more exciting if similar compounds are identified that have significant biological activity against bacteria or cancer cells, and they too are determined to be made by sea sponges, Cardenas says. We could then produce substantial amounts of these compounds, and we could move to sponge culture where you take pieces of sponge and let them grow in a seawater aquarium and then cut them again until you get enough biomass to extract your compound of interest, he tells Chemistry World.

Vikram Shende, a postdoc in Moores lab also discussed his discovery of new compounds from the local Cliona sea sponge at the ACS meeting. Shende and two undergraduate students extracted compounds from 13 species of sponge, and after testing the extracts for biological activity they identified bromine-containing peptides which were shown to inhibit bacteria growth.

Shende and his colleagues are now trying to determine the molecular structure of these peptides, and whether they have potential as an antibiotic. The researchers have yet to determine if these brominated compounds are made by these sponges or the microbes within them.

Compounds with bromides are very common with sponges and marine organisms in general, and bromide on peptides has been found but is less common, Cardenas points out. If this is a really big peptide then that is quite rare, but there are not many details provided.

Shende argues that this research and research at Moores lab demonstrates why local biodiversity is so crucial. I really want people to take away that it is important to preserve local biodiversity, not only because of environmental reasons but because we have this incredible treasure trove of molecules that might end up making life-saving medicines, he said.

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Sea sponges own unique chemistry goes beyond that of their bacterial guests - Chemistry World

AOR-29 Researcher in Electrochemical Nanosensors Development chemistry job with TYNDALL NATIONAL INSTITUTE | 288209 – Times Higher Education

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AOR-29 Researcher in Electrochemical Nanosensors Development chemistry

Contract: Full Time/Fixed Term

Tyndall is a core partner in the VistaMilk Centre. The Science Foundation Ireland/Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: VistaMilk Centre for innovative Smart precision pasture-based dairying, brings together a number of major Irish research providers to facilitate the development and deployment of new knowledge, new ICT technologies and new decision support tools to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire dairy production chain. To this end, Vistamilk will develop new, and advance existing, electronic monitoring and sensing technologies to transform an already world-class dairy sector into a global leader in sustainable Agri-Tech and also provide a one-stop-shop for research, education and innovation within this domain. Tyndall is leading the Smart Sensor Systems hardware development. As one of Europe s leading ICT institutes, with over 600 people and a capital infrastructure in excess of 250m, Tyndall is now focusing its research in microelectronics and front end sensor development into making smart things for the Internet of Farm .

Applications are invited for a Post-Doctoral research position within the Nanotechnology Group at the Tyndall National Institute University College Cork. The position is initially for two years with potential for extension pending further funding. We have recently developed new integrated electrochemical nanosensors employing nanowires as sensing elements on-chip and have demonstrated significantly enhanced sensitivity, when compared to the state of the art, for a range of important molecules including: chemical analytes (e.g., pesticides) and biochemicals analytes (e.g., glucose, dopamine). These new sensors have been sufficiently developed to allow electrochemical-based label-free detection of binding events including antibody-antigen. Recently we have shown label-free immunoassays at single nanobands and demonstrated real-time detection (time to detection: 15 minutes) of viruses and antibodies in serum.

Purpose of the role

The candidate will co-develop new approaches for chemical modification of sensors, based on organic/inorganic materials, to confer selectivity for detection of different cationic and ionic species in water and milk. Using an iterative approach, nanoelectrodes will be chemically modified, characterised and optimised for the multiplexed detection of target species. The work will involve the development of state-of-the-art research methods that involve nanosensor development and fabrication (in collaboration with the nano-fabrication facility at Tyndall) chemical modification of gold or platinum nanoelectrodes using additive chemical approaches, test, characterisation, evaluation, integration with electronic circuitry (in collaboration with the microelectronic circuit centre of Ireland at Tyndall) field deployment and validation.

In general, researchers at Tyndall are also expected to participate in the full range of activities of the group, contributing to collaborative projects, particularly where their special expertise can make a direct contribution. MNS plays a leading role in the Science Foundation Ireland / Department of Agriculture Food and the VistaMilk Centre which involves close collaboration with industry as well as national and international academic research groups. The candidate is expected to contribute to these collaborations, in particular helping to generate and deliver industry projects which are mainly in the area of sensor development and system validation and test.

The researcher is expected to have a strong track record of achievement and experience in the field (at least 3 years post PhD) of electrochemical sensor development, including experience of working on industrial projects, although not necessarily in a leading role.

This post is an initial two-year post-doctoral position linked to the funding opportunities of the MNS centre.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Appointment may be made on the IUA Scale for Post-Doctoral Researchers 39,130- 46,442pa. Salary placement on appointment will be in accordance with public sector pay policy.

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr. Alan O Riordan at alan.oriordan@tyndall.ie

Application Instructions:

Please click here to applyhttps://www.tyndall.ie/aor-29-researcher-in-electrochemical-nanosensors-development-_-chemistry

Handwritten forms will not be accepted.

Please note that Garda vetting and/or an international police clearance check may form part of the selection process.

The University, at its discretion, may undertake to make an additional appointment(s) from this competition following the conclusion of the process.

At this time, Tyndall National Institute does not require the assistance of recruitment agencies.

Tyndall National Institute at University College, Cork is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

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AOR-29 Researcher in Electrochemical Nanosensors Development chemistry job with TYNDALL NATIONAL INSTITUTE | 288209 - Times Higher Education

Schultz: On changes, chemistry and the Braves’ belief they have what it takes to win it all again – The Athletic

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NORTH PORT Chemistry, according to Merriam-Webster, is the interaction between people working together, specifically such interaction when harmonious or effective. It should be noted that both Merriam and Webster were book publishers and clearly very into dictionaries, not trash novels, so Im going to assume here that neither was much fun at parties or played a lot of sports, and therefore they would have no feel whatsoever as to how chemistry often impacts whether a team wins or loses.

So lets start with this summation on the importance of chemistry in a baseball clubhouse from Adam Duvall, a former All-Star, who is entering his ninth season in the major leagues with four franchises and has experienced a World Series title and 90-plus-loss seasons.

Its probably overlooked more than it should be, the Braves outfielder said. Its such a long season thats why its so important. Youre spending so much time together. It makes it easier and more fun when guys can come in and be in a good mood and just be able to pull on the same side of the rope.

Theres an ongoing debate about how much impact the loss of Freddie Freeman will have on Atlanta. Offensive production is tangible and easily measured. Harder to define is what most dont see behind the scenes: players seeing a teammate gut it out with injuries to play every day; telling a player whos on the training table his team needs him that day and he needs to play; having the status and presence to command respect to lead an important team meeting during a slump.

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Schultz: On changes, chemistry and the Braves' belief they have what it takes to win it all again - The Athletic

Turning off the plastic tap | Opinion – Chemistry World

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A historic agreement has been reached on plastic pollution. 175 nations that met in Nairobi, Kenya, in March have agreed to come up with a binding treaty to tackle a problem that no one nation can address on its own. But how big is the problem of plastic pollution?

The figures for plastic waste are shocking. Seventy years ago production was relatively low, with 2 million tonnes of plastic produced in 1950. Today production is pushing towards 350 million tonnes per year and much of it is going into packaging, textiles and consumer goods that we all use. Yet despite recycling rates increasing to a little over 20%, the majority of that plastic (55%) is discarded with the remainder incinerated. The world isnt coping well with that 55% it discards either. Models suggest that about 11 million tonnes of it is entering the worlds oceans every year and three-quarters of the plastic ever made is now waste.

The United Nations Environment Programmes (UNEP) draft resolution concedes that theres no one solution to the problem. To be sure, organised waste management collection systems will play a part. UNEP also goes out of its way to highlight that the informal waste management economy waste pickers will be important where state-run waste systems are inadequate. A significant reduction in plastic production is also desirable. Recycling and a circular economy are also on UNEPs wish list, and this is where the chemical industry and chemists can shine.

There are clearly opportunities for conventional recycling technologies to reform graded plastics into new items. However, this tends to lead to a lower quality product than those made with virgin petrochemicals. The dream solution to the plastics that the world cant do without would be depolymerisation technologies that can break polymers down into their constituent monomers cheaply and simply, which is why it features in our pages so often. A challenging task, but one that chemists are already rising to.

The next two to three years will be where the hard work really starts for negotiators from these countries. Getting 175 countries to agree on a wide range of binding measures to reduce, reuse and recycle plastics will be difficult. The excellent news is that they will be guided by top scientists sitting on a new international advisory panel that is being set up now and which is modelled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The first step has been taken and its time for chemistry to play its part in solving a problem that it has helped to create.

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Turning off the plastic tap | Opinion - Chemistry World

Lee Joon Gi Shows All Kinds Of Chemistry With Kim Jae Kyung, Lee Soon Jae, And More In Again My Life – soompi

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SBS has shared new stills from its upcoming drama Again My Life!

Again My Life is a drama about a young prosecutor who gets a second chance at justice after failing to bring down a powerful person.Lee Joon Gistars as Kim Hee Woo, who was unjustly killed while investigating a corrupt politician but unexpectedly gets a second chance at life.Kim Ji Eunstars as Kim Hee Ah, a genius and the youngest daughter of Cheonha Groups CEO.

As Kim Hee Woo gears up for revenge in his second shot at life, he will partner up with many people includingLee Min Soo (Jung Sang Hoon),Kim Han Mi (Kim Jae Kyung),Kim Gyu Ri (Hong Bi Ra), and Woo Yong Soo (Lee Soon Jae).

In the newly released photos, Kim Hee Woo shows various kinds of chemistry with his allies. In one photo, thesociable and popular Lee Min Soo approaches Kim Hee Woo, his junior colleague, first.The two are completely different from each other, but later on, they become close friends.

Kim Hee Woo will also have intriguing chemistry with Kim Han Mi and Kim Gyu Ri, whose lives have changed because of him. Kim Han Mi is a journalist whose status as a child born out of wedlock led her to spend her grade school years with a twisted view of the world, while Kim Gyu Ri is a prosecutor who went to the same high school as him. Both will join him on his quest for justice.

Another helpful aid is Woo Yong Soo, a real estate expert. Kim Hee Woo needs financial power to get revenge againstJo Tae Sub (Lee Kyung Young), and he will meet Woo Yong Soo who can show him the way. The two characters will show perfect pupil-teacher teamwork.

Again My Life premieres on April 8 at 10 p.m. KST and will be available with subtitles on Viki!

Watch a teaserfor the drama with English subtitles below:

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Lee Joon Gi Shows All Kinds Of Chemistry With Kim Jae Kyung, Lee Soon Jae, And More In Again My Life - soompi

Prospects Perspective: Building Team Chemistry – BlueJackets.com

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Developing NHL players no doubt requires significant attention to skating and stick-on-puck skills, plus building up strength and size to compete amid the physicality of today's game. But a vital ingredient of winning hockey is establishing team chemistry at the American Hockey League and ECHL affiliate levels.

Two Kraken developing pros, Connor Carrick and Cale Fleury (recently added to the Seattle taxi squad) are exhibiting the team-first mentality and resilience general manager Ron Francis and the Kraken hockey operations group seek in all prospects and developing players.

The COVID-19 pandemic severely shortened the list of available players for the Checkers in recent games. Carrick and Fleury played monster minutes as the only two regular Charlotte defensemen able to suit up for a recent 4-1 comeback victory. More impressively, Carrick and Fleury mentored four defensemen and a goalie during the win, all playing up a level on player tryouts and learning the Charlotte systems of play shift by shift in a regular season game.

"They took on a huge role [guiding the young defensemen], but the game is about opportunity," Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear said. "Opportunity is what you make of it. You have to do the work prior to make the most of it. These guys continue to make the most of their opportunity.

With Charlotte down 1-0, Carrick put his team on the board with a shorthanded goal during an early third-period power play. The Checkers bench and home crowd roared at the momentum-changing score. Charlotte forward and Kraken developing pro Kole Lind tallied the game-winning second goal.

"I thought our leaders really stepped up in the third period," Kinnear told Checkers reporter Nicholas Niedzielski. "You look at Connor and you look at 'Flower' [Fleury]. They really took it to another level for us. It was a great third period. We found a way to win."

It marked Carrick's fifth goal of the year. He was more focused on the boost for his teammates. The Checkers are now 11-6 since the beginning of January with Carrick and Fleury contributing in meaningful ways to the winning culture.

"We wanted to get it to 1-1 and we didn't like where we were at," Carrick said. "It just kind of levels the game a little bit. A lot of their best players are going to be on the power play, so you throw a dagger like that and now they're on their heels."

NCAA No. 3 Michigan split last weekend's series with Big Ten Conference rival, No. 11 Minnesota, losing in a shootout the first night and winning the second game behind a game-winning goal and an assist from Kraken top prospect Matty Beniers.

The Wolverines travel to Madison, Wisc., this weekend to face the Wisconsin Badgers. After the weekend set, Beniers will meet up with his Team USA Olympics teammates in Los Angeles and a subsequent flight to Beijing for the Winter Games.

The Kraken's second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, defenseman Ryker Evans, likely thought he would be traveling himself. There was significant media speculation that Evans would be traded from the Western Hockey League's Regina Pats to another WHL team before the league's trade deadline Jan. 14.

But instead, Evans will lead Regina in its push to make the WHL playoffs. Every standings point counts, so despite losing in a shootout last week, Evans and his power-play teammates were successful enough to get the game into overtime and notch a point in the standings. Evans, the Pats' man-advantage "quarterback," scored a goal on one power play and added an assist on another.

Evans and the power play continued the momentum in a 4-0 win Tuesday, with Evans assisting on a man-advantage goal, which proved to be the game-winner. He leads the Pats in scoring with six goals and 31 assists in 34 games.

When Max McCormick rejoined AHL Charlotte after his callup to the Kraken, the forward made himself quite comfortable in the lineup. He scored two goals and notched three assists in three games, earning him Charlotte's First Star of the Week.

McCormick's scoring prowess included a wraparound goalthat evened the score in the Checkers' other win against two losses in a four-game week. Kraken developing pro Carsen Twarynski (three goals, 10 assists) scored a shorthanded goal to ice the victory.

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Integrating Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Medicine to Optimize Radiopharmaceutical Therapy – Argonne National Laboratory

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Abstract: Radiopharmaceutical therapy poses a unique set of opportunities and challenges. This is the only form of radiation therapy that can target cancer cells precisely at the cellular level, a key requirement for eliminating circulating tumor cells, disseminated tumor cells, and oligometastases. Yet this distinct advantage over other radiation therapies also poses challenges for harnessing its power and for developing predictive dose response relationships. Each radionuclide (and daughter radionuclide) emits a unique set of radiations with different linear energy transfer and ranges in tissue. These can include Auger electrons, conversion electrons, particles, x rays, rays, and particles. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of these radiations can depend on the subcellular distribution of the radionuclide in the tissue of interest and on radiation dose rate patterns that are dictated principally by radiopharmacokinetics and the range of the emitted radiations. Recent advances have improved our capacity to develop predictive dose response relationships and harness the power of radiopharmaceutical therapy. Among the advancements that will be discussed are the importance of activity distributions, dose rate patterns, and RBE. Recognizing that distribution of the radiopharmaceutical at the cellular level trumps RBE of the radiations emitted, novel approaches to distribute the dose more uniformly over the targeted cell population will also be discussed. Finally, the role of radiation-induced bystander effects in radiopharmaceutical therapy will also be discussed.

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Integrating Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Medicine to Optimize Radiopharmaceutical Therapy - Argonne National Laboratory

Chemistry Professor’s Team Wins Share of $20M in UC’s National Lab Funding – UC Davis

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Chemistry professor Louise Berben is the lead principal investigator for one of five UC-wide research projects recently awarded nearly $19 million in grants by the UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program.

As announced Jan. 18 by the UC Office of the President, the research program distributed $20 million in all, including two-year in-residence fellowships to seven Ph.D. students, three of them from UC Davis, for research at the Livermore and Los Alamos national labs.

The program is funded by a portion of the fees that UC receives for managing the Livermore and Los Alamos labs on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy. Each systemwide project involves multiple campuses and at least one UC-affiliated national lab.

The Berben team received its grant for Direct Production of Renewable Fuels and Chemicals From Captured CO2, an effort to develop new ways to divert CO2 from waste streams and convert it into clean, renewable fuels and other useful products. Collaborating with UC Davis are the Berkeley, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside and Santa Barbara campuses, and the Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore labs.

The project spans chemistry, chemical engineering and prototype-scale manufacturing with significant opportunities for interdisciplinary training of graduate and undergraduate students, Berben said.

Here are the other funded projects, including two with Davis campus collaboration:

Read a summary of each project here.

With this allocation, the UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program has now distributed more than $190 million in competitive peer-reviewed grants since it began in 2008. The program fosters collaboration among the campuses and labs while addressing different strategic areas of research.

For the 2022 funding cycle, the program identified its strategic priorities as clean, renewable energy and decarbonization; frontiers of mesoscale materials and high energy density science; and pandemic preparedness and biosecurity. More than half the funds went to projects like Berbens that can help California meet its climate goals.

The UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program awarded fellowships to the following UC Davis Ph.D. students, each listed with their field of study, project title and the lab where they will be in residence:

The fellowships provide unique opportunities for UC students to work with leading scientists and gain exposure to facilities and equipment that are only available at the national labs, said Craig Leasure, UCs vice president for the national labs.

In fact, some of the top scientists at the national labs began their careers as students at UC and developed skills and expertise through research collaborations between the two institutions, he said.

The UC National Lab Fees Research Program does so much for both UC and the national labs, Leasure said. The fellowships are a great example of how UC is cultivating the next generation of scientists and national security experts.

The UC Office of the President contributed to this report.

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Chemistry Professor's Team Wins Share of $20M in UC's National Lab Funding - UC Davis

Empowered by her Lander education, Ngwenyama shares her love of chemistry and medicine with others – Index-Journal

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Hunter Henry is excited about growing his chemistry with Mac Jones this offseason – Pats Pulpit

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Their first year together was a productive one for Hunter Henry and Mac Jones. The New England Patriots high-priced free agency tight end and the rookie starting quarterback connected on 51 of 78 attempted passes for 633 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns.

Henry ended the season as Jones second most targeted teammates behind only wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, establishing a solid chemistry with the young QB. Heading into their first full offseason together, the goal is clear: keep working on that connection to make it an even more productive one in 2022.

Henry expressed his excitement about doing just that during his end-of-season media conference call,

This offseason will be huge, he said. That relationship and that chemistry goes a long way, and translates to the field. Just little things: growing our knowledge of the offense, the knowledge of the way we run routes, the way we see things, the way we see things against certain defenses. All that will continue to grow and only get better, so Im excited about it.

A former member of the Los Angeles Chargers, Henry arrived in New England via a three-year, $37.5 million free agency contract in mid-March. A few weeks later, Jones joined the team as the 15th overall selection in the draft.

The two did spend some time alongside each other over the course of training camp, but their connection did not take off until after incumbent starter Cam Newton was released. Henry acknowledged that it took some time for himself and the rest of the offense to develop a feel for playing alongside Jones, the Patriots QB2 throughout the summer.

There was a lot of growth. Early on we were still just trying to figure each other out, in a away. We didnt get many reps with Mac even in camp, he said.

It just took us time to build that chemistry, build in this system. And then we started clicking and then I felt like we picked it up mid-season, when we were really, really clicking.

Now, the two will have a full offseason alongside each other one that has both of them in clearly defined roles: Jones enters 2022 as the undisputed starting quarterback, while Henry is coming off a season in which he served as New Englands top receiving tight end.

Both will play a big part in helping the Patriots offense take the next step after what was a promising but ultimately inconsistent season for the unit. This process continues during the offseason.

Theres stuff to build upon, theres stuff to grow from, Henry said.

Anytime you have a season like we did we had a lot of success, we have a lot of stuff we need to learn from, we didnt start out how we wanted to, we didnt really end how we wanted to, we had a good middle part of the season with that big winning streak were going to sit back and reflect on the season. ... Look at the season as a whole, things that I can improve on, how I can help the team.

Actively continuing to build the relationship with his quarterback will be a good start.

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Hunter Henry is excited about growing his chemistry with Mac Jones this offseason - Pats Pulpit

Cleveland Cavaliers: The perfect blend of talent and chemistry — Chris Fedor – cleveland.com

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- David vs. Goliath. Big brother vs. little brother. Varsity vs. Junior Varsity. Rocky vs. Drago.

In each of the previous three seasons, thats what a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks -- the NBAs winningest team since 2018 and a Central Division juggernaut -- wouldve felt like for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Not anymore.

This is not the Cleveland we knew in the past years, reigning Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said following the Cavaliers 115-99 statement win Wednesday night. Theyre a good team. They have a better record than us right now. Its a team that weve got to be careful, weve got to scout better and make sure we respect them even more now. Theyre a playoff team and theyre fighting for the title themselves.

Think about what Antetokounmpo said for a minute. It wouldve been unfathomable last season when the Cavaliers collapsed after a surprising start. It wouldve led to cackling months ago when they were once again predicted to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Whos laughing now?

Certainly not the defending champion Bucks, who fell to fourth behind third-place Cleveland in the standings and, for the moment, lost grip of the season tiebreaker, something that could loom large as April draws near. Not the Brooklyn Nets, another team that Cleveland recently beat and leapfrogged in the standings. Not the New York Knicks or Atlanta Hawks, a pair of playoff teams a year ago that Cleveland has displaced.

The Cavs are legit. Everyone in the league knows it. Time to shift to a much more pertinent question: Whats their ceiling?

I dont think we know the answer to that, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff told cleveland.com following the game. I know the future is bright but there are so many experiences we havent faced as a group that this years story cant be predicted. We have to keep passing tests and accepting challenges in order to see where we can ultimately go.

Wednesday was the latest. Its the biggest win of the post-LeBron James era.

The Cavs led mighty Milwaukee by as much as 21. Over the final 22-plus minutes, the Bucks never got within single digits. There was a 30-point discrepancy from 3-point range and almost a 40-point gap in bench scoring. The Bucks were held to 38% shooting over the final three quarters.

We feel that if we play hard and stay true to our system that we can beat anybody, Kevin Love said. We beat a very good team tonight. But now its getting guys in a mindset of, can we do it again? Can we do it night in and night out? To get to where we want to go, weve got to do it every single night. We want respect in this league. We want teams to understand that we want to bottle this up and make something special here.

This wasnt some serendipitous performance, catching Milwaukee at the right time -- like Decembers blowout win.

A dominant performance at both ends, the Cavs outplayed the fully-loaded, streaking champs who entered the night 45-6 against Central foes over the last four seasons and were 18-3 in games with Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday all in the lineup. Antetokounmpo said he was surprised by Clevelands physicality and how tough it was going one-on-one against so many quality individual defenders. Middleton spoke about its unmatched size.

The swarming defense, third in rating this season, held Milwaukee, which averages 111.8 points, below the 100-point mark while forcing Antetokounmpo into seven turnovers -- matching his season-high.

We had a couple things when we came into the season about our identity: We wanted to be the hardest-working team out there and we wanted to always give 100 percent on the defensive end, Jarrett Allen said. I think tonight was a perfect example of that. Obviously, we have ups-and-downs but overall, we have stuck with our identity and its carrying us.

The Cavs, 30-19, have three wins in a row. They are 8-2 in their last 10. Already have double-digit victories this month. Boast the leagues fourth-best point differential -- even better than 31-win Miami. They are in the top 5 of net rating -- a ranking shared by each NBA champion over the last decade. Their net rating, No. 4 overall, is 6.3. It was minus-8.3 last season -- an unprecedented transformation.

Theyve won 15 games against teams above .500 and are 9-11 against the top 6 in each conference. Given the schedule gantlet already faced, the Cavs have the third-easiest remaining road, giving them a legitimate path to the Easts top spot.

They play hard and together, with a palpable bravado and irrational audacity required to reach the postseason without LeBron for the first time since 1998 -- and make noise when they get there.

They believe in each other, Bickerstaff said. They have no fear. No matter whats going on, good or bad, they always feel like somebodys got their back. We take challenges. We dont run from anybody. We dont back down. And we give everybody our best shot.

For three years, Clevelands best shot wasnt nearly good enough. It is now. The rebuild is over. This team is the perfect blend of talent and chemistry.

You can have all the talent in the world and have poor chemistry and youre going to underachieve every time. You can have less talent and more chemistry and youll achieve, Bickerstaff said. The beauty of it is, you cant put numbers to it, you have to put time and care into it. Thats the human aspect of what we do. The computers want to take all that away from us. Theres so much more to be said about -- especially in teams -- togetherness, a genuine trust and care for one another. That support gives you an opportunity every night to be more than what you are as an individual.

Earlier this week, Love referred to the Cavs as the ultimate share-the-wealth group. That was highlighted against the Bucks.

Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Allen rightfully receive most of the attention.

Garland has made the third-year leap, morphing into the team leader, engine of the offense, a potential All-Star and one of the leagues best point guards. Allen, who drew the assignment against Antetokounmpo Wednesday, will also garner All-Star consideration. Mobley is transcendent -- the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year and a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate who looks like a video game create-a-player. Hes already changed the trajectory of the franchise -- and is only scratching the surface.

Those three are the franchise cornerstones. They accelerated this process.

On Wednesday night, that trio, which Love referred to as a three-headed monster, combined for 45 points, 10 assists, 12 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. There was even a filthy, jaw-dropping connection between Garland and Mobley that ended with the rook putting Antetokounmpo on a poster -- a moment that sent shockwaves through Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

But the beauty of the Cavaliers is it can be anyones night. Lamar Stevens on the road in Oklahoma City. Dean Wade on Monday. Love and Cedi Osman Wednesday.

Love finished with a team-high 25 points -- another throwback to his younger days. Osman, who was a ghastly 1-of-20 from 3-point range in the previous five games, went 6-of-14 from deep and tallied 23 points. Those two helped blow the game open with their shot-making, especially against a Milwaukee defense that allows the most 3-pointers. Beating them requires drilling those looks.

Just continuing to tell him to be himself, Love said of Osman. I dont care if you shoot 0-for-12 or 12-for-12, we need you to be Cedi. When you get hot, you get hot. Just go out there, be yourself, play both sides of the ball. Hes one of those guys that hes really hard not to like. When hes hitting, we all get excited. Its not only the whole crowd, its the bench, the coaching staff, its everybody. I love Cedi. I mean, hes one of my favorite teammates, and one of my better friends in the league.

Then Love jokingly called Osman annoying while critiquing his jacket and saying Osman shadows him too much on the road. After Lo
ve sent a few barbs at Allen, it was the big mans turn to return the favor.

Its Grandpa Kev, not Uncle Kev, Allen said with a laugh.

Those playful exchanges dont even begin to encapsulate the camaraderie that pours onto the court.

Love chest-bumping teammates after big shots. Garland hopping back to the locker room with his arm around veteran Rajon Rondo following the win. Collin Sexton, who only recently began to walk following November meniscus surgery, stepping onto the court to direct his teammates or clap back at a shouting Bobby Portis after a technical foul. Ricky Rubio sending congratulatory postgame text messages despite recovering from a season-ending torn ACL. Isaac Okoro ripping on Bickerstaff for his old-school musical playlist. Teamwide barking.

The Cavs arent just one of the leagues best teams. Theyre one of the most connected. Fun is their secret ingredient.

Bickerstaff insisted before the game that the Cavs are still a work in progress. Love would prefer they continue behaving like underdogs while flying under the radar, not wanting to talk about ceilings.

I almost dont even want to acknowledge it because I just want to bottle what we have right now, Love said.

Thats getting much harder. The secrets out.

-

Get the latest Cavs merchandise: Heres where you can order Cleveland Cavaliers gear online, including jerseys, shirts, hats, 2016 NBA Champions products and much more.

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Cleveland Cavaliers: The perfect blend of talent and chemistry -- Chris Fedor - cleveland.com

DESE votes to phase out chemistry and technology/engineering MCAS subject tests by 2024 – MassLive.com

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The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Board voted Tuesday to phase out two of the four MCAS high school science and technology/engineering subject tests. These exams are currently available for students to meet competency determination requirements for graduation.

Continued low and declining testing participation met by significant costs to develop the new tests contributed to the decision. The board said at Decembers meeting that most students take either the biology or introductory physics MCAS test, with only 3% of students taking the chemistry or technology/engineering exams.

Eliminating the tests will not eliminate courses in chemistry and technology/engineering. Data presented by the board suggests that in the 2020-2021 school year, 23,594 students took a course in technology/engineering and 67,814 students took chemistry.

Our high school MassCore requirements include three years of a laboratory science, so most students will have opportunities to take either or both of these subjects, the board said.

Before the vote, board member Paymon Rouhanifard of Brookline said he planned on voting to pass the proposal, but said he believes schools should measure what they value and that they are devaluing chemistry and technology/engineering learning. He added that he understands the rationale but wants schools to find another way to measure progress.

I think its a sad day that were taking this vote. Thats not to say that there arent great answers out there in the future and I hope this prompts some bigger dialogue, Rouhanifard said.

Secretary of Education James Peyser agreed with Rouhanifard, saying he recognizes the lack of interest in the subject tests but doesnt want to send a message that chemistry and technology/engineering dont matter. He added that DESE plans to support and strengthen high-quality coursework with science and technology, including testing.

The proposal to phase out the tests stated that schools would continue to offer them for two additional years in spring 2022 and spring 2023 to accommodate students and schools who still participate in the chemistry and technology/engineering tests regularly.

This deferred elimination allows students in the class of 2025 (who are in 9th grade this year) to take either of these two tests at the end of either 9th or 10th grade and gives high schools time to adjust their course sequences if needed, the board said.

Beginning in 2024, chemistry and technology/engineering tests would no longer be available, and only tests in biology and introductory physics would be offered to students in the class of 2026 and beyond.

Students in the class of 2025 will be allowed to submit performance appeals in chemistry and technology/engineering during the transition, however.

DESE plans to make the announcement this winter to provide fair notice to students and high schools so they can alter courses with the change.

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DESE votes to phase out chemistry and technology/engineering MCAS subject tests by 2024 - MassLive.com

Professor’s invention is a kid-friendly introduction to the chemistry of light – UCLA Newsroom

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If you know how to look, our world can be wildly colorful. Under an ultraviolet light, once-familiar objects can take on dreamlike brilliance: Think neon green scorpions, hot pink flying squirrels and electric blue diamond rings.

Known as fluorescence, this ability of certain molecules to absorb light in one colored wavelength and emit it in another is a phenomenon many scientists, including UCLA professor Ellen Sletten, are still exploring.

And a few years ago, Sletten devised a clever way to make her research into fluorescence more accessible to non-scientists: the Photonbooth. A clever twist on the traditional photo booth thats a staple of carnivals, arcades and parties, Photonbooth the pun in its name a reference to the fundamental particle of light has inspired hundreds of budding scientists to recognize that there is more to the world than what our eyes typically see, and that key scientific principles underpin everyones daily existence.

Its very clear right now, with the pandemic, that misinformation about science is dangerous for us all, says Sletten, a chemical biologist. Younger generations especially need us to focus on accurate, responsible scientific communication. Besides, everyone loves a photo booth, right?

The concept evolved out of an attraction from her 2015 wedding reception. To echo her engagement ring, which her fianc chose for its fluorescence (caused by a defect in the diamonds lattice structure), Sletten envisioned black lights installed in a standard photo booth with fluorescent props for guests to pose with. Her party-phobic father, an engineer, jumped at the chance to pay tribute to his daughters life work and to help turn her plans into a reality.

The Photonbooth was born.

It was such a huge hit, even with the nonscientists, Sletten says. I realized it was very synergistic with many of my labs research goals and could be a perfect avenue for science outreach.

When Sletten discussed the booth with members of her UCLA research team, her then-graduate student Rachael Day now a biochemistry professor at Drury University in Missouri was so inspired that she took it upon herself to build a version of the booth, and they immediately began using it at local parties and educational events, including Exploring Your Universe, UCLAs annual hands-on science fair.

Penny Jennings/UCLA

Ellen Sletten

A typical Photonbooth presentation begins with a quick science lesson demonstrating the fluorescent properties of common household items such as tonic water or detergent, followed by a discussion of the biomedical uses of fluorescence. Attendees next create their own glowsticks, enter the booth with whimsical props they choose and pose for photos, first under normal light and then, to best show off their fluorescent items, under a black light.

A lot of science especially chemistry, where everything is nanoscale or smaller can be difficult to comprehend, Sletten says. I really like using fluorescence because its so easy for kids to see. I also love how we can take something kids are familiar with, like a highlighter, and then help them realize there is this whole other side to it if they are curious enough to look and question.

Science education outreach is especially important to Sletten because it highlights the human connection that she says is so crucial to scientific progress. As she looks back on her labs first five years, she cites her relationship with her students and their growth among her most important accomplishments.

My students are amazing, and I try hard to be an effective mentor who gets to know each of them well, Sletten says. In many ways, starting a lab is like starting a small company. You go through all the challenges and problem-solving together, which makes for strong bonds. It has been incredibly rewarding to be a part of my students journeys to becoming excellent scientists and communicators.

At the same time, Sletten has attracted attention for the labs impressive progress toward developing diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. In 2020, she earned the Young Chemical Biologist Award from theInternational Chemical Biology Society, and in 2021, she received a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiativefor her work on deep tissue imaging.

Sletten saysthe experience of children delighting in the Photonbooth experience mirrors the optimism she and her team share for the future of their own research.

When I think about the videos of molecules flowing within mice which our lab has been able to produce with previously unattainable speeds, colors and resolutions, I can relate to how those kids feel stepping in the Photonbooth, Sletten says. The opportunity to see something new, the feeling of discovery and fun I hope it inspires those kids to become science-savvy citizens or even future scientists.

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Professor's invention is a kid-friendly introduction to the chemistry of light - UCLA Newsroom

Report: Cavs dont want to make a deal that might disrupt how special the teams … – Cavaliers Nation

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The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to climb in the Eastern Conference standings, as the team is now third in the conference behind the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.

Chemistry has been a major part of the teams success. For that reason, the organization hasnt shown a desire to make any sort of move that could potentially disrupt the groups chemistry, according to The Athletics Jason Lloyd and Kelsey Russo.

Lloyd and Russo talked about what the Cavs might do at the deadline. Lloyd was quick to point out that any player the team trades for would need to fit in from a chemistry standpoint.

[Caris] LeVert makes a lot of sense, Lloyd wrote. Hes the right age, his contract is easy to absorb if the Cavs use [Ricky] Rubios contract as the vehicle to make the money work (theyd obviously have to include other assets) and LeVert likely wouldnt disrupt the chemistry the Cavs have right now. Thats a big deal in all of this. This team realizes how special this group is and they havent shown an inclination to do anything major that might disrupt it.

The Cavaliers have been led by Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and rookie Evan Mobley in the 2021-22 campaign.

Trading for a player like LeVert would surely help the team overcome the loss of guard Collin Sexton, who was the teams leading scorer in the 2020-21 season.

However, the Cavs have already shown that they can win even with Sexton and Rubio done for the season, which may lead to the team standing pat at this years trade deadline.

LeVert has been solid for the Pacers this season. He is averaging 18.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from beyond the arc.

It will be interesting to see how the Cavs proceed for the remainder of the season, as they clearly have confidence in their current group of players.

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Report: Cavs dont want to make a deal that might disrupt how special the teams ... - Cavaliers Nation

LSU chemists discover way to improve biofuel and biomaterial production – Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

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Globally, sustainable energy is in demand, and plant biomass has been a front-runner as a renewable resource.

Until now, physical and chemical interactions in plant biomass had been a challenge in post-harvest processing, but LSU Department of Chemistry associate professor Tuo Wang and his research team of graduate students have discovered new information that can aid in the development of better technology to use biomass for energy and materials.

The team revealed how carbohydrates interact with lignin to form plant biomass, and the new information has revised the research of plant biomaterials, according to a report from LSU Chemistry.

Biofuels have made headlines elsewhere in Louisiana, with Gov. John Bel Edwards announcing last June that Delta Biofuel was evaluating Iberia Parish for a planned $70 million biomass fuel pellet plant.

The pellets, made from sugarcane fiber, would source fiber from mills in Iberia, St. Mary and St. Martin parishes, allowing alternative use of the mills unneeded waste.

Read the full LSU story.

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LSU chemists discover way to improve biofuel and biomaterial production - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report